Stay (Wild Creek Ranch Series Book 6)

Chapter Thirty

Ryder was spellbound hearing her confession. For months he had been dying to hear these three words and now when she finally told him that she loved him, he was dumbfounded. 

“What? Won’t you say something?” She asked him shyly, aware of the way he was gazing at her as if hypnotized. 

“Oh, I just couldn’t believe my ears,” he said, his cheeks coloring a little. She belonged to the luxurious world of fashion with a bright future and lived in a huge, luxurious mansion. He, on the other hand, was a small town cowboy, simple at heart with small and humble dreams. He had never expected her to love him back. It was like an impossible dream to him. 

“What’s there not to believe, Blue? I have always loved you. It’s just that I was too shy to confess to you,” she told him.

“So I sort of forced it out of you, right?” he asked with a grin. Anastasia nodded. Ryder’s grin broadened and he held out his arms to her. “Come here,” he said, his eyes brimming with raw emotions. Anastasia moved closer to him and he enveloped her soft body into his arms. They embraced one another, it was more of a connection of two souls than just physical proximity. They both couldn’t get more of the other as they held onto one another. Ryder knew that after this things could never be the same for them. He wished she would agree to return back with him to Fordsville. They could get married and start a life together. 

“Will you come away with me to Fordsville?” he asked hopefully. Anastasia stilled, as Ryder’s question reminded her of the bitter truth that was hanging in front of her head like a guillotine. It was her inescapable fate. She couldn’t escape from her mom and Madame Slovene. She slowly released him and sat down in front of him. Ryder looked at her hopefully, his eyes taking in her reactions minutely.

“I’m just nineteen, Ryder. Let me finish my education, at least. I’m sure we can take this slow,” she told him gently. Ryder looked disappointed. He had hoped that she would agree to go with him. It was how it happened with his friends. Once they confessed, they got married. Why was it different in his case, he had no idea. He remembered that she had told him something about being a puppet, an object of sacrifice but he hadn’t understood much of it. How could someone force another to do things she didn’t want to? She was an adult after all and could always decline. 

“You can complete your education at Fordsville as well, can’t you?” he asked, looked more dejected. Anastasia shook her head.

“No, my college fees are paid in full,” she informed him. Ryder sighed knowing that he was asking for the impossible. He wouldn’t give up. So what if she didn’t return with him? He could always come here to see her. 

“I see. Do you want to meet me again?” he asked softly. He had to know whether she really wanted him the way she wanted her. Anastasia looked at him with sadness in her eyes. 

“Yes, will you come and see me, Blue?” she asked, searching his eyes to see if he was losing interest in her. Ryder nodded, opening his arms out to her again. Anastasia clung to them, embedding her face in his neck. She loved his smell, it was so comforting, so earthy, so manly. She could stay in his arms forever. At that point of time, Anastasia wished that she could be any normal girl with a normal life. Then she could be free to go to Fordsville with him and live there with him forever. 

The doorbell rang and they sprang apart. “Who could it be so early? Dad and Anson came in the evening or night, usually,” said Anastasia, rushing downstairs to open the door. Ryder too followed her out. Anastasia opened the door and froze with horror seeing her mom standing there. 

“M-mom,” stammered a horrified Anastasia. Her mom gave her a look of disapproval and then before she could say anything, her eyes fell upon Ryder who had followed her to the door. 

“Who the hell is this guy?” she asked with shock, her eyes glaring at Ryder. “Don’t tell me that you’re shamelessly entertaining men behind our backs? I’m ashamed of you, Anastasia. Don’t you have any shame? Where the hell is your dad?” she yelled at the top of her voice, her whole body trembling with fury as she looked at Anastasia with hatred and disgust.

Anastasia looked pale and petrified as if she would faint any moment out of panic. Ryder came forward seeing her condition. He had realized that this sophisticated woman who looked down upon him like a piece of shut was Anastasia’s mom. “I’m Ryder Wilson, Mrs. Farrell. I’m Anastasia’s friend and since I was in the neighborhood, I came to visit her, that’s all,” he said as Bianca Farrell stared at him with disgust. 

“Friend? I thought she didn’t have any male friends. I don’t believe a word you’re saying, young man. Are you from Anastasia’s college?” asked her mom. Before Ryder could correct her and tell her that he was from Fordsville, Anastasia interrupted him.

“Yes, he is. Don’t worry about him. He was just leaving,” she told her mom. Ryder nodded and walked out reluctantly with a wave at her. He hadn’t been able to give her the little gift that he had got for her. After he left, her mom walked inside and banged the door shut. Anastasia was trembling by then, not knowing what was in store for her now. Her mom turned and looked at her with disgust. 

“I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that you shouldn’t make any male friends. Don’t you remember that Madame Slovene has chosen you to be the sole heir to her 

empire? It’s a privilege many could die for. Can’t you be a little grateful and concentrate on your studies instead? She has paid your college fees for what? For you to hang around with guys?” she scolded Anastasia while she trembled with fright.

The door clicked open and her dad stood there with a gloomy expression on his face. “What are you doing here, Bianca? After you’ve send me the divorce papers, you cannot just walk into my home anytime you want to,” said her dad in a solemn and cold tone. Her mom looked flustered as she nervously twisted her fingers together. 

“I left my jewelry chest in the safe. I came to get that, David,” said her mom. Her dad walked inside, his face showing that he didn’t believe a word she had said. 

“Fine, let’s go to your room. You can take it and leave. Next time, take an appointment with me before coming here,” said her dad. Her mom smiled and climbed the stairs to her husband’s room with David Farrell following her. He didn’t believe her at all and wanted to see what she was up to. Anastasia went up to her room, her heart breaking for Ryder. She couldn’t even ask him if he would visit her tomorrow. She couldn’t even ask him for how long he was in Las Vegas. She tried to call him but he didn’t accept her call. Maybe he was driving but where was he staying? She wanted to know so that she could visit him instead. 

She could hear her parents yelling at one another in their room and wondered what exactly they were fighting about. The sweet happy bubble that was there in the house was completely disrupted with her mom's appearance. She wondered if her mom believed her bluff but for how long could she hide her feelings from her? You can hide everything but you cannot hide love and heartache. After twenty minutes, the main door banged shut and she realized that either one of her parents left. Was it her mom or her dad? She didn’t want to be left alone with her mom again and just prayed that it was she who left the house. She tiptoed outside her room to check. To her relief, she saw her dad, pouring beer down his throat.

He turned around on hearing her. “Who was here in my absence, Ana?” he asked her, looking straight into her eye. “Your mom said very dirty things about you. She called me irresponsible, she said that I’m a worthless dad. Please tell me the truth, Ana. What’s going on? Did you entertain any guy while I was away?” asked her dad. Tears pooled into Anastasia’s eyes hearing what her mom had said to her dad.

“He isn’t just any guy, dad. He’s Ryder Wilson. He came to see me all the way from Fordsville. We love one another, dad. He knows that we can never get married yet he loves only me. I’m trying to keep him at bay. I don’t encourage him at all, yet he loves me. What do I do, dad?” Said Anastasia as big, fat tears fell Incessantly from her eyes.