Rivals In Love (Love In Montana Book 4)

It was Sunday and Georgia was in the middle of her training schedule, teaching her students the techniques of self defense when she received a call from her aunt.

"Georgia dear, come home quickly, " she told her. Georgia was concerned. Since her aunt had disconnected the call after saying that single sentence, she just drove home worrying about what might have happened. She parked her car and rushed inside but the minute she went in, she froze seeing Greg sitting with her uncle and aunt in the living room. They looked up seeing Georgia standing at the doorstep. 

"There she is, Greg, " said her aunt Dorothy. "Georgia please come inside and talk to your brother." Georgia walked inside with a pale face looking at Greg suspiciously. She could see that he had changed a lot and had started looking old. His hair had thinned and he had reduced considerably too. 

As she sat down beside her aunt, Greg turned towards her and smiled with relief. "Georgia please come back to Fordsville. We need you," he started but Georgia interrupted him.

"No Greg. It's useless asking me to. My life's settled here and I'll never ever return to Fordsville," she told him firmly. Greg gave his aunt a pleading look. 

"Georgia, just listen to him before deciding," said her aunt. Georgia nodded and waited for her brother to speak. 

"Brian had attempted suicide two days back. He's critical and in the ICU. The dairy farm is sinking as most of the cattle have picked up Anthrax. I can't manage it on my own any longer, Georgia. Please can you come back and save dad's farm from dying? It's our only source of income. We have invested everything we had into it and now we're on the brink of bankruptcy. There's no other way than to commit suicide just like Brian did but my wife's pregnant and I can't leave her all alone," said Greg as he wept brokenly. 

"I'll come with you, Greg. Give me sometime to pack up and inform my workplace since this would take a while to sort out, " said Georgia. She wasn't selfish like her brothers. She couldn't let her dad's hard work, her dad's dream, his dairy farm crumble to dust. She still had the amount her dad had transferred into her account intact. She didn't need it as her uncle and aunt didn't allow her to touch it. They bore all her expenses just like they did for their own sons. She decided to use it to save the dairy farm.

Greg looked up at her with surprise. He hadn't expected her to agree at all after everything that they'd done to her. He wiped his tears and smiled with relief. "Thank you Georgia. I'll be forever indebted to you for this help," he said. Her uncle and aunt looked at her appreciatively. 

"It's my duty to save dad's dream, his dairy farm. Just wait here. I'll pack up my stuff," she said, walking towards her room. Her aunt also offered to help her. They packed and discussed her plans. 

"You know that you're free to choose where you wish to live. If you feel happy in Fordsville, you can live there. If you wish to come back here, you're  always welcome. This will always be your home, dear. I just want you to be happy," said her aunt, kissing her cheek. 

"I know aunt Dorothy. I might be going to Fordsville but my heart is here. I'll keep in touch," she promised. 

After an hour, Greg loaded her stuff into his car as Georgia hugged her uncle, aunt and her brothers. Then she climbed into Greg's car and they sped off. 

"I'm really sorry for everything that I ever did to you,  Georgia. Please can you forgive me?" Asked Greg, hopefully. 

"It's not so easy to forget and forgive, Greg. Let's not go into that. You wanted me to help you, I'm doing just that. Please don't ask me for more," she told him. It was easy to forgive outsiders but when your own siblings hurt you, it's impossible to forget the pain. Greg didn't argue further. He knew that what he did was impossible to forget and he was grateful that she had agreed to help him. 

The rest of the drive was silent. Georgia didn't have anything to say to him and just rested her head against the backrest and looked outside the window. Her mind was in turmoil. She had never expected that she would return to Fordsville ever. Thoughts of Ryan filled her head. Would she be able to see him again? He might have gotten married already or might have a steady girlfriend. Whatever the case, he might have forgotten her surely. It was evening when they reached Fordsville. Greg took her to the hospital to check up on Brian. She met Brian's wife, Samantha there. Brian was in the same condition with no improvement and Samantha sobbed seeing Greg. He tried to comfort her and introduced Georgia to her. 

Later on Greg brought her home. "Tomorrow morning, I'll move to a separate place. I don't want to live here with all of you," said Georgia. Greg nodded. A heavily pregnant woman came forward to hug Greg and Georgia knew that she should be his wife. Greg introduced Georgia to Lynne, his wife. Georgia settled down in her old room. She walked into her father's room and all the memories came rushing back. She hated this house, it held bad memories for her. She needed to get out of this place. Picking up the car keys to her dad's car she drove towards the marketplace. She was surprised that her dad's car was in such good shape. 

There was a real estate agent there whom she would contact to rent a place of her own. She couldn't stay with her brothers in that house. She was already feeling claustrophobic there. She soon drove towards the office of the real estate agent. After thirty minutes, he led her towards a house where a small unit was up for renting. Georgia checked the place and liked the cozy setup immensely. There was a single bedroom with an attached washroom which looked quite nice. A small storage room along with a living space with a modular kitchen setup completed the setup. The whole setup had a separate entrance and a parking space for a single car. It opened onto the backyard with panoramic views of the mountains and vast expanses of wildflowers from every window. Georgia loved the little space which looked quite peaceful. It was at a walking distance from the marketplace yet tucked away in a little corner away from the hustle and bustle. The rent was low and it looked perfect for Georgia. 

"I'll take it. Can I start living in it immediately?" She asked.

"Sure ma'am. Let's proceed with the formalities then?" He said. He introduced her to the landlord and she made the payment and signed the necessary documents. She paid the agent and the landlord handed her the keys to the property. Georgia drove to her father's house to get her stuff. 

"You won't stay the night, Georgia?" Asked Lynne, looking surprised. Georgia knew that she was just concerned since she had no idea how her brothers had treated her in the past. 

"No, Lynne. I've fixed a place of my own to stay," she said with a smile. 

"Please have dinner with us before you go," said Lynne. Greg was at the hospital with Samantha and Georgia couldn't deny the pregnant woman who was just being concerned for her. 

"Sure, Lynne. I'll help you with dinner," she offered. Lynne smiled and the next one hour, they made a simple dinner together. Lynne told her how she met Greg and how they fell in love. She told her how he was a tool before and changed after their marriage. Georgia was glad for her. She didn't tell her anything about how horrible Greg actually is. After an early dinner, she left her mobile number with Lynne and loaded all her luggage and drove over to her own space to sleep in peace.

The place was well furnished and clean and she just unpacked her stuff and arranged them in the closet and en-suite. After a refreshing shower, she picked up her mobile and called me aunt Dorothy. They spoke for about twenty minutes after which she called Gabrielle and spoke to her for an hour or so. Gabrielle informed her that Wyatt had been asking around for her the whole day. He had been to the club to look for her. He had visited Gabrielle too at her house to ask about Georgia. 

Georgia found it frustrating that Wyatt was becoming so persistent. Why couldn't he just take a no for an answer? She was determined that whatever he did, this time she wouldn't make the mistake of becoming his friend ever again. 

Georgia lay down to sleep but her body was too excited and even after tossing and turning for an hour, she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Ryan and memories of them together, running around at Alpine farms, kissing at the backyard kept haunting her. So despite having been able to control her feelings for so long, today she felt very vulnerable. Her heart seemed to control her mind and she felt like sobbing for the love that she couldn't have.