Rivals In Love (Love In Montana Book 4)

"I've collected all the data that we would need, Georgia, even your share of the workload. Can you plot the graph or do you want me to do it?" Asked Ryan, worriedly. 

"I'll do it in the night after returning from the hospital, " said Georgia. Ryan nodded and handed her the data that he had collected. 

"This weekend, I have a big game. I wouldn't be able to make it. Would you be able to do the research on your own?" Asked Ryan hopefully. Georgia nodded.

"Sure," she said hesitantly. She didn't know what her mom's condition would be after a week yet she just promised Ryan. She didn't want to disappoint him.

Afterwards classes started as usual and Ryan went back to his seat. He noticed how haggard she looked, completely different from the last time that they met. After classes, he had to rush to practice while Georgia went to the library to inform them that she would be discontinuing her part-time job at the library. Her mom needed her more. 

She went home and freshened up quickly and rushed to the hospital to see that her mom's condition had deteriorated further. Her dad was also there and so was Brian. The whole time they spoke to the doctors and tried their level best. Georgia and her dad stayed the night while Brian returned home since he had to go to work early the next morning. Under such circumstances, Georgia couldn't complete any of the work that Ryan had asked her to do and neither could she study for the next day's assessment. 

The next day her dad went home as he was having difficulty with his breathing too. Hannah and her husband had gone to work and Georgia had no option but to stay at the hospital. Ryan called her three times already this morning. When she was free, she messaged back saying that she was at the hospital since yesterday and as such didn't get any time to complete the project work. 

Ryan was a little upset after seeing her message. It was true that she was going through a rough patch but he couldn't just neglect the project work. It carried a lot of marks which would add up to the consolidated average. He decided to complete the work on his own instead of waiting for her. 

The next whole week, Georgia hadn't come to college. She hadn't responded to his messages too which made Ryan all the more displeased. He didn't wait for her anymore and went to Alpine Dairy everyday after college to collect the data and complete the work himself.  

So when Georgia was finally able to go to college, Ryan ignored her completely. She approached him. "Are you ignoring me, Ryan? I was ..," she started but he just interrupted her not wanting to listen to her excuses.

"Yeah, I know that you were busy so I'm doing the project on my own," said Ryan, waving her off.

"I'll go to the farm today after college to get the data," she told him. Ryan shrugged. 

"Your wish. I've collected my share and have completed the work. I don't need to go any more," he told her before striding off. Then he turned towards her.

"When you complete your share, just tell me. We'll compile the whole thing and submit," he said, before walking away. Georgia nodded, feeling dejected that she had disappointed Ryan. 

However, after college, she received a call from the hospital to inform her that she needed to sign a few papers for the blood transfusion and a few therapies that they wanted to start. Her dad wasn't there and Hannah's husband wanted a family member to do the formalities. So she drove off to the hospital, all plans of going to Alpine Farm completely forgotten. 

When she arrived at college the next day, Ryan approached her with the same displeased look on his face. "When did you go to Alpine, yesterday? Andrew and Carl didn't see you there after college," he asked. 

"I couldn't go. I received a call from...," started Georgia but Ryan interrupted. 

"That's okay. You might have been busy elsewhere, " he shrugged, walking away. 

Georgia dragged herself the whole day. She was haggard from lack of sleep and proper meals and now added to her woes was this project work that had been dumped upon  her. It would have been better if she had done this all by herself, she wouldn't have felt so guilty. She understood that Ryan was a grade A student and topped their batch. As a perfectionist, he wanted their project to be the best but she couldn't help the circumstances that she was in. She somehow managed to go to the farm the next two days to procure as much data as she could but before she could even sit down with it, her dad suffered a heart attack and had to be admitted to the hospital as well.

Georgia's world crashed around her. She gave a distress call to aunt Dorothy as her brothers weren't much involved. They did come to visit their parents at the hospital a few times and that was all they did. Georgia was shocked by their behavior. She had no idea how her brothers could be so aloof. It seemed to them all that mattered was making money at the farm. 

Aunt Dorothy and her family took the first flight to Great Falls and reached Fordsville immediately. The next two weeks, while Georgia did attend college once in a while, mostly she was unable to. 

It was a Friday and Ryan grumbled seeing her arrive late to college. "She always comes up with such an excuse for not doing the project that I remain tongue-tied," shrugged Ryan. Andrew rolled his eyes at him. 

"Yesterday I saw her with a guy at the marketplace. How pathetic have you become, Ryan! She's obviously bluffing you while she's roaming around with other guys," said Andrew. Ryan gaped at him with disbelief. His whole body was burning with jealousy. How could she do this to him? How could she lie to him? How could she lie about her parents? It all proved that she was just like her brothers. She was a McLean in the true sense. Hatred and jealousy filled his whole body making him feel like giving her a piece of his mind.

"Are you sure, Andrew? Did you really see Georgia with a guy?" Asked Ryan. 

"Guys, actually. I didn't want to upset you but I saw her on two days with two different guys. She might be two-timing them just like her father did. Haven't you heard about his affair with his housekeeper?" Asked Andrew. Ryan stared at him with his mouth hanging open. He had heard about it just as everyone else at Fordsville but how could Andrew know about it? After hearing about the guys that Georgia might be two-timing, Ryan boiled with anger. He wanted to kill the two guys as well as Georgia. How could she play with his feelings? The liking that he felt for her soon changed into a deep-seated hatred. 

"How did you know about her dad?" He asked Andrew. 

"You know that my uncle Kent stays in Fordsville. I had been to his house last weekend straight from Alpine Dairy, " said Andrew. Ryan's eyes flashed with jealousy and anger and although he knew that Georgia was looking at her, he chose to ignore her for the rest of the time. He had decided to complete the project on his own. 

Georgia was excited to tell Ryan that she had been able to complete one topic of the project despite all the hardships in her life. Her cousins, Phil and Cameron who were aunt Dorothy's sons had helped her out. She had always been closer to them than her own brothers. With them here by her side in Fordsville, she didn't feel helpless any more. She walked up to Ryan who was standing with his friends.

"Ryan, I need to show you something, " said Georgia, eager to show him her work. She wanted to show him that she was trying, after all. She wanted him to feel proud of her. Ryan however, didn't turn around as if she hadn't spoken at all. Georgia was surprised by his behavior. Andrew and Carl excused themselves and walked away. 

"Ryan, I was able to complete one topic yesterday. Will you see it please?" Said Georgia, her eyes shining with excitement. Ryan whirled around and faced her. 

"Wow! At last she's able to complete a topic! So how did you manage that? As far as I know you're the busiest McLean around, just like your dad is," he said, with sarcasm. In all her innocence, Georgia had no idea what he was calling her. She didn't realize that he was calling her a two-timing wh*re. Her eyes widened with confusion. 

"What are you talking about? Dad's too in the hospital, " she said, her lips trembling a little. 

"Oh, yeah? How sad! Well, you can do the project on your own. Talk to me only when you're able to finish it," he said gruffly, before walking away with anger.