Hi all. Thanks so much for all the votes and comments. EHADS is 81 reads short of 2000 and has 117 votes. You are all the best. To my silent readers, i dont know who you are but thanks for reading. I hope you guys liked the bathroom scene in the previous chapter. EHADS is coming to an end and in this chapter Eva needs to say goodbye to some friends. I was sad when i wrote this but it needed to happen. You know the drill my friends, read comment vote and share if you really like and most of all enjoy.
PS This is not the last chapter even though i feel like it is. O and a lot of things are revealed that i dont think i have mentioned before. O and i am not from Texas so everything i have written in this book is totally made up and from what i have seen in the tv series Dallas. LOL
“Thanks for seeing me sis. I didn’t think you would see me again after what happened last time.” He gave me a hug.
I didn’t think I would let myself see him again. I haven’t heard from any of my parents since that Friday. He called me the day after Peter left and I said I would see him the next Saturday. I was scared that this meeting would do more harm than good. “So why am I hear.”
He took a sip of his coffee. We were sitting in a coffee shop and it was raining outside. He reached for something in his shoulder bag that he carried his laptop in. He placed an envelope on the table and shifted it to me. “I found it the day after Dylan’s accident in the mail. I didn’t open it because it was addressed to you. I saw that it was from Dylan. I would have brought it with me when we came to see you but I thought it would be best not to. I am sorry if this is something that would make the pain worse, but if you don’t open it you will never know.”
“Thanks Allan but nothing in this letter would change how I feel about him. He was behind it all. The day you found me drugged, that was the day I got pregnant. After I left home and while I was on the road he sent me another text with a video. He taped everything that happened that last day when I went to see him after I received the text from your phone. He raped me with all his friends watching and told me how he had planned it all. When he was done he didn’t even bother to dress me and he left me their naked and exposed and all alone.”
“Was his friend James and the others there too.”
It was out before I could stop it. “They all were, and Mary and Joan too.” Then I realized what I just did. “You can’t go after them Allan, you will end up in jail or something. Just let it go, I have. Please?” I could see that he was boiling with anger. “You shouldn’t stoop to their level. They are not worth it.”
“Lucky for them I have a day and a plane ride before I get to them. Do you still have the video?”
“Yes why?”
“I want to take it to the police and get those kids to do the time for what they have done to you.”
“No Allan, I don’t want that, it is just going to ruin too many lives.”
“Okay, if you say so. Are you going to open that or not?”
“Not now. I don’t have the strength to do it. Maybe later.” I wasn’t planning on opening it at all. Maybe Ty could read it or Peter when he comes to visit next month. It has been a week since Peter left. We talked on the phone and texted each other every day. I would see him again in just two weeks. I missed him so much.
“I don’t have work tomorrow, maybe I could stay with you tonight and we can spend some time together, we haven’t really had brother sister time in a long time?” I didn’t know what his answer would be but that was okay. I didn’t have any family left and Allan wasn’t so bad, at least he made an effort to come here.
He looked out the window as if he was thinking really hard. “Okay, we can go get you an overnight bag.”
“I already have one I wasn’t planning on driving back to the ranch if it was too late so I planned on staying at a hotel or something.”
“Good, is there something here we can do that is fun?”
We can go dancing. I didn’t know line dancing was so much fun.” I said with a smile, I knew how my brother felt about dancing. “You need to relax a bit. You work too hard.”
“You know I hate dancing and I am not stressed.” He said and I could see the flames in his eyes.
“How many times in the last two minutes did you think about killing someone with your bear hands?”
“Yeah maybe I am a little stressed.” He smiled when he said that and I knew he was trying to put me at ease. He couldn’t hide his anger from me and Allan has always been protective.
An hour later we were driving to one of the clubs. We had fun for the first time in years. It turned out Allan liked line dancing and he was good at it, no two left feet there. We danced till the early hours of the new day and when we got to the hotel I was dead on my feet. I fell asleep and slept till ten the next morning.
“Hey sleepy head, I brought you breakfast.” Allan woke me and placed the food on the bed. “My plane leaves in three hours and I have to get going soon. I want to spend the last hour I have with you okay.”
“Okay.” I ate and we talked and we just enjoyed our brother sister time and when the hour was up I said goodbye to him at the hotel and I went back to the ranch.
I was glad that he didn’t push me to open the letter. I wasn’t ready to know what was in it and I didn’t really care. We didn’t talk about my parents much; he just told me that my mom and dad were fighting for the first time in their marriage of twenty five years.
I thought back on the last day with Allan and I smiled. We actually had a good time and I realised how much I had missed him the last few months. I drove home remembering the good times and I remembered him with the first and only girl he had ever brought home. I always thought she was beautiful but for some reason she scared me. I never knew why.
I arrived back at the ranch and everyone was at the pool swimming. I went to change and joined them. Dora and Jenna had backed off and didn’t act like bitches again. We were actually getting along. I wore a one piece to sort of cover my belly. Ty came and we sat next to the pool talking and I told him about the letter. He didn’t force me to open it.
Peter phoned me later that night and he said I should open the letter when he came to visit. I agreed and we went on talking about other things. He talked about his project and that he spoke to Shawn and how everything was good.
After speaking to Peter I decided to go to bed and about an hour after I woke up screaming from a nightmare. Ty was in my room in seconds and from that night on slept in my room. I didn’t know what had caused the nightmares to start but it was bad and I had a hard time dealing with it.
Monday came too soon and I felt tired and not in the mood for anything. I dragged myself out of bed and went through my morning routine. I dressed in jeans and I short sleeved button up shirt and my usual boots and Stetson. I had my hair in a braid and no makeup what so ever. I left the house with a carrot and an apple.
“Good morning Eva, are you okay, you look tired?” Steven asked and I could see the worry in his eyes.
“Good morning, thanks I am good.” I said and tried not to look his way. He had a way of telling when I was lying.
“Why don’t you work till lunch and take the afternoon off?”
“No need, I am good. I have too much to do.”
“Nonsense, you don’t have anything to do, this office is more organised than it ever was and all your work is up to date. What do you plan on doing? We have no orders to place and neither I nor Ronald have work for you.” He said in an angry tone.
“I need to get the workers times into the system and I need to reply to a few mails. I will find something to do.”
“No, you can attend to the mails and the workers times but that is it. Before you leave divert all calls to my cell and go home. I don’t want to see you looking like this again tomorrow morning or you will take another day off.” He mumbled something about woman and their hormones and left the office.
I worked until lunch and locked up the office. I didn’t know what I will do with the time so I started prepping for dinner after I had a proper lunch. The rest of the afternoon I was staring at the envelope with my name on. I didn’t want to open it on my own and Ty was working and Peter wasn’t here. I decided to take a nap and set my alarm so that I wouldn’t over sleep and in time for me to start dinner.
The alarm woke me and I washed my face and started on dinner. When everyone else returned dinner was on the table and everyone dug in.
“Eva you are a very good cook.” Ty said and everyone agreed.
After dinner I went to take a shower and when I got to my room Ty was on my phone talking to someone. “Hold on Peter she just came in to her room. See you soon, bye.” HE handed me the phone and left my room.
“Hi Peter.”
“Hallo Eva, how was your day?”
“It was okay and yours?
“Mine was good, why was your day just okay?”
“Steven sent me home early and I don’t like sitting and doing nothing.”
“Why did he send you home early?”
“He said I looked tired and he wanted me to rest.”
“Why were you tired?”
“What is with the twenty questions?” I was getting irritated.
“Sorry Eva, but I need you to take care of yourself. You need to get enough sleep and eat properly. I miss you and I want to see you again. I won’t be able to if you don’t take care of yourself.” He sounded concerned.
“I just had a nightmare and then Ty came to stay with me and it was fine, I need this baby to be born and out of my life. I need every reminder of that bastard gone so I can move on with my life.”
“You said you would think about keeping him, please it is not his fault. He didn’t ask for any of this and I know you didn’t either but you need to try and not blame that baby.”
“I said I would think about it. What have you been up to?”
“Not much really, school and the project, all of it is keeping me busy.” He said sounding as if his mind was elsewhere.
“Well I will leave you now; I need to get sleep before Steven sends me home again tomorrow.”
“Okay, I miss you and I will call you again tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye.” I waited for him to end the call, but he didn’t. I could still hear him and it was comforting. I got under the covers and with the phone on my ear I drifted off to sleep. I had a dream where we were on a beach and he was holding me in his arms and then he said it.
“I love you Eva, with every part of me.”
The phone disappeared from my ear and I felt Ty’s arms around me. I slept without dreams or nightmares.
The next few days flew by and luckily Steven didn’t send me back home again. I felt rested and better than that Monday and things between me and Peter were better too. Thursday everything changed.
Ronald and Steven sat in the office when I came back from lunch. They both looked worried and stressed.
“IS everything okay, the two of you looks stressed and as if you are about to cry.”
“We have called a meeting; Luko has just gone to get everyone together. Let’s go out to the barn and we will talk to all of you.” They got up and I followed them to where everyone was gathered for the meeting. All the workers were there including Steven and Ronald’s wives.
“We have called this meeting today to give all of you a heads up. We will be selling the ranch before the summer and we don’t know if the new owners will keep anyone on. We got an offer from developers and it was too good to refuse.” Steven said.
“We are going to start selling off everything and by the end of winter there will be nothing of the ranch left except for our personal belongings so we wouldn’t need you all after that and I am sorry to say but as usual last in is first to go. So all of the guys living with Eva will be going as soon as we don’t need you anymore but you are all free to leave at any time, we will not hold you to your contracts. We know there are some ranchers that can take in some of you for the rest of the year until summer and we could pass on their details if you are interested. Eva, we will need you to handle the office work for as long as you are able but it won’t be for very long either and you are also welcome to go as soon as you want.” Ronald said and it looked like he was going to cry.
“Why are you selling?” Was all I asked.
“We are not getting any younger and the kids are not interested in the ranch and we might not get this opportunity and price again.” Steven said and wrapped his arms around his wife.
“I will stay as long as I am needed.´ I said and Ty came to stand next to me. I have never seen people divide into two groups so quickly. Ty and Luko and a few other permanent workers came to stand by me while all the others George Jenna Dora Alfred and Blake and the rest of the workers went to stand on their own.
“We would like to go as soon as possible to go look for new work.” The leader of that little group said and everyone nodded in agreement.
“Could all of you please come to the office in an hour and hand in your resignations and Eva will sort out your final pays. Just be sure to write the date of the last day you will be working on your resignation and Eva will work the rest out. We thank you all for your services no matter how long it was and we will always remember you.” Ronald said as if they died.
“Well everyone back to work.” Ronald said and everyone went back to their work.
I stepped into the office and I saw Sarah and Malinda in the office. When they saw me they came over and we talked a little about everything. They left and I got to work. By five I could barely keep my eyes open. I didn’t have to cook because Steven and Ronald had decided to host a barbeque for the workers that were leaving. I didn’t attend and Ty brought me food a little while later. I ate and went back to sleep. I send Peter a text earlier saying that I would call him at seven the next morning because I was already in bed and about the news that the ranch was being sold.
I woke up at six and my phone rang almost immediately. It was Peter. We talked about everything and he asked how long I would be staying on and I said as long as they needed me. After he hung up I went to shower and change.
In the kitchen Dora and Jenna were both sitting on the porch with their suitcases packed and ready. A car pulled up and they were gone without even saying goodbye.
By the end of the day it was just me and Ty left in the house. We had fun just the two of us. I didn’t have to cook anymore because Steven and Ronald’s wife’s invited us every night for dinner. We spend every minute together that we didn’t work and the next week went by so fast.
Steven knew that Peter was coming to Texas and he said that there were extra rooms in the house and Peter could use one, that way we didn’t have to travel back and forth between the ranch and town and we could spend more time together. I was happy about that and Peter too.
It was Thursday afternoon and the sun was setting when I heard my phone ring. I went to get it and saw that it was a number I didn’t know. I left it to go to voicemail. The person that phoned didn’t leave a message so I forgot about it.
Friday morning in the office was the same as any day. We worked on getting all the animals sold and sorting out the final salaries for workers that was leaving the weekend. I looked at my watch and saw that it was three o clock. I was on a call with a buyer when the door opened and when I looked up Peter stood in the door. He looked so handsome in khakis and a t shirt. He stood in the door waiting for me to finish the call.
As soon as I had put the phone down I got up and ran into his arms. I cried and laughed and everything at once. After all the hallo’s and small talk he left to go settle in at the house and at five he stood outside the office talking to Steven and Ronald.
“Well Eva, I need to congratulate you, all the livestock was just bought by a rancher that responded to an add you placed and if it wasn’t for the add he would never have known about it. All we have to do now is pack up our houses and then we are done. I thought we would still be here the winter but it looks like we will be leaving before winter starts.” Steven said excited.
“So when do you think I should leave?” I asked but I didn’t want to know the answer.
“I can’t see that we would need you here longer than end of next week.” Ronald said and I saw the sadness in his eyes.
“I guess I will be going to Miami sooner than I thought.” I said and loomed at Peter.
“You saying you are going to Miami with me?”
“Only if Ty can go too if he doesn’t have plans yet.”
“You can take anyone you like.” He said laughing and picked me up. He turned us around and around hugging me and I have never seen him happier.
The weekend and the rest of the week went by without too much excitement. I saw the doctor and Peter went with me. The doctor was happy that I had gained a little weight but sad that I was leaving. He gave me a letter and referral to my new doctor in Miami and Peter said he would take me there.
Ty had decided to go with us and I was happy about that. Friday night Steven and Ronald hosted another fair well barbeque but this time it was more emotional and intimate. Hey made speeches and toasted to everyone’s futures.
On Saturday Ty and I said our goodbyes and we left. Ty drove my car and I drove with Peter. I couldn’t believe I was finally going to be with Peter every day and hopefully I could get Peter to get Shawn to help Ty. Ty and I had decided to get and apartment and he would go look for a job and I had enough to cover our rent for a while and when Ty got a job my half.