Page 25 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
“Can we see him yet?” asked Winnie.
“Yeah, come on.” Her mom held her hand out, and Winnie took it with Bear following.
Before they reached the room, a man’s voice could be heard. “Oh, for crying out loud. The only paper you get is theHouston Sun Examiner? That’s not a paper. It’s a gossip rag.”
Mrs. Dawson pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why does he always have to be so difficult?” She strode into the room, leaving Winnie and Bear at the doorway. “Oh, Jim, stop.”
“What?” The man’s gaze landed on Bear. The man sported the same color of hair Winnie did with a few gray hairs mixed in. “Who is that?”
Winnie laced her fingers in Bear’s and crossed the room to her dad’s bedside, bringing Bear with her. “This is Bear West. He owns a ranch in Caprock Canyon.”
“A ranch? You’re an ivy-league-educated woman. What could you possibly have in common with this man? Do you even know anything about cattle?”
Bear wondered if the man had an off switch. He’d seen folks after a heart attack, and this guy didn’t look like the ones he’d seen at all. He was an over-cranked spring.
“Jim.” Mrs. Dawson covered his hand with hers. “Please, slow down. You had a mini-stroke. You need to rest.” For a divorced couple, they sure didn’t seem very divorced.
“Mini-stroke?” Winnie asked. “I thought it was a heart attack.”
Her mom shook her head. “They thought that at first but changed their diagnosis.”
Her father grunted and eyed Bear again.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fordham,” Bear said, extending his hand in hopes that the man would shake it.
Apparently, her father did have a few manners because he did shake Bear’s hand. “What kind of ranch do you have?”
“It’s a cattle ranch.”
“How many acres?”
Bear held in a chuckle, thinking these were the kind of questions he might hit a person with if his own children brought someone around. “Nine hundred and sixty.”
“That’s a sizeable place. How many head are you running? My great-grandfather was a rancher. Excellent businessman. You have to be to keep it going. Too much fluff, and you’ll go under.”
“Yes, sir. I agree. I bought it a few years ago. The family who had it went under. I’ve slowly been building it up, and I’ve got about eight hundred head of grass-fed, both for selling and self-consumption.” A sense of pride filled Bear as he spoke. He didn’t get much of a chance to talk about his ranch very often, so he hadn’t really thought about it until now.
Nodding, her dad smiled. “Grass-fed, you say? That’s good beef. And you bought it a few years ago?”
“Yes, s—”
“Call me Jim.”
Again, Bear choked down laughter. Sheesh, Winnie’s dad really didn’t have an off switch. “Jim, yes, about four years ago. My dad and a family friend helped me plan it before we started bringing the cattle onto the land. Took a year to get things the way I wanted them, but it’s running pretty smooth right now.”
Bear placed his hand on Winnie’s back. “I’d love to talk more about it, but Winnie’s been pretty worried about you.” He smiled at Winnie. “I’m kind of thirsty after all the travel. I think I’ll go downstairs and get something to drink.”
Mrs. Dawson mouthed,Thank you.
Bear pressed a kiss to the top of Winnie’s head. “I’ll be back shortly.” He winked and left the room.
Hopefully, Winnie and her dad could have a good conversation while Bear was gone. One that would help their relationship. As far as meeting her parents went, it had gone pretty good. Not that it changed their circumstances, but it felt good to know that if he and Winnie were actually dating, they wouldn’t hate him. For some reason, that gave him a pep in his step.
Chapter 18
“Hey, Dad.” Winnie shuffled a little closer to the bed, not feeling like an adult at all. That was typically how she felt around her dad, though. Like the nine-year-old in pigtails and a poufy dress when all she wanted to do was dig for bugs. It had always been difficult for her and her dad to see eye-to-eye.
Her dad laid his head back on the pillow. “Your mom didn’t need to call you and make you fly to Houston. It was just a minor stroke. I’m fine.”
