Genevieve stared out the window of the jet at the stretches of green for miles below. So different from Texas. But Texas was a distant memory. It had to be. She’d had to get away. Her father had turned repulsive in his old age. He’d been sabotaging the neighbor’s property and business, jealous of his success. She wouldn’t be a participant in that, not even by silently going along with it. Especially not when the successful owner was her first and only crush, Billy.

Her father had fought with the county assessor to prove that he’d been using pieces of the Orion’s land for over ten years so that he could make legal claim to it. Squatter’s rights. It was a dirty trick, but it was nothing compared to what he’d tried to do to her. She clutched her elbows over her stomach even thinking about it.

In his old age, he’d forgotten that his wife was dead, or maybe his mind had just turned sour. When he looked at her, reached for her, his only daughter, she could see his need, and her repulsion had driven her away. He could fight Billy Orion alone. She’d hidden in Dallas for a few months and, when she thought her luck had totally run out, had managed to find an elite bridal agency through one of her friends.

The woman who ran it seemed happy to have her, and she applied to be a mail order bride, changing her last name on the application. Now, she was off to meet her new husband. She closed the magazine in her lap, unable to focus on it. There would be no backing out. The agency had warned her that, once she signed on the line, she belonged to her billionaire. Her life as a single woman was over with one swirl of the pen. They even had multiple lawyers on staff to tell her just how forfeit her life now was. No backing out. No talking about the agency to anyone. No suing. No matter what. He could be evil, and it didn’t matter. She was stuck. But nothing could be as bad as what waited for her back in Texas, if she didn’t do something, anything, to get away.

Even if the man was a brute and took her right there on the tarmac, it would be better than her own father. In fact, she would insist they marry right away, in case her father got wind of where she was and how to reach her. She would already be married and there would be nothing he could do, even if he wanted to. Let him focus on his all-consuming property.

The agency hadn’t given her the name of her husband, feeling it best that she get used to her life as his bride. All she knew was that he was one of the wealthiest men in the nation, with four large ranches to his name, he was about her age, and that he needed a bride to fill social obligations. All the better. She might be able to steer away from any male interaction at all. Mr. Money was her ticket to a life without worry. No more watching her back or keeping up with her father’s schemes, and no worry of pregnancy.

Heat rushed to her cheeks. She might be forced to convince her husband to have her at least once before he put her aside as some sort of trophy wife, though. If her father would use archaic laws to try to take over the neighbor’s property, he might try using another to get her a divorce she didn’t want. Annulment. At least if they shared a night together she wouldn’t have to fear him anymore. No woman should have to worry about that. She shivered, lowering her head against the glass window of the private jet.

The gray interior was warm enough, yet she felt chilled. It had a sterile feel to it, like people never stayed long enough to impress themselves on it. It was most likely no different than any other jet—not that she would know. This was her first time in a Lear. She would much rather travel by car. At least in a car, she could tell something about the owner by how they kept it, not so with a private jet.

Wealth had never drawn her. The only man she’d ever known who aspired to be wealthy, Mr. Orion, or Billy as she’d known him, had more worldly wealth than she could imagine. Now, with her new spouse, she would be in the same ranks, maybe even go to the same parties, if her husband and Billy were in the same industries. They might even see each other again. Needed warmth spread through her chest.

She’d half hoped that Billy would come home amidst all the trouble with her father to try to fix the situation. He’d been the one man in her life who could make her antsy and warm just by looking at him. If he’d come home, she might not be on a jet bound for nowhere. She might have swallowed her pride and gone to him for help.

Mrs. Creed of the Diamond Bridal Agency had told her to wear what they provided when she arrived in Camden. A fitted blue skirt suit that looked like it cost more than she’d made all last year, along with a matching suit coat, fitted to perfection, heels that made her taller than she’d ever been, and nothing else. Her husband would expect her to look a certain way, polished and ready.

As the plane touched down on the tarmac of the small, rustic metal hanger in Camden, Genevieve slipped on her sunglasses and pressed the wrinkles from her blue jacket, finally nervous at facing the man who might want to marry her right away. Her stomach sent flutters of warning tripping up her spine.

On the tarmac stood a tall man with a very strong build and an impeccable suit, incongruous with his tooled leather cowboy boots. His beige Stetson covered his features, shadowing his face. Next to him, stood two equally tall and broad men with nice, but understated, suits. She recognized one of them immediately as her old friend, Carter Pierce. But that would mean… Genevieve froze where she stood, unable to take a breath as she stared out the jet’s tiny window. Carter only ever worked for one man. Billy Orion. The town had talked about it for years. They were the two most successful people Casper had ever seen. Her head went wobbly and she swayed, anchoring herself against the wall of the jet.

She could do this. Even if William was her husband, she would never have to see her father again. He would protect her… Unless he sent her home. He’d ordered a bride from a private company. He wanted a stranger, not an old friend that he probably still thought of as a teenager.

She waited until the man in the impeccable suit glanced up at the plane in annoyance, just to be sure it was really him. There was no doubt. It was him, her childhood friend and first love, Billy, though the name made him furious. Even back then, he’d been destined for bigger, better things. The boy he’d been could think of little but success. He was no mere boy now. His broad shoulders were emphasized by the cut of his suit. He was the hottest man she’d ever seen. Now that she had to face him, all her old fears came back, along with that warmth low in her belly, that always accompanied thoughts about him.

Her steps were shaky as she reached the door and prepared to step off the plane. The steward had her wait as he opened the door that became the stairs down to the tarmac. He took her hand and helped her down the first step, then let go of her. It felt like her whole world would just float away, or tumble down the steep steps. She’d signed her life over to Billy.

He glanced up at her, then at the jet, and back to her face. The grim line of his mouth didn’t change, but the sudden snap of recognition in his eyes had her wishing she could turn right back around and fly away.

Billy’s long strides ate the distance in seconds, just as she reached the last step.

“What is the meaning of this? Is this your father’s idea of a joke? I was assured this would be held under the strictest confidence. How did you find out about this?” He reached inside his jacket and yanked out his phone. His words lashed out, sending her back up a step.

He grabbed her arm and hauled her forward, away from the stairs where she would surely trip if she beat a hasty retreat. Terrified, she tugged her arm free. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m as surprised by this as you are.”

“Like as not, this is just another ploy by your father to disrupt my life. Since I’m headed right back there, I’ll just deliver you straight back to him.” He pressed a few buttons on his phone and held it up to his ear, glaring at her.

Her heart raced as she tried to think quickly. How could she tie herself to him? There was no way she would step foot in Texas again without the safety net of a husband, even if that husband was someone who didn’t want her. Maybe that was even better. She stepped forward, almost touching him, and bit her lip.

“I’m so sorry, Billy, but you don’t have a choice. Those lawyers told me that I had to marry you, so that means you’re as bound to me as I am to you.” She prayed that was true. She’d been so scared that anything looked better than what she was leaving behind.

He stared down into her eyes, his face a solid mask of fury, as he tapped his phone and shoved it back into his suit coat. “My satisfaction is guaranteed, and I’m not satisfied. This has nothing to do with you, Gen. You should’ve just stayed away. Your father had no right to get you involved.”

The two men waiting a few feet away glanced all over, pretending as if they weren’t listening to every word. They wouldn’t provide any help.

“Don’t do this to me. If you return me, they’ll make me pay for it.” And my father most of all.

She glanced up at the jet, and while, she’d never be able to pay for even that one flight back, that wasn’t what she was talking about.

“Damn you, woman,” his lips barely moved, and he hid his face behind his hat once more.

The other man she didn’t recognize stepped forward in his plain black suit and deep red tie.

“Do we need to find somewhere more private to discuss this?”

Genevieve stepped forward and blinked as tears flooded her eyes. “Mr. Orion ordered me as a bride, now he’s sending me away. So disrespectful. He won’t marry me.” She sobbed, hoping that, even if this man had come with Billy, he would listen to her. Billy himself would never know the tears were real enough. The thought of going home to her father, without the safety of being wed, terrified her more than he ever could.

Billy growled behind her. “So much for keeping the contract private.”

She flinched. If the agency found out about her loose lips, Billy could be forced to pay a hefty fine … or she could if he didn’t marry her.

“And do you still want to marry him, miss?” The stranger laid a protective hand on her shoulder, so strange coming from someone she didn’t know, especially since he had come with Billy.

“I have no choice. I have nothing to go home to.” She sniffled, and the stranger handed her a tissue from his pocket.

“You believe her? I can’t believe this.” He turned away from them, massaging his temple under his hat, and she could swear she heard Carter laughing behind him.

“I do,” the man stood between them, protecting her. “Everyone within a mile saw the look on your face when she came off that plane. Let’s go to yours and have a chat.” He put one arm around her and waited for Billy to lead.

She would probably pay dearly for what she’d forced upon him, but nothing was worse than her fate if she didn’t.