Carly nodded as she chewed on her croissant.
“Okay, so instead of getting them all suspicious, you need to let them think you will follow the plan. They think you went back to New York right now. Keep up the charade, but send a message saying that you’ve thought it over and have decided to return. Tell them you’ll come back to Maple Cove for a year as stipulated.” I watched as Carly’s eyes clouded over with a million questions.
“Are you serious, Matt? You must be crazy! No way in hell am I doing that!” She began.
I took a deep breath. Carly was always jumping to conclusions. “Just listen…” I started.
“Umm…okay…but why? I’m not doing it! I will not live with the two of them for a year. I can’t stand them and, in all honesty, I think we will kill each other.” Carly paced up and down, throwing her arms around as she spoke.
She was spiraling and needed something to grab her attention. “That’s not the plan, Carly. Sit your ass down and listen.” I growled.
She spun around and marched back towards me. “The only time you get to tell me what to do is when I’m naked. Got it?” Her finger was up in my face as she barked at me.
Raising my hands in the air and trying not to chuckle, I nodded. “You’re so feisty, my little kitten. Relax and let me explain again.”
***
On the morning of December 20th, Carly and I headed down the highway and back to Maple Cove. Our plan was to show up at her family’s home, and let them know that the will wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. I was going to help Carly contest the will and we would take them all to court. Either this case would get tied up in the system and they would end up spending most of the money on lawyers and court fees, or they agreed to work this out off the books. Whatever happened though, we weren’t staying there. I needed to check on my mom’s house anyway, and we planned to spend the night there before heading back to the city. With Dave still out west, no one had been there since the funeral.
“You nervous, baby?” I asked as I watched her look out the window at the falling snow.
“No…okay, maybe a little.” She admitted. “I’m just not sure how this is all going to go. They don’t even know that I’m showing up with you. The last time they saw me was at your mom’s funeral and that was a shocker for them to see me sitting there with you.”
“It’s irrelevant. Our relationship, what you’ve been doing or where you’ve been living since Thanksgiving, has nothing to do with your siblings. Anyway, I’m here to support you and make sure that they don’t manipulate you or this situation any longer.”
Carly smiled and reached over to wrap her hand around the back of my head. “Thanks, Matt. It really means a lot to me.”
He turned his head towards me and winked. “I love you, Carly Roberts.”
His words made me feel like my heart had stopped. But I couldn’t deny that I felt the same. In fact, I’d been feeling it for some time and had been trying to find a way to tell him.
Who would have guessed that I’d fall in love with my fake fiancée? Certainly not me. I bit my lip as the words still sounded foreign to my ears. “I love you too, Matt Harris.” I giggled. The words might have sounded crazy, but the feeling inside me was more real than ever.
Chapter 35
CARLY
The snow kept falling faster and faster as we drove. Thick, white, fluffy flakes. The kind that are beautiful to watch but terrifying to drive in. Despite his thick snow tires and Canadian experience, even Matt knew that it was bad.
We turned on the radio, hoping to hear good news in regards to the weather, but the report was anything but.
We are urging you to please stay off the roads. There’s a storm coming in off the lake, and anyone in the Maple Cove area is advised to stay indoors where they are until it passes.
“Don’t worry, babe. We’re almost there anyway.” Matt reassured me as we took the exit towards my family’s farm.
Ever since my accident back at Thanksgiving, even the slightest weather problem made me nervous. But fortunately, Matt got us there. What should have taken us thirty minutes from the highway to the door ended up taking over an hour, but we got there and thankfully, all in one piece. I had never been so relieved to see my family farmhouse.
“Come on, baby. Time to face the music. Let’s try and make it quick so we can get back to my mom’s.” Matt shivered as he spoke.
“What if they want to discuss?” I asked nervously, reaching out to hold his hand as we made our way up the steps.
“There’s nothing to discuss. They have the weekend to think about it. We’ll let them know that we’ll be at my place and they can call us when they are ready. If they don’t call by Monday morning at 10am, we’re going to go home and start the proceedings.”
We stood at the door of the farmhouse and paused before ringing the bell. This was it. It was now or never. Heat flooded my body despite the bone-chilling cold. I was terrified, but I tried to remain focused on Matt’s presence. He was my calming force. He had kept me grounded this entire time and there wasn’t anyone else that I’d rather be walking into the lion’s den with.
“Hello there!” An unfamiliar voice called from behind us.
Matt and I turned to see one of the local cops treading through the snow and up the steps.
“You folks better head inside quickly!” He called.
Dread rose in my throat. What the hell was going on?
“Haven’t you heard?” He asked as his face registered our questioning looks. “We’re shutting Maple Cove down for the weekend. Wherever you are, you need to stay. This is an official lockdown. The storm is going to hit us really hard. They’re saying over seventy centimeters of snow within twenty-four hours! It’s time to get inside!”
I could feel the blood draining from my face and looked at Matt in shock. “Matt! I absolutely cannot…”
Casually throwing an arm around me, Matt pulled me in close. “Officer, we’re just stopping by to say hello to some family, then we’re heading back home. It’s not far, right on the edge of town…” He spoke with a smile as he pointed in the direction of home.
“Sorry sir, but I can’t allow it. That’s why we’re making house calls. Everyone here needs to understand how bad this is. The town is likely to be snowed in for the weekend or more. We’ve already put it out to the public, but the entire station is making house calls just to be sure everyone is aware. Anyone who is out driving tonight or tomorrow will be risking their lives and the lives of others. Not to mention receiving a hefty fine.” He continued as he rang the doorbell.