Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
“That’s perfect. Now turn your head a little to the left.
Up? Too much.” Hallie stepped closer to the cowboy and gently tilted his head with the tip of her finger.
“Now, stay right there.” She lifted her camera to her eye and several clicks streamed from the device.
“Okay, we’re going to do another pose. This one is for the calendar. ”
The cowboy smirked. He was one of twelve she had been commissioned to photograph for the magazine and bonus calendar this year. The top twelve contenders would be in the calendar while the remaining would only be in the magazine showcasing who was in this year’s NFR.
Hallie allowed herself to get lost in her work as cowboy after cowboy came and went from her makeshift studio at the hotel where she was staying. When they found out who won the competition in the next couple of days, she’d call the man back for one additional shoot for the cover.
She couldn’t believe how much everything had changed since last year.
The six months probationary time period working with the magazine had taught her so much about her craft and given her plenty of time to practice.
They’d loved her work so much, they’d even been willing to sign a contract where she was allowed to take work from other clients.
Occasionally she had to travel for work, and her schedule didn’t line up with Jacob’s, but most of the time they came to her. The work she did stood out enough that she was more sought after than she could have dreamed.
Once she was done with the cowboy, she sent him on his way and started going through the shots she’d managed to get.
“Hey there, beautiful.”
She lifted her head at the familiar voice and grinned as she crossed the room and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Jacob pulled back with a devilish smirk. “Whoa, there. Do you kiss all your clients like that?”
Hallie rolled her eyes and started walking away. “Only the obnoxious ones who turn me down multiple times.”
His mock gasp had her smiling, but it was when his arms snuck around her waist and he pulled her back into his chest that the giggles erupted. “There she is,” he murmured huskily, his warm breath tickling the shell of her ear. “I haven’t heard you laugh yet today.”
She turned in his hold and placed a hand to his chest as she looked up at him. “I’m pretty certain I laughed this morning.”
He scrunched his nose with disgust. “Laughing at Tate regaling you with stories of when we were both competing in the beginning doesn’t count.”
“I don’t know,” she sing-songed, “those stories were pretty epic.”
“Only laughs that I’m responsible for get to count,” he growled.
She laughed again and his eyes flashed with a similar amusement. “You ready for your shoot, handsome?”
“Do I get to stare at you the whole time?”
This was par for the course when she photographed Jacob. He was a flirt, and he always made sure she knew exactly where his heart was.
And that was with her.
He goofed off far too much and by the end of it she was exasperated but still enjoying herself. When she was done with him, he pulled her closer for one of his breath stealing kisses. “You’re coming to the final event, right?”
“Of course I am. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Good.” Jacob kissed her on the nose. “I’ll see you there.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too,” he shot back, “more than the rodeo.”
Hallie grinned then released him. So far Jacob was on track to win it all. He’d thrown himself into every competition he could over the last twelve months and he’d won money at several which was part of the requirement to get the title of World Champion.
The final round hadn’t even started, and Hallie was already feeling her anxiety being kicked up a notch.
She wanted this so bad for him. But something told her if he didn’t get it, he’d be just fine.
And perhaps that was why she prayed he’d win.
Over the last year Jacob had shown just how committed he was to her and his career.
Winning would prove to not only the world but also to Jacob that his efforts were worth it.
She set to work cleaning up the makeshift studio then she headed over to the arena for the final rounds.
Ryker, Mackenzie, Tate and Jason had come for the event. Apparently, Faith had managed to secure a temporary position with the general medical personnel and she’d gotten her brothers tickets. And Jacob had his brother and sister-in-law covered. They’d all gotten a lot closer over the last year.
Tate nudged Hallie when she got too anxious and flashed her a grin that said everything would work out. While she appreciated his outlook, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad might happen.
Hallie was on the edge of her seat throughout most of the competition. There were several high scores that had the chance to bump Jacob from his current standing. She’d wrung her hands for most of those rounds and then finally, Jacob was up next.
This was it. His moment to shine.
Only something wasn’t right. He stood on the sidelines near the chute speaking to some people. A few times the guys near him glanced in her direction and she rose to her feet. Had he gotten hurt? There was no way that he’d bail this close to winning, was there?
The flickering of her heart threatened to make her lose her footing.
Her head pounded and everything in her soul told her that this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
She moved to the edge of her row, prepared to head for the stairs and go to where the cowboys waited for their turns, but then a familiar voice rang out from the arena speakers.
“Hallie Bronson.”
The hair on her arms lifted to attention and she froze. Then she turned slowly toward the arena to find Jacob standing in the center of it, a helmet under one arm and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand.
Gasps and murmurs flooded the space surrounding her but all she could hear was the beating of her own heart.
“Hallie, honey, would you please meet me down here?”
She shifted, her eyes darting back and forth. She was the girl behind the camera, not the one in the spotlight. Garnering attention from a stadium full of people was not on her bucket list. But something else was.
“Ma’am. This way, please?”
She startled to find a security woman motioning for her to follow.
“Hallie, you might as well go, he’s not going to take no for an answer,” Tate whisper-shouted.
Waving him off with the flick of her hand, she found Jacob’s eyes again. Tate was right, though. Jacob had started something, and he was going to finish it.
The walk felt like it took forever and when she was led into the arena, all her emotions went haywire. If she didn’t cry, it would be a miracle.
He had the microphone to his lips, and he was grinning like he’d won the lottery. Her eyes darted all around the arena. There was a very big part of her that wanted to escape and hide back where she’d been sitting. But then she’d lock her gaze on Jacob, and she’d press forward.
“I’ve wanted you to be mine for longer than both of us will ever admit,” Jacob said with a wink.
“And that will never change.” He started to lower himself onto one knee and the crowd erupted with cat calls and cheers, but they quieted down the second he brought the microphone back to his lips.
At some point he’d dropped his helmet to the ground so all he had was the mic and the flowers.
He held the latter out to her, and she accepted but he quickly snatched her left hand so she couldn’t go escaping anywhere.
“Jacob, you don’t need to—”
“I do, honey. I need the world to know that my heart belongs to you. And yours belongs to me. I love you more than the rodeo.”
Chuckles and laughter echoed from their audience, and she couldn’t help but join in. Their private joke wasn’t so private anymore.
She mouthed the words, ‘I love you, too’.
He put the mic down and reached into his pocket for the ring then held it up to her. “Will you accept this ring as a sign of my devotion to you? As a promise to stand by my side even when I do something stupid?”
Hallie laughed through her tears and nodded.
Jacob continued. “Knowing that I will forever protect, keep, and serve you like a good husband should?”
She nodded again and he grinned as he slipped the ring on her finger.
The mic was left on the ground at their feet as he jumped up and pulled her close before dipping her.
Her gasp was cut off by a kiss that was one for the ages.
When he pulled her upright again, he leaned in close and his warm breath tickled her ear, sending off shockwaves of pleasure through her body.
“How’s that for a story we can tell our grandkids?”
She threw her head back with a laugh. “It’s perfect.”
Jacob shot a fist into the air and whooped. “She said yes!”
The crowd erupted.
The next several minutes were a whirlwind. Hallie was returned to her seat near Tate and Jason. Jacob got positioned and had one of the best rides that she could remember. The moment the time was up, Tate jumped to his feet with a holler and Hallie screamed her lungs out.
They didn’t need to see the other competitors.
They all knew.
Jacob had won the title.
He was the World Champion.
Hallie couldn’t help herself, she threw her arms around the men who had supported her this trip. “Can you believe it?” She screamed. “He did it!” She turned toward where Jacob was staring stunned at his score. A ninety-five.
His eyes locked with hers and they shared a smile that said everything they couldn’t.
“He’s definitely one lucky guy,” Tate mused.
She glanced over at him, surprised to see a hint of sadness in his expression before he slipped away, probably to get something to drink or to use the restroom.
Hallie’s focus shifted to Jason who shrugged.
“Don’t mind him. He’s just caught up on some girl we grew up with.
He’ll get over it. He always does.” That was probably more words than Jason had ever spoken to her in one go.
Then she watched him follow his brother before she turned once again toward her fiancé.
Jacob was gone.
She frowned, then her attention swept over the crowds and competitors waiting for their round. But she didn’t see him. She leaned over the bar and tried to crane her neck to see if he was chatting with anyone from his team.
Then two strong arms wrapped around her middle and yanked her into a broad chest. Jacob’s familiar scent permeated her senses, and he nuzzled her in that space between her neck and her shoulder.
“We did, it,” he husked. “You and me, Hallie.”
She shivered and turned in his arms when he released her just enough to permit it. Her hand came up to cup his cheek. “You did it.”
He shook his head. “We’re a team now. It’s the two of us against the world.”
“I like the sound of that,” she admitted.
“Good, because this is just the start of our next adventure.”
The original Billionaire Ranchers series set in Texas is growing!
This one has two matchmakers meddling in the love lives of their employees and it has disaster written all over it!
One big Texas barbecue. One strategically assigned table. Two stubborn people who absolutely did not ask to be thrown together.
Elise Pollard hasn't dated in years, and she's fine with that, thank you very much. She runs the Hickory Hollow Ranch office like a well-oiled machine, and the last thing she needs is a strong silent type cowboy.
Stephen Garrett doesn't need much. All he asks for is an honest day's work under a quiet stretch of Texas sky. He's built a life that doesn't ask anything of him emotionally, and that's exactly how he wants it.
But when a series of not-so-coincidental encounters engineered by their boss’s wives keeps pushing them together, eventually something has to happen. Just as their walls start coming down, a secret Stephen's been keeping threatens to confirm every fear Elise has about trusting the wrong man.
Opposites might fall in love, but it’s possible even a perfect match can’t make the long haul when everything important is on the line.