Convinced it wouldn’t take long for Gerald to track him down, Beau had given Ben and Jeb, Gerald’s description, and told them if he showed up to throw him off the property.
Sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea, Nickie was feeling calmer. Having checked out of the hotel, and knowing that the ranch was staffed with two burly cowboys as well as Beau, she felt safe and protected.
“You ready to tell me about this husband of yours?” Beau asked sitting down opposite her.
“Yes,” she sighed. “I was going to tell you, I was, I just didn’t want to spoil what was happening between us.”
“You’re married, Nickie. I’m tryin’ to keep an open mind, but it seems to me-”
“I know,” she interrupted, “but you don’t understand.”
“And that’s why you’re gonna explain it to me.”
“Where do I start?”
“Keep it simple.”
“I don’t know how, but I’ll try. Almost a year ago I had a drunken roll in the hay with that joker, and of course I ended up pregnant.”
“Whoa, you tellin’ me-”
“No, no, I don’t have a child. I lost the baby shortly after I was married. I never wanted to marry him, but I come from a line of traditional, old-fashioned Italians, and the pressure, you cannot even imagine it,” she exclaimed rolling her eyes. “Gerald was thrilled of course, claiming he loved me to pieces, romanced me like crazy, said we could make it work. It was a crazy, emotional time.”
“Why didn’t you just get a quick divorce if you didn’t want to stay married?”
“You think everything is so black and white,” she exclaimed rolling her eyes. “Of course I tried to get a divorce, but Gerald has bagged himself one of the heirs to the Pantera fortune. He wouldn’t even talk about it.”
Her voice had risen in pitch and volume, and Beau realized her desperation was real.
“Won’t your father help you convince him?”
“Gerald’s family has always been friends with mine,” she groaned. “My brothers, Joseph and Adam, are super close to Gerald and his three brothers, and it’s all just so fucking incestuous. I hate it, I hate the whole thing, I hate my life.”
“I think I’m beginnin’ to get the picture,” Beau said slowly. “You said Gerald has never seen the house here. How is that possible?”
“Gerald goes off almost every weekend on some golfing excursion, so I decided to have weekends away as well, and the minute I came over the hill and saw this place I fell in love with it and decided to build a home here. I didn’t tell anyone. My biggest mistake was hiring a city contractor. I’m a Pantera, somehow it got out, and as you know having an outside builder it made things really difficult with your city.”
“No, I think you, Nickie, made things really difficult with the city.”
“Whatever,” she sighed. “Anyway, I told Gerald I was building a vacation home, then I lost the contractor, couldn’t find another one, and I was at my wits end. Last week we had a huge fight, and I told him if he didn’t divorce me I’d make his life a fucking misery, that I’d make up stories about him and sell them to the tabloids. I’d never do something like that, but it just suddenly popped into my head. He went ballistic so I packed a suitcase and came out here.”
“And that’s why you’re in such a hurry to finish the house.”
“Yes, I’m done. I’m done with everything and everyone. I don’t want to work for the family business, it’s a nightmare, I hate it, and Gerald, I hate him most of all,” then pausing she wistfully added, “and I want horses.”
Beau leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea.
“What?” she asked.
“Seems to me, all you’re askin’ for is the chance to live your own life,” he said quietly. “Are you sure your mom and dad wouldn’t support that? Have you sat down and talked to them?”
“My mom is absolutely impossible, we don’t get along at all, and my dad, I know he loves me but I also know he’d be really disappointed if I left the company. I don’t know how he feels about Gerald, but I know he’s believes marriage is life.”
“I’m gonna say somethin’ you’re not gonna like,” Beau warned, “but I’ve gotta say it. Are you sure your attraction to me isn’t because I’m different, because I’m a cowboy? Am I a novelty? A way out?”
Her eyes gazed back at him, and he waited, expecting some kind of rebuttal, but she remained silent, then finishing her tea she put down the cup and rose from the table, wandering over to the kitchen window.
Staring out at the horses in the paddocks she swallowed back the heat in her throat, then turned to face him.
“Maybe,” she breathed trying to control the tremble in her voice. “Maybe it’s all of those things, maybe it’s none of those things. How am I supposed to know? People are attracted to people for all kinds of reasons, but I can tell you this. The way I feel when I look at you,” she began knowing she was about to lose it, “how I feel when you hold me, when you kiss me, it’s…it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s real, you’re real, you’re in my heart, and if you don’t know that…”
Her voice trailed off as the tears began to spill, and jumping from his chair Beau hurried across and pulled her into his arms.
“I do, sugar, I do, I feel it too. I’m sorry, I wasn’t doubtin’ you, hell, I guess maybe I was.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Gerald,” she sobbed, “but I was so happy, for the first time in, fuck, I don’t know when, I was actually happy.”
“I’ll help you through this, I will, I promise.”
“I’m scared, Beau, I’m scared of Gerald and my family, but honestly, when you hold me I feel so much better,” and I love you, I feel it in every part of me, I love you.
“It’s all gonna crinkle out,” he promised hugging her close to his body. “My pop always said, let it develop son, watch and wait and just let it develop,” and that’s what I’ve gotta do as well, wait and see how all this develops.
“Beau, please can you take me upstairs? I need you.”
Moving his hands to her hair, he curled her long tresses through his fingers, and gently tugged her head to the side.
“I need you too, Nickie,” he purred as he moved his mouth to her neck, and I hope what you’re sayin’ is true, ‘cos I’ve fallen for you, man, have I fallen for you!