The Rancher and the Rich Girl
Page 21
“What?”
“I wondered when you were leaving. Lita will want to know, too.”
She stood. “Is that all you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want...I thought we...” Her composure threatened to break for the first time.
Matt hauled her into his arms. “I can’t ask you to give up everything to stay here with me.”
“You wouldn’t be! Rachel’s just making threats.”
“Lita said she had legal papers.”
Jessica sighed. “For the moment, yes—”
“Listen to me.” Matt drew back so he could see her face. “A court took me from my mom. Yeah, it was the best thing, but it still hurt. You can’t put Sam through that.”
“Why do people keep telling me how to raise my son!” Jessica pushed away from him. “Why do they keep telling me how to live my life? What’s wrong with the way I want to live it?”
Matt shook his head.
“I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to live like the perfect Fremont anymore and I don’t want Sam living that way, either.”
She couldn’t see what would happen, but Matt could. “You’ve never been poor in your life, have you?”
“Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re a reverse snob.”
“I’m realistic. You wouldn’t last very long without money. You’d hate being broke and you’d come to hate me.”
“Give me some credit, Matt.”
“Funny you should use those words.”
She stared at him. “Unless you don’t want me to stay. Is that it?”
Of course he wanted her to stay. “Not like this.”
Jessica looked as though he’d slapped her. “Are we arguing about money again?”
She couldn’t fight for Sam without it. “I guess so.”
Jessica rubbed her forehead. “Say by a whole lot of bad luck, Rachel convinces some judge that I don’t have any right to the money I’ve earned. Shouldn’t doing without it be my decision?”
“Not entirely, no.”
An awful silence followed. Jessica wrapped her arms around herself. “I see.”
Matt didn’t think she did. “It’s been great having you here. This last week has meant—”
“Stop.” She closed her eyes tightly. “I can write the rest of the script myself.”
* * *
JESSICA BLINDLY STUMBLED out of the attic and down the stairs. Rachel was right. It was all about money.
Hadn’t Jessica meant anything to him?
Oh, she supposed if she’d let him finish his kiss-off speech, he would have tried to let her down gently.
She didn’t want gentle. She wanted a great big painful crash landing so she’d remember it the next time she was tempted back into the wonderful world of relationships. Never again. This was it. She didn’t need them.
Jessica stormed into the ranch house, ready to pack and leave.
“Jessica?” Rachel called. “What’s wrong?”
Jessica stopped long enough to take in the three women on the leather sofa and the fact that they apparently were on very good terms. Swell. “What’s wrong is that you were right, Rachel. He was only interested in me for my money. Happy now? I’m packing.”
“Who? Who is this who is interested in your money?” Katya demanded.
“Matt.”
“No.” She shook her head, earrings bobbing.
Carmen heaved herself off the sofa and went to the door. “Frank, wake up!” She clapped her hands. “Go get Matthew right now. Bring him here.” She turned back around and pointed to a chair. “You. Sit.”
Jessica sat, but only because she didn’t think she could go one-on-one with Carmen and win.
“Your Matthew seems very nice,” Rachel said.
Jessica stared at her.
“Carmen and Katya have been telling me all about him.”
Had they put something in her tea?
And could she have some?
A few minutes later, Matthew arrived. Carmen immediately pointed to a chair opposite Jessica. “Sit.”
He, too, sat.
“Now, what’s all this about you only liking this girl for her money?”
“I never said that.”
Jessica couldn’t let that pass. “You dropped me as soon as you found out I didn’t have any money!”
Matt’s jaw set, but he didn’t deny it.
“There can be no dropping,” Katya said. “You two have ridden the elephant together. You are betrothed.”
“What?” cried three voices.
Carmen nodded. “She rode the elephant with him,” she said to Rachel. “He asked and she said yes. They were alone together.”
“We were on an elephant!” Jessica pointed out.
“Did I not say just that?”
“It was not unexpected,” Carmen added. “She redid the kitchen.”
“Yes. All new,” Katya said.
“Jessica?” Rachel raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t look angry. In fact, her face seemed softer than it had been for years.
“He needed...” She gave up. “Yes. I fixed up the kitchen.”
Katya made a “so there” gesture. “Now, what is the trouble between you two?”
Matt stared straight ahead. “I will never separate a woman from her child.”
Carmen looked stern. “Has anyone asked you to?”
Matt jerked his head toward Rachel. “Mrs. Fremont threatened Jessica.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Rachel.
“I—I plan to take Sam home. I told Jessica she could stay.”
Carmen and Katya looked at each other. “And this is a problem?” Katya asked.
“She has them papers in her purse.” Lita pointed from the kitchen doorway.
Rachel looked defiant once more. “I may have been mistaken about Matthew—may—but I will protect Sam’s inheritance.”
At their puzzled expressions, Jessica explained. “The Fremont money is held in trust for Sam. Rachel is afraid I’ll spend too much of it here.”
Carmen wagged her finger. “You spend a lot.”
“It was mine!”
“Shh!” Katya held out her hands. “You have no money?”
“Apparently not.” Jessica threw a defiant look toward Rachel.
“What about you?” Katya asked her. “You got money?”
“I...it’s my grandson’s money.”
Muttering in her native tongue, Katya removed one of her gold bracelets and picked up Rachel’s hand. Before anyone could say anything, she’d worked the bracelet onto Rachel’s wrist. Then she came across the room and did the same for Jessica. “Now you two got money.”
Feeling her face grow hot, Jessica stared down at the thin bangle gleaming against her wrist, then up at Matt.
“I’m a woman of means again,” she said.
“Jessica,” he whispered, his face both sad and tender.
In the background, Rachel started to sob. “I’m not a horrible person, I’m not!”
“’Course you’re not,” Carmen said. “Your son’s wife stayed with you all that time, didn’t she?”
“But Sam’s all I have left!”
Matt caught Jessica’s eye and gestured to Rachel. “You see? I can’t make you choose between me and your son.”
“Nobody’s going to be choosing between nobody,” Katya said. “We’re gonna work it all out. There’s gonna be lots of visiting. Young Sam will visit his grandmother and give the newlyweds some privacy, and Rachel will come here as often as she likes.”
“Build her a house,” Carmen said.
Katya shrugged. “She can build her own house. She’s got that c
ompany. Anyway,” she went on, “Rachel is gonna have a house here and can see her grandson all the time if she wants. And when she’s not visiting him, she’ll be playing bridge with us. I love my Krinkov, but he is not a good fourth. He cheats.”
Just then, Sam came into the room carrying a coin-filled scarf. “Look at these. I sorted the neatest ones in here.” He knelt at the coffee table and opened the scarf.
“Ah.” Carmen picked up one of the coins. “This one was from the old country...”
Over a still-crying Rachel, Katya motioned for them to leave. “You go. We will talk.”
Matt and Jessica slipped outside and headed toward the pecan tree where Frank had been napping. The breeze picked up and something fell from the tree, landing with a metallic thunk on Rachel’s car.
“My wallet!” Jessica laughed and picked it up. Other than a few monkey bites, it looked in surprisingly good condition.
“I guess this means you can leave anytime you want to.”
She heard the uncertainty in his voice. Looking him squarely in the eyes, she said, “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want Sam to leave, either.”
Matt took a deep breath. “If you stay, I want it to be for good.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want it to be for bad. And even though Katya and the others seem to be bringing Rachel around, there’s going to be quite an adjustment. There’s also my job and Sam changing schools and...” She stopped, suddenly uncertain. “But I may be presuming too much based on just one elephant ride.”
He grinned and took her in his arms. “I love you and I intend to hold you to the elephant betrothal.”
Jessica felt her heart warm. “I love you, too, and the elephant ride works for me.”
“I think we’ve just worked out the most important detail. The rest will fall into place.” Matt smiled down at her. “You realize that everyone is watching us, don’t you?”
“I would expect them to.”
His eyes darkened. “And you also realize that I’m going to kiss you now, don’t you?”
Jessica drew her arms around his neck. “Better make it a good one, then.”
And he did.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781460304419
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