Loving True (4 page)

Inside his pantry,
Hayward
raised the deep freezer lid reaching inside and grabbed a steak. Closing the lid, he walked back into the kitchen and tossed them down on the cobblestone counter. The thump echoed through the large kitchen; then he spent the next couple of minutes pulling seasonings from the cabinets, so he could spice up the meat after it was on the grill.

Placing it on a plate,
Hayward
took it outside and arranged it on the gas grill, “I wonder what
True’s
eating tonight for dinner.”
 
From the corner of his eye, he stole a quick glance toward her house.
Why can’t I get my mind off her?
She has already told me to back off.
 
How many times does she have to tell me she wasn’t interested? Shaking his head, he turned away from the grill and went back into the house.

* * * *

True glanced out the open window by her couch in her living room. The full moon owned the sky. It sat high with a million stars tossed around it. This was usually her favorite time of the day to read. But tonight the neatly typed pages didn’t hold her attention, so she tossed the romance novel on the table beside her. “I’m so bored.” She tried calling Stephen earlier, but he wasn’t home.
 
She wasn’t used to this kind of peace and quiet. A week was fine. But after two weeks of it, her nerves had her clawing at her skin to get out.

“God, I can’t stand this.” True complained looking around her African inspired living room.

She should be happy with her life; however her body and mind were lonely. She was dying for another person to talk to.
Hayward is right next door why don’t you go talk to him,
her mind thought. True shook her head. No, she’d rather die from boredom than spend another second in his boorish company. “I can find something to do on my own without involving him,” she uttered.

Rising from the couch, she wandered restlessly around the house and ended up in the kitchen. As her hand reached to flick on the lights, the faint scent of steaks grilling drifted through the kitchen window, drawing her attention outside. Brushing the curtain to the side, she peeked out the window and watched
Hayward
toss another steak on an expensive looking gas grill in his backyard. Her eyes wandered over the snug fit of his well-worn blue jeans, “Hmmm. I’m surprised there isn’t some leggy model type over there with him,” she exclaimed. “Men, who look like him, usually have that type of woman clawing all over them.”

Easing over to the door, True cracked it open a few inches because she wanted to get a better look at that hot body.
What if I’m wrong and there is a woman over there with him and I can’t see her from the window
?
 
She didn’t know why she cared if
Hayward
had a date or not. After the way he treated her earlier, she should just turn around and go back into the living room, but there was something about his coolness that drew her. For long as she could remember, arrogant men always turned her on, but this was the first time she had ran across one as conceited as Hayward.

In horror, she watched
Hayward
’s head swing around. He winked when he caught her eye. Jumping back True slammed the door; she placed her hand over her heart, and it fluttered underneath her palm. How could she play indifferent now when he caught her staring at his ass?

Chapter Three

A week later,
True
stared at the breathtaking sunrise through a cluster of trees. She noticed how the sun’s bright rays reflected off the creek that flowed through the corner of her lush property. Sipping on a fresh cup of almond roasted coffee; she sighed at the smooth texture. The nutty flavor took the edge off the caffeine. She smiled at the beauty of living in the wide-open mountains, compared to the loud noises and crowds of the big city. It was like night and day. The sound of morning birds chirping in the distance, as opposed to her ears ringing from impatient drivers blowing their horns in the afternoon rush hour traffic, was a welcome relief. She inhaled the wonderful scent of clean air that tickled her nose. It was a huge difference to the thick dirty smog.

She strolled back into the house and glanced around the safari inspired living area. Touches of
Africa
shined proudly throughout the space. Her heart warmed at seeing the two beautiful masks that covered the wall in the far corner. Stephen had given her the masks five years ago as a birthday present. He found them in an antique shop. Walking into the kitchen, she placed the empty cup in the dishwasher and turned it on. Pulling out a chair from the kitchen table, she sat down on the cushioned seat.
 

Montana
was stunning, with its beautiful landscapes, ever-changing climate and eye catching view in every direction. Colorful wildflowers spread out across her backyard, but this wasn’t the life she had planned for herself. A small part, the competitive side of her brain still craved the fast-paced business setting.

Water dripped from the faucet, its wetness landed with a soft splash in the bottom of the sink. Tears flooded her eyes. With all her years of experience as an executive secretary, no other company in
California
would hire her, after Starr fired her. Hell, she never got called for an interview. “I thought moving to a different town might change things, but it didn’t.” True whispered. She brushed a single tear from the corner of her eye.
Dalton
’s scandal still followed her from town to town.

“I might never have a job again.” She thought; the worry increased with each passing day. The money she got from Starr Technology would keep her well taken care of for years, but she wanted to earn a living. She loved having a job.

True closed her eyes.
Dalton
’s crooked smirk flashed before her ripping at her heart “I can’t stay closed in like this,” she mumbled. She jumped up from the table and reached for her car keys. Snatching them off the table, she stormed out the front door. “Hopefully a long drive will clear my head and heart.” She prayed as she got into her car and raced out of her driveway.

* * * *

Looking out his den window,
Hayward
took a long sip of his black coffee. Its biting taste lingered in his mouth. Without a closed expression, he watched True hurry over to her flashy sports car.
 
Hell, does she ever look bad?
 
His eyes approved of the jeans and light white sweater that molded her luscious figure. His eyes never left her until her car was completely out of sight.

“I can’t get any closer to her or something is bound to happen,” he muttered. Rubbing the back of his neck,
Hayward
shuddered from last night’s dream, “God, I’ve never experienced such a vivid dream before.” His body still hummed from the lifelike fantasy of her in his bed. Her full
pouty
lips pressed against his, while her small hands caressed his body.
Stop it!
 
True was a small package of dynamite, waiting to explode.

Hayward
pushed the vision from his head. No, he wasn’t attracted to her. It was a case of lust, because he hadn’t been with a woman in a long time.
 
He stared off into the distance at the two fox squirrels on
True’s
porch, their tails danced with the motion of the wind.

The pesky squirrels would turn into a nuisance. He knew that from first hand experience. He imagined True hadn’t counted on nature being so close to her front door.
 
Those critters looked for food anywhere - attics, sheds, bird feeders, and trashcans. If she ever approached him again, he would give her a couple of suggestions on how to remove them. “I thought she might come back over here after I caught her staring at me,” he whispered.
 
She didn’t have a clue how lonely he was. It would be nice to have someone else to talk. “I’ll try talking to her again when she comes back home,” he promised himself.

Resting his shoulder on the wall, he looked at the splendor of
Montana
. His family didn’t understand why he loved it here so much. With the perfectly cut shrubs, small trees and a flower-filled garden planted by his housekeeper, everything looked so fresh.
 
The sweet floral scent outside filled his den through the open window. This was his home now, but they never would understand.
 
“I don’t know what’s worse, my attraction to True or my family’s pressuring me to move back home.”

Placing his coffee cup on the granite counter top,
Hayward
sat down at his desk and ran his hand across his five o’clock shadow. “I knew the second I saw her in the driveway, she was trouble.” A sensual heat radiated from her body, reaching for him even at that distance. “I want her,” he confessed to himself and the thought almost had him running for the door.

The short period of time he was around her caused his body to burn. All he thought about now was kissing her. It seeped into his subconscious.
 
He still couldn’t figure out why she affected him so badly. She wasn’t even all that beautiful, yet he burned for her more and more each day. He never thought he would have fantasies about a woman who could barely stand the sight of him.

“For the past two years I’ve been content living out here by myself, so why am I so interested in True Williams all of sudden?”
Hayward
muttered out loud. “I need to get out of here.” Sliding his chair back he got up and grabbed his keys off the hook, by the back door then left.

Walking on the hidden trail always brought peace to his cluttered mind, but this time his past continued to haunt him. No matter how many times he walked the trail he could not forget the phone call from his past that destroyed his life forever.

* * * *

The phone started to ring, he sighed, and the caller ID told him this was not going to be pleasant. He picked it up on the fourth ring. “Yes, Brooke.”

“Are you coming home for
Tyler
’s party or not!” Brooke yelled. “You’re the one who insisted on it and now you want me to carry the whole thing on my shoulders. This is so like you, always wanting to do, but never showing up. Now he won’t open any of his presents until you get here.”

Hayward
clinched his teeth against the words that threatened to spill out. He would never understand Brooke’s attitude about the party. She did not want to have it. Why? Every little boy needed a party for his second birthday. So, after a roaring fight, she had finally given in, but only if he would agree to leave work early and he had agreed. However, a last minute meeting was causing him to run late. He was finishing up the paperwork when Brooke called. He wouldn’t have to work late if she didn’t love the lavish lifestyle they lived. He would rather be at home with
Tyler
instead of buried in paperwork.

“Where in the hell are you
Hayward
?” Yeah, Brooke was pissed. He cringed when he heard
Tyler
crying in the background.

“Brooke, I told you I have to get these designs in the courier by
six o’clock
and then I will be home.” He sighed, shuffling a variety of blueprints around on his desk. “If you stop yelling at me on the phone I might be able to find those lost designs and get home sooner.” He snapped.

“The party started an hour ago
Hayward
and
Tyler
has been crying for you,” she snapped. “Come home now!” Lowering her voice, Brooke hissed, “There are ten other guests here waiting for you, besides my parents. Your brother even brought one of his trashy girlfriends.” Brooke moaned.
 
“
Hayward
, I need you to come home,” she pleaded, “You know how he listens to you better than he does me.”

“This is a half-million dollar deal,” he barked and placed her on speakerphone. He got up from the desk and grabbed a mailing envelope from a table by the window. He brought it back to the desk and began arranging the file in stacks. “I can’t get away right now. Tell my son I will be home soon.” He mumbled still searching his desk for the missing information. “When I get home we can open his presents and play with them.”

Hayward
glanced at the chair sitting in the corner of his office at the present he got for his son. It was the train set
Tyler
saw at the toy store two months ago. He remembered how
Tyler
had cried all the way home for the toy.
 
Hayward
remained resolute, refusing to buy it for him until this morning. He was bad about not keeping gifts from his son. This was the only way to ensure it was a surprise.
Hayward
could not wait until he saw the look on his son’s face.

He listened, as Brooke continued to scream at him. “
Hayward
, I’m not sitting here for another minute, enduring his tantrums,” she shrieked. “We will come to you.” He flinched as Brooke slammed the phone down in a blind rage.

He hurried to take the phone off speakerphone and yanked it up to his ear. “Don’t bring him out in this weather!”
Hayward
yelled into the phone. “Haven’t you been listening to the news? The roads are bad and you need to stay at the home. Brooke, do you hear me,” he screamed at the phone, but instead of Brooke’s voice he heard a dial tone buzzing in his ear.
Hayward
closed his eyes and sent out a silent prayer. “Please God. Don’t let her bring our son out in this storm.”

“Damn it,”
Hayward
cursed. He grabbed his cell phone off the table and punched it Brooke’s cell phone number, but she didn’t answer. Hanging up, he tried again, but still no answer.
Hayward
dialed his home phone number, but no one answered that phone either. “I know she isn’t pissed enough to bring
Tyler
to me, surely someone at the party will stop her.” He knew how stubborn Brooke could be when her mind was set on something. He listened in fear, as the storm’s winds grew worse against the windows. Rain pounded on the roof and thunder roared in the sky. “I can’t stay here any longer.”
Hayward
grabbed his keys out of the top desk drawer, he glanced down at the sketches scattered across his desk, “Hell, Daniel Shaw will have to wait for those designs,” he mumbled racing from his office.

The drive back to his home was between thirty and forty-five minutes depending on the weather. Bad as the weather was tonight, he knew it would take from forty-five minutes to and hour. The most dangerous thing about his drive was the bridge, which covered a small river. If the weather were bad, it would get slick, making it extremely dangerous to drive on.

He was half way to the bridge, when the flashing lights caught his attention. Bad feelings, from earlier, rushed back, engulfing him.
Hayward
came to an abrupt stop, his heart jumping in his chest. Lines of cars, along with two police cars, were parked by the bridge. Rushing out of his car,
Hayward
ran to the first uniform officer he saw and glanced quickly at his nametag. “Officer Morrow, what happened here?” His eyes darted around the chaos going on around him. Two officers were perched on the bridge looking over the edge. Over to his left three more officers were near the river’s edge.

Officer Morrow turned and stared at him. “Sir, I have to ask you to move back so I can do my job.” Officer Morrow laid a hand on his shoulder and moved him back.

“I need to know what’s going on.” He snapped jerking his arm away. “It’s very important.”

“A woman lost control of her car and went into the river,” the officer replied.

Hayward
was afraid to ask his next question. “Officer Morrow, what did the car look like?”

He watched Officer Morrow opened his note pad and looked down at the notes he had taken from an eyewitness, “I believe it was a black Mercedes, with a red diva license plate on the front,” he answered flipping the pad shut.

“No!”
Hayward
yelled as he brushed past the officer and ran to the bridge. “That could be my wife and child down there!”

Chasing after him, Officer Morrow pulled
Hayward
back, and dragged him to the side away from the crowd of people. “Sir you should try to stay calm. Let’s find out who is involved and then we’ll go from there.”

“Let me go!”
Hayward
snapped shoving the cop again.