Chapter 8 Taylor
Taylor flopped on the couch and ran her fingers through her hair.
“I could have the ranch back and I could have Diablo. It would only be for two days,” she said aloud. “I could have my life back for two days of work.”
She imagined the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the right.
“You would spend two days lying to an untold number of people. Remember the ninth commandment: Thy shall not bear false witness,” the angel said.
“True,” said the devil. “However, this is an acting job. Nothing more and nothing less. You would be doing the exact same thing as all those other actors and actresses who get up in front of a bunch of people and pretend to be detectives, nurses, or even serial killers in the movies.”
“This isn’t an acting job. This is designed to fool a bunch of people.”
“No one would get hurt,” said the devil. “You just have to pretend to be Lane’s fiancé for two days. Then, after that, he can tell everyone that you broke up. You have your ranch and your horse, and everyone would be happy.”
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No one would be hurt, but it was still a lie,” said the imaginary angel.
Taylor put her hands over her ears, as though it could stop the argument that was happening inside her head. She had never been so torn on a decision in her entire life.
She got down on her knees, folded her hands, and prayed for God to give her guidance.
Then, she called Melissa and explained the situation to her.
“I say go for it,” Melissa said. “It’s a chance to have your dream come true.”
“I would be lying to a lot of people.”
“You would be acting. Lane wants to hire you to perform a role. He hired you to perform the role of a ranch hand and now he wants to hire you to be his fiancé.”
“I guess so,” Taylor replied doubtfully.
“Think of the irony,” Melissa said. “His family tried to buy the ranch several times, but the Williams wouldn’t sell. Now, he is going to give you the money to buy the ranch. He’s even giving you a bonus to get your ranch back – that devil horse.”
Taylor giggled and said, “He’s not a devil. He just has good taste in people and loves me. But you’re right. It is ironic.”
She tossed and turned all night long and struggled to sleep. When Morpheus finally did overcome her, it was a restless sleep. She was exhausted when she opened her eyes the next morning.
Taylor never cursed, but a few words might have slipped out when she tried to pull on her jeans, her leg got stuck and she hit the floor with a thud. Her foot went clear through her sock when she slipped it on. Luckily, she had done laundry so she had a clean pair. Unfortunately, she only had five pairs of socks – four now.
“Really. Is this how my day is going to go?” she growled at no one in particular.
She was a little late for breakfast, but luckily Franny always made plenty of food, so she was able to hastily gulp some eggs, bacon, and orange juice down.
Diablo was waiting for her in the pen and her mood was instantly soothed. Taylor hugged him and gave him bits of apple. When it was gone, he pressed his lips against her face as though he was giving her a kiss.
This horse had won her heart. They had an unbreakable bond. Taylor realized that she had no choice.
After daily assignments were given out, Taylor said, “I’ll do it for the horse and the ranch.”
“Excellent,” he said, grinning widely.
“We can act like a couple in public, but there won’t be any sex when we’re alone. We can keep going on the same path as we have been, seeing each other, but nothing else until the time comes for us to move our real relationship forward if that time comes,” Taylor said.
“Agreed,” Lane said. “I’m going to rearrange my schedule and take over your duties today. Willow is going to take you shopping. You’ll need the clothes to play the part. They will obviously be yours to keep.”
Taylor wanted to protest. She really didn’t like the idea of him buying her clothes. It didn’t seem right. However, she realized that she didn’t have the right clothes to participate in that society, even if she raided the wardrobe that she had in storage.
“I love shopping,” Willow said. “It’s even more fun because we are dressing you up. It’s almost like when I was playing with my dolls when I was a kid.”
Taylor laughed.
“I’m jealous of you,” Willow said.
“Why?”
“You get a fresh start. When this is done, you’ll have your ranch back. You’ll be able to get your horse ranch growing and live your dream,” Willow said.
“Aren’t you happy?” Taylor asked.
Willow shrugged. “I guess so. I have a third of the ranch, almost. I have thirty percent, Colton has thirty, and Lane has forty. I have all the money that I could spend in a lifetime. But, except for college, which was an interesting experience, I haven’t been away from the family or the ranch. Except, of course, for short vacations and such.”
“If you sold your share to your brothers, what would you want to do?”
Willow thought about it for a minute and said, “I honestly don’t know. I guess I’ve never given myself permission to dream about it because it was a waste of time.”
“You don’t seem to be the kind of person who would sit around in your teddy bear slippers, eating bonbons, and watching talk shows all day or lounging around the pool with servants waiting on you hand and foot.”
“I’m not. However, I am the kind of person who likes having a maid and a cook because I loathe doing housework and cooking,” she laughed.
The two of them visited a dozen stores and they were loaded down with bags.
“I don’t think I need this many clothes,” Taylor protested.
“Yes, you do. You need morning clothes, afternoon clothes, and evening clothes. You also need a formal dress for the dinner party. On top of that, you need shoes, bags, and you will need a necklace, earrings, and bracelet for the formal occasion,” Willow said.
“No jewelry. I can find something of my own,” Taylor protested.
“Lane has billions of dollars that he doesn’t know what to do with. He hired you to be an actress in a play. You must look the part,” Willow said.
“I haven’t noticed you going out on any dates. Who are you going with?”
Willow smiled. “No one. When I was in college, I started hanging around the party crowd. I went way down a dark path for a while. I was dating this guy who I was head over heels in love with. He overdosed on heroin. I was destroyed and it nearly sent me over the edge.”
“I’m so glad that you’re doing great now,” Taylor said. “I never would have guessed that you experienced that. You seem so put together.”
“I went to counseling and I also decided that I wanted to get myself together. I didn’t want to live my whole life partying and drinking. I never touched drugs, but I was drinking a lot and I knew my life was going into the toilet.”
“Inspiring story. If you can get yourself together then it gives hope to others,” Taylor said.
Willow finally decided that Taylor had everything that she needed for the two-day trip to New York.
“I’m starving. Let’s have lunch. There is a PF Chang’s around here and they are my favorite Chinese food place.
After they ordered, Taylor asked, “Who is going to be there and what are they like.”
Willow laughed and said, “It’s a good thing that Lane gave you the entire day off. There are eight boys and one girl. Lane is the oldest. Colton is the second oldest. Ryder is third in line. He is the vet. Sawyer is a pediatrician, Gunner is a contractor, Brooks is the cattle commissioner, Bryce is a rodeo pro, and Dylan is a lawyer. All of us are very laid back and easygoing for the most part – at least until we get riled.” She grinned widely. “We are each ten months apart. None of us is married or even seeing anyone seriously. I think that Mom hopes if Lane finds a woman and settles down, the rest of us will follow suit.”
“You guys sound like you would make a fun party.”
“We do. Most of our cousins, aunts, and uncles are the same. But then, there are those other people,” Willow said, rolling her eyes as she said “other.” “The oil business is full of socialites, old money, elite snobs, and people who just think their poo is odorless if you get my drift.”
Taylor nodded.
“I mostly ignore them or make fun of them,” Willow said. “I find them mostly amusing. They have absolutely no clue about the real world.”
“Great. I don’t know how to deal with them,” Taylor said. “My mom owns the diner and dad owns the garage. We are about as blue-collar as you can get.”
“Just smile and nod. Pretend to sneeze when you need to laugh.”
Taylor laughed. “Thanks for the tip. Do I need a hankie for that?”
“No, a normal tissue will be fine.”
“Good to know. I’m not sure I could handle it if we went in search of lace-edged ladies’ hankies after we ate,” Taylor said.
“We do have to buy you a couple of suitcases, as well as a bag for your dress,” Willow said. “You can’t roll your new outfits into your duffle bag and hoist it over your shoulder.”
“That might shock a few people. But rolling the clothes is a good way to avoid wrinkles.”
“True enough,” Willow agreed. “We’ll also have to do something about those nails before we go. Luckily, I have a manicure set at the house, so I can take care of that.”
“I’ve never had a professional manicure,” Taylor admitted. “I break out the emery board and file them down. If they seem flimsy, I put some clear coat over them. Ranching is hard on the nails.”
“It is,” Willow said. “I have to do mine, too. I have a tendency to bite my nails when I get anxious, although I’m working on that.”
Taylor had just finished hanging up everything so it wouldn’t wrinkle when Lane knocked. He asked if she wanted to go for a walk.
The moonlight streamed through the trees and the stars danced in the night sky. They stopped by the creek and watched the fairy lights dance on the water.
Lane put two fingers under her chin and tilted her face toward him. He kissed her passionately, consuming her as though he was starving. They wrapped their arms around each other, their bodies pressed tightly together. Taylor felt as though she could melt into him.
He stared into her eyes when the kiss ended, as though he was seeing into her soul.
“I would love to take you to dinner tomorrow night, like a real date.”
“I can’t tomorrow night. I already have plans. But I’m free the next night.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Is there another man I should be worried about?”
She laughed and said, “No, nothing like that. I volunteer at the domestic violence shelter and hang out with the kids. We play games, draw pictures, or just hang out and watch movies. It’s just my way of giving back to the community.”
“You are an angel,” he said.
“I don’t know about that,” Taylor said.
He walked her back to the cabin, brushing a kiss across her lips before he headed home.
Taylor’s heart raced and she tried to capture her breath. She watched him walk away and wondered if she might be falling in love.