Terms of a Texas Marriage(27)

“Well, I think you’re making this bigger than it is. You’re going to extremes.”

“I don’t care. There may not be anything holding this house together but the paint and even that’s beginning to crack. I’m going over every square inch. It obviously needs a new roof.”

“Oh yeah? How can you tell?” They’d spent the night in her old room and while it was not as comfortable as their new bed, especially for a man of Alec’s size, Shea had slept peacefully. The cold rainwater shower hadn’t dampened his sexual appetite, and after they’d managed to get Scotty back to sleep, Alec had wasted no time proving it.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Scotty chimed in. “How can you tell?” A quelling look from his father did little to silence his giggles, but he scooted out of his chair. “I’m gonna go see what Hank’s doing.”

“Breakfast will be ready in an hour,” Shea called. “Tell Hank to have you back here by nine.”

“Okay,” he replied, as the door slammed behind him.

“This is serious, Shea,” Alec said as he poured another cup of coffee. “How long has it been since this house was checked?”

“Checked for what?” She put the strips of bacon into the large iron skillet. The sizzle and aroma immediately filled the air.

“Wood rot. Termites. Faulty wiring. Leaking pipes. Any number of things.”

She shrugged. “I really don’t know.”

“How long since the roof was replaced?”

She again shrugged her shoulders. “Dad always said he was going to have it repaired, but I don’t think he ever got around to it. We’ve had some leaks from time to time, and the roof was patched in those areas.” She’d hoped that would suffice until there was money for a new roof.

Alec grimaced. “Then you don’t know how much water damage there’s been?” Shea shook her head. “What about the foundation?”

“What about it?”

“How long since it’s been examined?” He looked at Shea’s blank expression. “Never mind. I think I can guess. There’s been virtually no protective maintenance. In two hundred years. Amazing. I intend to find out exactly what’s going on. I’m afraid the incident last night was only a hint of other problems.”

Shea turned the bacon over in the pan and mentally crossed her fingers. If Alec found serious damage, she didn’t know where she would get the money for the repairs.

When breakfast was over, Alec went to find Jason, impatient to get started. The two men took the soaked mattress downstairs, Alec still muttering about the roof as they went. Then he located a ladder, loaded two flashlights with fresh batteries and they were off. She knew Alec was more than qualified. Inspecting the house would be like child’s play to him.

She called a local roofing company to come out and give an estimate on repairs. For the rest of the day, she stayed close to the house, finishing laundry, preparing a brisket and waiting for the arrival of the roofers.

A few minutes before Shea was about to call Alec and Scotty in for supper, Alec came into the kitchen. He was covered in dirt and grime from his head to his feet. A scowl was firmly in place.

“Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up,” he said and walked toward the stairs.

A short time later, Alec reentered the kitchen.

“So, how bad is the roof?”

“It’s not good.”

“It can be repaired where it fell in and—”

“It’s not just the roof, Shea,” he cut in. “There’s major wood rot and termite damage everywhere. I found extensive destruction to most of the load-bearing walls on the first floor, and the foundation is crumbling. The house has already begun to shift. Its ability to remain standing for much longer is highly questionable.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That aside, the wiring is sixty years old. The plumbing needs replacing, the gas line is highly suspect and I’d guess most of your heat during the winter flies out the old single-pane windows. Did you know several are cracked?”

“So, what are you saying?” She wanted him to spell it out. “If...if it’s the cost, I could replace one thing at a time over the next few—”

“Shea, the house isn’t safe.” His words caused a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “We shouldn’t even be inside right now. It’s not safe for you—or any of us—to stay here. I don’t know how much clearer I can make it.”

She’d known the old house was long past need of repairs, but because the money wasn’t there, she’d ignored the problems. Apparently, her father had done the same thing.

“So...what are my options?”

He shook his head. “The only option is tear it down and build a new one. But under the circumstances, that would be ridiculous.”

Under the circumstances?

Her mind whirled, not wanting to believe what that meant. Was this his way of telling her it was over? She’d thought they had found something special between them. They made love every night. She’d even begun to believe the marriage was real—or had a chance to become so. Had he been plotting all along? Looking for a bona fide reason to make her leave?

Had he only been pretending he cared for her? If she’d been wrong to start trusting him...if he had only been using her while he waited for an opportunity that would allow him to reclaim the land, she didn’t know how she would ever deal with that. She felt her heart drop to her knees as that possibility threatened to knock her off her feet.

She’d let herself believe he cared about her as well as the land. She’d let down her guard. Reality and disappointment hit with the force of a sledgehammer. With her pulse slamming through her veins, she removed the rolls from the oven, set the tray on top of the stove and stared at him. Suddenly it was overwhelming. The news about the house was bad enough. Her life was here, her past as well as her envisioned future rested on this small piece of earth. Everything she knew revolved around this ranch. She had nowhere else to go. Tears burned the backs of her eyes; her breath died in her throat.

But to think she would lose Alec as well, that she’d merely been used to relieve his boredom, that she meant nothing to him. How was she ever going to come to terms with that?

“Shea?”

Covering her mouth with her hand to try to muffle a cry of despair, she ran from the room as the tears spilled over.

Curling up on the end of the old bedraggled sofa in the den, she faced the worn recliner that sat in the corner of the room. Her father’s chair. She could visualize him kicked back, his feet resting on the stool as he read his afternoon paper. He was gone now. This house was the only connection she had to him and to her mother. Every room, every space under its roof carried precious memories. She could feel the love from the generations of family who had lived here before. Her dad’s boots still sat in a corner of the mudroom. Her grandmother’s handmade quilts were spread over the beds upstairs. It was as if the house gave her the strength to carry on alone. It was unthinkable that she had failed to protect it.

“Shea?” Alec entered the room. He stood just inside the open doorway, his hands resting on his hips.

She didn’t want to talk with him. She couldn’t. He might confirm that she was right in suspecting him.

“In the morning, you need to pack some clothes. I’ll make arrangements for us to stay in a hotel in Dallas for a while.”

“And then what?” She gazed at her hands clenched tightly in her lap. “What happens next, Alec?”

“That’s something we need to talk about. But regardless of what you decide to do going forward, staying here is not an option.” He moved farther inside the room. “I’ll still keep the promise I made that day in Ben’s office. My original offer still stands. I’ll buy you out. You can go back to school, get your doctorate and become a veterinarian. Fulfill that dream. You don’t have to live here to do it. You need to be reasonable.”

“Reasonable? Define reasonable. Is it unreasonable to want to stay in a place you love? A place you’ve based all your plans for a future around?”

“Maybe it’s time for a change. Perhaps you should consider—”

“No.” She shook her head defiantly. “No! Alec, you don’t understand. I’m telling you I will not let this house be destroyed. Where would I go?”

“Anywhere you wanted.”

“Here is where I want to be.” With you.

Alec nodded, then shrugged. “Then you and your world will fall apart together. But I’ll have no part of it.”

Obviously, she’d been wrong when she’d assumed he cared about his ancestors, those who had so loved this land. The day they’d roamed around the old homestead and he’d asked all the questions. He’d wanted to see where his great-great-grandfather had been laid to rest. He’d commented that the area, the old cabin, were incredible. He’d shown what had appeared to be genuine interest. Had it all been a ploy to make her think he cared?

Had there ever been anything between them other than sex? She’d fallen in love with Alec, but he’d never said he felt the same. She swallowed hard as that realization hit.

Total humiliation washed over her, followed by a heightened sense of anger at herself for being so stupid. So gullible. Alec didn’t love her. He never would. How could she have become so delusional as to believe a man like Alec Morreston would want any kind of permanent relationship with her?