10. Evelyn
CHAPTER 10
EVELYN
“Please tell me what's wrong,” Scar pleads once we are in the truck.
“Just take me home,” I say, looking out the window with my arms crossed over my chest.
He hesitates, but finally starts the truck and pulls out of the parking lot.
I was having a great day. Riding the high of getting the job and then having coffee and shopping with some women I was starting to think I could be friends with. I was seeing a life for me here in Mustang Mountain. I wanted to be here, and I thought Scar wanted me here.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Turns out Scar didn't want me. His friends set the whole thing up, and he didn't even know until I got here. All this time he could have told me, but he didn't. He just went along with it. The poor orphan with no one. I bet he kept me around because he felt so sorry for me.
I don't want to be anyone's pity case. I worked my ass off to help my parents and even after. That's why I took on being a mail-order bride to take care of myself. Everyone back home looked at me with pity. Sure, they left slightly bigger tips than I deserved, but it still wasn't enough, and I never wanted their sympathy or charity. If I had more time and resources, I could have done it on my own.
And I thought losing my parents was the low point in my life. Boy was I wrong.
Stupidly, I went and let my heart take charge when it came to Scar, and I fell for him. I thought we were building something real and hit the mail-order bride jackpot. And after the other night, I was really thinking he'd fallen for me too. He said he wanted to marry me, but I guess that was just him doing what was right.
Stupid me.
“Please tell me what's wrong,” he begs, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I don't want to talk about it in the car,” I say, buying myself a little more time.
He nods his head and focuses on the road.
I need a game plan and to figure out what my next steps are. Focusing on that helps calm me down.
Even though I just got the job here in Mustang Mountain, I know I can't stay here. I hate having to turn that down, but the thought of running into Scar and his friends and being another pity case is just too much.
Since I wasn't officially hired and haven’t started the process, I know I can get out of the contract. I'm not worried about it. I guess I can put myself back on the website and hope for the best. That is the easy part.
I know Bozeman has some job openings for teachers. When I was looking at the Mustang Mountain ones, I saw them. I just don't know how I will get myself to Bozeman.
Scar paid the medical bills, so I know I will owe him that money. It will take a while before I can pay it back, but I will. I can take a shift at a diner. Or hell, check into this selling my feet pictures thing I heard a girl on the bus talking about somewhere near Chicago.
Bozeman is a college town, so finding some roommates shouldn't be a problem. It's not ideal, but I can make it work.
Now that I have a plan in place, I'm feeling pretty confident. As we pull into the cabin, the nerves I felt earlier are gone and so is most of the anger.
The moment we walk into the cabin, Scar pulls me into his arms. “What’s wrong?”
I stand there for just a minute, memorizing this last moment with him before I pull away.
“Today, I found out from the girls that your friends set this all up between us and that you never wanted me. They were under the assumption that I knew and thought it was great it worked out anyway. It's fine. I don't want you to marry me because of some contract or because you feel like you have to,” I say.
As he paces the room and pulls at his hair, I continue with my plan so he can relax. “There are teaching jobs in Bozeman, and I can work nights at a restaurant to save up money to pay you back for the medical bills. See, nice clean break, no feeling guilty or pity,” I say. Then, taking a deep breath, I get ready to go to my room and start packing when he stops me.
“No,” is all he says. Stopping in my tracks, my job drops for a moment before I can speak.
“What?” That is all I'm able to get out.
“No, you are going to stay,” he says, stomping across the room, looking at me.
I can't read the look on his face, but he looks pretty serious.
“No. I'm going to leave. I can take care of myself and this way you are free of a contract you never wanted to begin with.”
The moment I stop talking, he walks over to me with purpose. When he reaches me, he drops to his knees in front of me. Then he places his hands on my hips and rests his forehead on my belly, completely throwing me off.
He looks up at me with pain in his eyes.
“Yes, they set it up and only told me about an hour before you pulled up on the bus. But I have fallen in love with you, and I want you to stay. I want to marry you not because of a contract, but because I love you and want you.”
Standing there, the room spins. This isn't what I expected. I was so set on my plan on the way home, and now I feel like my whole world is off-kilter yet again. Right now, I don't think I can deal with it all and feel like I'm about to lose it right here in front of him.
“All of this is too much,” I whisper, trying to hold it together. I can’t make any decisions right now because I need time to think. “Luna offered me their guest room and I'm going to go stay there tonight. I just need some space.”
He reluctantly stands and allows me to pack a bag. We don't say another word until I step back into the living room with my bag in hand.
“I'll drive you. I want to make sure you get there okay,” he says.
“Thank you.”
Ford offered to come get me if needed. But they are already being so nice, I’ll take Scar up on the ride. Part of me does not want to say goodbye just yet. We don't say a word in the truck or all the way home.
When he pulls into the driveway, a light comes on over the front door and moments later Ford and Luna step onto the porch.
I turn to Scar to say thank you, but before I can open my mouth, his lips are on mine. I melt into the kiss. My body has been craving his touch. I kiss him back, still not knowing if this will be the last time. Right now, I don't know what to think.
“Don’t forget that I love you, Evelyn. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to see that. Call me if you need anything,” he says, moving away from me.
I don't know what to say, so I just nod and open the truck door. I'm assaulted by the cold Montana air on my face and am thankful that it will hide the flush I can feel there from that kiss. When I reach the front door where Ford and Luna are, she pulls me into a big hug and leads me into the house. I don't even turn back to see Scar. I can't.
Inside the house it is warm, even if I just feel numb. It smells like sugar cookies and it’s cozy and welcoming.
“Here is your room. You stay as long as you need,” Luna says, showing me the guest room with a bed already made up.
This is what a guest room looks like when you know someone is coming to visit. The fact that Scar's guest room wasn't ready should have been my first clue that something wasn't right.
But I let it go. I wanted it all to work out, so I wasn't on guard like Ishould have been.
“Just set your stuff down here and let's get you a warm drink and we can talk. You look like you have the world on your shoulders,” Luna says.
I set my bag down and follow her back to the living room and sink down into the couch. Luna sits next to me and pulls a blanket from the back of the couch over us.
Ford walks out of the kitchen with two steaming hot mugs.“Hot chocolate always seems to solve life's problems. Call if you ladies need me. I'm going to answer some emails in our room,” Ford says before leaning over and kissing Luna on the cheek and leaving the room.
“So, we shouldn't have assumed you knew…” she starts.
I stop her. “No, I should have known, and that’s the messed-up part. This isn't a normal situation and it's hard enough when you think the guy wants you. But knowing he had no idea makes me feel like a burden.”
“Trust me, he doesn't look at you like you're a burden. He looks at you the same way Ford looked at me, the way he still looks at me,” Luna says with a goofy smile on her face.
Without answering, I take a sip of my hot chocolate. I haven’t seen him look at me like that, so I just let it go and then tell her my plan of getting a job in Bozeman.
“Why don't you take a few days here and think about it? You have a job, and you can stay here, and we can help you find a place to stay if that is what you want. I know a few people who have apartments above the shops downtown,” she says.
“I know it looks bad leaving the job after I just accepted…”
“Oh, I'm not worried about that. I hate to think I'm losing a friend I just made, and I really do think rushing out of town, especially during the holidays, is a bad idea. If in a few days, if you are still set on Bozeman, we will drive you there and help you find a place. But the last thing I want is for you to end up in a bad situation because you feel like you have no other choice,” Luna says.
At her words, I start crying. I forgot what it was like to have someone else on my side.