Share

Chapter 14

Author: Eileen Sheehan, Ailene Frances, E.F. Sheehan
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Theresa nervously fluffed the accent pillows on her sofa while she looked at the clock.  Jeffrey would arrive at any moment.  More than once, since she’d agreed to let him pay her a visit, she’d questioned the wisdom in it.  Her feelings for him were a complete mystery to her. She had no idea how she would behave once she was behind closed doors with him.  Would she cry her eyes out and tell him how much he’d hurt her, or would she grab a knife from the knife block on the kitchen counter and stab him in the heart with it?  Just to be safe, she tucked all of the knives away in a very inconvenient kitchen drawer.

Even though she told herself that she wanted nothing to do with Jeffrey Holmes and that she was only letting him come over so that he could explain himself, she took extra care with her hair and makeup.  When she was tidying up her bedroom, she told herself it was out of nervousness and not because she expected to take hi

Locked Chapter
Continue to read this book on the APP

Related chapters

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 15

    David slid his cell phone into his pocket as he stepped onto Linda’s front porch. He sighed as his index finger pressed the doorbell. For the first time in his life, he had regrets for his behavior. With the exception of Theresa, the women he’d bedded in the past were carefully chosen for their tastes in the bedroom, as well as their ability to be discreet.Theresa was the woman he intended to marry. It was vital that she did not learn about the other women. She’d never understand, and she’d probably break it off with him. The thought of losing her because of a loose mouth made his blood boil.It wasn’t just the thought of losing Theresa that bothered him. It was also the thought of losing the money she was to inherit. He needed that money in a bad way. No one -not even Jeffrey- knew of the dire straits his financial portfolio was in. He’d made some seriously bad investments and was almost br

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 16

    Theresa twisted her cup of coffee between her hands as she sat at her kitchen table and thought on what to do. She needed to leave for work, but Jeffrey was still sound asleep in her bed. Should she wake him or leave him where he was? She just didn’t know.If she woke him, she’d have to face him. After the confession he made about loving her, she wasn’t sure she was up to that. The thought of him withholding his feelings from her for so long and mistreating her because of them just made her blood boil. She knew she’d eventually forgive him for being an ass after they’d made love. After all, she was pretty riddled with guilt about it herself. People acted oddly when they were overridden with guilt. Forgiving him for not telling her that he loved her when he knew how she’d felt about him since she was a young girl and allowing her to move forward with David… well…. she wasn’t sure

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 17

    It seemed like days, instead of hours, since she left Jeffrey sitting at her kitchen table. The memories of his half-naked body sitting casually at her table with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands plagued her throughout the day. He’d looked so sexy. More than once she had to take a deep breath to calm her desires as the vision of him floated through her mind. Oh, how she wished she’d stripped him bare and taken him right there in the kitchen. The question of STDs flitted through her mind at the thought. She’d been extremely cautious about who she had sex with. She wasn’t lying when she told David he was only her second sex partner. Her fear was just that great.She trusted David when he said he was faithful. Besides, he’d agreed to have the tests run and came through clean as a whistle. As for Jeffrey, she’d heard enough complaints about his celibacy from his parents and his brother

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 18

    Pain pierced his jaw as Jeffrey slowly tested whether it was broken. He couldn’t say how long he’d been out and he had no idea where David and Theresa had gone to. He struggled to stand, but his equilibrium was off, so he sat on the floor and leaned against the desk.Worry over Theresa’s safety overshadowed his hesitancy in admitting that he’d been caught having sex with her in her office by David. He pulled out his cell phone, took a deep breath, and dialed his father’s telephone number. Henry picked up on the second ring.At normal speed, Theresa’s office was twenty minutes from the ranch. Henry made it in fifteen. Jeffrey was leaning on his truck when he pulled into the parking lot. He leapt out and immediately inspected Jeffrey’s jaw.“I don’t think it’s broken,” he said with concern, “but you’re going to have a doozy of a bruise. What did he hit

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 19

    Jeffrey saw no sign of David during the two-week vigil he held in Theresa’s room. It was just as well. He was still angry enough to pound first and ask questions later.Theresa was awake for a few days when Glenda brought the news that David and Pattie were married. It seemed that Henry put his foot down and threatened to disinherit David if he didn’t do right by Pattie. They’d done a paternity test and the babies David fathered were his. When Jeffrey asked about Linda, Glenda said that when they demanded a paternity test, she admitted that she’d arrived in Montana with the baby already in her womb and that she was just trying to be crafty and railroad a man into marrying her. Had Jeffrey been fool enough to sleep with her, he’d have been labeled the proud father. Joan was so disgusted with her niece’s antics that she disowned her. The last they heard, Linda was packing up and heading back in

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 20

    It was her first day back to work. Jeffrey was reluctant to let her go, but she eventually convinced him that she was well enough. Her cast was off, the scar on her face was less angry, and she felt fairly strong. She saw no reason to sit around and get fat any longer.Insisting on driving her to her office and picking her up when she was ready, she kissed him good-bye with the promise that it would be a short day.As she unlocked the door, memories of Jeffrey making love to her in her office flooded her mind. Her body tingled at the thought until her mind shifted to David’s vicious assault. Cold sweat coated her body and her fingers trembled as she opened the blinds and replaced the closed sign with an open one.Jeffrey was thoughtful enough to have cleaned things up before she returned to work, so there was no sign of what occurred. He even managed to have fresh flowers in a vase waiting for her. It had a card declarin

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 1

    It was an early summer morning when Theresa first set eyes on Jeffrey Holmes. He’d come to help her father put the first hay of the season into the hay loft. She was convinced that he was the handsomest man on earth, bar none. He was tall, dark, gorgeous, and oh, so strong. She watched the way his powerful muscles flexed as he hefted bales of hay onto the conveyor belt with star-struck eyes.Theresa was in love for the first time.Years later, she could still feel how her heart practically fluttered out of her body when he turned his handsome face her way and flashed a smile that caused the dimples in his cheeks to deepen, while his sparkling blue eyes gave a quick wink. His large, calloused hand felt warm and powerful as he playfully tousled her long, sun-kissed hair.She wasn’t deterred when she discovered he was a whopping twenty-one years old. Age didn’t matter when you were in love. Theresa followe

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 2

    Jeffrey did his best to stay removed and balanced as he led Theresa toward the mares his father wanted her to inspect. He remembered her as a gangly, young, flat chested, freckle-faced girl with braces. The woman whose company he shared was anything but gangly and flat chested. Her braces were long gone, leaving a beautiful set of pearly white teeth. Her freckles had either faded or were cleverly concealed with makeup that had that natural effect of looking like she had no makeup on at all.He’d deliberately concealed his face and body when he first approached her in order to hide the effects she’d had on him, both physically and emotionally. She was the most stunning woman he’d seen in ages and he was hard because of it. He needed his baggy coat to cover what his tight jeans would certainly reveal.His body longed for her, even if his mind resisted. His divorce had devastated him to the point he’d sworn off w

Latest chapter

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 20

    It was her first day back to work. Jeffrey was reluctant to let her go, but she eventually convinced him that she was well enough. Her cast was off, the scar on her face was less angry, and she felt fairly strong. She saw no reason to sit around and get fat any longer.Insisting on driving her to her office and picking her up when she was ready, she kissed him good-bye with the promise that it would be a short day.As she unlocked the door, memories of Jeffrey making love to her in her office flooded her mind. Her body tingled at the thought until her mind shifted to David’s vicious assault. Cold sweat coated her body and her fingers trembled as she opened the blinds and replaced the closed sign with an open one.Jeffrey was thoughtful enough to have cleaned things up before she returned to work, so there was no sign of what occurred. He even managed to have fresh flowers in a vase waiting for her. It had a card declarin

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 19

    Jeffrey saw no sign of David during the two-week vigil he held in Theresa’s room. It was just as well. He was still angry enough to pound first and ask questions later.Theresa was awake for a few days when Glenda brought the news that David and Pattie were married. It seemed that Henry put his foot down and threatened to disinherit David if he didn’t do right by Pattie. They’d done a paternity test and the babies David fathered were his. When Jeffrey asked about Linda, Glenda said that when they demanded a paternity test, she admitted that she’d arrived in Montana with the baby already in her womb and that she was just trying to be crafty and railroad a man into marrying her. Had Jeffrey been fool enough to sleep with her, he’d have been labeled the proud father. Joan was so disgusted with her niece’s antics that she disowned her. The last they heard, Linda was packing up and heading back in

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 18

    Pain pierced his jaw as Jeffrey slowly tested whether it was broken. He couldn’t say how long he’d been out and he had no idea where David and Theresa had gone to. He struggled to stand, but his equilibrium was off, so he sat on the floor and leaned against the desk.Worry over Theresa’s safety overshadowed his hesitancy in admitting that he’d been caught having sex with her in her office by David. He pulled out his cell phone, took a deep breath, and dialed his father’s telephone number. Henry picked up on the second ring.At normal speed, Theresa’s office was twenty minutes from the ranch. Henry made it in fifteen. Jeffrey was leaning on his truck when he pulled into the parking lot. He leapt out and immediately inspected Jeffrey’s jaw.“I don’t think it’s broken,” he said with concern, “but you’re going to have a doozy of a bruise. What did he hit

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 17

    It seemed like days, instead of hours, since she left Jeffrey sitting at her kitchen table. The memories of his half-naked body sitting casually at her table with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands plagued her throughout the day. He’d looked so sexy. More than once she had to take a deep breath to calm her desires as the vision of him floated through her mind. Oh, how she wished she’d stripped him bare and taken him right there in the kitchen. The question of STDs flitted through her mind at the thought. She’d been extremely cautious about who she had sex with. She wasn’t lying when she told David he was only her second sex partner. Her fear was just that great.She trusted David when he said he was faithful. Besides, he’d agreed to have the tests run and came through clean as a whistle. As for Jeffrey, she’d heard enough complaints about his celibacy from his parents and his brother

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 16

    Theresa twisted her cup of coffee between her hands as she sat at her kitchen table and thought on what to do. She needed to leave for work, but Jeffrey was still sound asleep in her bed. Should she wake him or leave him where he was? She just didn’t know.If she woke him, she’d have to face him. After the confession he made about loving her, she wasn’t sure she was up to that. The thought of him withholding his feelings from her for so long and mistreating her because of them just made her blood boil. She knew she’d eventually forgive him for being an ass after they’d made love. After all, she was pretty riddled with guilt about it herself. People acted oddly when they were overridden with guilt. Forgiving him for not telling her that he loved her when he knew how she’d felt about him since she was a young girl and allowing her to move forward with David… well…. she wasn’t sure

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 15

    David slid his cell phone into his pocket as he stepped onto Linda’s front porch. He sighed as his index finger pressed the doorbell. For the first time in his life, he had regrets for his behavior. With the exception of Theresa, the women he’d bedded in the past were carefully chosen for their tastes in the bedroom, as well as their ability to be discreet.Theresa was the woman he intended to marry. It was vital that she did not learn about the other women. She’d never understand, and she’d probably break it off with him. The thought of losing her because of a loose mouth made his blood boil.It wasn’t just the thought of losing Theresa that bothered him. It was also the thought of losing the money she was to inherit. He needed that money in a bad way. No one -not even Jeffrey- knew of the dire straits his financial portfolio was in. He’d made some seriously bad investments and was almost br

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 14

    Theresa nervously fluffed the accent pillows on her sofa while she looked at the clock. Jeffrey would arrive at any moment. More than once, since she’d agreed to let him pay her a visit, she’d questioned the wisdom in it. Her feelings for him were a complete mystery to her. She had no idea how she would behave once she was behind closed doors with him. Would she cry her eyes out and tell him how much he’d hurt her, or would she grab a knife from the knife block on the kitchen counter and stab him in the heart with it? Just to be safe, she tucked all of the knives away in a very inconvenient kitchen drawer.Even though she told herself that she wanted nothing to do with Jeffrey Holmes and that she was only letting him come over so that he could explain himself, she took extra care with her hair and makeup. When she was tidying up her bedroom, she told herself it was out of nervousness and not because she expected to take hi

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 13

    Indian summer turned to fledge on fall and fall turned to winter with no interaction with Jeffrey. Theresa wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Most of the time she hated him for using her in such an abhorrent fashion that Sunday afternoon. But, there were moments when she forgave him and even understood that he’d done it out of pain and guilt. The more she learned about Jeffrey Holmes, the more she realized how damaged he was by his divorce from Penelope. She questioned if he’d ever heal. Her mind repeatedly assured her that she was getting the better brother in marriage, even if her heart didn’t believe it.She’d spent a considerable amount of time with Glenda Holmes as they planned for her marriage to David. The fact that her own mother passed when she was just a young girl and her father shortly after she entered veterinarian school, made it easier to accept Glenda and Henry’s input. She barely remembered her mot

  • For Love or Money   Chapter 12

    Theresa did her best to slide into the passenger’s side of the cab without wincing from the tenderness of her most private area. All thoughts of guilt oversleeping with Jeffrey were replaced by worry and trepidation over the fact that David would expect sex once they got to her place.He took her hand in his and inspected the engagement ring he’d slid onto her ring finger only a few hours earlier. “Look at that sparkle. Are you happy with it?”Theresa looked down at the three and a half carat solitaire diamond and smiled. “How did you know my ring size?”“I snuck into your jewelry box and took your ring to the jeweler,” he admitted.“How long have you been planning this?” she asked with wonder.“Since the day I looked at your tight ass while swinging on the gate, baby,” he said with a grin.“Do men only think of sex?” she mused, more t

DMCA.com Protection Status