Love Unclaimed (18 page)

“It is an agreement that the parties agreed upon. Father would keep giving him land until one of us married her. I’m sure he made Travis think it was happenstance that he met her, but I’m sure he set it up to work in his favor.”

“Did you see what happens if that agreement is breached? My father has to pay him twenty-five million dollars, and he doesn’t get the land back.”

“So what? It is not like he doesn’t have it.” Audree could feel her blood beginning to boil.

“He doesn’t have it,” Gavin mumbled from his place by the window. “He has been counting on this ‘gentlemen’s agreement' bullshit for years. I have been financing his farm for the past five years, just so he wouldn’t lose everything.” He didn’t look away from the windows. “Did you see that for every year we were of age that Meager’s daughter had to wait for one us to marry her, our father would pay with a hundred acres of his land, our land, Mom’s family’s land? Well, it took what nine years for Travis to be sucked in by this crap and now he has lost 900 of the eighty thousand acres he had. He will get that land back and one thousand more for every year the marriage lasts.

“Do you love her Travis? I mean really love her?” Audree asked.

“I…”

“If you cannot say yes to that question without hesitation, then the answer is no.” Gavin looked from Audree to Travis.

“Father told me…”

“Father told you it was your family duty, but he didn’t tell you about this agreement of his?”

“No, I was at the attorney to pick up what was supposed to be just a pre-nap, which I was fine with, but this was included in the envelope.” He sat down on the couch next to Audree and picked up the papers.

“Travis.” Audree looked from Gavin to Travis. “Marry me. Get out from under your father’s bullshit and then we’ll figure out the rest.” She looked him right in the eyes as she said it.

“God, I love you, Audree, but I wouldn’t do that to you.” He looked at Gavin when he said it.

“We’ll figure something out,” Gavin said, coming over to sit across from them on the other couch. “There is a clause in there about infidelity, both before and after the marriage,” he paused. “Maybe if we get her to…”

“She would never.” Travis shook his head. “Besides every guy in town knows she is with me and would never go after her.” He put his head in his hands.

“We’ll figure something out, Trav.” Audree laid her head on his shoulder. “It will be okay. It will work out.” She looked over at Gavin and he nodded at her.

“We’ll take care of it.” Gavin looked back down at the papers, shaking his head.

***

Son of a bitch! He actually went through with that stupid plan of his. Every time I hired lawyers to get him out of this, he wouldn’t give them the information they needed. The fucker is out of his mind, determined that he takes his sons with him, and sacrifices our land as well.

It had only been a few days since Travis showed Gavin and Audree the papers from his father’s insane ‘gentlemen’s agreement’. Audree tried to keep Travis busy working on the addition to the barn and had started spending even more time with Scotty. Gavin had been nowhere to be found for most of the time. Ruby said she heard he was spending a lot of time at Authors’ Pub getting drunk. Audree had called Dirk, the bartender there, to make sure that she was called if Gavin got too drunk and needed a ride home.

Thursday night, four days before Audree and Eva were scheduled to leave for their visit to Brooks’, Eva had wanted to stay at her grandparents so; Audree invited everyone over for a movie night. Travis had been moody all week and he had been fighting with Gavin and Trudy. Gavin wanted Travis to talk to Trudy about the papers and Travis refused to believe that she knew anything about them and wouldn’t even ask her.

“So Saturday night, I finally got Trudy to move her schedule around and she is going to come and meet us at Authors’. I told her you were leaving on Monday so we needed to get this done,” Travis said, stacking his empty popcorn bowl onto the others sitting on the table to his left.

“Great,” Ruby said, sounding not so thrilled, from her curled up position on Harry’s lap while she ran her hand through his hair.

“Cool, we finally get to meet the future Mrs.,” Scotty said from his seat on the couch next to Audree.

“I’ll ask my mom to keep Eva for the night.” Audree stood up and stretched before picking up some of the stacked bowls.

“Let me help you.” Scotty stood up next to her and reached out to Audree for the stacked bowls.

“Thanks.” Audree caught the smirk on Ruby’s face and rolled her eyes. Audree was in no mood for Ruby’s thoughts on Scotty. She had been more or less forced to sit next to him on the couch since Travis took up one chair and Ruby and Harry squeezed into the other. That left the couch. She sat next to him and their legs touched, but nothing else, until he put his hand on the back of the couch. She was relieved that he didn’t try to put his arm around her. She was confused enough with everything else going on. Scotty’s interest in her was not really even on her radar.

“It’s a shame Gavin had to miss movie night.” Ruby gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek before she stood up and grabbed their empty cups. “He has been gone a lot lately at night.” She threw Audree a knowing look. Audree had told Ruby that she was still doing all she could to avoid being alone with Gavin; Eva was still sleeping with her. Tonight, however, Audree would be alone in the house with Travis in his room, on the other side of the house. Gavin had been MIA since the afternoon so she wasn’t sure where he would be spending the night. She thought about maybe sleeping in Clint’s old room, but she wasn’t going to hide in her own house.

“Yeah, I don’t know where he has been going, but he has been coming in at the ass crack of dawn and then going over and putting in a full day at the farm or ranch. He doesn’t talk to anyone,” Travis said, scooting over to grab a falling bowl from Audree and thankfully following her and Scotty to the kitchen.

“Eva was disappointed he hasn’t been around to read to her at before bed,” Audree stated after she put the bowls into the sink. “I told her he would probably be around tomorrow for her to hang out with,” she said on a yawn. “He had promised to take her fishing.”

“I actually needed to talk to him about something, too.” Travis looked at Audree, and she ascertained from the look that he needed to talk about something in private.

“Okay, well, we are out of here.” Ruby moved over to give Audree a hug and kiss. “Later.” She pointed at Travis.

“Scotty, you want us to drop you off?” Harry asked, following Ruby toward the door.

“Naw, I got my truck.” He shook Harry’s hand and kissed Ruby on the cheek.

“Goodnight,” Audree called.

“I think I’m going to head up.” Travis looked at Audree again before going over to shake Scotty’s hand. “See you guys in the morning.” He waved at them.

“Been a long week,” Scotty sighed, not making a move for the door. Audree could tell he wanted her to ask him to stay, but she knew Travis needed to talk. She still wasn’t sure where she and Gavin stood since they had never been able to finish their conversation the day Clint called. She also knew she wasn’t ready to start anything with Scotty or anyone else right now.

“Yes, it has.” She stepped up to him to place a kiss on his cheek. “Travis wants to talk to me about something, so I’m going to call it a night,” she said, stepping back, but Scotty grabbed her wrist and pulled her back against him. “Scotty.” His mouth covered hers and he pulled her closer to him. He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips begging her to open her mouth to him, but she couldn’t do anything but pull away.

“I’m sorry, I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time.” He leaned his forehead to hers. “I cannot believe I finally did it,” he said as he blew out a breath.

“Now really is not a good time for, for whatever this is.” She pointed between them. “I’ll be leaving with Eva Monday and be gone for a week. There is a lot of other stuff going on with Travis, that…” she heard voices coming from the living room. She knew that Ruby and Harry had left through the kitchen, Travis had gone upstairs, and her parents would have used the back door.

“Audree, did you hear…” Travis called from the kitchen doorway and, looking in to see Audree still standing with Scotty, moved down the hall toward the living room. “What the fuck!?!” Travis yelled and Audree quickly pulled further away from Scotty and followed after Travis.

“Oh my God, Gavin!” Audree heard her voice, but all of the sudden she had tunnel vision.

“What …” was all Scotty got out when he stepped up behind Audree.

Gavin spun around with a drunken glaze over, bloodshot eyes that seemed to instantly sobered up when they met Audree’s look of horror.

“Audree… I,” Gavin sighed and released his hold on the woman whose body he had pushed up against the wall in front of him. She had her head tucked in the crook of Gavin’s shoulder as she unwrapped her arms from his neck.

“What the fuck were you….” Audree started then she looked over at Travis when the woman turned her head. “Oh my God, Gavin! Travis!” Audree screamed at Travis who was motionless next to her.

“I… what…” Travis had dropped to his knees where he stood; his mouth open and his eyes open wider as he watched his fiancée adjust her clothes while smirking at Audree.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Audree shook her head. “I always knew you were a whore, Trudy, but really? Brothers? You couldn’t cheat with a stranger, at least? I know Gavin was always your first choice, but really.” She shook her head and clinched her fists, wanting so desperately to punch the smirk off Trudy’s face.

“It was good enough for you to have them both, why not share the fun,” she slurred her words with a giggle, trying to catch her balance when Gavin swayed away from her.

“I would never… I …. Get the fuck out of my house!” She looked at Trudy then Gavin. “Out, now! Get out of my fucking house!” she screamed and made for the steps.

“Audree,” Gavin pleaded and moved, completely off balance, toward her.

“Get the fuck away from me Gavin.” She stormed up the stairs as Gavin reached for her and tripped up the steps behind her.

“Audree, I was trying to…”

“I don’t give a fuck what you were trying to do. How dare you bring that woman back to my house like this!” She turned around to look at him stumbling up the steps after her. “Scotty, could you move my truck around front, please? The keys are on the counter. I’m taking Eva to Brooks’ tonight.”

“Brooks? Tonight? You’re leaving? You’re leaving Monday,” Gavin slurred.

“Did you drive here like that?”

“No, her friend drove. My truck is at the bar.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “I didn’t know it was her… I… She wanted…” she could hear the pleading in his voice.

“I don’t want to hear it, Gavin.” She stormed up to her room, slammed the door, and clicked the lock.

“Come on, Gavin, let’s get you some coffee,” Scotty said, offering Gavin his hand.

“She can’t leave, not like this. I have to tell her… I have to …” he put his head in his hands. “I fucked up. I know I fucked us up, but I want...”

“Come on,” Scotty offered again.

“Get the fuck away from me.” He pulled his arm away from Scotty. “Don’t think I don’t know that you want Audree.”

“You’re right. I do want Audree, but not like this.” He pointed back to the living room. “Not because you fucked her over some more. I wanted her to want me because I was the better choice; now she will just feel sorry for you.”

“No, I won’t.” Audree said from the top of the steps with two suitcases in her hands. “Could you please put these in my truck?” She waited at the top of the steps for Scotty to come up and get the cases.

“I’ll take you over.” Scotty took the cases and walked back down the steps, hitting Gavin’s slumped over shoulder with one of the cases, he had practically passed out with his head against the railing.

“I’m fine, I can drive myself.” Her voice quivered and she was fighting tears. “I need my truck to go to the airport anyway.”

“Fuck, man,” Gavin shook his head and immediately grabbed both sides, realizing that the less he shook his head, the better he would feel.

“I called my mother, she will have Eva ready.” Audree took a deep breath and began to walk past Gavin.

“Audree, please, please, let me explain.” He grabbed the railing and pulled himself up; he needed to balance himself before he took his first step.

“Travis, I want her out of my house, now! I don’t care how you do it, but I want her out of my house now!” She stepped into the living room and saw a now passed out Trudy lying on one of her couches with Travis brushing her hair away from her face. “Don’t, Travis.” She walked over to him.

“Travis, I’ll take Trudy home and drop her off,” Scotty said reassuringly at Travis. “You sort out your brother.” They both looked back at Gavin who was now standing upright against the banister swaying with his eyes closed.

“We’ll figure this out and be okay.” Travis hugged Audree.

“I can’t be here with him right now.  He has finally, completely broken my heart.” Audree hugged Travis back, fighting the tears that were starting to roll down her cheeks.