Loving Lauren

Chapter 3

Lauren couldn't seem to breathe. She couldn't move either. She heard her sister's car drive away and her heart refused to slow down. How had she let it get this far? Finally, she blinked a few times then turned and started marching up the hill towards Tanner without glancing behind her. She heard him right behind her, but didn't stop to turn around since she didn't feel like arguing. All she wanted was to be left alone.

When she reached the shade of the tree, she turned on him and pointed at his chest. "Why are you here?"

"I told you that I would stop by and check up on the stock. Since I'm taking over for my—"

"No, why are you here?" She took a step closer to him and looked up into his eyes. "I've been paying you—"

"This has nothing to do with that." He took her shoulders in his hands, gripping her tightly. She saw a flash of anger cross his face for a second, then it was gone. "I don't want your money."

"Then what? Why? Are you planning on moving in?"

"Moving in?" He looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would I move in?"

"Because we're..." She just couldn't bring herself to say it. Closing her eyes, she held her breath.

"Married?" he suggested, and her eyes flew open.

"Technically, yes." She tried to pull away.

He smiled. "I suppose I could call in the loan, so to speak. Move into the house and have you in my bed at night, but that would be going against my word."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"But it has been a little cramped at my dad's place. Since you mention it, I suppose I could move into one of the hand's houses."

She felt all the blood leave her head. She actually reached out to steady herself by holding onto Tanner's mane. The horse nuzzled his face into her chest, almost knocking her over. Chase reached over and took her shoulders to steady her.

"Is the possibility of me living on your land that scary?" He looked down into her eyes, waiting for an answer.

At least he'd said her land. She shook her head. How could she tell him that she didn't want anyone, mainly her sisters, to find out what she'd done seven years ago? What she'd had to do in order to save her land, her sisters, everything. It wasn't as if her decision had been a huge burden on her. At least it hadn't been up until now.

Seven years ago, it had been a different story. Chase had just received a scholarship to college in Dallas and was leaving Fairplay. There was a huge possibility that he wouldn't return for years, and at that point, she'd actually believed she could handle him when he did come home. Beside, she'd spent the last six years doing everything she could to pay him back, including working part time at the diner when she could pick up a shift. Now she only had a few more payments before she would have paid him off. Then she could have discreetly asked for a divorce, settling the matter once and for all. She hadn't planned on him coming home and moving into her ranch hand's house. On her land. Well, she thought, biting her lip, it is technically one-third his, still. It had been so since he'd used the inheritance he'd gotten from his grandmother to save her from her father's debt.

She had only agreed because he'd cornered her after the older men had left. His deal had sounded too good to pass up. He'd promised no interference with her methods of running the ranch, a promise she hadn't gotten from his father and Mr. Holton. He'd also promised no interference with her personal life. Chase had made it all sound so easy. He'd said there was no need to pay him back, and she'd jumped at the chance to be free to run the ranch herself. But a year later, she'd had a change of heart and had started sending him checks to pay him back. He hadn't cashed them, so she'd started sending him money orders, which he had quickly returned. So she'd marched down to the local bank and had opened a joint checking and savings account. She only ever dealt with the bank manager, Mr. Billings, who promised to never mention a word to anyone about the account that was under the names Lauren A. and Johnathan Chase Graham II. She had started making monthly deposits and sent Chase receipts every month. She's been satisfied that she'd won the small battle as she marked off in her bank book how much she had left to pay back.