The Cowboy's All-Business Bride (Billionaire Cowboys Book 5) Read online

  “What do you think?” he asked Leyla after she took her first bite.

  “Mm.” She pressed the fork to her lips. “It’s amazing. Coconut is my favorite.”

  “Then, it’s settled. We’ll do coconut.”

  “But…” She held the fork in the air, asking for attention. “Some people are allergic to coconut, and a lot of people don’t like it. It’s important to get something that everyone can enjoy.”

  “It’s not their wedding,” Kane pointed out. “It’s yours.”

  “Ours.”

  Sure.

  She took another bite of the coconut cake. A big one.

  “Forget them,” he said. “It’s not about them.”

  Leyla lowered her fork, her pupils widening. She seemed affected by his words, though it wasn’t like he’d said anything he didn’t think was already obvious.

  “I want our guests to have a good time,” she said.

  “I want you to have a good time.”

  “Kane…” She pursed her lips, but the look soon turned into a smile.

  “We’ll get two cakes,” he decided. “The one that will make people happy, and the one that will make you happy.”

  The bakery was fancy. The cakes probably cost as much as a horse, but screw it. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it.

  Leyla deserved everything she wanted.

  “A splendid idea.” Maryum gestured for the next slice. “How about you taste the orange-vanilla one next? It’s their specialty.”

  Leyla cut her fork into the new slice and took a bite. “It’s delicious.”

  “Yeah,” Kane agreed.

  The dab of frosting at the corner of her mouth caught his eye. It shouldn’t have been, but something about it was sexy.

  “Here.” Taking a cloth napkin, he wiped at the edge of her lips.

  His finger grazed her cheek, and their eyes connected. Kane’s breath froze.

  He hadn’t realized until then just how close they’d gotten while cake tasting. Their chairs were pushed flushed together, his arm rested across the back of her seat, and their faces were inches apart.

  From the outside, it probably looked like they were lovebirds in their own world, completely oblivious to the people around them.

  “Thanks,” Leyla whispered.

  “Aw,” the baker, a jolly woman with gray hair, cooed. “It is good to see a couple so in love.”

  Leyla stiffened like she’d been hit. Kane’s insides became all heavy. Drawing his hand away, he pretended to be interested in the next cake slice.

  He wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his feelings, was he?

  Maybe it would be best to go ahead and tell Leyla the truth. That way, everything would be out in the open and they could move on.

  It could be that she even felt the same way.

  Though he doubted it. He’d likely killed any burgeoning feelings she’d had for him when he’d offered her money to marry him. Nothing romantic about that.

  “This one is good, too.” He pointed at the one he’d taken a bite of.

  Truth was, his senses weren’t working right. The cake could have been made from mulch, for all he knew.

  They finished up the cake tasting with very little interaction. He’d stepped over the boundaries, he knew. He had to be more careful.

  In the end, they chose the coconut with strawberries and a vanilla with chocolate icing. Walking out to the cars, Kane opened Leyla’s door for her.

  “See you at dinner,” he said. “I’m going to finish up some work.”

  “Okay.” Her hand lingered in his. Pausing before getting into the car, she opened her mouth.

  Kane waited, holding his breath.

  “See you then.” Looking away, she climbed into the backseat.

  Dazed, he watched the car drive away. He needed to get into his own vehicle, but his legs weren’t working right.

  What had Leyla been about to say? Was it related at all to the mess swirling around in his head?

  One thing was for sure. He now knew for a fact that he couldn’t go through with the wedding before telling her how he really felt.

  Chapter 21

  Leyla

  “That’s them! Right?” Leyla stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look at the car coming up the palace drive.

  “I think so.” Kane stuffed his hands in his pants pockets, not even a tenth as excited.

  “Aren’t you happy?” she asked. “Our best friends are here.”

  “Yeah.” He half-smiled. “I am.”

  He didn’t seem it. If anything, his discomfort level had appeared to grow in the last couple days. When she’d asked if he was okay, he claimed it was stress.

  But she couldn’t help but feel there was something he wasn’t telling her.

  Or maybe she was only projecting.

  Yeah. That was probably it.

  The car came to a stop in front of the palace’s front entrance, and the doorman promptly opened the back of it. Leyla stepped forward in excitement, expecting London to come barreling out of the car.

  Instead, Sharkie jumped onto the driveway.

  “Sharkie!” Bending down, Leyla patted her knees. “Come here, buddy.”

  Tail wagging, he ran over to her. She scratched behind his ears, in his favorite spot. Two seconds later and he moved on to inspecting the bushes.

  Leyla straightened up, ready to hug London… but she still hadn’t appeared.

  “London?” she called.

  “Huh?” London’s voice answered from inside the car. “Oh! Are we here?”

  Finally, London emerged from the car. She smiled big but kept looking over her shoulder, back into the vehicle. A second later, and Leyla figured out why.

  A tall, broad-shouldered man followed London from the car. With a tan Stetson and a plaid shirt that stretched across ripped pecs, every part of him screamed “Texan cowboy.”

  Though Kane hadn’t talked much about him, this had to be Trick.

  “That was fast,” the cowboy said.

  “I know.” London giggled. “It seems like we just got on the plane.”

  Trick smiled down at her, and the only thing glowing brighter than the sun was his face.

  Leyla caught Kane’s gaze and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged.

  “Kane.” Trick walked up and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “How’s it going, man? And you’re Leyla.”

  She offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I feel like I already know you.” His smile was warm and genuine.

  “Kane talks about me that much?”

  “No.” Trick winked. “But London did. Only good things, of course.”

  “Of course,” London echoed, throwing her arms around Leyla’s neck and hugging her tight.

  “How was the flight?” Leyla squeezed her back.

  “Really good.” London laughed again. It seemed she couldn’t stop laughing. “It’s too bad Kane’s mom couldn’t come until tomorrow, but Sharkie probably would have annoyed her, anyway.”

  “I liked having him there.” Trick scooped Sharkie up, and the little dog licked his face. It seemed London wasn’t the only smitten one.

  “London,” Leyla said, “this is Kane.”

  “I know. We met in the hall.” Kane smiled at London.

  “This is crazy.” London did a three-sixty. “This is a real palace.”

  “A real palace,” Leyla confirmed.

  “And you’re royalty.”

  “Not really.”

  “She is.” Kane put his arm around Leyla’s shoulders.

  Shrugging, Leyla placed her hand on his chest—and then took it away.

  They were with two of the three people who knew the truth about their relationship. Why were they still pretending?

  Not that she didn’t absolutely, one hundred percent love touching Kane.

  “Come on.” Pushing away thoughts of the matter, she took London’s hand. “Maryum and Mabrouk are excited to meet you.”
/>   “Holy smokes,” London asked. “A real king? Do I look okay?”

  “You look beautiful. Sharkie, come, boy.”

  They walked into the palace, and though she heard Kane and Trick talking in low voices behind them, she didn’t pay them any mind. The wedding was a day away, and everyone still had a list of separate things to do in order to get ready. Their meeting on the front steps had been brief.

  Maryum, in typical Maryum fashion, was thrilled to meet London. In addition, she’d also planned a surprise for her and Leyla: the morning at a nearby spa.

  After taking Sharkie for a walk, then putting him on his dog bed in London’s room, the two of them jumped into another car and headed out. During the drive to the spa, London marveled at everything. Every ten seconds, she had her phone out to take another picture.

  “This is unbelievable. I’ve never even been out of the US.”

  “You have now,” Leyla said on a laugh. “Okay, now that we’re alone… you and Trick hit it off, huh?”

  “I mean…” London bit into her lip and pretended to be coy. In reality, she was anything but.

  “He’s really cute,” Leyla added.

  “Kane is really cute. Are you kidding me?”

  “Yeah, he sure is,” Leyla agreed. “Trick seems just like your type, hon.”

  “Indeed.” London nodded sagely, but said no more, trying to hide her smile.

  They’d arrived at the spa, an ornate building with a fountain packed with stone mermaids in the front of it.

  Climbing out of the car, Leyla went to check in at the front desk.

  It turned out she didn’t need to. The second she walked through the doors, a staff member bustled over to greet them. Apparently, their volcanic mud bath was all ready.

  “Wow,” London whispered as they undressed and climbed into the sticky tub. “You get the special treatment, huh?”

  “Maryum does. I just… have been getting it through association.”

  Though she felt a little weird about being treated specially, Leyla had to admit it was nice. Certainly, it helped make up for the unwanted attention she got on the streets. She just needed to make sure she didn’t become spoiled or ungrateful for it.

  They stopped talking for a bit to focus on easing into the mud. The whole experience wasn’t as weird as she’d expected, and the mud felt pretty nice on her skin.

  “Okay.” London glanced at the closed door. “Updates.”

  “There’s not much to say. I’ve been hanging out with Maryum, getting ready for the wedding… Every night, the four of us have dinner together. That’s kind of important to her and Mabrouk. It’s sweet, actually. Feels like a real family.”

  London’s face fell. “Do you not want to talk about Kane?”

  “I…” She bit into her lip. “What’s to say? It is what it is.”

  “This doesn’t sound like you.”

  She was right. Though Leyla tended to check herself around other people, she’d always been transparent with her best friend.

  “I guess I’m not letting myself think much about it,” she sighed. “Kane and I are stuck in a loveless marriage before we’re even married.” She laughed, but it sounded brittle and sad.

  “Do you really think that? Don’t you think there’s a chance that it could be more? You were so into him.”

  Leyla closed her eyes. “I still am.”

  It sucked to admit that.

  “How into him?”

  “Like really, really into him.” She cracked one eyelid at a time. “In a way I’ve never been. I think I’m in love with him.”

  London shrieked and covered her mouth with her hands. A second later and she was spitting out mud.

  “Ugh,” she said and groaned. “Did not mean to do that.”

  Finally, Leyla had a laugh that felt genuine. “I’m sure it’s also good for your lips and tongue.”

  “Have you told him how you feel?” London grabbed a towel from the table next to the tub and cleaned her face.

  “Are you crazy? Heck no, I haven’t.”

  “Oh my God.” London rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid you be honest about what’s going on in your heart and head.”

  “Sorry. That didn’t come out right.” She slipped deeper into the mud, bringing it up to the base of her neck. “What Kane and I have is business.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  “He doesn’t want me, London.”

  “Has he said that?”

  Leyla’s heart skipped a beat. “Uh… no.”

  “Then don’t be so sure.”

  It was tempting to believe the chance at love could be there. Didn’t Leyla know better, though? Kane was the kind of person who knew what he wanted and went after it with no hesitation or apologies. If he wanted to be with her, he would tell her.

  “There’s another thing. I haven’t told him about the documentary yet.”

  London blinked, as if struggling to understand. “That’s not good.”

  “I know. I promised myself I would tell him before the wedding, but I keep chickening out.”

  “Want my advice?”

  “Of course I do,” Leyla said.

  “Bite the bullet and go for it. The documentary is a sure thing, right?”

  “For me it is. I signed the agreement.”

  “Then he’ll find out what’s happening soon enough.”

  “Yeah.” Leyla went to bury her face in her palm, but then remembered the mud all over her hands and stopped right in time. “I shouldn’t have signed that agreement.”

  “Which one?”

  “Ack. Good question. I meant the distribution one.”

  “But you want to get your film out there.”

  “Not like this.” Leyla’s head hung heavy. The remorse had been slowly building for days. Finally, it had come to the part where it was eating at her from the inside out.

  “Hey. It’ll be okay.” London set a mud-covered hand on Leyla’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know about that. This is a real mess. Kane’s going to hate me doing a documentary, even if he’s not in it. I mean, it’s about our life together, for goodness’ sake. What was I thinking?”

  She must have had a momentary lapse of sanity, because it all seemed wild, now.

  “Tell him,” London urged.

  “I will.” She drew a long breath. “But I’m also going to tell him I won’t be doing it.”

  “But you signed an agreement.” Her eyebrows knit together.

  “There has to be some way out of it.”

  “I guess so.” London looked thoughtful.

  “What?”

  “You really do love him.”

  “What makes you say that?” Leyla asked.

  “I know how important getting your movie made and out there is. You’re willing to sacrifice your own happiness for his. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

  “Yeah,” Leyla murmured.

  Sure, she was in love.

  Maybe she was also crazy. Kane looked out for his own interests. The smart thing would be for her to do the same.

  But even though Kane put his goals first, he was a good person. She couldn’t knowingly hurt him.

  “He’ll be angry,” she said.

  “Maybe.”

  “But I’m still gonna tell him.” Leyla rose from the tub.

  “What?” London laughed. “Right now?”

  “No.” She grinned. “I’m just tired of sitting in here. Too hot, too sticky. Come on. Let’s go get our nails done for tomorrow.”

  Chapter 22

  Kane

  The palace gardens swarmed with people, the night alive with music and joyful conversation. Kane stood by a cocktail table, sipping bourbon and doing his best to avoid people.

  In Sharrain, they had a big party before weddings, similar to the receptions in America. Best he could tell, tonight meant a lot of drinking, merriment, and toasts.

  The last part made him cringe. He’d had Trick help him write up a toast to
make. His friend hadn’t wanted to do it, but after Kane had asked a third time, he’d relented.

  Truth was, there was plenty Kane could say about his bride-to-be. That she was loving and kind. Caring. Beautiful. Talented.

  The list went on and on, but it was a real list. Tonight was about fiction. Having a short, generic speech about how Leyla made him feel like the luckiest man in the world seemed a much better option.

  Across the garden, Maryum approached Leyla, some Sharraini politicians at her side. Leyla smiled big and shook their hands. Whether she was truly thrilled to meet them or not, you’d never be able to tell. She was that good at faking it.

  Kane took another long sip. Screw it. Maybe he would go ahead and make that lengthy toast. He planned on telling Leyla how he felt that night, anyway. Might as well get rolling right away.

  “What are you doing over here, brooding all by yourself?” Trick sidled over.

  Kane smirked. “I ain’t brooding.”

  “Uh-huh. Fine. Smoldering. Isn’t that what the girls call it?”

  “I’m enjoying a drink.” He shook the glass, making the ice cubes clink.

  Trick lowered his voice. “You’ve been staring at Leyla, though.”

  Kane shrugged.

  “You love her, huh? Your mom told me she asked you and you wouldn’t answer.”

  “Seriously?” He made a face. “She told you that?”

  “We talk. Had lunch together in Austin last week.”

  “Course you two did.”

  “So?” Trick pressed. “What’s your plan?”

  “Tonight. I’m gonna tell her tonight.” Kane’s skin jumped with nerves.

  “Woohoo.” Trick punched his shoulder. “Attaboy.”

  “I dunno.” Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “This could go all wrong. I wasn’t supposed to fall for her.”

  “You can’t manipulate fate. Just go with it.”

  Easier said than done when your belly had twisted itself into knots, and there was a good chance you wouldn’t remember how to talk when the time for truth-telling arrived.

  Kane started to formulate an answer, but Maryum was heading their way.

  “It is time for the toasts.” She took hold of Kane’s free hand and pulled him to the center of the garden.