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  The Taming of the Bachelor

  The Taming of the Sheenans Series

  Jane Porter

  The Taming of the Bachelor

  Copyright © 2015 Jane Porter

  The Tule Publishing Group, LLC

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-942240-78-5

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  An Excerpt from Christmas at Copper Mountain

  Taming of the Sheenans

  An Excerpt from Take Me, Cowboy

  About the Author

  Dedication

  For Megan Crane

  who sat me down and reminded me

  I know how to write

  This one wouldn’t have happened

  without you.

  Chapter 1

  Dillon Sheenan was celebrating.

  Which meant he was at Grey’s Saloon in downtown Marietta drinking.

  He’d been at Grey’s for awhile, too, and had a decent buzz going. But since he wasn’t driving tonight, crashing instead at Troy’s room at the Graff Hotel so he’d be in town for an early morning meeting, he wasn’t counting his drinks. Tonight he was free to feel good.

  It’d been a long time since he felt good.

  Months.

  Years.

  Not that anyone in Marietta knew. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. He couldn’t afford to wear his heart on his sleeve, not as the youngest in a family of five boys. His brothers had been brutal. Maybe all brothers were tough, but Dillon learned early to keep his head down and his mouth shut.

  It was his mantra growing up, and his mantra going through school.

  As a kid he drew no attention to himself, asked for no favors, and sought no special recognition. His dad, a third generation Montana cattle rancher, was blindsided when the principal of Marietta High called to say that Dillon had been named the school valedictorian and was Mr. Sheenan or anyone from the family coming to see Dillon receive his awards on Baccalaureate Night?

  Bill Sheenan couldn’t fathom why Dillon would be selected, unaware that Dillon wasn’t just a straight A student, but the only student in the past five years to have earned perfect scores on the SAT.

  Dillon also kept quiet about his full ride to MIT (although of course his dad did know this), along with the details on how he graduated with a BS in three years instead of four.

  By the time Dillon had finished his master’s degree, Troy had obviously figured out that Dillon had something special going on and he backed Dillon’s biomedical engineering start-up, Tutro, with some serious dollars.

  The gamble on Tutro had paid off. Biomedicine and biomedical engineering was the future, and Dillon’s engineering brain was happiest thinking, inventing and problem solving. The future appeared bright.

  Then everything went sideways. Trey was arrested and sent to jail. Dad got sick. Then Dad wasn’t just sick, his cancer was terminal, and there was no one else willing or able to run the ranch and be there with Dad while he died.

  Of course Cormac and Troy could have been options but neither loved the land, not enough to live on it, and work it. Brock had his own spread in Paradise Valley but he still struggled to forgive Dad for all that Dad had put the family through, and had suggested they just sell the ranch. Cormac agreed, adding that maybe Dad would be better off in town, at one of those nice nursing homes, getting the care he needed.

  Cormac and Brock’s suggestions offended Dillon. He couldn’t bear to think of Dad in a home. Dad was a tough SOB, but he was Dad. Family.

  Family—even a broken, dysfunctional family—came first.

  In the end Dad still died, and Dillon hadn’t just lost his father, but his company. He didn’t like losing. How could he? He was a Sheenan.

  Nine months after Dad’s funeral, Trey was released early from prison, and back working the ranch. Dillon wasn’t needed in Marietta anymore. He was taking stock of his options and reaching out to old friends from his MIT days when he got a phone call from one of the Tutro board members. Would Dillon be interested in returning?

  Three years after losing Tutro, three years after being kicked out of the company he co-founded, Tutro wanted him back, dangling all kinds of salary and benefit packages in front of him.

  But Dillon wasn’t going to accept just any offer. He vowed to make them work for it. To make them work for him.

  It took four weeks of discussions and negotiations before they got anywhere because initially, he wasn’t going to go back. He was still angry, deeply angry. He’d been wronged. Maligned. And Sheenans weren’t built for shaming. So Dillon said no thank you to the first offer. He might have co-founded Tutro, but the company had been used and abused and left in the toilet while he was out, and it made him sick.

  They broke Tutro. They destroyed it. He wanted no part of it.

  He refused the second offer.

  A week later the board returned with a third offer, this time begging him. On their knees, take the cash, kiss our ass kind of begging.

  Dillon knew it was petty, but deep down inside, he was glad they were groveling and pleading and wringing their hands and offering Dillon full control of Tutro.

  It was the kind of offer that made him think, really think about what he wanted, and what mattered, and what he could do.

  Greg—the lying cheat—was gone. Fired. The board was in turmoil, lukewarm bodies replaced by new blood that understood desperate times called for desperate measures. That resonated with Dillon. He understood how desperate times called for desperate measures. Wasn’t that how he lost Tutro in the first place? His brother was in jail, his dad was sick, and there was a big family ranch in need of someone to run it.

  Desperate times...

  Dillon raised his glass, sipped the whiskey, letting it scorch and burn all the way down.

  Hopefully the worst was behind him. Hopefully once in Austin he could just focus on the company, and the future. The Tutro he’d left was gone. But they could start over. Start fresh. He’d been wanting a new beginning, and now he had it.

  The stool on his right moved, scraping back a few inches, and then scraping forward as the very pretty, very appealing Paige Joffe took a seat next to him.

  “Mind if I sit here?” she asked.

  Dillon was too old to harbor crushes, but he had a soft spot for Paige, owner of Main Street Diner, a woman that was tragically out of bounds due to her close friendship with his sister-in-law, McKenna. “Not at all.”

  “I promise not to bother you.”

  His jaw eased. He smiled faintly. “You could never bother me.”

  “You say the nicest things.”

  “Not really. You’re just easy to be around.”

  “Because I’m not chasing you?”

  He liked how the light played on th
e lines of her face, highlighting her cheekbones and the smooth angle of her jaw. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I’ve lived here three years now and I hear the chatter. You’re extremely popular with the ladies.”

  “That’s only because I still have a full head of hair and a very small beer belly.”

  Her laugh was pitched low and sweet. “Of course, that’s the only reason.” Her lips curved up, and her blue eyes smiled at him before her gaze dropped to sweep over his torso. She took her time studying him, too. “And from what I can see, I don’t think there is any beer belly happening there. If anything, you probably have a decent six-pack.”

  “You can tell through a thick thermal?”

  Her gaze lifted, meeting his. “Wasn’t born yesterday, and I was married to a man like you. Fit. Smart. Athletic. So don’t make me heap on the compliments. It’d be uncomfortable for both of us.”

  “It might be uncomfortable for you, but I’d like it.” He shifted on the bar stool, facing her. She wasn’t that big, barely reaching his shoulder even sitting on the bar stool. “Maybe that’s because I like you.”

  Paige pushed a silky gold strand of hair behind her ear. “How much have you been drinking?”

  “I’ve had a few.”

  “Thought so.”

  “But not enough to lose control. I know what I’m saying. I know what I like.”

  “Really?”

  “You’re impossible not to like. You’re smart, kind, funny, and ridiculously pretty.”

  “Don’t stop.”

  “Should I continue? I will—”

  “No. Just kidding.” She was blushing and fidgeting. “Now I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Just thought I’d tell you what I was thinking.” He hesitated, then shrugged. “But no, I’m not drunk. And I’m not hitting on you.”

  “Good. Because I’m too old for you.”

  “Not true.”

  Her lips pressed, her blush deepened. “I’m almost thirty-eight?”

  “So?”

  “You are a lot younger.”

  “Eight years difference. Big whoop.”

  She turned, pivoting on her stool to get a better look at him. “So why aren’t you hitting on me then?” Her question dangled there between them. Her brow lifted. “What’s the problem then? Is it because I’m a mom?”

  He did have rules about dating single mothers, but in her case, it wouldn’t have kept him from asking her out. “You’re McKenna’s best friend.”

  “And?”

  “You mean a lot to her.”

  “Mmm?”

  “I don’t date McKenna’s friends. Ever.”

  She looked at him a long moment and then nodded. “You’re afraid things would end badly.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would it end badly?”

  “You’ve been around this town long enough to know. I’m not what nice girls want, or need.”

  “Interesting. But you’re wrong. One, I’m not that nice. And two, I’m not a girl. I have a little girl, but I haven’t been a girl in a long, long time.” Her lips twitched. “And if you don’t date nice girls, who do you date? I didn’t think there were any bad girls in Marietta.”

  He smiled crookedly. “I do spend a lot of time drinking whiskey and playing pool.”

  “It’s all becoming clear now.”

  “So you should be able to relax with me. You’re safe.”

  Her expression turned thoughtful. “Quick recap: you find me attractive—”

  “Very attractive.”

  “Very attractive, but you won’t ask me out, or make any moves on me, because I’m way too nice, and McKenna’s best friend.”

  “That pretty much sums it up.”

  “And if I wasn’t nice, and McKenna’s best friend...?”

  “I would have been all over you like white on rice.”

  “Tell me you’re not driving tonight. You’re in no condition to get behind a steering wheel.”

  “Not driving. Staying at the Graff.”

  “Good.”

  “See? That’s what I mean. You’re perfect.”

  “I think Reese needs to cut you off.”

  “It’s not the liquor. It’s you. I’ve thought you were pretty near perfect from the moment you arrived in Marietta.” She’d moved to Montana about the same time he’d returned to Marietta and she’d arrived looking like the California girl she was—slim, tan, fit, with long blonde hair, high cheekbones, great mouth. He wasn’t surprised when he found out she was from Orange County. She radiated sunshine.

  In the past year she’d cut her hair, taking it up to her shoulders, and her tan had faded, but she still exuded warmth. Light. Confidence. And confidence was so damn sexy. In his mind, she was by far the most intriguing woman in Marietta, and he’d kept the information to himself, until now, but he was leaving and even though he wasn’t the right one for her, he wanted her to know she mattered.

  That she was special. Maybe even his dream girl.

  She’d bonded with McKenna not long after arriving in Marietta. They both had kids in the same preschool class and they began getting Addison and TJ together for play dates outside of preschool and then the moms just liked hanging out together. They were both single, working moms and they formed their own little community, watching out for each other’s kids, helping with childcare, errands, or shopping when one was in a pinch.

  He’d admired how resourceful they were, and glad they had each other, but it meant he had to keep his distance. “What are you drinking?” he asked her.

  “Nothing yet. What about you?”

  “Whiskey.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “Is it good?”

  “I don’t think whiskey can be bad.”

  She laughed. “Will you even remember this conversation tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely. I’m buzzed, not drunk.” His gaze dropped from her eyes to her mouth, and the bow shaped upper lip. Such a soft, full kissable mouth. He wondered who kissed that mouth. Wondered if she ever dated. McKenna said Paige didn’t see anyone, that she wasn’t ‘there’ yet, because she was still grieving her husband, Lewis, a man Trey and Troy had gone to school with.

  “And maybe I wouldn’t have told you I thought you were sexier than hell if I was completely sober, but I won’t regret telling you tomorrow. I’ll be glad. There’s no one in Marietta I like better.” He grimaced. “Now maybe I’ll regret that tomorrow.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  It was hard to stay focused when she smiled like that. She looked pretty damn irresistible. He had to remind himself why he couldn’t kiss her. Why he’d kept his distance these past few years.

  He wasn’t what she wanted. Wasn’t what she needed. He deliberately avoided single moms. Not just Paige, but all single moms. Kids were a complication he couldn’t do.

  Dillon lifted his whiskey. “So what are you doing here, on a Friday night? You don’t strike me as a Grey’s girl.”

  “What’s a Grey’s girl?”

  He nodded to the laughing young women in the back hanging around the cowboys playing pool. “That.”

  Paige glanced over her shoulder to study the girls with their short short skirts, tight low-cut tops, and calf-hugging boots. “They’re young, but cute,” she said.

  He shrugged. “If you like that sort of thing.”

  She looked at the girls again. “What’s wrong with them?”

  “They’re hungry.”

  “Hungry for....?”

  “Attention. A husband.”

  “Ah.” Her lips pursed, expression amused. “You’re not looking to get married.”

  “Nope.”

  “Nope ever....or nope, not right now?”

  “Just...nope. Not on my agenda, nor anytime soon on the horizon.”

  “What is on your agenda, then?”

  “Getting out of Dodge.”

  “Is that happening soon
?”

  “Tuesday.” He’d had his fill of the ranch, small town living, and fresh-faced wholesome Montana girls who ached for marriage and babies. He didn’t want to be too blunt in front of Paige because she was a mom, and from all appearances, a really good mom, but kids weren’t part of his plan.

  He loved his nieces and nephews, but he’d inherited his father’s DNA, along with his father’s impatience and selfishness. He’d never be warm enough, or good enough, to be a father. He’d never be able to put his children first, not the way children needed to be put first. So years ago he decided he wouldn’t have kids, and he hadn’t wavered in that decision.

  “Tuesday,” she repeated. “As in, four days from now?”

  He nodded.

  Her brow furrowed. “Where are you going?”

  “Austin.”

  “Why?”

  “Work.”

  “Is it ranch related?”

  “No. Trey’s got the ranch pretty well in hand. I’m going back to my company and what I do best—bioengineering.”

  The brown brows lifted. “I had no idea that was your background.”

  “Why should you? I’ve spent the past three years ranching, shooting pool, and drinking.” The corner of his mouth curled, even as his gut tightened. No one knew how difficult the past three years had been. While most men his age were building their futures and fortunes, he’d been living on the ranch trying to stay sane.

  “You’re going to be missed.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Come on. Your brothers and their families adore you. You’re TJ’s favorite uncle. He talks about you nonstop.”

  He felt a twinge of remorse, then swiftly suppressed it. He couldn’t afford to be sentimental, or lose sight of his goal. Life was hard. He had to be stronger, allowing no room. for indecision or weakness. “So what’s that?” he asked, as Reese approached and slid an envelope across the counter to Paige.

  “Extra tickets for the Bachelor Auction. We sold out at the diner and I wanted to have a few more for tomorrow, just in case someone else wants one.” She slipped the envelope into her purse. “Which reminds me, why aren’t you participating in the auction? You could have brought in some serious money, and I know you’re friendly with Molly Dekker.”