THE RANCH - CHAPTER 13

They made plans with Keenan and Kimberly to go into town to the bar. There they would have Buffalo Wings and drinks and play some pool. Dorothy wore a short denim skirt, white blouse, and her cowboy boots. She also wore the cowgirl hat that Luke had gotten her a few days prior. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw her, she looked so damn hot and his heart did a flip.

‘How do I look?’ she asked, moving closer and standing in front of him.

‘Like you fit in here.’ He adjusted her hat and smiled.

‘Quite a change from your leather boots and expensive clothes.’

She tilted her chin up, her lips moving closer to his mouth.

‘True. I think I like this outfit better, how about you?’

He looked down at her as she swiped her tongue across her bottom lip seductively and cleared his throat. No matter what she wore she looked smoking hot. ‘I think no matter what you wear you look great.’

Lowering his head he kissed her, his arms going around her waist and pulled her in closer to his body.

Just as he placed his hand on her breast and heard her moan there was a knock at the door and he knew it was Keenan there to pick them up. ‘Damn,’ he cursed out loud and heard Dorothy laughing softly.

Finding a booth in the already crowded bar they sat and ordered a pitcher of beer and Buffalo wings, sparkling water for Dorothy. Keenan had some sauce on his lips so Kimberly leaned over and licked it off. Dorothy and Luke looked at each other and rolled their eyes, though they thought it was kind of cute.

‘Up for a game of pool?’ Keenan asked Luke.

The girls sat talking and watched as the guys played. When Keenan had enough playing he came back over and sat next to his girlfriend, leaving Luke with two other guys.

‘What’s he talking to them about?’ Dorothy asked when she saw how intense they looked.

‘That’s Charlie and Bart, they’re trying to talk Luke into playing for money. Those guys are good so I backed out.’

‘Is Luke any good?’ Dorothy asked Keenan.

‘Yeah he is, but he needs a partner and I’m not that good.’

Dorothy got up and walked over to the three men. ‘I hear you need a partner so here I am.’

Luke shook his head. ‘No way.’

‘Why not?’ she whined. ‘It looks like fun.’

‘Oh come on, let the little lady play or are you chicken, Rogers?’ Charlie said sarcastically.

So they agreed to play three games, the winner would walk away with seven hundred rands. The money was held by the bartender.

‘Let the lady break,’ Bart said, looking at his partner and grinning.

Dorothy picked up her cue and bent over, fingers placed and ready to break she looked up at the guys and gave them a coy smile. ‘How many of these pretty little balls do I need to hit?’

Charlie and Bart grinned at each other and Luke ran his hand over his eyes and rubbed them, he was going to lose his shirt and why did her ever agree to let her play?

Luke went over and started giving her instructions and then stood back and watched as she went to break. His eyes almost popped out of his head when the white balls smacked into the others, sending most of them into the side pockets, clearing the table.

Charlie and Bart with their mouth open stared at each other. Charlie cleared his throat.

‘What the hell was that? She’s a ringer, you tricked us, Luke.’

With a grin on his face, he looked at Dorothy and answered.

‘I didn’t know she could play.’ God, he couldn’t believe his eyes, she was always surprising him.

They played the next games with Charlie and Bart and won hands down. When Luke was handed the winnings he held it out to her.

‘Here, you earned this. Tell me, how did you ever learn to play so well?’

‘We had a pool table at the Mansion and I started playing when I was eight years old. One of the hired help taught me and every chance I got I would practice,’ she said, taking the money from him placed it in his pocket. ‘Keep the money, I don’t want it,’ she said, turning around walked back over to where Kimberly and Keenan were still sitting.

‘Wow, you are one hell of a pool player,’ Kimberly said, giving her a hug.

‘Thanks,’ she answered, looking around to see where Luke was. She was sure he would have followed her back to the table and was a little disappointed.

‘Let’s dance babe,’ Keenan said as he took Kimberly’s hand.

‘We’ve been dancing since we got here. I know, get Dorothy up for a dance since Luke has disappeared.’

‘How about it Dorothy?’ Keenan asked, standing up and holding out his hand.

Smiling she took his hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor. ‘I wonder where Luke is,’ she said, her eyes searching the room for him.

‘I don’t know but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Luke wouldn’t just go and leave you here. I do believe that boy is falling for you.’

Her head snapped back and looked at Keenan. ‘Do you really think so?’

‘Yeah, I do.’ He turned serious and looked back at her. ‘Dorothy, please don’t hurt my friend. If you don’t have any feelings for him let him know. Be honest with him about everything, any secrets you’re hiding tell him before he finds out from someone else.’

Her eyes teared up and she looked away. ‘Look is unlike any man I’ve ever known, he’s warm, kind and I am in love with him. But none of that matters. I’m no good for him and when the year is up I’ll be leaving.’

After a couple more dances with random strangers, Luke finally showed up, an hour later.

He Didn’t like seeing her in the arms of another man so he walked over, tapped the man on the shoulder and asked if he could cut in. He noticed how rigid she was when he held her and sensed she was pissed off.

‘You’re angry with me aren’t you?’

She looked up into his eyes, her own held a hint of fury. ‘Should I not be? You’ve been gone an hour and didn’t even tell me you were leaving. Were you with some bitch?’

‘Are you jealous?’

‘Yeah as if,’ she scoffed.

He pulled her in closer when she started pulling away.

‘No, I was not with another woman.’ Releasing her waist grabbed her hand and started walking towards the door, his grip tighten when he felt her resisting.

‘Where are you taking me,’ she cried out.

‘Outside where it’s quiet and we can talk.’ Once there he had her sit down on the bench and he sat next to her. ‘I left because I wanted to go buy something.’

‘What?’ she asked.

Reaching into his pocket he took out a small package and opened it. ‘I remembered when you first came here and you tried to buy this with my money. The look of disappointment on your face broke my heart but I didn’t know you then and I was angry.’

Tears fell down her face when she took it from him and started at it. ‘That’s so sweet of you to remember.’ She looks at him.

‘But you can’t afford it so please just take it back.’ She tries to hand it to him but he refused it.

‘You won the money by playing pool and since you wouldn’t accept the cash I called the owner of the store and he was kind enough to meet me and to let me buy it.’ He took if from her hand. ‘Turn around and I’ll put it on you.’ When she did what he told her, lifting her hair up he placed it on her, doing it up.

Turning back around, she held the necklace between her fingers. ‘You asked me back then why I wanted it. The truth is that when I saw it I had to have it, it reminded me of my mother. She had one that looked identical to it. She once told me that someone very special gave it to her, but she never did tell me who that person was. My mother wore it all the time and she never took it off.’ She sniffed before continuing.

‘When I was ten years old I heard yelling coming from my parent’s bedroom. I was curious so I snuck up to their door, it was opened a crack so I sneaked a peek in. They were fighting and I saw him rip the necklace from her neck and he threw it into the fireplace.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Luke said sadly.

‘My mother was heartbroken and she sobbed and called him a bastard so he slapped her. He slapped her so hard her lip was bleeding.’

‘Was he always abusive towards her?’

‘Yes,’ Dorothy nods.

‘Why didn’t your mother take you and leave him?’ Luke felt the heat in his blood boiling. He could never tolerate a man hitting a woman no matter what she had done. He was brought up that way.

‘She wanted to but she was afraid of him. They met and married in Gauteng, she was only eighteen and naïve. After they were married for a few weeks she found out he was involved with the underworld and he became violent towards her. Three years later he got in trouble with the boss so they fled here to The Cape, she was carrying me at the time. I don’t know the whole story, all I know is he threatened to kill us if she ever tried to leave him. He soon became very wealthy and his reputation and what people thought of him became his priority.’

‘A man who beats and threatens a woman is not a man but a coward. When our year is up you aren’t planning on going back to him are you?’

‘God no,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I have plans to go as far away from him as I can.’

‘How will you do that with no money?’

‘When I turn twenty - one I will receive the trust fund my mother had set aside for me. She wanted me to use it to leave the country so that I could get away from him.’

‘You look tired, should we head home?’

Nodding her head she stands up, touching the necklace. ‘Yes, please. Thanks for buying me this, it means a lot to me.’

‘You’re welcome. Wait here and I’ll let Keenan know we’re ready to leave.’ Placing his hands on her face he couldn’t resist kissing her.

While she stood there waiting for him to return a car slowly drove by, the windows were tinted so she couldn’t see who was driving. But it came to a stop and drove off when Luke returned. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she had the strangest feeling they were watching her.

‘Keenan and Kimberly want to stay by he gave me the keys to his van and said he’d pick it up tomorrow. Are you ok?’ he asked when he saw her staring at the car that was driving away.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. I just got the feeling whoever is in that car was watching me.’

Luke looked over at the vehicle.

‘I’ve never seen that car before, it’s not from around here.’

A shiver ran through her, making her body shake. Luke, thinking she was cold took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders….