Between a Jock and a Hard Place: A Romance Novella (10 page)

If you enjoyed
this book,

kindly leave a
review at

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LAHAQ2

Thanks!

About the
author:

Mona Ingram is
the author of 22 romance novels, including two novellas. Many of her stories
take place in British Columbia, where she has lived since the age of twelve. In
recent years, she has lived in the Okanagan Valley and on Vancouver Island. In
addition to reading and writing, traveling and bird watching are among Mona’s
favourite pastimes.

Mona’s blog:

http://www.monaingram.blogspot.com

Keep reading for
an excerpt from Full Circle

For a complete
list of Mona’s e-books,

Visit her Amazon
Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com

Here’s that
excerpt:

Full Circle

Prologue

The private jet had been descending for
several minutes. Bella shuffled the papers she’d been holding and slipped them
back into her briefcase. Attempting to study the reports had been a waste of
time...a futile attempt to divert her thoughts. She looked across the low table
and into the eyes of the man who had been her partner for the past fifteen
years. Sometimes it angered her that he could read her so well whereas she
rarely knew what he was thinking. Those dark eyes studied her now, and she
thought she caught a hint of sadness behind the sweeping black lashes.

The cabin attendant paused beside their
seats. “The captain has asked me to inform you that we’ll be landing in ten
minutes.”

Bella glanced up at the young woman.
“Thank you, Laura. Would you ask the captain if he could circle Willow Bend
before we land? I’d like to see it from the air.” The flight would land at a
nearby airport, the Willow Bend facility having been closed long since.

“Certainly, Miss Thompson.” The
attendant nodded and went forward.

Bella looked out the window. “I’ve never
seen Willow Bend from the air,” she murmured. “I wonder if I’ll be able to see
any changes since the last time I was here.”

Rafael watched her closely but he
remained silent; she hadn’t really expected him to answer.

The aircraft made a slight change of
course, then dropped one wing and commenced a slow circle around the town. Sun
glinted off the river and an invisible hand tightened around Bella’s heart.
There were times when it seemed like yesterday that she’d confronted Jeffrey
beside that river. She forced herself to continue looking and spotted the high
school with its adjoining football field and bleachers. A few blocks beyond
that was the section of town where she’d grown up but she couldn’t spot her
parents’ home among the jumble of roofs. On the gentle rise across the river
the homes were statelier; here and there swimming pools flashed brilliant blue
in the late afternoon sun.

And there it was. The old Lambert
textile mill. Silent these past ten years. She didn’t know what she’d expected
to feel when she saw it. After all, her father had worked there most of his
life and had lost his job along with hundreds of others in the town. She edged forward
on her seat to get a closer look. The heavy wire fence that had once encircled
the mill was gone. In its place, strategically placed trees and shrubs lifted
their leaves to the sunshine. A few cars and several pickup trucks were parked
between the bright yellow lines in the newly paved lot. For the first time
since leaving California earlier today, Bella experienced a surge of
excitement. Excitement mixed with apprehension.

She tore her gaze away and looked at her
partner. “You’re sure we’re doing the right thing?” she asked,
uncharacteristically nervous. “It’s such a big step, opening a new production
facility.”

“Bella.” She loved the way he said her
name. “We’ve been over this many times.” His gaze softened for a moment. “What
you’re doing is a wonderful thing. You’re giving this town a chance to get back
on its feet.” He didn’t need to look down at the mill; he’d been here half a
dozen times already. “Besides, it’s too late now.”

Chapter One

Twenty years earlier.

It was overcast the day Bella found out
she was pregnant. Madonna was singing Papa Don’t Preach on her bedside radio
and she gave a strangled laugh as the words filtered into her consciousness.
She held the stick in her hand, backed up unsteadily and sat down on the edge
of her bed.

The test confirmed what she already knew
in her heart. The signs had been there for weeks now, but she’d clung to hope
the way a man clings to a life raft in stormy seas. And her life was about to
get stormy, she knew that for a fact. With one hand on her stomach, she rocked
back and forth, slowly accepting the reality of her situation.

She wondered what Jeffrey was doing
right now. They didn’t see each other every day, but today was Friday, and they
usually grabbed cold drinks and went to “their place” by the river; a quiet,
sheltered spot carpeted with pine needles. They jokingly referred to it as
their love nest, but it was in fact a place where they dared to dream of a
future together. It wouldn’t be easy; they knew that. Bella’s mother was a
skilled dressmaker who worked at home, and her father worked at Lambert
Textiles, whereas Jeffrey was the son of Edward and Judith Lambert, owners of
Lambert Textiles and Willow Bend’s largest employer.

She and Jeffrey had been together since
the spring, when he’d broken up with Angela Sterling. At first she couldn’t
believe that Jeffrey was interested in her; she didn’t consider herself
beautiful like many of the other girls, or sophisticated, like Angela. She
smiled to herself, recalling how she’d been so nervous around him at first. But
as the days got warmer and she began to know him better, she relaxed and
accepted the fact that he was interested in her...in what she thought and had
to say. The sex had been a natural extension of their growing affection for one
another. Bella thought of it as “making love” even though Jeffrey had never
used the same term. Come to think of it, he’d never called it anything. She
glanced at her watch. He’d be getting out of school and wondering where she
was. She’d never lied to him before, but she’d made an excuse for missing
school this afternoon, saying she had a Doctor’s appointment. He’d forgive her
when she told him the news.

Another nervous spasm gripped her
stomach; a clear indication that it was time to find him and get it over with.
The longer she waited, the harder it would be. She had no idea what she was
going to say, or how he would respond. They often finished each other’s
sentences, as though they’d been together forever, but today was different. She
didn’t have the faintest idea what to expect from him when she made the big
announcement.

She shoved all evidence of the pregnancy
kit in her bag, checked her appearance in the mirror and crept downstairs. A
murmur of voices reached her from the dining room...or it used to be the dining
room before her mother converted it to her workshop and consultation room. When
Mom had mentioned a bridal fitting this afternoon, Bella had sighed with
relief. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak in the back door, go upstairs,
and do the test.

The back door closed quietly after her
and she went through the gate at the back of the yard and down the lane that
ran along the back of the properties. Clouds scudded across the sky and she
shivered, even though it was the warmest part of the day. Within minutes she
was approaching the river, and her steps quickened.

Jeffrey’s car was parked in the usual
spot, partly hidden behind some bushes a quarter of a mile from where they
usually met. Her pulse quickened as she pictured him there, sitting on the
blanket he always brought, waiting for her.

He wasn’t there, and the blanket wasn’t
spread out under the pines. She opened her mouth to call, and then spotted a
flash of color down by the river. He’d worn her favorite shirt to school this
morning; pale blue denim. She took a few more silent steps on the pine needles
and paused for a moment to drink in the sight of him. Dark brown hair curled at
the back of his neck, and what she could see of his skin was bronzed with an
early summer tan.

He bent and picked up a handful of
stones, sorted through them and started to skip them on the tranquil waters of
the slowly-moving river. Watching him she frowned; his movements were jerky and
un-coordinated. Something was bothering him. Maybe his father had been on his case
again; asserting himself was a constant battle for Jeffrey. His father expected
him to take over the business, but Jeffrey had no interest in the textile mill.
He loved animals, and wanted to be a veterinarian. Bella had a feeling his
father would win that battle.

She took a few steps closer and he
seemed to sense her presence. He turned slowly and she could see at once that
he was troubled. Dark smudges of color under his eyes gave him a haunted look
and as his gaze met hers the ground shifted beneath her feet. Did he know? Her
fingers unconsciously clutched at her bag.

“Jeffrey?” she said tentatively. “Are
you okay?”

He looked at her for a long moment, then
shook his head. “No,” he replied, his voice little more than a whisper. He
closed the gap between them and took her hand. “Come on, let’s go sit on those
big rocks,” he said, drawing her along the bank of the river. “We have to
talk.”

She followed him, heart pounding in her
chest. This wasn’t the way this conversation was supposed to go. She glanced at
him out of the corner of her eye. He was definitely stressed. As a matter of
fact, he didn’t look anything like the Jeffrey she knew.

He settled her on a flat rock and sat
down across from her. When he finally raised his eyes he looked at her as
though he was trying to memorize her face. Prickles of apprehension crept up
Bella’s spine.

The silence lengthened until she could
no longer stand it. “What is it?” she asked, knowing instinctively that the
answer would change her life. Even more than it had already been changed today.

“There’s no easy way to tell you this,
Bella.” His gaze met hers for an instant, and then shifted away. “I’m getting
married.”

Bella must have heard wrong, because she
thought he’d said he was getting married. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Her
voice was surprisingly calm, but her heart was thundering in her chest.

His eyes closed for a moment. “I’m going
to get married. To Angela.”

Bella couldn’t believe what she was
hearing. “Angela Sterling?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” She could hear the plaintive
tone in her voice, but she didn’t care. It was a fair question, and she
deserved an answer.

He lowered his head into both hands.
“She’s pregnant,” he mumbled. “I found out last night when she came over to the
house with her parents.”

This wasn’t happening! Bella leafed
through a calendar in her mind. “But how can that be?” she cried. “You broke up
with her months ago. How come you’re just finding out now?”

He raised his head, his gaze darting
around before landing on her face. “She asked me to drive her home after
football practice one day last month and we...I...” The words started to tumble
out. “She wanted to get back together; she was begging me and I was saying no,
but she...” He blushed. “She got me at a weak moment, and we had sex.”

The silence was broken only by the sound
of a bumblebee and the river lapping against the shore. “Let me get this
straight,” said Bella slowly, fighting for composure. “You had sex. While you
were supposed to be with me. And now she’s pregnant.”

He nodded.

“And you’re going to marry her.” It
pained her to say the words, but she had to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

She stared at him and it was as if she
were looking at a stranger. How could he do this to her? Strangely enough, she
could picture him marrying Angela. “And how does Angela feel about all this?”

“I don’t know.” He raked his fingers
though his hair. “No, that’s not true. Actually, she seems quite happy about
it.”

Bella could imagine the triumphant look
on Angela’s face. 

“I’m sorry, Bella.”

“I’ll just bet you are.” Where had that
come from? Within the space of a few moments she’d found a backbone she didn’t
know she had. She stood up and grabbed the bag that held the confirmation of
the life growing within her. “You know something, Jeffrey Lambert?” She stuck
her face inches away from his. “You’re not only a cheat but you’re a spineless
asshole.” She climbed the bank until she stood over him. “You may think you’re
sorry now, but that’s nothing compared to how you’re going to feel when I get
through with you.”