Chapter 4

"Justin" Mr. Wilson said for the second time, pulling Justin out of his memories of early that morning on the beach.

"Yes, sir, sorry guess my mind was elsewhere" Justin replied.

"I can tell and if my guess is right your mind is on that lovely Ms. Shelly. You have fallen in love with her that is clear, but does she love you as much as you clearly love her?"

"Yes, she loves me just as much as I love her. I want her to be my wife, and after this morning it is more than likely that my child is growing in her womb right now." Justin replied, there was no regret in his voice only the regret of a man having to leave the woman he loves for too long of a period of time.

Mr. Wilson just sat and stared at Justin in disbelief, after seeing the look on his bosses' face he recounted everything that had happened and had been said today. As the truth sank in and a smile slowly began to replace the looks of shock and horror as Justin recounted what Shelly had told him Mr. Wilson realized that the fact that Shelly had told him everything proved she really did love him, not to mention the fact Justin was probably right and she was indeed carrying his child in her womb. "Well I may be losing my right hand at the ranch, but with all the years I have known you and you have worked for me I am glad you found happiness and it sounds like in Shelly's eyes she is the lucky one to have found a man who can truly love her and who could be so supportive and loving let alone patient with her as she heals both inside and out from the hell she has been through the last year."

Taking out his phone Mr. Wilson, dialed the number to the ranch. "Yes this is Mr. Wilson get me Jennifer right away" ... Justin just sat and stared at his longtime friend and boss... "Jennifer, I need you to do me a really big favor. Later on this afternoon get some help and take Ms. Shelly to sit by the pool to relax, tell her you have to change the sheets and linens and do not want to trip over her leg risking hurting it more. Then I want you to find that sapphire ring that she wears on her left finger and measure the ring size for me. Then call me back ... yes Jennifer that's exactly what I have planned. Thank you; call me back as soon as you find out ... Yes, bye". If Justin's jaw could hit the ground it would have. For a split second he forgot he was driving.

"Between the show and the auction, I know of this great jeweler who makes the most beautiful engagement ring sets I have ever seen." Mr. Wilson said off-handedly. Justin knew he could never afford anything like that for Shelly, Mr. Wilson sensed Justin's concern and said "Justin, don't worry about the cost, you have saved and made me more money than any ring there would ever cost, let me do this for you, I know you have heard the rumors about Shelly being very well off, and yes those rumors are true, she is extremely wealthy, but she chooses not to flaunt her wealth, why do you think everyone loves her so much, she treats them like human beings. I am sure you have heard the last name of Withers and the big deal in West Texas?"

"Yes I have, you mean that is her, my Shelly is Ms. Shelly Withers?" "Yes that is her; the woman you are in love with is none other than Ms. Shelly Withers the heir to one-half of all the Wither family oil and gas interests. You have nothing to fear about being in a world of people who look down on you and her being together. Besides I doubt she will ever really re-enter the world and society she was forced to live in before the accident, she doesn't need all that pity and sympathy, she will do like she has done at the ranch, go for a quieter simpler lifestyle, not that her house or anything like that will change, but she has changed." Putting his hand on Justin's arm "Justin, you don't need to worry about fitting into her world, since she doesn't fit there anymore either, you two just need to make your own world, one that you are both happy with, I do know that she has done a lot of good with that money of hers, helping those less fortunate who try and just can't seem to make it no matter how hard they tried. For nearly 6 years she struggled as a single mom with only her mom to help her, she went without a lot before the deal hit. I know this because some of my business partners knew her and her mother before the money came in."

Justin and Mr. Wilson drove on till about 7pm when Mr. Wilson's phone rang. "Yes Jennifer ... You did great, how is she doing? ... Really ... Ok, first thing in the morning you call Dr. Carter and have him come take a look, I don't like the sound of that ... Yes hang on here is Justin." Justin took the phone, concern and fear edging into his eyes. "Hi, Jennifer, how is Shelly doing? ... What oh no that doesn't sound good ... Yes, do what you can to keep her comfy, has she taken any pain killers ... what do you mean she is refusing to take them ... Okay once we pull over for the night I will call her, let her know I will be calling in a few hours, don't let her know you told us anything, and get doc out there as soon as you can. Yeah thanks Jennifer, bye". Closing the phone and handing it to his boss "Damn it, she is stubborn, she is refusing to take any pain killers, and I know she is in pain and she needs to take them, but I also know that until she knows for sure one way or the other about being pregnant she won't take them." Justin sighed.