Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) (30 page)

“She ran off before I could get to
her,” Walter explained in disgust.

“You idiot!” Victoria snarled. “How
could you let her get away from you? You needed to sleep with her. How else are
we meant to make sure she and Jake don’t get back together?”

“Does it matter?” He’d be damned if
he’d let her rip into him for this. He was already pissed as hell that he
hadn’t managed to play the good guy and seduce Laura after what she’d witnessed
with Jake. She ran out of the house so fast, he’d been unable to catch her
quick enough. He wished now he’d had the foresight to stand and wait for her at
her car, but he’d foolishly thought she’d want comfort and a shoulder to cry
on. He’d fully expected her to come back to him. But she hadn’t. Something he
dearly wanted to pay her back for.

“Of course it matters!” Victoria
snarled, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. “I didn’t get Jake to
finish what he started. He caught on to the fact it was me far too fast. That
bastard didn’t even continue with me when I offered it to him on a plate!” That
was something Victoria wouldn’t be forgiving anytime soon. Jake had dealt a
severe blow to her ego by first refusing her, then laughing at her and finally
showing her how little he desired her. Victoria needed to have men adore her.
The fact Jake no longer did and had blatantly shown her it was the little wren
he wanted and not her, ate at her like acid.

She paced back and forth in front of
Walter, fury making her movements jerky. “I needed you to come through with the
back-up plan if that happened, but you couldn’t even get that right! As it
stands, neither one of them slept with someone else, so it leaves things far
too easy for them to reconcile.”

“What do you suggest it is I should
have done?” Walter asked sarcastically.

“Is it really so tough for you to
seduce one plain little woman? Are all your charms wearing off now?” she
jeered.

Walter shot off the sofa, grabbing
Victoria by the arms. He shook her hard. “Like your charms are so wonderful.
Jake tossed you aside like an old shoe. How come you couldn’t get him to follow
through?”

Victoria slapped him so hard his head
whipped to the side, the red imprint of her hand clearly standing out on his
cheek. She glared into his face, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Don’t you ever
put your hands on me again! Do you hear? Just remember how very dangerous I can
be. Just because it’s you won’t make any difference to me.”

“Like I don’t know that. Who knows
you better than me?” he sneered rubbing his cheek with his hand.

Victoria whirled away from him. “I am
going to make both of them suffer,” she hissed. “Jake will live to regret the
day he treated me so harshly. We’re stepping things up a gear. I am going to
ruin Jake and grind him into the dirt if it’s the last thing I do!”

Walter watched her as she continued
to rant around the cabin. He knew her well enough to know she would not be
calming down anytime soon. When she did, that was when she was at her
deadliest. That was when they would plan. Heaven help anyone getting in their
way!

*****

Flo sniffed indignantly. “It was a
great plan!”

“You can’t ground a whole airplane
for just one person. Think of all those other people who want to get home. My
idea is better. Jake will find her and it affects nobody but her.” Lotta
perched delicately on a branch overhanging the road Laura’s car would come down
anytime soon.

“But they could have the romantic
airport scene. You know, where the man rushes to stop his love from leaving
him, all in the nick of time. He parks his car where he’s not meant to, leaving
it in a hurry as he races through the airport……..”

“I get the picture,” Lotta
interrupted, seeing Flo working herself into full story telling mode.

“But it could be so romantic! If
you’d only let me do the spell!” Flo insisted. “What’s romantic about finding
your love broken down on a layby? How do you know he will even see her?”

“He will find her, have no fear. They
will have a chance to work things out and it won’t stop several hundred people
from reaching home!” Lotta commented dryly.

“You should have let me turn Victoria
into a toad,” Flo sniffed suddenly. “I told you she wouldn’t play fair. If we’d
only listened in the cabin we could have prevented this.”

“We weren’t allowed to,” Lotta
reminded her. “The end of the test is in sight. If Jake can show Laura and get
her to accept him and his love through this last challenge, they will have made
it.”

“But it’s caused so much hurt,” Flo
said quietly. “What if Laura won’t listen to him and still goes home?”

“Hopefully we’ll get one more chance
to work with her and help her to open her eyes and her heart. Then we’ll have
done all we can and it will just be a matter of waiting and watching.”

Flo sighed. “Always the waiting. I
hate that part!”

Lotta chuckled as they waited for
Laura to arrive.

Laura finally turned onto the main
interstate, determined to get as far away from Willow Creek as she could. She
put the radio on, turning it up high as she tried to drown out her thoughts. It
didn’t work. Her mind kept playing over and over again the scene she’d walked
into, tormenting her. She shook her head in a ridiculous effort to drive the
images from her thoughts. With haunting clarity, she kept seeing Jake and
Victoria locked together in a passionate embrace. Her stomach rolled over at
the horror she felt seeing the man she loved with someone else.

Wiping her hand over her face to
clear her tears, she tried to get a hold of herself. Nothing she’d ever been
through could compare to the pain she was feeling now. Not even when she’d
found out about Brad’s secret girlfriend had it hurt this badly. She’d been
humiliated and upset, but she realised now that she’d never really loved him.
What she’d experienced had been painful, but right now she honestly wondered if
she could die from the wound in her heart. The blessed numbness she’d felt come
over her as she left town, seemed to have worn off rapidly and the events that
had happened were beginning to surge up, threatening to choke her.

Despite all her efforts, she had made
the same mistake as her mother. She’d fallen for a man who loved someone else.
Who’d used her and cast her aside.  She finally understood her mother’s
inability to move on from what her father had done. She was unsure she would
ever get over Jake’s betrayal. Fear pounded through her veins. More than
anything she didn’t want to end up as bitter as her mother had become. Would
she never find another man she could give her heart to? Was her destiny to
repeat her mother’s life? She shivered at the thought.

Laura had made the biggest mistake of
her life coming here. She should have remained in England, in her safe boring
little life. At least she’d have been saved from this nightmare. Why couldn’t
Jake have loved her the way she loved him? She should have known he wouldn’t.
She’d allowed herself to forget that she didn’t inspire love in men. That was
for the Victoria’s of the world. The beautiful women that men never forget
about. How could she have been so foolish as to hope she’d actually found true love,
the kind of love she’d dreamed about her whole life.

She sniffed, tears flowing down her
face like a river. She wiped at her tears again, trying to stop the flow
without success. She could get through this, she told herself. But she didn’t
really believe it. Jake had filled her so completely, she was sure a hole with
his shape would be forever inside her. Nobody else would be able to fill it.
Despair hit her hard, making her want to curl up and hide. But she couldn’t
hide from herself. All she could do was run.

The sound of clanking from her engine
drew her attention. Alarmed, she slowed as the sound grew louder. All of a
sudden, the car gave a coughing noise and began to sputter. Worried, Laura drew
her car into the layby. She reached it just in time for the car to shudder a
couple of times before the engine died.

Disbelief flowed through Laura. She
turned the key on the car. It revved laboriously then conked out again. Trying
twice more, Laura realised the car wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. She hadn’t
the first clue how to fix a car engine. She was well and truly stuck. What else
could possibly go wrong? She let out a slight scream, wanting to hit something.

Taking deep breaths, she twisted in
her seat to riffle through the bag she’d packed. Although she’d picked up
everything she needed to catch a flight home, she’d stupidly forgotten to pack
her car rental details. She had no idea what number to call to contact someone
about having broken down. Thumping the wheel several times, Laura screamed long
and loud, grateful nobody was around for miles to hear her. If anyone had heard
her, they would have assumed she was certifiable. After everything that had
happened, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was!

Taking deep breaths to calm herself
down, Laura ordered herself to think. Grabbing her phone, she ignored the
message that someone had left her and went straight onto the internet, finally
finding a number she could call. She only hoped they could find her on their
system without her rental details to hand. She called the number, spending the
next half an hour being put on hold and transferred. Finally, the company found
her details and she was told someone would be sent to recover the vehicle.
Laura declined another car being sent to her, as she was heading for the
airport anyway and wouldn’t need one. She would simply get a lift to the
nearest garage with the pick-up truck and call a taxi to take her the rest of
the way.

Hanging up, Laura tried to make
herself comfy while she waited. Her mind drifted to Jake and she wondered if
he’d even notice she was gone or if he’d be so caught up with Victoria, that
she wouldn’t be much more than a passing thought. She squeezed her eyes shut
against that prospect. She would like to think she’d meant something to him, she
only wished it was what she’d wanted it to mean.

Feeling exhausted from her ordeal,
Laura flattened her seat and put her jacket over her for a cover. She closed
her eyes and tried to still her raging emotions. She needed to get some rest.
She had no idea how long it would take the recovery truck to arrive. She
drifted into a fitful dose.

*****

Jake found her car a short way along
the interstate. It was by sheer luck he realised there was a car parked in the
layby. He nearly passed it when something glinted in the corner of his eye,
catching his attention despite being so distracted. It had taken a few precious
seconds to realise it was Laura. Relief flooded his body.

He was surprised she’d stopped, as
he’d expected her to drive non-stop to the airport. He’d been frantic to reach
her before she could sort herself on the next available flight. He had no idea
where she lived in England and realised he knew next to nothing of her life
there. If she’d returned home, he may never have found her again. The terror of
that thought had driven him on like a madman. He couldn’t lose her now that
he’d found her. He was determined to do everything in his power to sort the
mess Victoria had landed him in.

Pulling his truck to the side of the
road, he parked in front of her. Getting out, he strolled slowly towards her.
He had no idea what reception he’d get, but it wouldn’t be good. He knew how
he’d felt when he’d seen Dan and Victoria. He knew how hurt his Laura would be.
He prayed for guidance to find the right words to show her what she meant to
him. He couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong.

Drawing up to her window, he looked
in. The lights by the side of the road shone in to show her tucked up under her
jacket, sleeping. Her eyes looked red from crying, her face pale. His heart
twisted at the sight of her. More than anything, he wanted to soothe away her
pain and set things right. He only hoped she would believe him. Gently, he
tapped on the window. She stirred, but didn’t wake up. He tapped again.

The sound of knocking penetrated her
blissful dream. Laura didn’t want to open her eyes, but the sound came again.
She tried to cling to the wonderful dream of her and Jake making passionate
love together, but it crumpled and fell apart with the incessant noise at her
side. She jerked awake, confused to find herself in her car. Bits and pieces of
the events that had taken place, came flooding back. Laura took a deep breath
to compose herself. The last thing she needed was to fall apart again.

Another knock sounded at her window.
Thinking the recovery truck had arrived, she twisted with a false smile in
place for the driver. Instead, she saw Jake standing at her window, his face
concerned. Her smile died instantly. What was he doing here? Maybe he’d come to
give her the things she’d left at his house. After all, he wouldn’t want
reminders of her to spoil things for Victoria she thought sourly.

Jake knocked again. “Will you please
open this door?” she heard him shout through the window.

“No!” she yelled back, folding her
arms stubbornly over her chest.

“Laura, you have to let me explain.
Please.” He knocked again.

“What’s to explain?” she asked
bitterly, winding down the window a bit so he would be able to hear every word
she said. “I get it completely. I saw everything I needed to see to tell me
exactly what I needed to know. The only thing I don’t get is why you’re here
bothering me now.”

“You only saw what Victoria wanted
you to see,” Jake told her desperately. “She set that whole thing up.”

“Oh, of course she did,” Laura interrupted
sarcastically. “She forced you to take all your clothes off and jump on her did
she?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jake ran his
hand through his hair in frustration.

“Why are you bothering me Jake? You
made your choice, go live with her.” She wound up the window again, frustrated
beyond belief that she couldn’t just start her car and get the hell away from
him.

He tapped on the window. “She tricked
me,” he shouted through it. “Just give me a chance to explain to you what
happened. Then if you don’t want anything more to do with me, I’ll leave. But
only when you’ve heard me out. Until then, I’m not going anywhere and if you
try to leave, I’ll follow you until you run out of gas. Either way, I won’t
give up till you’ve listened.”

Laura ground her teeth in
frustration. She really didn’t have much choice. Her car was going nowhere and
neither was she until the recovery truck arrived. She wouldn’t put it past Jake
to follow her all the way to the garage and then the airport. The easiest thing
to do was listen to his lame explanation, tell him what she thought of him and
then hopefully he’d leave. She unlocked the door and climbed out, her
expression murderous.

“Fine, but don’t expect much. It’s
going to take one hell of an explanation to get you out of what I saw you
doing.” She glared daggers at him. “I’m not even sure why you’re here. It’s
quite obvious what you want. What happened, did Victoria decide she didn’t want
you after all and you thought you’d go for second best? You think I’m so
desperate, I’ll grab whatever scraps you throw me?”

“You are not second best!” he gritted
out. “I didn’t choose her. Just don’t jump to conclusions and hold your
comments until I tell you what happened. Alright?”

“Fine!” she snapped, crossing her
arms over her chest and staring off into the underbrush. It hurt too much to
look at him directly. She wished he wouldn’t put her through this torture. Did
he think that little of her that he could hurt her so badly?

Jake sighed, wondering where to
start. He knew he only had one shot at this. “Firstly, I was preoccupied after
our talk in the barn. I was really worried that I’d stuffed everything up for
us by not telling you what happened with Victoria after that night with Dan.”

“So you thought you’d hedge your bets
and get on Victoria’s good side, if things didn’t work out with me?” Laura
sniffed disdainfully, refusing to make this easy on him. “What a pity I came
back too soon and found you out!”

“That’s not it,” he ground out in
frustration. “You said you’d listen without commenting or jumping to
conclusions.”

She gritted her teeth. “Fine, what
happened then?”

“I was distracted and didn’t see
Walter until it was too late. He backed a horse right into me and I landed in a
pile of manure.” He grimaced at the memory of the smell. “I had no choice but
to go up and take a shower. I couldn’t even stand me and I swear even the
horses were turning up their noses at me!”

Laura glared at him, her expression
stony. If he thought he could worm his way back into her good graces with that
attempt at humour, he was in for a shock. Laura found nothing funny in what had
happened. He’d betrayed her. She couldn’t see what the point was of telling her
about some random incident. How could that excuse him jumping into bed with
Victoria?

Jake saw her expression, his heart
sinking. Now for the hard part. He hoped she’d see he was telling the truth. “I
came out of the bathroom wearing my towel and nothing else. When I got into the
bedroom, she was already there. The room was dark, only two candles lit so everything
was cast in shadows.”

Laura’s face hardened. She hated to
be reminded of what she’d seen. It had looked so cosy and romantic, the sort of
thing she would have loved to share with him herself. Her fingers curled into
her palms, her nails digging into the soft flesh. She bit down on her lower
lip, trying to block out the pain of those images that insisted on floating
through her head.

“She had even laid some of your
clothes out on the floor, as if you’d stepped out of them and got into bed,”
Jake said softly. Laura jerked her head round to stare at him, shock holding
back her ability to voice the thousands of questions rolling round in her mind.
“I thought it was you. That you’d forgiven me, come home and when you heard me
in the shower, you went into the bedroom and got into bed, waiting for me so we
could make up in a beautiful way. It never entered my head for one moment that
Victoria was the one in the bed, not you.”

Laura froze, her mind whirling, her
heart beating triple time. Could he be telling her the truth? She cast her mind
back on the scene she’d witnessed. It had been dark in the room. She’d not been
able to make out much herself. Was it possible that Jake had really thought it
was her? She didn’t know, but hope flared in her chest.