No Regrets! (A Billionaire Country Romance)

No Regrets

Olivia Kobblestone

Amazon Edition

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For my husband, who always supports me. Even when the going gets tough. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for letting me pursue my dreams!

Evie  is terrified of Cole knowing the truth. That she is desperately in love with him. She worries that it will destroy her friendship with the wealthy cowboy. Especially if she embarasses herself in front of all his college buddies and old friends.

Cole wants her, desperately, but she just doesn’t see all the signals he is sending. Tonight is the night. He is going to make his move. He wants her more than he can tell her. He would risk everything to be with Evie .

Will the two of them get the ending they are both hoping for?

Just go get out of the car.
Evie  commanded herself. She’d been sitting in her char for the last twenty minutes, just praying she could get the courage to go in there and tell Cole exactly how she felt.

It wasn’t going to be easy, she’d been holding in those feelings for six years, all the while hoping that they would go away. That she would finally just see him as a friend.

Because, honestly, that is what they were. Close friends since middle school, the two of them were always up to no good. But it never actually went further than that. They told each other about dates.

They weren’t each other’s dates.

She sighed. It was way too much to ask for to even consider dating him. He was too damn sexy, and hell. He was popular.

He always had been, and even when she wondered why in the hell he was her friend.

They were polar opposites in so many ways. He was the handsome, fancy, rich, jock who got everything handed to him.

And yet, he never let it give him a big head. He was the last thing from arrogant, and he chose his friends based on who he liked.

Not who society said he ought to like.

That was Cole.

Always doing exactly what he wanted, and making it look classy.

It wasn’t Evie . She was the polar opposite, nerdy and a bit too curvaceous, she was never really popular. No one hated her, but most people didn’t go out of her way to be friends either.

Except Cole.

He begged her to come tonight. Said it would mean a lot.

Hell. He even texted her.

She wasn’t going to come. Not until she got that little text message that said one word.

Please.

Any other time she would have ignored it. Any other time she would have worked away.

But she couldn’t. Not tonight. Not when so much was at stake.

So she opened that car door and put her boots in the dirt, willing herself to walk down that path and directly into the party.

All she needed to do was walk through the doors and into the back patio.

To actually go through with it.

Her body willed her away, back to a safe place. Where her nerves weren’t wrecked and her body wasn’t in full panic mode.

It was silly. They’d been friends for years.

But whenever she was around him, and all of his followers, it made her dizzy. Like she didn’t deserve even an ounce of his attention.

Cole.

Evie  pushed the French doors open to the back patio and observed the party in full swing. She was a little late, but she hadn’t planned on going. A single word from its host was all she needed to throw on a cotton dress and head over. She got that text from Cole thirty minutes ago. Okay, forty, but you know, she did spend ten of those minutes waffling in the parking lot.

Please.

It gnawed at her and pushed her forward. Please.

Why did he have the power to do this to her? How did he get this power. It was beyond fair. It was absolutely ridiculous.

And yet… she was powerless against it.

Dammit. She wavered. She had a hard time saying no to him. Still, Evie  wasn’t about to put herself in a vulnerable position.

She wasn’t sure she should be at this party, and had half a mind to turn around and walk back through the house and out the driveway to her little green car. But she didn’t. She gritted her teeth and walked through the small crowds looking for the home’s owner. Well, the heir anyways.

There were far too many beautiful people there, and she felt… well, out of place. Not that she wasn’t pretty, she was, but the curvy, thick beauty didn’t consider herself to be anything out of the ordinary, so she was surprised when Cole invited her. Not that he wouldn’t; they had been close friends since high school, but she still couldn’t believe she was allowed into his inner circle.

She recognized some of the people from high school, but many were a mystery to her. She assumed that they all came from the university, but she didn’t know them. Men in smart outfits and women in skimpy dresses seemed in abundance. And they looked at her like she didn’t belong. Early fall brought out all types, new students and alumni, but they all seemed like they had stepped right out of a fashion catalog.

She couldn’t believe how her small college town held so many strangers. Just as she rounded the buffet table she saw him standing there, back by his private dock. She had to admit, his parents had a pretty nice place. Fifteen minutes outside of town, perfect country living with access to the river. And they were never there. They lived and worked in Philadelphia most of the time.  No wonder he had never left home.

Cole turned to view the crowd when his eyes met hers. He smiled and waved at her, his country boy grin enough to make any woman blush and then motioned for her to come over to him. She looked around to be sure he was talking to her and then walked over, contemplating Cole’s charming personality.

He was the kind of country boy who was everybody’s friend. A cowboy, his family owned an entire set of farms, probably at least ten large ones in total. Managing the different families who lived there, all while his parents work in the city at their accounting jobs.

All the kids she grew up with thought he was about as rich as someone could get. But she knew better.

He was handsome, smart, intelligent, and wealthy.  Every girl’s dream. His muscular frame, the tight jeans. Black, shaggy hair. And those blue eyes that looked on seemingly into the soul. She could never shake them, and she knew that neither could her friends. They told her about how lucky she was to be so close to him. They also said they would have liked to be closer.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to come. But I am glad you are here.” Cole said as he leaned towards her and smiled.

“Why wouldn’t I? You invited me.” She was a bit playful in her response, but she tried to keep it measured.

“I invite you to a lot of things, Evie . You almost never come.” His voice was deep as he tried to make the comment light, but she couldn’t help but feel like it held more meaning, for him.

She blushed. She never really felt like she fit in and she didn’t want to spoil a good time, so she less than frequently attended a night out, or even a party. He caught her red handed.

“I didn’t think you would notice.” She let the words slip out of her like a whisper on the wind.

Cole took a sip of some drink from his red cup and she could smell the alcohol in it from her place next to him, a few feet away. He wasn’t drunk, she could tell by the way he moved and acted, but he was definitely buzzed.

“I always notice. I always look for you in the crowd. Always.” He crinkled his cup and threw it in the large trash can near the dock. “I bet you don’t realize that, do you?”

Usually she would have crinkled her nose at him behaving so masculinely, but her judgement was completely clouded.

“I… I never thought you cared.”

“Of course I do, Evie . Are you blind?”

Was he flirting?

There was a sparkle in his eyes, something he didn’t want to say, but it was there. She caught it before a couple of people made their way towards them. She recognized one, Max, a tall, lanky kid from high school. He was the class clown, and almost as popular as Cole. With a mean streak.

“Hey man. Thanks for the invite. The food is spectacular. And the booze,” He chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not to mention the chicks.”

He said it almost in a whisper before gesturing to a very inebriated lady to his left.

“This is Mary, I thought I would bring her by. She studies microbiology at State.”

“Uh, thanks, I am glad you could make it. Nice to meet you.” Cole nodded to the shy, skinny blonde at Max’s side. “I hear you got enrolled for the fall. Good news! I am glad to see you won’t let that almost empty noggin go to waste.”

They laughed for a moment and Max took another sip of his beer.

It was like he hadn’t even noticed her, until he did, “Oh hey, Evie . I didn’t realize you stayed in town. Crashin’ the party, huh?”

“She is my most honored guest.” Cole leaned against Evie , his shoulder touching hers, bringing a spark of electricity with it. She swore he looked her up and down. Evie  blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve been trying to convince her to come to one of these. Too much fun to be had to spend your whole life avoiding the party.” Cole tried to keep his tone even as he looked at her. Evie  could tell that he meant more than what he was saying, she knew Cole pretty well. Well enough that this shift in his personality was a bit startling. She stood there, not saying a word while he talked, trying to figure it all out.

“Tell me about it, I’m not about to miss any of the parties around here. I can’t wait for school to start. So much to learn, oh and there are classes too.” Max chuckled, taking another slug of his beer, his hand on the small woman’s hip, sliding lower and lower until it was on her backside.

Evie  blushed and tried not to concentrate on them, looking to the crowd of people for another friend that maybe she could go talk to.

Cole slipped his arm around her waist and then looked up at Max, who seemed to be more shocked than she was. “If you will excuse us, I had something I wanted to show Evie . Oh, and don’t forget to throw away your trash. I don’t want to have to rescue any ducks from plastic.”

Always concerned about the wildlife, Cole had several waste depositories around the property. They weaved through people, Cole asking how they were, letting them know that there was plenty of beer and food and then telling them he had something to attend to, that he would be back in a little while. His country smile came easily to him and the people around him just seemed to feel at ease with him, Evie  included.

Cole led her away from the party and down a small trail that phased out into little path. She could see through the thicket that the river was parallel to them, providing a handsome view as they followed it down to where it met Flint Lake.

There was a blue checkered picnic blanket laid out, a warmer plaid blanket, a small spread of food and a bottle of wine. He had gone to a lot of trouble for someone.

“I, I had hoped you would show up. I know how much you love nature.” Cole’s thick velvety voice was richer somehow, a tone she had never heard before. Was he nervous?

“But what about your guests?” Evie  was skeptical. She had never noticed him taking this kind of interest before, why now?

“The food and alcohol are free flowing, they won’t miss me. Sit down, I picked out all your favorites.” Cole cleared his throat and gave her a plate.

“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you for ages. A text or a speech wouldn’t have worked. Not genuine enough. I’m, I’m not good at this kind of thing,Liz.”

But he was, at least in her mind. He always had groups of people around. He was always talking, always in a pack of guys hanging out. Or talking to gaggles of girls, they never took their eyes off him. But come to think of it, out of all the time she knew him, he never had anyone serious. A fling here or there. A bar girl who stood out to him and danced with him all night. Maybe he took her home, maybe he didn’t. But never anyone long term.

She accepted the plate that he gave her. Was she why? If he really meant what he said… She pushed it out of her mind and focused on the food, and the scenery.

It was way too much to actually let herself dwell on, and it was best not to get confused about what all of his meanings were.

The food was delicious, everything she loved on a cold plate. Roast beef sandwich and a beautiful red wine to go with it. She ate and drank in silence, watching the geese as they pushed and moved in the water. In a few weeks they would be heading south for the winter. But for now they were dunking their heads under, eating and then grooming themselves as they floated around.

Cole inched closer to her, wineglass in hand as he looked out at the scenery. Before she knew it they were touching, shoulder to shoulder.

“I can’t believe you missed the way I have been looking at you for the past year. The times I asked you to hang out one on one.”

“I thought you were just joking,” She was serious, she couldn’t imagine him hanging out with one person ever. At least not outside of high school.

Sure, when they were kids they used to sit up in his “tree house” (it was really a very nice little guest house that was perfectly positioned and built over two pine trees on the estate) and share secrets while in their sleeping bags on the floor, but that was years ago.

They were always in a bar when he asked and always a couple of drinks too far gone. So she shrugged it off as a joke or a rambling.

“I was using all the courage I had to ask you. Being in a crowd is easier, it takes the pressure off. I know what to say to a group of people. I know how to hang out and fish, hunt or whatever. I don’t know how talk to one person. One woman. Especially one that is so attractive, and smart.” His voice was husky and thick as he complimented her.

He looked down at her, his lips close to her, his lips fully within her view as he swooped down and captured her own.