Dreamspinner Press Year Five Greatest Hits

by Tinnean

  He listened as Eli walked away. When he heard the bedroom door close, he ventured out and looked around nervously. Will gathered his clothes, took a very quick shower, and dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt with a T-shirt over it. He pulled his Converse shoes out of his suitcase and put them on. He would need comfortable footwear if he was going to keep ahead of Eli today. Before leaving his room, he took the little cell phone from his shirt pocket, and instead of taking it with him, he tossed it in the dresser drawer. Step one, he said to himself, no phone contact. Now step two was to get out of the house without anyone seeing him. He took his book and camera, just in case he needed to make up a story about what he was doing. Will remembered Mrs. Coleman telling him that there was an exit off the back of the house that was almost never used. He could leave that way and no one should be the wiser.

  Will decided, after several hours of reading in one of the lesser used outbuildings, to go and see Kathy and maybe get some coffee and conversation to help pass the time.

  “Where have you been?” Kathy asked, surprised to see him.

  “Why? What do you mean?” Will sat down at her kitchen table and eagerly accepted the hot cup of coffee she offered.

  “Elijah was here about a half an hour ago looking for you,” Kathy informed him.

  “Was he?” Will said as innocently as he could.

  “Are you hiding from him?” Kathy asked with an incredulous smile as she sat down with him at the table.

  “Well…,” Will began and then took another sip of coffee. “Yes, I guess I am.”

  “Why?” Kathy wanted to hear it all.

  “I thought that if I could just avoid him for the rest of today, I could leave here tomorrow without any regrets or humiliations to live down.” Kathy’s expression indicated that she did not understand. Will explained his growing feelings for Elijah and that he didn’t trust himself around him. “He’s a very compelling man. I enter with resolve and exit with wounds, I never win with him.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “Yes, I do.” Will gulped down his coffee, and Kathy gave him an instant refill. “It doesn’t matter, though,” he continued. “He can’t ever know it.”

  “You think that if you can avoid him today, then he will never find out how you really feel?”

  “Yes, that is exactly what I think.” Will was not going to back down. Kathy did not know what was really going on here. “I heard Elijah and Martin discussing me yesterday. Elijah said he was going to make the announcement regardless of how I feel. He knows I’m not falling for the act, so he’s going to try and humiliate me any way that he can. He has told numerous people that we’re getting married. His only purpose in doing that is when he calls it all off, I will look like the poor wretch who was left stranded at the altar. Embarrassment, humiliation, and revenge—that is all he is interested in.”

  “I heard about the wedding,” Kathy asserted. “I also heard about the date, the dinner, the suit, the bracelet, the piano, the picnic lunch, and the way he defended you to the Gerards. He wouldn’t be doing all of those things for you if his only intent was to break you.” Kathy still believed that Elijah’s interest in him was sincere.

  Will tried to make her understand, but it was impossible. He finally gave up. He finished the last of his coffee and stood up, placing his cup in the sink.

  “Talk to him, Will. Ask him for the truth. He will give it to you,” Kathy urged as Will was leaving. Poor Will is so fearful of doing the wrong thing, of making a mistake, that he is willing to do nothing and throw it all away. Kathy wished she could shake some sense into that boy, but perhaps Elijah would do it for her. He was not a patient man by nature, and this man had pushed him about as far as any man could be pushed. Kathy was quite certain that Will would not remain hidden, and he would not escape as unscathed as he had hoped.

  SHORTLY AFTER Will left, Jim Graham came home for lunch.

  “How was your morning?” Kathy asked, as she did every day.

  “Miserable,” Jim shot back. “I can only hope that Elijah finds William soon.” He sat down and began eating. Kathy joined him.

  “Is Elijah really that upset?” she asked.

  “Upset?” He laughed. “He’s furious, and he’s taking it out on everyone.” He paused to butter his bread and sip his tea. “It all started this morning,” he began. “Elijah had adjusted his schedule so that he was back in the main house by seven o’clock. He does this so that he can have breakfast with William. Well, he wasn’t there this morning. Mrs. Coleman hasn’t seen him, no one has seen him, and he’s not answering his phone.” Jim set his teacup down, exasperated. “Elijah has been everywhere looking for him. The more he looks, the darker his mood becomes. I hope he finds him soon.”

  “Will was here, Jim,” Kathy confessed. “Just after Elijah had come and gone. He left about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Does he have any idea what he is doing to that man?” Jim demanded.

  “Not a clue.”

  WILL MANAGED to dodge lunch and snuck back to his room through the back door without anyone seeing him. He sat down at the small desk and decided to give Katrina a call, just to see what her plans were and to inform her that he, too, would be on his way home tomorrow. Will glanced out the window and saw Elijah, and his heart skipped a beat. He stood and stared at him, wishing that things had been different, wishing that things had been real. Eli was yelling at a group of men. He was obviously taking his anger out on them. I’m not around to pick on, so he has to have a release somewhere. But then, as he thought about it, he slowly realized Eli never really picked on him and really didn’t treat him all that badly. He wondered for a moment if he was making the right decision or the biggest mistake of his life. Suddenly, he heard the faint ringing of his phone from the drawer. He looked back at Eli from the window, and Eli looked furious. He held the small phone to his ear and ran an agitated hand through his hair. Will took the phone from the drawer and answered it.

  “Hello,” he said timidly.

  “My God, William!” he roared. “Where the hell are you?” The silence went on too long. “Tell me where you are, and I will come get you,” he demanded. Still silence.

  Will didn’t know what to say.

  “Are you okay?” Eli asked, concern washing over him in a wave. “Are you injured?”

  “I’m fine,” Will said at last. “I’m not injured. I just need some time to think. I need to be alone for a while.” A tightness formed in his throat as now he listened to the silence. “I’ll talk to you later,” he added.

  “Are you on the ranch?” Eli asked.

  “Yes, I haven’t left.” Will thought he heard a sigh of relief from Eli’s end. “I need to think,” he reiterated.

  “Okay,” he said softly. “Promise that you’ll remember one thing,” he began.

  “What?” He asked expecting Eli to say something about his agreement and the fact that he had a huge financial hold over him, but he didn’t.

  “I love you.” That was all Eli said, and he didn’t wait for Will to respond. Will heard the phone click and the line went dead. He was still holding it to his ear and looking out the window at Elijah as he walked away toward the stable. He looked calmer, but sad, or was Will just seeing things?

  Will tried Katrina at the old family home in East Lansing, but she wasn’t there. The housekeeper told him that Katrina had left on a long weekend with a friend. She didn’t know who the friend was, and she didn’t know where Katrina was headed, but she did know that Katrina wasn’t expected back until Tuesday of next week. Will thanked the woman and hung up. Katrina was no longer a part of this equation, it was between him and Elijah now, and no one else. He needed to talk to someone who knew the truth, someone who would be willing to share what they knew. The name Adam Gerard came to him at that moment. He didn’t trust John and his interpretation of events, but maybe John’s father could shed some light on the facts surrounding John’s run-in with Elijah Hunter.

  Will found th
e business card that John had given him that first day; there was a phone number on it, and he hoped it would get him in touch with Adam and not John. He listened as the phone rang and waited apprehensively for someone to answer.

  “Gerard Ranch, how can I help you?” It was a woman’s voice. He hadn’t considered there might be a Mrs. Gerard, but apparently there was.

  “This is William Drake,” he began and sensed the sudden tension and reserve from the woman. “I was hoping that I might be allowed to speak with Adam Gerard, please?” He waited as the woman sorted out the request.

  “He’s out at the moment; he should be back in about an hour.” She lightened a little. “If you give me your number, I will ask him to call you.”

  “Thank you.” Will gave her the number. After she hung up, Will wondered if Adam would take it seriously enough to call or would he fear making matters worse and simply call Elijah instead? Will sat, reading his book, waiting and hoping for Adam’s call. When the phone finally rang, he jumped at it as if it were on fire.

  “Adam Gerard here, what can I do for you?” He sounded guarded.

  “I was wondering if we could talk?” Will began.

  “What about, William?” Adam was still very distant and careful. Will needed to speak with him in person. He needed to look him in the eye and ask his questions, but first he needed for Adam to relax.

  “I don’t mean you any trouble, sir. I just need to ask you some questions. It’s personal,” he finished.

  Something in Will’s tone struck a chord with him, and he let down his guard. He was a decent guy. Adam knew that.

  “I can meet with you right now,” he said. “Come over and we’ll talk.” He sensed Will’s hesitation so he added, “John isn’t here. He won’t be back ’til tomorrow.”

  “I’ll see you shortly, then,” Will agreed. Now all that remained was to leave the ranch undetected. As he was speaking with Adam, he watched Elijah and four other men ride out on horseback. He would probably be gone for a while, so that took care of that problem, but he still had to escape Mrs. Coleman’s watchful eye. He would have to take his rental car this time. The Gerard ranch was a fair distance away, so walking was not an option. How do I drive away without being noticed? He thought on this for several minutes before simply deciding to go for it. Just leave and deal with anyone who would try and stop me. Make it one fluid motion, he coached himself. Out the front door, to the car, and out the front gate; it turned out to be easier than expected. If anyone saw him, they didn’t try to stop or talk. He was exiting the outer gate when apprehension struck him. What if talking to Adam causes more questions than answers? What if he deepens my fear instead of appeasing it? And the big question was, just what did Will want him to say? Did he want his theories proven to be right, or did he want something else? His head was warning him to be careful, while his heart was insisting that he risk it all.

  MRS. GERARD met him at the door and ushered Will into her husband’s office. “Adam is in here, sir. He thought you probably wanted some privacy.” The woman smiled warmly, very much in contrast to the cool distance Will had felt on the phone. Adam Gerard came forward, shook his hand, and then directed him to sit on the small, leather sofa while he sat across from Will in a straight-back chair. When he smiled, Will knew he’d come to the right place. It was an honest, genuine smile, and not condescending. He would help him if he could, Will could see it in his eyes.

  “This may sound strange at first,” he began, “but I’ve had a very rough few days at the Hunter ranch, and all I really need is some straight answers. I thought, considering the fact that you’ve lived in this area a very long time….” Adam nodded to that statement but did not interrupt him. “I thought you would be able to give me some correct information.”

  “What are your questions?” he asked softly. He knew this was of vital importance to Will, although it did seem much more than just strange. Everyone in the area and especially himself knew that Elijah cared deeply for this man, but why would Will come to him for answers. What is he looking for?

  “I’m not sure where to begin.” Will fumbled with his words. “I assume you’re aware that Elijah has asked me to marry him.” Adam nodded that he knew. “I have many doubts about his sincerity in this regard,” he added. “I was very surprised when John called me and said that Elijah was simply playing with me. He said that Elijah was planning to humiliate me and that Elijah had done this same thing to him about six years ago. John warned me to leave before I got hurt.” It was easier to talk with Adam than he had first thought. Once he started, everything seemed to flow.

  “You believe John?” He sounded more than surprised, more like disappointed.

  “Not entirely at first, but then I spoke with a couple of other people who didn’t have the whole story, but even the portion they had supported John’s assumptions.” Will wrung his hands nervously, trying to get his thoughts in check. “My question to you is, do you know anything about what happened to your son at the Hunter ranch?” He saw the enlightenment spread across his face.

  “This is all about my son, then?” he asked.

  “Yes, what did Elijah do to him, and why?”

  Will’s question made a lot of sense to him now. He obviously believes that what happened to John is destined to be his future as well. John made sure of that. Adam stifled a groan of disgust, but Will heard it, and his head snapped up to regard him closely.

  “Whatever John told you is a pack of lies. John is paying for a lapse in judgment, and rather than take it like a man, he prefers to skulk around telling lies and half-truths in an attempt to make others pay as well. I’m ashamed to call him my own.”

  Adam stood up and walked over to seat himself next to Will. “The thing you need to realize is that my son is an operator, if you know what I mean. He went after Elijah with a vengeance. At first Elijah thought he was a harmless kid with a schoolboy crush, but it turned into much more than that. He wanted a piece of Elijah’s money and a place in his bed. John knew what he was doing, trying to separate Elijah from the important people in his life and secure a spot in it for him alone. He has no manners and is truthfully nothing but a gold digger. He wants money that he doesn’t have to work for. Elijah decided to teach him a lesson. He exposed John for what he was, shattering his golden-boy, do-no-wrong image, and booted him off of the ranch, but as far as any humiliation scene, that just did not happen. Men like John are constantly playing a game. Emotions and hearts do not get involved; he was not devastated by the rejection, just disappointed. I love my son, but some days I can’t stand the sight of him. He was envious of you getting into Elijah’s good graces so fast.”

  Adam smiled and took Will’s hand in a friendly gesture of comfort. “He played the game, and Elijah won. You refused to play the game.” He looked at Will and saw his confusion. “What John told you and what others told you sounded true because they were all portions of the truth, but you know as well as I that part of the truth does not tell the whole story. These stories about Elijah and John have been traveling around for years. He never bothered to correct any of them. Elijah couldn’t care less what his neighbors thought of him. The people who knew him knew the truth, and that was all that mattered to him.”

  “How do I know that he is not playing with me? He tested me for days when I first arrived, certain that I had something to do with what Katrina had tried to do. My sister is very much like John. What’s to stop him from taking his anger out on me?” Will was comforted but not convinced.

  “I don’t like Elijah Hunter, never did, but I respect him, and I can guarantee you that he would not make you pay for what your sister did.” Adam sighed. “Don’t let what John said influence you. If you have questions, then you need to go to the source for your answers.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ask Elijah himself. He is one of the most unpleasant men in the county, I agree with that. But there is one thing about him that has to be admired and that is, if you ask him a direct question,
he will give you a direct answer. He won’t lie to you. If John had asked him if he intended to make a place for him at the ranch, he would have told him the truth too.” That was the second time Will had been told to go to him. “The key is to ask the right questions,” Adam added with a wink.

  “That’s a hard thing to do,” he confessed.

  “So hard that you are willing to forfeit your future? He loves you, William, everyone can see that. Stop thinking with your brain and trust your feeling.”

  THE FIRST thing that caught Elijah’s attention, upon riding into the yard, was the fact that Will’s little rental car was gone. His heart sank, and a searing pain knifed through him so fiercely that he groaned audibly. He jumped from his mount and handed him off to Steven. Elijah walked toward the main house like a man in a trance. When he entered the kitchen to speak with Mrs. Coleman, his fears were made real.

  “He drove off around four this afternoon,” Mrs. Coleman informed him. “He didn’t say where he was going or when he would be back. He just left.” Mrs. Coleman could see and feel the pain he was experiencing. She’d never seen Elijah like this before. He looked completely flattened. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon. He wouldn’t just leave without saying something. He’ll be back.”

  Elijah shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  Martin came into the kitchen just then. “What’s wrong?” he asked, not noticing the missing car on his way in.

  “William is gone,” Elijah stated. “He left this afternoon.”

  “Gone?” Martin didn’t know what to make of it.

  Elijah walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to his study. He slammed the door, a clear message that he did not want to be disturbed. Both Martin and Mrs. Coleman watched him and desperately wanted to do something to help. But what? they both thought.