A Pregnant Widow’s Amish Vacation
Expectant Amish Widows Book 7
Samantha Price
Amish Romance
Copyright © 2016 by Samantha Price
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
The next in the series is:
EXPECTANT AMISH WIDOWS
About Samantha Price
Chapter 1
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deuteronomy 7:9
* * *
“I’m not going out for drinks tonight!” Jane glared at her boss as she sat in safety behind her desk. “It’s only been a few months since the accident; it’s a miracle I’m still able to function.”
Tyrone clenched his square jaw, closed Jane’s office door, and then leaned against it, staring at her.
Jane added, “I can’t spread myself so thin; there’s no time for socializing. Aren’t you pleased that I just won the O’Connor account?”
His lips curled, and his arms flung out in the air. “That’s what I’ve employed you to do, Jane. You were on the trail of that account before… before the accident.”
Jane knew Tyrone had been about to say ‘before Sean was killed.’ “Work’s the only thing that’s been keeping me going. It’s best I don’t dwell on… anything else.”
“You need to see someone who’s qualified in helping people who’ve been through upheavals.”
“I don’t need to be psychoanalyzed.”
“I’m just looking out for you, and…” Tyrone nodded toward her stomach.
Instinctively, Jane placed her hand on her belly, and said, ”We’re fine. And I can keep up with all the work. I’ll make up for the time I took off.”
“You only took one day off and another day for the funeral. That’s just not normal.”
The advertising business was fierce. There was always someone hungrier coming up behind her, hunting for a promotion, and that’s why Jane never felt her position with the company was one hundred percent secure. Besides that, she was an executive when most women who worked at McCloskey and Sullivan were secretaries or assistants. Jane had always found that men were very good at schmoozing and socializing their way up the corporate ladder—it was like a men’s club. She knew there was one particular man who had been after her job since he joined the company a year ago—Derek Reynolds.
Tyrone took a step closer. “I think we’ve become close friends, haven’t we?”
Jane looked up at him and had to agree. Tyrone was warm and friendly when he had to be, but he hadn't gotten to where he was by being nice all the time. “Yes, I’d say we’re friends.”
“As your boss and good friend, I need you to take my advice. I’ve only got your best interests at heart.”
“You want me to take time off? Is that it? I suppose I could, later in the year. Of course, I’ll have to take time off when the baby comes—maybe a day or two. I’ve found a good nanny.” Jane bit the inside of her lip as she always did when she lied. She hadn’t yet found a nanny, much less thought about finding one. When the time came, she’d call an agency and find one that way.
“You need to come out with me tonight, and the girls. We’ve all got a surprise arranged for you.” He leaned in close enough for her to smell his musky aftershave. “But don’t let on that I said anything about a surprise. I wouldn’t have told you if you weren’t so stubborn. I thought you’d love to have a night out—see the bright lights, listen to some jazz, and enjoy good conversation over a glass of vino.”
She leaned back. “I can’t drink!”
“Well, scrap that last part. It’ll do you good to get out. Before you married Sean you were a party animal.”
“I was not! I just went out more before I was married, but I was never one to enjoy going out that much.”
“Being married never stopped Sean from doing anything,” Tyrone said under his breath.
Jane pouted as she stared into Tyrone’s dark brown eyes. She’d ignore what he just said. Even when Sean was alive, Tyrone had always spoken poorly of him—even to his face. At least she knew that Tyrone had been good to her over the past weeks. “Okay. It won’t be a late night, will it?” She’d agree to what he wanted, but only because she didn’t want to let him down. Then, of course, there was the fact that he was her boss.
“When I said it was ‘just drinks,’ I might have lied.” His tanned face broke into a grin.
Jane leaned back in her chair. “What is it—dinner, dancing?”
“Don’t worry about it. When I say, ‘the girls,’ I’m including Derek.”
“Derek?” That was the best reason she’d heard not to go.
“Don’t be like that. I don’t know why you two can’t get along. I’ve got great things planned for him.”
Jane blew out a deep breath. If she didn’t go, Derek would go out with them and then he’d get even friendlier with the girls in the office. Also, he’d try to weasel his way further into Tyrone’s good books.
“I think his work is substandard.” This time, she bit her lip and frowned when she heard herself lie. Derek’s work was quite good—annoyingly so.
“Forget him and anyone else. Tonight is about you.”
“What’s it all about? What have you got arranged? In my condition, I can’t have a shock.” She patted her stomach thinking of the upheavals she’d had just a few months before. Sean had come home and announced he was leaving her; he’d been having an affair for a year and was running away with the woman, whom Sean had told her was named Ralene. Just hours after he’d left, the police knocked on her door to inform her that her husband and the female passenger in his car had both been killed in an automobile accident.
“You’ll see. Trust me. I’ll take you there and deliver you safely home when it’s over.”
Jane pressed her lips firmly together. She knew Tyrone had always had a soft spot for her, but then again, she knew he wouldn’t do anything about it in her current vulnerable state. She nodded. “Okay.” She’d miss out on her normal nightly routine— a hot bath, and then watching something mindless on TV until she fell asleep.
Tyrone flashed a dazzling smile. He knew he was a handsome man, and used his looks to full advantage in his business life as well as his personal life. “Excellent! Get ready to have some fun.”
Jane sighed. “I’ll be raising a child on my own soon. I’v
e got too much on my plate to think about fun.” She looked down at her stomach. “I can’t have fun.”
“You said ‘yes,’ so you can’t back out now.”
“All I want to do is go home and get into a hot bath.” She stared into Tyrone’s face hoping he’d relent. When he said nothing, she continued, “What about we leave it for next week?”
“No! Definitely not! Everyone’s worried about you. I’m taking charge tonight.”
“I think I’m doing okay. It’s nice of people to be concerned—but I’ll get through it in time.”
“It’s all arranged; I told everyone you’d be there. Everyone’s put a lot of effort into being there.”
Jane sighed. If she said any more, she’d sound ungrateful. “What time?”
“Right after work. I’ll come and get you at five.”
“It won’t be a late night will it?”
He smiled, and his bright brown eyes crinkled at the corners. “Trust me.”
When he walked out of her office, she touched the space bar of her computer to bring it back to life. What if she’d married Tyrone instead of Sean? She could’ve had either man back then, but she’d chosen Sean because she’d thought he was the more reliable one of the two. It turned out that she couldn’t have been more wrong.
She’d heard rumors of Sean’s affairs shortly after they married, but she never found evidence of that being true. Stooping to the lowest of the low, she’d even checked his phone and the emails on his computer hoping to find the truth, but they had revealed nothing.
It was only when Sean told her that he was leaving her did the truth come out. He’d been carrying on an affair with Ralene. For a whole year! Now, Jane’s child had been conceived while he’d been involved with another woman. Jane would never forgive Sean for that. When he’d walked out after his confession about the affair, she’d been too numb to cry. Jane only cried when the police sat her down and told her about the accident. The chilling truth was that she might have been able to stop him from leaving her. He’d always wanted a child and she’d always refused. She’d found out she was pregnant two months before he left, and she wasn't sure why she had kept it secret. If she’d told him about the baby, maybe he wouldn’t have left her for Ralene and he’d be alive today.
Jane’s child would be fatherless. There would be no hope of Sean ever coming home begging for forgiveness. Neither would there be any chance of their child getting to know him. Sean was there one minute and gone the next. It was hard to come to terms with what had happened—it didn’t feel like it was real.
Jane had no doubt that Tyrone would wait a suitable time, and then he’d make his move and ask her on a date. That is, unless someone else caught his eye in the meantime. One thing was for certain, Jane did not want another man who would cheat on her—and she knew she couldn’t be certain of that with Tyrone. The thing that saddened Jane the most was that her child would be raised in a single-parent family just as she’d been. Jane wanted something better for her child than experiencing the pain she still felt, craving a father—to ask question after question about the man she’d never met. Hoping that one day he’d come to the door, and say, ‘I am your father.’
After she had wiped away tears with the back of her hand, she pressed the computer’s space bar once more. She glanced at the time on the top right of her computer screen. One hour to go before five. She had to get on with the O’Connor account. The more work she did on it today, the less she would have to do tomorrow. With Derek ready to pick up any of the slack she left, she couldn’t afford to leave any room for him to weasel his way in.
Chapter 2
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,
so is a faithful messenger to them that send him:
for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Proverbs 25:13
* * *
Once they were in the taxi, Jane said to Tyrone, “I thought you said five. It’s already five thirty.” Jane was a little annoyed. He’d told her it wouldn’t be a late night and now she was going to get home half an hour later since they were already behind time.
He shook his head staring at the phone in his hands. “Sorry. I've just texted everyone and they’re all there waiting.”
“They should be, because we’re late.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared out the window. “I hope this isn’t a thing where someone jumps out of a cake, or I get a stripper gram or something like that.”
“The girls just want to do something nice for you. Has anyone ever done anything nice for you?”
She stared at him wondering how to answer him. When he stared back at his phone, she pushed her dark hair behind her ears.
Pulling his eyes from his phone, Tyrone smiled at her and grabbed her hand.
She cleared her throat and then pulled her hand back. “Are we going far?”
“Just around the corner,” he said. “We could’ve walked there, but I thought in your condition you would've preferred to go by cab.”
“That's right. I've never liked walking, even when I wasn't in this condition,” she joked.
“Here we are.” He paid the cab driver and then raced around to open the car door for her.
She stepped out to see a wine bar/restaurant where she’d been with the girls once before. “I like this place.”
“That's why we’re here,” he said guiding her out of the car.
They walked in and joined the girls who had a booth to one side of the room. Then she spotted short, balding Derek, sitting on the outermost seat and grinning like a fool. Derek jumped up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, and the girls followed his lead.
When they were seated, Tyrone asked everyone, “Have we got drinks ordered?”
“Yeah, we’ve got drinks coming,” one of the girls said.
“Good.” Tyrone turned to Jane who had just sat down. “What would you like?”
“Lime and soda for me thanks.”
Once they each had a drink in their hands, Tyrone said, “Now for the big surprise. I won’t waste any time since I’m already in trouble for being late. Here's to Jane!” He pulled a white envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“What's this?” she asked, turning it over and looking for some clue to what it was.
Derek, her nemesis, was the only one who answered. “Everyone’s chipped in and we’re sending you on a vacation.” He sat there looking pleased with himself.
By the smile on Derek’s face, she knew exactly what was going on. He’d set her up. Time away from work was the worst thing right now. What would happen to the O’Connor account?
Once Jane looked at all the smiling faces staring at her and waiting for a reaction, she smiled. Maybe she could do with a little time away from everything. She hoped the vacation might be a Mediterranean cruise, or maybe a cabin on a beach island.
“Open it and see,” Tyrone said.
“I will. Thank you, everyone! This is such a lovely surprise.” She’d pretend to go along with it and then she’d find some way to get out of it. Unless of course, it was a Mediterranean cruise, or a cruise around the Greek Islands. She opened the envelope and pulled out a card. She read that it was a stay at a bed and breakfast in Lancaster County. It seemed like Derek wanted her far, far away. “A B&B! Lovely!” She put on her best false smile and looked around at the girls. “Thank you.”
Tyrone said, “Did you see how long it's for?”
Please don’t be for more than a week. “Oh no, I didn’t.” Jane looked down at the card again, and calculated the dates to see that it was a whole four weeks long. “Four weeks?” She looked across at Tyrone and knew her face said it all.
“You need it!” He swallowed a mouthful of his drink. “What’s more, I’m paying you for this vacation and I’m not including it in your vacation bank. You’ll still be entitled to another four weeks vacation as per your employment package.”
“Thank you.” She smiled because she knew Tyrone thought he was doing some
thing nice.
“You’ll enjoy the peace and quiet and come back relaxed and fresh,” Jenny, her personal assistant, said.
Jane nodded. “It’s truly wonderful of everyone. Thank you.”
“The main person you have to thank is Derek; it was his idea. And he's offered to look after the O'Connor account while you're gone.”
“The O'Connor account is mine,” she blurted out without thinking.
“Relax!” Tyrone said. “No one is taking it from you; he's only helping.”
Derek smiled and his double chin wobbled as he said, “I’m not taking anything away from you, Jane.” He reached over for some fries that were in a bowl in the middle of the table.
As the girls chattered away, Jane looked into her glass wishing there was something stronger in it than soda. This was a deliberate plot; a deliberate plot against her. She wondered how long Derek had been scheming. Jane gave him a sideways glance before she pleaded with Tyrone. “I can take this later in the year, can't I? After we have the O’Connor account up and running properly?”
“No! You have to take it now—the dates are on here.” Tyrone tapped the card, which was now on the table in front of her.
She picked it up to see how soon she’d have to go. Is Tyrone crazy? “That's the day after tomorrow. I can't possibly get organized in that time.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I'll help you,” Jenny said.
She wondered what other excuse she could make. No matter how bad things had gotten for her in her life, she’d always had a good job ever since she’d finished college, which she’d worked her way through. Now, however, her seemingly secure position with the company seemed uncertain, with Derek in the wings ready to pounce. He'd already managed to contrive a plot to get her out of the way, and if she was gone for four weeks, she might not have a job to come back to. Tyrone wouldn't hesitate to give Derek her position if he thought that was best for the company.
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