Kerry hugged him tightly for a moment before stepping back again. “I’m sorry Jake. I should have talked to you. It was wrong of me. Please let me make things up to you. I’ll help you with Laura.”
“I don’t know there is anything I can do.” He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “She is so mad at me right now.”
“Tell me what happened,” Kerry asked. They walked back to the house as Jake filled her in.
“You can fix this, I’m sure. She loves you, I know she does. She needs you to show her that she means something to you. That you’re not going to hold what happened with Victoria against her all the time. You made her feel you don’t trust her, that she’s not important to you. Jake, you have to keep at it until she gives you a chance to talk things through. Take her somewhere you can really talk, just the two of you.”
“What if she won’t come?” he almost whispered, dread filling him.
“You’ve been brought up by Bill all this time and you haven’t worked out how to not take no for an answer? Wow, will he be hurt!” She laughed heartily.
Jake couldn’t help but laugh too. “Okay, I’ll try it. Thanks Kerry.” He moved to walk away.
“Jake?” she called. He turned back. “Are we okay?”
“We’re okay. But don’t expect me to welcome Dan with open arms any time soon.”
Kerry guessed that was as good as she could expect right now. At least he hadn’t cut her off.
*****
Laura was relieved when the end of lunchtime came. She gathered her things and stepped out into the warm afternoon sunshine. She’d barely spoken a word to anyone and was grateful that both Martha and Alfie had respected her need for quiet. She wished they had refrained from the worried glances however. She’d constantly caught them from the corner of her vision, which she’d found somewhat wearing.
She walked along the street, lost in thought. She should have asked Martha about places she could stay, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She hadn’t wanted the questions that would go with it. Silence had seemed her best option today. She’d have to stick it out at the ranch a bit longer and hope Jake would respect her space.
Laura drove back to the ranch, her mind filled with cluttered thoughts and no real answers. She wished she had a switch she could flip to the off position to still all her fears and doubts. Parking up, she got out and headed for the front door. Jake stood beside it, leaning against the porch, his arms folded. He stared at her, taking in her dishevelled appearance. Walking slowly towards her, he stopped so close she could smell his clean skin, making her heart leap in her chest.
“What do you want Jake?” she asked him, too tired to care anymore.
“I want you to come with me, please. Somewhere we can be alone and talk. Just hear me out. Then if you still feel the same, I won’t bother you again.”
Laura stood staring at him for several moments, trying to make up her mind what the best thing to do was. On one hand she didn’t really feel like getting into any arguments with him again, but then again she didn’t want to just cut him out without hearing what he had to say. Her foolish heart still very much wanted there to be a chance for them.
“Alright. I’ll come with you and hear you out,” she said simply. He looked relieved.
“Thank you.” He stepped forward to take her arm, but Laura moved out of his reach, she wasn’t quite ready to let him near her again. He looked at her a moment, then sighed and raised his arm to indicate his truck. She followed him and allowed him to open the door for her. He got in the driver’s side then drove them out onto the road.
They made the journey in silence. Laura had no idea where Jake was taking her. She barely saw the beautiful scenery out of her window. Her mind wondered over the previous evening, playing out the events and the words spoken. His harsh treatment of her still caused her heart to twist in pain. She wondered what he wanted to say and if she really wanted to hear it. Still, she knew she couldn’t have just walked away without hearing him out. She’d have always been left wondering if she’d made the right choice. This way she could make an informed decision with no regrets. More than anything, she didn’t want to end up like her mother, having lost the love of her life and never able to get over it.
Jake pulled the truck to the side of the road and parked. They got out and she followed him along a narrow path through a thick cluster of trees. The air was sweet and clean. Laura took deep breaths, trying to clear her stuffy head. They came out into a clearing where a small waterfall cascaded down a sheer rock face into a pool of water. The sound soothed Laura’s frazzled nerves.
“This is so beautiful,” she breathed, the natural beauty of the place filling her soul with a peaceful contentment that she badly needed.
“I’m glad you like it. It was mine and Kerry’s favourite place when we were growing up. Dad used to take us out here with mum when we were small and we’d have picnics, play games and generally spend time as a family. They are treasured memories.” He gazed round at the place, seeming lost in his childhood. Then he turned and smiled at her, holding out his hand to her.
“They sound like wonderful memories” She walked around him, still not willing to take his hand just yet. He let his arm drop and followed her. They settled themselves on a grassy patch under a large tree near the water’s edge. Laura gazed out at the tumbling water, feeling the sound soothing and relaxing her, letting it drain out the strain of the past day.
“You are lucky to have such fond memories of your father,” she said at last. “I haven’t had my father in my life since I was a baby. I can’t remember him at all. My mother never liked to talk about him either. She found it too painful.”
“You must have been curious about him,” Jake commented, grateful she seemed willing to open up about her past.
“I was,” she admitted. “I talked to my grandmother once, before she passed away. She told me that he was a warm, charismatic man who knew how to charm anyone into anything he wanted. My mother met him while she was working for a short while here in the States. He and my mother had seemed so very much in love. When she got pregnant with me, my grandmother had wanted them to marry. My father somehow managed to keep delaying it.” She looked at him, hurt deep in her eyes. “It turned out that he had already got a family. A wife and two other kids. He didn’t want her and he didn’t want me.” She broke off. Jake felt his heart breaking for her.
“I’m so sorry Laura. How could any father not want to know his own child?” It was beyond his comprehension. If he was blessed enough to become a father, he wanted to be there every day of their lives. To allow a child of his to grow up not knowing him was too painful to comprehend.
She shrugged. “My mother never got over his rejection. I am not sure I did either.” She took a deep breath. “You’re not supposed to miss what you’ve never had. That’s what they say. But they are wrong. I did miss knowing him. It felt like something was missing. I often wondered if parts of my character were inherited from him. I tried to write, but all my letters came back unopened. He couldn’t have made it more obvious that he didn’t want to know. So there you have it. My sorry sad tale. I’m not sure why I shared it with you. It really has nothing to do with this does it?”
“I think it does,” Jake said quietly. “I let you down. Your father let you down. And on both occasions you’d done nothing to deserve it and was given no chance to change it. He didn’t listen to your words in your letter and I didn’t listen to your words last night. You have every right to be angry.”
Laura took in a shuddering breath, closing her eyes momentarily. The pain welled up, but she didn’t feel strong enough to deal with it yet. “What about you?” she asked instead. “It must have been hard for you when you lost your father.”
“It was hard,” Jake replied, sensing she needed the spotlight off her. “My mother was inconsolable when it happened. I don’t know what we’d have done without Bill at the time. He took over the running of the ranch and helped k
eep both me and Kerry in line. We were both acting out. I don’t think my poor mother knew what to do with us. Bill had no such problem. He’s been like a second father to us.” He looked at Laura, trying to gage if she understood what he was trying to say.
“So you trust Bill’s opinion beyond measure. I’m guessing that’s your way of explaining why you listened to him and not to me last night?” she asked, raising her brow in question.
“That about sums it up. I should have listened to what you were saying, but my anger got in the way. Bill has known me my whole life. As I said, he’s been like a second father. I couldn’t so easily push him away, though I did try.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Bill, however, knows how to get round my idiotic behaviour and make me listen.”
Laura nodded. She didn’t want to understand that, but she did. It went a small way to soothing her upset. “And the accusations you made against me? Are you saying you believe me now that I wasn’t seeing Dan?”
He sighed, looking out over the pool. “I know about Kerry and her feelings for Dan,” he said in a low voice, so that she had to strain to hear him over the noise of the water. Her heart thundered in her chest. What did this mean?
“How did you find out?” she asked hesitantly.
“Bill more or less spelled it out to me,” he admitted.
“Oh! How do you feel about it?” she asked softly, wondering if Kerry was in for a really hard time.
“I’m not happy about it. I wish you had told me or she had.”
Laura threw up her hand to stop him. “It was not my place to tell you Jake,” she pointed out, worried he was going to start on her again.
He grabbed her hand in his, holding on tight when she would have pulled it free. “I know, I didn’t mean to imply that you’d done anything wrong. I can understand that you wanted to help Kerry. I just don’t think her getting involved with Dan is a smart thing. He’s going to end up letting her down. You just see if he doesn’t!”
“I don’t think he will. I’ve seen him when he looks at her. He loves her.”
“He was meant to care about me, but it didn’t stop him did it?” She could see the anger beginning to rise in his eyes.
“Please Jake, don’t. If you start flying off the handle again, you can just take me back.” She forcefully pulled her hand from his, nearly smacking it against the tree when he didn’t resist her as she’d expected.
“I’m sorry,” Jake quickly assured her.
“Is this how it’s always going to be?” Laura asked sadly. “Are you always going to drag up the past; be stuck living with its shadows? Will you ever trust me or will you always be looking at me to let you down? I can’t live that way Jake. If you can’t give me your trust, a commitment, something of yourself other than your anger, I can’t see any point in pursuing a relationship. I would rather know and stop trying to make this work if it won’t.”
“I do trust you Laura.” Jake grabbed her hand back and clasped it in both of his. “I thought I would never be able to give my heart to another woman after what happened. I thought I could be content living as I have the past two years. Then you came along and shook my whole world up. You got under my defences and it scared the hell out of me. I have been terrified that if I let you close and then lost you, I wouldn’t survive it. Stupidly, I’ve been trying to hold you at arms-length to protect myself, but it’s already too late.”
Laura’s heart thundered in her chest at his words. “What do you mean?” she asked him, fearful of his reply.
“I mean that despite all my efforts, I love you Laura. I don’t want to lose you and if you’ll give me another chance, I would dearly love to make things up to you.” Laura felt tears slipping down her cheeks as she gazed into his warm blue eyes. He gripped her hands tightly. “Please say you’ll give me another chance?”
She wept openly, allowing his words to flow into her wounded heart and like a ray of sunshine, it melted away the pain in the warmth of its glow.
“Yes, Jake. I will give you another chance,” she sobbed out through her tight throat. “I love you too.”
He gave a shout of happiness as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. His hands plunged into her hair, his fingers trailing through its silky mass as her bun fell out, letting her hair flow down her back. Her arms snaked round his neck and she held him closely to her, savouring the feel of his lips on hers. He pulled back, gazing into her eyes.
“I don’t deserve you!” he whispered. They stared at each other, time seeming to stand still. Their hearts beat in perfect union with each other. Each took in the other’s face, committing every detail of this moment to memory. Then he lowered his head again, kissing her with tender care. Her eyes fluttered shut, her heart beat thundered in her ears. His scent filled her senses, desire igniting in her body at his nearness. Gently she pulled back.
“Jake, I want a little time before we take our intimacy further. I hope you understand, but I just want some time to really get to know each other. Without all the barriers and the past getting in the way. I need to be sure that you can be with me without Victoria haunting us.”
Jake very much wanted to hold her and kiss her senseless, but he’d hurt her and he had to give her the time she needed to see that he meant every word that he said to her. He nodded, pulling her close to him, he held her in his arms as they gazed out at the pool.
“I think this has become my favourite place too,” she told him shyly. “Can we come back here again?”
“We can come back as often as you want,” he replied, smiling into her hair and bestowing a kiss on forehead.
She snuggled into his warmth, struggling against a yawn. She failed miserably. As she relaxed in his arms, the sound of the gentle waterfall swept through her, making her relax, tension seeping out of her muscles. Her eyes dropped and within in seconds, she was asleep. Jake heard her gentle even breathing, his heart turning over at her sweet innocence, deeply grateful that his Laura was such a generous and understanding person. He pulled her gently closer and let her sleep.
He felt a contentment sliding over him at the feel of her in his arms. He’d been so blessed the day she’d entered his life. He felt alive again for the first time in over two years. He had hope and his dreams were stirring back to life. He could see nothing in his future except bright blue cloudless skies and the feeling was euphoric.
*****
“We’ve done it!” Lotta exclaimed happily. “It would seem both our charges are heading for happily ever after. It really is time for us to leave now Flo.”
Flo sat sobbing on a ledge jutting out halfway up the rock-face, splashing water around with her tiny feet. Lotta wasn’t sure which was producing more water, the waterfall or Flo.
“But we can’t just go. What if something else goes wrong? We thought we’d finished before and it all went horribly wrong.”
“Now, now. You know we only stay until they realise they love each other. It is time to let them get on with it.” Flo howled louder, her small hankie soaked through.
“We can pop back in after a little while to see how they are getting on. How’s that?” Lotta compromised, exasperated. Flo always did get over attached to her charges. Anyone would think she was their actual mother, rather than their fairy godmother.
Flo regarded her with red tearful eyes. She sniffed, then nodded her head in agreement. “Alright, Lotta. As long as we can come back and check on them in a few days. I’ll leave.”
Lotta heaved a sigh of relief. One or two more visits and her time with Flo would be at an end. She hoped her next assignment would be a nice simple one, with no added complications. With that happy thought in mind, she vanished in a shower of sparkles.
Flo, not quite as convinced their assignment was over, made her own plans.
Chapter Eleven
Laura and Jake finally headed back to the ranch as the late afternoon sun shone down from the sky, beginning its downward dip towards the horizon. Laura had flushed a deep red in embarrassment that s
he’d fallen asleep on Jake for such a long time, but he didn’t seem to mind. He’d taken every opportunity to touch her and keep her close. Her heart rate hammered at the remembered kiss he’d given her to wake her up. She smiled softly, her expression turning dreamy.
“What are you thinking about sweetheart?” he asked, his hand drifting over to touch hers where it rested on her knee.
She gave a small giggle of self-consciousness. “Just the wonderful way you woke me up back there,” she confessed.
He grinned wickedly. “I hope to wake you up that way every day of our lives.” Laura’s heart pounded at the promise in his voice. She sighed, her head falling back against her seat. She closed her eyes, a deep contentment stealing over her. Excitement flooded her veins at the thought of a life together with Jake. She knew they would be taking things slowly, at her request, but she couldn’t help let her dreams take flight.
The truck finally turned into the ranch and Jake parked it up outside the front of the house. Kerry came hesitantly to the door, peering out cautiously as she waited to see how things stood between them. She gave a squeal as she saw Jake take Laura’s hand in his. She swung the door wide, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” she called out to them.
“It sure does,” Jake called back. Kerry gave a relieved laugh. She sped down the steps to hug them.
“I am so happy for you both,” she told them. Then she looked at Laura wearily. “Can you possibly forgive me for all the trouble I have inadvertently caused you? You must have been so mad at me this morning.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Laura assured her. “I was hurting, but it wasn’t your fault. I just didn’t want to talk about it. It was too painful.” She smiled, clasping Kerry’s hand. “That’s all over now. We can all begin to look forward to the future.”
“Well, sort of,” Kerry whispered in Laura’s ear. “I’m not sure Jake is ever going to accept Dan. That is going to still be an awkward problem for me.”
Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) Page 17
