The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) (14 page)

Failed.

“Hannah! Hannah, what’s wrong? Is it the money?”

Hannah shook her head vigorously.

“What is it?” Bella crouched down beside her.

“I screwed up. Big time.” Hannah’s tears fell faster. She dropped her head into her hands. “I slept with Jake.”

“Okay, you slept with Jake. That’s… kind of nice, isn’t it?” Bella asked. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. He likes you. Did he do something?”

“He proposed!” Hannah wailed. “He wants to get married and have kids…”

Understanding dawned on Bella’s face. “His timing wasn’t so great. But that’s okay, you can be with him and wait on the kids, can’t you?”

Hannah shook her head again. “The condom… it broke…”

“Oh, honey,” Bella swept her into another hug. “Sweetie, oh, I’m so sorry. But you can’t know yet that anything’s happened. You won’t know for a while. Chances are that everything will be fine. You’ll just be more careful in the future, right? Aren’t you on the Pill?”

“No. I’d been having issues, so I went off them a few months back. I have a doctor’s appointment next month to try another kind…” She dragged her sleeve across her face and shrugged. “I guess it’s too little, too late.”

“What did Jake say?”

“He wants to marry me—right away.”

“Well, that’s… good,” Bella said. “At least Jake loves you and wants the child, if there is one.”

“This is all happening way too fast.”

“Okay, first of all, congratulations on your acceptance to Montana State. Whatever happens, you’ll do a great job there and you’ll be a great veterinarian. Second, until you know whether you’re pregnant or not, you don’t have to do anything as far as Jake’s concerned. Just try to relax and focus on other things for a few weeks. If you do turn out to be pregnant, you still have plenty of time to make decisions, right?”

“I guess so. But Jake wants an answer in two weeks.”

“Too bad. He’ll just have to wait. This is an important decision, Hannah. You have to think it through.” She stood up. “Come on, let’s go give the animals in back a little love while we talk.”

Hannah nodded and followed her to the shelter at the back of the clinic. Bella stopped at a kennel in which an older mutt lay chewing on a bone. “Where will you go for vet school? To Colorado like I did?”

“I’ll go wherever I get in,” Hannah said. “You know what the competition for spaces is like.”

Bella nodded. “I do know. Can I ask a personal question?”

“Sure.” Hannah waggled her fingers through the bars of a cage where a tan puppy lay curled in a fluffy ball. She loved this guy. If she had her own place she’d adopt him in a heartbeat.

“How are you going to pay for school?”

“I have a little savings to get started,” she said. “Enough to cover spring semester. I’m going to pick evening and weekend courses and still work as much as possible. Then there’s financial aid and scholarships. I’ve already got a bunch to apply for.”

“No.” Bella said, petting the mutt’s floppy ears. “Forget it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re not going to work full time, go to school full time and try to fit in all those hours of homework, too.”

“I’ll manage just fine. Everyone does.”

“No, you won’t. Because I’m offering you the first Bella Mortimer Full-Ride Scholarship for veterinary students.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open and for one second her heart surged with hope. Just for one second, though. Nearly as quickly, reality set in. She shook her head. “No way. I’m not taking your money.”

“You know, I’d buy that line in any other situation than this one,” Bella said. “I mean, if I was some random friend of yours who offered to pay for school out of the goodness of my heart, you’d be right to turn me down and pay your own way. That’s not the case here, though, is it? First of all, I wouldn’t have won so much money if you hadn’t signed me up for the reality show. I should pay your way for the rest of your life. Second, I wouldn’t have married a man who’s even richer than me if you hadn’t signed me up for that show. So I should doubly pay your way for the rest of your life. In fact,” she grew serious, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to do just that, Hannah.” She reached for her hand. “I owe you everything. I can’t carry that burden forever. I’ve been talking to lawyers about how to set up a trust for you. Just let me pay for your schooling. It’ll be so much simpler.”

“No.” Hannah shook her head. “I can’t do that. It’s wrong. It’s weird!”

“Um… we passed weird a long time ago, sweetie. Billionaire.” She pointed to herself. “How weird is that? Please don’t make this weirder than it needs to be.”

Hannah thought a moment. Bella was right, not that she’d signed her up for the show in order to profit off it; she’d only wanted her friend to be able to hold onto the clinic so they’d both have a job. But Bella did win and she did marry Evan, and there was a bit of strain between them now that Bella had so much money and Hannah… didn’t. “Okay,” she nodded. “You pay for my school and we’ll be quits, okay?”

“Sure thing.” Bella grinned.

Hannah narrowed her eyes, but let the subject slide.

‡
Chapter Eleven

“I
t’s not fair;
you’re stealing all of my friends,” Autumn said when Jake and Luke came to pick up Fila and her things. The shy young woman showed Luke her bags and he began to haul them outside.

“They won’t be far off,” Jake assured her. “You and Ethan are welcome to come by any time.”

“It won’t be the same.” Autumn waited until Fila passed by them, carrying a few of her lighter bags. “I’m worried about Fila. Living with Luke? That’s crazy for her. She barely talks to men.”

“Luke’s a pretty steady guy. They’ll do fine.”

“I’m not so sure. She hardly leaves the house, you know, and she trusts us. Over at the Double-Bar-K…” She met his gaze. “No offense, Jake, but you and your brothers and Holt can get pretty rough.”

Jake’s jaw tightened. She was telling the truth. None of them pulled any punches when their ire was up. Sometimes things got loud and out of hand.

“She’ll have my Mom, Morgan, Hannah and Mia to take care of her. She’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Well, tell Hannah to stop by soon. I miss her already.”

“Will do,” Jake said. He went to help load Fila’s things and realized she and Luke had already finished the job. Fila hadn’t been in Chance Creek long enough to accumulate many possessions. The ride back home was quiet, so he was glad it only took a couple of minutes. He left Luke and Fila to carry her things into Luke’s cabin while he went to find Ned.

He met Mia on the front porch of Ned’s house, wielding a broom and singing along to a song on her iPod. Again he marveled at how young she looked, although she and Fila were about the same age.

“How’s it going?” he asked when he caught her attention. She pulled the earbuds out of her ears and grinned.

“Great! Come and look! Tell me if you think Ned will like what I’ve done.”

Jake followed her inside and stopped dead, blinking at the sight in front of him. All of Ned’s things were still here. They were just… different.

“Let me guess. Your favorite color is… pink,” Jake said.

“Scrape that look off your face, cowboy. I know people think pink is too girly, but I love pink. You know why?” Mia grabbed his hand and tugged him farther into the house. “It’s bright. It’s bold. It doesn’t hold back. The color pink stands for unconditional love and that’s my thing, you know? I don’t hold back my feelings or emotions. I’m not cold like so many people are. I don’t judge people. Do you judge people?”

“Um… I don’t know.”

She stopped and he nearly bumped into her before he noticed her scrutinizing him. “You do. I can tell. That’s a shortcoming, Jake. You have to let people be people. You have to let them express their true selves and follow their passions—otherwise you’ll just make them miserable.”

“Okay.” Inside the house he got a full view of the changes she’d made. A hot pink tablecloth covered the table and matched the curtains on the main living room windows. Evidently Mia didn’t have enough curtains to go around, because the rest of the windows on the first floor were still dressed with the ones his mother had provided. There were candles everywhere. All kinds and sizes, short and tall, fat and thin, some in glass holders, some sitting right on the furniture, which Jake doubted was a good idea in a cabin constructed primarily of wood.

The old comfortable couch had a new pink covering with raised white polka dots. Pink and white striped pillows were plumped in its corners. A bouquet of red and white roses sat in pride of place on the dining room table. Something was cooking, but Jake couldn’t place the smell.

“What’s in the oven?” he asked. He was afraid to comment on the décor.

“A quinoa casserole. It’s got spinach and kale and shallots. It’s so good for you! Do you want to stay for supper?”

“Uh… no! I mean… I have plans with Hannah.”

“That’s so sweet!” Mia tied a frilly apron around her middle and pulled hot pink oven mitts on her hands. She opened the oven and peered in. “Just another half hour. I hope Ned’s hungry.”

“I hope he is, too,” Jake said and made a quick escape.

Luke made an
appearance at nine o’clock that evening, tapping on the front door before he let himself in.

“Is Jake here?” he asked Hannah, hovering just inside the doorway. He looked uneasy.

“I’m here,” Jake said before Hannah could respond. He’d been up in his bedroom doing some paperwork while Hannah put her feet up on the couch. Now he clattered down the stairs. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Fila. She’s crying.”

Hannah sat up. “Crying? What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Luke said. “I just put on a movie for us to watch. It’s really awkward sitting there with nothing to say.”

“What movie?” Jake asked as Hannah went to get her coat.

“Jarhead.”

“A war movie?” Hannah twirled around. “Seriously? You asked her to watch a war movie?”

Luke looked stricken. “I didn’t think…”

“No, you didn’t.” Jake put his hands on his hips.

“We’ve got nothing in common,” Luke was saying as Hannah slammed out the door. Did the Matheson men ever think, she wondered as she stalked toward Luke’s cabin. On the way, she passed Ned’s place and was startled when he called out, “Anything wrong?”

“Ned?” She peered through the darkness. “What are you doing out there without the lights on?”

“Just thinking.” He came down the steps from the porch to join her. He paced beside her as she continued on her way. “Kind of hard on the eyes inside my place just now.”

Hannah stifled a giggle. “Jake told me about Mia’s decorating spree.”

“Think I might have hurt her feelings,” he said. “Didn’t mean to. That’s just a lot of pink to spring on a man. My reaction was a little… abrupt.”

“Oh, no.”

“What’s wrong with Fila?” At her look of surprise he said, “I saw Luke hightailing it toward your house a few minutes ago. Figured something happened to upset her and he couldn’t take her tears.”

“You’re right. He tried to watch
Jarhead
with her.”

“Idiot.” Ned picked up the pace. “You don’t show that kind of thing to a woman—not one like Fila.”

“What do you know about it?” The words popped out before she could think them through. Ned stopped short.

“I know more than people give me credit for.”

“Okay, okay. Didn’t mean to touch a nerve.”

“Yeah, well. You did.” He didn’t explain further. Just resumed walking. Hannah followed him.

When they reached Luke’s cabin all was quiet inside. The lights were on and a fire blazed in the fireplace. Plates had been scraped and left by the sink but there was no evidence that anyone had cooked. Hannah got the feeling they’d eaten frozen dinners. There was no sign of Fila.

“Fila?” Hannah called. “Are you here?”

They moved quickly through the main floor but it was obvious she wasn’t downstairs. Hannah climbed to the second story thinking Ned would stay behind, but he followed close on her heels. This cabin was laid out exactly the same way as Jake’s, so she approached the guest room door and knocked.

“Fila? It’s Hannah. Can I come in?”

After a long moment, she heard something that might have been an invitation to enter. She turned the door handle and opened it slowly. “Fila?” The young woman was huddled on the bed, pressed up against the headboard. “Are you okay?” She quickly moved to Fila’s side and pulled her close, instinctively wanting to give her comfort. “It’s all right. I’m here. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

When Ned entered the room she shooed him away vigorously, but he didn’t leave. He came to stand next to the bed, his hands in his jeans pockets. Hannah ignored him. She stroked Fila’s hair and let her sob against her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, thinking if she could get Fila to talk about it, she might settle down.

“I can’t do this,” Fila cried. “I can’t… I just feel… I’m too…” Her sobs deepened until her body was wracked with them. Hannah gathered her closer, wishing she could somehow prevent Fila from ever being hurt or scared again. She didn’t know everything that had happened to the woman in her time in Afghanistan, but she could only imagine how scared and alone she must have been. Had all that fear she’d held inside for a decade overwhelmed her now that she was out of danger? Was it a matter of crying it out or did she need more help? Professional help, maybe.