“It was hard to ignore, the moon eyes and stolen touches, we aren’t blind,” Mark said, sitting down. “Then again, I guess you guys weren’t really hiding it.”
“No, we weren’t,” Pete said. “I really messed up.”
“You did,” he agreed.
“You’re agreeing without knowing the story,” Pete said.
“I kind of already know the story,” Mark said. “Lana has a bad relationship with her parents so she came here didn’t she? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out, especially now.”
“How did you—?”
“It took us two weeks to know that she wasn’t the housekeeper she was claiming to be,” Mark said.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because we felt that she was trying her best and besides, we liked her by then,” Mark said.
“Why wasn’t I let in on this?” Pete demanded.
“It was obvious you knew,” Mark shrugged. “The big deal here is, how are you going to fix it?”
“I don’t know,” Pete groaned. “I have to say something.”
“I think you should do it fast,” Mark said. “I saw her leaving with her suitcase a while ago.”
Pete shot up from his chair, shock on his face.
“Dammit!” he said heatedly. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I did,” Mark said. “She seemed determined.”
“I can’t…I won’t let her go! I love her!” Pete exclaimed.
Mark only raised his eyes and said, “Tell her then.”
“I’m going to. Right now. Lunch, right? It has to be at the diner then!” Pete said and rushed out. Once he was gone, Mark leaned back as a slow smile appeared on his face.
Sometimes it was beneficial to lie.
Lana could sense the awkwardness in the air.
The booth in the diner seemed to be too in focus and even Loretta threw her a worried look as she served the food for them. Her parents hadn’t spoken after they had gone from the inn to the diner to have lunch. Her mother alternated from worried looks to sighing occasionally.
“Eat,” her father said.
She poked her pasta and put in one bite, watching them eat. She knew what her father was going to say and she was ready for it.
There was no way she was leaving with them. She wasn’t giving up her freedom, whatever it took; she was going to preserve it. Even if she had to go against them again.
“I don’t see why you had to leave like that,” her father said finally.
“Because you were trying to marry me off to someone I didn’t love or want to build a life with,” she said blatantly. “You didn’t ask me how I felt, all you wanted was someone to run the store.”
“Was that so bad of me?” her father said.
“It’s not your life you were selling, it was mine. You didn’t ask me how I felt about it, I wasn’t part of the equation,” she said.
“Lana, just come back. What are you doing here? Working as their housekeeper? That’s not for you. You can’t cook or clean,” her mother said.
“I can now,” she said. “I did my best to improve and I have. I am not giving it up.”
“You are being foolish. You are wasting your life,” her father said.
“No, I am not,” Lana said through gritted teeth.
“It’s one of the boys, isn’t it?” her mother said.
She was silent now because she couldn’t lie about her feelings for Pete. She didn’t want to.
“That’s even more stupid,” her father said. “Be smart for once.”
“For the first time in my life, I am,” she said.
“You can’t be sure about this. It’s just a passing fancy,” her mother said.
That was it for her and suddenly she found herself saying,
“It’s not,” She said softly. “I love him.”
And that was when it hit her, she did love Pete, with all her heart. He had done this behind her back but he had been looking out for her. So, she took a deep breath and said,
“Mom, Dad, I don’t want to argue with you. I’m grateful to you two for everything you have done for me but let me live, let me experience things. I don’t want to go back and be confined again. I am old enough to decide for myself.”
Her father looked like he was going to say something but her mother stopped him.
“I think there’s nothing else we can say,” her mother said with a rueful smile. “We always thought you would do what we wanted you to but we were wrong to ask it of you. You have a life too and we can’t tell you how to live it anymore.”
With that, her mother clasped her hand and said,
“Live your life darling and when you want to come back, we’ll be there for you.”
Tears gathered in her eyes and she nodded, finally giving way to them as her father patted her shoulder. She felt at peace for the first time in two months, no more fear or hiding. It was finally over.
But there was still one thing that she had to do.
When Pete reached the diner, Lana was sitting on the booth, looking deep in thought.
His heart almost stopped when he didn’t spot her at first but then he saw her, relief flooding into his face.
“What are you-” she started to say but he cut her off.
“Don’t leave,” he said urgently. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“But— “
“Lana, I made a mistake and I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think that it was going to hurt you and I just wanted you to make up with your parents. But please don’t go because I love you and I can’t live without you.”
Her mouth dropped open and she closed it slowly.
“I love you too.”
“You what?” he said, shocked.
“I love you too,” she repeated, smiling.
He grinned widely, kissing her hands and then she said,
“And I’m not leaving,” she said.
“Mark said that he saw you leaving with a suitcase,” Pete said, puzzled.
“I don’t have any suitcase with me,” she said. “And my parents have already left. They said they would come back to visit me in a few months.”
“That son of a b— “Pete said but was cut off by Lana’s kiss.
“At least I know the feeling is mutual,” she joked.
He forgot his troublesome brother for a moment as he pulled her in for a deeper kiss, rejoicing that it had worked out in the end.
“So, do we still have to pay you?” Drew asked.
They were outside the farm house, seated in chairs as the sun set. Lana and Pete were sitting beside one another, hands clasped as Mark, Drew and Jaimie sat nearby.
“Of course, you do,” Lana said. “I am still working as your housekeeper.”
“As well as being my girlfriend,” Pete said kissing her.
“Gross, do it elsewhere,” Drew said.
“Stop acting like a ten-year-old,” Pete said.
Jaimie just smiled in the same enigmatic way that he always had. “It worked out for everyone then.”
“I can’t believe you guys knew,” she said.
“It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, maybe try harder next time,” Mark said sullenly.
“You don’t seem very happy,” Pete said.
“I lost three workers today. I have to put out an ad for some more,” Mark said. “It’s a hassle.”
“We’ll find more workers,” Pete said.
“There’s no shortage of workers,” Jaime agreed.
“Easy for you to say,” Mark muttered. “It’s finding the good ones that takes time.”
“Maybe a girl will fall in your lap instead,” Lana said.
“Not going to happen,” Mark said firmly.
Pete and Lana shared a look before kissing again, ignoring Drew’s complaints. Besides, who cared, when you had the one you loved beside you?
The End.
***Make sure you catch Mark’s story to see what happens on the Simmons’ Ranch
next…
Mark comes out August first, 2017
About the Author
Danielle Gray has always enjoyed creative writing and this is her first foray into the romance novel world. As a history major in school, she loves making sure details are correct, down to the saddle of the times.
Although, she never sought out a writing career, her desire for the written word grew the more she homeschooled her daughter.
Now, Danielle lives in the Midwest with her husband, amazing daughter and two furry friends. Living in paradise, being a stay at home mom, and to be able to share her stories has been a blessing.
Thank you --
If you enjoy my work, please be totally awesome and leave a review so others might discover it as well. Long review or short, your opinion will help other readers make future purchase decisions.
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Check out my other books:
Daughters of DeSmet Series:
The Pastor's Daughter
Ezekiel “Zeke” James, is a rancher by trade and by heart. It’s more than blood and bone; it’s a calling he’s known all of life. Still, scratching out a living in DeSmet, South Dakota isn’t easy, even with the new railroad. Being alone doesn’t make like any easier and Zeke finds himself hankering for someone to share his life with.
Danielle Thompson is as beautiful as a prairie flower in full bloom. Young and strikingly gorgeous she’s used to men staring when she walks by. As an unattached woman, she finds herself the recipient of many an unwanted kindness. When she’s yanked up into Zeke’s saddle as he returns from a long and successful cattle drive, they both get more than they bargained for.
When life offers adventure, can Zeke convince Danielle that they have more to share than a fast, hard ride, or will Danielle run back to the waiting arms of her stern, but predictable father?
At Your Service: Daughters Of DeSmet #2
Rebekah Bradley is the only survivor of a brutal attack of Apache Indians during her trip west with her older brother. Hiding inside a built-in box inside the wagon she was traveling in, Rebekah is found unconscious by men from the town of DeSmet in the Dakota Territory. Johann Tska, who runs the hotel, agrees to shelter Rebekah while she grieves for her brother and family who were lost in the raid.
Realizing she needs money to live, Rebekah asks Johann if she can work for him waiting tables. Johann agrees as he’s found a soft spot for the beautiful young woman. Over the next year, that soft spot turns into something much more grown up and Rebekah must decide whether or not she shares Johann’s attraction and love.
His Bedside Manner: Daughters of DeSmet Book 3
Dr. Josiah Isaacson arrived in DeSmet, in the Dakota Territory to much fanfare. Within weeks of his arrival, he’s been offered an investment in a new hotel, more baked goods than any man can eat, and even a marriage proposal from a man, who apparently had a daughter to marry off.
Shiloh Hensley is the sole survivor of a Scarlet fever outbreak that took everyone in her family. Dr. Isaacson finds her in the throes of the disease, brings her inside his clinic and nurses her back to health. During her recovery both Shiloh and Josiah must decide if they can risk their hearts when so much has been taken from them. Will love prevail over every obstacle, or are some things insurmountable?
Four Seasons Sisters Series:
Desperate Measures:
Lily Fogel is one of four heiresses to a massive fortune, until the Civil War destroys her father’s finances that is. Forced to accept her parents’ new destitution, Lily refuses to marry the men her parents will inevitably parade her in front of in hopes of securing financial investments in return for her betrothal.
When she runs across a mail order bride advertisement, she secretly answers the ad and is more than impressed with the man who returns her inquiry.
Abner Anderson moved out west to Montana, three years prior and since then has been rethinking his decision. Living on the frontier, he’s more than aware that there are virtually no marriageable women within a three-hundred-mile radius. Sending out a mail order bride advertisement, he’s bombarded with answers from back east and answers only those that intrigue him.
Can Abner win the heart of a woman who drives him so close to insanity that he can taste it? More importantly, does he want to? Will Lily ever learn what it means to love a man whose life is so far from the only life she’s ever known? Only time will tell whether their desperate measures will pay off in the end.
Desperate Times: Book Two in the Four Season’s Sisters Series
Elizabeth Fogel has never truly been interested in a traditional marriage with children. It’s not so much that she’s opposed to the idea, as it is that she feels unfit. She sees herself as a pariah, especially among her three pretty sisters. As the oldest, she feels a responsibility to watch over her sisters and help her parents as much as possible.
When she accompanies her younger sister Lily to Montana as her chaperone, the last thing Elizabeth expected was to meet a man who sees her for who she is. When Jack Russman showers her with his seemingly undivided attention, Elizabeth struggles with keeping her head on straight, even as Jack makes his intentions all too clear.
Jack Russman is about as manly as they come. He’s rough around the edges, but Elizabeth appreciates that he doesn’t want a frilly female, as she doesn’t feel she’s ever been one. However, when an old love interest shows up in her life, Elizabeth will be torn between what’s familiar and safe, and finding her hearts true love.
Can Jack convince Elizabeth to stay and be his bride, or will she turn to Elias’ Carnahan’s arms in search of safety and security?
Desperate in Love: Book Three in the Four Season’s Sisters Series
Amber Fogel is the youngest Fogel sister. As such, she’s always felt cheated by the experiences of her older sisters. What no one knows, except Amber, is that she’s been in love for more than a year now. Always friends with Harrison Roberts, when he moved to Montana, Amber kept in touch with letters every week. Now, well beyond the age of consent, she is desperate to move to Montana and marry the man she loves.
Harrison Roberts in head over heels for Amber Fogel. Having to wait for her to mature wasn’t easy, but now the plans he’s had in his mind and heart for a while can finally move forward. Everything seems to be well in order, including the blessing of her parents. When Harrison is wounded in a mining accident, however, the last thing he wants is Amber’s pity. He certainly doesn’t feel fit or able to ask for her hand.
Can Amber show Harrison that it’s the man inside that matters, or will Harrison turn away the one woman he loves, because he can’t love himself?
Just Desperate: Book Four in the Four Season’s Sisters series
Victoria Fogel, a year younger than her sister Lily, is the center of attention. As a youngster, she accomplished this by doing things others said she couldn’t or shouldn’t do. As a grown woman, she’s determined to continue her streak of outrageous behavior and finds the perfect outlet when she answers an ad to accompany an older widow across country to settle in Montana with her son, without telling her parents of her plans. What Victoria doesn’t know may indeed hurt her when she discovers that the woman’s son is a wanted criminal.
Thaddeus Henshaw has the unfortunate problem of looking exactly like Tom O’Day, a notorious horse thief from the Wyoming Territory. When Thaddeus is mistakenly cornered as O’Day, he is quickly taken into custody without so much as a chance to prove his innocence. That proves to be even more difficult when he’s sitting behind bars.
Will Thaddeus be freed or will he hang for crimes he didn’t commit? Can Victoria help Thaddeus prove his innocence and preserve the plans they’d made?
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Pete: A Simmons Brothers Story Page 8