"That explains why she insisted it be you who handled her estate. Suppose that's the only way she figured she'd get you out here. Anyway, the place is gorgeous. I'm sure you'll be very happy there. That is, if you decide to stay." He bent down toward his safe and extracted a dangling set of keys. "These are yours now. Do you know where you're going?"
Louise nodded. "Thank you, Bill. I do."
"Why don't you head out early and go take a look? We've got everything handled round here. I'll email you our progress a bit later."
Louise eagerly accepted Bill's offer and headed home to grab Missy, so they could both check out the property together.
"I can't believe your aunt left you her house. That's crazy!" her friend squealed, apparently much more excited about this than Louise herself.
"Yeah, it's too bad I can't pick the whole thing up and move it to Manhattan."
"Can't you keep it as a vacation home or something?"
"Would that I could, but there's no getting around the fifty percent residency stipulation, and it's not like lawyers can work from home, especially when their core client base is in New York City."
"Yeah, that's a problem. So, what happens then, if you don't take it?"
"It's not if, Missy. There's no way I can accept this." She sighed as the realization struck her. "I have to sell it and then the proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation."
"Well, that's good at least. Kind of sucks though, to receive a huge gift like this and then ending up having to do extra work to get rid of it. I'm sorry, Weezy." She reached over for a hug.
Louise didn't even bother to tell Missy again not to call her by the hated nickname. They'd be leaving soon enough, and this whole thing would be behind them.
For better or for worse.
They stopped driving as they neared the edge of town. Her aunt's—actually, her—ranch lay sprawled across a gorgeous meadow, much like where Brady had taken her for their ride. Her heart skipped a beat when she spied the large stables near the back of the property. It had space for several horses, and hadn't she always wanted her own horse?
The home itself was beautiful and only in slight disrepair. It looked as if it hadn't been updated either since the mid-sixties, which was a problem that would need to be addressed… but by the next owner of the home.
This wasn't hers. She was just passing through.
They tiptoed through the house and out onto the sunroom. The space would be perfect for her desk. She could take her coffee and files here while watching the sun rise from the comfort of her own home. Her aunt had even planted a garden of beautiful blooms right outside the massive window. She could add her own organic veggies to the mix. She'd always wanted to grow her own, but had never had the space in her tiny Manhattan window box….
And she still didn't. This wasn't hers. Not really.
"It's too bad you can't keep it," Missy mumbled. "It's really beautiful."
"Yeah," Louise admitted. "I know."
She turned away from the sunroom then marched through the living room and out the front door. "Let's get out of here. The longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave, "she said, knowing she wasn't just talking about the ranch.
Her time in Anchorage was up, and she needed to get out of there while she still had the nerve.
Chapter 10
After he got done with chores around his mother's house, Brady decided to swing by Louise's place. Even though it was already evening, neither of the girls were anywhere to be found. All the lights in the house were off and even the driveway sat empty—no truck.
Had they really left without saying goodbye? Had Louise decided she was done with him once and for all?
Fear gnawed at him. "I'll come by again in the morning," he told the empty house before driving away, then ventured over to Jake's Watering Hole, had his usual.
"Why so down?" Shelby asked, sliding a bottle of Kicker Session his way.
Brady shrugged and tore at the label on his beer.
"What happened to your lady friend?"
He took off his hat and scratched his head. "I'm not sure, actually."
"You two seemed really good together. I hope everything's all right," Shelby offered him a kind smile before making her way over to a new group of customers who had just sat down.
He sure was glad he and Shelby had managed to stay friends after their brief attempt at a relationship a few years back. Shelby always knew exactly what to say to help smooth things over.
Too bad they lacked any real chemistry.
Still, maybe things would have been simpler if he'd hung on to Shelby a bit harder. Because, at the end of the day, wasn't friendship the basis for the best relationships?
Louise excited him, but she also frustrated him.
Their differences were both arousing and annoying. Not only did she have a hard time trusting him, but now she'd managed to disappear without giving him a heads-up? Had she decided that she couldn't get past what Rosie had done to her—to them—way back when?
Sigh. He'd been such a moron, letting Rosie back into his head.
The beginning of their sophomore year, things went off track. Louise had really blossomed over the summer, picking up curves in all the right places and attracting Brady more than ever. Of course, his buddies gave him loads of grief for it.
Louise is off limits—nothing more than a book geek. He should set his sights higher. Rosie is single again.
Still, he ignored all their warnings and decided to ask Louise to homecoming. After a few days' hesitation, she agreed, and he was over the moon planning how to make that night special. Of course, thanks to Rosie, they never got their chance to make that memory.
Rosie spread vicious rumors throughout the school that Weezy had given it up to him in exchange for a date to the dance—because why else would a guy ever want to be seen with her? And her rumors traveled far and fast. When the queen bee wanted to buzz, everyone stopped to listen.
Brady had insisted that it wasn't true, that he genuinely liked Louise and always had, but his buddies gave him a never-ending stream of high fives to congratulate him on the score.
"So, what is she like? A naughty librarian? Super hot!"
"Who knew such a freak was hiding behind all those books?"
"You think I could have a go at her when you're through, man?"
He tried to hush his friends, to tell them to back off, but it was too late. Rosie had far more power over the social scene then he did, and she refused to back down.
Weezy tromped up to him with giant tears glistening in her normally bright eyes. "How could you?" she demanded.
His friends' roaring laughter drowned out his attempts to speak, and Louise ran away before he could even so much as apologize.
He followed her to her house after school and tried his best to make up with her, but she wouldn't have it. He tried for weeks, months, before he found out she'd be moving clear across the country. And he'd caught up with her right before the cab took her to the airport and away forever, but she hadn't been willing to hear him out. She'd just said goodbye and moved on with her life, like what they had together hadn't even mattered.
But she had mattered a great deal to him. He was sure of it now just as sure as he was then.
She was the first girl he'd ever really loved. But it all got thrown away because of one jealous ex and one stupid rumor. The fact that she was hurting tore him up inside, but then again, no one would believe him when he said it wasn't true. He wished that she'd at least believed him. He'd thought she knew him better than that.
Even now all these years later, it seemed like she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. How could he convince her that it wouldn't? Was it even worth trying? He liked a challenge, but damn, at a certain point enough was enough already.
"Doing okay over here?" Shelby leaned over the bar and provided everyone in the room a clear view into her skimpy tank top. She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. She always had a smile for him, no matte
r how bad things got. He liked that.
But he wasn't sure he had an answer to her question. Should he let Louise go once and for all? Maybe try an easier route—reignite things with Shelby? Or should he fight for her—for them—even if that meant flying to New York to make sure they at least got a proper goodbye?
He glanced up. Shelby really was beautiful with her white-blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, and a true class act besides.
But she wasn't Louise, wasn't his Louise.
"Everything's fine, but I best be off. Good evenin' to you." He tipped his hat and slapped a twenty onto the bar. He'd never get Louise off his brain until he at least got some answers. They were good together, almost too good to be true. And he refused to give up without a fight.
He was going in, ready to lay it all bare, hoping for the best.
He drove by her place again and—lucky break—she and Missy were just pulling into the gravel driveway.
"Brady, hi." She gave him a quick hug, but her face fell as she pulled away, concern swimming in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, now that you're here." He smiled but kicked himself for being so sappy.
"What's up?"
He took off his hat and placed it to his chest. "Come out with me again tonight."
"Brady, I… We closed up the estate today. Missy and I will be flying back to New York tomorrow." She shifted her weight to her other foot and looked down at his boots.
"Then all the more reason to give me tonight," he insisted. "Tell me, have you had dinner yet?"
She sighed. "No, but—"
"Good, I know a great little place. C'mon, let's go."
Louise whispered an apology to Missy, but Missy shook her off. "Are you kidding me? Go, go! We'll catch up on the plane, right?"
She headed toward his truck, but then stopped. "Maybe I should change first."
"No, you're perfect just as you are." Brady opened the passenger door for her and kissed her as she slipped past him.
"Where are we going anyway?" she asked, buckling her seatbelt.
"You'll see." He smiled as he backed out of the driveway and turned onto the main road. "It's a bit of a drive, so get comfortable. Figured we could talk along the way."
Louise smiled, too, and poked at his swinging rosary. "And you're sure you won't tell me where we're headed?"
"Nope, it'll be more fun as a surprise."
"Okay, then can I ask a question?"
"Shoot." He attempted to smile, but he had a feeling that the same shared moment from their past was on her mind, too.
Sure enough, she licked her lips and asked, “Why did you help Rosie spread that rumor about me back in high school?"
He tried not to frown, but couldn't help it. "Going straight for the hard stuff, hey?"
"It's my last night here. Figured it was about time I got some closure, since I never had the chance to get it back then."
"Very well then. If I tell you, do you promise to believe me?"
"Present the evidence first, and then I'll decide." Louise rolled down the window, then crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well then, Judge Gordon, I plead not guilty." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and found that she was wearing a scowl.
"But I saw you talking with your friends, remember? Surely you can't deny what I heard with my own two ears?"
"Did you ever actually hear me say that though? Because I didn't." He'd said all these words back then, too, but she'd refused to trust him. Would she see things differently this time?
Her eyes glistened. "But was it true? Did you ask me to the dance just because you thought I would…” She trailed off and took a deep breath before continuing. “That you thought I’d sleep with you?"
He wished they could have this conversation anywhere but here. He needed to be able to hold her, to look into her eyes, to reassure her he was telling the truth. "Louise, you've never been some conquest for me. You weren't then, and you aren't now. I mean, look, I knew you were just in town for a few days, but did I ever try to put the moves on you?”
She played with some loose stitching on the edge of her seatbelt. "No, but—"
"No, I didn't. Because you aren't just some random date to me, Louise. I care about you so much more than that. I thought you knew."
"But, back then, I mean. You were a teenage guy, I get it." She fiddled with the air conditioning controls, twisting them back and forth as she talked. "You just have no idea how hard that made things for me after the rumor got started."
He wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, to assure her of his intentions with a bit of physical comfort, but that seemed out of place here. All they had for the moment was words. He hoped his were enough.
"I tried to stop it. I really did. I told them all it wasn't true, but no one believed me."
She huffed, looking straight at him again. "You could have tried harder to defend my honor."
"Yes, I could've, and I wish I had. I'd fight for you now though, except I promised not to force you into anything more than you wanted."
She looked out the window, making her voice seemed far away. "Thank you for that."
"Let me just say that I'd love the chance to turn this into something real, if you're willing to give me that chance. The decision is up to you." He pushed his hand across the seat and laced his fingers with hers.
"Brady…" She shook him off and crossed her arms again. "I leave tomorrow."
"So? There is such a thing as the telephone—and planes."
She groaned. “Long distance? I don't think so."
"Why not?" He took a chance and shifted his gaze from the road ahead to the beautiful woman beside him. "You never gave me the chance back then. Give me the chance now."
She motioned back toward the road and frowned. "You said you wouldn't pressure me."
"And I won't. That's the last I'll say on the matter, but I wanted to be sure you knew how I felt, what I'm willing to offer, should you choose to accept."
"Okay." From her tone, he couldn't tell whether she'd taken him seriously, whether she'd chosen to believe him this time. But he had told the truth, and that had to count for something.
"Okay."
Louise reached over to turn on the radio. "Now will you tell me where we're going?"
He laughed, thankful for the change of topic. "Ha, nice try."
"You're a tough nut to crack, Rockwell.” She reached over and took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze.
"I know. Mind if I ask a question now?"
"That only seems fair."
"Why don't you like it when I call you Weezy anymore?"
She frowned again, and the cab grew hot with tension. "You seriously don't know?"
"I seriously don't."
She scrunched up her face and sang, "Weezy, Weezy. So, so easy."
"What?"
"You can't honestly tell me that's the first time you heard that?"
He shook his head, completely baffled.
"How is it that I heard that every day of my life while I lived in Anchorage, and you didn't manage to hear it once?"
"Did Rosie…?" He let his question linger.
"Of course, she did. That rumor destroyed me, you know. Rosie threw condoms at me in the hall to 'protect all the boys from my filth'. Guys constantly tried to push me into the locker room, because I looked like I was 'asking for it'. Even a teacher called me into his classroom after school and tried to put the moves on me. Moving all the way across the country didn't erase any of that hurt. It cut too deep to ever really heal."
Now he felt tears struggling to break free from his own eyes. If he'd have known any of that was going on, he would have fought harder. He would have protected her, no matter what it took, even if it cost him his spot on the football team, even if it got him expelled. "I didn't know how bad it got. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You certainly didn't deserve any of it."
"No, I didn't, but I do appreciate the apology."
Brady pulled o
ver to the side of the road and stopped the truck. He turned to caress Louise's cheek, making sure she looked into his eyes as he spoke. "You are more than your past, okay? You are a brilliant, strong, amazing—and, yes, beautiful—woman. You have so much more to offer than what they said. You are the complete package, Louise. Whichever guy gets you in the end is the luckiest man alive, and I for one hope he's me."
He leaned in to kiss her, and she accepted. They sat there for a while, just enjoying each other as they gained some distance from the painful memories they'd just relived.
She offered a sad smile and ran her index finger across his lower lip. "Now will you tell me where we're going?"
He laughed. "Will it make you feel better?"
"Yes."
"Okay then, but just remember, I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Okay, so dish." She put her seatbelt back on and straightened her posture.
"We're going to the Frosty Peak in Fairbanks.”
"Wait, the Fairbanks?”
“It’s the only one I know.”
“But why drive so far? Isn’t it like six hours away?” Her features arranged themselves into a quizzical expression.
A smile slowly stretched across Brady’s face. “Six and a half, but maybe that will be enough time to convince you to stay.”
He stopped to study her. "Is that okay with you?"
She nodded. "It will be a good way to say goodbye."
He didn't know what to say, so he sang along with Alan Jackson as his twang flooded through the speakers. Louise had finally listened to his side of the story and seemed to have forgiven him, but it also seemed as if she'd already decided to let him go.
Chapter 11
Louise shoved the last of her toiletries into her suitcase and pulled the zipper closed. Their time here had come and gone so fast, and now she and Missy were leaving. She never would have imagined she'd be sad to go, but what could she do about it now? She needed to get home, and home wasn't here—not anymore.
She pulled on the boots Brady had bought for her, then grabbed a banana and a bottle of water as she and Missy headed out the door.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 48
