saw the paper a couple of weeks ago, didn't you? He committed suicide."
Nick put on his patient-father look. "Arden, people commit suicide for many reasons. Everyone who invested did it because they wanted to. They knew the risks involved."
"But why would you pitch an investment like that to people like them? Why, Nick?"
"Because the venture needed capital. My partner raised half of it and I had to come up with the rest. It should have been a very profitable investment, but it flopped. These things happen. We'll recover."
Arden stared at him in disgust. "You'll recover. Clint Holbrook is having to sell his farm. Others have lost their lives. These people aren't businessmen...they're farmers. How could you do this?"
"It's what I do, Arden. I don't want to work for your father forever."
"How come you never told me about any of this?"
"I've told you about the investment. You just weren't interested. I could tell you weren't listening. You never listen to anything I say."
"Well I'm listening now. I truly thought you were a basically good and decent person. But this...this is low. And you don't even feel any remorse."
"I refuse to be held responsible for the decisions of others. I presented an opportunity. Some folks took it, others didn't. That's their choice, Arden."
She shook her head, biting back tears of frustration. "You didn't see those two people, frozen in their attic, clinging to each other. They were still young, Nick. They had their retirement years to look forward to. You took that from them. Justify it any way you want, but as far as I'm concerned, there's blood on your hands."
Nick rolled his eyes and looked away. "Stop being so dramatic. You're acting like a spoiled princess."
She laughed then. This was what Travis had often accused her of. "I lied to you. Something did happen between me and Travis. I didn't sleep with him. But I do have feelings for him."
Nick seemed to harden all over with tension. "Arden, you and I are going to get married. Maybe it will be just a paper marriage. Maybe we'll live in separate bedrooms and screw around with other people. But I'm not losing out on this investment."
"Ha! I knew it!" She pointed her finger at his chest. "You're just after my money. You're a lying, cheating, conniving..."
"And you're no better than me with all your false declarations of love and fake orgasms all the time dreaming about some disgusting, worthless mechanic!"
"This is over, Nick. I'm done." She threw the ring bag at him.
He let it drop to the ground. "No you're not," he said. He strode toward her and before she could back away he was gripping her shoulders, digging his fingers harshly into her flesh. "You and I are going to marry. Because if we don't, your parents will disown you. You'll have nothing. And then you'll go running to your filthy mechanic. Which you may think is fun at first. But when you have to scrape and save to pay your bills and the novelty fun of having sex with a grease-covered, flannel-clad knuckle dragger wears off, you'll realize just how good you had it with me. So you're going to save yourself the torment and marry me now. And we're going to put smiles on our faces and look like the perfect couple to all of our friends."
"Let go of me!" she shouted. She tried to shove him away, but he held tight. She kicked him in the shin, which momentarily broke his grip. He hauled back and slapped her with the back of his hand, his big class ring catching her cheekbone. It didn't break skin, but it would definitely bruise.
Arden had never been hit before and was overwhelmed with a wave of terror and humiliation. She turned and ran as fast as she could. He didn't pursue her and she drove home and fled to her room where she proceeded to sob harder than she'd ever done before.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Arden had avoided seeing Travis for the rest of the week. She called him a couple of times to see how the baby was doing and to reassure him that they were still on for Saturday. But she was hoping the bruise from Nick's ring would disappear enough that she could at least hide it with makeup. But Saturday night came and it was still fairly visible. It had faded some and the swelling was down, but there was no covering it up. So she put it out of her mind.
She