Page 32 of My Billionaire Cowboy Protector

“Wow,” Taylor said. “I could get used to this. Laundry is my least favorite chore.”

“I think that Mom and Dad would have a fit if you tried to take Jenny home. She’s been with the family since I was a baby and is practically one of us.”

Taylor looked at the bed and looked at Lane questioningly.

“Don’t worry about it. The chair is comfortable. I just need a couple of those pillows and a blanket. I’ll be fine,” Lane said.

Taylor breathed a huge sigh of relief.

After breakfast, Lane shows her around New York.

“Those people are naked,” she whispered to Lane, in complete shock. “They are just wearing paint.”

He laughed.“They are naked and they are wearing paint. They are actors and work for tips.”

“Wow,” she said.

She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or reluctant to go back to the mansion to get ready for the celebration. On onehand, New York was noisy and extremely busy. She wasn’t sure how people found time to meditate or even breathe. On the other hand, going back to the mansion meant that she had to mentally prepare herself to meet all those people in a formal setting.

“I don’t want to embarrass you,” Taylor said. “I don’t know how to act at these things. The most formal celebration I’ve ever been to was my sister’s wedding and my brother’s graduation party.”

“You’ll do fine. Just be your natural charming self and everything will be perfect.”

“I suppose,” Taylor said doubtfully. “I’m just glad that I managed to talk Willow into letting me wear one-inch heels as opposed to those three and four-inch heels she was eying. I’m pretty sure I would have tripped over my own feet.”

The family filled three limousines that drove them to the hotel. People in black suits opened up the car doors and ushered them onto the red carpet that led into the hotel.

Taylor looked around at the crystal chandeliers and leather furniture that graced the lobby. A small fountain in the center featured a unicorn playing in the waves. A group of well-behaved children stared into a koi pond.

“Is this a fifteen-star hotel?” Taylor whispered.

Lane laughed and led her to the ballroom.

She knew that the dress Willow picked out for her was gorgeous. The cobalt blue, off-the-shoulder dress made her eyes stand out. Willow had fixed Taylor’s hair and it fell in soft curls down her back. She had a simple diamond pendant and earrings that had belonged to her mother. However, when she looked around at the dresses the other women wore, which must have cost thousands of dollars, Taylor felt dowdy.

Lane must have read her mind, because he leaned down and said, “You look beautiful. No one here can compare to you.”

They found their seats quickly. Gene sat at one end of the table with Caroline to his right. Lane was to the left of Gene and Taylor sat next to him. The brothers and Willow went down the table alternating back and forth according to their age. This meant that Willow was at the far end of the table.

“Can I move to sit closer to Willow?” Taylor joked.

“Only if you want to give my mother a heart attack,” Lane whispered back.

Dinner was served. The food was incredible. Taylor was pretty sure that Caroline never had a bite because she talked non-stop about the wedding.

“You’ll have to give me your mother’s number,” Caroline said. “I’ll fly her up here or I’ll take a trip to Colorado so we can make all the arrangements. We need to plan the guest list for the wedding and for the reception, the venue, the food, and all that. The three of us will have to go shopping for your wedding dress. It has to be perfect. Willow and your maid of honor can come too. We’ll have to buy dresses and accessories for all of them.”

She never took a single breath in all of that,Taylor thought.

Caroline didn’t stop for the next fifteen minutes. Taylor was pretty sure she didn’t breathe at all.

Finally, Gene managed to say, “You’d better eat. The food is delicious and dinner is almost over.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Caroline said.

Taylor smiled at the sympathetic glance that Gene shot at her.

The amount of money she is talking about spending on the wedding is enough to buy my ranch ten times over.If Lane and I did decide to get married, I think we should elope to Vegas.

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