Billionaire Flawed 1(131)

Hettie smiled shyly and giggled quietly. She didn’t feel very tough around James. He was intimidating and amazingly handsome. In fact, it made her heart do a little flip, and her stomach did the same. She took his extended hand, and he bowed to her. “I’m Hettie,” she responded. “It’s good to meet you, James.”

“There’s actually something interesting about her arrival that you should know, James,” Liz said. She smiled her biggest smile and tried to look as positive as possible.

James stared at her during the brief pause, his smile freezing on his face. “What is it, Elizabeth?”

His use of her formal name made Hettie lose her smile and catch her breath.

“I…well, I brought Hettie here from the East. To…to be a companion for you. A bride. A new wife.”

How many ways was she going to say it? Hettie suddenly felt like a piece of meat being bargained upon. The look on James’ face had changed. He didn’t look so friendly now.

“Elizabeth.” His voice had dropped several octaves. “Elizabeth, what have you done?”

Hettie felt Liz’s hand on her arm squeeze tighter than before. Oh no, she thought. James took a step toward them and Liz instinctively backed up, pulling Hettie with her.

“You need someone to bring you out of your mourning, James. You’ve been in pain for too long.”

“So you reckoned you’d put yourself in the middle of my life and make decisions for me? You decided for my life, what I need and who I need in it? Do you realize that you are my younger sister? I am not a little child to be coddled and manipulated!” James’ voice was rising. Hettie lowered her head and glanced behind them to see John had put her bags back on the carriage and was leaning against it, his head down and his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans. He had a sorrowful look on his face and didn’t make a move to come up on the porch to defend them.

She moved her eyes back to the front and waited to see what Liz would say or do now.

“James! You can’t possibly take this attitude right now, right here in front of this woman. She’s traveled a long way and is probably tired and hungry.”

James leaned forward and looked directly at his sister. “And who was it that made her that way? You brought her here. You take care of her!” He stepped back into his house and slammed the door shut.

“Oh!” Liz gasped and put one hand up against her throat. When she looked at Hettie, she had tears in her eyes. Hettie was taller than Liz and looked down at her with gentle eyes, putting one hand on Liz’s. “Oh, Hettie! I am stunned. I am so sorry. I couldn’t have known he would react like this.”

“Liz,” Hettie whispered. “What do I do now? Must I go home? Will you want your money back?”

“No.” It wasn’t Liz who answered. Liz was becoming a bundle of tears, and they both turned when it was John who answered. He was coming toward them now, holding one hand out, not to his wife, but to Hettie. “You will come stay with us, at least for tonight and we will sort this out. We aren’t about to abandon you here when this is all our fault.”

“Oh, John.” Liz went toward her husband, and he gathered her in his arms. He nodded at Hettie and took Hettie’s hand. He led her back to the carriage, never taking his arm from his wife’s shoulders.

Liz cried the entire way to their house, which was about ten minutes away down a dirt road lined with trees and houses set far back from the road. Hettie felt bad for her. She was wrestling with her own emotions but did not feel like crying. She was aghast at the behavior of the Sheriff. Perhaps Liz did interfere with her brother’s life a little too much, and perhaps he was getting weary of it. But to treat a complete stranger in such a way. What could his excuse possibly be?



James stomped furiously back to his sitting room and threw himself in the big cushioned chair he liked to sit in. He could not believe the nerve of his sister. He put together a string of curse words in his mind and then shook them off.

“I’m sorry, Lord!” He groaned, sitting forward and placing his hands clasped in front of his forehead. “I just don’t see how she could do something like this! It’s not her place! I don’t need another wife! I don’t need more pain and fear! Lord, why would she do this to me?”

His mind filled with his first wife, the memory of her face, her smile, her laughter. She had been gone over three years, and he couldn’t shake the misery. He didn’t believe it had changed his behavior in the other aspects of his life. He still kept law and order in this town, kept out the riff-raff and the scoundrels, the thieves and any hostile Indians that might stray onto their property. There were very few problems with the local Indians. This town had been fortunate enough to escape the anger and frustration some towns were plagued with.