Page 18 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
With a long sigh, she shut her door and palmed her face. What could she do now? If she did something to push him away, it would hurt him, and there was no way she was doing anything like that to Bear. He had a spirit as gentle as a feather, and she wasn’t going to be the one to change that.
All she could do was keep herself in check. If she lost every fingernail, she’d have to find that cliff she was tumbling down and latch on before she hit bottom. That was her only solution. She was returning to San Antonio, and he was staying on his ranch. It was the West Texas version of a Nicholas Sparks novel. There wasn’t enough tissue made to wipe away the buckets of tears she was sure to shed when it came time to go home.
Chapter 13
The house was filled with the scent of Thanksgiving Dinner. While Bear thought Bandit’s cooking was delicious, Winnie was giving him serious competition. The turkey especially. That thing was going to be picked clean by the time dinner was over.
“I’ve got the turkey, Winnie. You take the mashed potatoes.”
A large grin lifted her lips as she picked up the bowl. “I’ll wait for you.”
After slipping on some oven mitts, he pulled the oven open, and his mouth watered. It was brown and juicy-looking, and he was hungry. He took it out of the oven and closed the door with his foot. “I’m right behind you.”
As they entered the dining room, his family gushed. “Oh my goodness. It already smelled good, and that was a faint whiff while it was in the oven. This close, I’m thinking we should have cooked one for each of us,” his dad said as Bear set it down in the middle of the table.
“Winnie, I think you might have spoiled us,” Pauline Fredericks added.
Deep red blanketed Winnie’s cheeks, and Bear’s chest swelled with pride. His girl had hit it out of the park, and he was proud of her. Then it dawned on him that he’d thought of her ashisgirl. Well, she was, for the moment. Plus, it seemed she needed someone to have her back. He could do that.
Just as she turned from setting the bowl of mashed potatoes down, he caught her around the waist and set his lips against her ear. “I’m proud of you. Not for this food, but for your heart. With this meal, you’ve put that on display, and it’s beautiful. There’s no doubt in my mind that your restaurant will be successful.”
When she responded with a sniffle, he leaned back and found her furiously wiping away tears. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Thank you for being here.”
Winnie kept her head down as they took their seats, but he could see her smiling. Being the source of it made him feel useful to someone. Sure, running the ranch and providing jobs and a home that his family could gather in was great. But that wasn’t nearly as satisfying as being someone’s reason for happiness.
“Well,” his dad said and stood. As in past years, he’d taken one end of the table while Amos Fredricks took the other. “Here we are once again. Another year deserving of our thankfulness that our families can come together.” He tipped his head in Amos’s direction.
Amos stood. “Our family grew again this year with the addition of Camry and Molly and Ellie, and it will soon grow with one more.” He smiled at Molly who rubbed her growing belly as Josiah beamed. Love and family. The same thing Bear was desperately searching for.
Continuing, Amos turned to Pauline. “King and I have found ourselves blessed beyond measure.”
Pauline took his hand, nodding. “More than blessed.”
Bear’s dad started again. “Yes, and now we have Winnie Fordham added to the fold.”
She lifted her head and smiled.
“We would like to offer our gratitude to you for this meal. Thank you, Winnie. We’re glad to call you one of ours.” He grinned and took his seat.
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Amos added and then sat.
While they ate, the conversation was mostly directed at Winnie. Bandit’s cooking was great, no one was implying otherwise. Bear’s family loved him, but they loved the meal she’d prepared. In private, Bear would choose hers.
Once the meal was finished, his family cleared the table, keeping Winnie from lifting a finger. She’d lifted enough for the day. It felt like it would take a week before Bear would be able to eat another bite, and with the sluggish way his family was getting around, they seemed to agree.
That didn’t mean they weren’t up for cards. His mom and Pauline had taken the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed so that those with the littles could play. They’d thrown the names in a hat and drawn Rook.
Josiah couldn’t lie to save his life when it came to people, but in cards, Bear’s brother was ruthless. And Rook was his thing.
“Oh, come on, Josiah, are you going to play or not?” Gabby asked as he took his time making a move. “At this rate, we’ll be leaving for Black Friday before this game is over.”
Bear leaned over to Winnie. “I told you.”
She giggled. “You did.”
Carrie Anne sat between Winnie and Israel. She shook her head. “I think he gets slower every year.”
“All of you, hush,” Josiah grumbled.
