I think falling in love is the most wonderful thing that can happen to anyone and I really believe that everyone deep down wants to find that true love, the only one for them. Sometimes though we think we've found the right one, but it turns out to be the wrong thing. That certainly happened to me in my life before I met my husband. When it all falls apart, it can be so very painful and hard to overcome.
That's what happened to the hero in my first book, Wild Fire. He turns his back on love after a terrible betrayal. It takes a special woman and a little magic to turn things around for him. Please read below for an excerpt from my book and feel free to leave a comment. I would love reader feedback.
If you really love what you read, you can buy the whole book on any Amazon store. It is currently available as a Kindle Edition and I am in the process of bringing it out into print for those that don't like ebooks.
Kerry sat in her car and wondered for
the hundredth time if she was doing the right thing. Jake was going to kill her
when he found out. She wasn’t even sure if she could pull off the meeting
without rousing suspicion. Her heart was pounding, her palms were sweating and
she was shaking from head to toe.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled up the
internet on her phone and looked again at the website for The Fairy Tale Match.
It seemed to promise so much; a guaranteed love match or your money back.
Simple, right? Not in her case. She was meant to be her brother coming here to
meet with Ms Feather about finding a love match. However, her brother didn’t
have the faintest idea that he’d signed up to their website at all. Kerry had
done it all. She’d entered his profile and she’d answered the corresponding
emails that had come from the company. Now they wanted to meet to finalise
details before sending a match to stay with him for three weeks.
Her stomach flipped and she clapped a
hand over her midriff, trying to quell the nauseating twists it was currently
doing. She took another deep breath. This was just what Jake needed, she told
herself. Even if the woman didn’t turn out to be his perfect match, it could
open up his mind to the possibility of finding someone new. But if the website
could find someone he’d fall in love with, then maybe, just maybe, she’d get
her brother back…….and maybe he’d forgive Dan.
Her heart squeezed at the thought. Jake hadn’t
spoken to Dan in over two years and neither had she. If things didn’t change,
there was no chance she’d ever have of a happy ever after herself. She’d loved
Dan since she was a child and knew without a doubt he was the one for her. If
only he’d seen it too then none of the horrible events that changed Jake would
have ever happened.
Her brother had gone from an open,
smiling and kind man to an angry, brooding man that had no time for anything or
anyone other than work. It was not a life she wanted for him or for her.
Resolved to her plan, whatever the consequences, Kerry turned her phone off and
got out of her car. She locked the door, straightened her jacket and headed for
the café doors. She could do this.
Entering the café, Kerry looked around at the patrons, trying to pick out
Ms Feather. The place was crowded, with several women sitting by themselves
with laptops in front of them. How was she ever to pick out Ms Feather? Pursing
her lips with determination, she approached several women, all of whom shook
their heads at her enquiry. At last she spotted a tall thin woman sitting in a
booth at the back of the café, almost hidden from view. This had to be her.
“Ms Feather?” Kerry enquired as she
approached. The woman looked up from her laptop. Kerry found herself staring
into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. For the first time in her life, she
realised what was meant when people said someone had sparkling eyes. Ms
Feather’s eyes really did seem to have a sparkle in them, despite the rest of
her rather severe appearance. Her suit was a slate grey, without the slightest
wrinkle to mar its surface. Her hair was twisted into a tight bun at the back
of her head and she had small wire framed glasses perched on the end of her
nose. Kerry gulped back the sudden need to confess everything; sure the woman
could see her guilt on her face. Ms Feather reminded her of a governess.
“Indeed,” Ms Feather answered,
standing politely and offering her hand. “And you are?”
“Oh, I’m Kerry Carter, Jakes sister,”
Kerry replied nervously, shaking her hand quickly and letting go before Ms
Feather could feel her trembling. “He asked me to apologise, but he was unable
to leave the ranch today, due to an unexpected emergency. He hoped it would be
okay if I came in his place?” She smiled at Ms Feather, trying to stop the
wobbling of her lower lip.
Ms Feather pursed her lips, looking
rather put out. “Well, really he should have just notified me and we could have
rearranged the meeting.”
“He really didn’t want to put you out
or to slow things down,” Kerry lied, feeling awkward. “He thought it best if I
come in his place. Here, I have a letter he has signed giving me authority to
act in his stead.” She shoved the letter under Ms Feather’s nose. It was true
her brother had signed it, but he hadn’t known what he was signing. She’d stuck
it in with a number of business letters and he’d trusted her enough just to run
through them all and sign them without reading the contents. She’d felt guilty
at the time, but it was for his own good.
Ms Feather read the letter. “Very
well,” she said at last. “Take a seat Ms Carter and we shall proceed.”
Kerry sat down in the booth, opposite
Ms Feather. She placed her hands in her lap and tried to hide their shaking. So
far so good!
A waitress in a bright pink uniform
fluttered up to the table. “Can I get you anything dear?” she asked Kerry, her
round face beaming at her in a rather peculiar manner. She was almost bouncing
on her toes as if really excited to serve them.
“Just a coffee, thank you,” Kerry
replied, secretly wondering if the woman had had too much of the stuff herself.
The woman nodded, but continued to stand there, staring at Kerry as if she was
a long lost relative. Kerry had the weird feeling the woman was holding back
from launching herself across the table to hug her. Ms Feather cleared her
throat, trying to draw the woman’s attention away from Kerry.
“I’ll have another coffee too,
please,” she said in a rather loud voice. The waitress jumped slightly.
“Of course; I’ll bring them right
over. Nothing to eat?” she asked absently, still staring at Kerry.
“No, thank you,” Ms Feather said in a
rather pointed voice. The woman nodded and at last drifted away. Kerry couldn’t
help but wonder whose idea it had been to hire such a strange woman.
“Now,” Ms Feather said, drawing her
attention. “Let’s go over the contract you will be signing on behalf of your
brother.”
For the next hour, Ms Feather went
over the finer details of the Fairy Tale Match contract. Kerry barely noticed
when the waitress brought their coffees and stood there again for several
moments until Ms Feather had glared her away.
It was to be agreed that The Fairy Tale
Match would find a suitable candidate for Jake to meet and that they would
spend three weeks in each other’s company. Since Jake had no idea that this was
happening, Kerry had asked that the person come to stay with them, rather than
Jake going to her home town. She’d made out he couldn’t leave the ranch and
thankfully that was mostly true. They would pay for the airline tickets for the
woman to travel to them and would put her up in their home for the three weeks
she’d be staying. If after three weeks one or both of them felt they didn’t
suit and had no wish to pursue a relationship, they would be reimbursed all
fees on both sides.
“However, we are very confident we
will find a match based on the details given by Mr Carter when he joined our
site,” Ms Feather said, as she placed a copy of the contract in front of Kerry.
“Our success rate is extremely high. We do give an option for a woman to bring
someone with her, if she is travelling to the gentleman; however that isn’t
often taken up, as the women we deal with know we do extensive background
checks to ensure safety. We take our role in match making very seriously.”
“I have to say, this is a most
unusual dating site,” Kerry observed. “I have never heard of one dealing with
contracts or visits like this before. Don’t you normally give the person a
choice of candidates?”
“At The Fairy Tale Match, we believe
that the perfect person isn’t always just down the road from you or easily
accessible. We are here to help people meet, who under normal circumstances,
wouldn’t. That is why we are the Fairy Tale Match. We match people who wouldn’t
normally meet without extra help,” Ms Feather explained proudly. “Our
organisation has been working to help couples meet for many years now, with
huge success. We believe the right person isn’t always obvious from the start.
We have a certain method in finding our matches that really works and we ask
that they take three weeks to get to know each other so they can really see if
they are suited. I am confident we can find the perfect person for your
brother, using our unique methods. No other dating site can boast the same
success rates, I assure you.”
“This sounds amazing!” Kerry
commented, awestruck. “How soon do you think you would find a match for Jake?”
“It could take a while depending,” Ms
Feather replied, placing a pen down in front of Kerry. “If you’ll just check
over the contract and sign, we will get the ball rolling.”
Kerry read through the details. It
was all there, including getting their money back if they didn’t find a love
match. Really, she had nothing to lose. Taking hold of her courage, Kerry
picked up the pen and signed the document before handing them both back to Ms
Feather, who tucked the contract into her briefcase. She then handed Kerry her
copy of the contract, complete with Ms Feather’s signature on behalf of The Fairy
Tale Match.
“We will be in touch as soon as we
have found the right person,” Ms Feather told her. “If your brother has any
questions in the meantime, he can contact us through our website or call this
number.” She handed Kerry her business card.
Kerry thanked her for her time before leaving the booth. She quickly
ducked out the café and made her way back to her car. She’d done it. The
meeting had gone well and she’d pulled it off. Now all she had to worry about
was how Jake was going to react when he found out!
*****
Back in the café, a small plump
figure in bright pink, plopped herself down in the seat Kerry had just vacated.
“Well, I think that went well,” she
said, her hand fluffing at her wild grey hair, trying to pat it back into its
knot and failing miserably.
“You almost ruined the whole thing,”
Ms Feather snapped. “What were you thinking, Flo? Standing there and staring at
the girl like some kind of mad woman?”
Flo drooped slightly on her seat. “I just got a little excited, Lotta”
she defended herself. “It has been a long time since I saw her last.”
“But you have to remember that she
doesn’t know you,” Lotta exclaimed exasperated. “She hasn’t the faintest idea
that you are her fairy godmother. Times have changed, how many times do I have
to remind you? People today don’t believe in us. They think we are myths and
stories; that we aren’t real. That’s why we set up this business in the first
place. It makes it much easier to help true loves find each other.”
Flo pouted. “I much preferred it when
we could pop up in our charges lives and say “I’m you Fairy Godmother.” It was
so much nicer when they knew who we were and what we were doing for them.” She
sighed heavily. “We can’t even show off our magic anymore.”
“At least we still get to help them,”
Lotta reminded her. Flo grumbled her agreement, but she still looked a little
glum, which was very unusual for her and indeed it lasted all of two minutes
before she sat up with bright eyes, her cheeks blooming red with her
excitement.
“So, what happens now?” she asked,
her eyes shining brightly. Lotta held back a groan. Why did she always end up
with assignments that entwined with Flo? The woman needed restraints!
“We need to find Jake’s true love and
hope she is already single and in a position to be pushed into this
arrangement,” Lotta explained patiently. “He is the key to undoing the tangled
web that revolves around several people, including your charge.”
“That shouldn’t take long,” Flo
announced, popping a chocolate she’d plucked from the air into her mouth. “He
is a very sweet boy. I remember him. He and his true love will be happily ever
aftering before you can wave a wand!”
“He was,” Lotta told her. “But that has changed over the recent years. I
have done some digging and it seems that Jake has changed into a bit of a beast
of a man. He won’t be easy to handle.”
Flo looked upset. “But he was so
lovely. What happened?” “It’s
complicated but part of the problem is that he thinks his heart has been
broken,”
Lotta informed her. “It hasn’t, but
that doesn’t stop him from thinking it has and making life very unhappy for
those around him. He is full of bitterness and mistrust. He is determined never
to give his heart again. It is going to take the very special beauty of his
true love to turn this beast back into a prince.” She paused a moment, tapping
her lip with her finger. Her eyes took on a sudden gleam. “And I think I know
just where to find her!”
Laura sighed heavily as she took a
quick glance at the time. She was making good progress considering the two
detours she’d had when she’d taken wrong turns and should be at the Twisted
Tree Ranch soon. Her heart slammed in her chest and nerves ate at her stomach.
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was bone dry. She grabbed the water bottle
from the passenger seat of her hire car, flipped the lid and drank deeply. She
threw the bottle back on the seat and tried to stop the shaking in her hands.
She could hardly believe that she was
actually doing this. Laura was, by nature, a shy person. She didn’t like the
lime light or attention of any kind, for that matter. It was a wonder to anyone
that knew her that she’d ever had a boyfriend, not that he hadn’t been a total
jerk! Yet here she was, having flown all the way from England, about to meet a
man she’d only emailed a few times and had never seen.
A cold sweat broke out all over her
body and she had to concentrate on not hyperventilating. It had seemed so easy
and exciting back in England. The Fairy Tale Match website had appealed to her
romantic side completely. She had always been soppy over fairy stories ever
since she’d been a little girl. Finding a website that seemed to promise that
kind of love had caught hold of her and she’d actually joined. Her! Laura
Hamilton!
Laura felt a hysterical laugh
building in her throat. How could she have thought it a good idea? She had
virtually no confidence and could hardly describe herself as a real beauty. She
wasn’t the kind of woman men went for. She was the friend type. The one they
all came to with their problems. Not the wow, wouldn’t I love to spend my life
with you type. She was going to be a real disappointment to Jake Carter. Her
knees shook at the thought.
She saw a rather battered sign at the
side of the road and felt her stomach knot in fright. The Twisted Tree Ranch
was just down the next turning. With shaking fingers, she flipped on her
indicator, even though there was no other traffic on the long dusty road and
turned into an even smaller dirt road that wound along ahead of her. Driving
slowly, she jostled down the road, looking out for the ranch house.
Suddenly it came into view, round a
bend in the road. She slammed on the brakes and sat staring at it. It looked
large, even from a distance, its wooden walls looking warm and inviting, easing
some of her panic. Nestled under a hill, she could see the rest of the ranch
spread out in the valley, lush green grasses swayed in the breeze with a number
of horses grazing in the fenced off pasture.
Men worked hard amongst the horses,
some wiping sweat from their foreheads with their neck kerchiefs. They had a
real western feel about them, decked out in jeans, shirts and complete with
Stetson hats. She could see a number of smaller cabins tucked away to one side,
which must have been where the ranch’s usual guests stayed. She knew from Jakes
emails that they ran part of their ranch as a tourist attraction and many
people from all over the world came to experience life on a real old west style
horse ranch.
Laura’s stomach fluttered again and
she began to sweat even though the rental car was blasting her with cold air.
Pulling on every bit of courage she possessed, she put the car back on the road
and continued towards the ranch.
“Just breathe and stay calm,” she
counselled herself as she drove. “You can do this. He sounded like a very nice
man in his emails and he is looking forward to meeting you,” she continued. “Of
course, he is expecting you tomorrow!” she grimaced to herself. Her flight time
had been moved up, so she’d flown in much earlier than expected and decided to
drive down the same day instead of staying over a night at the airport. She had
managed to email Jake. She just hoped he’d read the email before she showed up.
Feeling sick, she drove up the long
dusty driveway to the front of the ranch house. A wooden porch surrounded the
dwelling with wide windows on both sides of the front door. She parked her car,
grabbed her handbag and got out. Her legs trembled, whether from the long drive
or her nerves she wasn’t quite sure. She wiped her sweaty palms on her trouser
legs and walked with purpose to the front door, her boots thumping up the five
steps to reach it.
She knocked and waited, running her
hands over her long brown hair that hung in a ponytail down her back, trying to
smooth away any stray hairs. A young woman came to the door, her bright blue eyes
full of curiosity. “Can I help you?” she asked, wiping her hands on a dish
cloth.
“Hi, I’m Laura Hamilton. I believe Mr
Jake Carter is expecting me?” she smiled, sticking out her hand in greeting,
while trying to subdue her shaking.
The woman ignored her hand, her face
going completely white. She swayed slightly on her feet. Forgetting her own
nerves for once, Laura grabbed the woman’s arm in concern, scared she was going
to faint. “Are you okay?” she asked with a worried frown.
“You weren’t due until tomorrow!” the
woman cried in distress.
“I’m very sorry to cause you any
trouble. My plane time was changed. I did email Mr Carter. Did he not tell
you?” she asked hesitantly. The woman seemed so upset, Laura began to feel
dreadful. “I can stay in an inn or something, if my arrival is inconvenient. I
don’t wish to put anyone out.”
The woman gathered herself together
and shook her head. “No, I couldn’t let you do that. Please come in.” She
stepped back and Laura walked into a beautiful open plan living room, with
wooden floors, a huge stone fireplace and soft comfy chairs. The whole feeling
was welcoming. Laura fell in love with it instantly.
She was about to comment on the
beauty of the home when she heard the sound of a door banging somewhere in the
back of the house.
“Whose car is that outside, Kerry?”
came a deep male voice. “I didn’t think we were expecting new guests till the
weekend.”
The sound of heavy footfalls
approached before a large man came into view. Laura sucked in a breath at the
shock of awareness she felt racing through her body at his presence. She locked
her knees and hoped she wouldn’t disgrace herself by slumping to the floor like
a rag doll. The man was stunningly good looking! He stood well over six feet,
his body thick with long lean muscles, obviously from long hours working
outside on the ranch. His deep blue eyes were very much like the woman who
opened the door, whom Laura had heard him call Kerry. Oh, God, she thought,
this must be Jake and the woman was his sister, Kerry that he’d told her about.
Suddenly she felt very inadequate.
Laura was surprised to see that the
left side of his face was scared. It ran from his left temple, right down his
cheek to his well defined lips. Thankfully, his eye had been left intact. He’d
not mentioned anything to her about any kind of disfigurement. Maybe he’d been
worried the knowledge would put her off meeting him. The thought warmed her
heart. She would show him that it didn’t matter to her at all. Even with the
scar, he was an incredibly handsome man. It gave him character, if anything and
made her feel rather like a little sparrow next to a powerful hawk.
He stopped short when he saw her
standing there, his face frozen in what she assumed was shock. Maybe he hadn’t
seen her email Determined not to come across as a shy wall flower, even if she
was one, she stepped forward. “Hi Jake? I’m Laura. I’m sorry I am a day early.
I hope it’s not too inconvenient. I did email you, but it looks like you didn’t
get it.” She held her hand out to him, looking him directly in the eyes and
smiling brightly. “Anyway, it’s wonderful to finally meet you! Your home is
even lovelier than you said. You must just love living here.” She forced
herself to stop talking before she sounded even more stupid than she already did.
Nerves always did make an idiot out of her.
He stared at her hand, then at her
face. “Who the hell are you?” he snapped. “And why are you talking to me like
we’re best friends? Guests don’t book in here, they book in at the customer
care cabin over by the guest cabins. Kerry can direct you. In future, I’ll
thank you not to intrude on our family home again. We always make it clear that
main house is off limits to guests. We do need a private life you know!”
Her smile faltered. “But I’m Laura
Hamilton,” she stammered out, puzzled. She could understand he thought she was
arriving the next day, but she’d already explained she was early. What was
wrong with him? He’d seemed so nice in his emails. “You told me to come
straight to the main house. I’m supposed to be staying here in your home with
you for three weeks! You said you were looking forward to it” She tried not to
get upset, but could feel herself on the verge of tears. She was tired, the
drive and jet lag were beginning to creep up on her and now Jake Carter was
acting like he’d never heard of her. It was all too much!
“I beg your pardon? What the hell are
you talking about?” he snarled at her, losing his patience. Without even
waiting for an answer, he turned to his sister. “Who the hell is this lunatic and
why did you let her in the house instead of directing her to the guest customer
service cabin? Although, on second thought, I’m not sure we want this crazy
woman staying on the premises. Perhaps it’s best to refund her and send her
home. She probably escaped from some nut house anyway!”
“How dare you!” Laura huffed, angry
now. If he’d changed his mind upon seeing her, he could at least have the good
grace to just admit it instead of making out he had no idea who she was and
that SHE was crazy. “You asked me here for three weeks. I have the emails on my
phone to prove it.” She began fumbling in her bag for her phone. “I would never
have come had I known what a rude, grumpy man you are, instead of the sweet guy
you pretended to be! Really, you could just say you’ve changed your mind,
instead of this ridiculous charade. Honestly, why join a dating agency if you
weren’t happy to meet someone. It’s not my fault that agency won’t work with
photos. You must have known it was a risk, being sight unseen!”
Jake held his hand up to stop her
tirade, refusing to take the phone she was trying to thrust in his face. “Hold
up there. You have the wrong place. I have not, nor would I ever join a dating
agency. You must have driven to the wrong address.” He shook his head in
relief.
“But, this is the Twisted Tree Ranch
and you are Jake Carter, are you not?” Laura asked, wondering why he was
insisting on this pretence of not knowing her. A strangled sound from behind
her drew her attention.
Laura turned to look at Kerry, who was
still standing frozen by the front door. Her face held a look of horror and
guilt, as she looked from Jake to Laura. A sinking feeling came over Laura.
Something was seriously wrong with this picture.
“I am so sorry,” Kerry whispered
looking back and forth between Jake and Laura. She twisted the dishcloth in her
hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Laura closed her eyes as the
truth began to slowly dawn on her. It would seem that Jake Carter didn’t know
anything about her after all.
“What are you apologising for? What
the hell is going on?” Jake thundered as he stepped closer to his sister.
Kerry took a deep breath. “I was
going to tell you at dinner,” she continued. “Try and break it to you gently.”
His eyes glinted dangerously. “What
are you talking about? Break what to me gently?”
Kerry swallowed several times. She
opened her mouth, but no words came out. Jake’s expression turned darker and
darker the longer the silence went on. He advanced on her, his hands curling
into fists.
“What. Have. You. Done!” he gritted
out slowly.
Laura just wanted to disappear. If
there was ever a moment she wished the ground could open up and swallow her,
this was it. Humiliation swept up her cheeks, turning them a fiery red. Kerry
looked ready to bolt. “Laura is at the right address. I signed you up with a
dating agency.” She said the words so fast, Jake shook his head as if to clear
his hearing.
“You did WHAT!”
“Jake, please, you have to
understand. I was only thinking of you!” Kerry rushed to explain. “You haven’t
been the same since you know what and I thought it was about time you got your
life back. I want my old brother back. The one that could laugh and enjoy
himself. I miss that side of you.” She broke off as her brothers face went from
slack with shock to out and out murder.
“Are you out of your mind?” he
roared. “How could you do this to me? My life is none of your business!” He ran
his hand through his dark hair, making it stick up in all directions which just
added to his furious look. He looked at Laura from head to toe, as if seeing
her for the first time. She flinched at his rude perusal. He waved his hand up
and down to indicate her person. He laughed rudely. “This is what you come up
with to turn me into the perfect brother? This plain little English prim and
proper lady with a Pollyanna complex? This is the person that’s supposed to put
me right?”
Both women gasped at his harsh
comments. Laura had never been so humiliated in her life. She knew she was no
oil painting, but had never had anyone rude enough to tell her that to her
face. She blinked her eyes furiously, determined this angry man’s words would
not reduce her to tears.
He stalked toward Kerry, anger in
every stride he took, until he stood toe to toe with her. He glared down into
her upturned face. “I do not need you sticking your nose in my life, sister,”
he spat poking his finger at her face. “You get that woman on the next plane
home, do you hear me? And don’t you ever, EVER interfere like this ever again.”
He didn’t even wait for a reply before he stormed out of the house, banging the
door behind him.
Kerry closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. His reaction had been worse that she’d feared. What had she been
thinking? Dan’s face popped into her mind’s eye. She knew exactly what she’d been
thinking and it hadn’t all been about her brother. She looked at Laura still
standing frozen to the spot, her face was stricken and humiliated though she
was trying hard to hide it. Kerry felt even worse. She’d dragged a poor
innocent woman across the globe to be shouted at and ridiculed.
“I am so sorry,” she said again. “I
shouldn’t have lied to you. I’ve made a terrible mess of things. I’m so, so
sorry.” She felt the tears sliding down her face, but didn’t seem to have the
energy to stop them.
Laura dragged her eyes to Kerry’s
stricken face. Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to add to the young woman’s
suffering. She walked over and gently patted her heaving shoulders. “You must
have had a very good reason for doing what you did,” she said quietly. She
couldn’t believe it was with any malicious intent that Kerry had lied to bring
her here.
Kerry sniffed. “I thought so at the
time, but really I think I was being very, very selfish.” Laura pulled out a
clean tissue from her jacket pocket and handed it to Kerry, who took it
gratefully. “He wasn’t always like this you know. He used to be so happy and
sweet and kind. You would have liked him. Things happened and he changed. I
really did want to do something to help him find his way back from this
nightmare he lives in, but it wasn’t the only reason.” She clammed up, not
really wanting to tell someone she didn’t know about Dan. It was just too
personal.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to
explain,” Laura said, her heart going out to Kerry, seeing her obvious misery.
Thinking back on what had just happened, she could understand Jake’s anger, but
it was no excuse for the very personal and hurtful things he’d said to her. He
had to be a man in the deepest of pain, for only people hurting so badly would
hit out at someone they didn’t even know. She sighed. Something really bad was
going on in this wonderful warm house. It wasn’t really her business and she
would be leaving soon anyway, but her soft heart went out to the troubled
siblings all the same.
”Is there somewhere I can rent a room
nearby?” she asked Kerry. “I just can’t face driving too far today. It’s been a
long journey as it is and I’m starting to feel it.”
“You can stay here,” Kerry offered.
Laura shook her head. “I don’t think
that would be a good idea, under the circumstances.”
“Please, I’ve put you to so much
trouble. The least I can do is offer you a room. This is my home too, so if
Jake doesn’t like it, he knows what he can do!” Kerry’s eyes gleamed with
determination and anger. “I think it’s the least he owes you too. It was me
that cooked up this scheme, not you. You didn’t deserve the way he spoke to
you.”
Laura could see that Kerry wouldn’t
be swayed from her decision. Part of her was grateful not to have to find
somewhere else to stay when she was already feeling so tired and another part
of her kind of wished she didn’t have to see Jake Carter again.
She smiled gratefully at Kerry.
“Well, if you’re sure, I’ll get my things out of the car.”
*****
Jake slammed out of the house and
into the nearest stable. He pushed a wheel barrow to the entrance of the first
stall, setting it down with a satisfying thump. He grabbed the pitch fork
hanging on the nearby wall and started attacking the dirty hay, throwing large
forkfuls into the wheel barrow. He needed good hard graft to work off his
temper.
How could Kerry betray him like this?
He’d thought she of all people, understood how he felt. She’d been there
through his whole awful ordeal. She knew what it had cost him and yet here she
was trying to fix him up with someone, like he wasn’t broken. How could she not
see how she was cruelly highlighting to him everything he’d lost? All his hopes
and dreams, the whole rosy future he’d thought he’d have. All of it had been
swept away by the betrayal of two people he’d trusted and believed loved him.
The memories pushed at his mind and heart, driving him to work harder and
harder in an effort to shove them away.
“What bug crawled up your butt, boy?”
came a gruff voice from behind him. Jake grunted and refused to answer. He was
not in the mood to speak to anyone. He should have known Bill Handley wouldn’t
be ignored. The gruff older man knew him far too well to be intimidated by
Jake’s black scowl.
“Come on, spit it out. No use holding
it all in,” he pushed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,
Bill,” Jake growled, wiping the sweat from his forehead and continuing to
attack the hay in the stall with furious stabs of his pitch fork.
“Well the way I see it you have two
choices,” Bill drawled. “You can tell me what’s wrong, by far your easiest
choice or I can follow you round for hours and sing,” Bill threatened with a
grin, for everyone knew that Bill sang at the top of his voice, horrendously
off key and only ever knew a couple of lines of a song, which he repeated over
and over for added pain.
Jake growled. He really didn’t want
to discuss what had happened in the house, but he knew Bill was as stubborn as
an old goat and really would drive him mad with his singing if he didn’t
comply. He wouldn’t leave Jake alone until he got the whole sorry story and he
wasn’t the sort of person Jake could intimidate away.
Sighing, he paused in his work and
considered how to start to explain what Kerry had done. The whole thing was
completely humiliating! If he hadn’t walked out when he did, he may well have
strangled her for this.
“You may as well spit it out, ‘cause
I’m not going nowhere till you do,” Bill assured him.
“It’s Kerry!” Jake choked out.
“What’s she done now?” Bill asked,
raising his bushy grey eyebrows.
Jake swallowed hard several times.
“She joined a dating agency on my behalf,” he gritted out.
Bill stared at him in surprised shock
for several seconds before throwing his head back and laughing till he cried.
“I’m so happy to amuse you, old man,”
Jake snapped.
“Come on, boy, that’s funny! Best
laugh I’ve had in years!” Bill said wiping the tears from his cheeks. “What
kind of profile could she have put down for you? Grumpy, mean spirited horse
rancher seeks someone special to sweeten him up? Has she lined you up with
multiple dates?” He bent over, gasping for breath.
“You don’t get it. It’s worse than
that. There is an English woman in the house, right now, who thought she was
coming to meet me for romance.” Jake felt a twinge of guilt. He’d been
incredibly rude to the woman. After all, it hadn’t been her fault Kerry had
done what she’d done. She was as much of a victim of Kerry’s scheming as he
was. He remembered the shocked look on her face. She’d obviously had no idea he
didn’t know about her coming. He’d just been so damn mad that he’d been put in
such a position, he’d let his mouth run away with him and taken it out on her
too.
“You mean they sent someone to stay
here?” Bill whistled, finally sobering up. “For how long?”
“Three weeks I think, but it doesn’t
matter,” Jake insisted, pushing the guilt aside. “She’s not staying anyway. I
told Kerry to send her home.”
Bill’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t just
send that poor woman packing,” he exclaimed.
“Why the hell not?” Jake didn’t like
the look on Bill’s face. The man had acted like a father to him and Kerry ever
since their father had died when they were still quite young. He had stepped
back from that role as they reached adulthood, but when he felt it was
necessary, he would still sometimes pull that authority figure from his back
pocket. Now looked like it was one of those times.
Because that poor girl has travelled
a long way, thanks to your sister, based on a lie. The least we can do is see
to her welfare. You can’t just order her to leave, Jake. I taught you better
than that.” Bill’s grey eyes had turned to chips of steel.
“I can’t have her here, Bill. I’ll
pay her damn airfare back to England, but she’s not staying here.”
Bills eyes narrowed onto Jakes face.
He bit his lip in contemplation. Jake looked away. He hated the feeling that Bill
could see right through him. “What’s with you, boy? Why are you so insistent on
getting rid of this girl?” he mused. Then his brow cleared. “Ahhhhh,” he
grinned. “She must be something special to get you all rattled this way.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jake denied.
“No, don’t bother trying to deny it.
You wouldn’t be itching to send this girl packing if she didn’t bother you in
some way,” Bill grinned. “Maybe Kerry did a smart thing after all.”
Jake glared at Bill, but the man kept
on grinning away in his annoying fashion. Jake didn’t want to admit to anyone,
even himself, that Miss Laura Hamilton had turned his insides to mush and
nearly made his legs buckle. She’d stood in his living room, her huge green
eyes sparkling away at him and she’d looked at him. Not his scar, but him. For
a moment he’d felt like the old Jake, the one who’d been so confident and sure.
Who’d been happy and carefree. She’d had a feeling about her that made him
think of sunshine and flowers and almost made him forget. She’d taken his
breath away…….She’d scared him to death!
He’d said some horrible things to
her, but fear made him determined to keep her away from him. Something told him
that Miss Hamilton was very dangerous to him and to his heart. He wouldn’t risk
the pain of heartbreak ever again. Not with her or anyone else. He just didn’t
have it in him to trust and love again. Victoria had seen to that.
“You have to let the past go sometime
Jake.” Bill came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder, his expression
serious for once. “You can’t let one woman colour your view of every other
woman or turn you into a bitter lonely man.”
“This isn’t about that,” Jake denied
weakly. They both knew he was lying.
Bill sighed sadly. “I really think,”
he said softly, “that Kerry may have done you a bigger favour than you think.
If you’re so quick to push this woman away, maybe she should stay a while.
Maybe there’s something here worth exploring.”
“I’m sending Miss Hamilton back where
she belongs because there’s no point in her being here,” Jake insisted. “Not
because she bothers me.”
“Sure,” Bill said sarcastically. “If
that’s really true, why are you pushing so hard to send her home without even
letting her stay one night?”
Jake glared at the challenge Bill
threw down. He was not happy. If Kerry asked for Laura to stay, which knowing
her she would, he wouldn’t be able to say no without proving Bill right and
then he’d never hear the end of it! Jake sighed. He could feel a noose being
slowly tightened around his neck and he didn’t like it one bit.
*****
Unseen by anyone, two figures stood
in the stable having observed the first meeting and Jakes confrontation with
Bill.
“Do you think he will let Laura stay,
Lotta?” Flo asked, her round face full of concern.
“I am sure things will work out so Laura
will stay the intended three weeks,” Lotta replied confidently.
“I still say we should have left her
car as a pumpkin,” Flo sniffed, still very much insulted that Lotta had undone
her wonderful work.
Lotta rolled her eyes and tried to
hold on to her temper. “How many times do I have to explain that we can’t just
do things that mortals will question? What do you think would have happened if
Laura had seen the car gone and a pumpkin in its place? She would have called
the police thinking the car had been stolen, that’s what!” Lotta answered her
own question before Flo could put her bit in. “That’s one complication we don’t
need. Trust me, this way works better.”
“But it’s so boring!” Flo complained.
“Where’s the excitement and magic in getting someone to talk him round?”
“It’s the way we must do things in
today’s world, Flo. You know that! At least we are getting people matched up.
It’s not like before when we would drop thoughts in their heads they just
ignored. At least we are taking an active role in getting true loves together
and giving them a happy ever after.” Lotta smiled, happy with her speech.
Flo huffed, unconvinced. She decided
to keep a close eye on things here, in case her interference was needed. After
all, Kerry’s happiness hung on things working out with Jake and Laura and she
wasn’t about to let her young charge down. Happily, she hugged her round frame
in secret. She’d just have to find ways of doing things that Lotta couldn’t
interfere with.
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