Wild Fire (The Fairy Tale Match Series) (27 page)

“Would this be the history that
involves you in someone else’s bed on the day before you were meant to marry
Jake? His best friend no less!” Laura refused to let Victoria get the upper
hand.

She pouted, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
“He told you about that then? Or was it that sister of his? She never could
resist putting the boot in.”

“It was Jake, not Kerry. He’s told me
everything.” Laura didn’t want this woman to think Jake hadn’t confided in her.
She wanted her to realise how close Jake and Laura were, then hopefully she’d
give up on Jake and leave. “I can’t believe you came back here thinking you
could just take up where you left off. He hasn’t even forgiven his own best
friend who is like a brother to him. Why would you think he’d have forgiven
you?”

Victoria laughed in her face. She
threw back her perfect head and laughed. Laura was shocked. “Well, you just
gave me all the answer I needed,” she smirked. “He hasn’t told you everything,
it would seem.” She leaned in close to Laura. “Jake hasn’t forgiven Dan because
he slept with me. Because he loves me. Had it been anyone else, like you for
example, I think he would have.”

“You’re crazy!” Laura declared,
wanting to get away from Victoria. She didn’t like the self-satisfied look on
her face and more than anything she didn’t want to hear what else Victoria had
to say. She sensed the woman had something she was simply dying to tell her.
Whatever it was, she knew it wouldn’t be good.

Victoria laughed again. “I most
certainly am not. You see, I believe Jake will take me back because he’s
already forgiven me for sleeping with Dan. The day after it happened, he begged
me to marry him. He wanted me to stay and work things out. He was such a mess.
Crying and pleading with me to stay while I was packing up my stuff. I left
him. He would have had me back in a heartbeat had the choice been his.”

Laura felt sick, her face draining of
all colour. “You’re lying!” she whispered faintly.

“Am I? What would be the point? If it
wasn’t true, you could just ask Jake and he’d deny it. Of course he might now,
but you look carefully at his face. You’ll know then that I am telling the
truth. You, sugar, are just a phase he will get over. I am the real thing. The
sooner you realise that the better for you. You’ll only be hurt that much more
when he comes back to me. And he will. The only thing he has to forgive me for
is walking away two years ago. And he will. It is only a matter of time.”

Laura shook her head in denial. “I
don’t believe you!” But Victoria radiated confidence. No part of her
countenance spoke of her lying. A sinking feeling overtook Laura. She
remembered how Jake had gone off the deep end when he’d thought she’d had lunch
with Dan. He hadn’t been willing to forgive her. He’d cut her off without a
thought, telling her he felt nothing for her. Now she found out he’d apparently
forgiven Victoria for sleeping with Dan. He’d still wanted to marry her. If it
was true, it sure pointed to Jake’s feelings being stronger for Victoria than for
her.

Laura felt her world tipping
precariously. Why hadn’t he said a word? She’d asked him if there was anything
else he hadn’t told her and he’d avoided the question. Why hadn’t she pressed
for an answer? How could he sleep with her, knowing this would come out at some
point?

“I’m sorry sugar, but it really is
better that you know now. I’m sure you were a nice novelty for a while, but
once he’s punished me enough for walking away from him, he’ll be wanting me
back.” Victoria patted her patronisingly on the arm before she sauntered off.

Laura stood like a statue in the
middle of the street, her mind whirling. Martha’s warning came back to her. She
closed her eyes against the void of pain she could feel whirling around inside
her. She needed to talk to Jake. He would clear this up. She couldn’t just take
Victoria’s word for it. The woman obviously wanted Jake back. She would say and
do anything to achieve it.

Taking a deep breath, Laura headed
back to her car. She drove slowly back to the ranch, dreading the conversation
to come and what it might mean. Jake would sort this out. He’d committed to her
last night. He’d told her to keep that in mind and Victoria couldn’t hurt them.
She had to believe he meant it.

*****

Jake was just finishing up restoring
the small barn to its usual storage space, when Laura entered. He took one look
at her face and knew something was very wrong. Her hair hung around her, half
up and half down in a wild disarray, but she didn’t seem to notice. The
expression on her face was haunted. His heart tripped over in alarm. Dropping
the crate in his hand, he hurried over to her. She stepped back when he tried
to reach for her.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked,
really worried at her pallor.

“I need to ask you something and I
need you to tell me the truth.” She swallowed hard, her voice wobbling with her
effort to control her emotions.

“What is it?” Jake dreaded the
question. Somehow he just knew this had Victoria written all over it. How he
wished he could kill the woman for her interfering.

“I saw Victoria in town. She took
great delight in telling me that when she slept with Dan two years ago, you
forgave her. She said you begged her to still marry you. That she left you. Is
it true?” Her voice nearly broke on the last words she uttered.

Jake closed his eyes in horrified
silence. It was the one thing he’d dreaded her finding out. He should have
known Victoria would wield that weapon. He should have told her himself. He’d
lost his chance to explain things first. Heaven only knew what the damage that
omission would do.

Laura took one look at his face and
knew it was true without him saying a word. She broke down, sobbing. “Why
didn’t you tell me? You let Victoria stand there and smugly get one over on me
with her little announcement. She couldn’t wait to tell me that you hadn’t let
me in on everything, that she is the one you ultimately want! Why did you
promise me all those things last night, when you didn’t mean them? Oh, what a
fool I have been. Again!” She started to walk away from him but Jake grabbed
her arm and pulled her back.

“I should have told you. I’m sorry. I
should have known Victoria would pull a stunt like this and I should never have
put you in that position. Let me explain things, please. What happened two
years ago has no bearing on now.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t you say
anything? I asked you last night if there was anything you hadn’t told me. Why
didn’t you say anything then?” She hit him in the chest with her fist, her
anguish nearly choking her.

“Please will you give me time to talk
with you about this? Don’t just assume you know my reasons and shut me out.
This is what Victoria wants. Please, give me a chance to explain. If I didn’t
care, I wouldn’t ask you to hear me out.” Laura looked into his eyes, seeing his
agony reflected in them. She bit her lip, unsure. “What have you got to lose to
hear what I have to say?” Jake coaxed her towards the crates he’d been dumping
back in the barn. She allowed him to seat her on one. He pulled another one
near to her and sat facing her.

“Two years ago, I thought I was in
love with Victoria. We’d been together for some time before what happened with
Dan,” he began, his voice full of emotion. “I was so used to her being around.
I thought she was the only one for me.” Laura choked on a pain filled sob. He
grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to his. “I was wrong. So very, very wrong. I
just didn’t know it at the time.”

“When everything happened,” he
continued. “I was distraught. I didn’t think I could live without her. I had
never had a serious relationship before her. She was my first love or so I thought.
I didn’t think I could take it if I lost her. I went to her home the morning of
what was meant to be our wedding and yes, I begged her to work things out with
me. She would have none of it. She was packing her clothes and planned on
leaving that very day. I thought I would die. I made the biggest idiot of
myself, trying to win her back. She didn’t love me. I saw it that morning. She
couldn’t care less.”

He paused, his eyes searching Laura’s
face for any sign of softening. She refused to meet his gaze. “I was so ashamed
of how I begged and pleaded with a woman that had so completely betrayed me
that I couldn’t tell a single person what I’d done. I couldn’t bare for them to
know what a fool I’d been and how much I had chucked my pride away for someone
who didn’t care.”

“Kerry and Bill don’t know?” she
asked quietly.

“No.”

She looked at him then, her eyes
filled with pain. “Are you only staying away from her because you think she
doesn’t love you back? If you see she does, will you want her instead of me?
After all, you were so able to throw me away when you thought I’d had lunch
with Dan. You wouldn’t have forgiven me.”

“I’m staying away from her because I
don’t love her and never did. I love you. That time with Dan, I was afraid of
what it would mean for me if I really let you in. I told you that before. I
just didn’t tell you what a fool I’d made of myself, how low I’d sunk with
Victoria. It took a long time for me to be able to look myself in the mirror
again after that incident. I never wanted to end up like that ever again.
Please Laura, believe me when I tell you I don’t want her. I want you.”

“For how long? She is so beautiful
Jake. She is so vibrant and feisty. I’m ordinary. Nothing much.” Her voice
caught on a sob.

“Don’t you say that!” he cried
fiercely. “You are beautiful inside and out. Victoria is only beautiful on the
surface. What you are is everything that I want in my partner. I want you for
the rest of my life. That will never change.”

Laura wanted to believe him, but she
was terribly afraid. More than anything else, she didn’t want to end up like
her mother. She didn’t want to love a man who wanted someone else and for that
unrequited love to destroy her. Misery ate at her insides.

“Victoria told me that the only
reason you haven’t forgiven Dan is because it was her he slept with. That if it
had been anyone else, you would have. Is that true?”  She hated to ask, but she
had to know.

“No. I haven’t forgiven Dan because
he was like my brother and he completely betrayed me. It wouldn’t have mattered
who it had been, I could never forgive him for what he chose to do. Truly, it
wasn’t because it was Victoria.” He took her hands in his, gently rubbing the
backs of them with his thumb. “Please believe me, I’m over her. I have been
ever since the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met came into my life. I made a
mistake not telling you what I did when Victoria was leaving, but part of that
was because I didn’t want to lose your respect.”

“You wouldn’t have,” she said softly.

“Why not? I lost respect for myself.
Sweetheart, I never told a soul about that incident. Doesn’t that tell you
something?” he pleaded with her.

“Bill and Kerry really don’t know?”
she asked, needing his reassurance that he hadn’t told her because he was
ashamed and not for any other reason.

“I am willing for you to ask them
yourself, if that’s what you need to do. You will see that they knew nothing
about it.” She looked at his face, seeing nothing but honesty in his gaze.

“That’s not necessary.” She didn’t
want to put him through that humiliation, she loved him too much for that. “You
should have told me.”

“I know. I will make it up to you for
my thoughtlessness.” He pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tight. “Do you
forgive me?” He nuzzled her neck, making her shiver.

Gently, she pushed on his shoulders
until he reluctantly let her get to her feet. She ran her hands nervously down
the front of her trousers. “I need time to think about all this. I have to sort
my head out. I hope you can understand, but I just need time to think.”

“Okay.” He looked sad. “Let me know
if you need to talk some more.”

“I will.” She turned and headed out
of the barn. Jake sat for a long time after her departure, wishing he’d told
her. He’d made so many mistakes and had hurt her too many times. Getting to his
feet, he wandered out of the barn, heading for their managers office. It was
time he took steps to get Victoria out of their lives. The sooner, the better.

*****

Victoria smiled happily to herself at
the trouble she’d no doubt caused for Jake. By now, his little wren would be
beside herself with doubt. She was so easy to lead into any stream of thought
that Victoria desired. Sighing blissfully, she sank into the sofa in her cabin,
enjoying a glass of red wine.

A knock sounded at her door. She rose
gracefully and crossed to answer it. Seeing the identity of her visitor, she
quickly pulled the man inside, glancing around to make sure nobody had seen
him. “Well?” she asked abruptly.

“They were talking in the small barn.
It wasn’t easy to hear everything they said, but it would seem she is still
uncertain about his explanation. She left to think things through.” Walter
crossed the room, picking up her glass of wine and draining the contents.

“Perfect! You have done well. I
couldn’t be more pleased with this outcome.” She took the glass from him,
poured herself more wine and sipped it slowly.