RED HOT RANCH

by Swale, Lizzie

  Lillian

  He dropped the note and ran downstairs. Her bedroom was spotless, the bed neatly made, and there was no sign she’d ever been there. No sign except a parcel wrapped in silver paper sitting on the bed with his name on the tag.

  He set it in the office and ignored it.

  He didn’t hear from her, not a phone call, not an e-mail, not even a text message. He’d tried calling her cellphone but it rang in the office and he found it with Wendy’s on his desk. Soon it was Christmas Eve. He had a small tree in the living room and had set his presents under it. On Christmas Day his parents came over and they exchanged gifts but three remained under the tree.

  Later that night when he was alone again he opened the silver box. Inside was a pocket watch, plain and smooth, and when he opened it he found an inscription.

  To Gavin, with love, Lillian.

  He put it back in the box and took down the tree. The last two gifts, a halter with Wendy’s name on the side and a snowflake of diamonds on a silver chain, he hid under the bed, intent on forgetting about them. He almost put the pocket watch with them but at the last moment he took it out of the box, set it to the right time, wound it, and set it beside his alarm clock.

  He fell asleep staring at it and wondering where Lillian was now.

  Chapter 10

  Lillian practically crawled out of the bathroom. Wendy was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of toast and a math workbook. She looked up at her mom and frowned. “Maybe you should call in sick tomorrow,” she said. “You’ve been sick for days now.”

  “It’ll be fine. If I don’t feel better by bedtime I’ll call in sick, I promise. How’s your homework going?”

  “The math is easy and I finished the book we’re reading in class already.”

  Lillian studied her daughter carefully. She had the same evasive eyes and the same downcast voice Lillian had seen in the days before they had left the ranch a little more than a month before. “Is everything all right?”

  “I know we have to live here so you can bus to work but I miss living at the old apartment and I miss my old school.”

  “Aren’t you making friends?”

  Wendy shrugged.

  “Are kids picking on you?”

  Another shrug.

  “We left Wheaton to get away from this. Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

  “This was a good apartment, and you liked the new job, and I didn’t want to spoil things for you.”

  “Spoil things for me? Wendy, you’re the most important thing in my life!”

  “More important than Gavin?”

  They had both avoided talking about the ranch and about Gavin since they had left. Now Lillian looked away until she could bury her loneliness and pain. She forced a smile as she turned around again. “Yes, Wendy, you’re even more important than Gavin.”

  “Do you miss him?”

  “Yes.”

  “I do too. And I miss the horses.”

  They sat in mournful silence together until Lillian’s stomach did a back flip and a front roll at the same time and she bolted to the bathroom again.

  Lillian was making baked breaded chicken, from scratch, when Wendy emerged from her bedroom. “That smells really good. Why are you making my favourite supper?”

  “Because we haven’t had it in a while.”

  Wendy just nodded and pulled up a chair at the table.

  “So, I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

  “I thought so.”

  Lillian slid the tray in the oven, set the timer, and joined her daughter at the table. “I was going to wait until after I fed you the chicken but it looks like I’m busted, aren’t I?”

  “A little busted, yeah. What’s going on?”

  “I didn’t just run out for milk this afternoon.”

  “Did you buy me a present?”

  “No, but depending on your reaction it might be a present after all.”

  “Okay, what’s going on, Mom?”

  “Wendy, I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it did. And I want you to remember that I love you with all my heart, I always will.”

  “Did you get fired?”

  “No. But there’s a reason I’ve been sick.”

  “Are you dying?”

  “No!”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Wendy, I’m pregnant.” Lillian was expecting stunned silence at best and a full blown screaming fit at worst so when Wendy squealed and leapt out of her chair so she could race around the table and hug her Lillian was startled.

  “You’re really pregnant! Mom’s that’s awesome!”

  “You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Gavin has to be the dad, right? You haven’t dated since we moved.”

  Lillian was so stunned that all she could say was, “Yes, he’s the father. How long have you known?”

  She shrugged. “A while. So you’re going to tell him, right?”

  Lillian didn’t answer right away. “I hadn’t thought about it yet. I only just found out an hour ago.”

  “You don’t want to tell him?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll think about it, all right? And I was trying to keep that a secret from you.”

  “I know, that’s why I didn’t say anything, but I heard you come down in the mornings a few times and sort of guessed.”

  “Why did I bother lying to you?”

  Wendy shrugged.

  Gavin was staring at a stack of bills and his accounting program without seeing any of it. He was more than a week behind on the books and at least two weeks behind on his sleep. The whole town was talking about his affair and how she had left him high and dry and he didn’t care one bit, he had never cared about what they thought of him.

  Did they chase her away? Is it their fault she left? Will she come back? Will she call? Where is she? Why doesn’t she call? Did she really love me?

  The phone rang and he jumped. He got it on the second ring and said, “Hello!”

  It might not be her, calm down.

  “Hello Gavin, it’s Lillian.”

  His heart was hammering. “Lillian. I … How have you been?”

  “Good. How about you?”

  “Good. How is the new job?”

  “It’s good. How’s the ranch.”

  “It’s good.”

  “Uh … look, I’m sorry for calling so late.”

  “No!” he said quickly. “It’s okay. I was still up working on the paperwork. What did you need?”

  There was a pause and then Lillian said, “I was wondering if you wanted to come over to the new apartment and have dinner with us one day this week.”

  “Of course. Is there anything I can bring?”

  “No, that’s okay, you don’t need to bring anything. I’m free all week so …”

  “I can come tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”

  “That would be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He hung up the phone and smiled.

  Her name was on one of the buzzer tags in the foyer so he pressed it and waited. “Hello?” said a familiar voice.

  “Hi Wendy, it’s Gavin.”

  “Are you here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll buzz you in. Turn left when you get off the elevator.”

  Her directions weren’t necessary since she was waiting in the Hallway for him.

  “Hey!” she called, waving. “Over here!”

  He smiled and waved back. “How have you been kiddo?”

  “All right I guess. How are the horses? Do they miss me?”

  “Of course they do. If your mom says it’s okay you could come down one weekend to go riding.”

  “That would be awesome.” The elevator binged open. “Oh, there’s Mrs. Jameson.”

  “Oh, is she coming for dinner too?”

  “No, I’m going over to her place for the evening.”

  “Oh, okay. I’ll see you later.”
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  He watched her run off down the hall, waved to Mrs. Jameson, and then took a deep breath. He stepped into the apartment and was met with delicious smells.

  “Hello!” he called and his heart almost stopped when Lillian stepped out of the kitchen. She was glowing.

  “You made it. I was hoping you wouldn’t get lost.”

  “Here, I brought you a little something as a belated house warming present.” He held out the bag.

  “Oh, you didn’t need to do that.” She wiped her hands on her apron and took the bag. Inside was a bottle of wine. Her smile faltered for a split second. “Thank-you. Why don’t I get you a glass?”

  “All right. This is a nice building.”

  “Yes, and in a much better part of town than before.”

  “So the job is paying well?”

  “Well enough. Sit down and get comfortable. Supper should be done in just a minute; I just wanted to let the sauce thicken up a little.”

  “I didn’t realize it would be just you and me,” he said. He let his gaze sweep over the apartment. It was a mix-match of second hand furniture with that coffee table standing proudly in the middle of the living room. There were no photos on the walls, no knick-knacks, no house plants, nothing to really make the barely furnished apartment look like a real home.

  She came back with a single glass of wine and he frowned. I’m sure she’s had wine before. And we’ve sat on the deck with our beers before. Maybe she just kept her glass in the kitchen for now.

  “I wanted a chance to talk, without having to dance around certain subjects for Wendy’s sake.”

  “Does she know?”

  “Oh, she knows,” She said, her voice dry. “She didn’t freak out, either.”

  He relaxed a little. “Good, because I never wanted to hurt her. Or you.”

  She opened her mouth to say something but the kitchen timer started beeping. She disappeared for a moment and came back with a casserole dish almost overflowing with potatoes, chicken, bacon, carrots, and a creamy sauce.

  “Wow.”

  “I hope it tastes as good as it smells,” she said. “Let’s eat.”

  “Lillian, I want to have a nice evening with you, but I have to know. Did I do something to hurt you or scare you away?”

  She shook her head. “It was the school,” she said. “Wendy was being bullied so badly. She’s the only one with a single mom, and everyone in town suspected we were having an affair, and when I went to speak with the school the principal turned out to be a, sexist, conservative … gentleman who had the nerve to imply I was a whore. I had just finished my diploma and then I saw this job and I thought, ‘I have to get Wendy out of here, I have to get her back to the city where she won’t get hurt’. So we left.”

  “Lillian …”

  She held up her hand. “I’m sorry about how we left; I didn’t want to hurt you. I wasn’t sleeping with you just because you were there, or because you were rich, I really did care about you. But my daughter had to come first.”

  “I understand.” He heaved a sigh. “Wow. You don’t know how relieved I am that it wasn’t something I did.”

  She stared at him for a moment and then started laughing. He chuckled too and took a sip of his wine. “Oh, it’s been a week full of surprises,” she said.

  “I know Wendy has to come first …”

  “The thing is I’m going to have to learn to compromise.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You’re not asking me to, but Wendy’s going to be a big sister and I can’t play favourites.”

  His heart sank. “Congratulations.” That’s why she’s not drinking the wine. She’s pregnant. She sure didn’t wait long after she left.

  “I could say the same to you.”

  He stared at her. “You can’t be serious.”

  She nodded, smiling shyly.

  “You’re pregnant. And I’m the father?”

  “Who else could it be? You’re the only man I’ve slept with since Wendy’s father abandoned me when I was six months pregnant with her. That’s why I wanted you to come for dinner. I didn’t feel right telling you over the phone.”

  “I’m going to be a father?”

  “I hope it doesn’t cause too many problems, us not being married, and me already having a kid.”

  He pushed his chair back and came around the table. She thought he was going to hug her but he dropped to one knee instead. “Marry me.”

  “You don’t have to do this, Gavin. I raised one child alone …”

  “And you did a wonderful job. But I don’t just want to be the father; I want to be a dad. I want you and Wendy to come live with me. If that’s all you want that’s fine, but I want to be involved with this baby.”

  “What about my job?”

  “I’ll hire you. You can be the administrative assistant at Asher Ranch. It was always a family business from the start.”

  “What about everyone in town? What will they say if we don’t get married?”

  “I don’t give a damn, Lillian I have never cared one bit about what anyone in town thought of me. But I will not stand for them hurting Wendy. If she’ll tell me who hurt her I can promise that those families will not be invited to the wedding, if there is a wedding.”

  “I don’t know, I mean I was so worried you’d just walk out that I didn’t even think of what to say if you proposed.”

  “I love you Lillian, you’re beautiful, you’re easy to talk to, you fit in my life like you’ve always been there and my mom adores you. Marry me. Let’s be a family, a team …”

  “Okay!” she laughed. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  He pulled her out of her chair. “Which one is your bedroom?”

  “Gavin! What about supper?”

  “Casserole makes for good leftovers. I want you, Lillian, I’ve missed you. We’ve got the whole evening to ourselves, let’s celebrate.” He kissed her breathless.

  “Okay, let’s celebrate. You know, I love you too.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Epilogue

  The wedding was held the weekend of Valentine’s Day. Lillian was just beginning to show her pregnancy but the cut of her white beaded dress hid it beautifully, not that the whole town wasn’t already talking about it. True to his word Gavin had refused to send invitations to the school principal or to the parents of the students who had bullied Wendy. He’d gone so far as to stand at the back of the church and turn people away before the ceremony.

  Lillian’s parents came from the city nearly a week before the wedding. It was the first time they’d seen Wendy since she was two weeks old. They spent some time talking and by the day of the wedding they had reconciled whatever it was that had driven them apart years earlier.

  Wendy got a beautiful gold dress and new shoes and she and Lillian and Courtney and Lillian’s mom had all gone to the city the day before the wedding to get their nails done. Lillian did Wendy’s make-up and when she was done the ten-year-old looked much older.

  Lillian smiled. “You’re going to be beautiful when you grow up.”

  The town hall was packed with people, even with a few dozen left off the list. The food was delicious, the music was beautiful, and everyone laughed and talked all through dinner.

  When the tinkling glasses started Gavin stood up and pulled Lillian to her feet. He dipped her and kissed her until everyone was whistling and clapping. When he stood her up again he said, “Oh boy, wow,” and everyone in the room laughed. She leaned into his chest, tears of happiness streaming from her eyes and for the first time ever, was home.

  BLIND DATE WITH THE PRESIDENT

  CHAPTER ONE

  There wasn’t much that Jackson wanted for in his life. That being said Jackson knew that his life was much different from the lives most other ‘normal’ people led. Most people worked nine to five jobs and worried about paying off their student loan debt. But not Jackson. He had led a different life. He’d joined up with the Rough Riders a long ti
me ago. Thinking back on it now it seemed like a lifetime, but he knew that it wasn’t. Jackson was only twenty-eight years old, and he had a lot of life left ahead of him. And, right now, he was at the top of the biker MC world.

  He had recently ascended to leader of the Rough Riders, something that he had always wanted; but there was something missing in his life. He’d tried to tell himself that it was just an empty feeling, that he didn’t need a woman around to make him happy. Besides that, where was he going to meet a woman that he would get along with anyway? Sure, there were plenty of whores that hung around the clubhouse, and Jackson hadn’t been above using them for his voracious needs. But now, he was looking for something more, a real connection.

  The nearby town of Ames, Iowa, held one of the nation’s top party schools, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to try to source his next old lady by sifting through the throngs of elitist Uggs wearing girls of the university.

  Although, a few club members had found some fun times with members of the Lucky Ladies sorority. He had heard that they were the most open and accepting (and adventurous) of all the sororities.

  Jackson was sitting on his porch. The old wooden house had been built years before in the style of southern plantations with a big deck and plenty of windows. It seemed very out of place in Iowa. It also surprised Jackson that the old house had held up after all of the years of abuse the Rough Riders had put her through.

  “Tony,” Jackson called over his shoulder.

  “What’s up?” Tony asked as he trotted out of the house.

  Jackson was more relaxed than the last Rough Rider who had lead the club, but people were still on their toes as evidenced by Tony’s scampering feet and a breathless acknowledgment.

  “Tony,” Jackson said. “How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t have to run to answer me?”

  Jackson could tell that Tony was embarrassed, and immediately felt badly for calling him out on it.

  “Listen,” Jackson said. “It’s not a big deal. All right? But I’d just like things to relax around here a little bit. It’s not like we are at war with any other gang. I mean hell, we don’t even have trouble with the cops around here anymore.”