Free The Mistress of Black Grove Manor by Elaine Young Page A

you about your military career! Every minute of every day was your chance to explain!”
    This time when he stepped forward she held up her hand. “Don’t. Whatever we had...it’s over now. You’ll get what you wanted out of me. Just like everyone else.”
    Tears sparkled in her green eyes as she turned away from him and ducked into her bedroom. He heard the door lock. Scott put his back to the door and slid down, leaning his head against the wood. He could hear her crying, even though he could tell that she was trying to do it quietly.
    He put his face in his hands. He couldn’t get the look in her eyes out of his mind.
    “You’ll get what you wanted out of me. Just like everyone else.”
    He was no better than her parents. Manipulating her and keeping her from the truth just so that he could get what he wanted. He stood up and headed back to his room. He might not have started out with the best motives, but he didn’t have to keep hurting the woman he’d come to love.
    He packed his things quickly, leaving everything that the Cargill’s had bought to help him play his part. Once his clothes and books had been shoved carelessly into his duffle bag and his big military issue backpack, he slid open the nightstand drawer. There was a sheaf of paper for guests there, emblazoned with the Cargill’s name and the address.
    He sat down at the small desk in the corner and put pen to paper.
    Catherine,
     
    You’re right. I should have told you before. I know that nothing I can say here can make that right and that hurts more than I can say.
    The assault happened on a mission. We had a new guy and I never liked him. Not even when I first met him. There was just something...off there. Anyway, there was a woman in the town. A prostitute. He’d been visiting her, but one night he was drunk and he decided that he shouldn’t have to pay. I heard her scream and saw that he was threatening her with his gun.
    I lost my temper and beat him up. She ran, so it was my word against his, and he had the injuries. So I was out. I shouldn’t have done it, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t do it again.
     
    I should have told you.
    I can’t marry you for the money. Not when I’m in love with you. I hope you find a way to have your freedom.
     
    Love,
    Scott
     
    He slid the note under her bedroom door and walked away. The butler spoke to him, but the expression on Scott’s face must have warned the man that Scott wasn’t in the mood.
    “Family emergency,” Scott lied in order to get past the camera crews and Catherine’s parents. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

Chapter Nine:
     
    His own parents had been surprised to see him turn up on their doorstep in the middle of the night, but they hadn’t asked questions. He’d been working from before sunup to well after sundown since he got home. If he ran on about 4 hours of sleep, he was too tired to be tormented by her memory.
    He couldn’t do anything about how often he saw her in his dreams though. He woke up reaching for her more often than not and he never bothered to try to go back to sleep after those dreams. He either took a cold shower or went out to work.
    He knew that Linda was worried about him, but he’d heard his father advise her to let Scott work through it. He was grateful for that. He didn’t want to have to explain.  He only wanted to find a way to get through the pain.
    He was mucking out stalls, up to his ankles in stuff he didn’t really want to mention when he heard the door open. He glanced up and dropped the shovel.
    “Hi,” Catherine said softly, her eyes on the ground at first.
    “What...what are you doing here?”
    She looked up at him, her eyes scanning his work worn jeans and his sweaty chest. He remembered her kissing her way down his body, murmuring how much she loved the way he felt and he had to catch his breath.
    “I came to find out if you really meant what you said in your letter.”
     
    He nodded. “Yeah. You can verify it with