Page 9 of Whispers of My Skin

“Oh, how convenient,” Felix sneers. “That’s what I’d call a good marriage, very fortuitous for you.”

“If, by fortuitous, you mean taking on a ranch teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, thanks to the previous appalling mismanagement then yes, very convenient.” Joel glares directly at Oscar, who at least has the grace to look away. “Thankfully, my extensive experience in ranch management means I’m fully aware of the challenges we face and I’m not afraid of tackling them head on.”

As he finishes speaking, he casually takes a sip of his whisky, while raising one eyebrow challengingly at Oscar. But he just looks away and then moves on with his slimy friend, mumbling something about needing to mingle with the other guests.

Although he hides it well, I pick up the tension radiating from Joel after this nasty little encounter, so I smile up at him and squeeze his arm to show my support, that I’m confident I’m putting the future Redlands in safe hands.

But what will that future hold for me—am I in safe hands too? I doubt that very much.

I do my best to mask my nerves as we mingle and make small talk with our guests. I also do my best to stop ogling my brand-new fiancé, but try as I might, I just can’t take my eyes off him.

I’ve never seen him in a suit before, and boy oh boy, he can certainly pull off the dark blue three-piece he’s wearing tonight. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would’ve said he was born to wear one. I’ve no idea if he bought it specifically for the occasion or whether he already had it, but either way, I’m just appreciating the finished effect.

Several drinks later, I make my excuses to head off to the bathroom, but stop in my tracks when I overhear someone freely giving their opinion of my fiancé.

“That Joel Sadger simply has no breeding or class, in fact I’m surprised he’s even able to string a sentence of more than three words together.” I recognize the voice of Lorna, one of my mother’s acquaintances. “Tara’s hit rock bottom with that rude, uncouth and ill-mannered corn-fed boy.”

“Yeah, but let’s face it, Mom, the guy is hot, andyou don’t need to converse much in bed, do you? I mean, have you seen his body…” I recognize that voice too—it’s Julia, her daughter, someone I’d previously considered my friend.

“I grant you he’s scrubbed up reasonably well tonight, but that’s only because Monique put her foot down and insisted he wasn’t to turn up in his usual cowboy attire. But decent clothes can’t hide the fact that he’s not our kind and certainly not marriage material.”

“You just have to accept that times have changed, Mom. There’s a new breed out there with a whole load of new money challenging the old order.”

“This isn’t Hollywood, darlin’,” she replies. “And you can’t buy class or breeding, it’s something you’re just born with. Shame on Tara, I feel so sorry for her poor mother having to put a brave face on things.”

I almost burst out laughing and expose my hiding place. Lorna’s conveniently chosen to forget the choices my darling mother made.

Monique Appleton-Lancaster might have married the most handsome guy on the Dallas basketball team, but he didn’t have class or breeding, that’s for sure. And thanks to his vices, all he accomplished was wasting his talents and ruining his career, leaving the family dependent on the generosity of her parents.

Let whoever is free from sin cast the first stone.

Determined not to let the gossip mongers upset me, Joel and I manage to get through our wretched engagement dinner. We do our best to put on a united front, and I find myself almost feeling optimistic by the end of the evening. We’re a team, we can do this together.

But the very next day, Joel takes it upon himself to go off and introduce himself to all the Redland’s staff, when I’d assumed I’d be the one making the introductions. But he doesn’t wait for me, only up showing back at the house afterward.

Everything has to be on his terms, but I get why he did it. He’s hell-bent on staking his claim as soon as possible, making clear to all and sundry that from now on, everyone, including me, will be reporting to him, in his new role as ‘Lord and Master’ of Redlands.

And apparently, the next item to be crossed off his ‘to do’ list is checking up on our wedding arrangements, as he fires off his question as soon as he walks in.

“Have you booked everything for the wedding?”

“We’ve set the date for two weeks from Saturday,” I reply quietly. “I assume that’s fine by you, as you wanted it as soon as possible?”

“Yep, that works for me,” he confirms, but then narrows his eyes as he looks at me. “What’s bothering you?” How does he read me so well—will I always be an open book to him? Might as well hit him up with the truth right now, seeing as he’ll discover it for himself soon enough.

“My mother is a spendthrift,” I sigh. “She might not be too thrilled about our short notice plans for a speedy wedding, but that’s not going to stop her from going all out in organizing an event she judges worthy of her eldest daughter. She worries about what people say, how she’ll be judged if this wedding doesn’t match up to expected standards. So, no matter what I say, she’ll be throwing money around that we don’t have, refusing to accept the dire straits we’re in.”

“So you need money? Is that what you’re worried about?” Joel raises his eyebrows.

Well, of course it is. Money worries are what got us here in the first place, aren’t they?

He reaches into his pocket, then places something into the palm of my hand.

His credit card.

“Just try not to max it out,” he winks. “I’m not that wealthy.”

And his caring generosity begins to crack through the walls I’ve constructed to protect my heart.

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