Austin, page 1
Austin
Little does he know, that she will be making a huge impact on his life
A sexy cowboy, marriage romance by Katie Dowe of BWWM Club.
After escaping from her abusive boyfriend, Sage has started a new life for herself…
She is now a caretaker at a ranch for a woman reeling from the loss of her husband and son.
And now her life will never be the same again!
Austin is overwhelmed by the death of his father and brother and must step up to run the multi-billion-dollar ranch his father left behind…
And when Sage comes into his and his mother’s life, he is cold to say the least!
Yet when he sees how kind she is around his ailing mother, his heart finally begins to thaw…
Sage is also falling for the dark and handsome cowboy…
But when her past comes to find her, will Austin be there when she needs him the most?
Or will she find herself on the run yet again?
Find out in this emotional yet sexy romance by Katie Dowe of BWWM Club.
Suitable for over 18s only due to sizzling hot sex scenes!
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on Amazon to see more of our great books.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
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Chapter 1
“I promise that this time will be the last.” He looked and sounded sincere, but then he always did. Sage had spent the better part of two years involved with a man who had been charming at first and then had turned out to be a complete waste of space.
She'd seen the signs early on and had thought that if she gave it another shot he would change. "You know how stressed I've been, with the accounts not coming in as they should." He passed his hand around the back of his neck and gave her a pleading look.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Sage, and I can't afford to lose that—lose you." He held out a hand, which she ignored. Dropping it onto the kitchen counter, he resorted to veiled threats; something she'd become accustomed to over the past few months. "You owe me."
Her eyebrows lifted as she took the cups off the counter and put them in the sink. She'd applied for a position and had been accepted for the job, one that was going to take her far away from there—far from Michael and a relationship that had become toxic.
"And I have more than paid you back in full," she told him quietly, no longer angry about any of it. She'd made her peace with leaving and was looking forward to a fresh start. "You were there for me when my sister and my parents died in that horrible car crash and I will always be grateful for your support."
"Not grateful enough to stay with me." His dark brown eyes glittered dangerously and she knew what was coming.
"I need space—"
"I'll give you a few days to think about what you're throwing away, Sage, and I will allow you to come to your senses." Getting up from the stool, he gave her a warning look. "I'm not going to let you to walk out of my life. We belong together.
Yes, I might be a little possessive—" she almost laughed at the understatement of that, but kept silent, knowing it would only serve to anger him further— "but I'll change. I'm willing to do that for you, that's how much I care about you. You're young—"
"I'm twenty-nine years old," she pointed out dryly as she wiped down the counter.
"I'm thirty-five and have a lot more life experience than you do," he told her pompously. "I've guided you in your career—"
"You gave me a job at the law firm Michael, but I was qualified as a legal secretary—"
"You have gained a wealth of experience under my guidance."
"What do you want me to do? Compensate you for the favor?"
"I do not appreciate your tone or your words, Sage," he told her with a frown. "I deserve respect—"
"Which can only be dispensed when it's given." She sat down wearily and stared at him. "I don't want to argue—today of all days."
His expression softened. "That's the main reason I came over to be with you in your time of need. I'm aware that you're hurting, darling. This is the anniversary of the death of your family."
"And I specifically told you that I would like to be alone."
"That isn't healthy—"
"Michael, please!" She closed her eyes briefly as she fought to control the grief and hollowness she was feeling inside. "Just go."
"I just wanted to help," he told her stiffly. "You'll never find someone as generous as I am, Sage, remember that."
"I will. Now I just want to be alone."
"As you wish. I'll see myself out."
Sage watched him walk out of the kitchen and waited until she heard the front door slam before going to lock up. Everything was planned and she was all packed and ready to go. She would be driving her vehicle part of the way and then staying at a motel before finishing the trip.
Afterwards, she was booked on a charter flight that would take her to her final destination. It would be an entire new beginning for her—a change of location as well as a change of career. The McIntyre Ranch was pretty isolated, but that was exactly what she needed.
She had training as a certified nurse's assistant and she was so happy that she'd been persuaded to take the course when her sister Sandra had done it.
She'd been interviewed by the housekeeper of the ranch and had been told that she would hear from them in a few days. The call had come when she'd all but given up, to let her know that she'd been chosen for the position.
She'd done all of that without a word to Michael. The relationship with him had been draining her steadily and she'd decided that she had to get away.
She'd thought about selling the house but decided to wait a little while longer. She would be staying at the ranch for the duration of the job and would be able to save every cent of the very generous salary she would be earning. The housekeeper, Mrs. Mason, had told her about the owner of the ranch—Austin McIntyre.
"You won't have much contact with Mr. Austin as he's a very busy man. He loves his mother and seeing her like this has taken a toll on him. She's in a separate suite of the house, where you'll have your own rooms.
A bedroom, bath and a kitchenette in case you would like to prepare meals for yourself and Mrs. McIntyre. She gets a little agitated at times, but other than that, she's a sweet woman and is no trouble at all."
"I'm certain that I'll be able to manage," she'd assured the woman. She needed the position desperately and would have agreed to anything.
"I'm sure you will. I'm looking forward to seeing you, Ms. Nicholson."
"Oh, please call me Sage," she'd told the woman, who had hesitated a little bit before acquiescing.
Now, she was packed and ready to go. She wandered into the other two bedrooms of the cozy ranch style home and looked around at the bareness of the walls where she'd taken down the photos of a once happy and complete family.
Pressing her lips together, she made the conscious decision not to allow the grief to swamp her. The last couple of years had been trying. She shook her head at how inadequate that sounded.
They had been unbearable. She'd lost her entire family and that unbelievable grief had sent her rushing headlong into the arms of a man who'd used her vulnerability to his advantage.
No more. She shook her head as she sat on the side of her sister's bed and looked around the room. She could still hear the laughter they'd shared and the late-night conversations.
Shaking her head to dispel the memories, she made her way out of the room and into hers. Making sure that she'd packed everything, she checked her bags again. She had an early start tomorrow and couldn't wait to get away.
It wasn't just the relationship with Michael, but the memories that haunted her every time she came home from work. She would go and visit their graves one last time to say her goodbyes before she headed out in the morning.
*****
Austin Travis McIntyre took a deep lungful of the cold fresh air of the fall weather as he sat astride his restless horse. He'd ridden hard and fast and was giving the animal a breather as he looked around the thousands of acres that were the McIntyre ranch.
It was late and he should be getting back home to look in on his mother before washing off the dust and sweat of the day . The men had retired for the night—the cattle watered and fed—but he preferred this time of day, where he could be alone with his thoughts.
They chased him around, even when he was knee deep in work, and wouldn't release him from the void that was constant inside him.
He'd lost his entire family because of that accident. His mother was still alive, but was a shell of the vivacious woman she'd once been. Losing her husband and son had taken their toll and had made her retreat into herself. That was how their doctor had out it.
"Deidre is hiding from the pain and the reality of losing her love ones, Austin," Dr. Holland had told him gravely. "She's dealing with the grief of the loss the only way she knows how to."
"Will she ever recover?"
The man had shaken his graying head. "I have no idea. Only time will tell."
"Easy boy," he patted the animal's flank absently, trying to soothe the restlessness. He was agitated and his horse could tell by his body language.
His heart was racing and the bitterness inside him couldn't be curbed. His housekeeper, Mrs. Mason, had been with the family more years than he cared to count and she was the one who had taken up the task to hire someone to care for his mother.
The thought of a stranger coming to reside in his space didn't sit well with him, but as the housekeeper had remarked; "I don't mind looking after her, Mr. Austin, but I'm busy running the household and she's going to need someone who will be completely dedicated to her care. The doctor agrees with that."
So, he'd reluctantly given the go ahead for her to hire someone. "I want no part of it," he'd told her. "You do the hiring and make sure this woman knows what the hell she's doing."
And she would be arriving on the charter flight tomorrow. The plane belonged to the ranch and made the round twice a week to pick up and drop off supplies that were needed. McIntyre Ranch was pretty isolated; the nearest town was miles away.
The wind picked up speed and he could feel the chills creeping through his jacket and touching his skin. Tugging on the reins, he gave the animal it's head and made his way back to the sprawling ranch that was his home.
*****
"She's sleeping." Hannah Mason watched as the lanky, dark-haired man came towards the suite of rooms that had been assigned to his mother.
"How was she today?"
"A little restless, but I managed to convince her to eat something."
"Thank you." With a brief nod, he made his way towards the bedroom doors.
"Ms. Nicholson arrives tomorrow afternoon."
His lips tightened as he was reminded of the fact that a stranger was going to be living there with them. "Yeah."
"It will be good for her, Mr. Austin."
"I'm trying to convince myself of that. We'll see." He turned, with his hand still on the handle. "You may retire Hannah; I'll bunk with her tonight."
"Are you certain?"
He nodded with a smile. "I haven't spent any quality time with her over the last couple of days."
"I understand—"
"But she doesn't. I don't want her to think I'm neglecting her."
"She would never think that, and half the time—" the woman's voice cut off abruptly.
"Half the time she thinks I'm either dad or Andre," he filled in the blanks bitterly. "I know. Good night." Without waiting for her to respond, he pushed the doors open and stepped into the exquisitely decorated lime-green suite.
They'd moved her out of the one she'd shared with her husband and set up a suite of rooms where she had easy access to the balcony and a stunning view of the back of the ranch. Not that it made any impression on her, he thought sadly as he pulled up a chair next to her bed and watched her sleep.
Deidre McIntyre was in her mid sixties, her skin a golden brown due to her Indian ancestry, dark hair threaded through with gray, more so now than ever. The accident had happened a year and a half ago and had taken a heavy toll on both of them.
One minute they were a happy and close family and the next their lives had been turned upside down. He started to reach out a hand to smooth back her thick, dark hair and decided against it. She had restless nights and he didn't want to take the chance of waking her and not being able to get her back to sleep.
It was incredibly hard to see her this way. His memories of her were that of a vivacious woman, full of life and energy. Growing up, she'd made sure that no matter how busy she was with the running of the ranch house, she always had time for them.
She was an excellent rider and her favorite time of the day was the early hours of the morning. She assisted in round-ups, had never been afraid of hard work, and no number of protests or threats from his dad had gotten her to stay inside and out of the grueling task of handling the amount of cattle they were in charge of.
And she'd prided herself on the organic vegetable garden she'd established just two years earlier. She'd been in charge of so many things! Planning menus, making sure the men had balanced meals to eat.
"We cannot have them lacking in anything, Anthony," she'd told her husband firmly. "They work hard and deserve to eat the best meals possible." Even though riding the range during the long hours of the day meant that they would be happy with anything. .
He rubbed the back of his neck wearily, feeling the untidy mess of his dark hair there. He didn't have time to call in the barber to see to it and it had grown unruly, the curls drifting onto his forehead and growing past his collar. His face was scruffy, reminding him that he hadn't shaved in the last three days.
Personal grooming didn't mean a hell of a lot to him just now. And assuaging his sexual desire had taken a back seat. He'd been thrown into the thick of things when his father and brother had passed away and the transition had taken its toll.
"Mom," he whispered achingly. "I wish I could talk to you about what's going on inside my head. But I can't and it's killing me that you're in this place—that you have to retreat so that the suffering won't be unbearable. I'm praying and hoping that one day you'll come back to me—that we'll be able to get through this together."
