Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) (34 page)

“No,” I answer. “All he said was that I was not to come and see you, but I had to. Gideon, what happened?”

He keeps his hands in mine as he tells me the whole story. The cattlemen who work on his ranch, some of his boys as he calls them, apparently took exception to the accusations being made.

Then, of course, Jacob had mouthed off. There had been a brawl. Gideon ordered Jacob off his property. Her father had taken Jacob’s side.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Gideon tells me. “I knew if Jacob were to stay, there would be more trouble. I asked your father to come inside so we could talk, but he refused. He said if that’s the way my boys treat his employee, then he’d seen all he needed to see.”

I realize that I had been right to worry that morning. Pa was a reasonable man, usually. But, not when it came to his farm. And certainly not when it came to Jacob.

Jacob had been working on our farm for years. He had no family of his own. Pa was practically a father to him.

“Pa’s just upset,” I tell Gideon. “I’m sure if your boys just come to the farm and apologize-”

“There’s little chance of that,” Gideon says, with a huff.

“Then, maybe you could go and explain,” I say. “Tell them you didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Your father would ask who did it if my men didn’t,” Gideon answers. “And, I would have nothing to tell him.”

That is when the thought strikes me. I think of what I know, what I’m sure I know about Ben Johnson.

“What if you did?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” he says, looking at me cautiously. I tell him what I suspect about Benjamin Johnson.

“It only makes sense,” I say fervently. “After that brawl with you and what he told my father about not trusting you. Besides that, he’s not taken down his fence. And… then… there’s me-”

“Believe me, I know all about that,” Gideon says, with a jealous growl to his voice.

“But, you see?” I say. “That gives him more than enough reason to try and frame you and your father.”

“Emily,” he says wearily. “Even if the Johnson’s did have something to do with this. We have no way to prove it.”

“But what if I could find something?” I ask. “Ben Johnson may think he’s clever, but I have a feeling he is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. He’s bound to have left something that would tie him to the crime.”

“Even if he has,” Gideon tells me. “How are we supposed to find it?”

I sit back and purse my lips together at this. The truth is, I have come up with a plan. But I’m certain that Gideon won’t like it one bit.

With a deep breath, I decide there is no use delaying it.

“He did offer me courtship,” I say slowly. “Maybe if I visited him, and accepted his offer, I could-”

“No,” Gideon says firmly.

“It wouldn’t be real, Gideon,” I say. “Only so that I could find some-”

“I don’t care if it’s real or not,” Gideon tells me. “I don’t want you anywhere near that man.”

“You don’t have to worry for my sake,” I tell him. My arguments all thoroughly practiced. “I’m not afraid of Ben Johnson.”

“You may not be,” he says. “But, I am. And not only for the reasons you assume. He is right when he says that his father is the wealthiest farmer in the county. He has the means to make life very difficult for you if you cross him.”

“He has already made life more than difficult for us!” I tell him. “If we do not make a profit from the year’s crop, we could lose the farm. We’re already in debt as it is.”

“Then… what if I got my Pa to help you?” Gideon asks desperately. “I could convince him to pay you back for the crops you lost.”

I shake my head ‘no.’

“My father’s too proud to accept help in any form,” I tell him. “You know that as well as I do. The only way we can prove your case to him is if I help.”

He heaves another sigh, and releasing my hands, sinks back on the couch.

“There is another way,” he says. My stomach plummets. I think I know what he is going to say. I pray that I am wrong.

“I may simply have to go to court and tell the truth,” he says. I was right and I am more than sorry that I was.

“Gideon, you know how foolish that would be,” I insist. “Pa’s made his mind up. He won’t believe your story now no matter what you tell him. Not without proof at any rate.”

“That is a chance I will have to take,” he says resigned. In a desperate bid, I move forward and grab his hands again.

“Just give me one day,” I plead. “Let me go to the Johnson’s farm and see if I can-”

“No, Emily,” Gideon reiterates. “I want you to promise me you will not go anywhere near Ben Johnson, nor anyone else on that farm until this is settled.”

“But-”

“Emily, promise!” He presses my hands so hard that they begin to hurt. There is a pleading look in his eyes which I know I cannot say no to.

“Alright, Gideon,” I say. “I promise.”

He gives me a relieved smile which I try my very hardest to return. Even as I do, I know what I have to do. I know the promise I just made to Gideon is one I will have to break.

*****

I arrive at the Johnson’s farm the next afternoon. It is very unusual for a woman to travel to visit a man alone, but I am desperate. And, that is exactly how I plan to appear to Ben.

I’ve worked out the story in my head exactly. I even rehearsed in a mirror last night, the way I imagine an actress might rehearse for her role in a play.

The trick, I’ve discovered, is getting myself to believe it first. If I convince myself of the lie I must soon tell, then I will convince Ben as well. So, I play it over and over again as the Johnson’s large, two-story farmhouse comes into view.

Gideon has broken off our engagement. I am convinced Father will not win his suit against the Elison’s. I need Ben Johnson’s help.

I repeat the mantra over and over again until, at last, I am on the steps of the Johnson’s porch. Their servant, Caleb, is surprised to see me but ushers me in none-the-less and promises to fetch Ben on my behalf.

Once again, I am told to wait in a drawing room.

The Johnson’s home is not nearly as grand as the Elison’s, though I know that they have made far more than the Elison’s could ever dream. But, Ben’s father has always been a modern man.

That is why there are no columns on the outside of the house and the walls are washed with white instead of gilded with gold. As a result, it does not provide me with much to look at as I wait. The only thing my eyes are able to land on is the desk that I know belongs to Ben. That is where he keeps his letters. And I know, that is where I will find evidence against him if any is to be found.

I take a deep breath and try to work myself up into a believable state of agitation.

Gideon broke off our engagement, I tell myself again. Father will not win his case. We are in desperate need of help.

Gideon broke off our engagement…

“Miss Porter.”

I jump when I hear the sound. I turn around slowly to see Ben smiling at me in that triumphant manner.

I stand from the couch where I’ve been sitting as he moves towards me.

“I must say, when I predicted that you would warm to my offer of courtship,” he says. “I never imagined that you would come around so soon. Nor that you would be this forward.

He takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips. His dark eyes never leave my face. Once again I bite back the urge to pull my hand away from him.

Instead, I twist my expression into one of desperation.

“Mr. Johnson,” I say, as meekly as I can. “I came to ask for your help.”

“And what help do you need, Miss Porter?” he asks. He sits down on the sofa and motions for me to sit as well.

When I do, he moves closer to me. I can almost feel the fabric of his suit pressing against my dress. Trying my best not to show my disgust, I move to the edge of the sofa and look around the room anxiously.

“I…” I begin, with a tremor in my voice. “That is, my father and I… with our crops ruined and the pigs slaughtered as well, we will not be able to pay back the loan we took out from the bank this year.”

“That’s unfortunate,” he says, moving forward and brazenly taking my hand. Once again, I force myself not to pull away.

I simply nod, not looking at him, and continue.

“I came to ask… that is… if your father could be persuaded to lend us enough to pay off our debts,” I say. “We would surely be able to pay him back with next year’s crop.”

“Exchanging one debt for another?” he asks, amusement lacing his voice. “Emily, I thought you were much smarter than that.”

He’s toying with me. I can tell. And, though I am not as desperate as he believes me to be, it still makes me furious that he would do such a thing. The anger seeps into my reply before I can stop it.

“There is nothing else for us to do!” I tell him. “If we do not pay back the loan, the bank will foreclose and we will lose the farm.”

I turn to look at him, my face red with anger. I try to mingle it with anxious desperation as best I can.

He is still smirking at me. Looking as amused as he did when I first came in.

“I’m sure I am not your last resort,” he says. “What about your fiance? I’m sure Gideon Elison has some money squirreled away that his father doesn’t know about. Couldn’t he help you?”

I lower my eyes at this. I tell myself the lie several more times, in my mind, before I can force it to come out of my mouth.

“Gideon broke off our engagement,” I say. I am almost impressed with myself when I feel tears run down my cheeks. “He sent one of his hired men with a letter to me yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, Emily,” I hear Ben say. He does not sound amused any longer. Indeed, this quiet voice is one I’ve never heard from him.

I look up at him and his expression is one that I have never seen him wear. He looks unsure. He’s staring at the tears running down my face as though he does not know quite what to do next.

I realize that this could be the opportunity I have been waiting for.

“So, you see,” I tell him, forcing more tears to fall from my eyes. “Your family is our very last hope.”

The last word is lost in a choked sob as I attempt to ratchet up my distress.

“Of-of course I’ll talk to father,” Ben says quickly. As I’ve begun to sob, his eyes have widened and he’s looking around the room anxiously as though searching for something to give me that will stop the water from leaking out of my eyes.

“Oh, thank you,” I say. I make sure to temper this with relieved sobs.

“Emily, is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?” he asks. “Anything I might be able to get you?”

“A drink of water would help, I think,” I answer. My sobs begin to abate. Even so, Ben looks grateful for an excuse to leave the room.

“I’ll have Caleb fetch something for you,” he tells me. In a flash, he’s moved out of the room. I hear him call out for Caleb as I wipe the water from my eyes and rush quickly to the desk.

I check the drawer. It’s not locked. I have to smile at how typical that is of Ben Johnson. Arrogant enough to think that no one would dare riffle through his desk in his father’s home.

Still I have little time for amusement. I know that I have only minutes, if that, to find the papers I need.

I rifle through several sheets of chatty letters and business documents. As the moments pass, I begin to grow truly anxious. Perhaps Ben is not as careless as I had hoped he would be. Perhaps he’s hidden all evidence of his misdeeds. Then, just as I am about to give up, I find it.

A correspondence from Mr. Daniel Reynolds. Reynolds is a notorious cattle rustler around the state. He has not been caught yet but it is rumored that he and his gang of ruffians are roaming the plains nearby.

I scan the letter quickly as I can and discover exactly what I need. Reynolds agrees to a price he claims to have been set by Ben Johnson. The price is for stealing cattle from the Elison property and driving them onto the Porter ranch.

As I hear the footsteps returning closer to the room, I grab the letter and shove it into the breast pocket of my dress. Just as quickly I shove the other papers back into the drawer and close it. Only moments after I do, Ben enters the room carrying my glass of water.

I thank him as kindly as I can. He promises, very genuinely, to speak to his father on our behalf and sees me to the door.

Ever since the scene he’s created, he’s been very gentle with me. Almost kind. Indeed, I’ve begun to feel a bit guilty about the letter I have hidden in my dress before he stops me at the door.

“You did the right thing coming to me, Emily,” he tells me, taking my hand in his. I look into his eyes and his arrogant smirk returns. “I did warn you. You can never trust a cattleman.”

My face begins to grow hot with anger once more. When I think of what Ben Johnson put our family through, put Gideon and his family through, all because of some ridiculous dispute over a fence, I do not know how long I can continue to be civil in his presence.

“Thank you,” I manage to squeak out quietly.