“That doesn’t explain how it got stuck!” Jake shook on the door, pushing against it with his shoulder. When that didn’t work, he backed up and charged it. The door shuddered, but held firm. Growling low in his throat he tried kicking it down. Still the door wouldn’t move. He stood yelling at the top of his voice for someone for several minutes, but nobody came.
“I don’t suppose you have a phone on you?” he asked at last.
Laura riffled through her bag. “That’s odd. It’s not in here. I could have sworn I had it with me. It must have fallen out in the car when I took my bag out and I didn’t notice.”
“Great! Were stuck until someone misses us and comes looking.” Jake gave her a disgruntled glare.
“Well don’t get cross at me. I didn’t do this. Can’t you try ramming it with the wagon?” she suggested pointing to the flat bottomed wagon he’d been using to load up the rubbish.
“That wagon is too old. It would shatter for sure. Nope, we’re stuck until someone lets us out. I can’t imagine what is stopping up that door. The outside bolt must have fallen in place, though I can’t imagine how.” He shook his head in bewilderment, striding over to the crate he’d been sitting on earlier, he resumed his seat, running his hands through his thick dark hair. He looked up at her still standing by the door. “You may as well sit down. We could be here a while.”
She reluctantly moved over to sit on the crate near his. She kept her gaze on her hands. This was the last thing she needed. His nearness crept into her awareness like a drug. She found his pull stronger than any magnet. The urge to touch him, kiss him and be with him was almost overwhelming.
“Can’t you put your shirt back on?” she finally snapped.
“Why? Is my chest bothering you?” he asked innocently. She glared at him. He laughed at her expression, but slid his arms into his shirt. He didn’t button it up though. Laura refused to request he do so. At least he was slightly covered.
“Laura,” his soft voice washed over her like the warmest of breezes, making her shiver. She looked up at him. “Why are you going to pay the extra for Martha?”
“You’re not going to let that go are you?” she sighed, wondering if she really wanted to tell him. She debated it within herself for a few moments. “I’ll answer your question, if you’ll answer one for me. How’s that?”
It was his turn to hesitate. “Come on Jake,” she insisted. “You can’t expect me to tell you things about myself, if you aren’t prepared to do the same.”
Grudgingly he admitted she had a point. “Very well. You answer me first, then you can ask me what you want.”
“You will answer me, won’t you?” she asked suspiciously, not trusting him one bit.
“You have my word,” he promised, hand on his heart.
“Okay,” she agreed. She took a deep breath. “When I was in catering college, I met a guy. He was very handsome and charming, every girl in the place was desperate to date him. I was really surprised when he asked me out.”
“Why?” Jake asked puzzled.
She looked at him as if he was poking fun at her. “You know damn well why!” she snapped, her eyes shooting flames at him all over again. “You said it yourself when we first met. I’m plain!”
Jake winced. He’d forgotten all about saying that to her. It was so far from the truth it was ridiculous. He’d really thought she’d have laughed it off, but apparently she thought he’d been telling the truth. He felt bad that he’d ripped into her obviously fragile confidence.
“I’m sorry I said that,” he told her sincerely. “I was mad at Kerry and I lashed out at you. It wasn’t true, what I said. You are anything but plain.”
She didn’t look convinced, but nodded her head to accept his apology. “Well, anyway. As I was saying, I was surprised when he asked me out, rather than any of the other girls that were so much more than me. We went out together for over a year before I found out that he wasn’t really interested in me. Only the ideas I had for food. He was very ambitious and wanted to be able to open his own restaurants one day, write his own cookbooks that sort of thing. He used my talent with food to improve his own ideas and completely stole other ideas from me. I didn’t even realise, fool that I was, until I had to leave the college to take care of my mother when she fell ill.”
Her eyes took on a faraway look as she remembered the day she’d told Brad she had to leave. He’d been so angry. She’d been stupid to think he would miss her and didn’t want to lose her. She’d soon been dispelled of that notion.
She looked at Jake. “He made it very clear how unhappy he was with my decision. I thought he wanted me to stay because he’d miss me. He was so angry, he actually let it slip he’d only wanted me for my cooking ability. I found out later he’d also been dating another girl, much prettier than I, for the entire year we’d been together. Most everybody knew. They must have all been laughing at me behind my back the entire time. It was humiliating!”
“He was a fool,” Jake told her vehemently, anger welling up at the faceless man. Her vulnerability ate at his heart. She looked so small and dejected on her crate. Like a puppy that had been kicked. He wanted to get his hands on the man that had so dented her confidence. He’d soon show that bastard not to treat a gentle soul like Laura so callously.
“No, I was the fool to believe he was interested in me in the first place.” She looked away from him, taking a deep breath. “Anyway, he made me feel so low. He’d stolen a number of my recipes and passed them off as his own. He got the credit for my work. I was well and truly used. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I don’t want to let that man ruin Martha. I don’t want someone else’s hard work to come to nothing because of some greedy self-serving person. Does that answer your question?”
Jake nodded his head, his thoughts reeling at what she’d revealed. Laura was very soft hearted; indeed in many ways she was too good for this world. She was as far from Victoria as a dove was from a snake. He’d never known anyone quite like her. It didn’t sit too well with him that he’d said some very unfair and hurtful things to her. She hadn’t held it against him, much to his surprise. His Laura was indeed something special.
His heart gave a funny little jolt as he realised he did think of her as his. He’d tried so hard to keep his defences up, but it was futile when she could penetrate them with no effort at all. He looked at her as she struggled to compose herself. She’d trusted him enough to open up a very painful wound for her. He realised he could do no less.
“So, what’s your question?” he asked her. He already could guess what she wanted to know about.
She looked up at him, unsure he’d be willing to answer her. “What happened between you and Dan?” she finally said.
Jake closed his eyes, pain etched into every inch of his face. His scar seemed to stand out more as he gathered his thoughts. “It’s hard to speak of,” he told her. “You see, Dan was like a brother to me. We grew up together, played together, did pretty much everything together. I knew one day that I would take this place over, Dan wanted to become a vet so we’d still be working in a way together as well. We dreamed of having families that would continue the bond we had.”
He paused, looking anywhere but at her. “Then I met Victoria. She was everything I thought I wanted in a woman. Smart, beautiful, sophisticated. She took my breath away from the very first moment I set eyes on her.” He stopped again, lost in the past. Laura felt ill as she watched him gazing into space, his mind’s eye no doubt seeing the beautiful Victoria. Laura already hated the woman. What had made her so special that two men Laura knew of, had the exact same expression on their face when they thought of her.
Disgruntled, she cleared her throat to get his attention. “What happened then?” she asked pointedly.
Jake gathered himself together, finally seeming to remember that she existed. “We fell in love or at least I thought so. I asked her to marry me. I thought I was getting everything I’d ever dreamed of. Dan was meant to be standing u
p for me as my best man. Instead, the night before my wedding, I found them both together. I don’t have to tell you what they were doing.”
He stopped again, his voice cracking with the strain. Laura forgot her annoyance and reached out to take his hand in hers, trying to offer him some comfort. He gripped her fingers, squeezing them in gratitude for her support.
“I went wild,” he admitted. “I actually pulled them apart with my bare hands. I wanted to rip them both to pieces for what they’d done. I thought Dan would be ashamed, horrified or upset. Instead he was just as angry at me for interrupting them. We got into a fight. We’d never fought like that before. I got in some good punches and so did he. Then a bottle that had been on the table fell and broke. He picked it up and slashed with it at my face.”
He indicated the scar with his free hand. “You can see the result right here. The worst thing is that he didn’t seem to be bothered about it at the time. It wasn’t until the next day that he tried to see me to apologise. By that time, I wanted nothing to do with him ever again.”
Laura couldn’t stop the tears from flooding down her face. It was so horribly sad. “Surely he wasn’t in his right mind Jake. He doesn’t seem the kind of person to do something like that.”
“I guess he was drunk, but then I’ve known Dan drunk and he’s never acted so callous before. My only conclusion is that all the resentment he must have been feeling towards me for being with Victoria bubbled up and broke loose. I just don’t think I can forgive him for it.”
Laura hardly knew what to say. She couldn’t imagine how painful that night must have been for him. He’d lost not just the woman he loved but a brother too. Her heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry Jake,” she whispered. “No wonder you’ve been so angry. Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn’t easy.”
Jake turned to look into her beautiful green eyes. “Actually, telling you was easier than I thought it would be.” He smiled a bitter sweet smile, his gaze dropping to her lips. “It’s funny, but since I met you, things haven’t seemed so painful anymore.”
Her heart did a funny little dance in her chest at his words and hope flared. She watched in slow motion as his head lowered to hers. Before their lips could meet, they heard the sound of the barn door being opened. Springing apart, they looked to see Bill coming in.
“You two are still in here then,” he said as he walked over. “We’ve been looking all over for you. What you holed up in here for? Don’t you want anything to eat?”
“The door got stuck.” Jake told him. “We didn’t have a phone to call for help so we had to wait for someone to come looking for us and let us out.”
“Sure. If that’s the story you want to go with.” Bill winked at them with a cheeky grin.
“It’s not a story Bill. The door was stuck,” Laura backed Jake up.
“Well, didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it when I got here.”
Laura and Jake gazed at each other in astonishment. They both walked over to the door to examine it. Finally, after being unable to find out what had caused it to stick like that, they gave up.
“I guess it is one of those weird life mysteries we’ll just never know the answer to,” Laura concluded finally.
“You really serious that the door stuck,” Bill still couldn’t get his head around their claim.
“Forget it!” Jake said impatiently. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
They strode out of the barn, heading for the ranch house. Laura couldn’t help but be glad that the door had stuck, however it had happened. She’d never felt so close to Jake. Hope surged through her. Maybe Walter was wrong. Jake might just be open to a relationship after all. Their time together certainly seemed to point in that direction.
The only problem she could still see was how to help Kerry. She could see why Jake refused to forgive Dan, but that posed a problem for his sister. Laura decided she ought to get the other side of this tragic story, if she was ever going to find a way to give a chance to Kerry too.
*****
“Okay, so it worked.” Lotta admitted grudgingly. She was getting really fed up with Flo’s celebration dances in the air. Her singing was getting worse too. “But you did leave them wondering how that door got stuck. That’s against the rules!”
“It blended in well enough,” Flo declared airily, doing a little loop around the barn. “They’ve forgotten about it now and look what progress we’ve made. I think we’ve all but dissolved that little slugs input.” She still hadn’t forgiven Walter one bit. Lotta had to keep an extra watch on her in case she decided to take it upon herself to try and change his species again.
“I wouldn’t celebrate on that score just yet,” Lotta cautioned. “I somehow don’t think that we’ve seen the last of him.”
“Just let him try,” Flo shrieked fiercely, her wand shooting out sizzling sparkles that looked a lot like fireworks that mortals love so much.
“Do be careful Flo!” Lotta cried in alarm as several sparks hit her square on the face. “Those burn!”
She hated to admit it, but Flo’s latest plan had certainly produced results. Unlike her idea to get Walter involved in the first place! She wished heartily now that she’d left well enough alone. The man was becoming a thorn in their plans.
“So what now?” asked Flo settling herself on the barn floor. She stuck her tiny feet out in front of her, fluffing her impressive skirts around her in an artfully arranged semi-circle.
“Now we watch and wait,” Lotta declared.
“Again!” wailed Flo. “But it’s so boring!”
Chapter Eight
“Is there any sign of him?” Laura asked Martha for the hundredth time that morning.
“No honey. I told you I’d call if he comes in.” Martha’s voice had a hint of laughter in it. She gave Laura a sharp look. “He’s not interested in you, is he honey? Romantically I mean.”
“Good heavens no!” Laura exclaimed. “We’re just friends that’s all. I’m just trying to help with an awkward situation.”
“Well thank heaven for that. We don’t need a repeat of the Victoria incident.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I guess you’re trying to help Kerry?”
“What do you mean?” Laura squeaked.
“I’m not stupid honey. I’ve already seen that something is going on between you and Jake, which I couldn’t be happier about. That boy needs some love and happiness in his life after everything he’s been through. I also know how Kerry feels about Dan. You’d have to be blind or Jake not to notice.”
“Or Dan,” Laura added somehow not surprised the astute Martha had sized up the situation. It would explain her trying to shove Kerry and Laura at Dan the first day they’d come in the diner. And Dan’s food tasting contribution the next day. Laura was beginning to realise Martha generally knew everything that was going on in town and she often tried to help people where she could.
“Yep, he’s sure never picked that one up too well, has he?” she laughed. “Men! They can be so dumb. You should have seen Alfie’s father. He was taking so long to ask me out, I had to do it for him. And the marriage proposal. You make sure you grab hold of Jake and don’t let go. Kerry needs to get her act together too and snare that man herself before he gets away.”
“I wish it was that easy.” Laura hadn’t known herself how complicated it really was to try and set things right until the day before. Now she wasn’t sure how to go about things.
“I know it’s not easy. But I do believe where there’s love there is a way.” Martha patted Laura on the arm affectionately. “You’ve made a big difference here already.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. I saw Jake this morning. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile like that since all this mess happened. I don’t know what you’re doing honey, but keep on doing it!”
Laura went back into the kitchen, pondering on Martha’s words. Had she really made such a difference to Jake? She hoped so. More than ever she wanted
to see if there was a future for them. He’d been different at breakfast. He’d smiled more easily with her and seemed more attentive. She’d blushed at the knowing looks Kerry and Bill had passed each other. Things had definitely begun to look up. She wasn’t sure what he’d say, however, if he caught her talking to Dan again. But she had no choice. She couldn’t simply grab her own happiness, without trying to secure a future for Kerry too.
The morning passed into lunch and still no sign of Dan. Finally, Laura had finished at the diner and headed out to pick up her dress from the cleaners. They’d called earlier that morning to tell her it was ready and she couldn’t wait to see it.
As she turned a corner, she spied Dan coming out of a shop. She called out to him and he raised his hand in greeting. She quickly indicated that she wanted to speak with him before he could head off. Nodding his head, he walked swiftly over to her.
“Hey Laura. It’s so good to see you. How are you?” he greeted warmly.
“I’m okay. But I do really need to talk with you as soon as possible.” She looked around, spying a bench free in the nearby park. “If you have time now, could we talk?” She pointed to the bench.
“I guess. What’s this all about?” Dan asked as they walked over to the bench and sat down.
Laura hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject. He’d been so touchy about it before. She really didn’t want him to think she’d taken sides and was judging him.
Dan looked at her expression. “Someone’s told you, haven’t they?” He looked down at his shoes. “I guess you’d hear sooner or later. Who told you?”
“Jake.” She turned to face him, sitting with her legs to the side.
“Jake? Wow! I didn’t think it would be him. I never expected him to talk about it ever!” His gaze narrowed on her face. “You must mean something really special to him to get him to open up and talk with you. Especially about that.”
Laura blushed, her heart skipping a beat at his words. How she hoped he was right. “That isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve heard what Jake had to say, now I want to hear from you what happened. I can’t believe that you would scar him like that on purpose or that you could sleep with his fiancé with no thought for him. Please tell me that it wasn’t the way Jake told me because if it was, I don’t see a way forward.”
Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) Page 12
