Page 55 of Stranded with the Billionaire
Chapter Ten
Ladies and gentlemen,” Rod Temple the auctioneer stood on a hay wagon, microphone to his mouth to get everyone’s attention. “If I could have everyone come over to me, I have an announcement I’d like to make and contrary to popular opinion, I don’t like to hear myself speak so let’s get everyone here then I can say this only once and not have to repeat myself.”
Sterling watched in confusion as the crowd gathered, buzzing over the unorthodox opening of the auction. Usually, Temple just said the terms and conditions of the sale then got on with it. Dixby came to stand beside her, Joy sitting on his shoulders.
“Dixby, you keep carrying that child she’ll never learn to walk, run or make it on the field hockey team,” Sterling said dryly as she reached out a hand to straighten Joy’s dress.
“She runs just fine,” Dixby frowned at Sterling. “Some days I can barely keep up to her.”
“I like running,” Joy piped up as she strangled some more of Dixby’s hair into a tiny ponytail, complete with colorful elastics. “It’s fun.”
“How did you manage to have such a cute kid?” Sterling smiled at Joy who smiled back happily.
“It’s all her mother,” Dixby said confidently, ignoring the tugging of his hair.
“All right everyone,” Temple called their attention back to him. “The equipment was supposed to be auctioned off today and the farm if the minimum bid was met. There has been a change of plans as the auction has been cancelled as of this morning. Someone has stepped in and offered the bank a tidy sum for the whole lot and that offer has been accepted. I’m sorry that some of you folks drove all the way from Buford or beyond and as act of goodwill, lunch at the fry truck will be paid for. Thank you for coming to Pendle for the auction. If you require an auctioneer for estate or livestock sales, please contact me, Rod Temple at Temple’s Auctioneering Company. Have a good day folks.”
Temple turned off the microphone and jumped off the wagon as the crowd began talking, gossiping amongst themselves at this turn of events. Several people had already wandered over to the fry truck, forming a line. Some headed for their cars. Most just hung around, ready to talk for a while.
“I wonder who bought it,” Sterling said softly. “It’s hard to imagine anyone else here.”
“Who is that talking to your parents?” Dixby already knew. He’d spotted Jake talking to Paisley and Owen Hawkins a while ago. Paisley was wiping her eyes with a tissue and Owen looked a little gobsmacked.
Sterling sucked in a breath as her traitorous feelings took a leap of joy at the sight of Jake. “I can’t believe it. He bought the farm.”
“Seems that way,” Dixby commented with a smile.
“That low down, sneaky scumbag!” Sterling exploded, marching toward Jake as quick as her crutches would allow. She ignored the pain of her knee as she put weight on it to get there more quickly.
“Wait, what?” Dixby followed her quickly. This was going to be a show if he was any judge of the situation. Cooley’s never missed a show if they could help it.
“You!” Sterling poked Jake in the leg with a crutch. “You’re despicable! First you fire me, shut down my tabloid, then blacklist me so I could never get another job in my field, but that wasn’t enough was it? You’re so set on revenge that you had to buy my parents’ farm then taunt them with the news! You’re the worst person on this planet Jake Ramesly!”
Whatever Jake had to say was lost as he quickly backed away from Sterling who tried to hit his loafered foot with her crutches as she continued her tirade. “How dare you! I was doing my job, just like every other tabloid reporter. While I might have accentuated the truth, I never once lied about your family in my articles. Yet for some reason, you singled me out to destroy my career. The only thing I can think you could have against me was that I lied about being a flight attendant to get on that plane. I saved our lives on more than one occasion after that crash. You would think that you might be a little bit grateful. Maybe even forgive me for having to write about your family in my articles, but no! Instead you go ballistic! You’re the worst sort of autocrat, bully, tyrant, dictator – “
“SaraLee Caroline Hawkins,” Paisley said sharply as Sterling paused for a breath.
Owen handed his daughter a paper with a trembling hand.
Sterling glared at Jake one last time before taking the paper and having a look. It was the deed for the farm, transferred back to her parents from the bank. She felt her anger drain away, being replaced by confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s bought the farm and given it back to us,” Owen said in surprise.
“Why?” Sterling felt bewildered.
“You’re right,” Jake admitted. Part of him was surprised by her tirade. He knew he deserved it, yet no woman had ever stood up to him that way before. It was refreshing. Plus, she was magnificent in her anger, her eyes bright and cheeks flushed. Jake cleared his throat and concentrated on an explanation. “I was wrong to interfere in your career. I was wrong to hurt you like that. This is my way of making amends. If I hadn’t caused you to lose your job and not be able to get another, you would have been able to make the payments and not have lost the property. Every insult you said about me or even thought about me, I deserve. I’m sorry.”
Sterling stared at Jake in shock. Never had she expected him to apologize. It put her off balance for a moment. “Buying the farm is easy for you. It’s an easy thing to just spread your money, ask for forgiveness and leave. What about the people of Pendle? What about my career?”
Jake nodded at Sterling’s calm questions. “I’ve talked to several of the other magazines, newspapers, and tabloids. I’ve asked them to ignore my earlier request not to hire you. Sterling, you can choose to work for whomever you wish, or I have another idea if it suits you. I still have all the assets from Dubious. If you want, you can run the place. Change the direction of the tabloid or keep it the same, I don’t care. I’ll fund it.
“As for Pendle, I think the furniture factory should reopen. The business model that Brant has slowly been implementing is viable. The biggest problem is that the company was laboring under so much debt. If the debts were removed, it could turn a profit,” Jake explained. “I’ve decided, if Mr. Hawkins is amenable to a partnership between the three of us, to invest in Hawkins Fine Furniture. I believe that in the long term, the company could flourish.”
Sterling didn’t know how she was supposed to stay mad at him even though she wanted to. Once the town learned of his sponsorship, he was going to become the town hero for saving jobs and Pendle itself. They’d worked so hard as a family to keep things going and here was Jake, with his bank account saving the day without even blinking an eye over what had been insurmountable for the Hawkins family.
It wasn’t fair.
Yet at the same point, Jake hadn’t had to do any of this. He could have just let it all collapse and never look back. None of this would have touched him. This meant that he was sincere in his apology.
