Romance: Young Adult Romance: The Perfect Game (A Highschool Football Romance) (Bad Boy Nerd New Adult Romance) (42 page)

They all had offers for the property, and
he, of course,
accepted the largest which was over a billion dollars.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; I didn’t imagine there was that much oil beneath his farm.

I started feeling guiltier after he accepted the offer.  He didn’t even mind selling the old ranch house.  The small house that I’d come to know and love.

If I didn’t tell him the truth soon, I had a feeling that I would never get the chance.  With the deals all signed and done, I asked him if he had
a chance for
us to be alone.

We met in the
barn
a bit later.

“Mike, I don’t know why I waited this long, but
I
have something incredibly important I have to tell you.”

He nodded, there was a giant smile shot across his face that probably wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon, or so I thought.

“Mike, I’m pregnant, only a couple months now,” I said after a long sigh.

Mike turned in place, started to pace around the doorway to the barn.

“Are you serious?  You waited until now to tell me?”

I nodded.

“Do you know how bad this sounds?”

“What are you trying to say, Mike,” I asked.

“You had so long to tell me, how long have you known?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“More than a month,” I squeaked out.

He smacked his hand against his face in annoyance.

“You know what, I doubt you were ever going to tell me.  I know I’m not father material.  I could
tell
you just wanted to sleep with me, and then you were just going to move on again just like you did before.  You just can’t seem to stand and face your
own
problems.”

I held back the tears as best I could,
I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“That’s mean, Mike.”

“You’re damn right it’s mean,” he replied, “you’re having a
baby,
and now you’re lording it over me after I make a deal for the largest sum of money I’ll ever see in my life.  I bet now you’re going to ask for half of it just because I happened to sleep with you.”

I couldn’t stand the scrutiny, so I ran from the barn and headed toward the ranch house.

I charged up the stairs and into my room where I had my bag already packed from before.  I threw a few other things inside before running out the door.

Buck waited outside.

“You
takin’
off, Jennie?” he said,
simply
.

“I won’t stay where
I’m not wanted
, Buck,” I replied.

“
Me
and Larry want you here,” he said.

“Well, the owner doesn’t want me anywhere near this place.  And, I’m obliged to listen to him.”

I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.  I liked Buck, the way he always knew how to state things just right, and the way he would always help out when you needed it.

“Listen,
Jennie, you get lost out in the world, you know you always got a home here.  We aren’t
goin’
anywhere,
ya
hear?”

I nodded and started hiking down the road.  It was probably a
two-hour
walk into town, but that wasn’t anything to
worry about
. 
At least,
I wouldn’t have to listen to Mike judge my every move and accuse me of wanting his money. 

The time passed
slowly,
and I took the time to gather my thoughts.  I didn’t
want
to return home, there was nothing for me there, and I had no interest in going back to that situation.

I wanted so badly for things to work out with Mike.  But, the more I thought about it, the harder it was for me to keep my thoughts straight. 

I took the first bus that left town, which led me further west.  I felt like I was just running away from my problems, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do.  There was nothing left for me here, nor was there anything left in the city.

I wondered where I would end up.

5.

Three months
passed,
and I found myself a place to work.  I started a waitress job at a diner
at
the other side of the state.  The work was simple and kept me
busy,
so I never had time to think about much else.  I didn’t mind that at all.

I’d sometimes catch a man in a hat that looked similar, but looking closer would prove it wasn’t.  I just kept smiling through the pain and trying my best to let it all pass.

Then I worked one Sunday
morning,
and a well-dressed man sat at the end of the bar reading his newspaper.  I sidled up.

“What can I get you,” I asked.

“Cup of coffee, if you don’t
mind,
” he replied.

I recognized the voice.  It was gruff but still sounded young. 

“Mike?” I asked.

He lowered the newspaper and had a big smile shooting across his face again.

“You’re a hard woman to track down,” he said.

“I don’t like being found,” I replied.

I started walking
away,
but he held out a hand to stop me.

“I just want to talk,” he said.

“That depends on which one of you is doing the talking, is it the kind man I fell in love with, or the rich man that brushed me off.”

He leaned forward in his seat.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about a lot of things while you were gone,” he started, “watching my family home get demolished opened my eyes.  I
started
to wonder what was going to leave me
next,
and
sure enough,
Buck and Larry found better jobs elsewhere.”

I nodded and leaned over the counter.

“I got nothing left that I recognize, Jennie.  And, I miss those simple days.  Waking up with the sunset to feed the pigs, and milk the cows.  Going for a long ride on my family farm in the afternoon, stopping off for a swim at the old pond, these were reasons for living.”

His tone was becoming a lot more somber as he continued.

“Money… changes people.  I started seeing things that weren’t there and
pushing
away everyone I cared about.”

It was surprisingly dead in the diner
for
a Sunday morning.

“Then I found this.”

He slapped a newspaper down on the table in front of him.  My photo was plastered all over it; it was something I tried my hardest to forget.

“You’re a riddle, Jennie.  I can’t figure you out.  I wanted to think that I
did
and that I might be able to get things back to the way they were.  Why didn’t you tell me where you came from, I wouldn’t have treated you any differently.”

I sighed.

“Listen,
Mike, I wanted to tell you every day, but I also didn’t want that life.  They were forcing me into a marriage, and I won’t marry someone I barely know.”

“Jennie, you’re a character.  You have all this money and
opportunity,
and you decide that it would be better to walk away and live on a farm?”

I giggled at the thought.

“Jennie, I love you.  You mean the world to me.  I can’t think of what my life would be like without you and the baby in it.  If you don’t want me in your life then that’s your choice, I’m not your family, I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to.  But, if there’s a slight possibility that you’d be interested in spending your life with me, you’d make me the happiest man alive.”

I looked at him, tears starting to well up behind my eyes again; he still was the best man that I knew.

“When you marry for money, you marry for the wrong reasons.  I don’t want a dime of your fortune, Mike.  I never did.  You just wouldn’t listen to me when I was talking.”

Mike lowered his head, a bit defeated.  Then two large hands patted him on the
back;
Larry and Buck were regulars on Sunday morning, I just didn’t want to tell Mike.

“Guys,” he said, “I can’t believe you two are here right now.”

They all embraced each other in a hug.

“We both knew that you and Jennie were shacking up whenever you went into town.  It’s not that hard to figure out, and neither of you did a good job of hiding it,” Buck said.

“We weren’t looking for a bunch of
money,
we just wanted to work with you again, Mike.  I am not looking for a free meal, I’m
lookin’
for a good job,” Larry added.

I walked around the diner countertop and joined the group.  Mike pulled me in for a warm embrace in the
odd
group and let out a laugh.

“So, does this mean we’re all getting’ back together?” he asked.

“Only under one condition,” I said.

I whispered in Mike’s ear, and I think he got it because he pulled out his phone and started making calls right away.

It was maybe a week later when we all met up again. T
his time,
Mike picked me up in the same old truck we had driven into town before.  I sat in the same seat I always had, with the same tears covered in tape. 

I could see the small house off
in
the horizon.  The white dot in the middle of a vast landscape, with a barn sitting off to the side, invited me closer. 

The house looked identical to the old ranch house we’d spent so much
time in
. 
Except everything was newer. The walls were finally repainted, the leaks in the roof were covered, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I was finally home.

*****

THE END

Saved From a Scoundrel – A Clean Regency Romance

Chapter One

Lady Isabeau Camm collapsed in a cushioned chair in the row along the wall, waving her fan in front of her face. It was entirely too hot in the
ballroom
, and there were entirely too many people there. She continued fanning herself until she saw Anne coming toward her. She lifted her fan high in the air and called out loudly, “Anne! Anne! Over here!”

Anne saw her and made a beeline toward Isabeau, dropping herself
into
a chair next to her.

“Oh, Izzie!” Anne looked as exhausted as Isabeau felt. “It feels like this ball will never be over. We should just start walking home.”

“It’s much too cold to walk, Anne.” Anne had lived next door to Isabeau and her family since they were
very small
children. They had played together from the very early ages, sharing dolls and secrets throughout the years.
This was
their first time on the season and were both trying very hard to keep up with the
Ton
and present the best appearances possible.

“Do I look terrible, Anne?” Isabeau raised the hand she wasn’t using to hold the fan and patted down her auburn hair, feeling just a few strands that had come loose from the barrettes and pins. She instantly flushed, picturing her hair fluffed out all over her head. Anne shook her head.

“No, you look beautiful,
Isabeau,
” Anne said, using her handkerchief to dab at her forehead and face. “My, it is quite hot in here. Someone should open some windows and doors.”

“Let’s take a walk on the veranda, Anne. Come on.” She stood up and held out one hand to her friend. Anne took it and stood up. They made their way through the pressing bodies to the
massive
double glass doors that looked out over the veranda and the vast field beyond. Anne pressed the door handle down and swung the window doors out wide. The two women instantly felt a breeze flow past
them,
and they both sighed, enjoying it immensely.

“This was
a wonderful
idea, Isabeau.” Anne stepped out into the evening, taking a small fan similar to Isabeau’s out of her handbag and opening it. I thought I might die in there!”

“Me too.” Isabeau nodded. “I don’t want to be on the verge of fainting when I have my next dance.”

“Who do you have next?” Anne took her card from her bag and put the fan back
in
it. “I have…” She scanned the card. “It looks like Lord Rupert is next in line.”

Isabeau laughed softly. “Lord Rupert. I have already danced with him. Watch his hands and be careful of his feet. He is quite a talker, as well. My goodness, his business is doing so well, you would think he would be the richest Lord on earth, richer than God!”

The girls laughed. Isabeau glanced at her card. “I have Jonathan Barnaby. He’s an Earl, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is extremely wealthy!” Anne raised her eyebrows. “He would be a good
husband,
I would think. But he’s very young. I’ve danced with him, too. He’s very agreeable.”

“I don’t want to marry anyone unless I love
him,
” Isabeau said. “I don’t care if he is a rich man or a pauper.”

“
Oh,
I didn’t mean to imply anything otherwise, Izzie. I know you. I wonder, though, if you would
really
feel the same passion for a
pauper
as you would for a Lord. Having money does make a difference.”

“Money also changes the way people are
inside,
” Isabeau said. “I know several wealthy men who had delightful personalities until they became
wealthy
.”

“I think it’s different when they already have a fortune they have inherited through their family name. I think men with old money are a little more judgmental than the others who have had to work their way to wealth.”

“I would agree with that.” Isabeau nodded her head. “It is because they were once paupers themselves…or close to it. When you are
poor,
and you grow up to be rich, you can see things from both perspectives.”

“Who else do you have on your card? There are four more dances. After Lord Rupert, I have good old hairy Lord Henry.”

“Oh no!” They both laughed. Lord Henry had not cut his hair from the time he was about ten years old. He was another
local,
and both girls knew him well. They were all friends and had a good time
together,
so her dance with him was more for fun than anything

The doors the girls had come out of burst open and two young men came through in a hurry, their eyes in search of something. When they spotted the girls, they both called out to them.

“Anne! Isabeau! We’ve been looking for both of you!”

The women turned to see Lord Rupert and Earl Barnaby heading toward them.

“Oh!” Anne flushed. “Have we lost track of time? Oh dear! Has the next dance started?”

Lord Rupert held out his hand to her, flashing a brilliant smile that made his eyes
flash
. “If we hurry, we won’t miss more than a few moments!”

Anne matched Lord Rupert’s smile, took his
hand,
and the two of them jogged across the veranda to the door, slipping in swiftly.

“Well, they are very much in a hurry to dance, aren’t they?” Earl Barnaby turned a smile to Isabeau. “I, however, am less motivated to find a spot on the floor. I am feeling…a bit overheated in there.”

“That’s why we came out here.” Isabeau nodded. “It is
extremely hot
in there. And with that many people crowded in there
…
I’m
actually
quite surprised by how many
people
came tonight. It’s as if everyone from all around the country came here for this one ball.”

The Earl laughed. He held out his
hand,
and she took it, letting him take her back across the veranda to the doors. “I think that would be quite a lot more
people,
”
he
said when they got to the
doors
. He stopped her when she put her hand on the door handle.

“We don’t need to go in yet, do we? Shall we skip this dance? Or perhaps dance out here? I can hear the music fine. Can you?”

Isabeau was intrigued. It would be quite lovely to dance out here on the veranda. She lifted her arms and smiled at him. He put his arm around her slender
waist,
and they began to dance. “Have you had any interesting partners yet?”

“None that had me dancing on the
veranda,
” she responded softly.

“It certainly seems less stressing than being in there, surrounded by all the others and feeling somewhat suffocated.”

“I agree. How have you fared tonight? Any of the Ladies catch your eye?”

“None yet, present company excluded. I must say I am enjoying this dance in particular.”

“That is very pleasing to hear.” Isabeau smiled at him. “You realize that if we are spotted, everyone will come out
here,
and we will
be surrounded
once again?”

“I’ll take that chance. It’s
a nice
evening out here. I don’t want to stop now.”

“I’m glad! I don’t either!”

They
laughed,
and he spun her in a circle. They finished the dance several minutes
later,
and he stepped back a foot to bow deeply to her. “That was a lovely dance, Lady Isabeau! Most enjoyable! I do hope you will consider me as a friend and we can dance again next time we see each other!”

She lowered her head. “I certainly would like that, Earl Barnaby.”

“Please, we must dispense
with
the formalities! I am Jonathan to my friends and you, dear lady, I do call
friend
.”

“Thank you very much, Ea…Jonathan.” She giggled.

He took her hand and kissed it as the doors opened and several people came wandering through. Isabeau
looked,
but Anne was not one of them.

It was Tomas Hurley. He was the
brother
of a duke, the beloved Edward Hurley, who was a business acquaintance of her
father
.
But unlike, the Duke, Tomas was rather disagreeable. He
had
an unpleasant
look on his face.

Isabeau’s heart hardened
instantly,
and she pulled back a little, not wanting to be too close to him until she had to be. He was on her card and
she
had forgotten it. She probably didn’t
want
to remember. He had a strange fascination with
her,
and if she could have avoided the invitation, she definitely would have. But her mother had insisted that both the Duke and his brother would be on her card, whether or not she liked them. They were prominent in society and must not
be shunned
.

She watched as Tomas Hurley passed the Earl. Both men nodded once and said the first name of the other. There was no love lost between them. She wasn’t surprised. She took a few steps toward the door, hoping to avoid having to speak to him but he was coming straight for her.

She curtsied when he got closer. “
Mr
Hurley. How are you feeling this evening?”

“I’m doing well.” His voice was somewhat high-pitched, reminding her of what she felt a weasel would sound like if it could talk. “I saw that Earl Barnaby had to go in search of you before the last dance. I hope you will see to it that I do not have to do the same.”

“I…I do believe there is another gentleman before you on my dance
card,
” she said hesitantly. She didn’t want to dance with him in the first place, much less go out of her way to make sure she was present
on
time.

“Precisely why I came to find you. I have told you previously of my fondness for you. It looks somewhat inappropriate for you to be dancing with another man on the veranda where no one else is present.”

Isabeau blinked. It was true that he had expressed his desire to see her more
often,
and he had come by the house on occasion to make it clear to her family, as well. But they knew she had no affection for him, which doubled her frustration that her mother had insisted Tomas Hurley be on her dance card. 

“I…am sorry that you feel that way,
Mr
Hurley. If you would like to cancel your dance with me because of this blight, I would understand.” She could only wish. She knew he would answer the way he did.

“No, I am still willing to dance with you. You will just have to curb your desire to
stray
when you don’t believe you are
being seen
.”

Isabeau felt rage surge through her. Outwardly, she curtsied again and smiled at him as she went past.
She
dared not say a
word
or her anger would betray her. She wondered if she could run out the door before her dance with him and make it home before he could sound an alarm. She could barely contain her
anger,
and it ruined the dance with Lord Carlisle, who was next on her card. He was
friendly,
but she could do no more than fake a smile and dread the moment she would be dancing with
Mr
Hurley.

There was a ten-minute break before the last two dances. Isabeau spent that time standing to the side with Anne, wishing she had the courage
just to leave
. If it hadn’t been for the Duke, Tomas Hurley’s agreeable brother, she would have. She knew it meant a lot to be on the Duke’s
good
side and if that meant dancing with his brother, then so be it.

The time was almost upon her. She felt pressured, anxious.

“Oh, I am not going to like this dance, Anne.” She moaned. Anne took her hand and squeezed it.

“I know. I didn’t enjoy my dance with him either. He is
very cold
and goes through the motions as if I was a big doll of some kind. He only has eyes for you and that is a sad situation for you, my dear.”

“I know. It is extremely troublesome. I fear what he might do when he realizes I am not going to marry him. I don’t even want to dance with him.”

Anne nodded. “I understand. It’s only a short while. Then you will be free of him.”

“But for how long? Until he comes knocking at my door again?” She shook her head and sighed.

“Here he
comes,
” Anne said, dropping her eyes. “Stay calm and just dance, Izzie.”