RED HOT RANCH

by Swale, Lizzie

  “Well then you’d best start looking for another crappy retail job because you won’t be getting another penny out of me.”

  “What do you mean, Ethan? You said you loved me.”

  “You said you loved me too, you didn’t mention that you were more interested in my money. Please leave.” He ducked out of her arms.

  “I never said that! We’re in love, Ethan, and I want to spend time with you, is that so bad?”

  “I’ve been here before; I’ve seen this before. This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with what you can gain by being with me.”

  The panic on her face was obvious. “Ethan, don’t do this. I do love you!”

  “I have to go to work. I’m telling James that we’re no longer together. If you’re not out of the house in an hour, he’ll be calling the police. And if you try to take anything that doesn’t belong to you I will press charges. Goodbye Jessica.”

  After a few words with his butler, James, Ethan went out to the car.

  “Will you require a driver today?”

  “No thanks, Carl, I’ll take the BMW today.” He backed the car out of the garage. Jessica was waving and shouting from the front step but he turned up the stereo and drove away.

  The driving him relaxed him and he sighed. How many times has this happened? Is every woman a money-hungry actress out to deceive me? I’ve had enough. No more dating for me.

  Chapter 2

  For two years Ethan Trevors, the millionaire and business mogul, had been one of the most eligible bachelors in the United States and he had remained stubbornly single the entire time. It was no wonder the rumors that this elusive business world celebrity was attending a zoning meeting at town hall had drawn a crowd. But it wasn’t those rumours that had drawn Jenny Cartney to town hall on this particular day. Her interest was in the rumors that the community center was being closed to make way for more condos that would only increase the class divide in the area.

  Jenny and a few dozen other concerned citizens stood outside city hall with their signs demanding, no, begging, city council not to sell off the much needed community center. They chanted together, but the crowd, with their cameras, paid them no mind. Everyone was more interested in catching a glimpse of the politicians and the rich business people.

  Finally, the council dispersed, causing a ruckus that drowned out Jenny and her friends. The local councilman stopped at the doors and waited for all media attention to be pointed in his direction before saying, “Thank-you for your interest in today’s meeting. It’s wonderful to see such passionate community involvement. Sadly, this involvement didn’t extend to the running and maintenance of the community center in recent months and so we have decided to sell the location. A buyer has already been found and the papers have been signed.”

  As the crowd started shouting questions Jenny picked up her sign and got ready to go home.

  “You’re not with the news people.”

  Jenny looked up to see a handsome tall man in a well tailored grey suit meeting her blue eyed gaze with his light chestnut one. “No, I’m not. I was here protesting the sale of the community center. I guess we didn’t matter enough to the businessmen who want to build more luxury condos. I’m sorry, I’m just upset. Excuse me.”

  “Is what he said true? Was there a lack of community involvement?”

  “It was a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Jenny said. “They cut funding and said people would need to volunteer to keep the programs running. But there are a lot of single parent and low income families here. They don’t have time to volunteer and they need somewhere safe for their kids to spend time. Now we don’t have that. You’re not one of ‘those’ businessmen, are you?”

  “Me?” Ethan chuckled and told the biggest lie of his life to the woman who had unexpectedly caught his attention. “No, I’m just an assistant. No one listens to me. I just get to fetch bottles of Perrier during the meeting. I’m Ethan Trevors.”

  “Not Ethan Trevors, the multi-millionaire?”

  “I get that a lot. All the time in fact. I’m not that lucky I’m afraid. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Jenny.”

  “Did you want to grab a coffee, Jenny? I’d like to hear more about this community center.” Especially since I just bought it.

  “I don’t have any other plans today. There’s a nice little place just around the corner. Of course it’s probably only a matter of time before they shut that down and replace it with a chain brand of some kind.”

  “It sounds like you really care about this community.”

  “I do,” she said, handing her sign over to the protest organizer. As they walked she said, “I grew up here, and it wasn’t always like this. But then they sold off some apartment buildings and turned them into condos and things just went downhill from there.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand how the rejuvenation of old buildings can cause a community to deteriorate.”

  “It doesn’t. But kicking out lower income families to make way for wealthy singles and couples with no kids changes the community. They don’t have coffee here at this little shop, they buy their lattes at big chain coffee shops. They don’t help with the community center, they go to their fancy gyms and if they do have kids those kids attend private schools with good sports programs. That leaves a big hole in the community.” She opened the door for him. “I’m sorry, I’m ranting. It’s a complicated problem and the condos are only part of it.”

  “What can I get for you?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to buy me a coffee.”

  “But I’d like to.”

  She smiled at him. “A London Fog then, please.”

  “Coming right up.”

  She found them a table while he ordered their drinks. When he returned she said, “So tell me about you, what’s it like being a business assistant?”

  Thinking back to the days when he had apprenticed with his father Ethan said, “Mind numbing, soul sapping, repetitive, stressful …”

  She laughed, “So why do you do it?”

  “It’s what my father expected of me. We’re a business family, have been for generations, it would have broken his heart if I had chosen some other career option.”

  “Was there another career option you wanted?” Her voice had softened, a lot, and so had her blue eyes.

  He smiled. “Not really. I mean, I wish business wasn’t so cutthroat all the time, I wish I could spend more time helping people and building things that really matter, instead of running a copier and taking notes at meetings.”

  “The community doesn’t pay well so you probably made the safer choice.”

  “What about you? Did you dream of being an activist?”

  “You mean did I go on strike when my mom told me to clean my room?”

  He chuckled.

  “No, I didn’t dream of protesting or working with community centers or any of it. I just started getting involved as a teen, volunteer work, summer drop-in programs for kids, and the next thing I knew I was on committees and boards and suddenly it was a job.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Well, most days it’s mind-numbing, soul-sapping, repetitive, and stressful but somehow I can’t bring myself to quit.”

  He was grinning, the real grin, surprising him - not just his ‘that’s a nice golf joke Mr. Andrews’ smile that he wore more and more often now. I was beginning to think I’d forgotten how to smile, how to enjoy myself. This is nice. She’s nice. His phone beeped. “Excuse me.”

  She nodded and took a sip of her tea while he checked the alert. He swore.

  “I’m late for a meeting, or I will be. I have to go. Can we do this again?”

  She smiled. “Sure, I think I’d like that. Here’s my number, call me when the meetings end and we’ll do something fun.”

  “The meetings never end but I will fit you in, even if I have to go AWOL.”

  “Thanks for coffee!” she called after him.

  He waved and disappear
ed from the café.

  Chapter 3

  That night they went to the movies and then out to dinner. She wore a simple floral printed summer dress that clung to her curves just enough that it made his mouth go dry. Throughout dinner and the movie it took all of his willpower not to reach out and stroke her tanned thigh. Afterwards he drove her home and walked her to the door. “We should do this again,” he said, wiping away a tear of laughter caused by her last zinger of a joke about the mayor’s tie that day.

  “Yes, we should.” She stretched and kissed him on the lips, lingering just long enough that he had time to touch her cheek before she pulled back. She smiled. “Good night, Ethan.”

  “Good night, Jenny.”

  Their next date was a baseball game. Ethan watched in amazement as Jenny finished off a box of popcorn, a hotdog, a slice of pizza, a drink, and fries. “I don’t know how a little thing like you can eat so much,” he said as they followed the crowd out of the diamond.

  “It’s the excitement from the game,” she said. “I get all anxious waiting to see who will win and I start eating. It happens every time I watch a game, baseball, football, soccer, it just brings out this competitive edge in me.”

  “I think it’s cute,” he said, taking her hand. “Did you want an ice cream?”

  “No thanks, I’m stuffed! Besides, we lost so there’s no point in celebrating.”

  “We could drown our sorrows in ice-cream.”

  Now she laughed. “Fine, twist my rubber arm why don’t you? Let’s go out for ice-cream.” They held bands and ate mint chip like teenagers. This date, like the last ending in a fairly PG kiss.

  He spent the week composing and deleting text messages to her. He couldn’t get her blue eyes and pert round ass out of his mind. Finally he caved and the next weekend he called her up. “Did you want to do something tomorrow?”

  “I would love to but I’m helping with a community project. You should come, we can always use extra hands and I think you’d enjoy it.”

  The community project turned out to be a street cleanup. Youth and parents and volunteers were given gloves and garbage bags, split into teams, and sent out to pick up as much garbage as they could. Jenny grabbed Ethan and together they were supervising four teenage girls assigned to the area around the community center.

  While the girls giggled and picked up garbage and made ‘ew gross’ faces at each other Jenny and Ethan stood at the community center fence staring at the old building.

  “I guess it was inevitable,” she said wistfully. “The building was really too small. The kitchen needed updating, it probably needed new fire alarms and sprinklers.” She sighed. “There was no way the community could afford to fix the place up and no way we could get enough volunteers to do the work.”

  “You got a lot of people out today.”

  She snorted. “The teens that came out only did so because they’re getting bonus credit at school. The parents and volunteers had to be cajoled into coming. We could have used double this many people and still have spent all day trying to clean this place up. With more people we could have tackled the graffiti problem today too. That will have to wait now, probably a whole year.”

  “I like listening to you talk about this stuff,” Ethan said. “It’s obvious you’re passionate about it.”

  “Community is important.”

  Their eyes connected and he smiled. After two years alone and countless gold-diggers, did I finally find a woman who could possibly care more about me than my money?

  Chapter 4

  The real estate agent sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “I get that you’re buying another house, but where exactly?!

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “I mean exactly what I said. I want to buy a house in the blue collar area of town.”

  Mark, the real estate agent who had helped Ethan’s father secure the mansion, tapped a pen against the desk. “Is there any reason why you are interested in this type residence?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see how that’s your concern. I want a two bedroom bungalow in a quiet suburb.”

  “Will this be a rental property?”

  “No.”

  Mark frowned. “Let me call up some available listings. What were you hoping for a possession date?”

  “The sooner the better.”

  “A month? Six weeks?”

  “A week.”

  Mark’s frown deepened. “Ethan, I respect your privacy but I would feel better knowing why you need a small house in a quiet neighbourhood at such short notice.”

  “I met a girl. I need to know she loves me before I tell her I’m a millionaire. I’m tired of girls loving my money more than me.”

  “Fine. I’ll see what I can find.”

  “Thank-you.”

  Ethan stood in front of the house and watched the moving van pull in. The furniture had all been rented from a ‘rent-to-own’ store that didn’t put up a fuss when things needed to be returned. If we aren’t compatible the furniture goes back. If we are, I’ll tell her the truth and she can move in with me at the family estate.

  I hope this works. I hope she believes I’m not that Ethan Trevors. I hope she will really love me. Because I think I really love her.

  When the moving men were gone and the For Sale/Sold sign in front of the house was safely disposed of he pulled out his cell and texted Jenny.

  “Would you like to do dinner tonight? My treat.”

  “I’m working late.”

  “A late dinner then. I’ll cook.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “No pressure. Just dinner. 128 William Gibson Bay.”

  “Okay, I’ll come.”

  Chapter 5

  Ethan was at the front window watching the road and fighting the urge to text her when the little rusty car pulled into the driveway and Jenny got out. She looked at her phone and then up at the house before neatening her skirt and starting up the walk.

  Wait! Don’t let her see you hovering! He bolted back towards the kitchen and let his gaze sweep over the room. There was wine and glasses on the table. The table was set. The food was ready and warming in the oven. The doorbell rang. His heart was hammering.

  Calm down. Everything’s going to be fine. He walked as calmly as possible to the front door and smiled as he opened it.

  “Hey Jenny, come on in. I hope you didn’t have too much trouble finding the place.”

  “I looked it up online,” she said, returning his smile. “This is nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Impressive too, I didn’t realize office assistants made enough to get a place like this. Gosh, sorry, that was inappropriate.”

  “No, it’s okay.” He shrugged and spun a quick lie. “I saved a project about a year ago and they gave me a raise and a bonus. It was enough to afford the down payment and the mortgage on this place so I bought it. It reminded me of my grandmother’s house.” That last part at least was true. His mom’s family was not wealthy and somehow Gran’s house had felt more like home to him than the mansion.

  “Some bonus. Even if I could put all of my wages into savings it would take me two or three years to save up for a place like this.” Then she smiled at him. “Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home, right? It reminds me of my grandmother’s house too.”

  Tension he hadn’t realized was building suddenly relaxed. “Supper’s warming in the oven,” he said.

  “Oh, am I late?”

  “No, but I started too early I guess.” He pulled out a fancy looking meat and pasta dish from the oven and a salad from the fridge.

  “It looks delicious.”

  “Would you like some wine?”

  “Yes please, but not too much.”

  He poured the wine and sat down. “Please, help yourself.”

  As he served himself she said, “This is really good.”

  He took a bite. “You’re right, this is good.” At her odd look he said, “Okay, I can’t cook more than the basics so I ordered
the pasta from a restaurant and scraped it into the casserole dish someone bought me as a house warming gift. It might be the first time I’ve used it. I didn’t think chicken fingers and fries from the oven was good enough for a date. But I made the salad myself.”

  “The salad is perfect,” she said. “And you’ll have to have me over for chicken fingers and fries one day, with a can of gravy.”

  With that his heart was lost. He’d had more than his fair share of lobster dinners, and never complained, but he had a special fondness for ‘bachelor food’, and his conversation moved on to work and family but he had trouble keeping track of what was being said, he was content just to stare at her, to take in the delicate features of her face, the way wisps of dark hair refused to stay in the ponytail she wore, the way her face, and especially her light glittering eyes, lit up when she laughed.

  Jenny talked, even as Ethan grew quieter, because talking was safe, talking was a distraction. He was staring at her with wide eyes and was hardly eating his dinner. The fact that she felt like resting her chin on her hand and staring right back made her nervous, so she talked. And ate.

  Out of the blue he said, “I said no pressure tonight, and I mean it, but I have to say this. You’re amazing, Jenny, in every way. I think I might be falling in love with you.”

  “Oh thank god,” she said. “I thought it was just me.”

  He reached out and took her hand. “Did you want dessert?”

  She shook her head. “I think I want you to kiss me.”

  He stood and walked over to her chair. He bent over her and kissed her. Until now their kisses had been light and flirty, but this one was soft and warm and deepened quickly.

  “Yes,” she said when he straightened again. “Yes, that’s what I wanted.” She sounded breathless and her eyes were closed. She licked her lips and he couldn’t resist kissing her again, quick and teasing even though he wanted to ravish her mouth.