Chapter 29

Gwen reluctantly pushed her plate away, she couldn't eat another bite.

"How was it?" Colyer asked.

A satisfied smile spread across her face. "It was excellent." She replied. "I can't believe that you actually cook that."

Colyer chuckled. "I have a confession to make." He said. "Cooking is a hobby of mine, everything I know about cooking I learned from Mama and Carlos."

Gwen thought about another dinner he had made for her...

"Colyer if we're going to work together then we should clear the air between us." She said. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes." He said. "I agree completely."

"Good." She said. "I guess I'll go first. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Colyer I didn't mean to hide my pregnancy from you." She began. "I had every intention of telling you but as you know..."

Colyer nodded his head. "Ethan came in and blurted out that I was engaged." He finished for her. "I had no idea that you were that close to Ethan." He said.

"I guess you don't read the gossip rags much." She said. "My name has been trashed a few times because of that prick and his deranged wife."

"Excuse me? Ethan is married.?"

Gwen nodded. "It's not what you think." She said. "I discovered I was pregnant at the same time Theresa drugged and kidnapped him."

Colyer looked at her strangely. "What did you just say?" He asked. "Ethan was drugged and kidnapped by his own wife?"

Gwen nodded. "Before they were married. She took him to Las Vagas where she tricked him into marrying her." She explained. "Theresa is obsess with him and she always will be."

She told him about the strange history of her, Ethan and Theresa.

Colyer was speechless for several minuets as he drunk in everything she had told him. "And this woman is still walking the streets of Harmony a free woman?" He finally asked. "What in the hell is wrong wiith Ethan? What is his malfunction? Is he mental or what?"

Gwen shrugged her shoullders. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself." She answered. "But I will never know the answer."

"I get the feeling that he wants you back."

"He does." Gwen admits. "But that's not going to happen, I'm not going to be a fool for a third time. Theresa can have him, I don't want him."

"What about the baby?"

"I will not stop him from being a father to our child but that's where our relationship ends."

"Not if Ethan have his way."

"Like I said, I am through with him, Theresa can have her manbitch."

"Gwen you're a wonderful woman, you're smart, sophisicated and funny...I can't see a sane man dumping you for some one as silly and psychotic as Theresa."

"He's not the first man to throw his loving, trusting, fiancee over for another woman." Gwen hinted. "But unlike Theresa, I am not a heartless bitch in heat that would walk over anyone to get what she wants." She hissed. "And I don't take very kindly to being used that way either."

Steam rosed from underneath his collar, his face flushed. He looked at his feet to avoid the anger in her eyes. "Gwen I know you think that I was using you but I wasn't." He said. "I knew I made myself look guilty by not answering you but my engagement is a subject I rather not talk about."

"You got that right." Gwen hissed. "You were going to keep me in the dark until Ethan exposed your little secret..."

"I'm not getting marry." He interjected. "I called off the engagment months ago..." He looked up into a surprised Gwen's face. "I tried to get in touch with you to tell you that before I left Harmony." He explained. "I wanted you to know that I wasn't a jerk."

****

Victoria Halstead parked her classic black Stingray in front of the private club she belonged to.

"Good afternoon Miss Halstead." The doorman greeted.

"Afternoon Charles." She said sweetly. "Is my father around?"

"He's waiting for you in the Green Room." He answered.

"Thanks." She took off her Gucci sunglasses and waited for Charles to opened the door.

The former Miss Texas State and first runner up in the Miss American Beauty Pagent flirted her way through the club until she reached the Green room. Asa Halstead was playing an intense game of poker with his old college buddies.

"Hello daddy." She greeted sweetly as she kissed him on the forehead. "Hello Uncle Hank, Uncle Jackson and Uncle Lyndon."

"How's the prettiest girl in Texas?" Lyndon smiled.

"She's just fine, thank you." She smiled.

Asa looked up from his cards and cleared his throat. "Victoria honey, pour your daddy another shot of Jim Beam."

"Sure Daddy." She said. "Any one else need a fresh drink?" Hank and Jackson held up their glass. Lyndon declined.

"I'm gonna raise the stakes another fifteen." Hank said as he slid his poker chips to the middle of the table.

"I fold." Lyndon sighed as he threw his hand on the table.

"I'll see your fifteen and raised it another five." Jackson challenged.

Asa glanced at his hand and said. "Ill raised it another ten."

He look at Hank then at Jackson. Jackson looked at his hand and sighed. "I fold."

Hank and Asa stared into each other's eyes, unable to read the other thoughts.

"I'm going for the whole shabang." Hank said as he pushed all of his chips into the middle.

Asa did the same. "So am I." He said.

Hank placed his cards on the table. "Full house." He grinned, savorying the look on his friend's face. "Beat that." Asa chuckled as he took his cigar and flicked the ashes in the over flowing ashtray.

"That's a good hand Hank." He said. "A damn good hand indeed, to bad it doesn't beat a royal flush." He smirked. He threw the cards on the table. "Read them and weep."

"Well I be damn." Hank said. "You kicked my ass again."

Everyone burst into laughter as they took out their checkbookds to settle their debts.

"Don't spend all my money at one place." Hank joked. "I like to win some of it back next week."

"You say that every week." Lyndon chortled as he patted him on the back.

"If he say it enough time he will start believing it." Asa quipped.

****

"Victoria honey, don't you think that it's about time for you to give up that race car driver and settled down with Colyer Fox?" He suggested. "This fling with the speed demon has gone on long enough."

Victoria wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Geez daddy, Colyer dumped me remember? He was the one who called off our engagement."

"That's because he caught you with that waiter and his brother at your engagement party." He reminded her. "But I'm sure you can warm your way back into his heart, he is still in love with you."

"Daddy I don't know..." She hesitated. "Colyer is sweet and sexy and all but he is sooo boring, we don't mesh."

"Victoria, the boy is worth millions and once that old coot kick the bucket he will be worth even more." He cried. "This is not about love, it's about security."

"But Daddy..."

"I want you to be well taken care of honey." He continued. "I want to make sure that when I die you will be in a marriage that is worthy of you, your brother will take over for me once I'm gone but I want my darling girl in a good strong marriage, now what is so awful about that?"

"Nothing Daddy." She replied. "But daddy I don't even like Colyer, I was happy when he broke off the engagement."

"Victoria this has nothing to do with emotions, I told you that."

"Okay Daddy I'll do it." She sighed. "But I am not going to give up my fun because of some piece of paper telling me that I am married."

"That's my girl." He smiled. "Now go trap that man."

After Victoria left Asa made a phone call...

"Hello, hey it's me. You don't have to worry about that loan I owe you." He said. "Once my daughter marry Colyer Fox, we will be rolling in the dough." He snickered.