Obsession - A Sexy New Adult Contemporary Romance Novella

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This book is a work of fiction.
 
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The characters and storylines are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Abby Seymour was going to faint. She was sure of it, or at least as sure as someone could be who’d never actually fainted before. Her father’s words had left her floored.

Her father was far too calm to have just shattered her world.

“As a heart attack,” he said. “Seymour Airport is being sold. The buyer will be here tomorrow, and I feel comfortable with this decision, girls. He is a pilot and a businessman, so he’ll know what he’s doing and probably take this place and make it more profitable than I ever could. You both know it has been hard these past few years.” He shuffled papers on his orderly desk, which was his telltale way of signaling that a conversation was over.

Furious as she was, Abby knew her father would brook no further discussion on the matter. He had probably kept the news of the sale from her and her older sister, Scarlett, so they wouldn’t be able to interfere with its progression. That was a pretty smart move on his part.

What could she do? How could she stop this?

Before she said anything she knew she would terribly regret later, Abby opted for escape. She shot out of the chair and slammed the door behind her on her way out before her father or sister had a chance to stop her. The frame rattled triumphantly. Scarlett could attempt to reason with their father. She had a way of producing better results with her bubbly personality than Abby did with her temper.

It was best if she just got back to work. Staying busy would keep her mind off all the nonsense of selling the airport. She picked up her pace to a near run as she darted from the main building to where she had been working in the second hanger. The biting wind of the Montana winter made her shiver all over, despite the cheerful afternoon sunshine. Once she was tinkering in the engine of a Cessna 172, owned by a friend of her father, she mulled over her father’s news, trying to make heads and tails of it.

How could he even think of selling this place? It was home.

Both she and Scarlett had grown up hanging around the hangers: playing hide-and-seek, tagging along behind their beloved father everywhere he went, and stealing away to privately grieve the death of their mother many years ago. Her illness and death had been hard on then seven-year-old Abby, but it had torn her father completely apart. He had loved Elaine Seymour more than anything.

Abby believed he never remarried because he still held her so close to his heart that no other woman would ever stand a chance of getting a piece of it, too. The love her parents had shared was something she had hoped she would have with someone one day, but her handful of romantic entanglements with men who were just passing through Pinesville, Montana, hadn’t done anything to encourage her in keeping up that hope so far. They had actually encouraged her to run for the hills, start knitting, and take in cats. However, her dog, Connor, probably wouldn’t appreciate that.

As she paused, wrench in hand, to look around at the place she considered a second home, memory upon memory flooded her thoughts. They had even celebrated holidays here at the airport more than once. This place meant more to Abby than any amount of money ever could.

Not that money wasn’t important.

“Where will I work?” she mumbled. “The new owner’s probably not going to keep any of us.” From what she had heard, takeovers usually meant a complete overhaul of operations and a fresh staff, too. This new revelatory thought was very disheartening.

When she’d begun tossing around the idea of becoming an airplane mechanic, her father had enthusiastically encouraged her to pursue the career, promising her she would always have a job at his airport. As a former pilot, Jim Seymour had a deep respect and love for planes and their mechanical workings, and he taught his daughter to appreciate them, as well.

But now, what good would that skill do her? She was going to have to uproot from the only place she had ever called home if she wanted to stay in the same line of work. There weren’t any other airports in this pocket of the state. Honestly, there were very few airports in the entire state of Montana. She would probably have to head to Washington or North Dakota.

“I know it will be somewhere I don’t want to be,” she said aloud to no one.

Abby heard the clack of Scarlett’s designer heels approaching, disrupting her depressing reverie. While Abby was at her most comfortable in a navy jumpsuit and work boots, Scarlett insisted on dressing stylishly every day, including impractically high heels. She styled her hair, and her makeup was flawless even just for a run to the grocery store for eggs and milk.

Scarlett managed the airport’s office and coordinated flight schedules, and many male travelers’ jaws dropped when they disembarked from their plane and beheld her blonde-headed vixen of a sister greeting them with a big smile and a sweet wave. She was probably the reason so many male visitors came through Pinesville so often.

“Hey, Abby.” Scarlett perched on a work table, tugging down her slightly-too-short deep blue sweater dress. “Way to make an exit back there.”

Abby only shrugged and continued working.

“I know you’re ticked, but try to calm down and help me figure out a plan. I am sure we can come up with a way to stop this ridiculous sale. I honestly don’t know what Dad’s thinking.” Scarlett drummed her manicured fingers against her chin while she thought.

“I don’t think there’s much we can do this late in the game.” Abby grabbed a cloth to wipe the grease off of her hands. “I’m having a real hard time wrapping my head around this place belonging to someone else. The thought of having to start over somewhere new makes me sick. Not to mention uprooting Connor, too. You know he doesn’t do well with any type of change.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened, and a wide smile swept across her face. Abby wasn’t sure if she wanted to know why.

“Well, I have an idea that will ensure you keep your job, your home, and your precious dog.” Scarlett flashed a devilish smile and continued. “I will simply dazzle this man with my beauty and outstanding charm. If I can somehow persuade him to marry me, the airport would stay in the family.”

“What?” Abby laughed, genuinely tickled by her sister’s silly idea. “Scarlett, you aren’t serious. The buyer’s probably old, fat, and balding, and you’ve never met him. You don’t even know his name.”

“If it saves the airport, who cares? Those are just minor details.” Scarlett winked.

They both knew better than to go through with this plan, Abby hoped. However, Abby wouldn’t put it past Scarlett to try something just this side of crazy to keep the airport. When the chips were down, Scarlett was a Seymour, through and through. She would do anything for her family, the same as Abby would.

Still, there had to be a better way to keep the airport than Scarlett marrying a balding stranger.

“Scarlett, seriously. Of all the crazy antics I have seen you try over the years, this one blows them all away. There is no way in the world a man you have never met before is going to decide he can’t live without you and must marry you within a couple of days. Stop your crazy talk, and help me figure out a plan that will actually work,” Abby said, tossing tools into her box. She hated getting preachy with her sister, but sometimes Scarlett could really get caught up in her silly fairy tale ideals. No wonder so many people mistook Abby for being the older sister. It may have had something to do with Scarlett’s long blonde hair and perfect figure, too, Abby guessed. Abby was taller and leaner than Scarlett, and her chestnut hair was cut short.

She hoped her sister would take her advice, and she didn’t give the ridiculous idea another thought. That is, until her cell phone rang later that evening while she was relaxing at home and enjoying a cup of her favorite chamomile tea.

“I’m doing it,” Scarlett said over the line, before Abby could even say hello. “You can choose whether you want to help me or not.”

It took a moment for Abby to realize exactly what Scarlett was talking about doing. When she did, she nearly spit out her tea.

“Scarlett, you really need to think about what you are getting yourself into. You’re talking about a life-altering decision here,” Abby reasoned, hopping up from her comfortable spot on the sofa and starting to pace. Her sister needed to be committed. She was sure of it.

“Have you got any better ideas?” Scarlett demanded.

Abby’s heart sank. She knew Scarlett well enough to know there was no talking her out of anything, once she set her mind to it. Scarlett was out of her mind, Abby was sure of it, but Abby didn’t know what to say or do. Obviously, nothing she said would matter. Why Scarlett thought her plan would work, when she knew nothing about this man whatsoever, completely boggled Abby’s mind.

Abby decided to point out the most obvious of all the possibilities why this plan wouldn’t work. “Scarlett, what if he is married?”

“I am sure he isn’t,” was Scarlett’s completely illogical reply.

Knowing, at this point, that there was absolutely no talking her out of this scheme, Abby weighed her options. Maybe it was in her best interest to go along with Scarlett for now and try to think of a better plan in the meantime.

“Well, okay. If you’re bound and determined to do this, then I guess I will help you. I don’t have any other ideas,” Abby resigned, shaking her head.

She didn’t plan on letting her sister actually go through with this shoddy plan. But in the meantime, she could play along for time. While there was still time, Abby could still hope.

* * * *

The next day dawned bright and brisk, and Abby added a pair of sky blue thermals beneath her jumpsuit for extra warmth. She got more work done when she wasn’t shivering. She ate a bowl of oatmeal topped with apples and cinnamon and took Connor out before making her way to the airport.

Just as Abby finished putting her coat and gloves on the hook in the front office, Scarlett arrived with a flourish. Abby stared at her in disbelief. Scarlett dressed fashionably everyday, but this morning, her outfit was a little over the top in Abby’s opinion. Most males would probably beg to differ. She was wearing a crimson dress with a plunging neckline and patent leather nude heels that made her bare legs look even more toned—if that were possible—than they already were. Abby shivered just looking at her

“What are you doing? You’re going to freeze to death!” she scolded, rubbing her own hands together in empathy.

Scarlett dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. “I’ll be fine. My coat is hanging on the hook, and you know I’m hot natured anyway.” She gestured toward the black wool pea coat she had just placed next to Abby’s parka.

“I have to look tempting, you know,” she added with a conspiratorial wink.

“Better you than me,” Abby muttered as she got the coffee pot going. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, Abby, for the twentieth time, I most certainly am. Now go do some work or something. Plane engines don’t fix themselves, do they?” Scarlett said in exasperation as she flipped through the mail on her desk.