RINGOFTRUTHEBOOK (1) Read online

  Jake looked at Erin in surprise. “You didn’t tell her?”

  Erin blushed and shook her head. “I couldn’t. Not with what was going on.”

  “What’s going on?” Erin’s mom looked between them. “Don’t tell me you called it off.”

  “There … there never was an engagement.” Erin dropped into a chair. “Jake and I made a deal to pretend we were dating so our parents wouldn’t worry about us. But then you saw the ring from a photo shoot and thought we were engaged, and it just escalated from there.”

  Suzanne stared at her, but didn’t say anything. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Jake. “How could you?”

  “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it to go this far.”

  “Get out.” She sat next to her daughter.

  Erin jerked back in shock. “Mom, he just got here. You can’t just make him leave.”

  “I don’t care. I want him out. Go.”

  “I’m sorry. I feel horrible—”

  Suzanne stood up. “I don’t want to see you near my daughter again.”

  “Mom—” Erin stood and grabbed her mom’s arm.

  Erin’s mom turned on her. “Don’t think I’m letting you off so easily …”

  “Fine, I’ll leave. But I want to wish you the best. I loved getting to know your family, and I hope you can forgive me at some point. He turned and headed down the hallway. He could hear Erin and her mom yelling as he walked out of the hospital. It was probably good that he’d left when he did, but he couldn’t help feeling sorry for Erin.

  Jake couldn’t help being frustrated that Erin hadn’t told them yet, but could he blame her after what happened to her dad? Hopefully it would just take a few days for them to calm down, and then he could try to apologize again. Jake pulled out his phone and called his parents.

  “Hi, Jake. Is everything okay?” his mom asked.

  Jake ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes, he’ll be fine.”

  There was a sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m so glad. We’d like to visit them. Are you still at the hospital?”

  “No. Well, yes, but I’m outside. I got kicked out by Erin’s mom.” Jake sat down on a bench.” So, I was hoping to head over home to visit for a while before flying back to New York. If that’s okay.”

  “Kicked out? After you went all that way?” His mom’s indignation almost made Jake laugh.

  “She just found out Erin and I lied. Look, if I can’t come, I’ll just head back to New York. I can’t just sit here or someone’s going to think I’m loitering.” He stood and walked toward a bus stop.

  “Of course you can. Your Uncle Robert should be there soon to pick you up. I sent him as soon as I heard you were coming. I’ll see you in a few hours. Come hungry.” She hung up.

  Jake walked back into the hospital and found a different waiting room to sit in. It was another hour before Robert showed up, and Jake climbed into the truck.

  “Hey, thanks for coming.”

  “No problem. I had to get a few things while I was here anyway.” He pulled out onto the freeway.

  Jake stared out the window as they drove to his parents’ house in Savannah, answering the questions Robert threw at him in one or two word sentences. It wasn’t long before Robert gave up and drove the rest of the way in silence. It was late, so he couldn’t see anything, but it was better than staring at his phone, hoping Erin would call.

  Robert pulled up the long circular drive to the white colonial style home lit up by bright lights and stopped. “Tell your mom ‘hi’ for me.”

  “Will do. Thanks again. I appreciate it.” Jake climbed out of the truck, breathing in the familiar farm smells before heading toward the house. He wanted to go see his horse, but figured his parents would want to see him first. He climbed the stairs to the front door and peeked in.

  His mom dropped the blanket she was crocheting and hurried over to give him a hug. “Welcome home, sweetie. Let me dish you up some dinner.”

  Jake pulled off his shoes and sat down at the table he’d eaten at since he was born. “Where’s Dad?”

  “Some cows got loose at the Johnson’s so he went to go help.” She pulled a steak and baked potato out of the oven and put them on the plate, then added corn on the cob and a roll. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” He took a bite and groaned. “Just as good as I remember.”

  His mom sat at the table and watched him eat. “So Erin’s mom is pretty mad at you, huh?”

  “Yeah. I just hope she’s not too angry with Erin. They were yelling pretty loudly when I left.” Jake took a drink before continuing. “Look, I’m sorry. It was stupid, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone. I just wanted you two to lay off a little.”

  She grimaced. “I suppose we should leave you alone about your relationships. I have to admit that I wish it had been real. She’s a wonderful woman.”

  “I know. I mean, I just flew three hours for her.” He attacked the potato and mashed it up so he could add toppings.

  “You’re a romantic, just like your father. And impulsive, like me. Things will work out. You two belong together.” She stood and cleared off the table.

  Jake smiled and took another bite of food. He just wished he had his mom’s optimism. When he was done, he took his dishes to the sink and rinsed them off. “Oh, do you have a toothbrush? I kinda left New York without anything.”

  His mom laughed. “See? Impulsive. There should be everything you need in the storage room.”

  “Thanks.” He went into the storage room and found some toothpaste and a toothbrush before heading up to his old bedroom. It looked like his mom had recently dusted and cleaned, and there was a fresh linen scent.

  He opened the window and stared out, enjoying the late summer sounds. In the distance he heard cows. He hadn’t heard his dad come in, and wondered if they’d finished rounding up the cattle. He grabbed an old jacket from the closet and searched for some jeans. Lucky for him, his mom never got rid of anything, and there were some tucked away in the closet. He went downstairs to find his mom.

  “I’m going to go find Dad.”

  “Okay, be safe. They should be out in the north field.” She never looked up from her crochet as Jake pulled on his shoes and went out to the barn.

  “Hey, Blue. I missed you old buddy.” Jake brushed his horse and put on the saddle. “Let’s go find Dad.”

  They left the barn and Jake guided Blue to the north before allowing him to get up to a gallop. Soon he could see the flashlights from his dad and the Johnson’s. He was about a hundred yards away from them when he heard a movement from the left. He went to investigate and found a cow tangled up in some barbed wire. He climbed off his horse and moved over to the cow. It fought to get out, but it was only making things worse.

  “Hey, buddy, calm down and I’ll get you out.” He knelt down and pulled the wire away from the cow’s legs and body. The barbs had cut into its legs in a few places, but otherwise it seemed fine. He guided it back to the Johnson’s barn, where everyone else was getting the rest of the cattle back into the pen.

  Frank Johnson turned and saw Jake coming. “Hey, the last cow has been found. We were just about to come and find her. Wait, is that you, Jake?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. Figured you could use some help. She needs to be looked at because she was caught, but she should be fine.”

  “I’m impressed. The big city didn’t make you forget everything about living on a ranch.” Frank laughed. He turned to the rest of the men. “Okay, we got them all. Thanks again for your help.”

  The men wandered off toward their homes, and Jake’s dad headed over to Jake, then continued toward the house.

  “When did you get here?” his dad asked.

  “About an hour ago. Mom told me where you were so I figured I’d help out.”

  “I appreciate that. Especially since you found the cow. We’d looked all over for it.”

  Jake nodded even though his dad wouldn’t be able to see it. “Glad I co
uld help. Race you?”

  His dad laughed. “Okay, city boy. Go.” His horse took off at a gallop and Jake encouraged his horse to catch up.

  They arrived at their barn at about the same time, but his dad had won. Jake brushed down the horses as part of losing the race—something the loser had done for as long as Jake could remember.

  His mom had gone to bed by the time they got home, so Jake went to his room. That night as he lay in bed, he decided to stay one more day to help where he could. After that he needed to get back to New York. He went to sleep with the vision of Erin in his mind. If only he hadn’t messed up the best thing that had happened since he’d left home.

  Chapter 15

  Erin sat next to her dad’s bed, watching the monitors. She could have left to get some sleep, but she knew she wouldn’t get rest anyway. She hadn’t been able to sleep since the day her mom had kicked Jake out of the hospital. It had been two days since her dad had pulled out of danger and he’d been conscious more and more since then. It was time to get home and fix a disastrous account, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her dad yet.

  She should have run after him. She should have told her mom that while it had started as false, she’d since fallen in love with him. And now he probably hated her.

  Her dad stirred, and Erin quickly wiped her tears away. She stood and took his hand. “Hey, Dad.”

  He cleared his throat. “Hi, sweetie. Can I get some water?”

  “Of course.” She jumped up and helped him get a drink. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve felt better.” He laughed and coughed. “Can you help me up? I’m sick of lying down all day.”

  She handed him the remote to the bed so he could push himself up to where he wanted. “The doctor says you’re healing well.”

  “I’m feeling better than when I first woke up.” He stopped and squinted at her. “Were you crying?”

  “A little. It’s just been a crazy couple of days.” She sat back in her chair and leaned her head back.

  “Your mom told me what happened with Jake.”

  Erin looked up at him surprised. “Why would she do that?”

  He chuckled. “She thought I was sleeping. Look, sweetie, I can’t say I’m happy with what happened. Your mom loved getting ready for this wedding. You can’t expect her to just laugh it off.”

  “I know. I understand why she kicked him out.” Erin sighed. “Dad, I need to get back to New York. Apparently one of the contracts I’ve been working on is failing miserably. Are you going to be okay? Because if not, I can change my flight and tell my boss to let someone else take it.”

  “I’m not going anywhere any time soon. You go back and smooth everything out. I’ll be fine. I’m just grateful you took the time to come down. We’ve missed having you here.”

  Erin pushed down the guilt that threatened to overcome her. It had been too long since she’d visited last. “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I hadn’t. You really scared me, Dad.”

  Her dad reached for her hand. “I was scared too. But then I heard two of the most beautiful voices talking to me, and I knew I needed to come back. Now, please go. I need to sleep some more and your mom will probably be here soon.”

  Erin stood and kissed her dad’s forehead. “Love you, Daddy. I’ll be back at Thanksgiving.”

  “I look forward to it.” He squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. “I’ll tell Mom you said good-bye.”

  “Thanks.” She picked up her purse and headed for the door. The only flight she could get that day was only a couple hours away and she needed to get to the airport. She was sad to miss her mom, but they hadn’t spoken much since Jake left.

  “Oh, and Erin? Don’t give up on Jake.”

  Erin nodded once and left the room. Thoughts of texting him were pushed away by guilt.

  She climbed into the taxi and checked her messages. Carissa and Debra had both sent emails asking for help with the clients. She emailed them back, and climbed out of the taxi. Once she was checked in, she sat and pulled her laptop out of her bag, hoping there would be Wi-Fi that she could use to send the plans she’d made.

  The files pulled up, and Erin made a few last minute changes she’d thought about during the night. She cheered silently when the Wi-Fi worked. While it was slow, it was still enough to send out the plans she’d made. She climbed on the plane and sat in her seat. A young girl sat next to her and smiled politely before turning to giggle with her friend.

  As soon as the flight took off and they were high enough, Erin pulled out her laptop and worked on the designs for the clothing ads. Taking samples from the company’s old line, she put together a few different samples.

  “Whoa,” the girl next to her whispered. “That’s really good.”

  “Thanks.” She saved the files and pulled up another document so she could work on the men’s ads next.

  “You do this for a living?” she asked in awe.

  “Yep. Do you like fashion?” Erin stopped and looked at the girl next to her. She was cute with freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks.

  The girl shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I like looking at the magazines, but I think it’s cool what you’re doing with your program. I’d love to learn how to do that.”

  Erin pulled out a business card. “Here. Email me in a couple of years and I can teach you how to design the ads. It’s pretty easy, and it makes a really good job.”

  “Thank you.” She pulled out a magazine. “Did you do any of these?”

  Erin took the magazine and flipped through the pages. She found an ad she’d helped with a few months before. “That’s mine. This was harder because it was cold and rainy. We had to use artificial light to make it look right.”

  The girl took the magazine back. “That’s really cool. Um, could you sign it?”

  Erin laughed. “Really? Sure. I guess.” She pulled out a marker and signed the ad.

  The girl grinned and showed her friend. Erin turned back to her work and finished the line just as they were told to begin preparing for the descent. She put her laptop away and made sure her seatbelt was fastened.

  As they were getting their bags out of the overhead storage, the girl turned back to Erin. “Thanks again for signing my magazine.”

  “You’re welcome. Don’t forget to call me.” Erin figured the girl would forget a few minutes after leaving the airport, but it was fun to talk. And if she did remember to call later, Erin would be happy to have an intern.

  ***

  Erin was glad to be back in New York. She went straight to the pound to pick up Coco, then went back to her apartment. Coco wouldn’t leave Erin’s side while she made dinner and sat down to watch television. Erin grumbled as show after show was filled with romances. She finally turned it off and went to her room.

  After changing into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, Erin headed for the door. She was craving a milkshake, and there was only one place she could get one that was just right. She texted Carissa to tell her to meet at the diner in ten minutes. The reply came quickly with a “K,” and Erin grinned.

  Carissa arrived not long after Erin. She dropped a DVD on the table and sat down across from Erin. “That came today.”

  “What is it?” Erin picked it up and flipped it over, but there was no label.

  “Your commercial. Mr. Smith wanted your approval before he signs off on it. I saw it earlier today. You did a fantastic job. Even if you weren’t speaking to each other at the time.” Carissa took a drink of her water. “Are your parents still mad?”

  “Mom hasn’t really said anything, and Dad is still in and out of sleep, but he was cool about it. Cooler than I expected, actually.” She sighed. “I still can’t believe my mom kicked Jake out.”

  “I can’t either.” She stopped, her jaw dropping as she looked over Erin’s shoulder. “No way.”

  “What?” Erin turned around to find Jake standing there, surprised. She turned back and closed her eyes. Her face burned with the memory of the la
st time she’d seen him.

  “He’s coming,” Carissa whispered. “Oh, wait. He went to the counter instead. You need to invite him over.”

  Erin shook her head. “I can’t.”

  Carissa rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless.”

  “I know.” Erin stared at the milkshake in front of her. She just had to crave chocolate tonight, didn’t she? She should have just stayed home.

  Carissa stood. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I want details.” She walked over to Jake and gestured toward Erin before leaving the diner.

  “Hey. Can I sit here?” Jake asked.

  “Sure.” She sat up and cleared her throat. “How was your flight home?”

  “I drove back. I wanted my truck here. Yours?” He took a drink, never taking his eyes off her.

  Erin smiled. “It was fine. I got to autograph an ad for a girl on the plane.”

  “Impressive. Much more exciting than hours and hours of driving.” Jake thanked the waitress for his meal and took a bite of his burger.

  “Wait—are those mushrooms?” Erin asked, surprised.

  Jake grinned sheepishly. “Someone told me it was better this way. I have to admit she was right.”

  Erin shook her head. “I never thought you’d try it.”

  “I’m full of surprises.” He took another bite, and Erin wished she’d ordered one for herself.

  She hesitated before speaking. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened. I had no idea my mom would do that to you.”

  Jake sat silently for a moment. “I was mad at first. That was a long, expensive flight. But deep down I knew I deserved it. I made a stupid mistake.”

  “We. We did it together. This isn’t just your fault. I didn’t have to agree to it. And I admit I enjoyed it.” Erin picked up the DVD and put it in her purse so she wouldn’t forget it.

  “What’s that?” Jake nodded toward her purse.

  “It’s a copy of our commercial.” She paused, biting her lip. “Do you want to watch it with me?”