Surrender to Fate (Fate's Path Part One: A New Adult Romance Series) (22 page)

Vernon finally dropped his pen to the papers on his desk and looked at his daughter. “What is it now, Margaret? You’ve been pacing long enough for me to know that something is on your mind. I’d rather you just spill it and let me get back to work.”

Margaret stopped and spun around to look at her father. She knew how to work him, just like she knew how to work everyone else in her life. Everyone, except William. And it was precisely that dilemma that had her pounding the floorboards in her father’s office until she got his attention.

She stomped over to his desk, “It’s William, Daddy. He and I were progressing along quite nicely until his mother’s accident. Now, it seems like I can’t get his attention for anything. I do feel badly about Catherine, but really, how long can he keep this up? I’ve tried to be there for him, but he just keeps pushing me away. I’m not happy at all, Daddy.”

Vernon exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh Margaret, honestly?”

Margaret put her hands on her hips, “I mean it, Daddy. I think William was starting to realize that he had feelings for me--feelings that were going to make him want to marry me--and now? Now, we have hardly spoken let alone spent any time together.”

“Well, what exactly would you like me to do about that?”

She raised her eyebrows and looked indignant at him, “I don’t know, but you should figure it out.” She stared a bit longer, and then chose a different, but nonetheless effective, angle. “Please, Daddy? Please? Don’t you want your only daughter to be happy?”

Exhaling loudly again, he looked defeated. “Yes, Margaret, you know I do. But this isn’t like I can just buy you a new horse or something. I can’t just throw money at the problem like I normally do.”

“Daddy, I swear. I will never be happy for as long as I live if I don’t have William Harston. I don’t know what you can do, but you best be figuring it out!” She threw him a few last daggers, and stomped out the door, right before she slammed it as hard as she could.

Vernon shook his head. He was a man who had grown accustomed to having everything he wanted, at whatever cost. And what he wanted, he eventually got, one way or the other. Clearly, he had raised his daughter to have the same expectations. He knew her well enough to know that she would make his life a living hell if she had to want for anything. He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head, deep in thought. He rather liked that his daughter set her sights on something, and went after it. She was very much like him, in that regard. A thin smile crossed his lips, and then it came to him. He knew exactly what to do, and it wouldn’t be that difficult to execute, taking into account recent events.

Vernon walked down the stairs onto the sales floor of the lumberyard. He looked around until he spotted one of his employees. “Jake, where’s Harston?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe in the back?”

“Well, get off your butt and go find out. Tell him I want to see him in my office immediately.”

Jake squinted slightly back to Vernon and muttered just loud enough to be heard, “Yes, sir.” As soon as Vernon turned to go back up the stairs to his office, he added slightly louder, “You could get him yourself, you lazy son-of-a-bitch.”

Jake walked to the back lot and found William stacking bricks. “Hey, uh, William?”

William squinted and looked up, “Yeah?”

“Thornton wants to see you, now, in his office.”

William stood straight up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm. “Okay, thanks.”

Jake turned and went back into the store, but William couldn’t move. He had never been in trouble a day in his life. He racked his memory for anything that Vernon could be upset about. He had been doing his job, he thought, just fine. He had taken time off, and had obviously been sidetracked in many of his duties, but surely Vernon could understand that. William’s expression dropped when he realized what it was. Margaret. Somehow Vernon had found out about he and Margaret and what they had been doing. Not only was Vernon going to be mad as hell, William was pretty sure that he was going to get his teeth knocked out and fired from his job, he just wasn’t sure which one would happen first.

He slowly walked up the stairs to Vernon’s office. Preparing himself, he tried to come up with some sort of explanation for his actions with Margaret. He was mostly sick to his stomach knowing that once he was fired, it was going to be nearly impossible to save his father’s farm from bankruptcy. They were already on the brink, especially after the fire claimed all of his father’s farming equipment and the tractor. William squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that the God damned equipment was nothing compared to losing his mother, and cursed himself that he even thought about the two in the same breath.

William knocked on the door, and waited. He took a deep breath and straightened his posture. He was a man, and he would accept the consequences for his actions like a man.

“Yeah, come in.” Vernon sounded even more irritated than William had surmised he would be.

“You wanted to see me?”

Vernon turned from the window behind his desk and waved William in. “Yes, William, come in.”

He walked in as Vernon sat down behind the desk. The last time William was at this desk was with Margaret. His face immediately got hot, and he looked from the desk to Vernon as quickly as possible.

“Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

William sucked in a shallow breath, “Okay.”

“It was quite a shock, what happened to your mother. I know it’s been hard for you and your brother and your dad. Your mother was…quite a woman.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I think you know why I called you in here. It’s about Margaret.”

William took a deep breath, but looked straight into Vernon’s eyes.

Vernon continued, “I don’t suppose I have to tell you that she is smitten as all get out over you. I’ve never seen her like this. Now I know that this isn’t what’s been on your mind, but I think you should hear me out, anyway. Margaret’s a beautiful young woman, a prize for any man, don’t you think?”

William was becoming more and more confused by the minute and slowly nodded his head in agreement but allowed Vernon to continue.

“Well, she doesn’t want just any man. She wants you. But, being a lady of course, she would never suggest it. You know that, right?” He continued despite the quiet stare from William. “Anyhow, what I’m trying to tell you is this: I am giving you permission to marry my daughter. It’s time for both of you to settle down and start your own lives.”

“But,” William finally found his voice, but sounded anything but sure of himself.

Vernon held up his hand, “Now wait, I’m not done. I know you feel an obligation to your dad, and I get that. So I’m offering you the opportunity of a lifetime. You will marry my daughter and make her happy. And, by the way, I’m sure she’ll make you happy as hell too, as I’m sure you can imagine. And I am offering you a quarter-stake in the lumberyard as my new son-in-law. That’s right, you would be a partner in the business. I don’t think I need to tell you that would come with a substantial raise, compared to what you are making now. It’d be more than enough to take care of my daughter, and take care of your dad’s farm and try to get him back on track.”

Vernon finally stopped his speech, and William fell back and sat in the chair opposite of him. William’s head was spinning, and all of the preparation for what Vernon would want with him was all for nothing, as this was the absolute last thing that he had expected. He leaned forward and stared at the ground, trying to wrap his head around what Vernon had just offered.

“I don’t expect an answer right now. I want you to think about it because I don’t want you to go into this lightly. I have
extremely
high expectations from you when it comes to making my little girl happy. I mean it, William, I can no longer make her dreams come true, but you can. And if you accept this offer, then you understand that her happiness would be your responsibility. But come on now, you can’t try to tell me that trying to make her happy wouldn’t mean all sorts of
happiness
for you, too. So that’s it. You think about it. But not too long, William, this offer does expire. I’m not the sort to be waiting around for anything, or anyone.”

William stood and quietly walked to the door, and turned back to Vernon. Vernon jerked his head at him, “You’ll let me know soon, right William?”

He nodded and walked down the stairs and back out to the lot. He sat on the stack of bricks, still in shock of what had just happened. As if on cue, Margaret came around the corner of the building and walked over to him.

“Hey, you,” she said as she gently brushed the hair from his forehead.

He stood up and stared at her. He looked at her so intently, trying to picture his life with her as his wife. Just when he almost could catch a glimpse in his mind, it would fade away.

She looked up into his eyes and put her hands alongside his face, and brushed her fingers through her hair. “Oh William, I’ve missed you so much. I’m here, I’m right here for you. Let me in, William, please? Let me help you?”

William had lived through the worst thing that had ever to him, and now he was faced with a huge decision that would affect the rest of his life. He bent down and gently kissed Margaret’s lips, once again trying to picture what his life would be like with her.

She responded with slow gentle kisses until she could feel him begin to give into her waiting mouth. He pulled her body tightly into his, and actually felt a rush go through him that he had almost forgotten. In that moment, he realized that he had missed being with her, touching her. He pulled his lips from hers and wondered if this is what was meant to be for him. His life sure as hell hadn’t turned out how he thought it would, and he was beginning to realize that he had absolutely no control over anything. He couldn’t control Sarah leaving, and he couldn’t change that his mother was gone. This might be the only say he would get in the direction of his life from now on. Even though he realized that it was more of Vernon’s say, than his. In all reality, he had to wonder if he had any choice at all, knowing there might be no other way to keep his vow to shield his father and Tommy from any further heartache.

The night had been sleepless for William. He tossed and turned, wrestling back and forth with the decision that had to be made. But morning had put him out of his misery, and at this particular moment, he found himself climbing the stairs back to Vernon’s office with his answer. He knocked on the door, knowing that as soon as he walked in, his life would be forever changed. But at this point, he was already learning how a single moment in time could change the trajectory of your life, and this one would be no different.

“William, come in,” Vernon pushed himself back from his desk. “I presume you are here with an answer?”

“Yes, sir. I am.”

“Good. What is it?” The look from Vernon was stern, and obvious he was not in the mood for frivolities of conversation.

“I thought long and hard about you said. And, I’ve decided that I would like to marry Margaret.” William felt a weight come off his shoulders from announcing his decision, but almost simultaneously felt an even heavier weight come crashing down on them all over again.

A sly smile crossed Vernon’s lips. “Well, I have to say that I am pleased with your choice. It makes me think that you have half a brain. But, before this is a done deal, I want to make sure you are clear on your end of the bargain?”

“Uh…yes, sir. I think so.”

“You better do a helluva lot better than that. Do you understand your end of the bargain?” Vernon was looking at him with such malice that William was almost second guessing his decision on the pure fact of what he would be marrying into.

“Yes, I do. I will make your daughter happy.”

Vernon’s expression softened only lightly, “Good, that’s better. Now tell me, what convinced you?”

William looked down to the desk in front of him. He knew exactly what had convinced him. He had gotten home from work to find his father passed out at the dining room table, with his head down on a stack of bills next to a whiskey bottle. He had planned on talking to his father about the proposition, but as soon as he saw that, he had all the answers he needed.

“Well, sir…there’s nothing more I would like to do than make Margaret the happiest girl in the world.” William realized that his relationship with his future father-in-law was starting off famously--with a bold-faced lie straight to his face.

Vernon huffed haughtily. “Good answer.” He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small, black box and handed it to William.

“What’s this?”

“That,” Vernon nodded toward the box, “is Margaret’s engagement ring. I know you don’t have two nickels to rub together, let alone to buy her something she deserves. Let’s just say I was pretty certain of the choice you would make. I think the sooner you make it official, the better. Don’t you?”

“I guess so...”

Vernon cocked his head at him again, with the same callous look in his eye.

“I mean, yes. The sooner, the better, sir.” The weight on William’s shoulders was transforming into a distinct uneasiness about how controlling Vernon was of this whole situation.

“I think tomorrow would do just fine. Come over to the house for dinner tomorrow, and you can propose to her properly.”

William nodded, only because he was too in shock to actually say anything. He had made his decision, but thought there would be at least a little daylight to be seen between making the decision, and making it official.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t
hear
you.” Vernon repeated slowly and deliberately.

William swallowed and looked him in the eye, “I said, yes, sir.”

Satisfied, Vernon sat down pulled himself back up to his desk. “Good. Five o’clock. Be there at five o’clock.” The conversation was over as Vernon went back to his paperwork without another word.

William staggered out of the office and down the stairs. Tomorrow he would be engaged to Margaret Thornton. Whether it was of his own accord or not, his life was about to be officially moving on from Sarah, and he felt the promise he made that someday, he would make
her
happy, melting away and leaving a gaping hole in his heart.

For reasons deep down inside that he really didn’t want to spend time analyzing, William decided against telling his father about his new arrangement with Margaret, although it really felt more like an arrangement with Vernon. William doubted his father’s ability to even cope with having such a monumental discussion that would certainly ensue upon hearing the news. Besides, ultimately it was his choice, and he had already made it. He didn’t need any more time to think about it. He justified not sharing the news with his father since his father had already given him his blessing of sorts in pursuing happiness. As it turns out, William would be pursuing happiness for Margaret or face the consequences deemed fit by her father. It was just too soon to tell if that pursuit would lead him to any happiness of his own.