Sweet Texas Fire

by Nicole Flockton

  “Yeah. If I were a betting man, I’d say all the letters they wrote to each other are in the box.”

  Macy tapped her chin as she contemplated what he’d told her. “Why did Jack have all the letters, I wonder?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “No idea.”

  “Gavin, you said Jack mentioned Nora’s name once when he was in pain. Was that the only time he mentioned it?” Charlotte asked the question he’d been about to ask.

  “Well,” Gavin started but stopped when Meg arrived at their table with their food. Her timing was impeccable at interrupting at the exact right moment. Gage drummed his fingers on the table. The moment Meg left their earshot, he leaned forward.

  “You were saying, Gavin?”

  “No, Dad didn’t mention her again, but”—he looked over at Macy—“babe, do you remember when we cleaned out the drawers in Dad’s desk in his home office, and we found that business card from a hotel in Houston—it had the name Nora written on the back, didn’t it? It was tucked right at the back of the drawer.”

  Another thing Gavin was remembering after the fact. Gage couldn’t believe his brother could be so vague. But then again, sometimes the littlest things you think wouldn’t mean anything, were actually the most important.

  “You’re right,” Macy said. “It was hard for Gavin to go through Jack’s things,” she explained to the brothers. “It’s not surprising we didn’t remember or make the connection straightaway.”

  Another thought hit Gage, one he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of until now. “What about those photos you found in the safe-deposit box, Gavin? You know, the ones with Dad and that woman. Do you suppose she could be Nora?”

  “No idea,” Gavin said.

  “Maybe,” Grayson responded.

  As if by an unspoken agreement everyone turned their attention to their meals, and the conversation changed to subjects that had nothing to do with letters or hotel business cards or Dad’s former love affairs.

  Gage had to admit, he was a little relieved. He didn’t know whether there were any answers in the letters about what went wrong with the love affair, but right now he didn’t want to read any more of them.

  Out of sight, out of mind could’ve been his dad’s reason for hiding the box in the attic. Gage couldn’t help but agree with his father if that was the case.

  CHAPTER 23

  Charlotte wiped her hands down her skirt as she and Gage sat in the immigration lawyer’s waiting room.

  “We’ve got this, Red. Don’t worry.” Gage’s words should’ve reassured her, but she couldn’t help but still be worried. They’d decided to keep the story they relayed to the officer as close to the truth as possible. They would see how the interview was going before they mentioned the land Jack had left her.

  “I know, but still, you know it’s a big thing, this interview. We have to make sure we’re convincing.” She kept her voice low so the receptionist couldn’t hear their conversation.

  “I can kiss you,” he suggested. “We’re pretty good at doing that. From memory, it always seems to calm you down. I promise I’ll keep my hands on your elbows. Even though I’d rather be checking to see if you’ve got those sexy, stay-up stockings on again.”

  She laughed at the audacity of his words. “Steady yourself, Cowboy. And as to the stockings, well, if you’re good, maybe I’ll give you a little look—after the interview.”

  She bit her lip to stop herself from groaning out loud when Gage leaned over and nipped her ear before whispering, “I promise I’ll be very good.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Cooper? Mr. Slater will see you now.”

  “Saved by the receptionist,” Gage joked as he stood and pulled her up with him.

  Charlotte could only imagine what the receptionist was thinking about the way they were acting, but then again, perhaps it was a good thing. She had no idea whether the immigration officer would question any of the law firm’s staff to confirm that the marriage was more than a “green card marriage.”

  They followed the receptionist down the hall. Instead of walking into an office, they found themselves in a boardroom. Charlotte’s grip tightened around Gage’s hand, her nerves coming back in full force.

  “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. Please take a seat.” The lawyer stood as they approached the table and pointed to the vacant chairs opposite him.

  Gage held out a chair for her and as she sat, he squeezed her shoulder quickly before taking the seat next to her and reaching for her hand. She grabbed it like it was the lifeline she needed to prevent her from drowning.

  “May I introduce you to Daphne Lewitsky from the Immigration Department? Today’s meeting is just a preliminary discussion to review the application and for Ms. Lewitsky to meet you both.”

  Charlotte’s tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Even if she could speak, she had a feeling her words would be unintelligible, so she smiled and nodded a hello.

  Gage, on the other hand, charmed the woman with a smile and a friendly greeting.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Cooper,” Ms. Lewitsky started. “Please relax, although I know this can be a bit nerve-racking. As Mr. Slater explained, today’s meeting is just the start of the procedure. But I will warn you that we take the matter of issuing a green card through marriage very seriously. There are procedures in place for a reason, and there are no shortcuts. We scrutinize each application and make our decision only after we’ve spent time interviewing you, your family, and your friends.” She shuffled some pieces of paper. “Everything seems to be in order here to commence the application. But tell me, Mrs. Cooper, how did the two of you meet?”

  Charlotte took a deep breath. “We met through my work. I’m an environmental engineer, and the company I work for, Gold Star Eco, works with oil companies to ensure their practices are compliant with environmental guidelines.”

  “It would be safe to say, Ms. Lewitsky,” Gage interrupted smoothly, “that our initial interactions were a little heated. But when I met Charlotte in person for the first time”—he paused and looked over to her—“I knew I had to get to know her better.”

  Charlotte’s breath hitched slightly. The look in his eyes was soft and, to a stranger, would seem loving. She had to give it to Gage, he was giving an Academy Award winning performance. It didn’t seem forced—it seemed totally natural, almost like he really did love her, which was totally absurd, since it was all for the benefit of the interview.

  If Gage could do it, she could do it, too. “Likewise for me, too, Ms. Lewitsky. Gage came thundering into my office to complain about something, I can’t remember what now, but I knew, too, that I was done. There was no other man for me. Gage would be the man to own my future. ” Her tongue tripped over the little white lie—she remembered exactly what he’d come complaining about: the land.

  “Well, that’s lovely,” Ms. Lewitsky said. “It does look like you’re suited. Now for a few more questions. You met through work. How long did you date before you decided to get married? And where did you go on your first date?”

  First date?

  Who asked a question like that, and why?

  Oh shit, she and Gage hadn’t even thought about questions like this. How the hell could they answer that? They hadn’t dated at all, unless you called a picnic in a park a “date.”

  “Umm…” Hopefully Gage had an answer ready, but all he did was raise an eyebrow.

  Typical male. When it came to the hard stuff, he walked away.

  Fine, she could do this, and the best way would be to stick to as close to the truth as possible.

  “Well,” she started, “as we said, we had a few telephone calls that were business related and then Gage came to my office. That weekend I decided to take a trip to visit a town I’d been to a couple of times. It just so happens it was Gage’s hometown, and he was visiting, too. I was eating at the local diner when the owner introduced me to Macy Young—you know, the famous country-and-western singer. Anyway, she is dating Gage’s older brother and
she invited me to go with her to the local bar. Since I didn’t have any other plans, I said yes.”

  She paused and almost jumped when Gage’s hand landed on hers. He squeezed it and continued where she left off.

  “I can honestly say my mouth dropped open in surprise at seeing her there. We spent the night talking and we danced. It was a magical evening.”

  Again, Gage was giving a sterling performance of a man who was totally in love with his wife. It should’ve made her happy that he was doing such a convincing job, but it didn’t. It was a lie.

  And it hurt.

  Deep down she wanted it to be true. She wanted Gage to love her.

  A hand cupped her cheek. “Red?”

  Gage’s voice directed her attention back to the interview, away from the confusing thoughts swirling around her mind. “Sorry, I—” She needed to give a credible reason for her lapse in concentration. “I, uh, was remembering the song Macy sang that night. It was the same song we danced to on our wedding night as our first dance as a married couple.”

  Charlotte darted Ms. Lewitsky a look, hoping and praying that she was buying their story. Her face gave nothing away, and a ball of dread filled Charlotte’s stomach.

  God, she hoped they weren’t going to get found out.

  • • •

  They walked out into the sunshine still holding hands. Charlotte wanted to rip her hand away from Gage’s, but she couldn’t as Ms. Lewitsky followed them out of the building.

  Ms. Lewitsky held out her hand to both of them when they reached the sidewalk. “It was lovely meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. I’ll be in touch.”

  Both Gage and Charlotte shook her hand and she walked briskly down the street. Charlotte didn’t let out the breath she had been holding until the woman disappeared around the corner.

  “God, what a disaster,” she said as she tried to pull her hand away from Gage’s. His hand tightened, not letting hers go.

  “Red, it wasn’t a disaster at all. It was just the opposite. I think we totally convinced her that we married for love.”

  The L word. Who knew how four little letters could cause so much angst for people? Love was fabulous and remained that way for some. Or it started out fabulous before turning into a nightmare for others. Which was it going to be for her? She and Gage had to live together for at least the next two years, and while they sizzled up the sheets, she knew passion could fade. As for her, she’d fallen for the handsome Texan oilman—something she’d tried so hard not to do.

  Yes. What she’d said to the immigration officer was one hundred percent true. Gage was it for her. She was done looking.

  She hadn’t realized Gage had stopped walking until he grabbed her arm. She turned to him, but his sunglasses hid his eyes, preventing her from seeing his thoughts.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I could ask you the same. Did you hear what I said about how we aced the interview?”

  “It wasn’t a school test. We didn’t ‘ace’ anything. What we did, though, was portray a couple who, for all intents and purposes, convinced two other people we were in love. So yes, we totally fooled them.” The bitterness of her words surprised her. She hadn’t meant to sound that way, and she knew she’d offended Gage the minute he took a step back from her and released her hand.

  “Isn’t that what we were supposed to do?”

  “Yes, but it didn’t feel right. It felt dirty to lie to a government official.”

  The brightness of his smile dulled. “Right, well, I have another meeting to go to. Will you be okay getting back to your office?”

  He was lying to her. He didn’t really have a meeting. “I thought we were going to grab a cup of coffee after the meeting. When did this new meeting pop up?”

  When he tugged on his tie, pulling the silky fabric through the collar, she knew her suspicions were correct.

  Yes, she’d been bitchy in her comments. She owned that. But Gage didn’t have to take so much offense that he would blow her off with a fake meeting. If that was how he wanted to play this game, then fine, she could play, as well.

  “You know what? Don’t bother trying to come up with a credible answer. I know you’d be lying. So go. Go back to your office, and I’ll go back to mine.”

  Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and headed toward the cab that had conveniently pulled up a few feet in front of where they were standing. She got into the cab and gave the driver her office address. She looked out the window to see Gage standing on the curb, looking as dumbfounded as she herself felt.

  • • •

  Charlotte let herself into the condo after one of the worst days she’d had in a long while. After her fight with Gage, she’d returned to a mini–environmental crisis at the office. She’d spent the rest of the day sorting things out and working up a remedial plan for the beach that had been affected by a hazmat leak.

  The only good thing about the crisis was that it helped her keep her mind off Gage.

  Silence greeted her as she closed the front door behind her. Oil Slick didn’t even come running like she normally did the moment Charlotte arrived home. Where was the cat? She knew Gage hadn’t taken Oil Slick to work, because of the meeting they’d had with the immigration officer.

  God, when did it matter where the damn cat was? The animal wasn’t her responsibility. She tossed her keys into the bowl on the hallway table and dumped her laptop bag underneath the same table.

  She released her hair from its businesslike bun. Her fingers massaged her sore scalp where the pins had begun to dig into it. Gage hadn’t told her he wouldn’t be home, but then again she hadn’t waited for him to collect her from the office like she normally did.

  What a mess the day had been—a day she’d rather forget.

  She walked into the master suite, slipped off her shoes, and tossed her handbag onto the bed. It would be so easy just to crawl under the covers and forget the whole day had ever happened.

  But what she needed to do was get their marriage certificate before she forgot. Her office wanted a copy of it for their records, but she had no idea where it was. She assumed it would be in Gage’s study.

  Leaving the master bedroom, she walked down the hall to Gage’s office. She had only been in this room a few times, once to distract Gage while he worked late at night. Even while still annoyed at him, she couldn’t stop the smile, when memories of what they’d gotten up to in the room filled her mind. They certainly didn’t have any issues when it came to sex.

  Flicking on the light, she wandered over to the desk and sat in his chair. Now, where would their marriage certificate most likely be? She started with the desk drawers but she came up empty handed. Next, she pulled the tray that had a neat stack of papers in it toward her.

  She picked up the first piece of paper and scanned it.

  No, it couldn’t be. Could it? He wouldn’t do that to her—surely. She reread the subject line and the body of the e-mail.

  Survey Report: 12332 Pine Ramble Drive, Sweet Ridge, TX

  Dear Gage,

  Thanks for the opportunity to provide you with a survey report of the abovementioned property.

  At your request, we conducted a preliminary survey of the land and surrounding areas. Attached is the report of our findings.

  If you have any questions with regard to the report, please do not hesitate to contact us.

  Yours sincerely,

  Bubba Fredricks

  The son of a bitch. He’d let her talk night after night about what she’d do to the house, the renovations she’d make in the future. He’d even made his own suggestions about what they could do to the house. He had her believing he actually cared about the land.

  And it was all a game to suck her into thinking he gave a damn, that her ideas mattered. His word was worth nothing when stacked against the almighty dollar he could make from the oil. She couldn’t believe Gage had gone back on his promise to her.

  Where was the report? She knew Gage had to have p
rinted it out. There was no way he wouldn’t have. She knew how much that piece of land meant to him. The evidence of the e-mail in her hand was proof of how much he wanted what lay beneath the surface of sand and rocks.

  She picked up a stack of papers from the pile in the tray and flipped through the neatly stapled groups. Sure enough, there was the report. Putting the rest of the papers back into the tray, she started to read the document.

  As she scanned the report, she was stunned when she read exactly what had been found on her land—a huge oil pocket that would prove very profitable for Gage. Pity he would never get his hands on the land now. They had no written agreement about her selling it to him. And right now she didn’t even care about her green card.

  She’d trusted Gage. She’d fallen in love with him. She’d started to think he was beginning to care for her, as well. He had betrayed her. All his touches and caring words had been an act. Just like today in front of the immigration official—he did deserve an Academy Award, because he’d had her convinced they could have a future together.

  Charlotte sat back in the chair and considered her options. She had a job, albeit a temporary one. Once her contract ended, she would go back to Australia and find another job. There was no point in thinking her future was in Houston and Sweet Ridge. She couldn’t decide what to do with the land right now. That could wait—it wasn’t going anywhere.

  But she was. She couldn’t stay in this condo anymore. She could go back to her old apartment. The company had paid for the lease for the length of her stay. But she didn’t want to go back there, either. That would probably be the first place Gage would look for her.

  She had to make a decision—and quickly. Gage could walk through the door at any minute, and she didn’t want to be here when he arrived home. She would pack a bag and just go to a hotel for a few nights. Once Gage worked out that whatever they’d had together was finished, she’d move back to her apartment. In all likelihood, the thought of not getting the oil he so coveted would be more upsetting than her leaving him.