Fake Fiancé Next Door_A Small Town Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  It was an important question for me and his refusal to answer infuriated me.

  “You’re not happy here?” he asked, blonde brows dipped low in confusion.

  “That is not the point. Why don’t you want me to go?”

  It was dumb to hope Asher would suddenly declare his love when he hadn’t in all the weeks I’d been sleeping with him, but my heart hoped anyway. I’m a dummy.

  “Clara please, I don’t have much time to eat.”

  “God dammit Asher why don’t you want me to go!” I knew instantly I shouldn’t have sworn at him, my granny would be appalled.

  He dropped his burger back onto the plate, blue eyes cutting right through me.

  “Because you’re a damn good housekeeper Clara.”

  Ouch. I sucked in a breath at the pain of those words lashed over my sensitive flesh and then I nodded.

  “Right. Okay.” I nodded again, scanning the room, for what I had no clue, but I knew I had to look at something other than Asher. Do something else so I didn’t fall apart. I couldn’t fall apart in front of Asher. The jerk. I know he never promised me anything, but I felt hurt and irrational.

  Slowly I turned to the oven and shut it off before climbing the stairs in a daze. In my room I packed while I waited Asher out. I just couldn’t stay here. Not like this, and not now that things were so complicated between us. I felt bad leaving with no notice, but I didn’t trust myself not to break down, and the guys would wonder why. Plus, after lying to me, I didn’t think Asher deserved the benefit of a notice.

  No, I would make dinner tonight along with written instructions for the casseroles and one pot wonders I’d frozen for emergencies and they would be fine.

  When I was sure Asher was gone again, I made quick work of dinner and laundry before I grabbed my bags. Three trips later my van was loaded and Hawkeye Ranch was in my rear view mirror. It felt strange to leave, this place had started to feel like home. I had let myself love it like it was my home. It was where the man I’d fallen in love with lived, so, of course it was where I wanted to be. But I wouldn’t be here, ever again. I would send for my things stored in the attic when I got settled somewhere else, but I would never look into those amazing blue eyes again. I knew that much. I would never inhale that scent of man and hay and Asher.

  The road finally turned to highway and my speed picked up, but not for long as I spotted Betty and her giant lavender Cadillac on the side of the road. Sort of. Half the car was in the lane and I was terrified she’d get clipped.

  “Hey Betty, what’s up,” I asked through her passenger door.

  “I was headed over to the big Wal-Mart over in Lake Marigold to pick up a few things when I realized I wasn’t wearing my glasses. I could see just fine, and then when I realized I didn’t have them, I couldn’t see worth a lick. I pulled over as best I could,” she said, sounding worried.

  “Don’t worry Betty you did the right thing. These yahoos will just have to go around for now.”

  I knew I was gonna have to get in there to move the car and maybe take her to Lake Marigold. “I’ll move your car Betty but I need you to get out on this side to avoid traffic.”

  Big brown eyes went wide with fear.

  “I’ll get just out on this side Clara, they’ll have to stop for an old lady. This ain’t the big city girlie.”

  I watched in horror as Betty pushed open her door to oncoming traffic.

  “Betty stop,” I called to her as I tried to grab the door so she couldn’t get out only I wasn’t fast enough. I tried to push Betty back in, but there was a sudden searing pain in my leg and I went flying through the air, just seconds before my world went black.

  Chapter Eight

  Asher

  Two days after Clara had left, fleeing like a thief in the night, I finally started to believe she wasn’t coming back. I shouldn’t be surprised she left, but I am. Apparently, she wasn’t all that different from Elena if one job could send her packing. She hadn’t wasted any time, hell she was probably already in New Orleans by now. So much for I love you. I was mad. Angry. Pissed off at her and myself. To top it off, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing no matter how much I ignored it.

  I pulled a lasagna out of the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw, grateful that she’d at least had a few meals ready to go. It made me wonder if she’d planned on leaving like that all along. I had to shake off those thoughts, I couldn’t afford to let her take up more of my time than she had over the past few days. I was in the middle of making myself a sandwich when someone starting pounding on the door. Ignoring it the same way I ignored the phone, I finished my sandwich and pulled up a seat at the table.

  “Since when don’t you answer your damn phone Asher,” Dolly asked, an angry scowl marring her face.

  “Since I’ve been busy.”

  She huffed. “Well, you stubborn mule, it’s been ringing because Clara is-,”

  “Gone,” I cut her off, unwilling to talk about it.

  “No, she’s-,”

  “I don’t want to hear it Dolly.”

  My words must have surprised her because her eyes flashed anger and then disappointment before she nodded and walked out the back door without a word. Boots sounding as she went down the stairs and away from me. Thank goodness.

  I finished my sandwich, using every ounce of free energy to expel thoughts of Clara from my mind. I shouldn’t give a damn what she said to Dolly but I could admit to myself a certain level of curiosity about how she’d spun things. Casting me as the villain no doubt.

  “Enough,” I admonished myself and grabbed my hat. It was time to meet Jesse for our weekly meeting.

  “Where’re you going?” I asked, noticing Jesse wore a clean shirt and a serious expression.

  He frowned at me but this wasn’t his usual frown, it was something else.

  “Same place I thought you’d be heading. Guess not,” he said and walked away from me shaking his head.

  “Come on man, where’re you going?”

  He stopped but didn’t turn to face me.

  “Not that you seem to care, but I’m headed to the hospital to make sure Clara’s alright. She’s hurt real bad.”

  All the blood left my body.

  “Come on,” he guided me to the car as I prayed in earnest for Clara.

  “Dammit I just need to know how she is!”

  The damn nurses wouldn’t tell me a thing about Clara and I was going out of my mind, desperate to see her. “What happened?”

  “Come here young man,” Betty Driver grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the nurse currently scowling at me. I let Betty pull me to a set of matching hard plastic chairs. “Your Clara is just an angel and she wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me.”

  I sat and listened, heart in my stomach, as she told me about how Clara was clipped by a truck trying to help Betty avoid the same fate.

  “She came around to stop a foolish old woman from putting herself in harm’s way and she ended up there instead.”

  I offered Betty what comfort I could but I was too numb to process anything beyond Clara being in the hospital.

  “Family for Clara Bloom?”

  I shot out of my chair, along with Betty, Dolly and Jesse, barely stopping right in front of the silver haired doctor.

  “Yes? How is she?”

  The man gave me a patient smile. “Asher I presume?”

  “Asher Hawthorne.” I extended my hand in greeting. “What can you tell us?”

  He nodded gravely and looked back at his tablet.

  “Clara has been sedated but she’s going to be alright. Her right leg is broken in several places, she has a concussion and a nasty gash on the back of her head. But she and the baby are alright.”

  “Baby! What baby?”

  The doctor frowned. “Clara is nine weeks pregnant.”

  Pregnant. She was pregnant with my baby and she left me.

  “I didn’t know.”

  The older man smiled. “Neither did s
he, made me do all the tests twice.”

  “Can I see her?”

  He nodded. “She’s out of it now but she’s been calling for you. Follow me.”

  My heart pounded as we followed the green lines up to the third floor and came to a stop outside her door. I took a deep breath, unprepared for what I’d see when I opened the door. Would Clara even want to see me?

  “Not doing her much good from here,” Jesse mumbled behind me.

  “I’m preparing myself. How’d you get up here?”

  “Followed ya. Knew you’d need a push.”

  Then the old man gave me a push. Literally. I looked up on the other side of the door and green eyes met mine with wariness.

  “Clara I’m so glad you’re alright.”

  She tried for a smile but didn’t make it. “I’m fine Asher you didn’t need to come.”

  “Of course I did. God I think fifteen years were shaved off my life when I heard what happened to you.”

  “I’ll be fine Asher. I always am.” She turned to look out the window and I couldn’t tell if she was tired or if I was being dismissed. “How’s Betty?”

  Even now she was worried about someone else.

  “She’s completely fine, except beating herself up that you got hurt.”

  She shook her head, winced at the pain and fell back on the bed.

  “Tell her she’s not to blame. It was a stupid accident.”

  I nodded, because I’d tell her even though we both knew it wouldn’t do any good.

  “I will. What will you do now?”

  She shrugged looking defeated and in pain.

  “When they spring me from this place I guess I’ll make my way to Boone’s couch. He’ll help me heal and then I’ll look for a job before…I’ll look for a job.”

  “You really think you’ll be able to be on your feet in a hot kitchen for twelve hours a day with a baby in your belly?”

  Chapter Nine

  Clara

  I shrugged at his statement that was, I assume, meant to shock me. It didn’t.

  “I don’t see why not. Women have been working and having babies since the beginning of time.”

  Of course, I had no idea how in the hell I was going to work in or run a kitchen once my belly started to grow, but I only had about a day to think about it. I’ll figure it out.

  I have to.

  “And what about me Clara?”

  He was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Standing in the doorway with the sun shining on his blonde hair, hands low on his hips with at least two days’ worth of stubble, maybe more.

  “Since you’re not the one carrying the baby, I assume you’ll be fine as well.”

  “That’s my baby too,” he growled.

  “Since you’re the only man I’ve been with, I’m aware of that.”

  As good as it was to lay eyes on him, it also hurt like hell. “I didn’t think I’d ever see your face again,” I whispered because it was true. Lying there on that concrete on the side of the road with blood pouring from my head I was sure I’d never see Asher again.

  “You left,” he accused.

  “I couldn’t stay.” Tears stung the back of my eyes but I refused to let them fall in front of him. I hadn’t even been able to get in a good cry before landing myself in the hospital. “Anyway I’m sure you’ll find another housekeeper soon.” My words hit exactly as I’d hoped, and he took a step back.

  “Clara, I-,” he paused and raked a hand through his flop of hair.

  “I don’t need an explanation Asher. I won’t keep this baby from you, I swear. But I’m not staying in Rogue or in Texas.”

  I had nothing but time to think in here, and I knew that I couldn’t stay in Rogue and I couldn’t stay with Asher or I might be tempted to accept less than what I deserve. I wanted love and marriage to go along with my baby carriage, and if the man I love can’t give it to me, I would rather be alone.

  “So how will I see my child?” He dragged a hard-plastic chair over to the side of my bed and dropped down into it, suddenly looking fatigued.

  “I don’t know Asher. I’ve only just found out myself. Do you really want to be involved?”

  “I do,” he interrupted quickly and firmly.

  “Then we’ll figure it out. When the baby comes.”

  Leaning in close until we were nearly nose to nose, he placed both hands on my shoulders so I had no choice but to look at him.

  “You won’t even consider staying?”

  I couldn’t.

  “No. I need to go make a living for me and the baby so we can have our house with a yard and a fence. I don’t want to raise my child as a guest in someone else’s home.”

  “My home will be our child’s home too.”

  I nodded. “Yes but it won’t be my home.”

  “It could be.”

  Yeah in another universe. I snorted.

  “No, it couldn’t.”

  He leaned back in his chair and silence fell around us. Well other than the blasted machines beeping constantly that is. This silence was tense and uncomfortable, not like the ones we’d shared over the past few months, and that just about broke my heart. This was where we were now, silence. Brooding and tense.

  With a baby on the way.

  Out of nowhere he began to speak.

  “I really did mean to tell you about the phone call.”

  “I don’t care about the job Asher. I wouldn’t have gotten it anyway.”

  “Then where were you going?”

  “Back to Atlanta and my cousin.”

  “Why?”

  I sighed and gave him a look that told him just how dumb I thought he was being.

  “I told you I loved you and you told me I was a great housekeeper.”

  “Ah hell Clara, you caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to say.”

  “Well now you don’t have to say anything. Thanks for stopping by to check on me.”

  It hurt too much to look at him, so I just closed my eyes and hoped that when I opened them again he would be gone. I listened to him stand and push the chair back, but the door never opened to reveal the bustle outside my room.

  “I do love you, Clara.” He sighed and I kept my eyes closed. “But after Elena, I told myself to leave city girls alone and you’re a city girl.” I heard the smile in his voice. “I couldn’t be the reason you gave up your dreams.”

  Now I did open my eyes. “So, you gave up on me instead.”

  “No Clara I ran scared and pushed you away, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Because I do. So damned much.” His voice was gritty and filled with emotion, and I couldn’t look away.

  “Are you sure this isn’t because of the baby?”

  He came to me then, face so handsome and so full of anguish. His big hands cupped my face to make sure I was looking right at him.

  “This is about you and me, dammit! It tore me up to find you gone Clara, thinking I’d lost you forever. I want our baby too, but I need you.”

  “You do?” The tears were flowing freely now. I’d never felt so loved in that moment by someone who wasn’t family. “Oh Asher I love you too. I need you, we need you.”

  He kissed me and I felt like I was coming home.

  “I’ll give you a real kiss when you’re all healed up. Then we can talk about how soon you and I are getting married.”

  My eyes went wide. “That almost sounded like a marriage proposal.”

  He laughed and pressed another kiss to my mouth.

  “Clara Leigh Bloom will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  “As soon as I can walk, it’ll be down the aisle right to you.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “Me either. I love you.” I really did and I knew that I would love this big strong cowboy for as long as I drew breath.

  The End.

  Epilogue

  About a year and a half later

  “Come here Maggie so Mama can put on your little dress.” I stood
in the middle of the bedroom I’ve been sharing with Asher since I came home from the hospital a year ago, wearing nothing but my wedding lingerie and trying to coax an ornery five-month old baby from under a pile of clothes.

  “Mama! Mama!” Okay so she was just making a few baby sounds that I took to mean Mama. Sue me.

  “Now you’ve done it,” I told her, closing in on her as she began to giggle. “The tickle monster is coming for you!” I scooped her up and kissed her little neck while she laughed that sweet baby sound. It was music to my ears. She was my little angel, my sweet baby girl.

  She came three months ago in the middle of the night. The night before Asher and I had originally planned to get married. I wanted to have my figure back when we got married so we didn’t do it when I was able to walk again. Then in a fit of traditionalist panic, I decided I wanted us to be married before the baby came and we planned a Texas style backyard wedding. But instead of vowing our love in front of friends and family, I was screamin’, sweatin’ and saying god awful things to Asher as he coached me through the birth of our daughter.

  Now we had Margaret Ann Hawthorne, named after my granny and Asher’s but we just called her Maggie. “Alright little girl let’s get you ready!”

  “I’ll take care of the little girl, you worry about the big girl,” Dolly said, plucking Maggie from my arms and shooing me towards my dress hanging on the wall.

  “Thanks Dolly.”

  She smiled down at Maggie, brushing a hand through her wispy red curls. “No problem. Anything to spend some time with this little sweetheart.” Dolly and Maggie had such a sweet relationship it warmed my heart to think Dolly will be for her what my granny had been for me.

  “Mma,” Maggie answered, doing her best to give Dolly one of her slobbery baby kisses.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the picture they made, two of the feistiest women I’d ever met. I pulled my dress down and shimmied into it. It wasn’t anything fancy because that’s not what I wanted. I wanted fun and simple to celebrate the day Asher and I officially became family. I chose a sexy white cotton dress with a sweetheart neckline that showed off my cleavage and I hid my extra baby weight behind a forgiving cut. The dress had a thin layer underneath white eyelets and I had a brand-new pair of red cowboy boots to go along with it.