Not What She Seems Page 2

  “Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Connor said.

  “Well, take him in then.” Richard waved his arm. “I have to make a phone call anyway.” He held up the receipt from their hotel stay in Nevada.

  When Emily came back to the car, Richard was almost beside himself. “That so-called computer error, the one that got us a free night’s stay? Well guess what! I just talked to the front desk of the hotel. A dark haired man from room two-twelve paid him to say that. He wanted to pay for your room! Can you believe our luck? Steven Ashton’s got eyes for you. Get in the car!”

  Chapter Three

  Steven jumped up and pulled his cell out of his pocket. The phone was shut off. How long had it been like that? He turned it on and dialed his mother’s number. She must be worried sick.

  “Hello?” Caroline’s voice was strained.

  “Mom, I just saw the news–”

  “Steven? Where are you? Oh, we’ve been so worried.” Her voice lowered. “It’s Steven. Thank goodness he’s all right.”

  “I told you, I’m on vacation.” He tried not to let his exasperation come through his voice.

  “Where, dear? You’re not at your cabin or at the resort…” her voice trailed off.

  “I know, Mom. Listen, I’m fine. I wanted to get away for a while. Please, get my photo out of the news.” He couldn’t sit still, so he paced the room.

  “Steven, just tell me where you are, so I can get a hold of you.”

  “I’ll keep my cell phone on. I didn’t realize it was off. I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t tell you where I am right now. But I promise I will carry my phone so you can call me anytime. Okay?”

  “Are you all right, Steven?”

  “Yes, Mom, I’m fine. I’m even better than fine. I feel wonderful. This vacation is just what I needed.”

  “Okay, dear,” she said, then let out a sigh.

  He spoke with her for almost a half an hour, and when he was sure she was all right, he said goodbye. Later, the newscaster reported that the wealthy Steven Ashton had been located, alive and well.

  ******

  Steven spent the next few days roaming the town of Huntington, enjoying the cool fall breeze, and the joyful noise of children playing. He frequently stopped in to eat at the Downtown Café, and enjoyed watching the people who came and went.

  An elderly man named Harold always insisted on sitting at the same table. If he found it otherwise occupied, he would stubbornly wait to be seated until the table became empty. He always called for ‘Rosie darling’ when he wanted anything, and he had a habit of taking out his teeth and pocketing them when he finished eating.

  A young man liked to frequent the café, but brought a different girl with him each time he came in. The hostess appeared to know him, and would scowl at him when he wasn’t looking.

  Rose was Steven’s favorite waitress, and he enjoyed chatting with her about the town. He had found out that Rose and her husband owned a farm just outside of the city limits. She worked at the Café to bring in some extra money. Farming didn’t pay what it used to, and her husband was getting too old to learn anything else.

  Steven’s mother called him daily, but he didn’t mind. She had always worried a bit too much about him, but he knew it was because they were always in the public spotlight, and along with that came security risks. When he was young, they had made up a code word, “Mrs. Donaldson”, so if there was ever any trouble they could trust whoever knew the code word.

  Steven smiled as he thought about “Mrs. Donaldson” and his childhood. Even though he came from a privileged background, his parents taught him the value of hard work. He was probably the only child in his school who cleaned his own room, and put away his own clothes. Even his best friend Alex had teased him about his chores. But Steven was grateful that his parents had enough sense to teach him how to work hard.

  Sitting at a table in the corner of the café, he waited until Rose came to take his order.

  Rose lit up when she saw him. “Ethan, how are you this evening?”

  “Just perfect, Rose. And how is life treating you?”

  “I’m fine, but my poor Frank strained his back yesterday,” she confided, lines of worry on her face.

  “Does your husband need any help on the farm?” Steven asked without thinking. Then he added, “I’m a city boy, but I am a quick learner.”

  Rose hesitated, and he sensed she was choosing her words carefully. “We could use a little help, but we can’t pay much.”

  “Oh, I’m not looking for a job, just something to do for the next couple of weeks before I have to…” Steven had not thought ahead to what he was going to say. He needed an excuse as to why he had to leave town.

  Rose shook her head. “We couldn’t possibly let you work on our farm for free.”

  Steven thought for a few moments, and then said, “Why don’t I come by tomorrow morning, and help Frank out? If I do a good job, then you can pay me whatever you think is fair. If it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to pay me a dime. I have to leave on a business trip in two weeks, so I’ll only be able to help for a short time anyway.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Ethan.” A smile lit up her face. “Now, what can I get for you tonight?”

  ******

  The sun hadn’t even crept above the horizon yet when Steven awoke, filled with anticipation for the day ahead of him. His help on the farm would be appreciated, and he was always up for a new challenge. He arrived at the farmhouse just as the morning sun started peeking over the trees. The cozy little house nestled in between two rather large oak trees. A wooden plaque on the front of the house said “The Svoboda Home” in rustic lettering. An orange cat lay curled up on the porch, and as he drove up the gravel road it lazily stood and stretched its back.

  Steven surveyed the land, looking for the cows that he could smell from up the road. He supposed they were in the barn, as he only saw a black dog running up to greet him. He hopped out of his truck and pushed his glasses up his nose. He felt more alive than he had felt in years. Rose opened the door before he had the chance to knock.

  “Ethan, thank you so much for coming to help. Frank is out in the barn. I’ll introduce you to him.” Rose, wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, looked much more at home without her apron and pink uniform on. She led him out to the barn, cautioning him to watch where he stepped.

  “Frank, this is Ethan.” Rose beamed, as she introduced her husband. Frank smiled easily, and held out a gloved hand for Steven to shake. He looked exactly like a farmer, Steven decided, with his muscular shoulders and tanned neck and arms. He wore his thinning dark brown hair short. He had a warmth about him, and Steven instantly liked the man.

  “So, you want to take on a little farm work, I hear,” Frank said.

  “Yes, I do.” Steven looked around the barn, wondering if he was going to learn how to milk cows.

  “Fall is harvest time. The work is hard and the pay isn’t very good.”

  “Sounds just like what I’m looking for.” He smiled. Frank laughed, and his eyes sparkled.

  “I’ll show you where I keep the work clothes, then.”

  ******

  Rose smiled as her husband led Ethan around, showing him his farm. After two weeks of having help, she was sure Frank would let her hire a farmhand. He hadn’t always run the farm himself. The boys had helped him. Growing up on the farm, they had learned to do just about everything. But her two sons had matured and moved on to make their own way in life. She went back inside the farmhouse to finish cleaning up after breakfast.

  Rose puttered around in the kitchen for an hour. After cleaning up, she decided to turn on the computer in the den. She liked to read the daily news reports on the Internet and check her email. Sometimes her boys would send her a quick note or a photograph.

  The morning hours went by quickly, and soon Rose got up to make the men their lunch. Rose called out for them to come inside and eat.

  “So, Ethan, what brings you to Huntington?” Frank
asked, as they enjoyed a home cooked meal at the kitchen table.

  Ethan looked a bit surprised, and Rose raised one eyebrow. “I’m actually just visiting here for a little while. But I’ve been thinking of buying one of the old homes in Huntington and restoring it.”

  “Oh, where are you from originally?”

  “New York City.” A tingle crept down Rose’s spine. Something about Ethan was bugging her.

  “New York! Well, you are a city boy, aren’t you?” Frank laughed. Rose narrowed her eyes a little but didn’t say anything.

  Ethan fidgeted in his seat. “It’s very stressful living in New York. I can see why you like taking things slow here in the Midwest. How long have you owned land here?”

  Rose listened to Frank talk about the farm, and their boys, while studying Ethan. Frank was proud of his sons and very willing to tell Ethan about them. He explained how one of them was married and living in Wisconsin with his own law practice, and the other one was in college studying to be a dentist.

  Rose watched Ethan thoughtfully as they finished up their meal. Several times she opened her mouth and was about to say something, but then decided against it. It wasn’t until after the dishes were cleared from the table, and the men were about to leave the house did she turn and say, “Ethan, what did you say your last name was again?”

  “Ash–” Steven stopped abruptly, coughed, then said, “Ashling”.

  He was already outside when Rose folded her arms and frowned, looking at him through the kitchen window. She wasn’t sure why the billionaire Steven Ashton was here, lying about who he was, but she was going to figure it out. The last thing they needed was some big shot paving over their land to build a shopping center.

  ******

  Emily sighed, tired and stiff from sitting in the car. If Richard hadn’t found the tabloid paper at the check-out stand last week, he probably would have given up by now. But the story in the paper had a picture of Steven Ashton in a brand new truck, driving down the main street of a town in Nebraska. Granted, it was a blurry photo, and you could hardly make out Steven’s features, but it was enough to fuel Richard into renewed interest. He had insisted on driving to the small town where the truck was traded in. After speaking with the car lot owner quoted in the article, he became convinced Ashton had been there.

  He now spent his time going into diners and truck stops, showing a photo of Steven Ashton from a Forbes magazine, and asking if anyone had seen him around. Of course, no one had, but Richard was not giving up, and Emily was not sure how long he would chase Steven.

  Connor wiggled in his car seat. His straight blond hair and grey eyes were so much like William’s. Emily hoped he didn’t inherit much else from Will. Not that all the time with William had been bad. It hadn’t. But lately all she could remember were the fights, and the looks she would get from people around town at the bruises on her face. Now William was dead, and she was stuck running.

  Richard climbed back into the car, beaming. “Bingo,” he said, turning around to look at Emily. “The lady who runs this café says this guy comes in here a lot in the evenings. He’s a big tipper, and he goes by the name of Ethan. That’s got to be him, Emily. We found him!”

  Emily closed her eyes and her heart sank. She couldn’t believe he had found him. Now she was in trouble; she knew it. While Richard silently gloated, she decided to make the most out of this situation. Noticing the ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window, an idea came to her mind. Maybe this would give her exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Four

  Rose watched Steven and Frank work the farm for the next few days. She got on the Internet to read what she could about the powerful Steven Ashton. He’d started his own company selling computer games when he was only fourteen. His father loaned him the money to start it up, which he quickly paid back with his profits. Soon he hired his own programmers and started manufacturing his own games. His company made him a small fortune, and he turned around and invested it. He’d made his first million dollars by the time he was eighteen. His empire grew, and now at the age of thirty-three he was the youngest billionaire in the United States.

  Rose read all of the latest gossip about Steven too. How he’d been reported missing by his family. People were speculating on his whereabouts, and rumors seemed to be flying all around. One tabloid claimed to have a photo of him, placing him in the Midwest. They speculated he may be working on a secret corporate deal, having to do with land in Nebraska. Since that was her first inclination, she wondered if there might be some truth to it. However, she hadn’t found any reason why he would come to work on the farm, other than to help Frank.

  “Rose, I wanted to thank–” Steven’s voice startled her, and she whirled around, heat rushing to her cheeks. It was quite obvious that she had been reading about him, as the computer screen had a rather large photograph of him on it.

  “I, uh,” she stammered, touching her hair. An awkward silence filled the room.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I knew it wouldn’t last very long, anyway.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Folks around here were bound to find out sooner or later.”

  “Ethan, I don’t know what you are talking about,” Rose said, standing up and flipping the monitor off. She turned to him and smiled. “How would you like a nice piece of homemade apple pie before you head out?”

  “I would love some,” he said, his eyes bright with gratitude.

  ******

  Emily sat on the threadbare couch in the small apartment, her legs curled under her. She rubbed her temples. “Stop pacing. You’re going to wear out the carpet.”

  Richard whirled around. “Shut up. I’m trying to think.”

  Anger boiled down in the pit of her stomach. “You know, living with you is not much better than living with William.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “How dare you? I have never laid a finger on you. I’ve protected you. Everything I do is for you. And now we have the chance to get some real money. Just let me think.”

  Her anger cooled, replaced by guilt. In his own way, Richard was trying to protect her. She knew what would happen if her past caught up with her. But the constant running was almost worse. She swallowed, and looked down at the floor. “Maybe if you let me take that job at the café–”

  “No.” Richard pounded his fist into his hand. “We’ll think of something else. There’s too much risk in getting a job.”

  Emily sighed. “Richard, this is a small town café we’re talking about. They’re not going to check references, and I’ll use the social security number you got for me. If I work there, then I’m sure to meet up with Steven. You have to admit, going and hanging out there for several hours a day hasn’t worked.”

  He clenched his jaw, and seemed to process that for a minute. “What about the kid? I’m not gonna play mommy while you go off to work. Besides, you’re supposed to be a single mom, remember?”

  A small flicker of hope brightened in her. Maybe he would let her after all. “I’ve already spoken to the woman upstairs. She’s willing to watch him.”

  Richard began pacing again. After what seemed like forever, he said, “Okay. You can apply for the job.”

  ******

  Steven sat at the table, enjoying another lunch with Frank and Rose when his cell phone chimed from his pocket. It hadn’t rang in a few days. His mother had stopped calling so much and everyone else knew not to bother him on vacation. He excused himself from the table and went into the other room to take the call.

  “Steven, I’m so sorry to bother you on your vacation.”

  “Alex, how are you? Is everything okay?” Steven furrowed his brow. Alex, his business partner, wouldn’t call him unless it was important.

  “We’ve got a problem. I’m afraid we’ve had a bit of bad publicity surrounding your so-called disappearance. The investors are getting cold feet, and are threatening to pull out. I know you’re on vacation, but I need you to show up and smooth things over…”

  “Surely it
can’t be that bad,” he said, knowing that Frank and Rose were listening to his side of the conversation from the other room.

  “Steven, I’m not kidding. This deal will be blown if you don’t come back right now. I’m sorry. I know you have worked hard on this…”

  “It’s okay. I’ll come. I’ll catch the next flight out.” His heart sank as he said those words. There goes the rest of his week.

  When he came back in the kitchen, Frank and Rose acted like they had not heard the conversation.

  “Looks like I have to leave early for my business trip,” he announced.

  “Oh, dear, I’m sorry to hear that,” Rose said.

  “What kind of business are you in, Ethan?” asked Frank.

  “Oh, I dabble in this and that.” He watched Rose almost choke on her food.

  “Come here, Ethan, we need to settle up with you before you leave.” Rose went into the other room.

  “Rose, I can’t let you pay me anything,” Steven protested when he was out of earshot from Frank.

  “Nonsense, now we had an agreement. It’s not much, but it’s a fair wage for the labor you’ve put in.” She put some bills in an envelope and thrust it at him, and he sheepishly took it from her.

  “You know, the only reason I agreed to let you pay me was because you wouldn’t let me help around here otherwise.”

  “Hush, now, and go finish your meal, young man.” And with that, she shooed him back into the kitchen before he could protest anymore.

  After Steven left, he made a few phone calls and arranged to have his private jet pick him up at the nearest airport that evening. He hoped he would be able to return soon, but knew there was a possibility that he wouldn’t be back for quite some time.