Sweet Hill Temptation (A Short Story)

by Ryan, Joya

  “You told the truth. There’s nothing wrong with that. And you didn’t wreck a thing. If Luke Jacobs can’t handle the fact that he’s lucky enough for a woman like you to love him, then he’s dumber than that grandfather of his.”

  Annie hung her head. Luke had gotten to her a long time ago, but it wasn’t until yesterday that she had admitted just how much.

  She was in love with him.

  There was no getting around it.

  “You want an answer, Annie? Go get one. You’ve never waited for things to be handed to you. If you want him, go get him. At least to know where he stands.”

  She nodded, knowing her grandmother was right. Only problem was, a new feeling was creeping up that she didn’t have a lot of experience with. Fear. Whatever answer she sought from Luke would change things, in one way or another. And that scared the shit out of her.

  “Can you handle the cleanup?” she asked her grandmother.

  “Of course, dear. You go on.”

  “Thanks.” Grabbing her things, Annie hustled to her car and drove to Luke’s. As she suspected, he wasn’t home yet. So she let herself in like she had a hundred times over the past several weeks. Maybe a nice dinner would be good. To take the edge off her racing pulse.

  While boiling water for pasta and cutting veggies for the sauce, she prepared for what she had to say to Luke. Because good or bad, he’d give her an answer. And then she’d know.

  A low hum, then paper rustling sounded from the bedroom. She walked over to the small desk in Luke’s room and saw a bunch of papers pop up in the fax machine.

  Not one to pry, she turned to go back to the kitchen, but two words caught her eye: Contract and New York.

  With harvest drawing to a close, Luke skipped going to his grandfather’s tonight for his regular check-in. He was ready to get home. After a shower, he’d call Annie. When he pulled up, he realized she’d beat him to it. She was already at his place.

  Entering through the kitchen, he saw veggies cut up on the counter and a pot of water on the stove, but the water wasn’t boiling.

  “Annie?”

  She walked out from his room. A mix of anger, shock, and sadness played on her face.

  “Is there something you want to tell me, Luke?”

  He looked her over. Was she upset because he hadn’t responded to her admission yesterday? All day he had been thinking about her and what the hell his feelings were. They were strong, he knew that. And he wanted to spend that time with her. Figuring out what to do about the new job offer, which he had to make a decision about in several days.

  “About last night—”

  “I’m not talking about that.”

  “Well, I’d like to,” he said, trying to figure out why she was being this way.

  “Tell me the truth, Luke. For once, tell me something to my face before I’m hit with it later.”

  “I have told you the truth.”

  “Really? So this contract to go to New York isn’t real?”

  “What?” Shock settled in his gut. “That wasn’t supposed to come in until next week.”

  The way her face fell when he said that did horrible things to his chest. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

  “I know what you meant,” she said so softly he had to strain to hear her. “You had another opportunity you couldn’t pass up, right?”

  Hearing her say the words he’d said to her before was tough to swallow.

  “Annabelle, let’s talk about this.”

  “Are you going to New York, Luke?”

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Whatever was warring within him, he didn’t recognize. It was an emotion—something painful and achy—that rendered him speechless.

  “I guess I have my answer,” she whispered.

  She walked past him out the door.

  “Baby, wait.”

  Water lined her eyes when she looked over her shoulder and said, “I can’t.”

  Chapter Eight

  It had been three hours since Annie left. And it was the longest three hours of Luke’s life. He’d spent it pacing in his cabin and trying to figure out what to do.

  Luke knew she needed space. And he was trying to give her that. Mostly because he didn’t know what to say. How the hell could he explain something he didn’t understand himself?

  He should want to go east. To take this opportunity and make good for himself and his family.

  A knock on his front door sounded, and Luke put down the scotch he was drinking and rushed to answer.

  “Anna—”

  Nope, not Annabelle. His grandfather.

  “Hey, Pop, come in.”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said as he sat down, glancing at the drink on the table.

  “Not at all.”

  Andrew Jacobs nodded and simply stared.

  “Sorry I missed our meeting today. But harvest has gone well,” Luke said.

  Again, just a nod.

  “Everything good with you, Pop?” It was rare, very rare, that he got a visit from his grandfather. Luke always went to him.

  “What are you thinking, son?”

  Luke frowned. There was no way his grandpa could know about Annabelle, could he?

  “I hear you got a Thompson girl mad at you, and from what I understand, it’s your fault this time.”

  Yep, he did know. Damn small towns.

  “I wanted to talk to you about this Global Distribution offer that came in. It could really grow our family brand.”

  “But?” his grandfather asked, as if knowing there was a “but.”

  “But they have an office in New York, and they want me to start there.”

  “I see.” His grandfather nodded. “Do you want to go?”

  Luke paused. The same damn pause he’d had when Annie asked him the same thing.

  “I should want to.”

  “Could someone else go? Oversee this?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. From the sound of the e-mail and contract, they want to work with a Jacobs specifically.”

  “Let me tell you something from my experience, son. Certain opportunities only present themselves once in a lifetime.”

  “I know. That’s why I can’t turn this global deal down.” He ran a hand through his hair and paced. “But no, I don’t want to go.”

  “You didn’t let me finish,” his grandfather said. “Opportunities come. And if that opportunity happens to come with the last name Thompson, you’d be lucky to get a single chance, let alone a second one.”

  His grandfather glanced down as if remembering something sad, then met Luke’s eyes again.

  “Leaving is easy, Luke. My own son is living proof of that,” he grumbled. “It’s also a coward’s way out when you can’t handle what’s in front of you.”

  “I can handle things, Pop. I just don’t want to mess up. Make the wrong choice.” Since his father wasn’t around, he always knew he’d take over the business, but he wanted to build and contribute.

  “I have to earn it, Pop. All of it. I’m not going to just sit back and—”

  “And what? Inherit it all? Too bad. You are. And that doesn’t mean you haven’t earned it or that you don’t deserve it. You can’t keep trying to pay for your daddy’s mistakes, Luke. You’re not him. I know this.”

  Luke let out a breath he felt like he’d been holding for twenty years. “What do I do?”

  “Well, you can start by pulling your head out of your ass, because I think you’re chasing the wrong dream.”

  Luke frowned.

  “Damn, son, the land, the legacy, it’s been yours since the day you were born. You’ve already worked hard and taken the family name and business to heights I never could. If you’re content, stop chasing more. If Global wants us, state your terms to them. But start going after something that will leave you a real legacy. Something you can be proud of for yourself.”

  His grandfather rose and patted Luke’s back. “Everyone knows you’re a good man, Luke. You don’t h
ave to prove it anymore.”

  Luke hung his head, suddenly realizing why he went mute earlier with Annie. It was because the truth was something so overwhelming he didn’t know how to respond.

  “I love Annabelle Thompson,” he said.

  His grandfather slapped his back. “’Bout damn time, son.”

  Chapter Nine

  Annie sat on her couch with a carton of ice cream. A clichéd girly thing to do, but she couldn’t help it. She wasn’t ready to tell her grandmother or Jen about Luke. She needed a night to wallow. To find some kind of pride or strength. Anything to stop the tears from coming.

  She wiped a hand over her eyes, trying to hold in her emotions. Crying was useless. Too many times she’d done it when her mother left. When she got teased about her family or her poverty. Every time in the past she gave in to tears, and every time it got her nowhere.

  But this time was different.

  Her heart was broken on a whole other level than she’d thought possible.

  She loved Luke. Trusted him. And he was leaving. Like she didn’t matter and it was the easy choice. A fact she should be used to by now.

  Her phone rang, and she silenced it and dug into her ice cream again.

  Then a knock sounded at her door.

  “You can ignore my calls, but I’ll stay out here all night, Annabelle.”

  Her eyes shot wide. Luke was on her front porch.

  He knocked again. “Wouldn’t want me to make a scene, would you?”

  That got her attention. She put down the carton on the coffee table and opened the door, trying to mask her sadness.

  She refused to look Luke in the eye. She couldn’t risk it. “No, Luke, I don’t want a scene. Do what you need to do and go.”

  She’d never felt so broken. So hurt she couldn’t see straight. Luke reached out for her. She pulled away. Tears streamed from her eyes.

  “Don’t,” she sobbed. Her chest felt like it was splitting down the middle. “You were right the first time. We said everything we needed to already. So go. I told you, I don’t need your charity.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, baby.”

  “Fine, do what you want. Stay out here all night. It’s your town, apparently.” She couldn’t compete with him. Didn’t want to. She went to shut the door, but he stuck his foot in.

  “I mean, I’m not going to New York. I’m staying here.”

  She opened the door slightly. She didn’t know what kind of game this was, but her bones were heavy and exhaustion overcame her. She couldn’t keep up any longer. It just was too much to bear.

  “I can’t do this, Luke. It hurts. I thought I knew what I was getting into with you but—”

  “Will you shut up?” he said, stepping inside. “I love you. I didn’t know how to say it before, because I didn’t know what it was. There are all these things I thought I should do, should be, but when I’m with you, I get to stand still and just be me.”

  His words only made her tears fall harder. The tough girl that Luke called her, that everyone thought she was, was nowhere in sight. Standing in her living room staring down Luke Jacobs, she was nothing more than a woman on the brink of obtaining something she’d never thought she would ever have: acceptance.

  “You love me?”

  He cupped her face and nodded. “So much.”

  “What about the contract?”

  He smiled. “You are the opportunity of a lifetime, baby. There’s no way I’m walking away from that.”

  With a watery smile, she hugged him so hard it hurt her arms. And he clutched her back, kissing her mouth, her cheeks, her nose. For the first time in her life, Annie felt like she had finally found a solid place to call home.

  And his name was Luke Jacobs.

  About the Author

  Joya Ryan is a national and international best-selling author of contemporary and new-adult romance novels. Whether writing about small-town country boys or sexy corporate tycoons, Joya is dedicated to giving readers romance of all heat levels. She lives with her husband and two children in California. She loves hearing from her readers. Visit www.JoyaRyan.com or find her on Twitter @JoyaRyanAuthor.