Matthew nodded crispy. “Sure. I’ll be right inside if you need me.”
As the door swung closed behind Matthew, Freddy struggled free of my grip and rubbed his arm. “Ow. Nails, darling.”
“You came out here uninvited and now you’re demanding that I stop my lovely evening so I can talk about divorce terms with you?” I scolded. “Who do you think you are? I decide if and when I’ll speak to you. And if you don’t like that, you can get on a plane tomorrow and talk to my lawyers. Got it?”
“There’s that Italian temper.” I glared at him, and he finally caved. “Fine, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
I ran my hands over the skirt of my dress. “Good. I’ll see you at nine.”
As I turned to walk inside the Round Room, Freddy called out to me. “All these years, you acted like I was the only one running around in this marriage. Now we find out the truth.” He made a scoffing noise. “Make-believe cowboy.”
My hands shook, and if I weren’t afraid of getting charged with assault, I would have slapped him. “I’ve been separated for years, and this is the first person I’ve met who—” I drew in a deep breath. “You know what? It’s none of your business. Just make sure you treat everyone who works here with respect. Whether or not I like it, I’m associated with you, and I’ve had enough second-hand embarrassment to last a lifetime.”
“Oh, please. What happened at the salon was more embarrassing for me than it was for you. My mother heard about it all the way in Switzerland. For you, it was free advertising. As they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Just when I thought he couldn’t sink any lower…
“You don’t even care that you humiliated not only me but your sons, as well? Is this the role model you want to be for your children?”
Freddy reached out to pat me on the cheek, and I smacked his hand away. “Poor Lauren. You’re so American. People have affairs. A lifetime of monogamy is completely unrealistic.”
“I wish you’d notified me about that before we said our wedding vows.” The tears were threatening again. “I meant my vows when I said them, and, silly me, I thought you did too. You knew I believed in monogamy or you wouldn’t have tried to hide those first affairs.”
I’d finally cracked his facade and frustration bubbled over. Spittle flew from his lips as he snapped at me. “I know you love to shame me, but you weren’t the perfect wife, either. You worked all the time, and our sex life was nonexistent. What was I supposed to do?”
Mrs. Jernigan popped her head out the screen door. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re heading back to our cabin.”
The look of pity she shot me turned my stomach. Freddy had succeeded in humiliating me once again. It seemed to be his entire purpose in life.
“C’mon out,” I said. “I’m sorry we were so loud.”
She gave me another sympathetic glance as she and her husband whisked their children past me. I could only imagine what they must have thought. There was no way I could go back inside to the dance now.
After they were gone, I moved closer to Freddy so I could speak quietly. “I know I’m not perfect, Freddy. Mistakes were made on both sides, and there’s no point in rehashing the past anymore. It’s time to move on.”
“I agree.” His anger seemed to retreat a little. “I really did come out here so we could talk like adults.”
“Then I’ll meet you in the dining room at nine so we can talk. Goodnight, Freddy.”
I refrained from telling him not to be late. The man loved his beauty sleep, and he’d probably rest peacefully all night, while I tossed and turned, trying to predict what legal maneuvers he had in store for me. I would not let him take advantage of me. Not this time. Lauren Cozzi might have let him do it, but Lauren Wagonblast? She carried pool sticks into bar fights, and she was no man’s doormat. Freddy was about to find that out.
CHAPTER17
MATTHEW
I’ve never wanted so badly to kick a man off my ranch. Literally. I would have liked to launch that Freddy guy into space with the toe of my boot. I didn’t know exactly what he’d done to Lauren, but from the look on her face, it wasn’t good, and that filled me with a slow boiling anger that needed release. She briefly came back to the dance before saying goodnight, and although I spent the rest of the evening pretending to be fine, dancing the two-step with guests and neighbors, I was worrying about her the whole time. Once I went home, I did what any red-blooded American male would do in this situation—I did my research.
Fine, maybe research wasn’t what people expected of a guy who drives a big pickup truck and can shoot a gun, but I was mature enough to know how to channel my emotions into something purposeful. Threatening Freddy or getting violent with him wasn’t going to help Lauren. I needed to understand what was going on before I could assist her, and I wasn’t the only one who was curious and concerned.
“What happened with Lauren?” Sam asked as I walked into my living room after putting Gigi to bed. He and Ella had come back to my house after the party.
“Her husband showed up.” I set my laptop on the table and sat down between them on the couch, hoping the WiFi was going to cooperate. “He came all the way from France to see her. They’re in the middle of a divorce.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide. “That’s wild. Is he trying to win her back?”
“Nope,” I said. “They’re fighting over money.”
Ella wrinkled her nose. “Do you think he’s dangerous? A stalker type?”
