I was barely in my seat when my phone rang. Seeing my father’s number, I picked it up. “Dad—”
“What is Mo doing to you?” Anger seethed in my father’s tone.
Uh-oh. “Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me. Is he violating you?”
“No. Dad—”
“You need to come home right now and explain to me what’s going on over there.”
I sighed. Mo wouldn’t like that, but it appeared my father already knew. I wondered if the reporter had talked to him. Or maybe Mr. Stark had. She said he was digging. Maybe he knew the truth too and decided to use it against Mo.
I hung up, grabbed my purse, and headed out. “I have a situation at my father’s,” I told Trina.
She nodded. “Do you have a message for the Mayor?”
“No. I’ve just got to go.” I rushed out.
I drove out to my dad’s place. He was sitting on the porch with his shotgun, and I had a sinking feeling.
“What are you doing, Dad?” I asked when I got out of the car and started up the steps of the porch.
“I’ll shoot him if he comes back.”
“Mo was here?” I looked down at my dad. His face was red and in a permanent scowl.
He stood, his blue eyes simmering with restrained anger. “Did he touch you?”
I sighed. “Dad—”
“Did. He. Touch. You?”
“I wanted him to.”
“No! He let you think that. You’re just a girl.”
My own anger bloomed. “No, I’m not.”
“I trusted him, and he violated you. I’m going to ruin him.”
Panic flared in my gut. “No, you can’t.” I wasn’t sure what he could do, but I knew this was exactly what Mo was afraid of. I had to wonder why Mo didn’t call me to tell me he’d been here. Had he told my dad, or had the reporter, or Stark?
Surely, Mo would have told me if he was coming out here to make a confession to my father. The fact that he didn’t suggested he was blindsided like I was. It also made me think that since his worst fear came true, he was done with me. Whether my father forgave him or not, Mo wouldn’t feel right being with me in these circumstances.
Tears formed as I realized I’d been so close to having what I wanted, and now it was ripped away.
“He’ll pay for this, Brooke, with God as my witness. Thank God your mother isn’t here to know about this.”
I wished she was here as she’d know what to do. I started down the steps with the intention of finding Mo.
“Where are you going?” my father called.
“I need to talk to Mo.”
“You will not go back there, Brooke. I forbid it.”
I whirled on him. “I’m a grown woman, Dad. You can’t forbid me.”
“If you go back there, I’m going to expose him.”
I was going to say he’d already threatened to ruin Mo, but then I got the idea that perhaps I could protect Mo.
God, my heart broke at what I was about to do. “I won’t go to him if you promise to leave him alone.”
“He needs to pay. People in this town need to know he’s a predator. That he’s willing to use his friends to get at their daughters.”
“Good God, Dad. I seduced him. I threw myself at him.”
“Stop!”
“If you expose him, I’ll tell the truth, and the whole town will know that I asked the mayor to touch me,” I said, hating to say that, knowing it would hurt and embarrass him. But it was the truth. I’d made the first move on Mo four years ago.
My father fumed, and for a minute, I thought he might stroke out.
“You leave him alone, and I’ll stay away from him.” I felt sick at having to make that deal, but knowing Mo, he was already planning to stay away from me, so I didn’t have much choice. “What will it be, Dad? The town thinks I’m a skank, or you leave Mo alone.”
He pointed a finger at me. “You’re not to go back there.”
“I won’t go to his house. I do have to go to work.”
My father’s jaw tightened, and he looked out over the land for a moment. “He’ll be out soon, anyway.” He turned back to me. “I’ve called Jeannette about getting you unhitched from him.”
“What?” Oh God. Now for sure he won’t get the rest of his inheritance.
“That was the plan, anyway. The sooner you’re free of his influence, the sooner you can go on living your life, sweetheart.” My father huffed out a breath like he was calming down.
Me? I was just getting started. “You’re ruining my life. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
“And you need to decide that this is the right course of action. Mo is not the man for you. I’ve agreed to leave him be if you let him go. That means divorce, and you have to stay away from him.”
I stared at the man I loved so much, and yet right now, I hated him. I hated that he couldn’t see the pain he was causing me. Or maybe he didn’t care.
“I know you feel betrayed by Mo, but blame me, Dad.”
He shook his head, refusing to hear my plea. “You were an innocent young woman.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“We’ve struck a deal, Brooke. Are you going to stick to it or not?”
God! “Fine.”
“Good. Now come inside. I want you here today.”
Everything that came out of his mouth was a shock to me. “I’ve got a job, Dad. You can’t sequester me away.”
“Take the day off. In fact, you should quit.”
“No. I like my job. I’m good at it.”
“They’re hiring in the parks and rec department in Watley County. I saw the sign when we were over there. Apply there.”
“Dad—”
His eyes narrowed, burrowing down on me. “Or I’ll expose him for sexual harassment.”
“It won’t stick. He didn’t harass me.”
“It will ruin his reputation. I’ll settle for that.”
God! I didn’t hold back the tears. “I won’t forgive you for this,” I said, feeling like a teenager again. I wouldn’t forgive him for that, either.
“It’s not my job to be your friend, Brooke. It’s my job to protect you.”
“From what? Mo? After all that he’s done for you—”
“His helping me financially doesn’t give him the right to touch my daughter.”
“I gave him the right. Me.” I yelled at my father. Why couldn’t he see? “I love him, Dad. I love him.”
“You don’t know love, baby,” he said softly like he felt sorry for me.
I could only stare, knowing it was hopeless.
“Now give me your phone.” He held out the palm of his hand.
“What?”
“I don’t want him calling you. You need a clean break.”
“I need a phone.” My father was taking this way too far.
“We’ll get you another one.”
I believed my father when he said he’d hurt Mo, so I pulled my phone from my purse. “Can I call Tucker first?”
“I like Tucker. Why don’t you invite him here?”
“I’d rather go see him.”
My father shook his head. “I want you here for now.” Again, I felt like a kid being grounded. I’d have left, but I couldn’t let him hurt Mo.
“Fine.” I ground out. I called Tucker. I didn’t give him details, but I was sure he could tell from my voice that I needed to see him, and fortunately, he agreed to come.
Thirty minutes later, Tucker pulled into our drive. My father was all charm with him, saying how glad he was that Tucker was in Salvation and making hints about his marrying me. Tucker kept looking at me like he’d entered the Twilight Zone.
“Dad, do you have something to do at the barn?” I said exasperated.
He looked at me. “I do. You stay here, Brooke. You hear me?”
“Yes.”
Tucker’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “What is that all about?” he asked when my father left the house. “He�
�s talking to you like you’re a kid in trouble.”
I burst out crying. “Oh, Tucker. Everything is so fucked up.”
He quickly moved to sit with me on the couch and put his arm around me. “What happened?”
I spilled my guts, telling him that my father found out about me and Mo and was now threatening to ruin him if I didn’t stay away.
“He treats you like you’re ten,” Tucker said of my father. “Why are you putting up with it?”
“I don’t want him hurting Mo.”
“Did you tell him you loved him?”
“Yes. He sees me as this innocent kid being taken advantage of by Mo. I can’t make him see it any other way.”
“So that’s it? You’re just going to let him go without a fight?”
I looked at Tucker. “My father said he’d ruin him.”
Tucker shrugged. “Don’t you think Mo has a right to have a say in all this? If he loves you, too, maybe he doesn’t give a shit what your father will say or do?”
I sniffed. “First of all, he does. He’s been worried about my father and the town finding out this whole time. Second, he doesn’t love me.”
“How do you know?” Tucker asked.
“He hasn’t said it, for one.”
“Have you? Have you told him that you love him?”
I huffed out a breath. “It’s different. Besides, Mo was here, according to my father, but he didn’t call me to let me know he was telling my father or that he was coming here. He’d already left when I got here, and he hadn’t contacted me about what had happened. In my mind, that’s the answer. My father got pissed, and Mo, being a good friend, is staying away.”
Tucker arched a brow. “So, he’s made a decision without consulting you, sort of like you’ve made a decision without consulting him. And you both made the same decision. Perhaps your relationship wasn’t as solid as you thought.”
His words hurt me. “You’re supposed to be my friend, Tucker.”
“I am, honey.” He pulled me closer, kissing me on the head. “But if you’d rather that I placate you, I will. Life sucks. Your father is unfair. Mo is a cowardly dick. How’s that?”
“Better.” I buried my head in his chest and cried.
“I think your dad likes me,” he murmured as I cried.
“He does.”
“Too bad I’m taken.”
I looked up at him. “So, you and Holly?”
He gave me a coy grin. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”
I smiled. “I hope it works out. At least one of us should be happy.”
Not wanting to be alone with my father, I coerced Tucker to stay for the evening, and when I finally let him leave, I went to bed without a word to my father.
Not that I could sleep. All I could think about was how beautiful my life was last night, and how ugly it had gotten today. I hated that Mo hadn’t told me what happened, but then, maybe he’d tried after my father took my phone. I’d considered sneaking out to Mo’s house, but if my father found out, he’d do something drastic, and I didn’t want to be the source of Mo’s ruin.
I shook my head because, of course, I was the source. If I’d never tried to seduce him four years ago, we probably wouldn’t be here. Certainly, if I hadn’t finagled a marriage and had let my father’s farm be sold, we wouldn’t be here. All of a sudden, Stark getting his hands on this land didn’t seem as bad. In an effort to help my father, to win the man I loved, I’d ruined all our lives.
29
Maurice
She didn’t call. I’d been hurt and angry when Shelley left, but Brooke’s not calling me crushed my heart like a son-of-a-bitch. How had I fallen so hard, so fast, without realizing it, I thought as I made my way into the mayor’s office the next day. Unable to help myself, I texted and then tried to call her, but so far, she hadn’t responded. I’d have to accept that she chose her father. Of course she would. He was her father, after all. And I’d been such a dick to her up until the last night together. I wouldn’t want to burn a bridge with my family for me, either.
That meant I needed to figure out a way to pay back the trust. I wondered if my aunt had set up a payment plan contingency.
As I walked into the outer part of the mayor’s office, I saw Trina at her desk.
“I just got a call from Brooke. She said she’s out for the rest of the week,” Trina said. She arched a brow as if she was expecting me to respond to Brooke taking so much time off as a new staffer and without permission beforehand. But I was too emotionally exhausted to take the bait.
“Fine.”
She cocked her head to me. “Are you all right?”
No. No, I’m not. “Fine,” I said again, clearly losing my ability to hold a conversation. I went into my office and sat in my chair, wondering if and when it was going to come out that I’d married my young assistant for money.
Two days later, the gossip mill still hadn’t outed me, but I couldn’t help but feel my time was coming to a close. While Stark had called Frank, he apparently hadn’t called the media. Why not? Was he sitting on this for a reason? I wondered if maybe he was going to use the scandal closer to the election to hurt Sinclair. It was well-known that I supported her. Under those circumstances, it might be better to resign so that I didn’t hurt Sinclair’s chances of becoming mayor. I was going to need time to get my financial house in order, anyway. Leaving now would give me time to figure out what I could sell, beg, borrow, or steal to pay back the trust.
I’d start by putting the mayor’s office in order. I called Trina into my office to put things right with her. The pregnancy or something was having an effect on her, and I hadn’t been very supportive or understanding.
She stepped into my office and simply stood like a zombie. That was a bit like how I felt. Like the living dead.
I studied her for a moment. “I’m concerned about you.”
“I’m fine.”
I leaned back in my chair. “You’re not your usual self.”
“I’d think that was a good thing, sir.”
My lips twitched upwards. At least she still had her sense of humor. “Normally, yes, but you don’t look well, either. Is everything okay with the baby?”
“Yes, sir. I’m just…trying to adjust to everything.”
“I know you like order.” She was the queen of order. I wish she could straighten out my life. “I want you to know that your job is secure here, at least while I’m mayor. If Sinclair wins the next election, I’m sure she’ll keep you here, too, so despite what I said, your job is safe.”
“Thank you.” Relief shone in her eyes.
“And I’m sorry I haven’t been more transparent with you on the things I’m assigning to Ms. Campbell. I value your work, and I’m sorry if I seemed to have disrespected that.”
“I appreciate that, sir.”
I arched a brow. “Of course, that doesn’t give you permission to be hostile.”
“No, sir.”
I frowned at her lack of verve. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need the day off?”
“I’d rather work.”
I nodded, knowing sometimes distraction was better than having time to wallow in problems. “Okay.”
She left my office, and I called in Sinclair. She’d be the first I’d tell my plans to. She was ready to be mayor and would do a good job and get experience if I left now so that she became acting mayor until the election.
“Are you sure you don’t want to be the presiding mayor over the Harvest Festival? It will be your last one. You can have one last hurrah and goodbye to the town,” she said as she took a seat in the chair in front of my desk.
“No.” The last thing I needed was to stand on a stage as the disgraced mayor of Salvation. “However, Ryder is supposed to play—” I’d seen the paper with Ryder’s appearance at Stark’s fundraiser for Wallace.
She growled. “I’m so mad at him.”
“Yet, he’s still breathing, I take it.”
She shrugged. “
He’s my brother, and I believed him when he said he didn’t know it was a fundraiser for my opponent.”
“But he had to know he was playing for Stark.”
She blew out a breath. “Stark offered him a crapload of money, and with Trina being pregnant, he felt he needed to take it.”
“I get it. People do crazy things for money,” I said, thinking my actions were crazier than Ryder’s.
“Plus, he wants to use the money to negotiate a deal to buy Salvation Station out from under Stark. I can get behind that.”
I laughed. “Good move. Stark won’t like it. Ryder will be a target.”
She cocked her head. “Are you a target? You helped us stop the prison.”
I looked down at the top of my desk as I tapped my fingers on my draft resignation letter. “That’s why I need to talk to you.”
“Oh?”
I liked Sinclair a lot. And I trusted her. That didn’t mean spilling all my secrets was easy, but it had to be done. I shifted, leaning my forearms on my desk as I looked at her.
“Why do I feel like the world is about to end?” she asked.
“Yours is about to start. I’m going to resign.”
“What!”
I’d have thought she’d like the idea, but she stared at me like she was pissed. Sitting back in my chair again, I told her the story of how the mayor of Salvation married his assistant to save his friend’s farm, how he fell for her and lost his friend, and how now Stark was going to use it against him.
“So what!” she said when I finished. “A guy like Stark probably has a graveyard-sized number of skeletons in his closet.”
That was probably true. “I suspect you’re right, but because the marriage is ending before a year, I’ll need to repay the trust. I need the time to figure out how to do that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How much are you talking about?”
“A lot.”
She bit her lip. “Will you have to sell?”
I looked down. “Maybe.”
“Ah, hell, Mo. What can I do?”
Sucking in a breath, I shook my head. “My bed. I’ll lay in it.”
Fake Marriage (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 57
