Her Montana Man (23 page)

“I think different. First the job, now the shares. A body would think you’re aimin’ to take off with that

money and not be seen again.”

Eliza felt heated color rise in her cheeks at his clever suspicions. He was backing her up against a wall,

and she had no choice left but to flee or fight. “And what if I was? It would still be none of your business.

You don’t have any holds on me.”

He gestured to the divan. “Have a seat.”

“No.”

He sat on an upholstered chair and sighed. “Eliza Jane, I know some things that I haven’t let on about.”

A buzz filled her ears, and fear made her frame tremble. “Like what?”

“I know Tyler is your boy. That you gave birth to him, not your sister.”

Her knees shook so hard and her head felt so light, she swayed on her feet.

Jonas jumped up and took her arm to guide her to the divan. He poured her a glass of water and offered

it to her as though a drink was the solution to her life.

But she accepted it with cold trembling fingers and drank half of it before handing it back. He set down

the tumbler and resumed his seat. Waiting.

“What—how—” she stammered.

“Have a trunk full of my father’s journals. He kept records of all his calls on the local folks. Right

detailed accounts. On Tyler’s date of birth, he helped bring Tyler into the world. And into your arms.

Not Jenny Lee’s. She was too weak-hearted to carry and birth a baby. You were strong and healthy.”

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Eliza sat in shocked silence until eventually her ears stopped humming and her shaking subsided. After

what seemed a lifetime of resolving herself, she met his eyes with shame. “My father insisted I give Jenny

my baby.”

Hard as she tried to keep emotion from her voice and her heart, all the pain and rejection sprang to life

as fresh as the day she’d handed her child into her sister’s arms. “He was so angry with me. So

disappointed. And I was a woman with a child out of wedlock. I didn’t have options.”

“Wondered how you hid your condition from the town.”

“I stayed home with Jenny the last few months. When Nora came over, we filled out Jenny’s nightdress

with a pillow and I stayed in my room. We simply told people Jenny needed bed rest throughout the

trying ordeal, and that I was taking care of her.”

Jonas nodded his understanding. He looked contemplative before he said, “How does Royce fit into all

this?”

Just her brother-in-law’s name made Eliza’s stomach dip with nausea. “He placated my father in every

regard. He wanted esteem and position, and if making Jenny happy made my father happy, he was

willing to go along with it.”

“I’m still perplexed,” Jonas said. “What part did he play in Tyler’s comin’ into the world? Did he rape

you? Did you sleep with him willin’ly?”

Eliza looked up, stunned that he had suspected something like that. “No! No, he’s not Tyler’s father.”

Jonas’s shoulders relaxed a slight measure. “Glad for that. I would have had to stop you for certain if I

thought you were runnin’ off with his son.” But he frowned and looked at her with that leveled stare that

went right into her soul. “The man you told me about then?”

She nodded. “I was a foolish girl. I believed Forest loved me and that he had honorable intentions. He

was my father’s bright young protégé, and when I told him about the baby, he said we’d tell my father

and be married. I believed him.” She smoothed her skirt, reliving the painful happenings. “We were going

to tell him the following day. Forest would come to dinner as he often did, and afterward he would

approach Father in his study.

“He never showed up that night.” Her voice lowered with the telling. “I made an excuse for him, then

went the following day, hoping to find him at the factory. My father said he’d left, packed his things and

gone. He couldn’t figure out his sudden departure.

“I was stunned, of course. But I couldn’t tell my father about the baby or the plans we’d made. I waited,

praying it was a mistake or a cruel joke and that he’d be back and everything would be fine. But then I

started getting sick…and…well, finally Jenny guessed.”

“Sorry the scoundrel hurt you,” Jonas told her in a gravelly voice.

His sympathy brought her back on track. “Eventually, I had to tell Father, of course. He was furious.

Called me terrible names. Accused me of running off his favorite choice for someone to take over once

he was too advanced in years. Of course I had always dreamed that person would be me, but I was

never good enough in his eyes.”

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The memories remained fresh and painful. “He was so angry,” she went on. “He banished me from the

brickyard and warned me that if I played the harlot with any more of his employees, he’d send me away.

A few days later, we were all seated at the dinner table. He announced that I would be giving the baby to

Jenny Lee and Royce, and that the child would be theirs from that moment on.

“Jenny Lee was beside herself with joy, of course. She thought he’d spoken to me privately and that

we’d come to the decision together.” Eliza remembered vividly the contrast between her sister’s

happiness and her misery. For Jenny’s sake, she’d hidden her pain, but at a deep cost.

“Royce wore a smug expression because he’d already stepped into Forest’s shoes as father’s right-hand

man. He patted Jenny’s hand and told her the baby would always be theirs and how he’d be so proud to

be working to make a place for a future heir in the company.”

“Then why all the running and fear I see in your eyes?” Jonas asked.

“He waited for Jenny to die. Like a vulture circling over her bed. It made me sick. Now if I don’t agree

to marry him, he will tell the truth about Tyler. I can’t let that happen. I can’t ruin Tyler’s life like that.”

“And you can’t call Dunlap’s bluff?”

“How? Risk Tyler finding out he’s illegitimate and being called names until he’s forced to leave town?”

Jonas pressed the knuckle of his thumb against his teeth in a thinking pose.

“Guess that’s not gonna work.” He studied her expression and her hands clenched in her lap. “Why

didn’t you trust me enough to just tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to think badly of me like my father did. Like Royce does.”

“If he thinks so poorly of you, then why…? Oh. He wants your share of the company once you’re

married.”

She nodded. “That’s it. He doesn’t really care about me. Or about Tyler. We’re just possessions to

him.”

Jonas got up and came to perch beside her on the divan, where he took her hands in his and warmed

them. “I could never think poorly of you. Don’t you know that? You loved Forest, and you trusted him.

After that I’m surprised you even trusted me enough to…You don’t trust me, do you?”

“You’re an honorable man,” she told him. “You care deeply about people and about doing the right

thing. I guess it was my heart I didn’t want to risk again. But it’s too late for that.”

He tightened his grasp on her hands. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I fell in love with you. But you must know that. If I didn’t love you…”

“Wouldn’t have made love with me. Never thought you were foolin’ with my affections. Just figured you

were confused maybe. And I knew you’d been hurt.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I

love you, too, but you’d never let me say it.”

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She placed her hand against his chest, felt the steady beat of his heart and wished love was enough. Her

eyes filled with tears. She closed them and raised her lips for a kiss.

He obliged her, tucking his hand alongside her cheek and angling his face over hers in a warm exchange

filled with as much emotion as she’d ever felt from him. If only his love…his kiss…was enough to banish

the demons that were her reality.

He kissed her nose and her eyelids, holding her…his loving embrace was what dreams were made of.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she whispered. She wanted to cry, but held back a torrent of tears.

“Nothing is going to stop Royce. I still have two choices left. Marry him or run.”

“I’ll confront him,” he declared.

“You can’t, don’t you see? If you oppose him, if he doesn’t get his way, he’ll expose my secret. I can’t

allow that to happen to Tyler. I can’t. Not at the expense of Tyler’s happiness.”

“Then I’ll come with you. We’ll leave together and make a family somewhere far away from here.”

Eliza edged away and stared at him in disbelief. “Jonas! You have a life here. You’ve worked hard to

have this.”

“So have you.”

“But I have no choice. You do.”

“And I’d choose to leave so we could be together. I could start over again.”

“I could never ask that of you.”

“You didn’t.”

She shook her head, sadness filling her until nothing was left. No hope, no promises.

He pressed his mouth into a line. “That’s it, I reckon. You
didn’t
ask it of me, did you?”

“Not for the reason you’re thinking,” she was quick to assure him. “Not because I don’t love you or

want you. But because it’s no way to build a life. Not running. Changing our names might not even work.

We might have a chance if it’s just Tyler and I, but the three of us?

“He’d never stop looking if he thought I had run off with you, Jonas. He would never stop chasing you if

he thought you took something that belonged to him.”

“I’m not afraid of him.”

“But I am. And for good reason.”

His eyes held the same bleakness she felt inside. He’d just offered to dump his whole life for her and

she’d said no thanks.

He released her, moving to stand beside the cold fireplace and stare at the ticking clock on the mantel.

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“I’ll buy your shares. Say how much. You want it transferred somewhere?”

“Royce would find out.”

“Cash then.”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“I can hold him off a few more days while I go through the motions of hiring a companion.”

“Ask Maddie or Nadine to stay with you if you want.”

“You mean…?”

“Tell one of ’em you’d like their company as a favor for a few days or a week or as long as you like,

and that I’ll still pay their wages here.”

“I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not?” He turned his gaze on her. “You don’t want my help?”

“I don’t want to take advantage of you.” She balled her fists in her lap. “I regret how unhappy I’ve made

you.”

“Think on what will happen after you’re gone and Dunlap finds out I’m his new partner. That should

cheer you up.”

“I’ll be leaving you with a steaming kettle of fish, won’t I?” It wasn’t as if she didn’t have her own

worries. What would she tell Tyler? How would she support them? She could barely hear herself think

for all the unanswered questions screeching in her head.

He took a breath and stretched his sore arm and shoulder, but he didn’t reply. “Will I hear from you?

After you’re gone?”

“I don’t know. Do you think it would be safe for me to write? I don’t want him coming after me.”

“Reckon you’ll have to do what you need to. It’s just…Well, I’ll be here if you need me.”

Eliza’s heart couldn’t bear any more grief. Aside from giving away her baby, telling Jonas the truth had

been the most difficult thing she’d ever done up to this point. But now she had to leave, with both of them

knowing it was forever. This would be the end.

It took all her courage to focus on the outcome she needed and not on what she wanted. “We’ll work

out the money tomorrow then,” she said.

He nodded his agreement.

Feeling empty inside, she stood and walked toward the door. A moment later, she was standing in the

hall. Bereft.

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She was closer to her goal than she’d ever been; she had to remember that. It had been foolish to allow

confusion and add to the problem by involving Jonas…by falling in love with him. It was cruel of her to

hurt him.

She had to change her focus or she would break down and never get control of her emotions again. She

had plenty else to think about, so she averted her thoughts and emotions. She’d said nothing to Tyler

about their leaving. How was she going to pack, get him on a train and out of town without him inquiring

about Royce or where they were going? She’d wait until the last minute.

Someone else, perhaps Ward, could take their belongings to the station. She would have to check

departure times. When Tyler got up and dressed, she could divert him to the station and tell him they

were going to have an adventure.

She would ask Ada or Maddie to check the train schedules and purchase tickets for her. Eliza supposed

it was time she thought about where they were going. Once they’d arrived at their first destination, they

would change names and head out again. It was the best plan she had.

And she had to keep herself moving forward from here on out.

The following morning, Eliza was carrying a stack of clean sheets across the upstairs landing that looked

down on the lobby when she saw Luther enter and speak to Ward at the desk. Ward said something to

him, and Luther left.

Ward found her making a bed. “Letter for you, Miss Sutherland.”