Page 6 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

“Follow me, please.”

He let Meri go first as they followed the greeter to a booth in front of the window.The interior of the restaurant was like an old-fashioned diner with booths in the middle and around the outside.The counter had seats, too.The servers wore those old white waitress uniforms that are rarely seen anymore, along with green aprons.

Meri didn’t enjoy sitting as if on display, but Chase didn’t seem to notice, so she decided not to say anything.

Their server, a perky blonde with a long braid, bright red lips and a nose ring, set two glasses of ice water on the table.“Hi, I’m Betty.”She pointed to the nametag she wore.“I’ll be your server today.What can I get you folks to drink?”

Meri looked up at her.“I’d like a coffee.Do you have any flavored creamer?”

“Sure do.French vanilla, hazelnut and Irish cream.”

“Irish cream, please.Four of them.”

The girl smiled.“Coming up.”She turned toward Chase.“And for you, handsome?”

“Coffee, black.”Chase never seemed to take his gaze from Meri.

Heat crept from her neck up.

Betty wrote the order on her ticket book and then left.

“So, Meri, tell me about yourself.”Chase took a sip of his water and then sat forward, like he wanted them to be so close they could whisper.

Meri shrugged.“There’s not much to tell.I’m thirty-two and I grew up with three brothers.My little brother, Ben, is a year and a half younger than me.My older brothers are Gage, thirteen years older than me, and Barry, who is almost nine years older.Gage joined the Army when he was eighteen and Barry joined when he was seventeen.Dad had to sign a paper for him to enter.Then it was just the four of us—Dad, Mom, me, and Ben.Mom always said it was like she had two families to raise.Dad traveled a lot for work, so she was almost like a single mother.”

He frowned, reached across the table and put a hand over hers.“That must have been hard.”

Meri’s pulse raced and she shivered at his touch.“Yes, but my mother is the strongest woman I’ve ever known.She still is.Now, what about you?Tell me about Chase Harper.”

“Not much to tell that hasn’t already been online or in those gossip rags.”

“I don’t read those, but I Googled you and I know you’re wealthy and that this security business isn’t where you made your money.”She squinted, trying to remember.“That was in…in what?Give me a minute.”

He smiled and lifted his glass for another sip.

Her ignorance of what he was famous for seemed to please him.“Okay, what is it?I can’t remember.”

“I design programs for computers.I’ve created several phone apps that have been exceedingly popular, a couple of games, that kind of thing.”He shrugged.“I still do that, but I like the security business better.I enjoy dealing with people and protecting them.”He placed both forearms on the table and leaned forward so only she would hear.“Some of my clients are in danger every time they leave their home.”

“That’s right, I remember now.I feel sorry for those people who have to use your services.”She shook her head.“I couldn’t live like that.It’s bad enough with all the hacking and phishing that happens.I’d go find some property somewhere and become a hermit.”

“I’d like to take you to my ranch in Montana.You’d be able to be a hermit there.”

She leaned a little toward him.“A ranch?The one from the photographs in your office?Or do you have more than one?”

He nodded.“Just the one.”

My boss or not, he seems to be moving a little too fast for me.I shouldn’t even think about having a relationship with him.What is wrong with me?If I was a man, I’d just say I couldn’t keep it in my pants, but sex is only part of it.Yes, I’m that attracted to him.Stop it!

But she couldn’t.Meri closed her eyes, seeing her dream ranch…somewhere she could have a real studio and paint up a storm, not worrying about if they would sell or not.She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her with a smile curving one side of his lips.“Sorry, I was away thinking about horses.I’ve always loved them.When I was a kid, Barry rented a horse for Ben and me for the summer.We lived in the mountains then and had a horse pasture already fenced off.He got the animal from one of our uncles.The horse’s name was Joker, and I loved him.But when I first met him, he was mean.He bit me.”She laughed.“We got to be friends, though.I was sad when summer ended and we had to give him back.”

“Why didn’t your uncle just give you the horse for the summer?”

She shrugged.“He probably needed the money.It was a scarce commodity when I was a kid.I promised myself I would never be that poor again.I know my parents did the best they could, but most of their paychecks went for the house payment, food and utilities, upkeep on the car and, of course, gas.”

“We were never that poor.My dad was an accountant and my mom owned a clothing store catering to large women.But we still had to save up for special things, like a dinner out.”

“How did you wind up designing phone apps and computer games?”