‘Here you go Luke, you and the boys help yourself to anything on the back there. Anything else you need, just let me know.’
‘Thanks, Jacob man.’ Luke slaps Jacob on the back and waves at his colleagues to come to the truck.
‘Come on we can talk over here.’ Jacob leads me towards the grass. ‘You’re looking well Gemma; I’m surprised to see you back here?’
‘Oh Jacob, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you…’
‘Now hold on there a minute there Gemma. You ran out of here without so much as a goodbye. Then you push for a hasty sale without any explanation. Now it seems you were expecting me to sit around waiting for you without even knowing if there’s any point?’
‘I know Jacob, I’m sorry. My mother had an accident and I needed to leave. I thought you were married and had no idea of the truth until Mr Cunningham told me otherwise. I couldn’t leave my mother, and the hasty sale was because she was robbed and we needed the money. Jacob, I’m so sorry for everything. Though if you would, we can start again from the beginning and I promise things will be different this time.’
‘Damn it, Gemma. Why didn’t you just talk to me?’
‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you and as soon as she was well enough, I couldn't get back here quick enough. If you’d just give me another chance Jacob, I know I can make you happy, I just know it.’
‘Gemma, I’m sorry, but you’re too late.’
‘We had such a great time before when we were together; the timing was just off that was all. But we know that now and…’
‘Gemma I’m getting married. I’m getting married Gemma.’
I freeze on the spot and lift my hand to my mouth.
‘We haven't set a date yet, but we’re engaged.’
Tears come to my eyes as the words tear through my heart. I turn to run away so he can’t see me cry.
‘Damn it.’ I hear him shout and kick something behind me as I run back through the field. By the time, I reach my car the tears are streaming down my face and I fumble to get my keys out and into my lock. Pushing the key against the lock, I miss it due to my eyes being full of tears. It’s all too much for me as the tears begin to flow faster and then Jacob is beside me.
‘Come here.’ He takes hold of my arms. ‘Give me those.’ He takes the keys from my hands and pushes the key into the door to opens it for me. ‘Oh Gemma,’ he sighs as he passes the keys back to me and as I look at him my heart breaks in two. 'Has anyone ever told you your timing’s awful?’ He says makes me laugh, but it’s more of a nervous giggle.
‘Look, would you like something to drink while you’re here? I’ve got plenty of refreshments in the truck.’
‘No, I better get going,’ I say smiling at him and shaking my head.
He steps out of my way and I get into the car, but he keeps his arm on the top of the door.
‘I don’t know what to say, Gemma. You just left and I heard nothing from you, I thought it was over.’
‘You don't have to say anything.’
‘Are you going to be okay getting back to your motel?’
‘It’s fine. I’m a big girl now, I’ll be all right. Anyway, I better get going.
‘So I guess I’ll see you around then.’
‘Yep see you around cowboy.’
He steps back from the car and I lean out to take hold of the door, looking up at him one last time before I close it. I reverse back a little before turning around, and I see him stop as he is walking back towards the house. He turns and I nod at him. Turning away again, he puts a hand on the back of his neck and shakes his head as he’s walking away.
I turn the car around and sigh as I head back up the little dirt track with tears in my eyes.
Chapter 36
My heart’s in the pit of my stomach all the way to the motel, and to top it off it's raining, pouring down in fact. It's the first time I think I’ve seen it rain here, and although it's warm, it's still wet. There’s a large pool of water spread out across my windshield that my wiper’s working full speed to clear and give me visibility. My mind’s working overtime thinking about all that's happened over the last few months. Everything’s changed and I'm yet to see any of it for the better. I feel as if I've been on an emotional rollercoaster, and it's all culminating in this one moment as I pull up outside my motel room. Locking up the car, I hold my handbag over my head to save me from getting wet while I make a dash for my motel room door. It doesn't work as there’s far too much rain and once I’m inside, I throw my soaking wet self-facedown onto the bed and begin to sob. A part of me feels somewhat melodramatic though I don't care. I’m letting myself have this moment. My mascara is streaked down my cheeks, and my feet are soaked from the tips of my toes through to my ankles. Kicking off my squelchy shoes. I peel off my soggy socks with my toes and slip my trousers down my legs leaving everything in a pile on the floor at the foot of my bed. Sliding under the duvet, I bury myself inside. Feeling the need to talk to somebody, I know just the person. Reaching an arm out from under the covers, I pull the phone down from the cabinet next to the bed and bring it in under the duvet with me. I’ve no idea what time it is back home, and I’m not even thinking about it. I'm sure Rebecca will be up and she’ll understand, she always does. It’s four rings before I hear her voice.
‘Rebecca,' I hold back the tears long enough to speak her name.
‘Gemma, what’s wrong?'
'Becca it’s awful,' I start to break down again.
‘Calm down, take a breath and tell me what’s happened.’
‘I’ve missed my chance.’
‘Oh, I assume it hasn’t gone well then?’
‘That’s an understatement. He’s getting married!’
‘You poor thing.’
‘The worst part of it is that is all my own fault, I must have been crazy to think he’d just be waiting around for me, in case I decided to come back for him. Of course, he’s found someone else.’
‘How do you know about this? Have you seen him and talked to him about it?’
‘Yes and it was awful. He was as considerate as he could have been, of course, which almost made it worse. I stood there and took the plunge, Rebecca, just poured my heart out and told him how I felt about him. He looked right at me and just said it. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.’
‘I’m sure it can’t be as bad as all that Gemma.’
‘He said he hadn’t known where he’d stood. He thought I wasn’t interested in him and when I just disappeared, he didn’t know what else to think. Who can blame him, I sent a pretty clear message don’t you think?’
‘What are you going to do now?’
‘What can I do? I’ve already made a complete fool out of myself. I tell you one thing I definitely won’t be doing: I won’t be rushing back to the UK in a hurry. As I’ve spent a small fortune on all these flights back and forth, I can’t face going on a plane anytime again soon.’
‘I don’t blame you. Though I do think you should start by getting some sleep first. You’ve had a long journey, and the last few months have been challenging for you. It all might be making you feel much worse about things. As this definitely doesn’t sound like the Gemma that I know.’
‘I suppose you’re right, and I’m pretty sure the Gemma that you know wouldn’t have fallen in love so easy either. I do need to ask you how my mum is by the way?’
‘She’s all right, were all fine. I’m just worried about you now Gemma.’
‘Oh, I’m sure I’ll be okay. I’ll find a way to occupy myself for the rest of the trip and before you know it, I’ll be back to my old self.
‘Do you have any other people out there at all that you could spend some time with?’
‘I’ve been invited to a barbecue this weekend at my old realtor’s house.’
‘There you go then, that will give you the chance to socialise and maybe make you feel a bit better about things.’
‘Hmmm, there’s a chance Jacob might b
e there, though, they do seem to know each other quite well.’
‘So what if he is? I wouldn’t let it worry you at all if I were you. It will give you the chance to show him what he’s missing.’
‘I’ll see what I’m missing too, though.’
‘Oh dear Gemma, you are feeling sorry for yourself aren’t you. I’m sending you some big Becca hugs and urging you to keep your chin up, sweetie.’
‘Thanks, Becs. I suppose I better let you get back to what you’re doing and I’ll speak to you soon.’
‘Keep me posted won’t you sugar.’
‘Sure will. Love you Becs.’
‘Love you too.’
I blow a kiss down the line then hang up. Rebecca’s right, there’s been a lot going on the past few months, and the situation with Jacob was down to choices I made after all. I’m allowing myself to feel a certain amount of self-pity for the rest of the evening. Then I'll pull myself together again tomorrow and behave like the mature, competent adult that I am. I’m starting by going through the little list of food delivery services in the Motel Handbook. I’m going to order myself a bucket full of junk food to binge on in bed this evening and I'm going to watching a bunch of movies on the TV.
Chapter 37
I’ve been feeling increasingly better about things since the embarrassment I felt at Jacob’s Ranch the other day. Today is the day of Mr Cunningham’s barbecue and I’ve decided to attend. So far, I’ve spent the whole morning trying on different outfits, before settling on a pair of white, wide-leg pants. Whites always a gamble, but with the new seamless underwear I bought for the trip, I think I’ll get away with it. I’ll need to be extra careful not to sit on anything, as I’d rather not end up with any unsightly stains on my rear. I’ve decided to wear a black and white halter neck top with them, and my hair’s twisted up at the back and secured with a diamante clip. Grabbing my chain link bag, I’m ready to go.
Driving to Mr Cunningham’s with the aid of just a simple map, means I keep pulling over every so often to check it. However, it’s not too long before I pull into the road I think I need. It’s a nice looking street, most of the houses are low like what we would call bungalows back home though there are one or two a little taller. I take a slow drive down, glancing back and forth at door numbers as I go. Until I think I’ve found what I’m looking for. ”2839,” that should be it. Although the numbers do seem a bit skewed, so I can’t be sure. The “2” and the “3” are wonky in fact. I also think that the “8” could be upside-down, as the bottom appears smaller than the top. Which makes me hope that the “9” is a “9,” and not just an upside down “6.”
There’s one way to find out I suppose.
I pull up beside the house, and can see that there’s already one car parked in the double driveway. Driving the car up, I park alongside it. Then picking the bottle of wine up I bought along with me, I open the door of the car and step outside. I walk under the large tree overshadowing the house to get to the door and giving a little knock, I wait for about half a minute before the door flies open.
‘Gemma, you made it! It’s great to see you,’ Mr Cunningham grabs my hand and shakes it with gusto. ‘Please, come in come in!’ He steps aside to allow me through, though being a big man; I still need to do a little manoeuvring to get inside.
‘This is for you,’ I feel a bit nervous, hearing the sound of music and laughter inside as I pass him the wine.
‘That’s great! Thanks, Gemma,’ Mr Cunningham inspects the label on the bottle, and I do hope he isn’t a wine connoisseur. As I’m not, so I wasn’t sure what I was buying. I just explained to the man in the store what occasion I was buying it for, along with how much I wanted to spend, then relied on his recommendation. I didn’t skimp on the pennies, so I’m hoping it’s acceptable.
‘I parked on your drive too if that’s okay? There was space there, and I wasn’t sure about parking on the street, but I can move it straight away if it’s a problem?’
‘No Gemma, that’s fine. Come on in and meet everyone.’
Mr Cunningham walks me across the walnut coloured, wood flooring in the large living room, into the open plan kitchen area
‘Everyone, this is Gemma Jones she’s a previous business associate of mine,’ he addresses his guests.
‘Hi everyone,’ I raise my hand coyly.
‘Gemma, these are my friends, neighbours, business associates like yourself, and, of course, the Callaway’s. I believe you’ve met Ashleigh and you already know Jacob.’
I glance in Jacob’s sister’s direction though she’s looking the other way, which is good as I still find the whole incident with her dreadfully embarrassing. I try to play it cool with the mention of Jacob, I knew there was a possibility he might be here today though I do still have to contain myself as I look in his general direction.
‘Gemma,’ Jacob nods his head and smiles while raising his bottle of beer in a welcoming gesture.
There’s something about him that appears somewhat uncomfortable, I’m not sure if anybody else notices it, but I do. I think it could maybe have something to do with the beautiful woman standing next to him. She has a stunning face, small features, and bright eyes. There’s a softness about her that I can’t quite put my finger on, something making her cheeks glow. I’m assuming that she must be his fiancée. Not wanting to appear as though I’m staring, I turn my attention away and make a beeline for the long table of food that I spot running down the wall, to the right of the room. There I find a large, chocolate, fudge cake, and I can almost taste it in my mouth as my hand reaches for a paper plate.
‘Go on, have a bit,’ urges a strawberry blonde haired man, with a broad grin who appears next to me at the table.
‘I shouldn’t, white’s not the best colour to risk it.’ I take a cautious look down towards my trousers.
‘Go on, be dangerous,’ he bounces his shoulder against me making me laugh. ‘Matt Johnson pleased to meet you.’ He extends his hand.
‘Gemma Jones.’ I take his hand and shake it firmly.
‘So you’re a business associate of Barry’s then?’
‘We’ve had some business together yes,’ I see Jacob watching us from the corner of my eye. ‘One business transaction to be precise, not sure if that qualifies me as business woman of the year just yet,’ I throw my hands into the air flamboyantly and laugh. It’s rather childish of me I know, but knowing Jacob’s watching I exaggerate my movements in a way to make me look excited about my interaction with Matt. ‘So how do you know Mr Cunningham then Matt?’ I ask smiling at him and placing my hand on my hip.
‘I live a few doors down,’ Matt appears quite confused by my sudden enthusiasm.
‘A few doors down you say,’ I’m almost ashamed of myself, as I give a girlish laugh aloud despite Matt not having said anything remotely funny.
What’s wrong with me, why am I behaving like this?
‘I don’t get it, what did I just say?’ Matt’s eyebrows squeeze together.
‘It was the way that you said it, Matt, it was just the way that you said it.’ I see Jacob say something to the woman next to him, who I’m still presuming is his fiancée, and then leave the room. Once he’s gone, I feel ridiculous.
‘I have plenty of jokes if you want to hear them?’ Matt offers.
‘What?’
‘Jokes, I know a few.’
‘That’s great Matt. Listen would you excuse me, I need some fresh air.’
‘Sure, I’ll be right here if you’re up for joking around again later.’
I make my way across the room towards the large open doors leading out to the back of the house. Mr Cunningham is speaking to a group of older women, and as I pass, he reaches an arm out to me.
‘Gemma, I’d like you to meet Mrs Carlson. I used to work for her many years ago when I was a young man.’
‘He was the most well put together employee I ever had, you could see his face in his shoes they were so shiny.’
‘Oh Mrs Carlson, don�
��t embarrass me. Gemma here owned the last piece of the Callaway plot, she’d inherited it from her father and sold it on to Jacob so his building could go ahead.’
‘That will be a lovely ranch when it’s finished. It will make a beautiful home if those two they decide to live there when they’re married,’ Mrs Carlson gushed over her glass. ‘I was amazed that anyone managed to pin young Jacob down. He was fast becoming the town’s most eligible bachelor.’
‘It’s not so surprising is it? When you think about it, considering the circumstances,’ adds the elderly woman standing next to her.
All of this talk about Jacob and his new bride is starting to make my collar feel tight.
‘Gemma had second thoughts originally didn’t you Gemma?’
‘I did yes.’ I clear my throat.
‘She decided against the sale, upped and headed back to the UK. I hadn’t realised just how much it all meant to Jacob until I saw how upset he was. The poor man paced around my office for days waiting for some sort of word back from her,’ says Mr Cunningham.
‘He must’ve wanted that land very much indeed. My dear, you look a bit peaky, are you all right?’ Mrs Carlson asks me.
‘I’m fine thank you, though I am feeling a bit hot, so I’m just going to pop outside if you all don’t mind.’
‘Of course dear, not a problem.’
‘Isn’t she delightful?’ I hear Mr Cunningham say as I walk away.’ I’ve known her I don’t know how many months now, and she still insists on calling me, Mr Cunningham. It’s never Barry, always Mr Cunningham.’
‘How charming,’ I hear Mrs Carlson reply.
Becoming The Cowboy's Bride: Boxset 1-4 Page 10
