The Airman's E-Mail Order Bride (Heroes of Chance Creek Book 5) (17 page)

Richard watched her, too, his face like thunder, but she knew underneath his anger lay disappointment. He loved his father and he loved Crescent Hall. She couldn’t take either of them from him.

Most of all she was afraid of what would happen if she said no.

If Colt threw off Melanie and married her, everyone else would lose the home they’d worked so hard to get. She didn’t think she could stand that. And if Colt didn’t back down—if he went ahead and married Melanie—she’d have lost him forever because of her pride.

“Of course,” she made herself say. She didn’t know how she could watch him pledge his love to another woman, though. Even if everyone but Heloise knew it was a lie, he’d have to act like he loved Melanie and she’d have to stand by and watch.

Richard jumped to his feet and rushed down the hallway. A minute later the front door slammed shut.

Heather stood up. “I have to get Richard to school.”

“Wait a minute. We have to get our stories straight,” Austin said.

“Maybe you all do, but I don’t,” she countered. “I’m late.” She hated the tone that had crept into her voice and if she didn’t leave soon, she’d lose her cool.

“I’ll walk you out,” Colt said.

“Heather, please know I am so, so sorry for how I’ve messed things up,” Melanie said as she passed. “I had no idea—”

“I know. I don’t blame
you
.”

Colt tensed as her barb hit home, but she didn’t care. He had to know how badly this turn of events hurt her. When they reached the front hall and he took her arm it was all she could do not to pull away from him. She didn’t want him to touch her.

She wanted to be alone.

“I never meant for this to happen. You have to know that,” he said when they reached the entryway.

She pulled on her coat and boots. “Did you even actually send that e-mail canceling your deal with Melanie?”

“Of course I did.”

“When? In the last couple of days?” That hurt the most; knowing he must have wanted to keep his options open.

“I only started talking to you a few days ago!”

“She obviously didn’t answer you,” she went on, ignoring him. “Didn’t that raise some alarms?”

“I was too busy thinking about you.” He stopped her when she reached for the door. “Damn it, Heather. I love you. I. Love. You.” He cupped her face in both hands and leaned down to kiss her. Heather struggled at first, but this was Colt. She didn’t know how to resist him, even now, but her acquiescence only lasted a moment. “No.” She ripped herself away from him. “Not until she’s gone.” She opened the door before he could recover and ran down the front steps. When she got into her truck, Richard was already belted in.

“I hate him.”

She started the engine, blinking hard against tears. “It’s not his fault.”

“Then whose is it?”

“Heloise’s. All of ours.”

“Then I hate Heloise.”

She knew she should lecture him about forgiveness and tolerance, but she found she couldn’t form the words. “I think right now I hate her, too.”

‡

W
hen Colt returned
to the living room, Melanie sat on the sofa and Regan sat next to her, a consoling hand on her arm. “This isn’t your fault,” she was saying.

“That’s right; it’s my fault. I should have followed up to make sure you got my message.” Colt couldn’t sit. Instead he paced across the room, then turned to cross it again.

“I still wouldn’t have gotten your e-mail,” Melanie said. “Not with a broken phone. It’s my fault for not finding a computer and checking in one last time before I came.”

“What’s done is done,” Zane said. “Now we have to make the best of it. Colt, is Heather on board?”

“For now. She’s not happy, though. And Richard hates my guts.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Ella said.

“Of course he hates me. I just ditched his mom!” He scanned the worried faces looking back at him. “I shouldn’t have let them leave like that, either. Whatever happens, they need to keep living here so I can keep close to Richard. I don’t want to lose him over this.”

“Of course not,” Storm said.

“They should definitely keep living here,” Regan echoed. “It’s not like Melanie is trying to break you two up, right? We’ll do everything we can to make this as easy as possible. We’ll keep Richard busy and entertain Melanie and make sure she has fun while she’s here. It will be like a vacation for you, Melanie.”

“A really awkward vacation.” Melanie twisted her fingers together in her lap. “Heather must despise me.”

“No,” Colt said. “I don’t think so. If anything she’s pissed at me.”

“Are you sure I should stay? Because I think you should tell your aunt the truth about us—”

“No!” Several voices rang out together.

“You don’t know Heloise,” Zane said. “Although if there’s any issue between you and Heather, Colt, then you have to do what’s right for the two of you. None of us want to win the ranch if it’s going to break you up.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that stretched out just a bit too long before Colt said, “It’s not going to break us up. Not if I can have time alone with Heather and Richard along the way.”

“We’ll all help with that,” Storm said. The others nodded.

“I hate to bring it up, but we’ve got to be practical. You and Melanie better go buy a ring,” Mason said. “Zane says Heloise thought it was weird you hadn’t done that already.”

Colt rubbed his neck. He’d already bought a ring for the woman he loved, but Mason was right; Melanie would need one, too. “We’ll do that later today,” he said. “All right, Melanie?”

Melanie looked like she would object, but she took in the concerned faces surrounding her and her shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

“You can’t let
Colt marry someone else!” Camila sat across from Heather at Linda’s Diner later that afternoon. Heather kept an eye on the time. She wanted be there to pick Richard up from school as soon as the bell rang. He’d refused to talk to her when they drove into town this morning, and she knew that his anger masked a world of hurt. This situation required delicate handling.

She’d gone to work and done the best she could to keep up with her to-do list, but when Camila texted to say she was taking her afternoon break, Heather had jumped at the chance to meet her for coffee.

“What else can I do? If he doesn’t marry her now, they’ll lose the ranch.”

“So let them lose the ranch! This is getting out of control.”

Heather had to agree, but there was nothing for it. “What’s done is done. We just have to get through the next few months and everything will be fine.” Maybe if she told herself that enough times it would come true.

“Somebody needs to sort Heloise out. She’s messed up.”

“I agree.”

“She—”

“Oh no.” Heather fought the urge to drop her head in her hands when she saw who had just walked through the door.

“What?” Camila turned around. “Is that the fake fiancée?”

“Yep.”

Colt paused in the doorway with Melanie, spotted them and led Melanie their way. Heather couldn’t believe it; surely he didn’t mean to join them.

Apparently he did. He gestured for Melanie to sit next to Heather and moved to sit by Camila. Camila glared at him for a long minute before she finally rolled her eyes and moved over.

“I’m glad we found you.” Colt reached for Heather’s hand, then pulled back at the last second. “Look, I know how awkward this is but I want you and Richard to keep staying at the Hall.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, it’s impractical. I can’t leave my house empty for long and it’s too hard to live out of a suitcase.”

“You didn’t mind that before.”

“Things were different before.”

“Then come and go, but if you move home now, Richard’s going to feel like I’ve abandoned him.” Colt’s handsome face was tight with worry. Despite herself, Heather’s anger decreased. She could see how much he had grown to love Richard and how it was killing him to let his son down.

“I’ve explained everything to him.”

“That doesn’t fix it, though, does it? He and I were just starting to be comfortable. I don’t want to lose him again.”

“What will Heloise say?”

“She’ll think it’s crazy, but she won’t be able to prove we’re lying about my marriage to Melanie.”

She could feel Camila willing her to say no, but Colt was right; Richard would pull back from him if they weren’t in contact. “Won’t it be hard for Melanie to have us around?”

Melanie shook her head vigorously. “Of course not! I want to do anything I can to help. Colt told me everything that’s happened and I feel like such a fool for messing it all up. You three should live together. Richard needs to get to know his father and I’ll explain the whole situation to him again if you think it will help.”

A quick glance across the table told her Melanie’s eagerness to please had undermined even Camila’s ability to stay angry at her.

“Okay,” Heather said reluctantly. She expected Colt to be relieved, but instead he frowned. He took her hand and lifted it up.

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” But Heather already knew what he meant. She tugged her hand away. She’d taken off her engagement ring before she came in to work, unwilling to wear it if they weren’t actually going to marry.

“Your ring? Where’s your ring?”

“You’re marrying Melanie. Maybe… maybe she should have it.”

“Like hell!” Colt glanced at Melanie and lowered his voice. “I mean—we’re going to go get her one to wear for show, but it won’t be real and we sure as hell won’t use yours. You’re acting like—ow!”

Heather kicked Colt when she spotted Heloise.

“Well, isn’t this cozy!” Heloise made her way down the aisle toward them. Thank goodness Heather had seen her early enough, or who knew what Heloise might have overheard.

Colt turned and surveyed her grimly. “Isn’t this a surprise.”

“Maybe for you it is. I come for a slice of pie every week.” Heloise scanned the occupants of the booth and her eyes narrowed when she focused on Heather’s hand. “Heather Ward, where’s your ring? Have you lost that fiancé of yours already? You’re not very good at holding onto your men.”

Despite herself, Heather felt her cheeks warm and it took all her will not to hide her hand. “I haven’t lost anyone, Heloise. My ring is… at the jewelers. I’m going to pick it up when I’m done here.”

“I notice you still don’t have a ring, either,” Heloise said to Melanie.

“That’s our next stop,” Colt said with forced cheer.

“It’s your lucky day. I’m on my way to the jewelers, too. I feel the need for a new brooch. I’ll back you up, young lady. Make sure that cowboy of yours doesn’t act like a cheapskate when you pick out your ring.”

“Oh, I don’t want anything fancy,” Melanie said.

Heloise chuckled. “That’s what they all say until they get to the jewelry counter, eh, Colt? Let’s get a move on. You too, Heather.”

Heather exchanged a helpless glance with Colt. “What about your pie, Heloise?”

“That can wait. First things first. Or maybe you don’t want to go. Maybe you don’t have a fiancé. Maybe everything the three of you have told me is a lie, and those developers are going to get Crescent Hall for a song.”

Colt’s gaze met hers and Heather knew the old woman had won again.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said and got up. Melanie stood as well. With a sigh, Colt got to his feet. “I’m not sure this is a group activity, Heloise.” Camila kept to her seat, but shook her head slowly. Heather knew what she meant. They were all stark raving mad.

“It is now,” Heloise said.

As Colt held
open the door to Thayer’s Jewelers, he wondered how best to survive this little field trip. Heather walked into the store first, shoulders stiff and head held high. Melanie hung back as if she wanted to hide. Heloise had a thin-lipped smile that spelled more trouble ahead. The jewelry store had changed since he was young. Back then Thayer ran it in a far more traditional manner, but a year or so ago, Rose Johnson had teamed up with Mia Matheson to purchase the place and run their businesses together. Rose ran the jewelry store and used one large wall as a gallery to display the landscapes she painted. Mia ran her wedding planning business from a small office off to the side.

Colt had no idea how this encounter would play out. Rose would certainly know about his engagement to Heather. Could he somehow signal to her that things had changed? He’d heard Rose had a special kind of intuition, but he doubted that meant she’d be able to read his mind. According to Mason, when she touched a couple’s engagement ring, she got a hunch about their future prospects. It had pleased his brother when she pronounced that he and Regan would go the distance, but that wasn’t any help to Colt now.

Rose came to meet them before he could think of a better method to fill her in on what was happening. “Hello, Heloise. Colt, Heather—congratulations, Mia told me your news!” She looked expectantly at Melanie.

Colt knew he had to work fast. He touched Melanie’s arm and spoke clearly, hoping to make Rose understand how important it was to go along with what he said. “Hi Rose, I’d like to introduce you to Melanie Munroe—my fiancée.”