Page 6 of Saving Hanna
Chapter Five
AIDEN
I wasn’t sure how I stumbled upon it, but when the banker from Midwestern Bank told me that the last owner of the small farm moved to Houston, I was intrigued to find out who it was. There wasn’t much left in the house after the auction except a couple of odds and ends that I assumed the last owner had no problem parting with. Those odds and ends proved to be quite valuable. I gained quite a bit of knowledge about the family that used to occupy this old house. And finding a picture of them was more than I could ask for.
“So, this must be the last family to live here before the bank took over the property?” I questioned the banker as I held the dusty frame in my hands that had been left behind.
“Yeah,” the old banker began. “Sad story, though. Losing both parents was hard enough, but to find out that you’ve been betrayed by the only family you have left must have been awful for Hanna. I only wished I could have done more for her.”
“Hanna?” I asked, confused, as my eyes couldn’t stop focusing on the innocent girl in the picture.
Walking over to me, he took the picture from my hand and pointed at the beautiful blond girl. “This here is Hanna Marsh, her brother Carter, and their parents.”
There was something about this beautiful woman in the picture that held me prisoner. Her eyes were the color of the ocean and her hair was a golden blond which fell perfectly down her shoulder. I had been with a lot of women and had made business deals with most of them; never once had they taken my breath away like Hanna Marsh.
Pointing at Carter Marsh, I inquired, “So this Carter character… her brother… he was the one who betrayed her?”
“Nice boy, but had no sense of business. The way she went on… she had no idea that he had used the farm as collateral to fund his newest business adventure. He ended up losing everything, even the farm.”
I didn’t know this girl from Adam, but my heart bled for her. I could only image what she must have felt like when everything she knew was taken from her. I had never been on that side of the tracks. My personal gain was my only desire and regard for others was the least of my worries. There was something to be said about her situation though, and now my only goal was to find her and make it a win-win situation for both of us.
~*~*~*~
The minute the deal was made, I was on the phone arranging renovations on my small investment. I expected that the project would take at least three months, which would give me plenty of time to get this property ready for the plans I had for Ms. Marsh. I thought for sure that convincing her to agree to my proposal would have taken a lot more effort, but when she agreed, I knew my time was limited in getting everything done before the final reveal.
By the way she reacted to my proposal, it didn’t surprise me that she headed out of Houston on the way to Danbury to see for herself what she was getting into. My only salvation was that once she got to the road leading to the farm, she wouldn’t be able to go any further. Call it a safeguard, but I couldn’t allow her to see what was being done to the place before I had my one night with her. I had no doubt that she would try to find an alternate way to get to the farm. Luckily for me, I have competent people on my payroll that would make sure that didn’t happen, at least not until I got there.
Circling around the block I headed down Hwy 222, which I knew would be the fastest route to Danbury. I knew this area like the back of my hand. Being raised as a Texan and forced to tag along with my father when I was younger so I could learn the business had its advantages. I didn’t understand then what my father actually did, but as I grew older, it wasn’t hard to figure out that some of the business he did wasn’t on the up and up. I guess that was how he became as successful as he was. He taught me everything he knew and introduced me to some of his associates, who I have had the pleasure of working with. One day Elite Exchange would be mine, according to my father, and I would be given the power to make it the greatest company in Houston.
Just like clockwork, my cell rang. Somehow my father always managed to call whenever my mind was on Elite or him. It was almost as if he had a sixth sense and knew what I was thinking. Swiping my thumb across the screen, I accepted the call and waited for the hands-free feature to kick in. “Hello, Father,” I said respectfully.
“Hello, Son,” he replied, clearing his throat before he continued. “I am having an important dinner party at my house next Saturday and request your presence.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. What time?” I asked, wondering why my father found it necessary to be so formal when speaking with me.
“Cocktails at five and dinner at seven. I hope that you will bring a guest. Female in nature.”
“I have someone in mind but will need to check her schedule.” I lied. The only female in my life at the moment was Hanna, but unfortunately, she was only a conquest.
“Wonderful. I can’t wait to meet her.”
It never failed. Every time my father and I spoke, he always brought up the fact that I would be thirty soon and my deadline was approaching. Every deal he made was always like a game to him. I should have never agreed to his terms, but what did I know at twenty? I thought for sure that ten years would be plenty of time to find an acceptable woman that I could marry to satisfy the first half of my father’s contract for obtaining the position of President and CEO. I thought it would be simple, like taking candy from a baby. Little did I know that I couldn’t marry just any girl. If I had to spend the rest of my life with her, there needed to be love. And according to my father’s contract, an annulment was prohibited, at least if I wanted to remain President and CEO of Elite Exchange. Getting married was one thing, but fulfilling the second half of the contract meant being a father by thirty-five. The only way to do that was to find a woman and forget about the love part.
Reaching my destination, it wasn’t hard to see Hanna’s car parked on the side of the road. I approached it slowly and turned my head to see if she was inside. It wasn’t a surprise to find that the car was empty. Turning down the dirt road that led to the farm, a red truck was parked sideways blocking my access. Stopping my car, I opened the door and got out. Walking toward the truck, I noticed that there was no one inside. Looking around, I spotted a rather large man up the road with a cigarette in his mouth.
The closer I got, I could see that it was Ben, who was one of the men on my payroll. Cupping my hand to the side of my mouth, I yelled, “Ben.”
Hearing his name, Ben headed my way. I wasn’t sure what he was doing in the middle of the road so far away from his truck. I kept my eyes on him until he was within a few feet of me. Watching him drop his cigarette to the ground and then put it out with his foot, I stared at the cigarette butt and asked, “What were you doing in the middle of the road?”
“I don’t quite know, Mr. Drake. I could have sworn I saw something in the trees,” Ben confessed.
“Did you see what direction Hanna Marsh went?” I questioned.
“Yeah. I watched her get in her car after I told her that this road was off limits. She turned around and headed back down the road.”
“Hate to say this, Ben, but she didn’t leave. Her car is parked on the side of the main road.”
I knew Ben couldn’t have been that stupid. Hanna must have said something to convince him that she was leaving. Turning away from him, I headed back to my car. Ben was close behind me after he got in his truck and moved out of the way. Getting in my car, I headed down the road with Ben following behind me. I was afraid that my sweet Hanna might have found a way to the farm and it might have been her that Ben saw.
