Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series)

by Danielle Rose-West

  “I was just thinking, you got dumped in horse manure by Walter before finding Victoria in your bed. She would have needed you to be unclothed to make her plan work to her best advantage. After all if you’d had to stop and undress you might have had more time to realise it was her. Don’t you think that’s odd?” She glanced at him.

  Jake frowned. “You don’t think it’s just a coincidence? After all, I’ve never seen Walter anywhere near Victoria.”

  “But that may just prove my point. Walter loves women. Why hasn’t he made a play for Victoria?” she insisted.

  “Because he’s been obsessed with you, why else?” Jake growled, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

  “And another thing,” Laura went on, completely ignoring his agitation. “He was waiting for me when I got back to the house last night and he was the one who told me Victoria was in there. In fact, he said you’d sent Bill and Kerry away from the house.”

  “I don’t like the guy, but it is possible he did see Victoria going into the house and just made up the other stuff to get you to dump me and take up with him.” Jake was doubtful there was anything more to it than that. “He’s been after you ever since you got here.”

  Laura felt frustrated. She was sure she was on to something and she wished Jake would take it seriously. Bits and pieces of events kept flitting through her mind. She wasn’t absolutely sure she was right, but something was telling her that what had happened that night had been too perfect to just be coincidence. She was almost positive that Walter had something to do with Victoria’s stunt.

  Jake seemed to want to bury his head in the sand with it, but Laura refused to. After getting past the pain of betrayal and finding out it had been set up, she was beginning to wonder what else had been going on that they were not aware of. She chewed her lip as her thoughts took off in all directions. She decided to say nothing further to Jake, but she made a mental note to watch Walter when they got back. If he went nowhere near Victoria, she would drop it, but something was telling her there was more to this situation than met the eye. And she was determined to find out what it was.

  *****

  They finally arrived back at the ranch late into the night. Laura had fallen asleep for the last part of the journey. She awakened as Jake parked in the drive in front of the house. They both dragged themselves from the truck, staggering up the stairs and into the house.

  Kerry woke up from her position on Dan’s shoulder when she heard Laura and Jake enter. Bill stirred on the chair opposite them. Kerry had explained to him what had happened when he’d come in for a late dinner, exhausted from all the work he’d been landed with last minute. He’d been horrified when Kerry had told him Victoria’s latest stunt. They had decided to wait together for news. Even after Jake had texted, nobody had wanted to go to bed until they’d seen Laura and Jake arrive home safely.

  Kerry gave a cry of relief at the sight of them both coming through the door, Jake dragging in Laura’s things. She wept unashamedly, hugging Laura tightly. Bill followed suit, telling her how happy he was she was back before he headed off for his bed.

  “You had me so worried,” Kerry scolded Laura as Bill left the room. She gave Laura a little shake, her face pale with the strain of her worry. “Don’t you ever go off like that again. I nearly died of fright.”

  “I’m sorry,” Laura said sincerely. “I just had to get away. It was all a bit too much for me to stay. I hope you understand?”

  “Of course I do. I’m just relieved everything has been sorted out,” she paused, looking from one to the other. “It has, hasn’t it?”

  “Yes. Jake explained what happened. I can hardly believe that woman had such a nerve!” Laura said through gritted teeth.

  “Well, I did tell you what a witch she is,” Kerry exclaimed. “You must both be starving after driving around so late. Did you want me to make you something to eat?”

  “I think we’ve been through enough without suffering your food as well, but thanks anyway sis,” Jake laughed then ducked as Kerry hit him with a pillow from the sofa.

  “I’m not that bad!” she exclaimed. “Besides, I was only offering toast or something.”

  Laura smiled softly. “I think I ought to head for bed. I have to get to the diner early in the morning. I need to be there when Martha arrives so I can explain the letter I left her and hope she’ll forgive me for walking out on her so suddenly.”

  Jake took her hand and squeezed it in his. “She’ll understand, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not so sure. What I did was terribly selfish. How can she just forgive me walking out like that? Especially after Rosalie.” Tears welled up in Laura’s eyes as she worried that Martha might not ever want anything to do with her again. More than anything, she didn’t want to lose her friendship.

  Jake wished he could reassure her. “Just explain what happened. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  Laura sniffed and nodded. “Are you joining me?” she asked shyly. “I would rather sleep in my room tonight, if that’s okay?”

  Jake understood her reluctance to get into his bed before the sheets had been changed. He would have felt the same. “I’ll be right there.” She headed up the stairs. Jake turned to Dan. The man looked rumpled and just as strained as Kerry. For a moment, Jake saw the man that had been his closest friend, the one who had always cared for him and had his back. His heart hurt at what they had lost. He wasn’t sure they would ever get it back, but after tonight, he didn’t want to be ungracious. “You can stay if you want,” he offered, surprising both Kerry and Dan. “It’s late, so you might not want to drive back home.” He started up the stairs before turning back round. “Don’t read anything into it though,” he warned. “It’s only because it’s late.”

  Dan barely got his thanks out before Jake left them both to join Laura. Kerry smiled softly. Her brother was slowly coming round. She just knew it.

  *****

  Walter banged on Victoria’s door. It took several long minutes before she opened it, trying a robe around her as she went.

  “Well?” she snapped, hauling him inside and glancing round to ensure they’d been unobserved.

  “They both arrived back a few moments ago. It looks like they’ve resolved things,” Walter reported, his face a mask of fury.

  Victoria hissed angrily. “I knew it! I knew this would happen.” Her eyes glittered with her rage. She began to pace.

  “Now what?” he asked to distract her before she could work herself into one of her tantrums. “Jake is going to make sure you clear off this ranch. How are we going to deal with things then?”

  She whirled around to glare at him. “I can do nothing tomorrow morning. I’m going to have to leave here and find somewhere else in town to stay. As you said, Jake will not tolerate me here after tonight.” She tapped a well-manicured finger to her lips. “I will text you in the afternoon when I am settled. I will give you the time and place to meet me.”

  “What for? What have you got planned now?” Walter asked dubiously. “The last plan hardly reaped results, what makes you think this one will go any better?”

  Victoria pursed her lips in annoyance. “Trust me, I have something special in mind for Jake. Especially after the humiliation he put me through. I am going to make him suffer!”

  “How?” Walter hated it when she left him in the dark. He wished she’d treat him like an equal instead of something several feet beneath her.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see,” Victoria told him, stubbornly refusing to disclose anything.

  “What about Laura?” Walter asked impatiently. “Is this plan of yours going to give her to me?” He dearly wanted to pay her back for ignoring him, even after she thought Jake had done the dirty on her.

  “You are obsessed!” Victoria sneered, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “Just make sure you keep the big picture in mind. Everything else is inconsequential.”

  “I still want her,” Walter exclaimed stubbornly.

  “
I’ll try,” Victoria snapped, exasperated. “But no promises.” She shooed him out of her cabin. “Be there when I text you,” she insisted, before she shut the door on him.

  Walter glared as if his gaze could pierce through the wood. Victoria was ever the selfish one. After all he’d done for her, she owed him something. Grumbling under his breath, he resolved that he would find a way to get Laura, with or without Victoria’s help. Determination flowing through him, he strode away through the trees, careful to avoid detection.

  *****

  “Well, they passed the test,” Lotta exclaimed pleased. “I really do think it’s time we moved on now.”

  Flo shook her head. “We promised we’d stay to discover who poisoned Charger,” she insisted. “And if you’re honest, you can still feel something pending. There is still trouble in the air. I can feel it.”

  Lotta frowned. She knew Flo was right, but this went beyond their duties as fairy godmothers and they could get into terrible trouble if they stayed. “We aren’t supposed to linger after we’ve achieved bringing our charges together,” she argued.

  “We’ve been over this before,” Flo said stubbornly. She crossed her plump arms over her ample chest. “If you want to go, then go. But I’m staying until I’m satisfied that all is well here.”

  Lotta raised her eyes to the sky. She could hardly leave Flo to deal with the situation on her own. Stardust only knew what she’d do without Lotta to stop her. “Fine, we’ll stay.”

  Flo squealed happily, patting Lotta on the cheek as if she was a child. She flittered off towards Victoria’s cabin, calling over her shoulder, “We’d best keep an eye on things. Now that the test is over, nothing is stopping us from spying!”

  Lotta smacked her head with the flat of her hand. She felt a feeling of doom settle over her as she took off after Flo.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Laura hurried towards the diner, her heart banging in her chest. She’d awakened later than she would have liked, knowing Martha always arrived early each day to clean and set up. She’d wanted to be there before Martha unlocked the door and saw her letter. Unfortunately, due to last night’s fiasco, she’d been so tired she’d forgotten to set her alarm before she got into bed. Jake had been no help that morning either. He’d snuck in the shower while she’d been in there trying to get ready for her day and thoroughly loved her. Not that she was complaining really. It had been amazing. Her body heated with the memory, a hot blush staining her cheeks. However it had set her back considerably.

  She chewed at her lower lip as she worried about what Martha would say when she saw her. She hoped she’d not lost the friendship that had come to mean so much to her. She threw a quick glance back over her shoulder with a wave for Jake, who’d dropped her off in town, now that she had no car. He smiled and blew her a kiss, with such a heated look that he had her blushing all over again.

  At least one thing was going right for her, she mused. Things were finally falling into place and not just for her and Jake. She’d been surprised to see Dan at breakfast, but Kerry quietly whispered to her that Jake had actually told him he could stay. Laura had raised her eyebrows in surprise. She’d been delighted with the turn of events. It meant that Jake was getting closer to forgiving Dan, she was sure of it. The sooner they could get rid of Victoria and the poison she’d dripped into all their lives, the better. Although quite how they were going to achieve that was beyond her at present.

  Laura arrived at the diner to find the door already open. Her heart sank. Martha was already seated at one of the tables, reading Laura’s letter, her hand to her mouth as tears slid down her face. Feeling awful, Laura hurried inside. Martha glanced up, giving a cry of surprise at seeing her. She looked from the letter in her hand to Laura, her eyes full of questions.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, shock written all over her face. Laura’s heart twisted as she saw the slight tremble in Martha’s hands.

  “I’m so sorry,” Laura told her, feeling tears pricking at her eyes. “I know you’re probably really angry with me, but please let me explain.” Martha indicated the seat next to her. Laura sat down, taking several deep breaths to steady her nerves. Quickly she recounted what had taken place the day before. As she talked, Martha’s face turned grim.

  “I’m so sorry you ended up being caught in all of this,” Laura told her sincerely. “I made a stupid mistake last night. I should never have tried to run away from the situation. You’d think I’d know better. Can you forgive me for being so selfish and stupid? The last thing I would ever want to do is cause you problems or heartache.”

  Martha patted her hand gently, her eyes soft with understanding. “I think we all make mistakes when we’re faced with something so painful. I remember wanting to run away somewhere else when Alfie’s father died. I put the diner and our house up for sale. It’s only because it took so long to try and sell both the house and the business that I realised I didn’t actually want to leave. Who knows, if I could have left instantly, I probably would have.”

  “You are just being very kind, but I appreciate it,” Laura sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “I’d understand if you don’t want me to still work here, after letting you down.”

  Martha took a deep breath. “I’m willing to forget this ever happened if you are?” She handed Laura her money back. “After all, I would have lost this place already if you hadn’t come to help me save it. You worked for ages without pay and you didn’t leave me for Henry Blankton when he offered you loads of money. That counts for a lot in my book. Anyone can lose their head when their heart gets broken.” She gave Laura an understanding smile. “Besides where would I find a cook as good as you to replace you with anyway?” She gave Laura a wink.

  “Thank you Martha, so much,” Laura hugged the woman tightly for a moment. “I really don’t deserve you.”

  “What you don’t deserve is that Victoria messing with you and Jake!” Martha said hotly. “What are you both going to do about that woman?”

  “Well, Jake has told her to leave the ranch, which I believe she is doing this morning. I haven’t been anywhere near her to find out. I’m too scared I might strangle her for what she did yesterday. The only thing is that it doesn’t stop her from staying here in town. I wish I could say that I didn’t think she’d try to meddle anymore, but there is no guarantee.” Laura shrugged helplessly.

  “Just keep your wits about you around her, that’s all I’m saying.” Martha heaved herself out of her seat. “I’d best carry on setting up or we’re going to be late opening up.”

  “You’re right.” Laura leapt up from her own seat. “I’d best get ready for the breakfast rush.” She put her things in her locker and headed for the kitchen.

  The morning passed without incident. Laura revelled in the cooking and bustle of her job, grateful she hadn’t gone back to the drudgery of her office job back home. She loved it here in Willow Creek. It had become her home in the short time she’d been here. She knew so many of the people now and then of course there was Jake. She loved him more with every passing day. She could not imagine her life without him. Relief and gratitude filled her that he hadn’t chosen Victoria after all.

  Anger flared through her at the thought of that woman. Her mind flew over the events of the previous day. Running them through her head, she still could not shake the feeling that Victoria had had help. It was too much of a coincidence that Jake had been in the shower before it all kicked off. That led her back to her suspicions of Walter.

  She needed to find some way of seeing if he was connected somehow to Victoria. On her own it would be difficult to gather any evidence of his involvement; she had far too many times in the day that she couldn’t watch him. She wondered if she could find someone who’d be willing to watch him when she couldn’t. She bit her lip wondering if she could convince Bill and Kerry to watch him with her. She just hoped they didn’t dismiss her idea as Jake had the day before.

  She was willing to admit she could be ve
ry wrong, but either way she was determined to find out if she was right or just imagining things. It could all be a coincidence that Walter had been so involved in what had happened the previous day, but then again it might not. She decided to talk to Bill and Kerry after work.

  She tried to form some kind of plan as she cleaned the kitchen with Alfie after the breakfast rush. Some kind of system needed to be in place to help them discover the truth. Laura wouldn’t give up. She bit her lip in concentration as she cleaned. Glancing at her watch, she realised that they would need to begin prep for lunch soon. The morning had really flown!

  Martha’s voice calling her from the diner drew her attention. Concerned, Laura went to find out what she wanted, only to see Jake standing by the counter. She smiled, surprised to see him.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked in delight. “I wasn’t expecting you until the end of my shift.”

  He smiled, sending a wink at Martha. “I have a surprise for you. Thankfully, Martha has said I can steal you away for a few minutes to show you.”

  Laura raised her eyebrows. “What’s the surprise?” she asked eagerly.

  “Now if I told you straight away, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise,” Jake laughed at her. He held out his hand and she ran round to grasp him tightly.

  “Are you sure you can spare me?” she asked Martha, worried to take time out after having just set things right that morning.

  “Of course. Alfie can take care of most of the prep work. I can’t make Jake wait until closing time.” She winked back at Jake. “He’s already threatened me with very bad singing if I didn’t let him show you your surprise now.”

  “Bad singing?” Laura giggled.

  “Bill rubs off. What can I say?” Jake shrugged mischievously, dragging her out of the diner. They walked hand in hand down the street, Laura wondering what he had up his sleeve. Her heart did a little tumble in her chest at the feeling of being by his side. Finally she felt like a real couple, doing the things couples do.