Invisible Scars Collection , livre ebook

Title Page
The Invisible Scars
Collection
Lyn Bradley




Publisher Information
The Invisible Scars Collection published in 2013 by Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary
and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.
Copyright © Lyn Bradley 2013
The right of Lyn Bradley to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.



Invisible Scars
Chapter 1
The sun rose over the corn field making the landscape look gold. Paul took an ear of the wheat and rubbed it between his hands. Another two weeks , he thought. Then it will be ready to harvest. He’d learned from his father all about growing wheat. The ranch was perfectly situated in Texas, just to the north of Breckenridge. He shared the twelve bedroom, Colonial style house with his younger brother Carl and his sister Patti. At least Patti was sometimes home. At present she was in England as a Research Fellow at Newcastle University. Paul missed her. He’d felt responsible for her since their parents died. Their mother succumbed to Breast Cancer and their father had a stroke a month later. The following month, Patti left for England. That was eight years ago.
Paul looked across the field and smiled at the wheat swaying in the gentle breeze. He took a deep breath, then turned and walked back to where he’d tied his horse. He easily swung his six feet five frame up into the saddle and rode back towards the house.
Wheat wasn’t the only thing they had on the ranch, they had cattle and chickens. This was Texas and there were seven oil wells. That was where most of the money came from. The money used to put them all through university and allowed his sister the freedom to follow her dream.
Paul at thirty, had degrees in Business and Accountancy, but his first love was farming. Carl and Patti were the scientists. What Carl didn’t know about oil wasn’t worth knowing. He was twenty eight and engaged to the daughter of a neighbour.
Paul had been involved in a couple of relationships, but neither worked out. He was happy to have one night stands. His last relationship ended when he found out she’d had affairs with the men on the ranch. He’d been in love with her, so the wounds were deep. As a consequence he was bitter and didn’t easily trust. Most of the women he knew were acquaintances, who he used to satisfy his need to release. He didn’t think he would ever find another woman he could trust. His men bore the brunt of his ill temper. Yet he was one of them and would never ask them to do anything he wasn’t willing to. He was known to get drunk on occasion, which only made his temper worse the following day.
Carl was building a house, for him and Beth to live in, half a mile from the main house. Beth was the main driving force behind the design. Her Architect brother designed the house for them and it was almost completed. They were to be married the following month.
That seemed to be the only brightness in Paul’s year so far. He’d heard that Rachel, his ex-love, had been married six months ago and was pregnant with twins. His Ranch Foreman had told him the news and Paul had stormed off and got drunk. He was hell to live with or be around for a month.
The other thing to look forward to was Patti coming home for Carl’s wedding. It had been eight months since he’d seen her. He missed her so much, because she was so much like their mother.
Patti lived in Newcastle, in the north east of England. She had asked if she could bring a friend with her. Of course her doting brothers didn’t mind that, they were anxious to see her. She’d explained that her friend needed a holiday and she wanted to show her the ranch. She’d also said that, Liz had some problems that she needed to think through and the ranch was the best place to do that.
It was time for Paul to head to Houston to pick them up. They were flying in via Miami, so they wouldn’t need to go through customs and could transfer straight to the Lear. He took his horse into the stables and gave it to the groom, then headed to the house to change his clothes.
“I’m so excited.” Patti said. “Wait until you meet Paul. I know you’re just gonna love him!”
“I’m sure I will.” Liz smiled. “Thanks for bringing me.”
“After what you’ve been through, I think you deserve it.” She loaded the last bag onto the trolley. “Is this everything?”
“I think so. How far is it from here?”
“Only forty five minutes.”
“I thought you said it was near Fort Worth.”
“Yeah.”
“Forty five minutes?”
Patti gave her a quizzical look. “We’re not driving. He’s picking us up in the Lear.”
“Oh, right.” Liz screwed her face.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah but stairs.”
“No. No worries. It’s fine.” She grinned. “Can you manage? This is heavy.”
“Yes thanks. You could give me a suitcase.”
“Nope, I got them.”
They made their way through the terminal towards the domestic connection exit. Patti spotted Paul and ran toward him. She abandoned the trolley and ran to his arms. He picked her up and swung her round.
“Welcome home, Patti. We’ve missed you.” He beamed.
“Well you have. Carl’s been too busy with Beth to miss me!”
“No he’s looking forward to seeing you.” He looked past her into the building. “So where’s this friend of yours?”
“Liz, this is my brother Paul.”
Paul looked down to where Liz sat in her wheelchair watching the greeting.
Paul held out his hand in greeting. “I’m pleased to meet you, Liz. It’s good to have you visit.” His eyes sparkled.
Liz shook it. “Thank you.” Oh my lord, wow. She thought. His photo does not do him justice.
“Come on, this way.” Paul picked up all four bags from the trolley as if they weighed ounces. “I thought you were only here for a month, Sis?”
“I am.”
“I guess you still travel light then.” His tone was sarcastic.
“Clothes for all eventualities, Paul dear.” She said amused.
Liz found it a bit of a struggle to keep up to the pair. Patti was five feet eight and could easily keep up with Paul. Even if she’d been able to walk more than a dozen steps, Liz, at five feet one inch, would have been running to keep up. Paul turned to see if Liz was following. He said something quietly to Patti.
Patti turned to see where Liz was. “Oh my, how rude of me, Liz, I’m so sorry. Here let me help you.” She pushed the wheelchair.
“Thanks. I don’t have the muscles in my arms to keep up with you two.”
“Sorry. I told you I was excited.”
Paul stopped at the steps of the plane and put the cases on the tarmac. He turned to Liz.
Liz interrupted what he was about to say. “I can manage the steps.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it just takes a little longer.”
He held out his hands to help her to stand and she took them, gratefully. She had the strangest feeling that he held her hands a little longer than necessary. He followed her up the steps, obviously concerned that she may lose her footing and fall. Patti followed. Once inside the jet, Liz sat in the first available seat, hoping she was hiding the pain she felt. Paul went back for the bags and Liz’s chair.
“We’ve got the wind behind us so it should only be forty minutes in the air.” He said, disappearing through the door into the cockpit of the jet.
“You’re going to love Ridgeway.” Patti said warmly to Liz.
“I can’t wait.”
Paul landed the plane on the private airfield. He told the girls to wait, while he pulled the four by four, ranch truck closer. He descended the steps backwards, in front of Liz and helped her to the car.
“Oh wow, what a beautiful house!” Liz was in awe, seeing the house for the first time.
“Our great-granddad built it.” Patti explained.
As Paul stopped the truck, Liz saw another man, who could only be Carl, cross the expanse of yard in front of the house. She smiled as Patti ran to him, to be swept into strong arms and spun round. She was going to find it very hard to think, with two hunks of maleness around to catch her attention. She was beginning to think this whole idea was a mistake.
“We miss her.” Paul smiled.
“She’s a special girl. She’s helped me through a lot this last year.” Liz said.
Paul collected Liz’s wheelchair from the back of the truck and offered a steadying hand. “The pain seems to have eased a bit.” He said, gently.
“I didn’t think you’d noticed. I’m fine, Paul thanks.”
Liz was introduced to Carl, who greeted her as warmly as Paul had. They all went into the house, where Paul organised the housekeeper to make some tea.
Patti chattered away to her brothers, trying to give them eight months worth of information in as short a time as possible.
Liz felt tired and her back was aching, she hoped she was hiding it. She sipped her tea.
“Maybe you would like to rest for a while.” Paul said. “I’ll show you to your room.”
“Thanks.” Liz smiled.
He took her out into the large hall way. She looked at the stairs and sighed.
“Follow me. There’s an elevator.” Paul directed her to her right. “I’ve put you in the room next to mine. It’s quieter at this side of the house. You can hear the well pumps in Patti’s room. She finds it soothing, but it drives me mad.”
“You pump oil here?”
“Yep. This is Texas, ma’am.”
The room was huge, like the rest of the house. There was an enormous bed and