Signed and Sealed

by Stretke, B. A.

  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.

  “I’m going to find him,” Martin exploded. “I’ll bring him back. If I have to carry Will back here kicking and screaming. I will bring him back.” With that, he left the house. Mrs. Coleman sat down and waited. Will wasn’t the type to just disappear. He left, but he would be back. Mrs. Coleman had no doubt.

  Will drove onto the overlook that Elijah had taken him to the night of their date. He parked his little car and got out. He stood there for an endless period of time, thinking over everything everyone had said and staring at the ranch below him. This was a private spot for private thoughts. Will was desperately, head over heels in love with Elijah Hunter; he knew that without a doubt. Eli was the most irritating, rigid, difficult man on earth, and yet Will loved everything about him. Everything except the games Eli played with him. Although he claimed to be sincere, Will just couldn’t believe that Eli would truly want him the way Will wanted him. What he needed to decide was, should he confront him, should he bare his feelings and take the risk of humiliation and then leave? Or should he just leave? It was just past seven when
he finally made his decision.

  Elijah sat on the sofa in his study, simply staring at his hands. I could probably catch Will at the airport, but what good would that do? I could force him to stay, but I can’t force him to care about me. A saying from his youth came to him. It was something about if you love something, set it free. If it came back, then it was yours. He smiled ruefully, knowing that he would not be able to do that. He could not just set Will free. He would give him enough time to make it home to Michigan and then he would meet him there. He would have his pilot ready in the morning to fly him to Whitefish Point. Perhaps, if he pursued Will on his own ground, he would be more apt to believe him. Eli wondered where Will was and what he was thinking. Given the time, he’s probably at the bed and breakfast. He has no doubt arranged a flight for tomorrow. Flights out to Helena only ran in the morning. He would have to stay in town overnight.

  Eli contemplated going to the bed and breakfast tonight and making Will talk to him. All of these considerations were running through his thoughts when there came a feather-light knock at the study door. He ignored it, not wanting to speak with anyone at the moment. Then he heard the door open, and someone entered. He didn’t turn around; he waited for them to speak. Who has a death wish today? he thought angrily. Only silence ensued, so finally, he turned to see who it was that was brazen enough to disturb him.

  “William!” He jumped to his feet and quickly rounded the sofa toward him, but stopped a few feet in front of him. “Where have you been?”

  “I needed to think.” He spoke very softly, but Eli heard him clearly in the dead silence of the room.

  “What about?” He, too, spoke softly, but his voice was laced with urgency, and Will noticed that he held his hands in tight fists at his sides.

  “I thought about a lot of things—you, me, the ozone layer, whether there’s life on other planets.” He leaned back against the closed door, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

  “What have you concluded?” Eli took a tentative step toward him.

  “I think we’re all pretty much fucked as far as the ozone layer, and I believe that there is life on other planets, not that I’ve met any.” Will forced a weak smile.

  “What about you and me?” His voice was hoarse with tension.

  He gave a deep sigh before beginning. “As I said before, I know about what you did to John Gerard, and I’m fairly sure that you intended the same treatment for me. But, that being the case,” he said, rushing ahead with his explanation, “I still need to tell you how I feel. I never believed that you really cared for me in the least. I thought it was all a game, right from the beginning.” Will took a deep breath and spoke rapidly. “I fought against my feelings for you. Every step of the way I fought them, because I knew that in the end, they would be my undoing.” He paused for a moment and then finished, “But you won.”

  “What do you mean?” Elijah took another step toward Will as his hopes began to rise.

  Will stood up straight and looked him squarely in the eyes. “I love you, Elijah.” He never thought he would actually have the courage to say those words, but he did. “I didn’t want to, and God knows I tried very hard to deny it, but I do. I wasn’t going to admit it to you. I was just going to clear out of here on Saturday as quickly as possible with the hopes it would all go away, but what the hell, might as well let you have your fun before I go.” His voice had an edge of defiance, and he never let his gaze waver. “Do whatever it is you need to do for satisfaction.” Will waited for the slam, waited for Eli to turn on him and throw him out. He waited.

  Elijah was so shocked by Will’s declaration that he was speechless. His heart was disbelieving what his ears had heard. He stood there staring at him until finally Will turned away from him toward the door, as if to leave, and Elijah was on him in an instant. He swung him around and pinned his back to the door with the heavy weight of his own body. His hands captured Will’s face and forced him to look directly into his eyes.

  “Say it again,” he demanded roughly.

  Will felt a tremble in Eli’s hands and saw the passion in his eyes. “I love you.”

  His voice had dropped to less than a whisper, yet Will’s words echoed in Eli’s heart as if they had been screamed.

  “Oh, William, why have you tortured me?” he said before devouring his lips in a crushing, sensually demanding kiss that left Will weak and trembling. The intensity of his emotion was overwhelming. “I love you so much,” Eli groaned against his lips as he swung Will up into his arms and carried him to the sofa, where he sat down, holding him securely on his lap. “I think I fell in love with you from the beginning. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was or what you said or what I thought. Sweetheart, this has confused and frustrated me as much as it has you,” he declared and then began covering Will’s face with possessive kisses. “I never believed in love… until you waltzed into my life. I wanted you so badly; I thought I was going mad.” He buried his face in Will’s neck and squeezed him close.

  Will responded by holding him tightly and telling him, “I wanted you, too, but I was afraid. I never thought it possible that you could love me.”

  Elijah groaned loudly and gripped him even tighter. “I am so sorry.” He kissed him long and deeply, drinking in the affection Will was offering. He was his now. William was his. His only fear was that this was all a dream and he’d wake up and be alone. “Say it again, Will, please say it again. I can’t hear it enough,” he pleaded as he continued to show him physically how much he loved and wanted him.

  “I love you, Elijah,” Will responded over and over, telling him repeatedly of his love and devotion. Will was touched by Eli’s unabashed need and his openness in showing him his vulnerabilities. Eli truly loved him, he had no doubt about it now.

  After a long period of kisses and whispers, Elijah surfaced to ask him one question. “What made you come back? I thought I’d lost you.” He searched Will’s face, seeking confirmation that he was really there. Will supplied it readily with a kiss.

  “I was so afraid. After all your games and tests, I didn’t know what to believe. I was afraid to believe.” Will felt him groan, and Eli pulled him so tightly to him that Will thought his ribs would break.

  “I spoke with Kathy and Martin, and they both told me to follow my heart, but it was Adam who opened my eyes and convinced me that you were sincere.”

  This surprised Eli enough that he actually pulled back from Will to regard him seriously.

  “Adam Gerard is my champion?” He sounded stunned.

  Will laughed. “Yes, he cleared up the story of your dealings with John.” Elijah cringed when he heard that name. “And he told me that you would tell me the truth if I asked. He told me to come to you and lay it on the line, take the risk, so I did.”

  “I like Adam,” Elijah stated with a big smile. “I like Adam a lot,” he restated with enthusiasm, just as he began another torrent of passionate kisses. Adam’s business future was secure, Elijah would see to that. Adam had given him what he had fought so hard to attain. Adam had given him Will’s trust. There was no way he would ever be able to repay him, but he would try.

  “I have something for you.” Elijah shifted Will to the side and went to his desk, retrieving a manila envelope and a medium-sized wooden box. He handed them to Will, sat back down beside him, and pulled Will up close to him. He kept his arm around him. “I thought you might like to read this for yourself. It will clear up a lot of misunderstandings you carry about yourself.”

  Will was perplexed as he took the papers from the envelope and set the box to one side. He had to catch his breath when he saw what it was. Elijah had obtained a copy of his parents’ will. He looked at Eli apprehensively, but Eli held him close and urged him to read it.

  “When Martin and I were away last week, I actually spent my time checking up on you.” He looked at Will with admiration. “I spoke with the lawyer, among others. Please read it, William.” With Eli’s support, he began.

  He
visibly brightened as he completed the several-page document. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

  “They left everything to Katrina because they didn’t want you to spend your whole life taking care of her,” Elijah stated. “They left you what they could not bear to lose.”