I stirred the meat into the eggs and seasoning before dropping the fork and going after it with my hands. I remembered the first time I had seen him in school. He’d been a junior and I a freshman. Jacob had quite the reputation as a bit of a troublemaker. It only made him all the more attractive to me. I loved his cocky smile and his carefree attitude. He didn’t care that some people, including my father, thought he was a pain in the ass kid headed for a lifetime of lawbreaking. I think he secretly thrived on it. He loved to shake things up.
“And boy did he,” I whispered.
I had finally caught his eye toward the end of my sophomore year and his senior year. The romance had been forbidden, making it all the hotter. We snuck off together every chance we got. I always found a way to get away from my father’s watchful eye until the one night he decided to check up on me at my friend’s house. I wasn’t there. I had never been there. She’d tried to cover for me, but the damage was done. I was busted and ended up grounded for the whole damn summer. Despite that, I managed to sneak out my bedroom window and rendezvous with Jacob. We managed to carry on together for nearly two years and then one day—he was gone.
I suspected it was because of my brother and father, but that didn’t lessen the sting. He up and left town without a goodbye or a forwarding address. Nothing. He could have stayed. He could have fought for me. He could have asked me to run away with him. He didn’t. He gave up as if I weren’t worth the effort. It wasn’t long after that I learned I was pregnant.
Part of me kept waiting and hoping he would come back, ready to fight for us. I gave birth and there was still no sign of Jacob. He’d left me and our child. I had to conclude he didn’t feel the same for me as I felt for him. I had been madly in love with him and he didn’t love me. I had been a foolish, young girl with a crush. He’d been a boy who’d been having fun. I squeezed my eyes shut. The hurt and anger was still very real.
I couldn’t believe he was back. And Ivy had called him Larry’s VP. What the hell was that all about? Certainly, that didn’t mean he was staying in town? I couldn’t deal with him in my life again. No—I couldn’t deal with him leaving again. I had to keep my distance. All those old feelings had come bubbling up, blooming like a flower that hadn’t seen the sun in days. I would not let him hurt me again. I would not let myself be foolish again.
I tossed the meatballs into the oven and headed out to the garage to check out the birdhouse situation. “It looks awesome!” I exclaimed, checking out the massive bird complex sitting on my father’s workbench.
“I’m going to paint it pink and purple!” Ellie exclaimed.
I looked at my father, his face twisted in a grimace. “Yep, pink and purple.”
I burst into laughter; loving that he was willing to indulge my daughter’s wishes. “I think it will look fabulous. Maybe you could use that sparkly paint we saw at the craft store.”
My dad groaned. Ellie clapped and jumped up and down. “Yes! Can we, Grandpa?”
He looked at me, shaking his head before turning to Ellie with a bright smile. “You bet, Pumpkin.”
It might have been a little mean to suggest the sparkly paint, but after seeing Jacob and feeling all the old hurts, I was feeling a little angry with my father. A sparkling pink birdhouse in his front yard seemed like a fair bit of revenge.
“Ten minutes for dinner,” I told them before heading back inside to set the table.
We sat down to our dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with some sliced bread. I listened as Ellie carried on about the treehouse she wanted my dad to build her for when she came to visit. He of course was going to indulge her every wish and promised to get started on it right away.
“Can I go swing?” Ellie asked after dinner.
“Yes,” I answered, carrying empty plates to the sink.
I watched her through the window that overlooked the backyard. She climbed on the tire swing I had spent hours on when I was a little girl. She looked like Jacob in some ways and me in others. Just then, with her long hair flying behind her as she swung, I felt she looked like me. When she was frustrated or angry, she looked like Jacob. She had his hazel eyes that changed with her mood.
“Want to tell my why you’re really here?” my dad asked, coming to stand next to me at the sink.
“What do you mean? I thought we’d stop by for a visit,” I replied.
He chuckled. “Sure. I can see you’re upset about something. Let’s leave these dishes and have a seat.”
It wasn’t necessarily a request. I dropped the towel and took a seat at the small table. “Jacob’s back,” I blurted out.
I expected him to get angry, rage, yell, and make threats. He didn’t. He let out a sigh as if he had expected it. “I see.”
I waited for him to say more. When he didn’t, I told him about our encounter at the mansion. “I don’t know if he’s back to say or if it was just dinner.”
“Are you going to tell him about Ellie?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“I don’t know. I didn’t think I would ever have to tell him. It’s been eight years,” I said, still in disbelief.
“If he’s here to stay, to work at that new place, he’s bound to see Ellie or hear about her from folks around town. She isn’t exactly a secret,” he reminded me.
“I know. I just can’t imagine what he’ll say and do when he finds out about her. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
He chuckled. “Honey, I don’t think you get to be ready. He’s here. She’s here. He’s going to find out. I think it would be wise to head off the disaster by being honest. You don’t owe him anything, but I think it’s only fair he knows the truth about that little girl. And he should hear it from you.”
I stared at him. “Have you been abducted and replaced by pod people?” I questioned.
He grinned. “No.”
“What made you change your mind about Jacob? You hated him,” I reminded him.
He shrugged. “You guys aren’t kids anymore. You made an adult choice, and you’ve really stepped up. Ellie is a wonderful girl. You’ve done a great job raising her. I think it’s up to Jacob to decide if he wants to be a part of her life. Honestly, I’ve been feeling guilty these past few years, knowing I had a hand in her not knowing her father. I’d like to see her get that chance. If he doesn’t want to be a part of her life, then I will personally run his ass out of town again. If he does, then I think you should encourage that. Ellie and Jacob both have a right to know,” he lectured.
I mulled over his words. “I’ll think about it.”
“Do. I know it can’t be easy, but think of your daughter and what she needs,” he said in a soft tone.
“I will. I’m going to head out. I need to get her home and in the tub,” I said, getting up from the table.
I called her from the backyard before we said our goodbyes and made our way back out the mansion. I didn’t see the big truck in the driveway and hoped that meant Jacob was gone. I parked the car in the garage and quickly ushered Ellie upstairs, afraid he would appear out of nowhere again.
My dad had left me with a lot to think about, but before I told Jacob anything, I wanted to know what he was doing in Burning Butte and how long he planned on staying.
5
Jacob
I looked at the plan Larry had given me. I was seated in his office on one of the luxury couches with him directly across from me on the other. He’d had a coffee service brought in, and we were sipping our morning coffee and going over his plans for the future. It was definitely an energetic goal—one I wasn’t quite so sure would work.
I cleared my throat, trying to find the best way to tell him his plans were not likely to be welcomed with open arms. “This is great, Larry, really great. However, I think you might find the resistance to these changes to be formidable.”
He scowled, looking down at his plans. “This area is ready to be developed. I think I can make Western Energies here in Burning Butte a huge success. The growth potential is amazing.�
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I nodded, agreeing with him but not sure others would see it that way. “The people that live here in Burning Butte have been around a long time. They like things a certain way and will fight tooth and nail against any kind of change, especially the kinds of changes you want to make.”
“I’m going to be giving them jobs and bring business back to town; help boost the economy here. How could anyone be opposed to that?” he questioned.
I shrugged. “I didn’t say it makes sense. It’s just the way things are.”
“We have the technology to get to those oil deposits around the area. That is going to be good for business. We’ll need workers. They’ll move here and need housing and places to shop. The construction industry around these parts will get a huge boost as will the shops and restaurants in town. Hell, the schools could use the influx of tax money as well. My company would donate a great deal of money to the schools, or build parks, whatever it takes to help ease our way in,” he said in that smooth business tone of his. “No one could possibly be upset by that.”
I smirked. “You wouldn’t think, but there are some old-timers who are very set in their ways.”
“Fine. We’ll need a good PR campaign to help ease the way for us then. We’ll create some brochures and hold a town hall of sorts. I want people around here to see I only mean to help and won’t do anything that would be detrimental to this beautiful land,” he said, nodding his head as he embraced the idea.
“That is a great idea,” I agreed.
“Good, because you’re just the man to head it up.”
I blinked. “What? PR? I don’t do PR,” I said, shaking my head.
“You’re the perfect man for the job. It won’t be like PR. It will be you reconnecting with the folks you grew up with,” he said with a bright smile. “They are more likely to trust you than a guy like me. I’m an outsider.”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t think there are too many people around here that want to reconnect with me. I didn’t leave a lot of friends behind. I was a bit of a hellion and made more than a few enemies.”
He waved a hand. “That’s history. People expect young men to be wild. That’s part of growing up. I doubt they’re going to hold any of that stuff against you.”
I wasn’t quite so sure about that. “I’ll do what I can, but I’m making no promises. I want this to work. I want you to be successful, because if you are, I am.” I winked.
He chuckled. “And you know you will be rewarded. This is a big deal. We can do this.”
“I’ll give it my best shot, but I’m warning you, the people around here have long memories. I doubt any of them have forgotten some of my antics, and I seriously doubt there are many that are willing to forgive.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said confidently.
“Thanks for inviting me to dinner the other night. Your home is beautiful. I think I might like to own something like that one day. Maybe not as big, but I like the privacy you have out there,” I told him.
“Thank you. I don’t think I could have gotten Ivy to move out here if I wouldn’t have found something up to her very high, spoiled expectations. You can’t take a girl out of her mansion and expect her to live in anything but something equally as spacious,” he joked.
“I suppose not,” I agreed, not really having any idea what that would be like. “You guys got lucky and found a nanny pretty fast.”
He nodded. “We did. Ivy put an ad in the classifieds before we ever moved here. I have to admit I didn’t have much hope of finding anyone that would fit what we were looking for, but Erin was perfect. The kids love her. Ivy loves her and she does an excellent job,” he said.
“She’s a good person.”
“You two know each other?” Jacob asked.
“Used to. That was a long time ago,” I said, thinking back to the days I had been able to hold her. I was never able to call her my girlfriend, but we both knew that’s what we were to each other. We were boyfriend and girlfriend when it was just the two of us.
“Ha! I bet you two were a little more than friends, huh?” he said, bouncing his bushy eyebrows up and down. “She’s quite the looker.”
I smiled, trying to hide my irritation over the way he was talking about Erin. “Yes, she was and is an attractive woman.”
“I don’t understand how a woman like that is still single,” Larry said, shaking his head. “Maybe she’s just a little too good for the guys around here.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe you’re just the man she needs to sweep her off her feet. She’s a hell of a cook and great with the kids. She’d make any man a good wife,” he said.
“It is interesting that she’s still single,” I murmured aloud.
“Are you interested? Maybe I could set the two of you up?” he offered.
I chuckled. “No, thanks. I don’t need my boss setting me up on dates and certainly not with the nanny. Things might get a little weird.”
“Nonsense. I want you to be happy, and I can’t say I’ve spent a lot of time in town, but I didn’t see a lot of young women that would catch your eye, if you know what I mean,” he teased.
“I don’t doubt that,” I mumbled.
None of them would catch my eye because there was only one woman I wanted. She was the only woman who had managed to make me feel anything. I had dated other women, but none of them did anything for me. It was always her lips I felt, her satiny smooth skin under my hands. Erin was the woman I thought about when I closed my eyes or when I was taking a long drive down a lonely highway. It was thoughts of her and our time together that I always reverted to when I had some alone time.
No other woman could make me feel like she did. Her dad had been convinced it was a teenage infatuation that would pass. Her brother was convinced it was wrong and dirty to want a woman as much as I wanted his little sister. He couldn’t possibly understand what I felt for her. She was the one for me. I hoped there was a chance she felt the same about me. If there was a chance, even the tiniest little ember burning in her heart for me, I intended to fan the flames and make her love me again.
Her brother and father could kiss my ass. I wasn’t going to let them tell me who I could and couldn’t love. I loved her and they could either accept it or move on. If she was the one who told me to get lost and made it clear there was nothing between us, I would leave her alone, but I didn’t think that was going to happen. I had seen the way she looked at me. I had seen that flash of desire before Ivy had come in and interrupted us.
“Are you okay?” Larry asked.
I looked at him, snapping myself back to the present. “Yes, sorry, I was thinking about how I was going to go about making the townspeople like not only you and the company, but me. I’m wondering if drugging the water supply is an option?” I joked.
He laughed. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I’m going to head back to my office and reach out to a few guys I used to play football with. Maybe one of them will have a suggestion,” I said, getting to my feet.
“Thank you for your hard work on this. Once we get our foot in the door, the rest will be just fine. It’s going to take some rubbing elbows and kissing babies, but we’ll get it done. With your charm and my good looks, no one can deny us,” he said before bursting into laughter.
I groaned. “I hope you’re right. If not, we’ll be run out of town.” I closed the door behind me. “Again,” I said under my breath.
Larry didn’t know the whole story about why I left Burning Butte, and I didn’t plan on telling him. However, that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t take it upon themselves to fill him in on the gossip. I didn’t think it would bother Larry any considering he knew the man I was now, which wasn’t anything like the young kid I had been. Minus my thing for Erin. I walked back to my office and grabbed a good old-fashioned pen and paper to start jotting down ideas about how I could win over the town. I tapped my pen on the yellow pad, waiti
ng for inspiration to strike. Nothing was coming to mind—at least nothing that had anything to do with what I was supposed to be thinking about. I couldn’t stop picturing Erin standing there in the doorway.
She’d been wearing a simple pair of worn jeans, a pair of ankle booties, and a loose, flowing shirt that was perfectly feminine and so her. Her figure had been a little shapelier, more womanly, but it was the same old Erin that filled my dreams. I longed to touch her, taste her.
“Fuck,” I groaned. The familiar ache low in my belly combined with the permanent set of blue balls I’d had for years was very uncomfortable.
I pushed thoughts of Erin to the back of my mind where they always lingered and focused on getting on the good side of the mayor and the other old-timers that could make or break our venture here in Burning Butte.
6
Erin
It had been a full two weeks since I had seen Jacob. Part of me was hoping he had disappeared into the ether again. Another part of me longed to see him. Apparently, I had been distracted and “frazzled” according to Ivy, who insisted I take the night off. She asked if Ellie could have a sleepover with Mackenzie. Initially, I declined the offer, but then she used some dirty-handed tactics and had the girls ask me. I couldn’t refuse two of the cutest little girls in the world.
I used the private stairs into the mansion and followed the sound of laughter until I found the kids in the huge playroom, bouncing around in the ball pit that had been installed. I loved that Ellie got a chance to play like a rich kid, but I made sure she understood we were not wealthy, and I would never be able to afford such luxuries.
“Okay, guys, I’m out of here!” I said, shouting over their squeals.
Ivy was in the corner, her earbuds plugged into her ears and a book in her hand. I waved to get her attention. She pulled out her headphones and smiled. “Sorry, I can watch them, but the noise makes me crazy. I would never make a good nanny,” she said with a laugh.
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