Billionaire Cowboy (Book 1 of Richland Series)

**COMPLETED** The Billionaire Cowboy is a fictional story that is created from the imagination of the author, SeaK. All rights are copyrighted. All characters and events are not based on real events. Copy or use of these characters or events is not permitted without the author's permission. RETURNING HOME Watching the trees fade into the background as her truck entered the long stretch of highway, doctoral candidate, Ashley Richland, breathed a sigh of relief as she progressed into the next phase of her life. Learning was her passion where she had spent the last twenty years working hard to be the best student in all of her classes. Growing up in a large extended family, there was always someone around, however, going off to college forced her to be self reliant. Traveling by herself, she relied on music for company. A song by Luke Bryan, Huntin, Fishin and Lovin Everyday, brought memories of her high school days. She studied a lot but always found time to enjoy the outdoors. As her class' valedictorian, she also completed an advanced program at the local community college earning an Associate’s of Arts Degree in Chemistry. Growing up on a ranch, everyone learned to care for the animals. But Ashley chose to take it a step further by learning how to evaluate livestock. Learning from Grandpop, who never attended college, his knowledge and experience with animals was invaluable and created a desire in Ashley to discover alternatives for livestock medical preventions. Healthy livestock guarantees the future of a ranch. The song changed to Fever by Garth Brooks, bringing up memories of time spent at rodeos. Her brother Darren and cousin Jim are team ropers, her cousins Mary Anne and Trish are barrel racers and her brother Luke is following their father’s footsteps breeding bulls. Ashley used to be a barrel racer, but an accident prevented her from returning as a competitor. Loving the rodeo environment, she chose to be behind the scenes evaluating animals. The song changed to an Alabama hit, If you’re going to play in Texas (you gotta have a fiddle in the band), and she chanted the song like a pro. Memories flooded her mind of Grandpop sitting on the porch with his fiddle entertaining anyone willing to listen. At a young age, she learned playing the fiddle was a talent all on its own that she did not have. Wiping a tear because she was missing her family, Ashley’s mood improved when Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha brought memories of her seven-year relationship with Steve Baxter. He was her anchor. She laughed remembering how Steve tried to ask her out for over a year in high school before her brothers allowed him to take her on a date. Steve was her first date, first kiss, first boyfriend and first love. For the past five years, they spent mostly apart while she was off at college but their relationship always endured. Even though their nightly phone calls eventually drifted apart, he always supported her goals and planned a future together. An emotional feeling clouded Ashley's thoughts until Save a Horse by Big & Rich blared out the speakers causing her to laugh. She remembered the first time her cousins sang the chorus, Ashley thought it was a song about getting piggy back rides. Boy, was she mistaken! She was book smart but a bit naïve when it came to s****l experiences. She laughed again remembering her cousins’ constant teasing about what it meant to "ride a cowboy." Yesterday, Ashley completed her 1,237-page dissertation. After returning to her dorm room, she packed her truck feeling relieved that her long educational journey had finally come to an end. She spent last night questioning her decisions wondering if she should have or could have made changes. But deep down she knew the truth, once her dissertation was submitted, the results were out of her hands. She was proud of her work with countless hours researching plants to discover their effects on livestock’s indigestion. Eventually she created and trademarked an oil supplement giving animals natural nutrients to fight diseases and avoid expensive processed medicines. THE PHONE CALL Ashley’s thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. Before she could say hello, her best friend asked, “Ash, how you doing?” His energetic voice usually put a smile on her face, but this time his tone was somber. She replied, “Hey Kyle, I miss you!” He quietly asked her to pull over so they could talk which was never a good sign. They have been best friends since elementary school. Even the Richland males accepted Kyle like he was a part of the family due to his protectiveness over her. Kyle took care of her when she got the chicken pox, when she broke her arm falling out of a tree and when she lost her horse. One thing she cherished about him was that he never beat around the bush and always got straight to the point. There was a pause in their conversation. “Ok, what’s up?” Ashley asked. He cleared his throat then said, “Ash, Steve has a girlfriend, he’s cheating on you.” Ashley gasped covering her mouth with her hand as tears flooded her vision. Stunned and speechless she remembered Steve’s visit three weeks ago when he talked about them moving in together. Did he lose his job again? He said she was his soulmate. Who says that? She remembered his late-night calls hiding in her dorm bathroom. Who was he talking to? If it was his family, he had no reason to hide. Why didn't she ask him about it? Venom spewed from Her mouth, “That piece of s**t, I hate him! You know he said he loved me. He said I was the one. He talked about getting married Kyle!’ She paused catching her breath before continuing her rant, “I can’t believe I fell for his crap. Remember how he cheated on Ally freshman year? I actually felt sorry for her. Well, once a cheater, always a cheater!” Kyle was quiet, he had more to share. Ashley demanded, “Kyle, what’s up?” He spoke with gritted teeth, “You know I’ve always hated the guy. I have nothing nice to say about him." She could tell he was stalling. He took a deep breath then said, "Ash, he’s been dating Ally for the past couple months and she’s pregnant.” Ashley screamed, “What a w***e!" She paused wiping her nose then continued, "All those times I returned home, and he acted like we were something special.” She took a deep breath trying to control her anger. Her eyes closed tight from humiliation, as she gripped the steering wheel her heart rate spiked. How could this happen? Did she ignore the red flags because she wanted her own love story? The call went silent. She wanted to know the extent of her embarrassment whispering, “How many people know?” Kyle spoke with control, “Not many, I don’t think his family knows yet.” She mumbled, “I’m such an idiot.” She felt lost and hopeless. She wanted to pretend they never dated. Looking down as her phone dropped to her lap, she discovered it had two bars on LTE. Kyle said, "Ash." She put the phone back to her ear and softly said, "Yeah?" He whispered, "Block his number." He paused then continued, "Everyone loves you Ash, you need to distance yourself from him. He's nothing without you." She agreed shaking then dropping her head in defeat. Thinking about Kyle's last words, she logged onto her social media accounts, changed her status to single, updated her profile pictures to her baby bull Bryson then blocked Steve's number. She let out a breath, she didn't know she was holding onto, suddenly feeling a bit of freedom.