AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are you talking about?” She pulled away from him, looking hurt and angry. “You know damn well you asked me out that night.” More tears streamed down her face as she glared at him.
He was stunned for a moment. “Yeah, and you decided you’d rather go out with your college friend,” he said slowly.
“We really need to get going, sweetheart,” Bill interjected from the doorway. “You don’t want to miss your train.”
Chloé didn’t even look at him. She was gaping at Tyler. “What are you talking about? You stood me up that night. You know you did. Left me out in the pouring rain for over an hour just waiting for you to show up. I was such an idiot – I fell for it hook, line and sinker.” She sniffed hard, shaking her head at him in disgust. “How cruel could you be? On my graduation day, of all days. And then...” She pointed to the window, her speech lost in misery.
Tyler’s heart pounded like a steam engine as realization dawned on him. “You waited in the rain? I’d told the restaurant staff I’d been delayed. They were supposed to look after you until I got there. They were expecting you but you didn’t show up. They had champagne waiting on ice and everything.” He spoke slowly, envisaging the sight. “I thought you’d stood me up when I got there. Then Bill told me...” he looked over at Bill, who was holding onto the doorframe, his mouth wide open.
The penny dropped and Tyler fought his instinct to go over and punch the fucker where it hurt. It was a strain to keep his feet rooted to the floor.
“What?” Chloé was staring at Bill, too.
“He said he’d seen you in the bar of the Rough Oaks Hotel with some guy from college.” Tyler spoke slowly, watching Bill’s face get redder by the second.
Chloé stood a little straighter as she gawped at Bill. “You said that?”
Bill finally closed his mouth and shrugged. “I thought she looked a bit like you,” he said, the tremble in his voice belying the nonchalant expression he was clearly aiming for.
“How could you?” she fired at him angrily.
“Well, if he hadn’t been late it wouldn’t have happened would it?” Bill sounded irritated. He pointed at Tyler accusingly. “What kind of man leaves a girl stranded in the pouring rain on her graduation night? You’re nothing but scum.”
Tyler puffed his chest out, rising to his full height of six-foot four. “That wasn’t my intention. I just said, I made arrangement for the restaurant staff to take care of her until I arrived.” His voice was louder than he intended, and he kept his fist clenched at his side. He squeezed the mug tightly in the other hand.
“I was so stupid. I should have just gone in and waited for you inside.” Chloé’s voice sounded small as she stared up at him. “I was too embarrassed to go in on my own.”
“He shouldn’t have been late.” Bill hollered. “Nothing should have been more important than taking the girl out on her graduation night, for fuck’s sake. You obviously didn’t care about her. Otherwise you’d have put her first.” He scowled at Tyler, who grabbed hold of the table with one hand to stop himself from grabbing the guy by the throat.
“I did care about her, for your information, shithead,” he snapped. “Always have and always will.” He felt Chloé’s eyes on him and turned to see her expression change to one of astonishment.
“Yeah right. That’s why you found something more interesting to do when you were supposed to be having dinner with her.” Bill scorned, his whole face contorting to an ugly sneer as he spoke.
“You’re wrong, fuckwad.” Tyler yelled, placing his cup on the table and storming over to his nemesis. “It wasn’t more interesting but it was fucking important. And it was for Chloé. ”
“Yeah, right. Like you care.” Bill snorted, putting his hands on his hips and squaring up to Tyler. “If you had your way she’d give up her decent job to crawl back to this hell-hole.” He waved one hand in the air, gesturing their surroundings. “And what the fuck for? The place is falling apart, the ranch is on its knees, and she’s got no family left. She’d be cooped up in here all day on her own, praying that you paid your rent on time so she could afford to eat. And why? Because it makes life easier for you. You selfish bastard.” He leered at Tyler who felt his blood boil.
“Bullshit.” Tyler hollered. “You just want her out of the way so you can take over this place and persuade her to sell it to you dirt cheap. I heard you, shithead.”
“What?” Chloé looked horrified.
“That’s crap.” Bill was clearly taken aback, although he tried to hide it.
“Is it? Then let’s go ask your girlfriend, shall we? Get her to explain to Chloé why she was so excited last night when you went home and told her the deal was in the bag. Chloé was going back to Atlanta – despite the fact she hates if over there, incidentally – and you were taking over running this place. You planned to buy it off her so you’d own more than half Marville County. You’re nothing but a con-artist and a power freak.”
Bill’s mouth dropped as Tyler spoke and his face turned ashen.
“Is that true?” Chloé joined them in the kitchen doorway, gawping at Bill. “Is this why you were so keen for me to go back to Atlanta? You just wanted to buy my land?”
“Steal it, more like,” Tyler said with a grunt.
“You said you’d manage it for me.” Hurt poured from Chloé’s eyes.
“He wanted to manage it for himself, baby,” Tyler told her, feeling the anger dissipate from his whole body as she suddenly appeared so frail and small.
“The place is in ruins. The ranch is about to fold. It’s hardly worth anything, sweetheart,” Bill protested. “The only way you’d make any money from it is to sell it on.”
“You said you knew someone who might be interested,” she said, frowning thoughtfully. “You meant you.”
