He’d done it as a young man, he’d done it when they found out they were married, and he’d done it that day when she left. One thing was perfectly clear to her, she wasn’t going to be the first one to give, he’d have to come to her, show her that he was willing to listen to her. If she caved and contacted him first, it would set the standard for the rest of their relationship and she wasn’t going to play the role of willing slave like her mother had.
Heather walked into Lauren’s office and glanced quickly in the trash can, which again was full of tissues. Shaking her head, she sat down in the chair across from Lauren and looked at her friend. She’d been home for three weeks and crying for two of them, but she’d refused to tell Heather anything. Assuring her that everything was fine, then shutting her office door to cry, and it was time for it to stop.
Lauren barely noticed her friend, she was so engrossed in what she was reading. It had been three weeks since she’d gotten back from her trip with Seth, three long weeks of waiting for him to call. The first week, she assumed he was being stubborn, but when he still didn’t call, she understood that his words that night had been nothing more than a way to get her into bed again and she felt like a fool.
She’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker; too bad she’d also fallen completely in love with him that night. Finally noticing Heather, she shut the notebook, wishing that Seth wasn’t as brilliant as he was, it just made losing him all that much harder.
“This is brilliant,” she said, pointing to the notebook. “Seth has thought of everything and a few things I wouldn’t have. This is going to work.”
“Then why do you look so sad?” Heather asked.
“Because I’m not going to be here to see it happen,” Lauren said, just then coming to a decision that had been floating in the back of her mind for the last few days.
“Where are you going? This is just getting started,” Heather said, pointing to the notebook.
“I’ve decided that my job here is finished. There won’t be any scandal now that the lease has been signed, the director can appoint someone else to see it through.” Lauren had a hard time saying the words but knew that she couldn’t stay here, eventually she’d have to see Seth and his rejection would hurt too much, make it impossible for her to work with him.
Heather thought about Lauren’s sudden announcement and knew that it was time to pry. “Look, I know somethings going on, Lauren. You haven’t been the same since you got back. I wish you’d talk to me, maybe I can help,” she said, leaning forward in her chair.
Lauren was tempted to tell Heather everything, but she didn’t want her marriage to become common knowledge and Heather was friends with the director. “It’s something personal,” she said, hoping Heather would let it go.
Heather stood up from her chair and stripped off her suit jacket, then kicked off her shoes. She sat back down in the chair and put her feet up on the desk. “Lauren, I’d like to think that we’re friends. I know we’re coworkers as well, but I’m going to shrug out of work mode and into friend mode. Tell me what’s going on, whatever you tell me is just between us, I promise,” she said, making Lauren smile.
Lauren needed to talk, was practically bursting with the need, she’d cried alone in her office too long. “Seth and I accidently got married at the signing ceremony,” she blurted out then burst into tears.
Heather was on her feet immediately, not sure if she heard Lauren right, but recognizing a broken heart when she saw one. “Wait, I don’t think I understand,” she said, when Lauren had calmed down enough that she could talk.
Lauren took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts, she’d only be able to get through the story if Heather didn’t interrupt. She began with their first meeting in the restaurant and by the time she’d told Heather the entire story, she felt a little bit better, had gained some perspective about the situation. “I think I might have made a mistake not calling him, but I don’t want him to think that he has all the power.”
Heather thought about her words, still a little bit shocked that Seth and Lauren were married. “I think you two need to talk, I don’t think it makes any difference who calls who,” she finally advised, hoping that she was right about the way Seth felt about Lauren.
But she could tell immediately that Lauren wasn’t going to take her advice. “I just can’t do that,” she finally said.
Heather hugged her. “Well, I’m not sure how else I can help you, but I’m here for you,” she said, leaving Lauren alone to brood, but already planning to call Seth. It was time that someone stepped in and took over for Marci, and she was just the woman for the job.
That night, Heather went down to the local café for dinner, hoping to pick up some gossip about Seth Montgomery; if she’d had any idea why Lauren was so upset before then, she would have done it a long time ago. But it was never too late for gossip in a small town and what she discovered made her even more convinced that Seth had really meant what he’d said to Lauren, so the next morning she set her own plan to get them together in action.
She was sure that if they just saw each other, they could work everything out, so she called Seth the next morning and told him that they needed an update on the project and offered to set up an appointment with Lauren. Seth was so happy to make an appointment that Heather was sure she’d done the right thing, and she hadn’t even told a lie to get him there, after all they did need an update.
Seth hung up the phone smiling, it had been a month since he’d talked to Lauren and he’d be leaving for the cabin in a few days. Of course, it hadn’t been Lauren who’d called, but at least he finally had an excuse to see her before he left. He’d been thinking of calling her himself, but hadn’t gotten up the courage, now he didn’t have to. This meeting would be the perfect time to tell her all that he’d done in the last month, show her that he was thinking about her and what she wanted as well.
It had only taken a few days for him to figure out that he had indeed run right over her in his plan making. He still didn’t understand what she’d been talking about right before she left that afternoon, but he’d thought about the little she’d told him about her life and remembered that she’d had to put herself through school, worked hard to be where she was, and he’d blow that off as if it was nothing.
So, he’d set a plan into motion that would allow her to do her job and be with him at the cabin. Thinking of her comfort, he’d added an office, a second bedroom, as well as indoor plumbing. Something he’d thought he’d never have in his cabin, but knew would make it much easier for Lauren to live there. He was determined to have her at the cabin with him, had been dreaming of having her there with him on those long dark winter nights.
His two biggest purchases had been the most important; first, he’d purchased a small Snowcat so that they could come back to town often, no matter how much snow fell. The second was a satellite dish that would keep them both connected with the outside world, he too would have to work over the winter and it made him happy to think of sharing the office with Lauren.
Instead of closing the house down for the winter as he’d planned to do, he’d decided to have it restored. Thanks to Thomas, he had a young contractor already lined up to bring the house back to its original condition, erase all the damage his numerous step-mothers had done to it. The stark modern furniture was to be packed up and shipped back to Los Angeles where it’d come from, then it would be sold at auction, the proceeds going to the local schools in his mother’s name.
He had no idea what he’d do with the house once it was finished, but he sensed that he’d never live there. It was just too big for him, held too many bad memories, not to mention the stain of how it was paid for. He would be much closer to both the renewable energy project and the clean-up sites from his cabin, and with the new construction, the cabin would make a nice home for both of them.
Shaking his head to think that in only a little over a month his entire world had changed once again, he wondered what might come next. That w
as when the thought of having children with Lauren popped into his mind. He practically shot out of his chair, so shocked that the thought had even entered his mind, but the more he thought about a little girl that looked just like her, the better it sounded.
Part of him suddenly wanted to run, wanted to pack up and head straight for the cabin, but he knew that running away wouldn’t make the ache he felt for Lauren go away. This was one time that he couldn’t run away, couldn’t avoid what might be the hardest thing he’d ever done, learn to think of someone else’s happiness before his. Come what may, a winter spent with Lauren would show them if what they shared was real or just a passing fancy.
Chapter 12
Lauren looked up from the report she was working on, thinking that she hadn’t gotten much done, her thoughts constantly straying to Seth and what he was doing. Time hadn’t helped the ache in her heart, hadn’t lessened how much she missed him, and it was affecting her work. It was frustrating that she’d let herself get in this mess, if it was only a love affair gone bad it might be easier, but she’d married him and somehow that made their separation all that much worse.
If nothing else she’d have to see him at the end of the year to have the marriage voided, something she hoped wouldn’t involve as much ceremony as the marriage had. Before her thoughts could go any further down that path, there was a knock on the door and Heather stuck her head in. She had a weird look on her face, half guilty and half proud of herself. Lauren had seen that look on Marci’s face and groaned.
“What have you done?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Seth Montgomery is here to give you an update on the project before winter,” Heather said innocently, then added, “We do need an update, Lauren.”
Lauren knew that Heather was right, had been thinking of having her call Seth, but she knew that Heather had different motives. Her friend was only trying to help, she knew that, but she couldn’t see what good would come from seeing Seth. She’d heard that he was closing up the house for winter and heading to his cabin; his plans hadn’t changed, and neither had hers. She’d be out of here soon, cutting off ties with Alaska, except to come back and dissolve their marriage.
“Okay. Show him in,” she said, plastering a smile on her face, not wanting Seth to know just how much she missed him.
But when he walked into the room, she sucked in a quick breath when she saw him. He was even more handsome than she remembered, and desire flared deep inside her when his eyes met hers and stayed there, daring her to look away. It was beyond her to do so and before she knew it he’d come around behind the desk and pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
All the pain of the last month faded away when his lips came down on hers, warm and firm just as she’d remembered. Instantly, the passion between them erupted, coming to a boil as Seth’s hands roamed over her body, making her breathless and confused. But when Seth began to unbutton her blouse, she suddenly came to her senses realizing where they were and what they were about to do.
“Seth, stop, we can’t do this here,” she said, pushing him away and walking around from behind the desk.
Seth followed her, unable not to, now that he’d seen her again, felt that wash of happiness that she brought, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He wanted to touch her, needed to touch her. When he caught up with her, he pulled her into his arms again. “I’m sorry, I can’t help myself when I’m around you,” he said, trying to kiss her again.
Lauren was not going to fall for his tricks again. “Then why haven’t you called me? You can’t just walk in here and do that,” she said, trying to get away from him.
“I was waiting for you to call. I thought that you were mad at me and when you had cooled down you’d call,” he said.
Lauren sighed, nothing had changed. “Did you ever think of calling me?”
“I did, almost every day, but….” He couldn’t tell her that he’d been being stubborn, it hadn’t seemed like it at the time, but now that she was in his arms, he realized that he’d been doing exactly that. Why he wasn’t sure.
Lauren finally managed to pull away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest, wishing that the ache in her breasts would go away. As mad at him as she was, she wanted him as much as ever, it made what she had to say all that much harder.
“Seth, I’m leaving. I’ve put in for a transfer.” She was so close to tears, she couldn’t say more.
“What?” Seth barked at her, then in a softer voice, said “But Lauren, I’ve been thinking about how we can make this work. I’ve made renovations to the cabin, you’ll see, it’ll be wonderful. You can work from there, then you won’t have to give up your job.”
Lauren was so tempted by what he was describing, but it still felt like too much of a sacrifice to her, uprooting her entire life and moving out to the middle of nowhere. “Seth, as nice as that sounds, I’ve got my mind made up and besides I can’t work remotely, I have to be in the office,” she lied, knowing that if he pushed her, she’d relent and that wouldn’t be the last time.
Heather, who had been shamelessly eavesdropping on Seth and Lauren, wanted to burst in and call Lauren on her lie, but before she could, Seth stormed out of the office. “I’ve never met a more stubborn woman. I give up. Here’s the update on the project, if you need me I’ll be at my cabin,” he said, and stormed out of the office.
Lauren heard the outer door slam and put her head down on the desk, letting the tears flow. When Heather came into the room, she didn’t even bother to hide them, just sobbed until she was drained. Heather handed her a tissue and waited until she’d gotten herself under control.
“Why did you lie to him, Lauren? I know what he did to his cabin for you. I don’t understand.” Heather was confused, so sure that her plan would work.
“Don’t you see, if he’d just called me, we could have made those changes to the cabin together, instead he did what he wanted. I tried to explain, but I just couldn’t make him understand.” Lauren hiccupped.
Heather understood. “Honey, I wonder if you’ve got this a little mixed up,” she said, smoothing Lauren’s hair off her face. “What Seth did wasn’t making decisions for you, it was taking care of you.”
Lauren thought about that and opened her mouth to reply, but Heather stopped her. “Don’t take independence too far, what Seth did shows that he’s concerned for you and your happiness, take it as it was meant, a compromise. Would it really be so bad to spend the winter working from his cabin, it’s not like you couldn’t leave if you wanted to.”
Lauren was silent for a long time, realizing that she might have been being stubborn. “I don’t know what to do now,” she admitted.
“Go after him,” Heather said, but Lauren shook her head.
“I just can’t do that.”
By the time Heather walked out of Lauren’s office, she too had decided that Lauren was the most stubborn woman she’d ever met and that it was time to do something drastic, so she called Marci to help her finish what she’d started. Marci was shocked to find out that Lauren wasn’t moving to the cabin with Seth.
“We thought he was making the renovations because she was coming with him,” she said, when Heather explained what was happening.
“They can’t seem to get together. They’re both so stubborn,” Heather lamented.
By the end of the conversation, they’d hatched a plan to get Seth and Lauren together once and for all. The first step was to pull Lauren’s request for a transfer and instead request that she be assigned as a field agent, allowing her to work from the cabin. Then she waited for Marci to put the second part of the plan into action, a wait of three painful days, before the phone rang and Marci was on the other end.
Heather buzzed her through with no announcement, so when Lauren picked up the phone she thought it was Heather. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Lauren, it’s Marci, and I need your help,” Marci said, making her voice tremble.
Lauren was a bit surprised to
hear Marci’s voice, but then realized what she’d said. “What’s wrong?”
“Seth is hurt, but he refuses to leave his cabin,” she said, trying to sound really worried. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him. He hit his head and I know he needs stitches, but he refuses to leave the cabin.”
Lauren was instantly on her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. “How bad is he hurt?” She was trying not to panic, suddenly feeling a long way from Seth.
“I don’t know, he won’t let me look at him. He’s in a terrible mood, won’t tell me what’s wrong,” Marci said, pouring it on thick.
Lauren suddenly felt not only rising panic, but guilt to go along with it; she’d driven him away. She was probably the reason he was hurt. “Oh, Marci, it’s my fault. I’ve got to go to him. Can you send me GPS coordinates so I can find the cabin?” Lauren knew that she had to go to Seth, talk him into at least letting Marci look at him, he could be really hurt, could die.
At that thought she knew that she’d been being stupid, she loved Seth and if he didn’t love her, well she had all winter to make him love her. But if something happened to him, because of her, she’d never be able to forgive herself. Thanks to Seth and the videos she liked to watch on the internet now, she knew that she’d be able to find the cabin on her own. She hung up the phone before Marci could tell her that she had someone to take her, but sent the coordinates knowing that Lauren was a capable woman.
What Marci and Heather couldn’t know was that an unpredicted storm had blown in off the ocean, bringing with it what would be the first in a number of storms that would blanket the region in foot after foot of snow that winter, this first one the most powerful. Lauren, who although prepared to weather such a storm thanks to her new survival knowledge, had never seen such a storm and would find herself testing that knowledge to save her life.
Weak For You: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 15) Page 12