The expression of drawn eyebrows and lips pressed together told her little. "Yes, I will speak to him sometime this week. Are you sure you want to leave now?"
"I am. It's best." Amy Leigh turned her face from him not wanting to show her confusion at his question. She slipped the ring from her finger and looked at it one last time before handing it to him.
"Amy Leigh? We can hold off. I'd like to see you more." Sincerity dripped from every word and it cut into her heart. If only.
"Please take it." When she turned, her eyes locked onto his and she reached for his face, cupping his jaw. "It's not worth it, Trent. It started as a one-night stand. It should have been just that; a great memory of a wonderful time together. You and I…we are so very different. Although your family and friends were gracious, I felt like a fish out of water. When you find love, I know it will be someone of your social standing. A woman who understands your world."
The muscle under her hand tightened and his gaze became hard and distant. "Of course. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."
"It's not that, Trent, you misunderstand me."
"No, Amy Leigh, I understood every word. Like you said, we complicated a one-night stand."
Her hand fell from his face and she took a step back. "Well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye," he said not moving, his eyes flat. "Take care, Amy Leigh."
The road blurred and cleared with every blink. Thankfully it didn't rain on her three-hour drive home, or she would've had to pull over. She did not cry, but it was only because she kept repeating the same words over and over.
You are an idiot. You can't love him.
Chapter Twelve
"When is the farce going to end?" Miranda leaned forward with her breasts in perfect alignment for him to see. "I mean the annulment should be completed by now, right?" She selected a grape and plopped it into her mouth. The act was no doubt an effort to seduce him. "You did file it already, didn't you?"
Two weeks had passed since he’d seen Amy Leigh, and every day was proving to be a chore. Trent wished again, he'd not opened the door.
"I have an early day, Miranda. Although I appreciate you stopping by to bring me this...er… fruit dish, I have to ask you to..." he stopped talking when she straddled his lap and leaned forward her lips on the side of his face.
"What is wrong, Trent? You've never resisted me before. I never had to try so hard to get you in bed. If you're angry with me because of what I said to that woman at your parent’s party, then you're being unrealistic."
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing that wasn't true. She was out of her element for one thing." Her hand slid under his shirt stroking his nipple and in spite of steeling himself, it aroused him.
He exhaled. "This is not a good idea."
"Yes, it is." Her tongue traced his ear while at the same time she pressed her breasts against his chest. "I want you, Trent."
When his hand went to her hip, he was struck by how little there was for him to sink his fingers into or how lacking it felt. "No, Miranda, I can't." He pushed her off and she stumbled to stand. At once he grabbed her arms to keep her from landing on her butt. "I can't," he repeated simply and ushered her to the doorway. "Everything between us is over."
"You can't mean that, Trent," she half wailed. "You and I--we're meant to be. Your family and mine have planned our marriage for years."
The reason for her insistence had not been obvious until recently. He took her by the arms to keep her from getting closer. "No, my family is ambivalent when it comes to you. However, I know why yours is so intent on this marriage. Your father has lost millions in the oil spill and everyday he's bleeding more and more money into the Gulf of Mexico. He needs my family's money. Well how about this? Tell him I was disinherited when I married Amy Leigh. I lost all of my inheritance."
Here it was. The test she would fail.
Miranda paled and snatched her arm out of his hand. "You are an idiot, Trent Baxter! You'll be sorry you married that trash! Now no one from our circle will have anything to do with you. Goodbye."
The door slammed so hard a picture bounced off the wall and onto the floor with the glass splintering into pieces around his feet. Trent stared at the glass for a while weighing Miranda's words. He should have made her tell him everything she'd said to Amy Leigh.
His cell phone chimed. He picked it up and put it to his ear uttering a hoarse, "Yes, Mother?"
"Trent? Honey, are you all right?" His mother's voice was high-pitched. “You sound angry.” She knew him too well. "How's Amy Leigh?"
"I assume she's well. I have not talked to her today."
"Really? I would think you’d speak to your wife daily."
Her disapproving tone made him realize his mistake. "Err... she has several events planned today."
"Yes, that makes sense. I hope you two move in together soon. It must be hard to live in different towns. Anyway, I called to tell you that I hope your father didn't hurt her feelings too badly. He admitted being a bit harsh with her and now feels bad about it."
His mother's words sunk in and he lifted his hand to his hair. "Mother, I don't know what you're talking about. What did Dad say to Amy Leigh?"
He heard his mother sighing. "You know him. He thinks everyone is after our money. I suppose it’s not that bad if Amy Leigh has not mentioned it to you."
"Mom, I have to go. I will talk to you later. Have a good night. I love you." Trent ended the phone call and walked into the living room. He flung Miranda's fruit basket across the room and collapsed onto his couch. No wonder Amy Leigh had practically fled from him. Both Miranda and his own father had made sure she did.
His phone sounded again, but he didn't bother to look at the display. He had too much riding on a business meeting in the morning. He owed it to his partners Charles and Jenny to be at his best. They were meeting with the largest ranch owners in the area.
Once the week was over, he'd go to Amy Leigh.
It was time he took care of the marriage and ended the farce once and for all. Then he could move forward.
Two days later, his father's deep voice much like his own, sounded in his ear. "So as you can see, I can understand why Amy Leigh could have misconstrued my comments as negative. I suppose I did nothing to make her think otherwise, but she assured me to act appropriately as your wife."
"It was not your place, Father. How could you have crossed the line and disrespected her like that?"
"It was not how I meant to come across. I will apologize to the girl."
"My wife is not a 'girl.'" He couldn't help but correct him. "Don’t bother. Just know you have done more damage than not." He ended the call and sat back at his desk. His new secretary, a pleasant woman about forty with a blond bob and sharp green eyes, entered his office. "Trent, the software company reps will be here at two tomorrow afternoon. They said everyone will have intranet access on their computers the next morning." She placed several pieces of paper in front of him.
He looked over the paperwork while his eyes went back to the woman who stood by with one last paper in her hand. "Thank you, Mara, is there anything else?"
"Yes, your lawyer called just now." She looked uncomfortable, but she held a polite smile. "He seemed angry. Said he'll be by in thirty minutes and that he's tired of you not returning his calls."
"Well, I certainly won't move a muscle until he arrives." Trent smiled at Mara. "He's an old family friend who takes things much too seriously."
"I see," Mara replied with a relieved expression. Her eyebrows high, she nodded. "I will show him in when he arrives."
He sat back and thought about what the family lawyer called about. He had yet to sign the annulment papers. Once they were delivered, he'd take them to Amy Leigh and if things did not go well after they talked, he'd ask her to sign the paperwork. This was not something he wished to do via email or phone.
He owed her that much and an apology too.
Chapter Thirteen
It was
margarita night. Amy Leigh sat under the harsh lighting at Pablo's Mexican Cantina, while being interrogated by her three friends. With a huge platter of nachos in the center of the table being shared, they took turns quizzing her on what happened in Vegas. She'd put them off several times. The only reason she was there tonight was because they'd come to her house and caught her mowing the lawn, after she'd lied and told them she had a cold.
Amy Leigh held up a finger. "Let me remind you bitches of the fact you abandoned me in Vegas. I was alone and defenseless." Since the word “bitches” sounded more like “bishes,” it was obvious she'd passed her drink limit.
Nicole, the ringleader arched a newly waxed brow. "Not so defenseless. You landed Billings' most eligible bachelor." The three high fived while Amy Leigh rolled her eyes.
"Is he as hot in person?" Ashley usually the quiet one tapped a fingernail on a print out of Trent’s picture she'd downloaded. “How about in bed?" All three shrieked at the question and laughed until noticing she glared at them.
"Oh come on, fess up. Tell us something and we'll leave you alone." Lynn, her cousin lifted a nacho and inspected it before taking a bite. "Spill it, sister."
"He's super hot. Great in bed and soon to be my ex." Amy Leigh couldn't stop the words as she told her best friends the entire story.
By the time she finished, they'd all drank too much. "Oh, honey. You have to tell him how you feel." Nicole shook her head and her eyes crossed.
"Yes, the least you can do is talk to him, and who knows? Maybe he is sitting in some jazzy bar with his rich guy friends drinking expensive scotch and being pitiful too," Lynn added.
"I'm not pitiful." Amy Leigh sighed. "Well, maybe a little bit."
They called Amy Leigh’s mom to pick them up and waited for Pablo, to announce her arrival.
Amy Leigh sighed. "Okay, maybe I will call and tell him."
The next day Amy Leigh was at work at a party she'd planned. Although her mind was elsewhere the entire time and her head felt like it had a woodpecker perched on her ear and poking her temples, she did her best to maintain a professional appearance. Parties were a special time for her clients, and Amy Leigh could not bear to ever let anyone down.
She made up her mind. Tomorrow she'd drive to Laurel and talk to Trent. Not sure what she'd say yet.
"That's a beautiful setting. The paper lanterns are just the right touch." The party hostess smiled broadly at Amy Leigh, interrupting her reverie. "Your talents are wasted in this small town. You should consider moving to Billings. I can think of quite a few friends that have events coming up this year and would not hesitate to hire you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Leonard," Amy Leigh replied. She scanned the tables with a critical eye, making a note to ask her helpers to move one table further to the side to allow for better traffic flow. "I can go to a Billings, if someone wants to hire me. It's not so far that I can't do an event there. As a matter of fact, I've been thinking a lot about moving out of my comfort zone. Expanding."
"Good idea," the woman said. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket when it buzzed. "Oh goodness. It looks like the guests from Atlanta are almost here." She hurried away, her long skirt swaying to and fro.
The Leonard's owned a large beautiful home in Pine Oak they used mainly for entertaining during the spring and early summer.
The huge home reminded her of the Baxter's. She pushed the thought away when her mother approached.
"Everything's set up inside. The caterer is here and the food is ready to be set out once the guests arrive. Harold Leonard is already half-drunk so he's definitely ready to party."
Jane Paisley squinted. "Who knows what those musicians are doing, plucking at those strange looking instruments."
Amy Leigh looked to where the mandolin players sat. "It was almost impossible to find them. I don't know why Mrs. Leonard is so set upon mandolins." The notes of their soft music transported her back two weeks to that night in Billings.
"You look tired." Her mother's words snapped her back to the present. "I can take it from here. You've done most of the work for this party, so it's only fair I stay and ensure all goes well. Go on, now. Leave early to go see your husband."
Lying was becoming a chore. "I am, but not until tomorrow. He's not home. Trent's gone on a business trip today."
"He needs to come here and meet me. We need to discuss the wedding details. His mother hasn't as much as called me yet." Her mother narrowed her eyes. "Rich people are so annoying."
Laughter came from the doorway as the first guests filtered in. "Yes, I think I better rest. I have a slight headache." It was the truth. Her temples pounded and her throat was dry. "Hope I'm not getting sick," she muttered and headed to her Jeep.
Chapter Fourteen
Light poured from the front windows of her small house and Amy Leigh paused trying to remember if she'd left them on. Too tired to care, she dragged her business tote and purse out of the Jeep and trudged to the front door. If there were an ax murderer in her living room, she'd make it easy for him. She would lie down, hold her chin up, and wait for the ax to fall. A giggle escaped at the thought and she lifted her hand to her forehead when it throbbed in response. "Ouch. Shit."
"Hello, babe."
Jay, her ex-boyfriend and stalker, put down the beer he'd obviously taken from her refrigerator. He stood by the kitchen island and smiled brightly. "Bet you weren't expecting me tonight."
She ignored him and walked past to open a cabinet to grab a glass. She poured water into the glass, opened a bottle of aspirin, and shook three of them onto her palm. After popping the meds into her mouth, she watched him over the rim while drinking.
He was a good-looking guy, not as handsome as Trent, but certainly held his own. His tussled brown hair had blond highlights from days spent working as a roofer, which also kept his arms and chest toned. He wore a torn pair of jeans, flip-flops, and a tank top ripped on the side. Probably on purpose to show off his abs.
"You didn't have to dress up on my account," she told him and kicked her heels off before turning to rummage in her freezer for a bag of frozen peas, carrots, or anything she could slap on her head.
"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing here? Shove me out the door or tell me to leave you alone." Jay actually looked dejected at her not kicking him out.
"I am too tired to argue with you and my head explodes when I talk too much, so if I yell I'm pretty sure it will shoot off my neck." She pulled the bag of frozen mixed vegetables out and plopped it on her head. "Leave the key on the counter and get out."
"I only have two left. Jeff at Hayne's Hardware won't make me any more copies. Said you threatened to cut his pecker off," Jay complained.
Wonderful coldness seeped through her hair and she sighed. "Jay, I am not in the mood for company tonight."
"We can watch a movie." His hopeful expression made her want to smack the selfish man. They had the same argument every time he 'broke in'. They'd stopped dating almost two years earlier and he always stopped by when in between girlfriends. Truthfully sometimes they did hang out and watch television, he was more of a friend now.
"Not tonight, maybe later this week. I'm lying down." She went to her bedroom and closed the door.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" Jay asked from the other side. "I can stay here tonight just to be sure you don't die or something."
"No thanks, I'm pretty sure I'll live."
"Hey, it's nice to know you don't hate me."
"No, but I'm not sure I like you."
"Why?"
"’Cause you’re a man-whore."
"Well, all right. I'll call you tomorrow to make sure you're alive and all."
"Bye, Jay."
"Bye."
She heard the front door close, followed by Jay's noisy diesel truck pulling away. How had she not noticed the monstrosity with oversized tires and bright yellow racing numbers on both doors when she'd arrived? Maybe she was dying.
Ding. Dong.
Am
y Leigh sighed. If Jay had come back, she was going to slap him with the now thawed mushy mixed vegetable pack. He called once already this morning and now he was ringing the doorbell.
He meant well, or maybe he just wanted in her pants until the next girlfriend came along. Either way, he was annoying. She trudged to the door glad she looked horrible. After her shower, she'd pulled on droopy sweatpants and a paint-stained UGA tank top. Her bare feet slapped on the wooden floor. She held the vegetable bag up and hauled the door open. "Go away, Jay."
Trent stood on her porch. "Hi," he said eyeing the vegetable pack that sagged pitifully in her raised hand. "Were you going to hit someone with that?"
"Oh." She lowered her arm and with her other hand attempted to straighten the waistband of her sweatpants, and then gave up. "I…um…well, yes I was. My ex-boyfriend. Nothing like frozen vegetables to the side of the head."
"They haven't been frozen in a long, long time." His eyes danced over her body and instantly her entire figure tingled. "I miss you."
The bag hit the floor as the door closed behind him. Amy Leigh found herself slammed against the wall, not so much because he'd thrust her there as much as she grabbed him and yanked him in.
Their mouths collided, his strong hands heaved her up and her legs automatically wrapped around his hips. She didn't care why he was there. By the cute, happy grunts he made while pressing his rock hard shaft against her center, he was not thinking about much either.
He walked her to the couch, where they collapsed and began to tear each other's clothes off. "God, I missed you so much," Trent told her yanking the thankfully oversized sweatpants off. She pushed her panties off before he saw the hole in them. She hesitated when he pulled his shirt over his head exposing the hills and valleys of his abs for only a second before she pulled off her tank top. When she could see again, he was gloriously naked and wasted no time climbing over her.
Montana Bachelor: Montana Cowboys Page 8
