“Mommy, look!” Joshua shouted and pointed to the large wrought iron gates and the magnificent house that peeked out from behind them. “Is that where we are going?”
Paige glanced over at the driver in the rearview mirror and he gave her a slight nod.
“I believe it is my boy,” she said and ruffled his hair.
“That is so cool,” he said excitedly and hopped to the window on the left plastering his little hands and nose up against the window to get a better view.
As they approached, the gates opened automatically and they drove through and for the umpteenth time, she felt that familiar flutter of excitement and nerves wreaking havoc in her stomach.
“Welcome to the Stanton Ranch Miss. Carr,” the driver said with a friendly smile as he continued along the paved driveway.
Maple trees stood tall on either side of the driveway, and the house was surrounded by a beautiful green lawn and flower beds that comprised of a variety of different color roses, it was very obvious that the garden was taken care of by a professional botanist. For a moment she wondered once again, who her pretend husband would be, the time she had before her flight, she tried to search for some information on the owners of the Stanton and Son ranch online, but other than their names, there were no other indication as to what they looked like.
The car pulled up to the front door, and an elderly man who introduced himself as Albert, met them at the stairs and then led them both inside.
The inside of the house was just as grand, and as Albert took them from one room to the next, she couldn’t help but choke back tears. This was only be a temporary arrangement, but once she paid her dues she would be able to find a small apartment for her and Joshua here in Dallas and start over, she’ll get a paying job that doesn’t require her to work night shifts, and finally be the mother she wanted to be.
“Right this way Miss. Carr,” Albert said as he headed for the stairs, “I’m sure you will be more than pleased with your rooms.”
“Rooms?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, Mr. Stanton arranged for your own room and your son will have his own room too.”
“Oh no, that won’t be necessary, Joshua can stay with me in my room,” she said smiling.
“I have my own room?” Joshua chirped in and shot up the staircase. “Can I have my own room please mommy?” he begged as he reached the landing.
“I assure you he will enjoy the room Miss Carr; the room was furnished for a five year old,” Albert said smiling as he led the way.
As expected, Joshua was on cloud nine when he discovered that he had his own TV and gaming console in his room, on top of that, he had a double bunk bed that looked like a pirate ship. Paige’s heart cramped painfully for her son, he was so excited, and knowing that this will all be gone in few months, left her nervous, but for now she was going to simply let him enjoy the luxuries. As time goes on she will prep him for when they need to say goodbye to this place, which was bound to happen.
Her room on the other hand looked like something out of an interior decorating magazine; it was beautifully and delicately decorated. Muted pastel colors and a soft plush double bed contributed to the serenity she felt as she stepped into the cool room.
“I will send one of our ladies to call you when Mr. Stanton arrives,” Albert said, and with a slight nod he left her alone in her room.
Chapter 5
Hunter arrived at the ranch later than expected. He initially planned to meet the woman who would be his key to the Old Stone deal personally upon her arrival, but got held up at the office, thanks to a few last minute meetings, either way he was here now.
Although on face value he appeared self-assured and resolute, he couldn’t help but feel slightly anxious. He was about to meet a woman he was paying to be his wife, on top of that one with a child. He knew what he was doing was above and beyond reproach, but suddenly he had a very uneasy feeling. Here was a woman, who was desperate enough to sell herself and her dignity and expose her child to a complete stranger, putting him at risk for believing he stood a chance at a normal life, and giving the child false hope of having a father. What kind of a woman would do such a thing, he thought bitterly, and what kind of man was he, to take advantage of such a woman, he thought disappointedly but his disappointment was soon discarded when Albert entered the study.
“Mr. Stanton, Miss. Carr and her son have settled in, can I bring them through?” Albert asked interrupting his train of thought.
He looked up at the portrait of his mother, knowing that if she were still alive, she would have been completely turned against the idea of using a woman and a child just so that he could seal the next best deal. For a brief second, shame knocked on his conscience, but he quickly silenced it.
“Yes, thank you Albert,” he said tonelessly.
After a while, Albert returned, “Mr. Stanton, this is Paige and Joshua Carr,” Albert introduced and then quietly exited the study.
Deja vu hit Hunter like a ton of bricks the moment he laid eyes on Paige and memories flooded back like a mental tsunami trying to destroy everything in its wake, and by the look on her face, the feeling was clearly mutual. He looked at her, then at her son, then back at her.
Paige froze the moment she laid eyes on Hunter; it was as if destiny decided to play a cruel joke on her. The very man who swept her off her feet all those years ago, telling tall tales of love and passion, the same man who left her out cold when he decided to bail without as much goodbye, now stood before her.
“This was a mistake,” she started and turned to leave. She had no idea where she was going, but she was not willing to face him. Not now, not ever. The hurt and rejection she felt all those years ago surfaced like a deadly virus and he was her patient zero. She lost everything because of him, her family, her friends, her entire life, and it took her years to get over his rejection and she was not willing to allow him to reject her yet again, this time she would be rejecting him.
“Paige, wait!” he called after her as she stalked down the hallway clinging to her son’s hand. His voice sounded like an echo in a dark tunnel and all she wanted to do was to get away.
She blindly headed for the front door, but as she reached it, Hunter wrapped his hand around her upper arm.
“Let go of me,” she bit out bitterly as she tugged her arm free, “I should not be here, I want to go home.”
Hunter looked down at her and glanced at Joshua, and she could see anger flash in his eyes.
“I think we need to talk,” he said flatly then turned to Albert, “Please take the boy and show him the horses.”
“Horses?” her son cried out excitedly.
Paige had to do everything in her might not to break down and cry. Her son was so excited and he had no idea what was really going on. She gritted her teeth and plastered on a fake smile, “Of course, just be careful.”
As soon as Albert was out of sight with Joshua, Paige glared at Hunter, “What game are you playing?”
“What game am I playing?” Hunter countered, “You’re the one who advertised your services online; on top of that you exposed your son to some stranger. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” he said incredulously.
Paige was livid, how dare he accuse her of games, “Well excuse me! You were the one who purchased us for your pathetic little business venture and you want to lecture me on bad choices?” she retorted.
“That’s a whole different ball game Paige; I’m not putting my child at risk by introducing him to some stranger!”
“Well newsflash, you put him at risk when you decided I was good enough to have sex with and then you pulled up your pants and left me with the responsibility of raising our son all on my own,” she spat out and stormed past him in the direction where she saw Albert disappearing with Joshua.
She suddenly felt drained and defeated, this was the last thing she wanted, she should have done her own homework and insisted that Adam give her more information on who this mystery husband was, instead
of being so gullible in accepting an offer to marry some stranger just so that she could be guarantee a better life for her and her son.
Hunter’s world collapsed around him as her words sunk in, and methodically his mind went into overdrive as he calculated the odds, realizing that the little boy he met a few minutes ago was possibly his son, and as reality struck him, he grabbed Paige by the arm.
“That is my son?” he asked gritting his teeth as he stared down in Paige’s big honey colored eyes, he recalled the way she used to look at him during their brief relationship, but what he saw reflecting in them now, was nothing short of disgust.
“He was never your son,” she said angrily, “the moment you got the chance, you left without saying a word,” she clicked her fingers, “just like that, with no forwarding number and no note, you just left.”
Hunter felt sick, it was like an information overload, and his hard drive was about to crash, he grasped miserably for words, “Paige, I didn’t know, if I knew…”
“I was nothing but pastime social experiment for you, and once you had your fill you moved on, so you don’t get to claim anything where my son is concerned,” she interrupted bitterly and tugged away from him.
Conflicted, Hunter gritted his teeth and stepped aside.
“I’ve already paid you in advance for your first month, so I suggest you go and get settled,” he said flatly looking down at her. As much as it hurt him to be so callous, she gave him no choice. There was simply no getting through to her at this point, which meant he had to use the only thing he had power over to keep her here – money.
Chapter 6
Paige finally flopped down on the bed in her room; everything about this place suddenly overwhelmed her. She felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Hunter was the Beast, forcing her to stay against her will. The only problem was that he wasn’t an unsightly hairy animal, he was a handsome man, and the six years that passed since he disappeared out of her life, had done nothing to him. He looked just as he did when she first saw him and unlike the happy ending in fairy tales, her ending was going to be anything but happy. Hunter had had already paid up her debt and when they arrived at the airport she used some of the money to buy a few new items of clothing for both her and Joshua, and with no means to pay him back; she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Hunter was so right, she thought, she was foolish to run blindly into such an arrangement, not knowing who the other man was. God, if she knew it was him, she would have run in the complete opposite direction. What made it worse, was that he now knew the truth about Joshua, and she could already see the custody battles that awaited her once he decided to claim his place in her son’s life.
She must have drifted off eventually, because when she woke up it was already dark outside, in a panic she launched off the bed and rushed out the room an down the stairs, and that’s when Joshua came running to her, flinging his arms around her leg.
“Mommy, guess what!? Mr. Hunter said I can have a pony!” her son exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh is that so?” she said kneeling down next to him without sparing Hunter a glance, “what did I teach you about taking gifts from strangers?”
It started, Hunter was going to buy her son with gifts and luxuries, things she would never be able to afford, if she was going to have to live the next month paying off her debt so she could be free she was going to have to put a stop to this.
“He’s not a stranger, he said he’s your friend and my friend,” Joshua said with a pouty lip.
“I know sweetheart, but how will you take care of the pony, we are only visiting here,” she tried again.
“I told Joshua he will always be welcome to visit here, so the pony can stay here for now,” Hunter interrupted.
Paige took a deep breath and stood up, trying her best to stay calm, “I’ll think about it, right now he needs to go bathe and get ready for dinner and bed.”
Hunter nodded then smiled down at Joshua, “I’ll show you the cattle tomorrow champ,” he said and ruffled his hair, before leaving her and Joshua to themselves.
Much later, Hunter stood in the study contemplating the situation. The last person he expected to ever see again was Paige. If it wasn’t for her mother’s interference back when he met her, they would have been good together. There was a point of time where he felt she was the one. But her mother threatened him more than once, initially he thought it would blow over and that she was merely protecting her daughter, but when she finally went as far as to send a message to him in the form of a gangster shoving a gun in his face, his inner hero cowered like a possum and he left that very same day.
A slight knock on the door drew his attention and he turned around.
“Paige,” he said surprised, “I assume Joshua is settled?”
“Yes, he’s sleeping,” she paused and looked around then directly at him, “I have decided to stay for the month and pay back the money by working for you, then by the end of the month, I will go back home.”
Still just as headstrong and stubborn as she was when he first got to know her, he thought and poured them each a glass of Merlot, handing a glass to her. He had to fight against the sudden urge to pull her into his arms, unfortunately a lot of water had run into the sea since the time they were lovers and now she was a grown woman. He could somewhat understand how she must have felt when he left her with nothing but regret, but what stopped her from tracking him down on social media when she found out she was pregnant? He had the right to know, and now on top of that, she basically sold herself online to marry some stranger and in doing that exposed her – his – son to danger.
The mere thought of what could have happened if she landed in some sleazy pimps hands infuriated him, and in that moment he felt such contempt towards her. He had no idea what to do, but if he was going to work at keeping his son safe, then that would be his only goal.
“Is that so?” he asked her and smirked, “I appreciate the offer, but the contract is binding,” he said and stepped closer to her, “you can be glad you ended up here, because sweetheart, this is as good as its going to get.”
“Hunter, if I had known you were the one who,” she fumbled for words, “who hired me, I would never…”
“Never have come,” he interrupted, “I know that all too well. I’m sure I was the last person on this planet you would have wanted to see, for one, I suppose I broke your heart, that’s a given, and secondly, exposing the fact that Joshua is my son, leaves you at a disadvantage.”
He saw the hurt that flashed through her eyes, but he would not allow her to get to him.
Paige clutched the stem of the wine glass so tightly I her hand, she thought she could actually snap it and shove the sharp end into Hunters’ heart. He was going to ride this contract out, make her life an absolute misery and then steal her son from her.
She fought back tears as she looked down at the dark red liquid in the glass then took a sip, it was as bitter as the essence of regret that ran through her soul.
“No, I wouldn’t have come. But I can tell you this, I spent five years raising my son all by myself, with no help from anyone, and if you think you can just barge into our lives and start throwing punches and threaten to take my son from me, I can guarantee you, I will fight you every step of the way,” she said mordantly.
She hated that she found herself in this situation, and the realization of how bad this will look on her rap sheet considering the fact that she accepted an online marriage proposal to a stranger she technically never met, for financial gain, was something social services would have a field day with. If she had to be honest to herself, Hunter stood a good chance of winning custody of her son and if she was going to take him on, she was going to have to consider changing her approach.
She took a deep steady breath and then placed the glass down on the table beside her, “Hunter, it’s been six years since you left me, without a single word, what did you expect me to do? You moved on with your life, I was just a glitc
h in your sabbatical matrix, one you were very happy to erase. If I had known that there was the slightest chance of us being together, I would have attempted to contact you,” she said and although it was an attempt to sideswipe him, her words sounded sincere even to her.
The expression on his face, gave her hope, because suddenly the ruthless mask he wore a minute ago was replaced by something she could only discern as realization maybe even compassion , which meant he had a heart after all.
She stepped closer and lowered her eyes placing her hand on his chest. God this was harder than she thought, here she was playing her victim card and pasting it on thickly so that she could play on his emotions, and although it was working on him, her heart was making a ninety degree turn against her better judgement.
“I never asked for you to leave, you left at your own accord. Men like you come and go out of a girl’s life. Do you know how many unwed mothers there are, and almost ninety percent of those children have no father, it was no different for me. I just had to get up from the ashes and make it work, for the sake of my son and my own sanity.”
For the first time in her life she was able to express herself and to be able to voice her feelings felt as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She withdrew her hand from Hunter’s chest where he stood like a statue looking down at her and took a step back.
Hunter processed this information slowly and as Paige stepped away from him, he instantly felt the absence of her touch, and without a second thought, he stepped forward and cupped her face then looked into her large, expressive eyes that still contained that sense of mystery he fell in love with when he first met her. He admired the angular features of her face, and her high cheek bones and noticed that she still had that slight pout of her mouth, which was hard to ignore. The years may have brought on a slight physical change, she was larger than when he first met her, and her breasts were also bigger, but even now, his own body reacted just like it did back then. He knew he was being impulsive and foolish but he was suddenly desperate to kiss her.
Cowboy's Barmaid: A Small Town Military Romance (Lucky Flats Ranchers Book 2) Page 39