Wrangling Wes

by Thomas, Jacquelin

  There’s one more thing I need to do before I leave.

  Lydia left her room and walked two doors down to where Samara was staying.

  “You’re late,” she uttered when Lydia walked into her hotel room. Looking her from head to toe, Samara questioned, “Why are you dressed like that? I have an interview in Helena and we need to leave in about five minutes.”

  “I quit,” Lydia announced. “Don’t worry, there’s a car waiting downstairs to drive you to Helena and back.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I no longer work for you.”

  Samara’s eyes flashed in her anger. “I’m sorry...am I being punked?”

  She glanced around the room. “Where are the cameras? I know this is not happening to me right now. It can’t be.”

  “I appreciate the opportunity to work for you, but I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Do what?” Samara demanded. “Make a lot of money.”

  “I am not willing to sell my soul for any amount,” Lydia replied. “I’m sorry, but I quit and I’m going back to Los Angeles.”

  “You won’t be able to get a job in the entertainment industry—I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Samara, I’m really not worried about you. The tabloids could have a field day with everything I know.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “You’re right, Samara. I’m nothing like you, so I won’t stoop to your level.”

  “Get out of here.”

  Lydia broke into a smile. “Gladly.”

  A string of curses followed her as she left Samara’s room and returned to her own. Lydia realized that this was what she should’ve done months ago. She should have trusted her instincts.

  Then I never would’ve met Wesley.

  And I wouldn’t be walking around with a broken heart, she added silently.

  The knock on the door cut into her somber thoughts.

  When she opened the door, Wesley brushed past her. “We need to talk.”

  He saw her suitcases in the middle of the floor. “What’s going on? Are you leaving?”

  Lydia nodded.

  He stepped around the luggage. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  Her arms folded across her chest, Lydia asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  “Apparently that’s what you do when you’ve been found out,” Wesley stated. “You run away.”

  “Wes, let’s get something straight,” Lydia responded coolly. “I’m not running away from you or anything else. The reason I’m leaving is because I quit my job and there is nothing left in Granger for me.”

  “I see.”

  “Why are you here, Wes?”

  “I want you to tell me to my face why you lied to me,” he responded.

  “I didn’t lie to you, but you would rather believe the worst of me, apparently.”

  “I don’t know what else to think.”

  “How about considering the truth of this situation?” Lydia asked. “The truth, Wes, is that I had no idea that Samara was looking to purchase property in Montana. She never once mentioned it.”

  “You and I discussed that exact piece of property that she bought. How do you explain this?”

  “I don’t know,” Lydia responded. “It has to be a coincidence.”

  Wesley shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not buying that.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say. I’ve been honest with you, Wes.”

  “I had this vision of moving to L.A. with you, traveling with you or doing both, Lydia. I guess I thought we were a team. Apparently, it was you and Samara who were on the same team.”

  His words hurt her to the core.

  “We have nothing else to say to one another if you believe that, Wes.”

  “I thought that selling that property was a testament to how much I wanted to start a life with you. Instead, you only viewed it as an opportunity for your boss.”

  “I think it’s best that you leave now,” Lydia stated. “I don’t want to be in the same room with a man who doesn’t trust me.” She blinked back tears. “I don’t want to be in the same town. You talk about honesty, but you lied to me, as well.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked with a frown on his face.

  “You lied when you said that you loved me,” Lydia told him.

  “Are you saying that you don’t believe that I love you?” Wesley questioned. “What have I done to cause you to doubt me?”

  “I can’t overlook the fact that you immediately thought the worst of me when Samara made her announcement. A man who really loves a woman wouldn’t jump to that type of conclusion.”

  “You lied to me from the very beginning, Lydia. We were able to get past that because you decided to tell me the truth. I came here this morning because I’m willing to forget about everything that’s happened,” Wesley responded. “The truth is that I was looking to sell the place. I preferred not to sell it to some actress though.”

  She fumed. “You still don’t get it, do you? Wes, the only thing I am guilty of is falling in love with the wrong man. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a plane to catch.”

  “Lydia, I don’t want you to leave.” He reached for her.

  She retreated backward. “Wesley, I have to do what is right for me, and being here in Granger... It’s not where I need to be.”

  * * *

  “You seem a little preoccupied,” Steven told his son. “Is everything okay?”

  “I found out earlier that I sold the Hastings Ranch to Samara Lionne,” Wesley announced. “I was misled into believing that I was selling to a rancher in Texas. I told Lydia about the property, and now it’s conveniently owned by the same woman she works for.”

  “I see,” his father uttered.

  “I’m in love with Lydia.”

  “Now, that doesn’t come as news to me, son. I saw that coming the night she paid ten thousand dollars for a date with you.”

  “Lydia wants me to believe that she didn’t have anything to do with Samara’s plan to buy the ranch.” He gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Sometimes the things that first bring a couple together ain’t necessarily the thing that will keep them together,” his father stated. “This turn of events will do one of two things. You two will be stronger for it, or you will find that ending the relationship is the best for the both of you. For example, your mother may not have been my first choice for a bride, but after thirty-four wonderful years, I have to say that she was the best choice for me.”

  “I love Lydia in every sense of the word.”

  “Use this time apart to really think about what it is you really want, son,” Steven advised. “Be sure before you make your next move.”

  Wesley considered his father’s words.

  He had gone over to the hotel with the intent to work things out with Lydia. Wesley was surprised to find that she was heading back to Los Angeles. Her work here was done, he reasoned sadly.

  Deep down he wanted to believe that his assumptions were wrong, but there was too much evidence against her. Regardless, he loved her and was ready to forgive Lydia. However, she had no interest in their relationship. She wanted to put as much distance between her and Granger as possible.

  Had their entire relationship been a lie?

  The question nagged at Wesley.

  * * *

  Lydia entered her apartment and set her luggage in a corner. She wiped a tear from her cheek.

  During the plane ride back to Los Angeles, she spent a lot of time thinking about her recent decisions. Was she too hasty in quitting her job? Would Samara really have her blacklisted?

  She tried to avoid the one question that kept popping up. Did she do the right thing by
leaving Granger? By leaving Wesley behind?

  I had to leave, Lydia reasoned silently. I needed to put some distance between myself and Wes. I don’t know why I ever thought we could ride off into the sunset together.

  “Real life is nothing like that,” she uttered. Lydia felt an instant’s squeezing hurt.

  Overcome with pent-up emotion, she slumped to the floor in sobs.

  She loved him so much.

  When she was all cried out, Lydia forced herself up off the floor and into the bathroom.

  She felt a little better after her shower.

  Lydia was tired and emotionally spent. She hadn’t slept well because she couldn’t stop thinking about Wesley. She sat on the edge of her bed with a towel wrapped around her.

  I’ll survive this, Lydia kept telling herself. I will get through this heartache.

  It helped to have those thoughts, but deep down, she knew that she would never love another man the way that she loved Wesley. Perhaps it was for the best, Lydia reasoned. She had lost herself in him by loving so deeply. She did not want to ever love that way again—it hurt too much when the relationship ended.

  This is the way my mother loved my father, Lydia realized. Why she could never just close her heart to him.

  She refused to let that happen to her. What she had with Wesley was over. Lydia had to find the strength to move forward with her life and her dreams. It was the only way she could provide for her mom. She didn’t want her mother to continue working those long hours.

  * * *

  Wesley dropped down beside his sister. They were at the pool at the main house. “I’ve been worried about you, Laney.”

  “You don’t have to be,” she responded without looking at him. “I’m fine, Wes.”

  “No, you’re not,” he countered. “I know when my sister is going through something.”

  Laney changed the subject by asking, “Where is Lydia?”

  “Probably back in Los Angeles by now,” Wesley stated.

  She was surprised by his response. “She left town?”

  He nodded.

  “I thought she worked for Samara Lionne,” Laney said. “Isn’t she in Granger?”

  Wesley wasn’t going to unburden himself on his sister, especially since she was dealing with something on her own.

  He wrapped an arm around her. “Laney, I want you to know that if you need anything, I’m here for you.”

  She smiled. “I know that, Wes.”

  “You can tell me anything.”

  “I love you,” Laney told him. “But there are some things that I have to work out for myself. This is one of those times.”

  They embraced.

  “Wes, why did Lydia leave? It looked to me like you two were getting really close.”

  “I guess she decided that it was for the best.”

  He should have known that Laney was not going to just let it go at that. “Did you two have a fight?”

  “It’s one of those things that will have to work itself out, Laney.”

  She rose up, saying, “I like Lydia. You two are good for one another.”

  “Have you seen Laney?” his mother asked a few minutes later. “I thought Rusty said that she was at the pool.”

  “She just left here to go to her own place.” Wesley removed his shirt. Maybe a swim would help to clear his head.

  “How did she seem to you?”

  “Okay,” Wesley responded. “She’ll be fine, Mama. Laney’s just working through something, and she obviously doesn’t want our help.”

  Gwendolyn sat down beside him and announced, “I watched the morning show this morning.”

  “I didn’t see it, but I met Samara Lionne,” Wesley stated. “She’s interesting.”

  “I was about to say the same thing.”

  “I already told Dad, so you might as well know. She bought my property in Hastings,” Wesley announced. “If I’d known the identity of the buyer, I never would’ve sold it to her. She told me that she’s having it renovated. It doesn’t sound like she wants a working ranch.”

  His mother appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Do you think that Lydia had anything to do with this?”

  “How else would she have known about the property?”

  Gwendolyn shook her head. “Somehow I can’t see Lydia doing something like this to you, Wes. That young woman really cares for you.”

  “Mama, I’m not sure I can ever trust her again.”

  “Have you discussed this with her?”

  “She denied it, of course.”

  “Lydia could be telling the truth, Wes. Things are not always the way they appear.”

  Chapter 17

  “Lydia, I’m so glad that you’re back!” Jasmine exclaimed. “I really missed you. When did you get in?”

  “Yesterday,” she responded as she hugged her best friend. “I came home and went straight to bed. I was really tired.” Lydia decided she needed to get out of her apartment for a little while. She did not intend to stay home and mope around over a man who didn’t deserve her. Instead, she called her best friend and invited her to lunch.

  They sat down in a booth near the window of the café.

  After they placed their drink and food orders, Jasmine said, “The last time I spoke with you, Samara was flying to Granger. I told you that woman was high maintenance. She probably had you working nonstop.”

  “You were right about that, but I’m no longer working for Samara.”

  “She fired you?”

  Lydia shook her head no. “I quit.”

  “Good for you.”

  “That remains to be seen,” she uttered in response. “I need to find a job now.”

  “You will,” Jasmine stated firmly. “Working for Samara Lionne was just a stepping-stone. It’s time for bigger and better things.”

  Their food and drinks arrived.

  “So tell me, did you meet any handsome cowboys in Montana?” Jasmine asked. “Or did Samara keep you too busy to even notice the opposite sex?”

  “Actually, I did meet this one guy, but things didn’t work out between us,” Lydia confessed. “I guess we were just too different.” She tried to sound nonchalant.

  “That’s too bad.”

  She changed the subject by saying, “I’m really glad to be home.”

  “Why don’t we do something together this weekend? Let’s have a girl’s night out.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Maybe going out with Jasmine would help to take her mind off Wesley and her broken heart.

  “Are you okay, Lydia?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “You must have really cared for this guy.”

  “I did...I do,” she confessed. “I love him.”

  “So, tell me about him,” Jasmine prompted.

  “He’s tall, dark and handsome,” Lydia began. “Wes is rugged in a cowboy kind of way. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. The night we met, my knees were weak the whole time. I’m not sure how I was able to even dance with the man. I even got on a horse for this man.”

  “What?”

  “He took me on a cattle drive. We went on a wagon ride through the Wild West and even went mining.” Lydia smiled. “I found some garnets that I’m going to have set in a bracelet for my mother. Wes and I spent a lot of time together talking about our plans for the future...” Her voice died as she realized all she had lost.

  “He sounds wonderful.”

  “He was, or so I thought,” Lydia stated. “Wes and his wranglers are no longer a part of my life.”

  “What happened between you two?” Jasmine inquired.

  “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. It’s too painful.”

  Her friend no
dded in understanding. “Why don’t we do something later this evening? We can have a nice dinner and then see a funny movie.”

  Lydia smiled. “I’d like that.”

  She didn’t want to stay home too many nights alone. Lydia did not want the ache of loneliness to sink in and take root.

  * * *

  “I was surprised to get your call,” Samara said as she joined Wesley at a table in the hotel restaurant. “How are you?”

  “I’m confused by everything that’s happened,” he responded. “I was hoping that we could clear up a few things.”

  She smiled at him, but Wesley didn’t believe that it was sincere.

  “Sure. What is it that you want to know?”

  The waitress arrived, putting a temporary halt to their conversation.

  “I’d like a pitcher of iced tea and two bowls of the house salad,” Wesley stated.

  Samara did not seem fazed by his ordering for them both. She was probably not used to doing anything for herself anyway. He knew that Lydia took care of the actress’s daily needs even though she was in Granger and Samara was in L.A.

  “Why the ruse?” Wesley asked. “Why did you go through all of this trouble? Surely it wasn’t just to purchase my land.”

  “This was not about you, Wesley. Not really. I found something I wanted and I went after it...discreetly, of course. You really shouldn’t take this personally—it’s done all of the time to protect the privacy of the high-profile buyer.”

  He met her gaze straight on. “Then what or who is this about?”

  The waitress returned with the pitcher of tea and two glasses. She served them both before disappearing again.

  “I sent Lydia here to do some research for me, as you already know.” Samara took a sip of her tea and nodded in approval. “I wanted to keep my identity a secret because I didn’t want the media to get wind of my plans.”

  “Did Lydia know that you were planning to buy property in Granger?”

  “No, she did not,” Samara responded. “I didn’t inform her of all of my plans. It’s strictly on a need-to-know basis.”

  The woman reappeared with their salads.

  Lydia had been telling the truth. Wesley felt like a heel over the way he’d treated her.