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Three-Year Rule

Rule Series: Book 1

By

Alaina Stanford

Three-Year Rule

By Alaina Stanford

Published by Alaina Stanford

Copyright 2013 Alaina Stanford

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Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3

Chapter One ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Chapter Two .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Chapter Three ........................................................................................................................................ 26

Chapter Four .......................................................................................................................................... 40

Chapter Five ........................................................................................................................................... 58

Chapter Six ............................................................................................................................................. 73

Chapter Seven ........................................................................................................................................ 89

Chapter Eight ....................................................................................................................................... 102

Chapter Nine ........................................................................................................................................ 114

Chapter Ten ......................................................................................................................................... 123

Chapter Eleven ..................................................................................................................................... 137

Other books by Alaina Stanford ........................................................................................................... 138

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Acknowledgements

Dedicated to my loving husband, whose support means more to me than life itself.

Thanks to Jack Martin of Gossamer Publishing for the great cover!

Special thanks to Jem’s Editing for all her hard work and great attitude.

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Chapter One

“If love were a garden, dating would be the weed killer. Unfortunately, many times the worst

weeds survive the initial application, often requiring additional energy not only to identify the

unwelcome plants, but to remove them.” Elizabeth glanced around the room, cringing at the

multitude of blank expressions that stared back at her. She wondered if these women thought she

sounded like a man hater or a potential serial killer.

She made a mental note to check the local news for any poisonings committed by jilted

girlfriends before using this speech again. “Take my life for instance.” She continued, sliding a

hand into the front pocket her pale green suit jacket in an effort to look casual. “From the time I

was a little girl I imagined my life would be a fairytale romance. A prince of my dreams would

show up one day on my doorstep and whisk me away to a huge flowery wedding with a pearl-

encrusted wedding gown, a Brady Bunch home, and happily ever after marriage. Instead, I barely

dated in high school. In fact, my first love was a tattooed ex-marine Harley rider who smoked

pot. This was extraordinary, considering I was a straight naive kid who hadn't even tasted

alcohol yet. Overall, through my teens I managed to make many bad choices in boyfriends.”

“Finally, in my twenties, I decided to ‘wise up’ and marry an older man who happened to be a

preacher. How could you be any safer? Admittedly, he was boring and straight-laced. He was

what I considered moderately attractive, no bulging muscles or chiseled features. He was an

average looking man, which I considered optimal since all of the strikingly handsome men of my

past managed to cheat on me. Therefore, at age 22, I gave up on the dream of a man that made

my heart race as our eyes met. I gave up on finding someone who made my body ache when he

wasn't around. I married Mr. Safe. Mr. Safe was supposed to be a perfect husband, great father

and a good provider. Three years later, I realized he was actually an obsessive compulsive,

narcissistic womanizer.”

Elizabeth paused for emphasis and noticed a handsome man with an amused smirk on his

chiseled face standing at the back of the room. He was tall, with golden hair and broad shoulders.

His blue flannel shirt did nothing to mask his huge biceps. A pair of faded jeans perfected his

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persona. What was a man like that doing at a women’s conference? Elizabeth hesitated with her

speech, almost forgetting the words.

He was probably the self-defense instructor, she told herself. Yet something about this man’s

expression irritated Elizabeth. If he had dark sexy blue eyes, she would be extremely annoyed.

She felt the color rise in her cheeks and fought for control of her senses. She forced her eyes to

move further around the small conference room and took a deep cleansing breath. Concentrating

on the pale gold and bronze colors of the room, she continued.

“Now this is where I’m supposed to tell you what I learned from that experience.” She glanced

back toward her only male audience member to find him gone. She sighed with relief, which she

found odd, but kept going. “So here it is: you can’t possibly determine if someone is the best

man for you from the first date, fourth date, survey, website questionnaire or even a year of

marriage. The truth is when you first meet someone they aren’t showing you their true self.

They are showing you either the person they want you to think they are, or the person they think

you want them to be. I call this trait a pseudo personality. This pseudo personality can be very

deceptive not only to you, but to them as well. In fact, it is entirely possible for someone to

maintain a pseudo personality for several years. More importantly, you could actually be the

pseudo personality in your relationship. You could be fooling yourself, trying to become the

person you think your significant other wants you to be. This is very caustic. I believe every

single person in this room has used a pseudo personality at some point in their lives. Many of

you are using one right now. It’s not exclusive to dating; it’s simply more devastating when used

in a relationship.”

With this statement, Elizabeth casually flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder, straightened

her stance, squared her shoulders, and smiled softly at her now captivated audience. “Just think

about it. When you’re on a first date, you’re at your best. You get dressed up, do your hair, get

your nails done, and check your posture in the mirror to make sure the outfit does you justice.

Then you put on those killer high heels and make sure your hips sway just the right amount when

you walk in front of him. You use your best manners at dinner. You eat a salad or light entrée

even though you are starving. Unless, of course, you grabbed a snack before he picked you up so

you could eat a light meal without starving. You judge his sense of humor and respond

accordingly. You respond to his manners with an appropriate response. If he’s a total gentleman

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or a klutz, you adapt your thought processes for a successful night. If it’s going well, you use

your best comebacks and give him that special come-hither look you’ve perfected for just the

right moment. You have put on your pseudo persona for the night. First dates are notorious for it.

Let me assure you, he has a persona as well. If he’s smart, he’ll open the door for you. He won’t

eat with his fingers. He won’t burp or pass gas. He won’t use foul language or tell you a dirty

joke, and he’ll try his best not to look at other women or your chest when you are talking to

him.”

The room was silent. All eyes and ears were on Elizabeth. She had them. They were all hers.

She could scoop them up and put them in her pocket. She had locked onto the eyes of many

prominent women in the audience before she continued. “How can you tell if your partner is

‘faking it’? How can you tell if you are faking it? You can’t. The only cure for this is time: plain,

simple time. It can take between two to three years before most people are able to drop their

guard and start allowing their true character to show through to their lover. A regular person can

maintain a ‘pseudo personality’ for up to three years. Where would you like to be when your

relationship reaches the point where the pseudo personality fades away? How committed do you

want your relationship to be when your partner reveals who they really are? Wouldn’t you rather

be dating at that moment, instead of married? I’m not saying a sociopath will suddenly appear

next to you in bed one morning three years after your first date. What I am saying is a few minor

character changes are all it takes to ruin a relationship. Those personality changes can be as

minor as toilet habits or food preferences, or as significant as views on child rearing,

womanizing or physical abuse. Protect yourselves ladies, move slowly and get to know your

partner before you commit to sharing a lifetime with them.”

Elizabeth signed autographs and answered questions for the next few hours. Afterward, she went

to the hotel’s dining room for her next meeting. Franklin, her publicist, was waiting at a table

near the back of the conference center’s dining room. The room had a breathtaking view of the

mountains through the floor to ceiling windows that lined the far wall. The white linen clad

tables held pink and yellow flowers draped with pearls in honor of the women's conference.

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Franklin was dressed in a gray silk suit and was tapping away at his iPad as she approached. His

short black hair was as perfect as his manicured fingernails. Elizabeth amused herself

envisioning his shoes under the table had a high shine.

What Elizabeth didn’t realize until she reached the table was that the muscle man in a flannel

shirt was sitting across the table from Franklin. Both men rose as she arrived. Elizabeth

concentrated on Franklin as he gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Franklin turned to

the man across from him and said, “Elizabeth darling, I’d like to present Joshua Miller. He’s the

residential building contractor I told you about.”

Elizabeth turned to face Joshua. Her stomach jumped as their eyes met. He did have blue eyes.

The deepest blue eyes she had ever seen gazed keenly back at her. She offered him her hand and

said, “Thank you so much for meeting me tonight, Mr. Miller. I assume Franklin’s told you of

my plan to build a cabin on the property my Uncle left me. It's not far from here.”

Joshua’s face reached perfection when he smiled. The moment he touched her hand, Elizabeth’s

heart raced. His touch was electric, sending waves of heat through her body. He said, “Ms.

Stewart, call me Joshua. I’m happy to make time for you, and it sounds like an incredible design.

I drove by the property today. You’re going to need a small bridge over the creek to access the

building site.” He couldn’t pull his eyes away from the luscious vision before him. Joshua

expected the female author to be a short, mousy creature with very little character. This woman

was slender, with curves in all the right places. Her skin was perfect, her lips full and pouty.

Joshua’s voice rang deep and sensual in Elizabeth's ears. He released Elizabeth’s hand and

moved to pull out the seat next to him, pushing it in behind her as she sat down. Franklin sat

back down, reached out for Elizabeth’s hand, and squeezed it as he waved for the waiter.

Franklin explained, “Elizabeth is determined to make this her permanent residence, so you’ll

have to have an open attitude. I’m sure she has lots of ideas for the house and property.”

Joshua sat down and concentrated on Elizabeth, ignoring Franklin. He said, “You should be

aware of the building restrictions in this area. We’ll need an environmental study to ensure the

building on your location won’t have a negative impact on the surrounding flora and fauna. I

have every reason to expect positive results, but we can’t remove the ground until that’s finished.

Franklin said you are ecologically conscious, which fits in well with this area. We have quite a

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few material restrictions. We try to take advantage of renewable resources such as passive solar,

active solar, and photovoltaic equipment. I brought some examples of green roofs and rain

gardens you should find helpful to reduce rainwater run-off. I recommend packed gravel or

permeable concrete instead of asphalt for the driveway. It's easier on the ground water.” Joshua

stopped himself; he was babbling. Her intense gaze was driving him crazy. Her long, dark brown

hair and deep green eyes caused him to swell in a very inconvenient spot. He shifted

uncomfortably in his seat. He had to get himself under control or he’d lose the sale and any

chance of getting this doll into bed.

Elizabeth was enchanted with this ruffian. She noted his eyes dilating slightly as his face grew

flushed. He was attracted to her. Therefore, Mr. Muscle had a soft side after all and he was much

smarter than she expected. “That all sounds perfect, but why don’t we order some dinner and

relax for a bit before we dive into the business. I’ve been running full tilt all day and frankly, I

could use some small talk and a stiff drink.”

This produced a frantic wave by Franklin at the nearest waitress, who came over immediately.

He said, “Ms. Stewart will have a glass of Moscato and another round for Mr. Miller and me,

please.”

Joshua stared at Franklin; the guy was a tall pile of New York City stress bent on controlling

Elizabeth's every move. She didn’t seem to mind, so Joshua dismissed it. It was none of his

business, but it irritated him nonetheless.

Franklin turned to Joshua and said, “Sounds like rushing into this is not such a good idea. Maybe

tonight is not the right time to go over all this. Why don’t you leave the information with me? I’ll

review it, and then Elizabeth can look through it. We will give you a call in a few days with a list

of questions.”

Joshua smiled at Franklin; this guy was just too intense. He needed to get laid. Joshua turned to

Elizabeth, “If you are looking for some relaxation, why don’t you try the local cuisine? I know a

rustic little bar and grill just up the road. It has the best steak and ribs in the country.”

Elizabeth stared at him in fascination. He was hitting on her. This had to be a record. The man

went from business to solicitation in thirty seconds. She couldn’t pass this up. She glanced at

Franklin, then turned back to Joshua and said, “Let’s do it.”

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Joshua rose, “That’s great, I’ll go get my truck. Why don’t you change into something more

comfortable?” He picked up the binder and handed it to her. “We can go over the floor plans and

options later.”

Franklin rose and stammered, “Elizabeth, I thought we were running over the outline for your

next book tonight.”

Elizabeth accepted the binder and spun to follow Joshua out of the dining room, calling over her

shoulder, “I’ll catch up with you later. This won’t take long.”

Joshua disappeared through the entrance as Elizabeth rushed up the double flight of stairs to her

room. She quickly changed into her best pair of skinny jeans and intentionally chose a tight

fitting low cut white blouse over a black lace bra. This was going to be a hoot. She couldn’t

wait to see what pseudo persona Mr. Eco Construction pulled out of his hat. She threw on a pair

of sexy black pumps and headed downstairs.

Franklin met her at the bottom of the stairs. His face was beet red. His tone rose to a high pitch.

“This is a bad idea. You don’t know his guy from Adam, and you have no idea where he’s taking

you.”

Elizabeth touched Franklin’s cheek and said, “I’ll be fine. It’s just dinner. I’ll be back in an hour

or two. Relax.”

When she walked out into the cool night air Joshua was there leaning casually against a large

dark blue pickup truck. Elizabeth smiled in appreciation of his tall stature and rugged good

looks. He smiled back and opened the door for her, offering his hand. They drove to the bar and

grill with the windows down, letting the night air fill the cab.

Normally the rushing wind and the mess it was making of her hair would have annoyed her.

Instead, Elizabeth found it was invigorating. She glanced toward the sky; it was full of bright

stars. Elizabeth thought of her Uncle Wendell. She could see him in her mind. He was in jeans

and a T-shirt, walking his horse out of the small stables. She pushed the thought from her mind

as they pulled up to a small bar and parked next to a handful of vehicles in the large gravel

parking lot. To say the bar was rustic was an understatement. It was a small square building with

peeling paint and windows so dirty you couldn’t see inside.

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Joshua noticed the uncertain look on Elizabeth’s face when he opened her door. “Don’t worry.”

He flashed a brilliant smile. “They really do have great steak, and it’s one hundred percent pure

beef, not Opossum, I swear.”

Elizabeth cringed when they walked in the door. The ancient looking wooden tables and chairs

were scattered around the dark, musty room. They helped themselves to one of the tall wooden

booths along one side of the room. The bar lined the other. As they sat down Elizabeth glanced

immediately under the bench, almost afraid of what she might see.

She glanced at Joshua and said, “Speaking of Opossum ....”

Joshua laughed. “I can assure you if you walked into that kitchen you’d find it sparkling clean.

It's cleaner by far than any of those fancy five star restaurants in New York.”

Elizabeth said, “I’m not actually from New York.”

“New Jersey?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“St Louis.” Elizabeth tried not to smile but failed. He was just too darn adorable.

He nodded his approval and added, “Midwestern girl; City or County?”

Elizabeth answered, “Jefferson County actually. You’ve been to St Louis?”

Josh said, “My grandparents on my mom's side were from Southern Missouri. I spent several

summers driving to St Louis and tramping through the woods looking for a mysterious black

panther. I’ve certainly had my share of drunken float trips and jaunts up to the top of the Arch. I

love Missouri.”

A tall blonde-haired woman with breasts overflowing her low cut T-shirt appeared at their table

asking if they wanted a drink. Joshua glanced at Elizabeth and asked, “What would you like?”

Elizabeth glanced at the waitress, noting her tiny blue jean shorts and high heels, and said, “Jack

and Coke.”

Joshua chuckled at how wrong Franklin had been and said, “Bring me the usual, Sal, and if the

lady has no objections bring us a couple of steaks with all the trimmings, medium.” Elizabeth

nodded her approval and Sal disappeared without another word.

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Gradually, couples and small groups began to fill the tables. A three-man band appeared and

began to sing a variety of time-honored country rock tunes. As the bar filled with smoke and the

lights dimmed further, Elizabeth found herself on the dance floor in Joshua’s arms. He didn’t say

a word as they slowly moved to the rhythm of a soulful tune. Elizabeth wasn’t sure if it was

Joshua or the three drinks she’d had with dinner, but she was feeling very comfortable and

unusually uninhibited. She leaned against him and nuzzled his neck with her nose taking in the

scent of him.

When the song was over Joshua released her and announced in a throaty voice, “It’s time I get

you back to the hotel.”

When they arrived at the hotel Joshua offered Elizabeth his hand as she climbed out of the truck.

He slid his arm around her waist to guide her through the entrance and up the stairs. They

stopped at her door, and Elizabeth pulled her room card from her purse. She gazed into his eyes,

those magnificent blue eyes. He flashed what she could only describe as an incredibly sexy half

smile, pulled her against him, and kissed her with more passion than he meant.

His kiss burned like fire. Elizabeth's breath left her instantly. When he released her, Elizabeth

gasped for air and found herself saying, “Would you like to come inside?”

Joshua's eyes grew wide in surprise. This was almost too easy. He took the key card from her

hand and unlocked the door, opening it for her. “I’d love to.” he answered, and followed her

inside.

Elizabeth spun slowly to face him as he closed the door. Their eyes met as he slowly walked

toward her. He ran his hand down the length of her arms, took hold her hands, and gently pulled

her to him.

He kissed her softly and said, “You sure you want to do this? You’re a bit tipsy.”

Her pouty lips parted slightly and she drew a slow, deep breath that sent a ripple of fire through

Joshua. She said, “Shut up, and kiss me again.” She’d never wanted anyone more.

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He slid his hands around her waist and slowly moved them downward, pulling her against him.

She moaned as their lips met and gently dug her fingernails into his back. His lips broke away

and explored the hollow of her throat as his hands moved to unbutton her blouse. Elizabeth

sighed with pleasure and kicked off her shoes. She quickly removed her jeans and allowed her

blouse to fall to the floor, then unbuttoned his shirt as he removed his jeans.

Her bra fell to the floor, and Joshua hands trailed across her breasts. She arched her back and

moaned. They fell onto the bed clinging desperately to each other.

**************

Elizabeth forced down her second glass of orange juice and half of the bagel that room service

had delivered. She knew hydration was the key to ending a hangover. She dropped her robe on

her bed, took a quick shower, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and dressed in a loose pink T-shirt

and a pair of shorts. She couldn’t understand what she allowed to happen last night. In one fell

swoop she successfully initiated herself as the New York City slut before she even managed to

move into the upper scale rural community. She stopped and touched her throat, remembering

the heat of Joshua’s kiss. It was an incredible night of passion she knew she would never forget.

Joshua made her feel things she’d never thought imaginable.

She finished her juice, took another bite of the bagel and then headed for her car. Elizabeth had a

seven o’clock appointment to look at a rental property. She was going to need temporary

housing. Her uncle's home was demolished long ago. The fire completely gutted the inside

leaving only the frame behind. The house was located near the rear of the 200 acres that she’d

inherited, but she was going to build near the center of the property, closer to the road. She

couldn’t bring herself to rebuild on the site where her Uncle had died.

The trip to the rental house was quiet and serene. Elizabeth opened the sunroof of her rental and

allowed the cool morning air to flow through the car. She turned off the main road and headed

onto the wooded property up a narrow, winding, gravel road with large ruts that mirrored her tire

width. A small creek with a thin trickle of water ran right across the road. It appeared that no

one seemed to care since the road simply sank into the creek and back out again. No wonder this

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house was cheap, Elizabeth thought. You’d need a huge four-wheel drive for rainy days, and a

snowmobile to reach it in the winter. As the ruts in the road grew deeper, Elizabeth struggled to

straddle them with her car’s small tires. It reminded her of the road to her uncle’s house. She

was beginning to understand why he always drove a pickup truck.

The trees began to thin as the road curved one last time to show a clearing with a small cabin,

detached garage, barn, and a small corral. There was a tiny pond with a layer of green on top

next to the corral, and another slightly larger clear water pond at the far end of a small clearing.

Elizabeth was enchanted. She pulled up in front of the split-level cabin. It had a big picture

window that overlooked the large front lawn and pond. It was a charming, rustic little log cabin

with a one-step front stoop and a few small bushes. A large tree grew just close enough to the

front of the house for a rambunctious boy to climb out his bedroom window and down the tree

for a midnight adventure. A cobblestone walkway led to the door. She glanced around and

noticed a faded gray pickup truck parked behind the stables. An elderly gentleman dressed in

jeans and a blue jean jacket appeared from inside the stables and waved at her.

She waved back and went to meet him. She pictured her dog, Charlie, running across the gap

and rushing around the perimeter. Her seven-month-old Golden Retriever would certainly be at

home here.

The man offered his hand when she reached him, “You must be Elizabeth. I’m Gene Weller, it’s

nice to meet you.”

Elizabeth shook his hand. “Hello, Mr. Weller, you have a charming place here. I can’t wait to

see the cabin.”

He motioned toward the cabin and she turned to walk with him as he added, “It needs some

updating, but everything is clean and in working order. It’s fully stocked with dishes and such, so

you will only need the daily food essentials. My son uses it during hunting season and the

holidays. He’s an avid the elk hunter. I was just checking the stables and did a quick check of

the area. I only found a couple of snakes. I’ll go ahead and bring Topper and Knobby by for a

few days to clear out any that I may have missed. You can’t beat tom cats as snake eaters. My

two boys will clear this area in the wink of an eye.”

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“Snakes?” Elizabeth glanced down at the grass when they veered from the road to cut across the

lawn.

“Rattlers,” he explained. “These Mountains are full of them, but I don’t think there’s a den close

by, so not to worry. I found one snake way back behind the stables. I’ll leave my boys here for

the next couple of weeks if you like. They’re good snake hunters. Your retriever won’t even

know they’re here.”

Elizabeth stopped and stared at him, “Rattlesnakes? My Uncle Wendell always said they usually

kept deep into the woods.”

Mr. Weller stopped and turned to face her, “Darlin’ you are deep in the woods.”

*************

Joshua walked into Sheriff Randal Connor’s office. It was located in a small storefront converted

to hold the only law enforcement office in town. He sat down on the seat in front of his desk.

The Sheriff glanced up from his paperwork briefly then returned to his work.

Joshua frowned and said, “Don’t pretend to be working. Unless someone robbed the general

store or the wolf pack returned to Beldon Falls, you are completely free of paperwork today.”

The Sheriff put his pen down and stared at Joshua. Pushing his light brown hair from his eyes,

the Sheriff flashed Joshua a huge smile, “So I take it your meeting didn’t go so well last night.

Was she everything you expected? Dowdy, fat, and covered with warts?”

Joshua sighed and put his feet up on the Sheriff’s desk. He leaned back in his seat and said,

“Randy, she was the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. The night couldn’t have gone better.”

Randy asked, “Then why are you such a grouch?”

“It was too good to be true.” Joshua sat up abruptly. “I hit on her right out of the gate, and she

didn’t bat an eye. We went to Sadie’s and a couple of hours later we were back in her hotel

room.”

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Randy stared at him in disbelief and said, “You’re worse than I thought. Did you bed the old

shrew? I know you took a hit when the real estate bubble burst, but that’s no reason to prostitute

yourself for a contract.”

Joshua’s feet landed on the floor, and he leaned forward in his seat, “First of all, she was

gorgeous. Probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Secondly, it had nothing to do

with the contract. It was... I don’t know… It was crazy; it was intense, it was more than I

expected. What I’m confident of, is it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Randy looked at his best friend since childhood and said, “So you’ve entered new territory. Is it

safe to say you just might have feelings for this gal?”

“No!” Joshua rose to his feet and headed for the door. “It’s not that at all. She just wasn’t what I

expected. I plan to get this relationship back on a professional level. I’m not going to have some

lovesick loner hanging all over me for the next few months while I build her home. That’s the

last thing I need.”

Randy called after him, “Not every woman is like Joanne.” His response was the sound of a

slamming door.

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Chapter Two

The phone rang as Elizabeth finished packing. It was the front desk informing Elizabeth that her

assistant had arrived with her dog, Charlie. The bellhop appeared at the door and grabbed her

bags as she rushed downstairs. Her assistant, a young college graduate named Amy Rothchild,

stood outside the entrance. She held tightly to Charlie's leash when Elizabeth walked out the

door.

Amy’s French braid had several strands of hair trying to escape. There were dark circles under

her bloodshot eyes. Her light blonde hair and big blue eyes accented her pale complexion and

rosy cheeks. Amy’s petite body was no match for the golden retriever’s potential. When Charlie

saw Elizabeth, there was no stopping her from greeting her master. Charlie bounded away from

Amy with one leap and reached the Elizabeth’s side. Amy lurched forward and stumbled along

behind Charlie. Elizabeth laughed and caught Charlie’s front paws as she jumped up to greet her.

“How’s my little puppy?” Elizabeth asked, scratching Charlie behind the ears.

After straightening her clothes and checking her hair, Amy handed Elizabeth the leash and said,

“Puppy? You have to be kidding. She’s a few pounds away from becoming a horse.”

Accepting the leash, Elizabeth released Charlie’s paws. She smiled at Amy and said, “Amy,

what would I do without you! You are my angel of mercy, driving Charlie half way across the

country so she wouldn’t have to fly.”

Amy stared at Elizabeth with one raised eyebrow and countered, “A two day trip in a Mini

Cooper is all the way across the country, not half.” She hugged Elizabeth, adding, “Charlie was

actually a very good girl. She made me feel safe.”

The bellhop appeared with Elizabeth’s bags, followed immediately by Franklin. Elizabeth

headed for her car, saying, “We’ve got a 20 minute drive to the rental property, then you can

relax and even take a nap if you like. Franklin is going to return my rental car after we unpack.”

Franklin hesitated when he saw Amy, then flashed a quick smile and dashed off after Elizabeth.

He climbed into the passenger seat and began his interrogation of Elizabeth’s spontaneous date

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with Joshua before she even reached the road. “Where did you go? What happened? When did

you get back?”

Elizabeth shrugged and said, “The steaks were very good, but the bar is a dive. We didn’t stay

long. I went right to bed when I got back.”

“But you were supposed to call me,” Franklin said quietly.

Concentrating on the road, Elizabeth refused to look at him. She was scared she might actually

see him pouting. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you when I got back to the hotel.” Elizabeth offered

gently, “I just wasn’t in the mood for work.”

Franklin frowned and stared out the window. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

Was it possible Franklin somehow knew Joshua spent the night? No, they went straight to the

room. The hallway was empty and they didn’t see anyone along the way. Even if he did know,

she wasn’t going to discuss it with Franklin. He was her agent, not her father. She did consider

him a friend, but her sex life was none of his business. Gripping the steering wheel firmly,

Elizabeth wondered why she allowed that to happen. She never had sex with someone on the

first date, not even a second date. Most of her relationships never got that far. Elizabeth was a

romantic soul. She believed in love before sex. Somehow, last night love didn’t even cross her

mind. Last night was only about the sex. There were no emotions involved; there couldn’t be.

She barely knew Joshua. Although she had to admit, he was incredibly sexy. Josh had a body

like a Mack truck, all brawn and hard muscle. He made love as if the world was ending. The

mere thought of their encounter made her breathe faster.

She flashed a guilty glance in Franklin’s direction, and then smiled in relief as the entrance to her

new temporary home appeared up ahead. “Here we are. You’re going to love this place,

Franklin. It’s full of character and a little adventure. The cabin backs to the woods. The landlord

installed a large picture window on the rear of the house, so there’s a gorgeous view. Mr. Weller

said if you are quiet, and leave the lights out, you could watch the deer come into the yard to eat

the acorns early in the mornings. I saw a flock of turkeys crossing the road when I left yesterday.

This place is fabulous!”

Franklin sighed and shook his head then smiled. He said, “I’m sure it’s awesome, but does it

have electricity and indoor plumbing?”

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***********

Joshua had a hard time calling Elizabeth. He sat at a desk in his home office and stared at the

phone. He’d just spoken to the inspector, and he'd scheduled the environmental study for

tomorrow. His last project was in clean up mode. All he needed was her decision on which plan

to go with, and he could break ground within the next week. Still he hesitated. Why in Hades

name was he putting this off? Joshua grabbed his phone and viciously punched in Elizabeth’s

number. He’d keep the relationship strictly business from now on.

“Hello?” Elizabeth’s sultry voice came over the phone.

“Hi Elizabeth, this is Joshua. The environmental study is tomorrow morning. I don’t expect any

complications. So whichever floor plan you’ve decided on, shouldn’t be a problem.” Joshua kept

his voice low and monotone.

Elizabeth frowned and walked out the back door of the cabin to watch the sun sink behind the

mountains. She was surprised at the lack of pleasantries but held to the topic at hand, “That’s

great, Joshua. I’ve chosen the two-story log cabin. I like the design and square footage, but I’d

like to add a 2 car attached garage and possibly a three-stall barn, placed deeper into the lot.

There is a pond about an eighth of a mile from the building site. I thought it would be ideal to

incorporate inside a horse fence.”

Joshua relaxed; she wasn’t going to push the relationship. He said, “That shouldn’t be a

problem. I’ll pull up some basic barn plans and get you some samples of fencing. My foreman

can check the design of the pond and surrounding landscape, and then we can discuss your

options. I’ll check back with you tomorrow afternoon and we can set an appointment to finalize

everything.”

He was blowing her off! Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He wasn’t even going

to mention last night. Gripping the phone fiercely, she answered in a quiet voice, “Sounds great!

I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”

“Okay,” Joshua hesitated, “Talk to you soon. Have a great evening.”

“Oh, I will,” Elizabeth’s voice reeked with sweetness, “I’m in my new place, Mr. Weller’s

cabin.”

19

“Gene Weller?” Joshua asked confused, “I thought his son owned that cabin?”

“He does, but he won’t need it until deer hunting season. As long as you stay on track, I should

be out of here by then.” Elizabeth felt triumphant at his continued conversation.

Joshua knew exactly where that cabin was. It sat on the edge of Beldon Falls Preserve.

“Elizabeth, there have been wolves sighted in that area. Given the fact the cabin is vacant most

of the year, I think you should stay inside after dark for the first few days.”

What? Now he was concerned for her welfare. Elizabeth paced back and forth along the small

porch as her face flushed with anger. Forget about the fantastic night of wild sex, let’s talk about

hiding from fictitious wolves, she thought. She took a deep breath and answered with slightly

more irritation than she meant, “Don’t worry about me. I’m not alone. My assistant arrived today

with my golden retriever, Charlie.”

“What?” Joshua couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Elizabeth, listen to me. Don’t let Charlie

outside after dark. A golden retriever is no match for a pack of wolves or a bear. You are on the

edge of a huge preserve. There are more than just deer and elk roaming around in those woods.

Promise me you’ll keep to the cabin after dark and not go too deep into the woods alone during

the day.”

Elizabeth lifted the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Who did he think he was? She

placed the phone back to her ear and asked, “Just exactly what gives you the right to tell me how

to live my life? One night together and suddenly you’re trying to walk all over me! It’s bad

enough you refuse to acknowledge what happened between us last night, but now you have to

add to it by being uber controlling.”

Joshua had a bad feeling in his gut. She wasn’t listening and she was going to get herself, or

more likely her dog, killed if she didn’t learn how to respect the animals in the area. “Beth,

listen, I’m not trying to boss you around. I’m trying to give you some very practical advice.

These woods are not like the forests you hike around in Missouri. There are mountain lions that

would sooner eat Charlie or you rather than sit pretty and wait for you to take their picture. Do

you own a gun?”

“What?” Elizabeth gasped. She completely missed the point; he called her by a more intimate

name. She snapped, “No, I do not own a gun!” Just then, something rustled in the brush at the far

20

end of the backyard; Elizabeth almost jumped out of her skin. Charlie charged out of the back

door and headed right for it. “Charlie! No!”

“Beth!” Joshua was on his feet, heading for the door. “What is it? Are you outside? Let Charlie

go and get in the house!”

“Leave me alone!” Elizabeth yelled in the phone and hung up just as Charlie dove into the

bushes.

Amy appeared in the doorway as Elizabeth started to run after Charlie. She took only a few

steps, when a huge deer broke through the bushes and dashed across the yard to disappear into

the trees. Charlie was at its heels.

“No, Charlie! Bad dog! No!” She screamed.

Amy ran to her side waving a large knife asking, “What is it? What’s happening?”

Charlie followed the deer to the tree line before deciding to obey her master. Charlie turned and

galloped back to Elizabeth who sank to her knees and hugged Charlie with all her strength. She

was completely out of breath. Her heart was racing. Damn that Joshua Miller, he’d pumped her

so full of nonsense she’d nearly scared herself to death.

She rose and smiled weakly at Amy saying, “Let’s keep her inside for the rest of the night.”

Amy nodded and surveyed the yard, adding, “Us too. Good thing Franklin headed back early.

He would have been crying like a baby after all that excitement.”

Laughing, Elizabeth said, “He was terrified it would get dark before he reached the hotel. He

does not like the country at all. He told me once that St Louis was too small town for him, not

enough cement and high-rises.”

Amy giggled and said, “Can you believe it’s after 9 o’clock, and it’s still bright daylight outside?

Frankly, it doesn’t matter; I’m exhausted. The light is not going to keep me awake. I’m closing

my curtains and going to bed. I’ll get all your paperwork together for the build in the morning.

What time are you meeting with the builder?”

“Builder?” Elizabeth gasped and glanced down at the phone. Should she call Joshua back and let

him know everything was okay? She closed and locked the back door, and stood staring out at

21

the large backyard into the forest beyond. It was so beautiful but maybe Joshua was right. Her

phone began to ring. She glanced down and recognized Joshua’s number.

She hit the answer button and immediately said, “Everything is fine. It was just a deer.”

Joshua growled into the phone, “Dammit Beth! You scared the crap out of me! Is Charlie all

right?”

“She’s fine; I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye.” Elizabeth snapped.

“Oh no, we will talk right now. I’m almost there.” Joshua countered and hung up.

Elizabeth quickly glanced around the room to see if everything was clean. When she realized

what she was doing, she chastised herself, ‘What are you thinking? He’s nothing, a one-night

stand. Clearly, he considers it just a casual fling so get over it. Everyone has one at least once in

their life; it’s just your turn.’ She calmly walked to the front door as the roar of Joshua’s truck

could be heard coming up the driveway. Charlie appeared at her side when she opened the door.

Elizabeth allowed Charlie to leap out the door to greet Joshua, who was climbing out of his

truck. He turned, and without hesitation, knelt and greeted Charlie with a quick scratch between

the ears. When Joshua glanced at Elizabeth, her stomach jumped and her pulse quickened. Those

damn blue eyes. Joshua turned and reached into the back seat of his extended cab and pulled out

a long brown case. He whistled at Charlie, who wandered down the driveway, and Elizabeth

cringed as her devoted dog came trotting up and escorted him happily to the door.

‘Traitor,’ Elizabeth admonished her silently, and stepped aside to allow Joshua to enter. Her eyes

ran up and down the length of him as he passed. He had on a plain white T-shirt and faded pair

of jeans. Her eyes hesitated at his broad shoulders and lingered on the pockets of his jeans. She

took a quick breath and admired his small, firm behind.

Joshua went straight to the kitchen table and opened the case. He pulled out a short-barreled

shotgun and turned to face Elizabeth. He said, “Keep this right here, in the central living area.

You don’t have any kids, so there’s no concern about that.”

Elizabeth snapped back to reality and walked over to him. She glared at the gun he held out for

her inspection. Elizabeth met his iron stare with open hostility and said, “I am not keeping that

gun.”

22

Joshua couldn’t help but smile at her response. It was all fluff and girl. He calmly said, “If you

don’t agree to keep this gun I will throw you over my shoulder, right here and now, and take you

and Charlie home with me.”

His ornery smile sent a chill through her, but also made her heart race faster. She refused to back

down. She was not afraid. Frowning at him in silence, she searched his eyes. There was no anger

there, only concern. He was sincerely worried about her and Charlie. Maybe she should listen to

him.

“Charlie seems to like you.” She said softly. “You have a way with animals.”

Joshua bit the inside of his mouth, trying to stop from laughing. Her pouty frown was almost too

much for him. She had no idea at that moment he would have agreed to patrol her property all

night, if she would only kiss him.

Joshua’s hard smile softened, and he said, “I’ve got a dog too. He’s older; I take him hunting

with me.”

Elizabeth took the gun from his hands and sat it on top of the case. She stared down at it and

asked, “What kind of dog?”

Joshua tilted his head and stared at her. She was beautiful. Even a plain t-shirt couldn’t hide her

large breasts and small waist. He said, “He’s a Malamute and wolf mix. My dad’s girl malamute

ran off. Dad wasn’t a bit surprised to find the pups were half wolf. I got my pick of the litter.”

“What is his name?” She turned and met his gaze.

“Kilo,” He answered softly. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

Elizabeth laughed and asked, “Kilo, really? What are you, a drug dealer?”

“Like you’re any better? Charlie? You have a female. You think she’s going to protect you? The

first time she sees a bear in the woods, she’s going to pee herself then hightail it out of there with

her tail between her legs.” Joshua was no longer amused.

“Oh Yeah?” Elizabeth felt stupid the instant those words left her lips.

It was Joshua’s turn to laugh, “Well, you better hope so because the first time Charlie tries to

play butt sniff with a bear or mountain lion, it’s going to rip her head off and have her for

dinner.”

23

Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide in shock. She said, “Are there real mountain lions around here?”

Joshua sighed and reached out to take her hand. “A few, and bears, that’s why you need to keep

Charlie inside, especially at night. It doesn’t have to be a problem if you are careful and keep

your garbage can locked in the garage.”

She gazed into his eyes and found herself fighting the urge to ask him to stay the night again. She

hesitated and asked, “Why haven’t you said anything about last night?”

His face softened, “Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t usually get involved with my clients. This is

new territory for me. I don’t want things to be awkward.”

She smiled and moved closer, leaning against him. “There isn’t anything to worry about. We are

consenting adults and honestly, I have no expectations. But if it will make you feel better, why

don’t we agree to take this one day at a time, with no commitment required?”

He stared at her in amazement and said, “I’m not the kind of guy that dates several women at a

time, and I don’t want to be in a relationship with a woman who dates other men.”

She leaned against him and explained, “That’s not what I meant. What I’m proposing is an

exclusive relationship between us that has no expectations beyond the immediate future.

Therefore, there is no pressure to plan any further than our next date. If either of us finds

ourselves attracted to someone else, we end the relationship with no hard feelings and go our

separate ways.”

Joshua slipped his arms around her waist. She kissed his cheek and moved to nibble on his

earlobe. He asked, “How can I say no to that?”

He cupped her chin and raised her face to his. He kissed her gently. She wrapped her arms

around his neck and returned the kiss with fervor. His hands wandered down the hollow of her

back pressing her against him as his urgency grew. His lips trailed down her throat to her breasts,

eliciting a moan pleasure. He unbuttoned her blouse with one hand while still holding her against

him. Then lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa. They fell onto the sofa as one.

24

************

Amy opened the bedroom curtains flooding the room with the soft glow of the morning light.

Elizabeth rolled over and squinted at her through sleepy eyes. Amy smiled brightly and said,

“Joshua said to tell you he had to get to the site early this morning as they are building the access

bridge over the creek today, and that it’s a simple build that won’t affect the environmental

study.” She walked to the door and added over her shoulder, “He’s so hot! He’s inspired me to

write a book called, How to Date a Hot Construction Worker!”

Amy’s laughter followed her into the hallway.

Elizabeth called after her, “He’s not a construction worker, and he owns the company.”

“Even better.” came Amy’s distant reply. “How to Date a Hot Construction Magnate.”

Elizabeth laughed and climbed out of bed. She took a quick shower and dressed in her favorite

jeans with a pale yellow blouse. She pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail as she headed

down the stairs. Amy was slicing a banana into two bowls of yogurt for breakfast. Elizabeth

popped a bagel in the toaster and sat down at the breakfast bar next to Amy. Sprinkling the fruit

and yogurt mixture with granola, Amy handed Elizabeth a bowl.

She flashed Elizabeth a wicked grin and said, “I scooped up your clothes and tossed them in the

laundry room.”

Meeting her gaze, Elizabeth said, “Thanks, and quit acting so weird.”

Amy laughed, “I can’t remember the last time you had a man stay over. When Franklin asked me

out last year, I was shocked the two of you weren’t an item. From what I know of the very few

men you’ve been involved with, none of them has ever been like Joshua. They’ve all been

smooth and classy like Franklin. You always go for the CEO or neurosurgeon type. You always

go for the type A personality. That’s not Joshua. He’s down to earth, personable, and probably a

lot of fun.”

Staring at her bowl for a moment before she looked up at Amy, Elizabeth said, “Don’t let him

fool you, he’s got some type A deep inside, but you’re right. He’s not what I usually go for.

Don’t let the macho exterior fool you though. He’s intelligent, witty, and from what I can tell, a

good businessman.”

25

“Not to mention, sexy.” Amy said with a giggle.

Elizabeth smiled and added, “Yes, incredibly sexy.” She paused to look at Amy with a raised

eyebrow. “You dated Franklin?”

“Not really,” Amy rolled her eyes, “One date was enough. He’s too intense for me.” Amy

flipped her long golden hair back off her shoulders and finished her breakfast. She rinsed out her

bowl and turned from the sink to ask, “So what’s the plan?”

Elizabeth glanced around and asked, “Where’s my iPad?”

Amy walked into the living room and looked around. She said, “It's not in here. I haven’t seen

it.”

Elizabeth frowned and walked over to the sofa adding, “I left it on the coffee table with my bra.”

“Are you sure?” Amy shrugged.

“Maybe I left it in my briefcase.” Elizabeth sighed, and headed to the kitchen table adding,

“Let’s set up here. I need to run over the edits for Woman of Steel one last time. Franklin wants

to release the e-book and get it submitted for press by the end of the month. He’s pushing me to

do some personal appearances. He’s got me scheduled in every major city between here and New

York for a slew of book signings the last half of June through the middle of July.”

Amy went to a small hall closet next to the front door and pulled out two laptop cases. She

returned to the table and handed one to Elizabeth. They sat down and began to work.

26

Chapter Three

The little blue mini pulled onto the shoulder of the road as soon as Randy flipped on his red

lights. The plates were from Missouri. Obviously, this city slicker didn’t realize the Sherriff

drove a white SUV. The little blonde at the wheel zipped right past him as he sat in the

intersection waiting to turn. Randy pulled up behind her and ran the plate. Elizabeth Stewart.

Wasn’t Josh’s author’s name Elizabeth?

He climbed out of the truck and used his best police strut up to her window. He was rewarded as

a beautiful blonde with big blue eyes smiled up at him. His eyes wandered down the length of

her. She was petite, slender, and had a nice bust line, not huge but ample.

Amy held her smile, letting him check her out for a bit, then leaned toward the window to allow

a clear view of her cleavage and asked, “Hello, officer. Was I speeding?”

Randy forced his eyes from her cleavage and met her gaze. He flashed a serious look and said,

“Yes ma'am. I clocked you at 60 in a 45 zone back at the last intersection.”

“Call me Amy.” She cooed as she handed him her driver’s license, and added, “Officer

Connor.”

He couldn’t help but smile. She was the cutest thing he’d seen in a very long time. He said, “It’s

Sheriff Connor. Randy Connor.”

“Sheriff? Wow, that’s very exciting.” She oozed with feminine wiles. “I’ve never met a Sheriff

before.”

Randy forced back the chuckle that threatened and said, “Well today is your lucky day. Not only

have you met a Sheriff, but you’re coming away with a signed souvenir.”

Amy’s smile disappeared. She didn’t appreciate his humor.

Randy’s heart melted, but he held his cold demeanor. “Why don’t you tell me why you are

driving Elizabeth Stewart’s car?”

27

“Oh, Beth is my boss. I was just running to the local market to get some groceries.” Amy

answered as her smile returned.

Randy bent over and glanced inside the vehicle. “I see. Are you relocating to this area as well?”

“Yes sir,” Amy watched him closely. He was tall and handsome. His eyes were kind, even

when he was trying to be tough.

“Make sure to tell Elizabeth to get her registration transferred over as fast as possible.” Randy’s

voice softened as their eyes met. “I’m going to let you off with a warning this time.”

Amy’s eyes opened wide in surprise, “Oh Sheriff, you are my hero!”

He laughed and added, “Would I sound like a total letch if I asked you to have dinner with me?”

Amy’s voice softened to a purr, as she answered, “Not at all. I’d love to try a local restaurant.

Beth is a real homebody, and since I’ve been with her I don’t get out much. I’ve been here for

two weeks, and the only place I’ve gone is that little grocery store in town and the gas station.”

***********

Elizabeth surrendered and pulled up the Apple site on her computer to order another iPad. She

found it extremely frustrating. All of her quick notes for new book ideas were on that device.

Moreover, her favorite bra had disappeared with it. She could blame Charlie for the bra. She was

always snatching and grabbing towels or clothing and stuffing them behind the sofa or under the

bed. However, it was highly unlikely that Charlie grabbed the iPad. If she had, there would be

pieces of it all over the living room.

Amy breezed in the door with an armful of groceries. She rushed to the kitchen and hastily

began putting items away. She called to Elizabeth, “Beth! Get changed! We have a date!

Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

Leaning back in her seat, Elizabeth watched as Amy danced around the kitchen shoving cans

onto the shelves and slamming cabinet doors. “We, Meaning you and I are going out? Or we,

meaning a double date?”

28

Amy stopped and stared at her, throwing her arms up in exasperation saying, “Why do you have

to be so literal all of the time? We, meaning the Sheriff, Joshua's best friend. He nearly gave me

a ticket on the way home. We are meeting them at that bar and grill the two of you went to on

your first date in they’re probably on their way there now!”

Elizabeth rose slowly and walked to the kitchen. She asked, “You almost got a ticket, in my

car?”

“Speaking of cars,” Amy ignored her question. “Randy, the sheriff, says we won’t get 10 feet

this winter in the Mini once the snow starts. We need a new car. In fact, I need my own car. Oh,

and I completely forgot to tell you; Franklin will be here tomorrow to go over the details of your

release and tour. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Randy is so hot! His badge makes me quiver.”

“Amy, you are the only woman I know that can not only get out of a ticket, but walk away with a

date as well.” She rose and went to help Amy put the rest of the groceries away. Afterward, they

rushed upstairs. Beth gave Amy free reign of the main bathroom while she took a quick shower

in the half bath off her bedroom. They were dressed and out the door in twenty minutes.

The Sheriff's truck sat out front next to Joshua’s pickup. Elizabeth frowned at Joshua’s truck.

Elizabeth glanced over at Amy. She was perfect. Her golden hair flowed freely around her

shoulders. Her makeup was perfect. Her nails were perfect. Her choice of a peasant blouse and

dark blue jeans with dangling earrings made her look like she belonged on the big screen, in

some steamy drama. Elizabeth was dressed in a tank top and capris. They were quite a pair.

Barbie and one of the Bratz dolls go on a date. Elizabeth sighed, forced away the sense that she

was too old for this kind of crap and followed Amy into the bar.

Amy floated across the bar toward Joshua and Randy’s table. Both men rose as they neared.

Elizabeth was pleased that Joshua’s eyes remained on her as they approached. He gave her a

quick kiss and pulled out her chair before turning to say hi to Amy. Randy was clearly smitten.

He stumbled all over himself, pulling her chair out roughly and rushing to push it in a bit too

fast. Elizabeth suspected he wanted to throw Amy down on the table and have his way with her,

but instead managed to smile and say hello.

Elizabeth was looking forward to the night. Amy was not one to portray a pseudo persona

around her, so it would be interesting to see if one emerged in the Sheriff’s presence. It was

29

obvious the Sheriff was on his best behavior. He sat stiffly upright in his chair, with his hands in

his lap, his feet flat on the floor. Why hadn’t she thought of double dating with her free-spirited

assistant before? It was excellent research.

Amy's approach mesmerized Beth. She maintained her normal mannerisms. Amy didn’t alter to

adjust to Randy’s tone or character. The two of them appeared to maintain their individuality

while trying to find common interests and goals. Joshua joined in the fray, also maintaining his

usual character. Suddenly, it occurred to Elizabeth: these people were enigmas. They had to be.

Randy and Amy were not regular. Perhaps Amy was the catalyst. Everyone has a pseudo

personality, everyone except Amy because she was an innocent. That had to be it. She was just

too naive, too untarnished by the world to know any better.

Randy, well he was just a slow starter. Maybe he hadn’t established what his pseudo personality

should be with Amy. Just give him time. If they started dating, Elizabeth was sure it would

emerge. Just like Joshua’s true self was bound to start sneaking through. Eventually Elizabeth

was sure she would begin to see the real Joshua in all his flawed glory. She was glaring at him.

She watched Joshua laugh and joke with Randy and tease Amy. She knew he couldn’t be perfect.

Deep down inside there was selfishness or immaturity or some terrible habit or secret he’d

managed to keep hidden from the world.

Joshua glanced over at Elizabeth, and the smile vanished. He asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”

Elizabeth snapped out of her stupor and forced a smile on her face. “I’m sorry. I was just lost in

thought. It looks like Amy and Randy are hitting it off.”

Joshua frowned at her puzzled, then smiled at her and said, “They sure are.” He turned back to

them and announced, “The next round is on me.”

It was past 1am by the time they left the bar. Joshua and Randy walked the girls to their car.

Elizabeth draped her arms around Joshua’s neck as their lips met. His crushed hers with an

abandon the misty night air could not cool. Elizabeth leaned against him as his hands ran down

the length of her back then wrapped around her. When they finally parted, a quick glance toward

Amy found the new couple in a shy embrace. Joshua winked at Elizabeth and opened the car

door for her.

30

He whispered, “Looks like we can plan on more couples nights like this in the future; unless you

consider that too bold of a plan for the future?” Elizabeth missed his quip and got in the car.

Randy reluctantly released Amy from their timid goodbye kiss. Randy wanted more, but the

vision of his late wife flashed before his eyes slowing his pace. Amy was also very young. He

leaned in the window after shutting the door behind her.

Resisting the urge to kiss her again, he said, “You want me to follow you girls home? It’s pretty

late.”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “Thanks for the offer, but we don’t have far to go. We’ll be fine.”

The night had grown cloudy and a storm was approaching. Elizabeth opened the moon roof and

allowed the cool night air to flow through the car. Amy sank back into the seat and gazed out her

window with a dreamy expression.

“So,” Elizabeth began, “It appears the night went well.”

Amy glanced over at Elizabeth and flashed a huge grin. She said, “He’s dreamy. I can’t believe a

man in law enforcement can be so kind and sweet.”

“And sexy,” Elizabeth added with a grin.

Amy laughed, “Oh yeah, that Sheriff uniform combined with his big brown eyes created quite a

response when he kissed me. I wanted to jump him right there in the parking lot.”

Elizabeth turned off the main road onto a narrow winding road that began the climb up the

mountain to their cabin. She asked, “What is it about the mountains that breed charming men

with such huge muscles?”

“And tiny butts!” Amy said, bursting into giggles.

Elizabeth spied the turn off onto their long driveway to the cabin. Suddenly a blur of movement

came out of the trees. She slammed on the brakes as the movement flashed in front of the

vehicle.

Amy screamed as the car slid on the damp road heading straight toward the blur, “No! It’s

Charlie!”

31

Elizabeth’s heart jumped into her throat. Charlie froze in the middle of the road as the car slid

toward her. She spun the steering wheel to the right sending them onto the shoulder of the road,

just barely missing Charlie and a large tree. The girls jumped out of the car and rushed to

Charlie, who stood shivering in the middle of the road.

“Charlie!” Elizabeth gasped, as she knelt to embrace her. Amy was instantly next to her hugging

both of them. They huddled on the road oblivious to the large raindrops that began to fall.

Elizabeth caught her breath and began to check Charlie, squeezing each leg and running her

hands over her head and back. She was uninjured but covered in mud. Elizabeth smiled at her

shaken dog and said, “Charlie, what are you doing out here?” She glanced at Amy and asked,

“How did she get out?”

Amy shook her head and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. “I locked the front door, I know I did. We

better get up there and see what’s going on.” She walked back to the car and opened the door for

Charlie. When Charlie was inside, she turned back to Elizabeth adding with a smile, “Should we

call the Sheriff?”

Elizabeth laughed and climbed in the car as Amy dashed around to the other side. “Let’s wait

and see.”

When they reached the house they could see the front door was standing wide open. Elizabeth

pulled the car up so the headlights were shining at the cabin. They sat in the car staring at the

house. Amy glanced around the yard and toward the barn.

She said, “I don’t see any sign that someone else is here. I’m confident I shut and locked that

door. Could the landlord have dropped by to check on you and left the door open?”

Elizabeth pulled her cell phone out of her purse and said grimly, “No, Joshua changed the locks.”

************

Joshua just climbed into bed when the phone rang. He saw Elizabeth’s number on the display

and quickly answered it. “Beth? Is everything okay?”

Elizabeth answered him calmly, “Josh, I’m really sorry to call you, but when we got home

Charlie was out, and the front door is standing open. I’m just a bit concerned about going

inside.”

32

“Don’t go in the house,” Joshua answered quickly climbing out of bed as he spoke. “Stay in the

car, lock the doors and if anyone comes out of the house I want you to hightail it back to the bar.

I’m on my way. I’m going to call Randy. He lives closer and can get to you quicker.”

“We’re fine, Josh,” Elizabeth answered.

“I’ll call you back in a few minutes,” Josh replied and hung up.

Elizabeth turned to Amy and said, “Josh is calling Randy; he’s closer, but they are both on their

way.”

Amy had her back turned to Elizabeth; she was staring out the window toward the stables. She

said, “Can you turn the headlights on the stables, something is moving over there.”

Elizabeth backed up the car and turned it toward the stables. They sat in silence watching for

movement. Amy shook her head after a few minutes and said, “I swear I thought I saw a person

walking into the stables, but in this darkness I suppose it could have been a deer or just a

shadow.”

They both jumped as Elizabeth’s phone rang. Amy laughed and patted Charlie’s head when she

stuck it between seats to check on them. Elizabeth answered the phone; it was Randy.

His deep voice resonated from the earpiece. “Elizabeth, this is Randy. I’ll be there in about 5

minutes.” Elizabeth put him on speaker as he continued, “I just want to make sure you are both

staying in the car.”

Amy answered, “Randy, its Amy. We are in the Mini, but I thought I saw someone go into the

stables.”

Randy’s voice deepened, “Just stay in the car. Is Charlie with you?” As he finished his question,

Charlie began to bark at the back seat window on Amy’s side. “I’m almost there. It might be a

good idea for you to head toward the road.”

Elizabeth answered as she reached back to pat Charlie. “The headlights are shining on the barn,

but we haven’t seen anyone, and there aren’t any vehicles here. I think Amy and Charlie are just

spooked. We’ll stay put unless we see someone.”

33

Randy’s voice softened, he said, “I’m almost there. Don’t move the car again unless you need to

leave. If someone was there, I want to look for tire marks.” Josh said, “Do you have weapons on-

site?”

Elizabeth glanced at Amy and said, “Josh gave me a shotgun. It’s on top of the kitchen cabinets.

I don’t think anyone would see it if they didn’t know it was there.”

“Good to know,” Randy answered, “Okay, ladies. I’m turning onto the side road that leads to

your driveway. See you in about 2 minutes. Call me if anything changes.”

Elizabeth disconnected the call and they sat in the darkness listening to the windshield wipers

move back and forth. The rain began to fall in sheets as the wind grew stronger, whipping the

treetops into a frenzy. It was a very long two minutes before Randy’s flashing red lights lit up the

darkness around them. He drove past them and shone his searchlight into the small stables before

returning to the cabin. He shone the searchlight on the front door and climbed out of his truck

carrying a large flashlight.

He walked to their car as Elizabeth rolled down the window. He flashed a smile at them as he

leaned against the car. Elizabeth smiled back; Amy was right. He had a sexy smile. He said,

“I’m going to check the house. I need you lovely ladies to stay right here until I back.”

“Anything you say, Sheriff,” Amy answered with a smile.

Randy nodded and disappeared into the house. They sat in nervous silence as the lights in the

house slowly came on one by one. Joshua’s truck roared up the drive as the upstairs lights came

on. Joshua was out of his truck in an instant and at Elizabeth’s window.

The look of concern on his face sent Elizabeth’s heart racing. He asked, “You two okay?”

Elizabeth nodded at the sight of him; a large knot developed in her throat, and she couldn’t

answer. He smiled and reached out to touch her arm adding, “Okay, I’m going to check with

Randy. I’ll be right back.” Elizabeth nodded, noticing the handgun stuck in his belt.

They watched Joshua disappear into the house. Amy sighed and said, “I’m beginning to feel like

a foolish girl. We should have manned up and checked the house ourselves. It’s probably

nothing. We lived in the theater district of Manhattan for two years and never had a problem.

Why are we such wimps now?"

34

Elizabeth turned to Amy and said, “I know you. If you said you locked the door, the door was

locked. As you said, we lived in New York for two years, we aren’t a couple of careless females.

Frankly, we’re out of our element here. We have no idea what to expect out here on our own. In

New York everyone in the building watched out for each other. Here we don’t have any

neighbors to hear our screams and come running. Now I understand why Joshua brought me that

gun.”

Randy and Joshua appeared in the doorway. Joshua was holding the shotgun he gave Elizabeth.

They talked for a minute then Randy headed for the stables. Joshua went to his truck and opened

the door. A large black and white malamute with a mixture of gray spread throughout his

longhaired coat bounded out to greet him. Joshua motioned toward the stables and Kilo dashed

off after Randy. Joshua watched Kilo until he caught up with Randy, then came to the girl’s car.

He met Elizabeth’s questioning gaze with a soft smile and said, “It’s all clear, but Randy thinks

someone did break in. Let’s get you girls and Charlie inside, and we’ll talk about it. Randy

doesn’t believe they are around, but he’s going to check the stables just to make sure. Why don’t

you leave the headlights on until he’s finished, and I’ll come out and move the car later.” He

opened Elizabeth’s door and offered his hand. Then opened the back door and whistled for

Charlie, who eagerly jumped out into the rain to greet him.

Elizabeth and Amy followed Joshua inside. They stood frozen in the entryway as they glanced

around the room. Joshua returned from a small bathroom off the kitchen with a towel for

Charlie. He stopped when he saw them and stared for a minute. Realizing they were terrified,

Joshua came back over to them. He put his arm around their shoulders and escorted them to the

sofa.

He took their jackets and urged them to sit down. He said, “Don’t worry. It’s safe. No one else is

here, and we are not going to leave you alone tonight.” Joshua sat down in the armchair across

from them and called Charlie over. He threw a towel over her back and began to rub her down.

He chuckled and asked, “Did you have much of an adventure tonight Charlie?”

“Are you joking?” Elizabeth gasped, “I nearly killed her! Who knows how long she ran wild in

the darkness? She made it all the way out to the road. She ran right out in front of my car. I could

have...” Elizabeth’s voice broke, and she began to sob.

35

Joshua was instantly at her side. Pulling her into his arms, he held her close. Amy moved to

Elizabeth’s other side and embraced them both. Randy walked through the door and stopped to

stare at them.

He asked, “Do you three want to be alone or do you have room for one more?”

Amy jumped up and rushed across the room to embrace him as Kilo dashed through the door and

bounded up to Charlie. Amy and Randy scrambled to catch the pair of wet dogs and herd them

into the bathroom. Joshua and Elizabeth remained on the sofa.

Joshua pulled back and cupped her chin saying, “Charlie’s lucky to have someone like you in her

life. She’s a sweet dog. I’m sure that whoever broke in just put her outside. Golden's are just

about as far away from a guard dog as you can get. She probably wagged her tail and greeted

them. There was no reason to hurt her.”

Elizabeth wiped away her tears and met Joshua’s gaze. She said softly, “Someone violated my

home. Your home is supposed to be a safe haven.”

“I know,” Joshua brushed a stray hair from her cheek and said, “It’s scary, but you aren’t alone.

Randy will figure out who did this, and when he does I’ll personally kick their butt.”

Elizabeth laughed at the completely serious expression on Joshua’s face. He raised one eyebrow

as if to question her belief of his sincerity. Finally, he smiled and chuckled, then said, “Why

don’t I leave Kilo here for a few days. Charlie could use a playmate, and it will help you relax.”

Randy and Amy reappeared from the bathroom with the dogs. Elizabeth and Joshua rose to greet

them. Amy came to Elizabeth’s side and gave her an encouraging smile. Amy said, “Randy

wants us to take a look around and see if we can tell what is missing.”

Elizabeth glanced at Randy, and he added, “It appears they concentrated on the bedrooms, but

we should start here on the main floor and work our way upstairs.”

Elizabeth and Amy’s eyes went straight to the kitchen table. Amy rushed over and immediately

sighed with relief. She turned to Elizabeth and said, “The laptops are still here.”

Elizabeth relaxed a bit with that news and glanced around the room. She said, “The flat screen

TV and Blue Ray are here, as well. Everything seems fine on this floor. What did they do

upstairs?”

36

Randy and Joshua exchanged glances then Randy answered, “They went through the drawers

and closets. Do you own any expensive jewelry?”

“Jewelry…”Amy gasped and ran up the stairs, the others followed. Amy ran into her room and

moaned, “Oh no, my grandma’s jewelry box!”

Randy followed at her heels. When Elizabeth and Joshua reached the room, Amy was sobbing in

Randy’s arms. Elizabeth was shocked at the disarray before her. Amy’s dresser drawers lay

scattered about. Her clothes lay strewn across the floor. Her mattress lay halfway off the bed.

Shreds of her pillows littered the floor. The contents of Amy’s closet pulled out and trampled in

the search.

Elizabeth turned and ran to her room. She found the same confusion. Clothing and drawers

scattered; pillows slashed and her dresser turned on its side. Joshua came up behind her and

touched her shoulder. She pushed him away as anger filled her.

“Beth, I know it looks bad.” He began, “But they are only material things, you need to

concentrate on what’s important.”

Elizabeth spun to glare at him and growled, “Important?” When their eyes met the compassion

she found there shook her to her core. She didn’t know how to respond. The men in her past had

always been so judgmental and self-concerning, just as her father had been. One look at this

room and her father would have lectured her for hours on her carelessness and reckless attitude

toward her own safety. Yet Joshua wanted to comfort her, protect her.

Elizabeth had no idea how long she stood there staring at Joshua. Finally, she glanced down at

the floor and said, “I’m sorry, this isn’t your fault.”

Joshua reached out and took her by the shoulders. He whispered, “It’s going to be alright.” He

pulled her against him and they held each other in silence.

******

The next morning Elizabeth woke up on the sofa in Joshua’s arms. She glanced over to the

recliner and smiled when she saw Amy cradled in Randy’s arms sound asleep. Joshua opened his

eyes and pulled Elizabeth back down as she attempted to sit up.

37

He rolled her over on her back and climbed on top of her saying, “Where do you think you’re

going?”

Elizabeth stared up into his deep blue eyes and smiled. Before she could speak, Charlie jumped

on the sofa on top of Joshua, followed by Kilo. Elizabeth let out a squeak as Joshua dove

protectively on top of her laughing. Randy bolted upright in the recliner, jolting Amy awake. The

dogs bounded off the sofa and went to the front door, desperate to go outside.

Randy scooped Amy up in his arms as he rose from the recliner and said, “Amy, I certainly hope

you don’t expect me to find a way to make our second date more eventful than our first.”

Amy laughed and responded with, “Would it help if I promise the next time we spend the night

together, it won’t be in a recliner?”

Her comment seemed to shake Randy up a bit. He flashed a nervous smile and set her down

gently on her feet. He glanced at Joshua for assistance. Joshua flashed Randy a huge smile,

climbed off Elizabeth, and headed for the front door.

He called over his shoulder as he went, “I’m going to take the dogs and check out the stables.

Sheriff, Want to join me?”

Randy stumbled across the room in his rush to reach the door. Joshua smiled and winked at

Amy as the dogs dashed outside. He followed Randy out the door into the bright morning light.

Amy turned a questioning glance at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth rose from the sofa and reached out to touch her shoulder saying, “He’s a widower.”

Amy frowned at her and asked, “So what? Does that mean he’s broken, He’s scarred for life,

He’ll never have sex again, He’s suddenly gay? What?”

Elizabeth gave Amy a hug and answered, “It means you may have to take this slowly. He’s a

sweet man, but he has some baggage. You’re going to have to allow him some time to adjust. It’s

possible he’s feeling guilty for being attracted to you.”

Amy sighed and headed for the kitchen. She said, “I don’t want to marry him. I just want to date

him. Let’s make breakfast for the guys. I bet they would like steak and eggs.”

Elizabeth watched in awe as Amy walked across the room and opened the refrigerator. She

crossed to the kitchen and said, “Amy, you are marvelous. You find out your latest romance has

38

a secret past, and you don’t ask one question about it. Not only are you not curious, you move

past Randy’s hesitation for involvement and dive right into the breakfast. How do you do it?”

Amy turned to Elizabeth and offered in a mild tone, “I take people at face value. I don’t expect

any more than they give, and I don’t anticipate their reactions.”

Elizabeth reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs. She asked as casually, not

taking offense, “Are you criticizing me?”

Amy smiled and added, “I love you, Beth. You are the big sister I never had, but you and I are

complete opposites. I guess that’s why we get along so well. You analyze everyone; you can’t

help it. You have this grand idea on how life is supposed to evolve. I actually do think there are

many people out there acting just as you say. However, I think life is a mixture of mystery and

confusion. Nothing is ever as it seems, and then again, it is precisely as it seems.”

Elizabeth pulled a bowl out of the cabinet and whisk out of a drawer. She began breaking eggs

into a bowl. She tipped the bowl slightly to one side and attacked the eggs with fury. Finally,

she said, “You aren’t making any sense. Chaos and predictability don’t make good partners.”

Amy pulled a large skillet out of the oven and added two T-bone steaks. She glanced over at

Elizabeth and said, “My mother died of cancer when I was 11 years old. My father couldn’t cope

with her loss, so he drowned his sorrow in a case of beer every night. A few years into his

alcoholic stupor, he found I had a boyfriend. I was fifteen. He decided to teach me a lesson. My

thirteen year old brother killed him that night with a shotgun to stop him from strangling the life

out of me.”

Elizabeth turned to stare at Amy. Tears streamed down her face, she couldn’t speak. Amy smiled

at her and said, “So you see, Beth. I choose to be light-hearted and carefree because that’s who I

want to be. I refuse to dwell on the past or be haunted by what ifs all my life. I want to live my

life to its fullest and enjoy every second. Why would I choose otherwise? Why would I want to

set an expectation for anything else? I’m not hiding behind a pseudo personality, because I like

who I am. I choose to be a lighthearted free spirit. I refuse to live my life any other way, and I’m

not shy about it either. This is my character because it is whom I choose to be.”

Suddenly Charlie appeared at Elizabeth’s side, and they turned to find Randy and Joshua

standing in the doorway. The look of sorrow on Randy’s face told them they had heard

39

everything Amy said. Joshua’s eyes focused on Elizabeth as Randy walked slowly across the

room to stand next to Amy. Joshua motioned for Elizabeth to come with him as he turned back

toward the door. She immediately dropped the whisk in a bowl and headed out the door after

him.

Randy moved the skillet off the burner and turned off the stove. He reached out and cupped

Amy’s face. His voice was soft and full of emotion, “My wife died of leukemia. It took her fast;

we tried everything, but nothing could stop it.” He pulled her against him and held her as he

continued, “Everyone has a past. Some people live their entire life without hardship and sorrow.

The rest of us have to fight hard for our happiness. Honestly, I think you and I are the lucky

ones. We’ve learned to appreciate what we have while we have it. Those other people have no

idea what life is really about, but we do, don’t we?”

He released her and gazed down into her big blue eyes. Her face filled with a weak smile, and

she said, “I’ve never told anyone, but Beth that story before.”

Randy added, “Well, now that we’ve got all the drama out of the way we can relax and

concentrate on the boring stuff. Like your favorite color, what TV shows you like...”

Amy laughed and said, “What loser football team you root for.”

Randy released her, and acting offended, said, “Now you’ve gone too far.”

40

Chapter Four

“I’m telling you, Josh.” Randy leaned over his desk for emphasis and continued, “It looks to me

like someone’s camping out in that barn. You could be right, maybe its kids, but my gut is telling

me something is going on. Elizabeth is a well-known author of psychological books. That sort of

thing can attract all sorts of unstable personalities.”

Joshua shook his head in disagreement, “I find it hard to believe that a crazed fan would be able

to find Elizabeth half way across the country, way up in a cabin in the mountains. It’s just too

farfetched to take seriously. On the other hand, a couple of hunters that lost their way might have

taken shelter for the night or even used the barn as a base. That is more likely, given the fact that

the cabin sat empty all winter.”

Randy leaned back and added, “Regardless, we need to secure the stables. Elizabeth isn’t using

it, so I called Gene Weller. He’s agreed to allow us to board up the windows and padlock the

door. Can you go out there with me tonight and give me a hand.”

Joshua leaned forward in his seat and said, “You really like Amy, don’t you?”

Randy’s face broke out in a sheepish grin. He said, “Josh, she’s a breath of fresh air. I can’t stop

thinking about her.”

Josh smiled and rose to leave, “I’m happy for you Randy. It’s long overdue. I loved Mary with

all my heart, but she wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

Randy’s smile softened as Josh disappeared through the door. He whispered, “I know she

wouldn’t.”

*************

41

Elizabeth opened the door for Franklin. He was all business as usual with his silver Armani suit

and Bottega Veneta briefcase. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed to join Amy at

the kitchen table.

He pulled out a chair and glanced quickly around the room before announcing, “I saw the largest

spider I’ve ever seen in my life skitter across your narrow little sidewalk. At first I thought it was

some kind of mutant fox with too many legs, and then I realized the truth.”

Amy burst into laughter and punched his arm playfully saying, “Don’t worry, Elizabeth has a

shotgun. If it tries anything, she will blast its furry legs off.”

Franklin spun to face Elizabeth and added, “Well, now I’ve heard everything! You really have

gone hillbilly. I assume you both have a tiny pair of cut off jean shorts in your closets?”

Elizabeth and Amy locked eyes. Franklin stopped and stared at Elizabeth. She turned to face

him and said, “We had a break in.”

“What do you mean?” Franklin sat down.

Amy glanced at Elizabeth then explained, “Someone broke in last night, and Charlie got out. We

found her in the middle of the road.”

Franklin looked confused and said, “Someone tried to steal Charlie?”

“No,” Elizabeth sat down next to Franklin and added, “They let Charlie out, then went through

our bedrooms. They stole Amy’s jewelry box and my two pairs of diamond stud earrings.”

Franklin draped his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and said, “Last night?” He glanced around

the room and back at the table adding, “They left all the electronics?”

Elizabeth nodded and said, “Yes, and the shotgun. It makes no sense. It’s almost as if they were

looking for drugs or something similar. I am beginning to think that someone thought the owners

were staying here. That would explain why they were looking for something in the bedrooms.”

Franklin glanced over at Amy and asked, “Could there be a hidden safe in one of the closets?”

Amy shook her head and said, “If there were, they would have found it. They stripped

everything except the light fixtures and the drywall.”

42

“Did you contact the landlord to ask if there is a history of break-ins?” Franklin leaned toward

the table concentrating on Amy. “Did I ever tell you, I grew up in Colorado? I can tell you from

personal experience that empty houses in rural areas are common victims of vandalism and often

hosts for Meth labs.”

Amy laughed and rose from the table saying, “Franklin! There never was a meth lab in this

cabin! You are so funny!”

Franklin stared after her, watching as she walked into the kitchen and pulled a pitcher of

lemonade from the refrigerator. He added, “I think you both should move back to the hotel until

the house is finished.”

Amy pulled three glasses out of the cabinet and filled them with ice from the freezer. She smiled

and whistled loudly. Suddenly Charlie and Kilo came bounding down the stairs and across the

room.

Franklin jumped to his feet and declared loudly, “You got a guard dog? That thing is huge!”

Kilo rushed toward Franklin barking and growling as the hair on his back began to rise. Franklin

frantically rushed around to the other side of the table and said, “He’s an attack dog!”

Amy laughed, filled the glasses with lemonade and called to the dogs, “Come on Kilo, let’s take

Charlie for a quick walk.”

Kilo stopped and stared at Franklin for a moment, then turned and headed for the door after

Charlie and Amy. Once they were gone, Franklin came back around the table to Elizabeth and

said, “I know your uncle was like a father to you, but you don’t have to live here. You have

nothing to prove.”

Elizabeth glanced out the window at the large tree that stood in the center of the backyard. It

was a willow tree. “That is a willow tree; it means there a good water source under the back

yard. My uncle planted a willow tree at the side of his house where a small spring would erupt

from the earth and flow across the yard during a heavy rain. That side yard had been like a soggy

marsh for years until that tree began to grow, and boy did it grow fast. Soon the tree was full size

and the side yard grew damp only after a hard spring rain. I love willow trees.”

43

The late morning sun filtered through the trees that lined the yard sending shadows dancing

across the tall grass. Her eyes wandered to the mountains in the distance. They looked like large

green cat paws spread out across the horizon.

“I wonder if I need a lawn mower,” Elizabeth said softly. She turned to Franklin and asked,

“Am I supposed to mow the lawn or does the landlord do that kind of thing?”

Franklin rolled his eyes and sighed, “You aren’t listening to me.”

She smiled at him and said, “I like it here. I have fond memories of the time I spent in these

mountains with my aunt and uncle. The mountains are beautiful and soothing. Just knowing I

am up in the mountains surrounded by wilderness relaxes me, inspires me.”

“What about last night?” Franklin answered somberly, unimpressed by her wistful expression.

She glanced down at her laptop and pulled out her chair. “I told you, it was related to the owners,

or some bored teenage campers looking for easy money. That’s why they took the jewelry and

not the electronics. They were probably on foot.”

Franklin smiled and raised his hands surrender. He said, “I can see you are determined so I’m

done lecturing. I’m sure you and Rin Tin Tin have this all under control. Let’s review your

itinerary for next month. Do you want me to take a look at your speech?”

Franklin was gone by the time Randy and Joshua arrived to secure the stables. Elizabeth and

Amy went to the stables to greet them dressed in jeans and t-shirts, ready to assist. When the

girls appeared carrying a small wooden toolbox, Randy rushed over and took the toolbox from

Amy.

Randy sat the faded gray box on a tree stump next to a gravel driveway. He opened it and pulled

out an old ball peen hammer with a wooden handle, a chipped flat head screwdriver, an old

carpenter’s plane, a putty knife, and an old pair of leatherwork gloves. He glanced up at Amy

trying not to smile, and asked, “Where did you find these?”

Amy proudly announced, “There is a workbench in the basement full of all sorts of old tools. I

found this toolbox and loaded it up with a few things I thought we would need.”

44

Joshua came up behind Randy and peered over his shoulder, then reached out and grabbed the

plane. “What’s this? That could be worth some money,” He declared, “Amy, when we are done

here I’d love to see that work bench.”

Randy turned to face him and said, “You can’t keep that. It’s not yours.”

Joshua flashed Randy an amused frown and said, “I’m not keeping anything; I’m just looking.

Will there ever be a time in your life when you can just relax and forget you’re a cop?”

Randy met his gaze. He was not amused. He answered, “No.”

They spent the next hour boarding up the windows and padlocking the front and rear doors.

Charlie and Kilo dashed in and out of the nearby trees under Josh’s watchful eye while they

worked. Randy took the last padlock and secured the detached garage that was too full of junk

for a vehicle.

When they finished, Randy offered, “Why don’t Amy and I run to Sadie’s and get dinner while

you two relax for a bit?” She answered him with a big smile, and he offered her his hand. She

took it, and they quickly disappeared down the drive in his SUV.

Joshua put his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders as they walked back to the cabin. He asked,

“What happened to Franklin?”

Elizabeth clapped her hands, and Charlie quickly followed them. Kilo was not far behind. She

said, “He stopped by for a bit and left my itinerary. He said he had some Skype conferences to

make and needed to get to bed early. We are heading to San Diego in the morning.”

“So I won’t see you again until after the 4th

of July?” Joshua asked casually.

“Yes, do you think Amy will be all right here alone?” Elizabeth answered as they reached the

door.

“Kilo loves it here.” Josh began, “I’d be happy to leave Kilo here for a few days if it will make

you feel better. I’m positive it was a group of kids. I can install some motion activated yard lights

on the house and the garage for added security. If anyone comes around, this place will light up

like Christmas. Randy and I can drop by tomorrow and set it up if it’s okay with you and Amy.”

“I like that idea.” Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. “Let’s get cleaned up before they get

back.”

45

Joshua smiled and followed her upstairs saying, “I like a woman who doesn’t mind company in

the shower.”

************

Franklin pulled up in his rental car at 5am for the trip to the Salt Lake City airport. It was a short

flight to San Diego and a quick cab ride to the hotel. They checked in and agreed to meet for

lunch in the hotel restaurant. The seminar and book signing at the local University library

occupied the rest of the night. Elizabeth unpacked her toiletries and drew a bath. She resisted

the urge to call Joshua. It had only been a month, and they were constantly together. This 30-day

separation was just the thing the relationship needed for both of them to get some perspective

and slow down the pace.

Amy was right. Elizabeth regularly dated men with a Type A personality, tons of money,

designer suits and impeccable taste in the arts. Joshua had plenty of money. He showed a

considerable amount of patience when she hesitated to make decisions regarding the house. He

was fiercely dedicated to his friendship with Randy. He stopped working when the workday was

done, and the stern, yet gentle way he handled the dogs was not usual to a Type A personality.

She believed Josh didn't allow his drive for success to overshadow his personal life. Elizabeth

also suspected he didn’t even own a suit. If he did, it probably consisted of a tweed jacket with

patches on the elbows, which would go well with blue jeans, and he probably looked fantastic in

it.

She smiled at that vision, stepped into the large jetted tub and sank down into a sea of bubbles.

As she leaned back against the side of the tub, she realized she had no idea if Joshua liked the

arts. In fact, she didn’t know his taste in any kind of art, except music. He was a Country Music

fan. She knew that from time spent in his truck. It occurred to her she’d never been inside his

home. She had no idea what his tastes were. Elizabeth opened her eyes wide in surprise; she had

been very selfish in their relationship. It was entirely one sided except in the bedroom, where

they were equally determined to pleasure the other.

Elizabeth decided as soon as she got back, she was going to discover who Joshua was, deep

down inside. His pseudo personality was incredibly sexy, but there had to be flaws hidden

46

somewhere deep inside. He had to be hiding something, and she was going to find out what it

was.

The book signing tour kept Elizabeth working from sunrise to sunset and beyond. She kept busy

with book signings, speeches, or personal appearances on the local radio talk shows or news

channels. By the time they reached New York for her appearance on a Network morning talk

show, she was ready for the tour to end.

They arrived at LaGuardia Airport just in time for rush hour traffic. Once they reached the hotel

Elizabeth was ready for room service and a warm fluffy bed. Franklin rode up in the elevator

with her, and he glanced over at her as he set his briefcase on the floor.

He asked, “Want to meet me for dinner in about an hour, after you freshen up? I made

reservations last month to make sure we wouldn’t have to wait all night for dinner.”

Elizabeth sighed and arched her back stretching her muscles. She said, “I’m exhausted Franklin,

and we have to be on set at 4 o'clock. So I guess I’ll just order room service and call it a night.”

Franklin nodded and picked up his briefcase adding, “I know you aren’t much for breakfast, so

just knock on my door when you are ready to head out in the morning. I’ll have a cab waiting.”

The elevator doors opened, and they said goodnight.

Morning came quickly. Elizabeth pulled opened the curtains across the large windows that lined

her wall. The city was alive and flourishing in the darkness. Cars rushed through the streets

below; little beacons of light headed to secret destinations for unknown experiences. Tiny figures

moved across the sidewalks. They looked like little bugs scurrying to and from candy buildings,

carrying their prizes with them.

She turned and headed to the bathroom to shower. Within an hour, she was dressed in her best

suit and skirt that showed just a touch of her thigh when she sat down. Elizabeth was ready for

her first national interview. She glanced in the mirror, checking her hair and make-up. It was

excellent. She was ready. Taking a deep breath, she ran over her speech in her mind. A knock

came at the door and she peered through the peephole to find Franklin staring back at her.

47

She opened the door and frowned at Franklin's smiling face saying, “Wasn’t I supposed to knock

on your door this morning?”

Franklin smiled at her and said, “I thought you might be worried, so I came to check on you.”

She smiled back and grabbed her purse.

The studio was smaller than what she expected. The waiting room wasn’t much bigger than a

walk-in closet. It had a tiny table filled with juice and various pastries, bagels and fruit. She sat

in a tall chair while a young woman touched up her makeup and hair. Franklin gave her a kiss

on the cheek and disappeared out the door; a few minutes later a young man came to escort her

to the set.

The host was a beautiful woman in her late twenties. She wore a body hugging pale green suit

and had long flowing blonde hair. She prompted Elizabeth on the few questions she would ask,

then the set darkened and they began.

The Host began with a big smile for the camera. She said, “Good Morning, Lisa Mills here with

Psychologist and Author, Elizabeth Stewart. Elizabeth is the author of the New York Times

bestselling book series If Life Were a Garden. Elizabeth is an expert on relationship

development. Her books, though geared toward women, teach us a lot about the dynamics of

how relationships evolve. The fourth book in this series is her latest entitled Weeding Your

Garden.” Lisa turned toward Elizabeth and said, “I love the idiom of referring to our walk

through life as a garden. The weeds are unwanted relationships, such as unfaithful lovers or

untrustworthy friendships. Your theory on the length of time it takes to get to know the people

in your life is compelling. Can you elaborate?”

Elizabeth flashed Lisa a brilliant smile and said, “Yes Lisa, I’d love to explain. Our culture has

grown to expect most relationships to fail. Statistics site the divorce rate and separation

percentages are higher now than ever before. I believe the main reason why marriages fail is the

simple fact that people are marrying virtual strangers. Furthermore, a person should be confident

in their own personality and skills before trying to merge their life with someone else. Statistics

prove that most people strive to conform to their partner’s character expectations. In other words,

48

people try to alter their personalities to meet what they believe are their partners expectations of

how they should behave. I call this transition a Pseudo Personality.”

Lisa leaned toward Elizabeth in her seat and said, “Pseudo Personality; that is fascinating. When

do people start to assume this Pseudo Personality?”

Elizabeth turned to face the camera as she continued, “Pseudo Personalities are very common on

first dates. Most people are on their best behavior, using their best manners. They pay close

attention to their perception. They try to judge how the date is going. They use good grammar,

good posture, and good table manners. Men open doors for women and avoid foul language.

Women use probing questions to try to keep their date talking. Most women feign interest in

sports or hobbies the other finds fascinating. All this is done, not as a deception, but as a tool to

develop their relationship.”

Lisa tilted her head to one side and asked, “How long can someone maintain a Pseudo

Personality?”

Elizabeth let her smile falter a bit to look more serious as she answered, “Research had shown a

regular person can maintain a pseudo personality for up to three years before they began to tire

of the exertion.”

Lisa gasped and asked, “How can you tell if someone has assumed a Pseudo Personality/”

“You can’t,” Elizabeth explained, “All you can do is give the relationship time, don’t rush into

marriage. Wait until you’ve reached the point where each person must show their hidden

personalities and reveal their innermost secrets or fears.”

Lisa frowned and asked, “Is there no way to avoid a Pseudo Personality?”

Elizabeth turned back to the camera and said, “Many women believe they must mold themselves

to match the man in their life. Some women believe they have to conform to his desires, his

preferences, and his views or they will end up alone. This is not correct. Women need to

understand they are the driving force of the American Family. Women are as financially

independent in our current society as men. If you are a woman who has not been without a

partner since you began dating, then it is time for you to be alone. Only on your own, without a

partner, can your true personality emerge. Only without a partner can anyone finally begin to

discover his or her own path in life. Once you find your own path toward your personal goals,

49

are you prepared to merge your life with another. Only then are you confident enough in your

own character and abilities to avoid creating a Pseudo Personality to please your partner. Only

then can you enter into a relationship without the believing you need to change your spouse, to

meet your expectations.”

Lisa stared at Elizabeth in silence for a moment, and then asked quietly, “What advice would you

give someone who is already in a relationship?”

Elizabeth smiled gently at Lisa and said, “Three years may seem like a very long time to date

someone. So consider this: three years of dating could save you twenty years of unhappiness,

stuck in a marriage to someone you do not want. Isn’t it worth slowing down and taking your

time? My advice is, don’t live together. Maintain separate homes instead. There is nothing wrong

with an intimate relationship between lovers who do not live together. Living separately during

this three-year period will allow each person to relax and return to his or her actual character on a

regular basis. This consistent ‘return’ to their true self will enable each of them to show their

true character to each other much sooner than expected. This process could actually shorten the

three-year time span to approximately two years if it is done correctly.”

Joshua raised the remote and turned off the television. Elizabeth’s face disappeared into the

darkness. He rolled over in bed and went back to sleep. A few hours later the phone rang, but he

didn’t answer it. He couldn’t. He knew it was Elizabeth. He knew she wanted to know what he

thought of her interview. He also knew he couldn’t talk to her right now.

Elizabeth put her phone back in her purse and glanced across the table at Franklin. “I guess he’s

still asleep. I hope he didn’t miss the show.”

Franklin reached out and touched Elizabeth’s hand saying, “I’m sure he saw it and is just trying

to catch up on his sleep. How are your Eggs Benedict?”

50

“Too scrumptious,” Elizabeth said with a guilty smile, “I’m sure I’m gaining a pound with each

bite.”

Franklin laughed and reached down to open his briefcase. He pulled out his iPad and turned it on

saying, “I’ve been working on something I want to run past you now that your Garden Series is

complete. I think it’s time for you to branch out into something new, something fun.”

Elizabeth frowned at his glancing down at the iPad. She said, “Franklin, we’ve already planned

to start a series about the dynamics of a blended family.”

Franklin smiled at her and said, “Yes, I know, but I thought you might want to take a break on

the psychology and possibly write something exciting.”

“Fun and exciting?” Elizabeth took another bite of her eggs and added, “I thought you loved my

books. You don’t think what I do is fun?”

Franklin laughed and explained, “I was thinking about Fiction, possibly a romance maybe or a

psychological thriller.”

“What?” Elizabeth dropped her fork on her plate and stared at him.

“Erotica is very hot right now.” Franklin explained, “We have to accept the fact that psychology

books tend to be stylish. The next hot relationship theory that comes out can decrease your sales

to zip in a matter of months. You have a background in psychology which would be very

beneficial to a romance series.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She stammered, “Erotica? Are you crazy?

You think I should write porn. That is your long-term plan for me. You want me to write porn?”

Franklin raised his hands in surrender and said, “It’s not porn, its erotica, and it’s very hot. I

think you would be good at it, and it would give Amy a chance to create an incredibly artistic

cover. With your experience, you could write a killer suspense series with a sexy girl detective

searching for a serial killer that ends up being her husband. Now that’s exciting!”

“Franklin, fiction and non-fiction are totally different styles of writing.” Elizabeth stared at him

as if she’d never seen him before. “I haven’t written fiction since college. I love writing non-

fiction; it’s who I am. I don’t want to become someone else.”

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“I’m not asking you to lose your identity.” Franklin’s smile disappeared, “I’m just trying to take

advantage of a hot new trend in the market.”

“I thought I was a hot new trend.” Elizabeth refused to back down.

“You are, but if you would just consider giving this a try, we could branch out into other

markets. We could use a pseudo name if you like, no one has to know.” Franklin’s eyes

narrowed, “Eventually you are going to run out of self-help books to write. I think a romance or

mystery series would be a great fall back.”

“Fall back?” Elizabeth’s voice rose with her reply. “Now I need a fall back? Franklin, is there

something going on that you are not telling me? Are my sales falling?”

“No, of course not,” Franklin tapped his fingers on the table impatiently.

“Are you having trouble setting up book signings and personal appearances?”

“No,” Franklin snapped, his face turning red.

“Are my fans complaining that my books are boring?”

“Not at all,” Franklin’s breathing was deep and forced.

“Then drop this, I’m not interested. I like what I’m doing, and I don’t believe I will run out of

topics to write about. I have a list on my iPad of at least 20 other books I want to write. You

know that.”

“Just think about it.” Franklin insisted. He took a deep breath and glanced around the room. His

smile reappeared as he added, “I’ll touch base with you next month after you’ve had time to calm

down.”

Elizabeth shook her head at him and said, “I don’t do fiction.” She rose and added, “I’m going

upstairs to pack. This tour is over, and I don’t see any good in wasting time arguing with you

over a book series that is never going to happen.”

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When Beth arrived at the Salt Lake City Airport, she took a cab to the nearest car dealer and

purchased an SUV. The sun began to sink behind the rolling green mountains as she pulled in

front of the cabin. A cool breeze greeted her; she unloaded her bags and walked to the front door.

She saw her Mini Cooper parked next to Randy’s white SUV and decided she would give it to

Amy. Dropping her bags on the stoop, she unlocked the door and tossed her bags across the

threshold before walking inside. Charlie was instantly at her side jumping up and placing her

huge paws on Elizabeth’s chest to greet her. Elizabeth glanced up and found Randy rising from

the sofa pulling on his shirt, followed by Amy, who did the same.

“Oops,” Elizabeth said with a laugh and added, “Surprise! I’m home early!”

Amy smiled and rushed over to hug Elizabeth. Randy grabbed her bags and flashed an

embarrassed smile saying, “Welcome home. I’ll take these upstairs for you.”

“Thank you so much Randy, and when you’re done come on outside and see my new car.”

Elizabeth stepped to the door and opened it wide so Amy could see the SUV.

Amy squealed with delight and ran outside. “Beth!” She called as she opened the front door,

“Now you are a true mountain woman! You own a truck!”

Elizabeth laughed and countered with, “And you own a Mini.”

Amy stopped and stared at Elizabeth, her eyes opened wide in surprise. She threw her arms

around Elizabeth and asked, “You are giving me a car?”

Elizabeth laughed and explained, “Yes, to use as a down payment on your own truck. It’s brand

new so the trade in value should give you a decent deposit.”

Amy released Elizabeth; her eyes were full of tears. She said, “You are unbelievable. I’m only

your assistant, yet you let me live with you and share your life so I can save my money for my

Master’s Degree. You turn a blind eye when I’m taking an online class instead of working your

re-edits, and now you’re giving me your car?”

Elizabeth smiled and rolled her eyes saying, “Honestly, Amy. You deserve it. I don’t know what

I’d do without you.”

Amy hugged her again as Randy came outside to check out the SUV. “Randy!” Amy rushed over

to him. “Elizabeth gave me her car to trade in for my own truck!”

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Randy glanced at Elizabeth and winked at her then said, “Wait just one minute. I’m not sure

these mountains are ready for you in a pickup just yet. Have you gotten your truck driver

certification?”

Amy stared at him in confusion and asked, “What?”

“Oh yeah,” Randy continued, “There are strict laws governing the operation of a pickup truck by

petite urban blondes.”

Amy shoved at his chest with both hands frowning in annoyance but unable to hide her

amusement. “Whatever,” she said as she turned back toward the SUV.

Elizabeth tossed Randy the keys, and he started the engine and popped the hood to listen to how

it ran. He said, “I think you made a good decision. It will get you anywhere you need to go.

“Thanks,” Elizabeth said, closing the hood and the doors. “Have you had dinner? I’m starving.”

Amy glanced at Randy, then back to Elizabeth, and said with hesitation, “We ate earlier but we

were thinking of heading to Sadie’s later for a drink. Do you want to join us?”

“Sure,” Elizabeth answered and opened the front door of the SUV adding, “First I’m going to run

by Joshua’s. I haven’t been able to reach him all day.”

Randy and Amy exchanged looks again, and Randy stepped forward slowly saying, “Uh... he’s

working now. He’s been working all day. We actually have plans for the four of us to go to

Sadie’s for dinner the day after tomorrow when you were supposed to get back.”

Elizabeth stopped and turned back to Randy. He was acting strangely. He and Amy both were

suddenly very uncomfortable. “He’s not home then?” Elizabeth asked, gauging Randy’s

response.

“Home?” Randy asked, glancing at Amy again, “Well I’m not sure... he might not be home. He

has plans.”

Amy moved to stand by Randy’s side snaking her arm around his waist and added, “Why don’t

we head to Sadie’s now? I’ll put Charlie inside, and we can head out unless you’d like to change

clothes first.”

Elizabeth stared from one to the other then back again in silence, and then asked, “What’s going

on?”

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“Nothing,” Randy answered quickly in an innocent voice.

Elizabeth concentrated on Amy and asked, “Is he working?”

Amy’s smile disappeared at the change in Elizabeth’s tone from casual curiosity to impatient

annoyance. She released Randy and took a step closer to Elizabeth saying in a calm, quiet tone,

“He asked us not to say anything to you. He wants to discuss it with you in person. It’s not a big

deal, Beth really, everything is fine.”

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed, and she asked, “If everything is fine, then why are you both acting so

guiltily?”

“We aren’t acting guiltily.” Randy began, and then stopped when Elizabeth turned her angry

glare in his direction. He added, “Elizabeth, sometimes a man has something he wants to deal

with in private.” He stopped and frowned at how ridiculous his words sounded, then added,

“Joshua has a personal problem he wants to deal with.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe what Randy was saying. Her jaw dropped open slightly, and her

blood began to boil. “He’s with someone else isn’t he?”

“No,” Randy stammered. “That’s not it at all.”

Elizabeth glared at him, then turned to Amy and said, “I can’t believe you’re standing there

allowing him to lie to me. I thought I meant more to you than just your boss. I thought we were

friends.”

“Elizabeth,” Amy reached out to touch her arm, adding, “Calm down, it’s not what you think.”

“It’s not, is it? Then exactly what is it? What is such a big secret that it’s causing the two of you

to share secret glances and lie to me? Why are you acting guiltily? Am I such a monster, you

can’t tell me the truth? Am I so unreasonable a simple explanation is beyond my

understanding?” Elizabeth spun, climbed into the SUV and slammed the door.

“Don’t go!” Amy rushed to the door. “Please! Let us explain!”

“You’ve said enough!” Elizabeth snapped at her through the glass window and shoved the truck

in reverse, sending gravel flying as she turned around and roared down the driveway.

Elizabeth felt strangely vindicated with the knowledge that Joshua was not the perfect man his

pseudo persona portrayed him to be. Her fingers wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel

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her nails dug into her palms. A taunt scowl crossed her face; Joshua was in the arms of another

woman. How dare he? How dare he act so devoted, so protective, so caring when all along he

was looking for a new woman? We had an agreement.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shoved them away. How could she be so naive to have

fallen for such a fake? She knew better. All men were fakes. Most men would not stay faithful. A

vision of her as a teenager, walking out of the local movie theater to find her father in the arms of

another woman flashed through her mind. Even her father was unfaithful. A sob escaped her

throat. She took a deep breath and began to cry.

She couldn’t understand why this hurt so much. It felt like Josh ripped out her heart and crushed

it beneath the heal of his boot. Her stomach lurched with every breath. She considered pulling

over to throw up. How did she manage to lose focus? Why hadn’t she maintained an attitude of

discovery? Getting to know Joshua was supposed to be foremost in her mind. She was supposed

to discover the real Joshua deep down inside. There was no doubt in her mind that he had secrets

not yet revealed. So why did the idea of losing a man who was supposed to be a casual love

interest hurt so much?

She turned onto the main road. Was she a fake, as well? Worse, was she one of those females

that depended on a man as her reason for living? For her own self esteem. Had she lost her

identity trying to conform to Joshua’s way of life? Had she molded herself into oblivion? Was

that why she had trouble writing her next book?

She released the gas pedal, and she glanced around at the inside of the SUV. Did she buy this to

fit Joshua’s life? She’d done exactly what she told her readers not to do. She’d jumped in

headfirst and let her emotions rule the relationship. She was supposed to move slow and get to

know him before falling in love.

Elizabeth glanced back at the road; she’d reached the turn off to Joshua’s home. The SUV was

slowing to a halt. She glanced out the windows at the shadows of the mountains that surrounded

her. Her mind went to her Uncle Wendell. His kind, scruffy face appeared before her. The idea

of his constant warm smile and soft reasoning voice calmed her. He was the only man she’d ever

known who never showed her his temper. He was always in a good mood, always quick to

laugh. She recalled so many times when her father was screaming at her for spilling her juice, or

coming home with dirt on her clothes. She remembered the nights she cried herself to sleep,

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wishing Uncle Wendell was her daddy. Her summers in the mountains were the best times of her

life.

She took a deep breath and turned the corner. No, she wasn’t here for Joshua. She was here

because this was home. Joshua was a pleasant diversion while she waited for the house to be

completed. He was something to pass the time. He was a summer fling, nothing more. Even so,

he should have had the decency to break it off before moving on. He was wrong, and he was

going to get an earful about it.

The evening sun floated deeper into the cloudless dark sapphire sky that slowly revealed a layer

of shimmering stars spreading across the horizon. Elizabeth slowly pulled up to Joshua’s large

two-story log cabin home. It had a four-car garage and a wraparound porch filled with tables and

benches as if to welcome her. Elizabeth was surprised to see the house lit up like a Christmas

tree. Every light was on. She climbed slowly out of the truck and headed to the door, determined

not to lose her temper.

As she climbed the porch steps she could hear voices and laughter. He clearly wasn’t alone. She

knocked on the door and shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. Joshua opened the door, and

as soon as their eyes met he stepped outside closing the door behind him.

“Beth,” He said softly, “I thought you were staying in New York for a couple more days?”

“I can tell.” Elizabeth glared at him. “If you wanted to see other people, all you had to do was

tell me.”

“What are you talking about?” Joshua asked confused.

“We agreed if we needed to move on we would break it off before taking another lover.”

Elizabeth began.

Joshua shook his head no and reached for her, “Beth, I have no idea what you are talking about,

but now is not the time. I’ll call you in the morning, and we can meet for lunch.”

Elizabeth pushed his hand away and glanced past him at the door, asking, “Is that all you’re

going to say? Can't you discuss it now? You don’t respect me enough to tell me to my face?”

“Beth, I don’t have time to explain at the moment and you aren’t making any sense,” Joshua

said, “Please go home. I will call you tomorrow, and we’ll talk.”

57

Joshua turned around and went back inside, closing the door behind him. Elizabeth stood staring

at the door in silence. She glanced down at the ground suddenly feeling very stupid. She was

acting like a child. If he had moved on then there was nothing to discuss.

She turned and climbed back in her truck, tears streaming down her face.

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Chapter Five

Amy snatched the papers from Elizabeth’s hands and headed for the front door. Meeting

Elizabeth’s gaze, she asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to take these to him yourself? You

haven’t been to the house since before your tour.” Elizabeth answered her with a silent stare.

Amy sighed and spun, heading for the front door. She called over her shoulder as she

disappeared into the bright morning air, “You’ll have to speak to him eventually. He’s been

calling you every day for two weeks. He’s not going to give up.”

Elizabeth called after her, “Stop at the store, get some salad and dressing, please. I’ll have lunch

ready when you get back.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out some chicken breasts to

marinate.

Amy turned the Mini around and headed down the driveway. She picked up her phone and called

Randy. “Hi, babe, she’s alone. Wind him up, and set him loose.”

Randy grinned at the sound of Amy’s voice. He walked out his office door and climbed into his

truck as she spoke. He chuckled and said, “You make it seem like we are on a secret mission.”

“Oh, but we are,” Amy’s voice replied through the phone as he started his truck.

Randy added, “Roger that, and wish me luck. If Josh even suspects what we are up to I may not

survive the encounter.”

Amy laughed and said, “See you in a few minutes.”

Randy headed up the mountain to the construction site. When he arrived the sight of the house

stunned him. It had three peaked abutments that towered over the front of the house giving it

almost a Victorian look, yet with a rustic flare. The large two-story house was covered with

windows. The lot where it sat looked untouched. The full size trees and the natural underbrush

came right up to the side of the house as if the house sprang from beneath the surface as naturally

as the trees.

There were several pickup trucks sitting on the small area of open dirt that was to become the

front yard. Randy pulled up behind Josh’s truck and parked. He turned to gaze through the trees

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to the right of the house. A few hundred yards through the woods he could see the frame of a

barn under construction. Randy walked up to the open door and went inside to look for Josh.

He found Josh in the kitchen area with several men gathered around a table. Josh glanced up

when Randy walked in and waved him over. The workers scattered as Josh shook Randy’s hand.

Josh said, “What brings you all the way up here?”

Randy grinned and said, “I wanted to see how the house was coming along. It’s gorgeous,”

Josh nodded and said, “Let me show you around. There's a huge deck on the back overlooking

the valley.” Josh began as they headed out the back door. “We installed an oversized fire pit on

the deck area. It faces toward the length of the deck. We installed a large gas barbeque grill on

the far end, as well. It allows Beth a lot of space for a couple of bistro sets or couches and

tables.”

They toured the interior of the house, which was still drywall. They finished Randy’s tour and

headed out the front door as Josh explained, “The appliances should be arriving soon and the

bamboo flooring. The HVAC’s been installed, so we should be completed in a few weeks.”

Randy stopped a few feet from his truck and turned to face Josh. He asked, “Have you talked to

Elizabeth lately?”

Josh frowned and gazed past him toward the trees. He said, “She won’t take my calls. I don’t

understand what’s going on.”

Randy took a deep breath and began, “I think I understand why she’s avoiding you.”

Josh turned to face Randy’s gaze asking, “What is it? She was so upset the night she came to my

house. She wasn’t making any sense. Did you tell her about my kids? Is that it? She’s freaked out

because of Molly and Jake?”

“No,” Randy met his eyes with a stern gaze and continued. “I could be completely wrong about

this, but I thought you should know, just in case it’s true.” Randy swallowed hard. He didn’t like

lying to Josh, but this was for his own good. He and Elizabeth were perfect for each other. Josh

needed a good woman in his life after what Joanne did to him. Randy blamed himself for

allowing the situation to get so far out of control. “Amy told me that Elizabeth has been sick.

She’s been throwing up a lot, especially in the mornings.”

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“What?” Josh asked as he stared at Randy in confusion. “Throwing up in the morning?”

Suddenly Josh’s face went pale, and he took a step back from Randy. Amy pulled up the

driveway, parked, and stared at them for a moment before opening the door and climbing out.

Josh’s blank stare moved from Randy to Amy as she walked slowly up to them with the

paperwork from Elizabeth in her hand.

“Beth is pregnant?” Josh stammered at Amy before she could say a word.

Amy’s eyes opened wide. She looked at Randy and said, “You told him?”

With that, Josh was gone. He climbed into his truck, drove over a small section of brush to avoid

hitting Randy’s truck, then roared down the driveway. When his truck disappeared around the

bend, Amy and Randy slapped their hands together in a ceremonial hi-five.

***********

Elizabeth opened the back door, allowing Charlie access to the backyard. She opened the old

charcoal grill and used her tongs to pull the chicken breasts off the grill and onto the plate in her

hand. Charlie dashed around the backyard barking like crazy at the trees. Elizabeth called her

name and waited at the door while Charlie ran past her into the house.

Elizabeth placed the plate of chicken on the table and went to the fridge to get a pitcher of

lemonade and a pasta salad she’d made earlier. Amy would be back any moment. She’d give her

another five minutes, then call to see where she was. Suddenly Charlie rushed to the bay window

next to the table and began to bark furiously. Elizabeth placed the pitcher and bowl of pasta salad

on the table, and then glanced out the window to see why Charlie was barking.

She gasped at the sight of a large brown bear charging across the grass toward the house. It was

clear by the bear’s momentum it was not going to stop. Elizabeth screamed, “Charlie! Come

here!” She glanced at the shotgun sitting on top of the kitchen cabinets. She looked back at the

bear. It was only a few yards from the house. There was no time! She screamed Charlie’s name

again and ran for the front door. A huge crash sounded behind her. She opened the door and ran

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outside. The large tree that grew next to the house was her only hope. She ran to it and began to

climb.

Charlie barked and snarled in the house. The bear roared and growled. Charlie began to yelp.

Elizabeth screamed her name in panic, “Charlie! No! No! Not my Charlie!”

Suddenly Charlie flew out of the house and ran across the lawn into the trees. Tears streamed

down Elizabeth’s face. A sob escaped her lips. She watched Charlie disappear into the forest.

She screamed after her, “Run! Charlie! Run!”

The bear came slowly out the door. It glanced after Charlie but did not follow. Instead, it moved

to the tree where Elizabeth was and began to climb. Elizabeth scrambled up the tree and onto the

roof of the house. She glanced desperately around for an escape route. There was nowhere to go!

If the bear reached the roof, she was dead!

Elizabeth ran to the edge of the roof. If she jumped, would the bear follow? Suddenly, the roar of

a truck engine came through the trees. Her heart jumped as Josh’s truck rushed up the driveway.

She jumped and waved her hands screaming for help.

Josh’s eyes caught Elizabeth’s movement on the roof. She was jumping up and down screaming

at him. She was pointing wildly at the front corner of the house. Josh’s eyes went to the tree. His

breath caught in his throat at the sight of the bear. It was almost to the roof. Josh gunned the

truck and then slammed on the brakes as he reached the house. His gun was already in his hand

before the truck stopped.

Josh threw open the door and screamed at the bear. “Hey! Bear! Here! Come down here! Come

and get me!” Josh moved closer to the house to get a clear shot at the bear. He could no longer

see Elizabeth. He had to assume she was still at the far corner of the roof. His aim was away

from her. The bear hesitated and glanced down at Josh. Then it began to slide back down the

tree. Josh fired two shots at the bear, and it fell from the tree. Josh walked cautiously up to the

bear and shot it again in the head. He immediately ran to the tree and began to climb. His heart

was pounding.

“Elizabeth?” He shouted as he climbed. “Are you all right? I killed the bear.”

“Josh!” Elizabeth called to him, rushing back to the tree.

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Josh sprang from the tree to the roof to reach her. He pulled her into his arms and held her as the

relief filled him. Elizabeth clung to him, trembling. He pulled back from her and checked her for

injuries. Then pulled her against him and kissed her passionately. When he released her, he

whispered, “You scared me half to death. I don’t know what I’d do if you were suddenly gone.”

“I’m not hurt.” She smiled through her tears then gasped, “Charlie! We have to get her. She

fought with the bear then ran off into the woods.”

Josh took hold of Elizabeth’s shoulders and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll find her. Just try to stay

calm. You don’t want to upset yourself any further.”

Elizabeth stared at him in confusion. Then turned toward the tree saying, “I’m fine, let’s go.”

“No!” Josh grabbed her hand and pulled her back from the edge of the roof. “I’ll go get the

ladder out of the garage, and you can use that to get down.”

Elizabeth frowned at him and said, “Josh, I’ve been climbing trees since I was six years old. I

think I can navigate this one just fine. Besides, Charlie could be hurt; there’s no time to wait.”

She walked to the edge and reached out to grab the tree. Josh came up beside her and said, “Let

me go first so I can help guide you down.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stepped back allowing him access to the tree. When they reached

the ground, Josh scanned the yard and said, “Which way did she go?”

Elizabeth pointed to the right of the stables, and they rushed in that direction. When they reached

the trees, Josh noticed blood on the leaves of a large bush but remained silent. He didn’t want to

alarm Elizabeth. Instead, he stood in front of the tree and allowed Elizabeth to pass. Josh

suppressed the urge to rush blindly into the woods and find Charlie. He needed to stay close to

Elizabeth. She’d been through a lot. He wanted to avoid any further animal contact. The scent of

blood was in the woods now. It was entirely possible a coyote or even a puma could be close by.

Josh scanned the brush as they walked; Charlie had to be badly hurt to leave a trail of blood like

this. The chances of finding her alive were slim. He braced himself for Elizabeth’s reaction when

they found Charlie.

It didn’t take long before Elizabeth noticed blood on the grass. “Charlie,” she gasped rushing to

follow the blood trail. Josh chased after her. Charlie lay only a few yards ahead of them. She was

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lying under a bush covered in blood. Elizabeth fell on her knees beside Charlie, sobbing. Josh

knelt next to her and examined Charlie.

“She’s alive,” Josh said and quickly scooped Charlie up and rushed back toward the house.

Elizabeth followed closely behind. She sprinted across the lawn when they cleared the trees.

When she reached the SUV, she opened the hatch then ran into the house. She grabbed her purse,

car keys, a towel from the bathroom, and pulled a blanket out of the closet, then rushed back

outside. By the time she returned Josh had Charlie in the back of the truck and was heading for

the driver’s door.

“I’ll drive,” He ordered reaching out for the keys.

Elizabeth tossed him the keys, and then climbed in the back with Charlie. She pressed the towel

against the blood flow coming from Charlie’s neck and chest. Her chest had a gaping wound

revealing muscle and veins. Elizabeth pulled the blanket around her as best she could. Josh

pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and called Randy.

“Randy,” Josh began, “Don’t talk, just listen. A bear attacked Charlie, and we’re headed to the

vet. I don’t have their number on my phone so can you call and let them know we’re coming?”

Elizabeth brushed the tears from her eyes and called to Josh, “Tell Randy the bear crashed

through the bay window into the house. Ask him to find Amy and make sure she knows what’s

happened.”

Josh glanced in the rearview mirror at Elizabeth then said, “Randy, the bear apparently came into

the house through the back bay window. I’ll get a couple of my men out here to board it up for

you. We’ll need the bear’s carcass removed; it’s by the front door.” He paused, “Yes, I shot it. Is

Amy still with you? Yes, we will meet you there.” Josh glanced back at Elizabeth and asked,

“How’s Charlie?”

Elizabeth met his gaze in the mirror and said, “She’s still breathing. I’ve put pressure on the

wound. She’s not moving at all.”

Josh turned onto the main road and sped toward the veterinarian’s office that sat on the edge of

town. He tried to concentrate on the road, but it was difficult. Elizabeth had to be in her first

trimester, and she’d had quite a shock. He worried the roller coaster of emotions and physical

64

exertion might cause her to lose the baby. He glanced back at her again and asked, “How are

you doing? Are you sure you’re all right?”

Elizabeth sighed and answered, “I’m fine, and I saw the bear coming. Charlie was barking at the

window. When I looked outside, I saw it was charging across the lawn. I couldn’t get to the

gun...” Elizabeth’s voice broke.

Josh said, “You did the right thing. Even if you reached the gun, it might not have been enough.

Running was the best thing to do, and climbing a tree. There’s nothing else you could have

done.”

When they reached the veterinarian, Randy and Amy were waiting for them. They rushed to the

back of the truck as Josh pulled up. Randy opened the hatch, and Elizabeth climbed out. Randy

scooped up Charlie and followed Josh to the front door. Amy began to cry at the sight of

Charlie’s blood soaked fur. Elizabeth hugged her, and they rushed inside after Randy. The Vet

was waiting for them and had Randy take Charlie straight into the small Operating Room at the

back of the building.

The receptionist stepped in front of Josh and the girls and said, “I’m sorry, but you should wait

out here. Dr. Morse will speak to you as soon as he’s decided what course of action can be

taken.”

She motioned toward the seats that lined the windows. Randy returned as they moved to the

seats. Amy went to the reception desk to deal with the paperwork as Josh and Elizabeth sat

down. Elizabeth leaned against Josh and buried her head on his shoulder. He held her as she

cried, grateful she was not the one rushed into surgery.

Amy and Randy returned and sat beside them as the doctor appeared. He walked quickly to

them and said, “Charlie is badly hurt. The good news is the bear barely clipped her; it’s a single

wound, but it’s deep. She’s lucky to be alive. Most dogs don’t survive a bear attack, but she has

lost a lot of blood. However, there is still a chance she could survive if you consent to surgery.

There is internal damage. I’ve slowed the bleeding, but we have to act fast. If you don’t want the

surgery we should put her down quickly, she’s in a lot of pain.”

“Do the surgery,” Elizabeth said quickly rising. “I’ll sign any forms you need, just save her.”

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Josh rose with Elizabeth and asked, “Will she recover fully if the surgery is successful? Will her

pain be gone?”

The doctor turned to the receptionist and motioned her near. Then turned back to answer Josh,

“If she survives the surgery she should make a full recovery. The question at this moment is

whether she’s strong enough. I’ll do everything I can. If you want to wait, you should get

comfortable; this will take a couple of hours.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said, he turned and walked away.

Josh disappeared into the back and returned a few minutes later with four bottled waters.

Elizabeth was pacing in front of the windows wringing her hands as she walked. Josh handed

Amy and Randy a bottle of water, then went to stand in front of Elizabeth, blocking her way. She

stopped and stared blankly at him. He took her hand and led her to a seat. They sat down, and he

opened the bottled water and handed it to her.

“You need to stay hydrated.” He said quietly, and then asked, “When is the last time you ate?”

Elizabeth glanced at Amy then said, “I was grilling chicken for lunch on the back porch. I just

finished setting the table when it happened.”

Josh asked, “If Randy and I run to Sadie’s and get some burgers will you eat?”

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and sighed, “I don’t think I can. My stomach is too upset.”

Amy and Randy froze in their seats across from them, watching. Amy jumped up and quickly

came to sit beside Elizabeth. She said, “I think food is a good idea. We are going to be here for

several hours, and none of us has had lunch. You should try a salad; Sadie makes a wicked Cobb

Salad.”

Randy rose and joined in saying, “They also have a great chicken salad sandwich. Come on Josh.

Let’s run and grab some food. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Amy chimed in, “We’ll be fine. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

Randy grabbed Josh’s arm and pulled him toward the door.

66

When they returned Elizabeth ate the salad, and then they sat back to wait. Amy and Randy

exchanged glances, determined to keep the conversation away from the fake pregnancy as long

as possible. Finally, the Vet appeared and announced that Charlie survived the surgery.

“You should all go home and get some sleep. Charlie will be here overnight. Assuming she does

okay, you should be able to take her home tomorrow. My assistant will stay with her tonight. I’m

going to keep Charlie sedated. I can call you in the morning with a progress report. If you’d like

to see her briefly, I can take you back.”

Elizabeth and Amy followed him to the recovery area. Charlie lay sedated on a padded table. IV

fluid dripped slowly through a narrow tube from the plastic bag that hung next to Charlie’s head

into a bandaged area around her neck. Amy broke down as she reached out to touch Charlie’s

head. She stroked her ear and said, “Good girl Charlie, you saved mama.” Then turned and

hugged Elizabeth.

Elizabeth turned to the Vet and said, “Thank you for saving her. She’s the sweetest dog I’ve ever

known. She was determined to protect our home from the bear.”

The Vet smiled and said, “She was very lucky. Most dogs that confront a bear are dead before

they reach my office.”

Elizabeth reached out and stroked Charlie’s back, forcing the tears back. Amy released her and

headed back to the waiting room. Elizabeth leaned down, kissed Charlie’s nose, and whispered,

“I love you Charlie.”

************

The two couples chose a booth on the far side of Sadie’s dance floor. Josh ordered a pitcher of

beer and a glass of iced tea for Elizabeth. They sat in silence waiting for their drinks. Amy

snuggled up against Randy and sighed, then gazed over at Elizabeth.

Josh put his arm around Elizabeth and pulled her near as the drinks arrived. Randy poured the

beers as the girls sampled their wine. As if on cue, the jukebox rang out with a slow, soulful

tune.

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Elizabeth leaned against Josh, then pulled back saying, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what

happened.”

Josh’s face filled with sadness. He gazed at her. She looked so incredibly beautiful. He couldn’t

remember ever seeing her so vulnerable before. She slipped from his grasp, and he pulled his

arm back. He could see the pain in her eyes, pain she thought he produced.

Josh said softly, “Beth, there is no other woman in my life.”

Randy took that moment to ask Amy, “Would you like to dance?”

Elizabeth waited until they reached the dance floor then answered, “Josh, what other reason

would you have for denying me entry to your house that night? I could hear laughter and a

woman’s voice as I walked up to the door.”

Josh sighed and held her gaze, “That was my ex-wife. She was dropping off my children.”

Elizabeth frowned; she should have known. So it began, the fall of the pseudo persona and it

only took a few months. “Your children live with your ex-wife?” She began as she slipped into

her research mode.

Josh flashed an irritated look and said, “No, they live with me full time, but visit their mother out

of state for most of the summer. I get them back for the 4th

of July, and they return home in time

for school. Aren’t you going to ask me about them? How many I have? Are they boys or girls?

How old are they? Do you even care?”

Elizabeth was startled. There was a depth of purpose in his eyes, sincerity. He wasn’t offering

any excuses for the divorce or trying to reason away the birth of the children as an accident, or a

byproduct of the marriage. He wasn’t trying to assure her the kids wouldn’t get in the way of

their relationship. He wasn’t embarrassed that he was divorced with children. He was proud of

his children. He wanted to share them with her. Her expression softened as all thoughts of the

pseudo persona left her mind.

She said, “I’m sorry. I do want to know about your children. It’s just such a shock. Why didn’t

you tell me about this before?”

Josh reached out and took her hand. He said, “I’ve learned you don’t drop the kid bomb on the

first date and frankly, I haven’t been sure where this relationship was going. Then after the

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speech you gave on TV I was sure you considered this a casual fling. I don’t introduce my kids

to anyone I date. I don’t think it’s a good idea for them to form an attachment to someone who

might only be in their lives for a few months. Now with the baby coming I just don’t know what

to think.”

Elizabeth’s head was reeling. She stammered, “You’re ex-wife is pregnant?”

“What?” Josh said staring at her in confusion. “No! You are pregnant.”

“What?” Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide in shock, and then she began to laugh.

Josh glanced over at Randy, then back to Elizabeth. She took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“I’m not pregnant.”

Josh smiled in relief. He shot Randy an angry glare and turned back to Elizabeth, “Can we start

over? This whole thing’s gotten out of control.”

Elizabeth squeezed Josh’s hand and said, “Hello, I’m Elizabeth. I’m an author. I’m also

divorced, I have no children, and I’m not pregnant.”

Josh laughed and kissed her, then answered, “I’m Josh. I own a construction company. I’m

divorced, and I have two great kids, a boy named Jake who’s twelve, and a daughter named

Molly, who just turned six. I am also not pregnant.”

Randy and Amy returned and sat down across from them as Josh added, “I might be spending the

night in jail once I drag the local Sheriff out back and beat the crap out of him.”

Randy glanced up from his beer and looked from Elizabeth to Josh and back, then pointed at

Amy and said, “It was her idea.”

Josh shook his head and smiled, adding, “Well, then, it’s up to Elizabeth.” He turned to her and

asked, “You want to take Amy out back or should I?”

Elizabeth ignored his question and rose her wine glass in a toast saying, “To Charlie,”

The others followed suit and raised their glasses answering in harmony, “To Charlie,”

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They drove back to the cabin, arriving just as Josh’s men were heading down the drive back out

to the road. They flagged Josh down and pulled off the narrow driveway. Instead of waiting for

them to pass, the driver got out of the car and waved Josh over. Josh climbed out of the truck

and went to talk to them. Elizabeth glanced up at the crystal blue sky that was beginning to grow

cloudy as it gently induced the treetops to sway in a slow dance to its whispered sound. Josh

spoke to his men briefly, then returned to the truck.

Elizabeth asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Josh offered quietly, “They boarded up the window and tossed the bear carcass in the

back of the truck. Mike said to warn you that the place is pretty torn up.”

Randy and Amy followed in his truck behind them. Josh pulled up in front of the house and

helped Elizabeth down out of the truck.

Elizabeth stood gazing down at the dark stain in the grass where the bear died. She glanced up

the tree, following the branches to the roofline. Her heart pounded in her ears. Only then did she

realize how close she and Charlie both came to death. Josh came to stand beside her; she turned

to gaze into his eyes.

Her eyes grew moist with tears; she whispered, “If you hadn’t come when you did, and that bear

had reached the roof...”

“Don’t think about it.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her.

Elizabeth said softly, her voice deep and husky, “You saved my life.” She wrapped her arms

around his neck and leaned against him as their lips met. Once again, Elizabeth forgot about her

rules and theories and allowed her emotions to surge upward. Her kiss was deep and

passionate. Josh pulled her hard against him. His manhood quickly swelled in response to her

passion. Elizabeth’s heart raced as his hands slowly ran down the length of her back to push her

harder against him.

“Having sex in public is discouraged in these here parts.” Randy’s amused voice came from

behind them. He squeezed Amy’s hand, delighted their strategy appeared to be working.

Josh reluctantly released Elizabeth and slid his arm around her waist. He shot an amused frown

at Randy then turned back to her and asked, “Are you ready to go inside? My boys boarded up

the window, so it’s safe.”

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Elizabeth glanced at Amy who smiled weakly and nodded her encouragement saying, “Let’s go

take a look.”

Josh opened the front door and went in first, followed by Elizabeth and the others. They stood in

the entrance, taking in the chaos. The bay window stood boarded over with particleboard,

blocking all view of the backyard. The dining table was a pile of wood. Several items were

scattered throughout the room along with the remnants of lunch and the table setting. The sofa

sat on its side; the coffee table lay in pieces before it. A musty animal smell hovered about the

room mixed with the scent of the particleboard. Elizabeth moved closer to the dining area and

slipped on the wood floor. She glanced down and gasped in horror. She had stepped in a pool of

blood.

“Oh, Charlie!” She moaned and turned to the others, “This is where the bear caught her! My

poor Charlie, she must have been so scared!”

Amy rushed to pull her back from the pool of blood saying, “The important thing is that Charlie

got away from the bear, and she’s going to be fine.”

Elizabeth allowed Amy to pull her back into the kitchen. Elizabeth asked, “Why? Why did the

bear do that? I’ve never heard of a bear breaking into a home before.”

Josh glanced at Randy then back to Elizabeth and said, “Baby, it was hungry. It probably caught

scent of the chicken you were grilling and then saw Charlie. Bears are predators. You’re right on

the edge of the preserve. At least you saw it coming.”

“Thanks to Charlie,” Elizabeth answered.

Randy added, “Elizabeth, it really is incredible that Charlie got away. It’s a miracle you both

survived; you are very lucky.”

“Because of Josh,” Elizabeth gazed at Josh in admiration.

He smiled and said, “I guess that makes me your knight in shining armor. Perhaps that should be

your next book, The Knights Among Us.”

They laughed as Elizabeth embraced him. Amy and Randy sat the sofa upright and began to

clean up the mess. Elizabeth grabbed some garbage bags from the kitchen as Josh and Randy

gathered up the pieces of the broken table and carried them to Josh’s truck. The sun disappeared

71

behind the mountains, and the sky took on a sapphire hue by the time they deposited the last of

the debris in the back of Josh’s truck.

Josh checked the bay window to make sure it was safe, then turned to Elizabeth and said;

“We’ve done all we can for tonight.”

Randy added, “Amy and I are heading to my house tonight, unless you need us for anything

else.”

Amy walked over to Elizabeth as she finished washing her hands in the kitchen sink and said,

“Are you going to be okay, here tonight?”

Josh answered for her, “She’s coming home with me.”

Elizabeth turned to look at Josh. Then turned to Amy and said, “I’m good. I’m going to see

Charlie in the morning. Do you want to come with me?”

“Sure, I’ll pick you up at 9 o’clock.” Amy answered.

Elizabeth gave her a fierce hug and added, “After we make sure Charlie is okay, let’s head into

town and trade that Mini in for a small SUV for you.”

Randy came up to them and said, “That’s a great idea. If you don’t mind, I’d love to go with

you.” He turned to Josh and added, “What do you say Josh, let’s make a day of it? We can head

up to Bear Lake and have a picnic after we get the new car. We could even stay the night and

maybe take the boat out?”

Amy giggled in delight at Elizabeth and Randy’s suggestions, then gasped and turned to Josh,

asking, “You’ve got a boat?”

Josh winked at Amy, then walked up to Elizabeth and said, “Did I mention that I own a speed

boat and have a cabin on the lake?”

Elizabeth laughed and hugged his neck adding, “Did I mention that my editor wants me to write

porn?”

That elicited a huge snorting guffaw from Randy that caused several minutes of uncontrolled

laughter, and then they headed outside. Josh hesitated as they headed to their separate trucks.

Grabbing Randy by the arm, he immediately pulled him aside.

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Josh spoke quickly in hushed tones, “I need to speak to you. Follow my lead, and I’ll explain

later.”

Randy froze, confused by Josh’s suddenly serious demeanor. He watched in silence as Josh

called out to Elizabeth, “Beth, Randy and I want to check out the rear of the house. Why don’t

you and Amy take my truck and we’ll meet you at my house; the doors unlocked.” Josh pulled

his keys from his pocket and escorted Elizabeth to his truck.

Randy glanced at Amy and shrugged, “Go with it.” He whispered, “I’m not sure what’s going

on.”

Amy smiled and turned to head to Josh’s truck. Randy quickly followed and walked with her to

the passenger door. He gave her a quick kiss and winked, saying, “Keep her busy, we’ll be along

shortly.”

Amy flashed him a brilliant smile. Josh and Randy stood and watched as Elizabeth turned the

large pickup around and headed back down the driveway. When they disappeared around the

bend Randy turned to Josh and gave him an expectant stare.

Josh met his gaze boldly and said, “My foreman, Mike, said they found a dead fox under the

back deck, and there is a blood trail across the yard.”

Randy frowned and said, “So the bear was tracking the fox and charged the house when he

smelled the meat.”

“There’s more,” Josh added his tone dark and menacing. “Mike said the fox was killed with a

bow and there is a blood smear across the foot of the bay window.”

Randy went to his truck and pulled out a large flashlight. He said, “Let’s go take a look around

out back. We’ll have to come back tomorrow to follow the blood trail. I’ll meet you here while

the girls are at the vet; let’s keep this to us in the meantime.”

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Chapter Six

Elizabeth peered through the window of the small, red SUV. The white interior was a stunning

accent to the crimson exterior; it screamed Amy. The salesman appeared with the keys and

happily climbed into the back seat as Amy sat down in the driver’s seat. Elizabeth sat in the

passenger’s seat and handed the salesman her business card with the back facing up.

He glanced at it and then smiled back at her and winked. Elizabeth turned quickly around to face

forward and said, “It’s a shame Randy had to go search for a rabid dog, but I’m glad Josh went

with him.”

Amy started the car and pulled out of the dealership saying, “We’ll swing by his office when we

finish here. They’ll be done by 2 o'clock. That leaves us plenty of time to get settled at the lake

before dinner.”

The test drive didn’t take long. Amy had made up her mind before she turned the key. They

signed the paperwork, and while Amy waited for accountant to run her credit report, Elizabeth

wrote a check for the balance.

************

Josh scanned the trees as Randy pointed in the direction of the blood trail. There were several

large trees in the distance offering sufficient cover and enough height for a bow hunter. Josh

turned back to face Randy who knelt down to examine the spot where the fox had died.

Josh said, “If he used a compound bow, then he could have been in those trees over there. It’s

quite a distance, but a compound bow would have made it, easy.”

Randy nodded and rose, “The fox bled out here.” He pointed down at the dark stain in the dirt.

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Josh came over and surveyed the area. “Looks like they didn’t gut it here, but judging by the

lengthy blood pool, I’d say they sliced its throat and dragged it off toward the cabin. There’s no

doubt they intended to attract a predator and lead it to the cabin.”

Randy frowned and glanced up at the sky. “I don’t like the sound of this. It’s possible she has a

stalker.”

“What are you talking about?” Josh asked, staring at him.

Randy said, “I talked to Amy last night and she mentioned that Elizabeth’s iPad went missing

from the house a few weeks ago. I think they may have had two break-ins in the last two months.

The first was minor when her iPad was stolen. The second was the destructive invasion that

resulted in a jewelry theft. Stalkers have a tendency to escalate with each new encounter. I’m

sure it’s the same person.”

Josh knew better than to question Randy when he’d come to a conclusion. Randy didn’t

speculate. He never spoke until he was sure.

“Tell me,” Josh asked quietly, not sure he wanted to hear.

Randy turned to head deeper into the woods. Josh walked at his side, listening as he explained. “I

found footprints in the dirt outside the front window the night of the break in. I found the same

size tracks near the bay window last night, and this morning near the kill zone for the fox. They

appear to be hunting boots. Big shoes, size thirteen, broad too. This is a big man, six foot three to

six foot five. They lead off into the woods. This is someone who is not concerned about walking

through the mountains at night.”

Josh asked, “Why Elizabeth? What could she have done to rate this? If it’s a fan, how did he

find her?”

Randy explained, “Stalkers are sociopaths. They’re very resourceful and devious. A couple of

minor comments during a public appearance or on a Facebook post can lead a sociopath right to

you. There’s a service road back up behind her property. It leads to the preserve’s Injured Bird

House. I want to check for tire tracks. The ranger’s station confirmed there are no animals in the

Bird House right now, so that road should not show any use.”

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**************

Elizabeth parked next to Amy at the Sheriff’s office. Randy and Josh pulled up in the Sheriff’s

truck as they got out of their cars. The sun sparkled in the clear blue afternoon sky reflecting off

Amy’s shiny new SUV. Randy and Josh climbed out of the truck and went directly to Amy’s car.

Amy opened the doors and popped the hood so they could have full access. Gleefully, Amy

listed all the extras and demonstrated the built in NAV system. Afterward, both men gave her

their stamp of approval.

Randy unlocked the office door after he gave Amy a quick kiss. He said, “Congratulations on

the car Amy, it’s a beauty.”

“I haven’t told you the best part yet.” Amy announced as they walked inside out of the summer

heat. “The truck is my bonus for my cover work on the If Life Were a Garden series!”

Elizabeth came up beside her and said, “She deserves it. Not only have I found a killer editor in

Amy, her flare for artistic book covers is unmatched. They are fantastic. Three large distributors

have nominated us for cover of the year. I’m so lucky to have Amy as a partner.”

Amy giggled and hugged Elizabeth then said, “That’s what I love about you Beth. You treat me

like an equal, not an employee, and it means the world to me.”

Elizabeth hugged her back and said, “When this weekend is over we need to sit down and start

working on promoting your artwork. This nomination is only the beginning for you.”

Randy stepped behind his desk and said, “Why don’t you contact the Salt Lake City Art Museum

about setting up a display during the annual art festival? They are really great about helping out

local artists.”

“That sounds awesome!” Amy jumped at the thought.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Elizabeth smiled.

Randy added, “We’ve got my truck loaded with enough supplies for a few days. We were

hoping you both would be willing to extend the weekend a few days.”

Josh wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and added, “We checked the cabin and everything’s

fine. So, if Charlie is doing well there’s no reason to head back tomorrow.”

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Elizabeth kissed him quickly and said, “She’s awake and responding. The Vet said we could

bring her home today if we can keep her quiet.”

Josh glanced at Randy and asked, “Why don’t we take her up to the lake with us? It’s quiet and

calm. She could rest just as well there as at home, maybe better given the circumstances. We

have to run by my house and pick up Kilo. I can take the huge dog bed that Kilo refuses to use.

We can follow Randy and Amy up so Charlie can lie down in the back.”

The trip to the lake took a less than an hour. When they pulled up to Josh’s cabin, Elizabeth

noted the similarity to the house Josh was building for her. The lake house had three dormered

peaks just like Elizabeth’s, but the exterior was slate and stained cedar. An oversized three-car

garage stood on the left side of the house. Tall bushes stood on either side of the doorway with a

variety of flowering plants decorating the base of the trees and lining the sidewalk to the house.

Josh noticed the surprised look on her face and said, “It appears you and I have similar tastes.

We reviewed over ten possible floor plans. The one you chose was just slightly different from

this. My cabin has six bedrooms and a walkout basement that leads to a large patio with an in

ground pool.”

Elizabeth opened the truck door to climb out saying, “Why would you need a pool when the

house is twenty yards from a huge lake?”

Josh grinned and walked around to the back of the truck. “Actually, it was easier to teach the

kids to swim in the pool and Molly has a thing about fish nibbling on her toes.”

Elizabeth met him at the back of the truck and stood back as he opened the hatch. Kilo jumped

quickly out. Charlie lifted her head up and gazed at Elizabeth. Her tail twitched slightly.

Elizabeth reached out and patted her head as Josh leaned in and scooped Charlie up in his arms.

He sat Charlie gently on her feet on the gravel driveway and stepped back so Elizabeth could

kneel beside her. Kilo came up and licked Elizabeth’s face. Charlie gingerly turned to face her.

The fur was gone around Charlie’s neck and chest. A large scar ran down the right side of her

neck down to her breastplate.

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Josh lightly smacked his thigh and Kilo moved quickly to his side. Randy and Amy appeared

behind him. Josh said, “Let’s get Charlie inside. Randy and I can unload the truck while you two

girls take a look around.”

The view from the deck was breathtaking. Waves of crystal blue water moved slowly across the

lake. It was speckled with the sails of small boats and lines of white water that flowed in the

wake of fast moving brightly colored boats. The orange and pink hues of the sunset flowed

across the horizon as the boats below began to scatter and disappear with the approaching

darkness. Elizabeth and Amy went back into the large kitchen. The dark brown speckled granite

countertop ran the length of the kitchen. A large island breakfast bar sat in the center of the

room. Elizabeth recognized the luxury Viking Appliances and designer cabinets. Josh clearly

chose the very best for this lake house.

She gazed past the kitchen into the living room. The vaulted ceilings held dark beams running

across the room toward the fireplace. The rustic design and decorations were perfect for a lake

house setting. Elizabeth smiled at Charlie who was relaxing on Kilo’s dog pillow in the living

area by a large fireplace. Randy and Josh immediately brought in the supplies, and Amy opened

a bottle of wine and filled four glasses.

Josh led them out onto the deck. The sky began to blend from pink shades into blue and purple

hues. They sat on a wicker bistro set overlooking the pool and the lake beyond. Kilo dashed

down the steps and ran down the path that led to the shoreline. Randy quickly rose and began to

pace. Josh knew it was time to tell the girls what they had found.

Josh leaned forward, set his wine glass on the small bistro table, and said, “Ladies we need to

talk about the two break ins at the cabin.

“Two break ins?” Elizabeth said, frowning at Josh.

“Yes,” Josh met her gaze and added, “Randy believes the first break in resulted in your iPad

theft. He thinks both thefts are related to the bear attack.”

Elizabeth leaned up to sit on the edge of her seat and glanced at Amy, then said, “That makes no

sense.”

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Randy moved back to his seat and sat down. He explained, “Elizabeth, I need you to think about

anything that’s happened recently out of the ordinary. Something that you may have thought was

odd, but you dismissed it immediately.”

Elizabeth’s questioning gaze moved from Josh to Randy. She said, “I don’t understand. What

sort of things are you talking about?”

Randy nodded and said, “Phone calls where no one was there, a misplaced item that never turned

up, unusual car you keep passing on the way to the store. Someone you may know casually that

you keep running into on a regular basis. Strange posts on your Twitter account, Charlie barking

in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.”

Elizabeth sat back in her chair and asked, “What are you saying? Are you telling me I have a

stalker?”

Josh rose and kneeled beside her, “We found a blood trail leading to the bay window. Someone

stuffed a fresh fox carcass under the deck. We think someone killed the fox in the woods and

dragged it to your cabin. They smeared blood across the foot of the bay window. Someone lured

the bear to the cabin. The scent of blood, the chicken on the grill, and Charlie running in the yard

was the perfect combination to work that bear into frenzy.”

Elizabeth stared at him, stunned at his words. Amy rose and went to Randy, who rose to meet

her. She asked, “Who is it?”

Randy reached out and pulled her close saying, “Honey, I don’t know yet. But I promise you I

will figure it out quickly.”

Elizabeth rose and headed into the house, saying, “I haven’t noticed anything unusual other than

what you know. I’m going to check on Charlie.”

Josh shot Randy a knowing glance, then followed her.

Randy sat down, pulling Amy onto his lap. She snuggled against him and said, “This makes no

sense. Beth hardly ever leaves the house, she’s always writing.

“If someone is stalking her. . .” She sat up suddenly adding, “If this person stalked Beth in New

York or St Louis, they’d be out of their element here. It would be almost impossible to stalk

someone here. There aren’t any skyscrapers out here to peer out from or crowds to hide behind.”

79

Randy nodded, “I made some calls this morning. We are looking into it. It’s also possible that

she has a fan that lives in this area. They could have been cyberstalking her for months, even

years, and now that she’s close it’s escalated.”

Amy glanced at the house, then met Randy’s gaze, asking, “Are they trying to kill her?”

Randy looked at her. Her big blue eyes were moist with tears. He brushed away a tear from her

cheek. She was beautiful. Her golden hair looked like spun silk. Randy sighed and said softly,

“I don’t think they intended to kill Elizabeth. It looks like they were after Charlie.”

Amy burst into tears and sobbed, “Charlie is the sweetest, non-threatening dog I’ve ever known.

Why would a stalker try to kill her?”

Randy wrapped his arms around her as she buried her head in his chest. He whispered, “A dog is

a huge barrier to a stalker. Charlie’s mere presence probably kept the stalker at a distance for

quite a while. Charlie was an obstacle that kept them from coming into the house while you and

Elizabeth were home. If the stalker has not made contact with Elizabeth, then she has not jilted

them yet so the chances are they do not want to kill her. I guess they just wanted to make sure the

bear was deep in the yard when Charlie came out the back door. I don’t think they meant for the

bear to crash through the window. Josh had his man, Mike drop the carcass off at the Vet for an

examination. The bear was injured and thin. It’s a safe bet it was starving. That made it

desperate.”

Amy snuggled closer and said, “What are we going to do?”

Randy smiled and cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face toward his. “Josh and I discussed

it and we think that you should avoid the cabin for a while. I thought perhaps you could stay with

me for a few days, unless you’d like to stay longer.”

Amy’s moist eyes opened in surprise. She smiled up at him and asked, “Are you asking me to

move in with you?”

“Yes ma’am, I am. I just can’t get enough of you.” Randy’s smile broadened, disappearing as

their lips met.

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Josh followed Elizabeth to Charlie’s side. Elizabeth sat cross-legged on the floor next to Charlie

and stroked her head. Charlie lifted her head and wagged her tail. Josh went to the kitchen and

searched through the box he brought in from the truck. He pulled out a bag of dog treats and

brought one to Charlie. Charlie rose to her feet and chewed on the crunchy treat as Josh knelt at

her side.

He said, “Randy will figure all this out. He’s good at his job.”

Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Charlie’s nose. Charlie lay back down on the pillow, and

Elizabeth scratched her belly. She looked up at Josh and said, “I don’t have a stalker. I’m an

author, not a movie star. I’ve never had a stalker. Randy is wrong.”

Josh rose and stared down at her for a minute. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head

like a hot sun blazing down on her. Elizabeth rose and faced him with a defiant look on her face.

Josh held her gaze and said, “Just how do you think the fox got under your deck? Do you think

Charlie shot it with an arrow and then stuffed in under there? On the other hand, maybe Amy

accidentally shot the fox one day while practicing with a bow. Only she doesn’t own a bow, and

has probably never shot one in her life. Or maybe it’s some renegade campers who got bored,

made their own bow and arrow, shot the fox, and stuffed it under your deck as a practical joke on

someone they didn’t know?”

Elizabeth glared at him. Her eyes narrowed and she spoke with venom in her voice, “I have no

idea how that fox got there. Perhaps it crawled across the yard after it was shot and tried to hide

under the deck. I have no idea, but I’m telling you right now I do not have a stalker. I am a

psychologist; I know all the signs of a stalker. I know all the behaviors of a stalker, and I

understand the risks. There is no one stalking me, and I’m not going to discuss this any further.”

Josh held his ground and added, “You are so stubborn and sure of yourself that you are willing to

risk your personal safety. I get it. You’re a big girl, and it’s your decision. Let me ask you this,

are you so confident no one is following you that you’re willing to risk Charlie’s life or worse

yet, Amy’s life? This stalker wasn’t trying to hurt you; that bear wasn’t meant for you. You were

simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That bear was intended for Charlie.”

All the anger disappeared from Elizabeth’s face. She stepped backward reeling from Josh’s

words. She stammered, “No, it was an accident.”

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Josh took a step closer and reached out to steady her. He lowered his voice and said calmly, “It

wasn’t. I’m sorry, Beth.”

She glanced down at Charlie whose head rested on her front paws. She stared back up at her.

Josh closed the gap between them and gently took Elizabeth in his arms. He said, “You can’t

ignore this; it’s not going to go away. We have to deal with this. This person has gone beyond

surfing the net and following you around. They invaded your home at least twice. They set a

very dangerous trap for Charlie that could have killed you or Amy in the process. They are

beyond rational thought, so we have to find them and stop them.”

Elizabeth leaned against him in surrender. “What should we do?”

Josh kissed her forehead and said, “Come stay with me for a couple of weeks. That alone might

discourage them enough to pull back.”

“Or it could encourage them to become bolder,” Randy’s voice came from the kitchen as he

opened the door for Amy and Kilo to enter the house. He added, “Let’s not pretend this is going

to go away overnight.”

Josh flashed Randy an irritated look and added, “I agree, but we’ve upset the girls enough for

one day. Let’s open a fresh bottle of wine for the ladies, and I’ll grab some beers from the fridge

in the basement.”

Kilo lay down beside Charlie. Josh disappeared through a door in the kitchen and headed

downstairs. Randy headed to the box on the counter and pulled out a bottle of wine. He popped

the cork and filled Amy and Elizabeth’s glasses with the golden liquid. Josh reappeared with a

six-pack of beer. He opened two of the bottles and handed one to Randy.

Josh sat down next to Elizabeth on the L-shaped sofa. Randy and Amy sat at the far end. Josh put

his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and said, “Why don’t we turn in early tonight and get up

with the sunrise. I know a great fishing spot on the far end of the lake. We can relax and see

what’s biting for a couple of hours. If we pack a lunch, we can pull into a cove then do some

waterskiing and head back in to barbeque for dinner.”

Randy smiled and added, “Great idea, I brought some steaks we can grill. We can throw on some

corn on the cob and baked potatoes for dinner. You girls can just relax and let us cook. Then we

can take a sunset cruise on the lake later.”

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When Josh took Elizabeth upstairs to the Master Bedroom, her head was swimming from a bit

too much wine and a very long emotional day. Kilo trotted to the end of the hall and settled down

for the night. Josh opened the bedroom door to reveal a room twinkling with candles. A King

size, four-poster bed stood in front of a wall of French Doors. Elizabeth dismissed the details of

her day and fell into his arms.

Josh kissed her with savage passion. The stalker’s carelessness could have cost them more than

Josh was willing to risk. Josh immediately pulled Elizabeth’s shirt over her head and removed

his own. As their naked flesh touched, Elizabeth felt the heat of his body sink into hers. Josh

undid her capris and slid them down over her hips. Elizabeth stepped back and slid her panties

down to land on the floor next to Josh’s jeans.

Josh slid one arm around her waist as the other cupped her breast. Elizabeth gasped as his kiss

moved to her neck and began to trail down to her breasts. His hands explored her soft curves as

their entwined bodies fell onto the bed. The rest of the world faded from their thoughts as they

surrendered to their desires.

************

Randy sat up abruptly as the lights went out. They had fallen asleep on the couch, and a storm

had apparently moved in across the lake. Randy gave Amy a quick kiss and said, “The power is

out, it must be the storm. I’ll take a look outside and lock up the house.”

Amy rose and draped a thin blanket over Charlie’s sleeping body. Randy closed the back

windows and moved to lock the back door. Amy headed to the kitchen with the empty wine

glasses, set them on the counter, and began to search the drawers for candles or a lighter. Randy

turned the deadbolt as he glanced out the window. The night was chaotic with the wind surging

through the tall trees that lined the shore, whipping them back and forth viciously, causing leaves

and debris to skip across the growing waves of the lake. As the moon slipped out from behind a

large cloud, Randy paused to gaze at its rippling reflection on the dark sparkling water of the

lake. The rain spread across the lake like a thin mist, giving it a mystical look.

Randy was about to turn and head to the front door when a tall shadowy figure appeared out

from behind the trees and ran swiftly across the open grass on the far side of the pool. Randy

shot a startled look at Amy and said, “Lock the door behind me!”

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Amy’s heart raced as she rushed to the door and slipped the deadbolt into place. She glanced

back at the stairs wondering if she should call Josh. She turned to look through the window in

search of Randy. The rain began coming down in sheets, and the wind slammed it into the

window so hard Amy could no longer see the deck. She turned to glance back toward the

fireplace; surely, there were matches there. It was then that she noticed the front door was

standing slightly ajar. Amy didn’t hesitate. She ran across the room and shoved the door closed.

Slowly she turned back to scan the house. Did the wind just blow that open? Her heart jumped

into her throat. She glanced around in the darkness then rushed back to the kitchen and pulled out

a large carving knife from the drawer next to the stove.

Josh rose and opened the French doors that led to a small balcony. Elizabeth rose and blew out

the candles, then went to stand beside him. They stood in the darkness, gazing out over the

turbulent water of the lake as the storm moved closer. Tiny lights twinkled from across the water

from the homes and docks on the other side of the lake.

Elizabeth slipped her arm around Josh’s naked body and said, “Can I see photos of your

children.”

Josh gazed down at her and smiled. He reached out and touched her cheek gently with the tips of

his fingers. He said, “I’ve got some photos in my wallet. I can show you in the morning.”

She kissed him softly and asked, “What happened with their mother? Why did you separate?”

Josh wrapped his arms around her and gazed out across the water. He spoke softly as if talking to

the cool night air, “Joanne was wild. She, Randy and I grew up together, went to the same

school since kindergarten. She was always the first one to try anything new and risky, even as a

child. She was the first to jump off Bogart Bridge. Danger and risk excited her, and we followed

in her wake. She was exciting; being with her was a rush. As a young man, I found that

intoxicating. However, one day things went too far, and Randy got hurt. We were running across

the rim of the dam, and Randy slipped. He fell onto the spillway. The rolling water at the base of

the spillway pulled him under. It seemed like it took forever to find him under the water, but I

did. He was blue; his skin was cold and clammy. It shook me to my core. Luckily, Mary,

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Randy’s girlfriend at the time, wanted to be a nurse so she knew CPR and revived him as I ran

for help. After that, Randy and Mary kept their distance. Things just weren’t the same between

us all.

“The night I decided to break up with Joanne she told me she was pregnant. I made a mistake in

thinking she would settle down and concentrate on the baby. So, I married her. She struggled for

years to be a good mom, but it just wasn’t her. One day I came home from work, and she was

gone. She’d dropped Jake off with Randy and disappeared. No note, no explanation, nothing. He

was three years old.”

He turned and gazed down at Elizabeth adding, “I was scared to death to be left alone with Jake,

but Randy and Mary were there for me constantly. Mary was an RN by then, working at a local

hospital and Randy was a deputy. Between the two of them, I was hardly ever alone the first few

months. Eventually, I got into a rhythm with Jake. Then, about a year after she disappeared,

Joanne showed up at my door one night with Molly in her arms. Thank God, Jake was asleep.

She handed Molly to me and said, ‘She’s yours,’ nothing more. I was so surprised and pretty

shook up to be honest. I took Molly and watched her walk away. Then I closed the door and

called Randy.” Josh laughed and said, “He and Mary were on my doorstep in less than an hour

with diapers, formula, bottles, and a bunch of pink baby clothes. I don’t know what I would have

done without them.”

The wind grew stronger as the rain began to spread across the lake. Elizabeth smiled and took

Josh’s hand to lead him back to the bed as she asked, “What happened to Joanne?”

Josh lay down on the bed and took Elizabeth in his arms. He said, “She grew up a bit over the

next couple of years and began to drop by to see the kids. Finally, she asked to have them

overnight. Now she takes them for 6 weeks in the summer and half of Christmas and Spring

break. The rest of the time they are with me.”

“And Mary?”

Josh sighed and said, “Mary was diagnosed with Leukemia. They did everything they could to

fight it. Randy took her to the best doctors. She had a bone marrow transplant they were sure

would end it, but it didn’t work. She was gone in less than a year. It took a toll on all of us. She

was like a mother to my kids. She was Randy’s whole life. Mary was beautiful, kind and selfless.

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The kids and I lost both of them the day she died. Randy went into seclusion, and then threw

himself into his work. I kept close tabs on him and kept dropping in when I could. I think it was

hard for him to see the kids. They reminded him of the life he felt he was never going to have.

Finally he came out of it, and things got back to almost normal. He hasn’t dated much in the last

few years. So it’s great to see how attached he’s become to Amy.”

Elizabeth snuggled up against him and ran her fingers through the thick blonde hair on his chest.

She said, “Amy adores him. She’s had a hard life, but you’d never know it by her attitude.”

“What about you?” Josh asked, “You’ve never talked about your life or friends. I really don’t

know anything about your past.”

Elizabeth nuzzled his neck and said, “My life is pretty boring. I grew up in a small Missouri

town. I did the usual little girl things: dance lessons, piano lessons, played softball, and sang in

the school choir. My parents were older and a bit judgmental. I had to be perfect at everything I

did or they were greatly disappointed. They had high expectations and little patience. My parents

were both attorneys, so they were always working. I got involved in every activity our small

town offered, except in the summer. I looked forward to the 2 weeks every summer on my

Uncle's farm. He was nearly ten years younger than my dad and more laid back. He and Aunt

Mae accepted me as I was and never lectured me. He taught me how to milk a cow, gather eggs,

ride a horse and how to fish. We went camping and hiking. Uncle Wendell and Aunt Mae never

had any kids, so they devoted all their time to me while I was there. They were big into their

church and, as a result, we were always helping neighbors and dropping off food, clothing, and

even school supplies to families in the area. Aunt Mae taught me about Jesus and how to forgive.

I loved it there. My parents thought my aunt and uncle were wasting their lives struggling to

keep their little farm going, but it was my favorite place in the world. I used to pretend they were

my parents.” Elizabeth laughed, “One day I told my third grade teacher the reason I didn’t get

my homework done the night before was because I was secretly communicating with my real

parents Wendell and Mae that night. My parents were furious when the teacher called them. I

was grounded for a month.”

Josh grinned, “I’m surprised we didn’t run into each other at some point.”

Elizabeth added, “I was a very shy child and I stayed on the farm the entire time. We did go to

the Fourth of July fireworks, but I was too shy to go play with the other children. Then when I

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reached High School my parents wouldn’t let me come anymore. I had a part-time job, and they

wouldn’t let me leave it. They said that was irresponsible. My Aunt died of a heart attack a few

years later. Uncle Wendell was devastated. His health went downhill after that. He kept the farm

up, but his heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I couldn’t stand to see him so unhappy. Then the

fire…” her voice cracked with the words.

Josh kissed her forehead and asked, “He left the farm to you?”

“Yes,” She whispered, “But my father was the executor of his Will and sold off all the livestock

before my Uncle was even in the ground. He said it was the best thing for the animals. I was in

college so dad insisted on demolishing what was left of the house and barn. There’s nothing left

up there now except an old abandoned stable.”

Josh leaned back listening to the sound of the rain as it began to pound against the roof and

asked, “So why now? Why move here after all these years? What changed?”

“I changed,” Elizabeth answered. “I finally realized I'll never be able to please my parents. No

matter how successful I am, it won’t be good enough. More importantly, I realized I don’t have

to please them. I only have to please me. If I am satisfied with my life then it doesn’t matter if

they approve. I wish things were different, but I am glad I chose to come here. It certainly has

been an adventure, and I’m not even in the house yet.”

Josh laughed and rolled over on top of her. He whispered softly and nipped at her ear with his

teeth, “I’m glad you came here too.”

A piercing scream broke the darkness. Kilo’s sharp bark of warning followed instantly. Josh

bolted from the bed. He threw on his pants and he tore open the bedroom door. Elizabeth

grabbed Josh’s shirt and ran after him. They raced down the stairs. They reached the landing as

the front door exploded in a mass of wood splinters, followed by Randy’s large body. Josh and

Elizabeth spun to follow Randy as he raced past them into the kitchen.

Amy lay sprawled out on the floor in front of the stove. The backdoor was standing wide open.

Amy sat up as Randy reached her. She was still clutching the knife in her hand. Josh ran through

the backdoor and out onto the deck. He glanced quickly around but saw nothing.

Amy stammered as Randy pulled her to her feet, “There was a man! I turned around, and he was

just standing there by the basement door! Kilo chased him out the back!”

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“Are you all right?” Randy gasped out of breath. He was dripping wet, yet didn’t feel the cold.

He looked Amy over; her face was extremely pale.

“I’m fine!” Amy hugged him fiercely and added, “I was so startled; I jumped back and ended up

on the floor. Thank goodness for Kilo.” Amy gasped and spun toward the living room.

They all followed her stare to Charlie’s bed. It was empty. Without a word, Elizabeth

disappeared through the backdoor and ran across the deck toward the stairs. Josh was at her heels

by the time she reached the stairs.

“Charlie!” Elizabeth screamed her name into the darkness.

Josh came to her side and took hold of her elbow. “Charlie’s too weak to go far. We will find

her. Kilo’s probably with her right now.”

Barking came from deeper into the woods at the side of the house. Elizabeth and Josh ran down

the narrow path that led to a walking trail. The rain continued to pour down. The wind came in

strong gusts. It howled through the trees mocking the black, starless sky above. The combined

movement of the trees and loss of the moonlight slowed their pace to a fast walk. Josh took the

lead taking hold of Elizabeth’s hand and pulling her along behind him. Suddenly the barking

shifted to their left. Kilo bounded out of the brush before them, quickly followed by Charlie.

Both dogs were soaking wet; Charlie was seemingly unaffected by the sudden dash into the

woods.

Elizabeth and Josh knelt to check Charlie’s sutures; thankfully, they were intact. Josh greeted

Kilo with a rough scratch and rose to stare into the woods. “Good boy,” Josh said softly then

turned to Elizabeth and added, “Let’s get them back to the house.”

They met Randy half way back down the path. He nodded at them and said, “The house is clear.

Amy’s inside with the doors locked. Did you see anything?”

Josh said, “I caught a glimpse of some headlights. It could be the house next door. We should

check it out.”

Randy turned and glanced back toward the house. “We will, but not until morning. Whoever it is

has gone. Kilo saw to that. Let’s get back to the house.”

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Josh motioned to the house and ordered Kilo, “Go!” Kilo took off running down the trail back to

the house. Charlie followed, much to Elizabeth’s surprise.

Josh smiled at her and said, “I think we underestimated your sweet little golden.”

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Chapter Seven

The morning light shone brightly through the wall of windows overlooking the deck. The only

sign on the previous night’s storm was a scattering of green leaves across the deck and pool.

Elizabeth poured Amy a cup of coffee. Amy yawned and sat down on a stool at the kitchen

counter. They were both dressed in t-shirts and shorts. Elizabeth had showered and pulled her

long hair back into a ponytail. Amy was still sleepy-eyed, and her hair disheveled. She sighed,

and she brushed it away from her face to take a sip of her coffee.

“Where are the guys?” Amy asked, glancing around to see Kilo asleep by the back door and

Charlie eating breakfast from a large bowl beside him.

Elizabeth handed Amy a bagel and said, “They went next door to talk to the neighbors.”

At that moment Josh and Randy came in through the back door. Amy and Elizabeth turned

expectantly to them. Josh looked from one to the other then turned to Randy, who said, “The

house next door is vacant. Looks like a foreclosure.”

Josh added, “We are pretty sure our visitor parked in that driveway, but it doesn’t look like they

broke into the house. I can’t figure out how this guy knew about this house, and that we were

here.”

Elizabeth walked over to Josh, placed her hands on his chest, and said, “I’ve been thinking about

that very thing. Is it possible our stalker is one of your employees?”

Josh’s expression turned hard and cold. He said, “Absolutely not. I know all of my men very

well. They’ve been with me for years. They are all good men.”

Randy moved closer to them and calmly offered, “Did you tell anyone you were coming out

here?” He glanced at Amy as he finished.

Elizabeth shook her head and glanced back at Amy. Amy shrugged and said, “I have a blog...”

Randy walked quickly to her as she jumped off the stool, her eyes wide in alarm. She

stammered, “I’m so sorry! I had no idea…”

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Randy hugged her and answered in a soothing voice, “It’s not your fault. There’s no way you

could have known.”

Amy sobbed into Randy’s shirt, and Elizabeth came over and placed her hand on Amy’s back.

She said soothingly, “Amy, this is a good thing. Maybe Randy can figure out who this is from

your blog and have him arrested. This is going to stop, I promise. “

Amy turned and reached out to pull Elizabeth to her. Randy wrapped his arm around both of

them and added, “Beth is right. We will find out who this is. There are footprints in the soil just

outside the front window. The overhanging eaves protected them from the storm. They look to

be about a size 12, much larger than Josh and mine.”

Amy gasped and added, “Yes! He had on some kind of camouflage outfit. He was tall. I’d say

6’5” maybe 6’6”. His clothes were tight. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms, like an

athlete.”

Randy released them and said, “Now that you’ve had some sleep I need to get a full description

in the system and take a look at your blog.” He glanced at Josh who still stood by the door and

said, “I don’t think he’ll be back.”

Josh nodded; his expression was hard and cold. He turned and left through the back door.

Elizabeth took that moment to confront Randy. She walked to the fridge, pulled a pitcher of

orange juice out, and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. She sat the glass on the island as Randy

and Amy sat down and asked, “Is there any way our stalker could be one of Josh’s men? From

Amy’s description, it sounds like a construction worker could definitely fit the bill.”

Randy gulped down a glass of juice then answered, “I know most of Josh’s men. They are all

locals and typical construction workers. They like to have a beer or two after work and party

hard on their days off. Most of them have families, which doesn’t fit the profile. Stalkers are

loners. I’ll check them all out just to be sure, but I’m not leaning in that direction.”

Elizabeth flashed him a questioning gaze and said, “You have a direction?”

Randy frowned with displeasure at her remark and answered, “Elizabeth, I maybe a small town

sheriff, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know my job. Yes, I have a direction, and your friends and

fans are first on my list. I’d like to get the names of the contacts from your cell phone.”

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Elizabeth glanced at the back door and said softly, “My cell phone is dead. I forgot to bring my

charger, and I don’t have any friends.” Without another word, she turned and followed Josh out

onto the deck.

Josh stood at the railing looking out through the trees toward the lake. Elizabeth stood beside

him and waited patiently for him to speak. She slid her hand into his and leaned against him.

Josh sighed and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Josh’s jaw clenched despite the release of tension he felt when she touched him. He glanced

down at her full breasts that the thin t-shirt did little to conceal. Even dressed in shorts and

sneakers Elizabeth’s lithe body made Josh’s heart race. He turned and pulled her against him.

He kissed her hard with much more passion than Elizabeth expected. She could feel her body

responding in kind. Elizabeth pulled back and gazed into his eyes confused.

“I want to kill him.” Josh whispered his voice deep and threatening. “I’ve never felt such a

strong urge before. He broke into my home. He almost killed you and Charlie, and he still keeps

coming.”

Elizabeth touched his cheek. Her eyes grew moist with tears. “This is my fault. I must have done

something to attract this man. Somewhere, somehow I met this man and caused all this with a

simple word or a casual glance. Somehow I’ve attracted the attention of his lunatic who is

hurting everyone I care about.”

Josh kissed her again, this time it was gentle yet just as passionate. He released her reluctantly

and said, “We can’t let him win. You have to keep living your life. Don’t let this defeat you.”

He glanced up as Amy and Randy walked out onto the deck and headed toward them. Josh

added, “This guy is going to make a mistake and when he does we will be there. In the

meantime, you ladies will be staying with us. My men will get to work on the house. It should be

ready in about two weeks. You can stay with me until then. I don’t want you to stay in the cabin

until the house is secure.”

Elizabeth reached out, touched Randy’s hand, and said, “I’m sorry I overreacted. You are just

doing your job, and my ego is getting in the way. I’ll get you all the names and contacts for

everyone as soon as we get back, I promise.”

Randy smiled and said, “I understand, this has been an emotional experience for us all.”

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Amy flashed a big smile. She said, “Randy and I have been talking, and we’ve decided. I’m

moving in with him.”

************

On the trip back home, they concentrated on Amy and Randy’s decision to move in together.

They made a quick stop at the cabin for the girls to pick up their belongings. Elizabeth packed

quickly then checked her messages. She sighed as she listened to the messages, which drew Josh

quickly to her side.

“What is it?” he asked calmly through his clenched jaw.

“It’s Franklin,” She answered with great annoyance. “I forgot he’s coming into town

tomorrow.”

Josh cringed at the thought of the stuffy agent hanging around his home. Elizabeth watched his

expression turn sour and laughed. She said, “Don’t worry, I’ll meet him at the hotel.”

Amy and Randy came down the stairs with several suitcases and headed to the truck. Josh

grabbed Elizabeth’s overnight bag and said, “Are you sure this is all you need?”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “I’m pretty low maintenance compared to Amy. She has a moisturizer

for every day of the week, three kinds of shampoo, four types of conditioner, an entire dresser

full of makeup, and it’s a safe bet that at least one of those suitcases is dedicated entirely to

shoes.”

Josh flashed a dazzling smile and said, “Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”

Elizabeth laughed and followed him out the door. She stood staring at the small stables at the

rear of the clearing while Josh and Randy brought out the last of Amy’s bags. She turned to Josh

as he closed the rear hatch and asked, “When will the stables be ready?”

Josh gave her a puzzled look and said, “It’s ready now.”

“Good, I want to buy some horses.” Elizabeth announced with a huge smile.

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“Exactly what do you know about caring for horses?” Josh asked as he opened the truck door for

her. Amy and Randy climbed into the back seats as Elizabeth climbed into the passenger seat.

She said, “I fed my Uncles horses, and I know how to brush them down and I’m a good rider.”

Josh nodded and closed her door. When he sat down beside her he continued his questions, “So

how often do they have to be ridden? What do you feed them? How much straw do you need?

Do you need hay too? Where will their water supply be? Have you checked the pasture for

poisonous plants? What happens your horse gains too much weight? What do you do with a

clumsy horse that continually gets bumps and scrapes? Will you keep them in the pasture or

stable them? If you keep them in the pasture what kind of shade will they need?”

Elizabeth frowned at him then glanced out the front windshield as Josh triumphantly turned the

truck around and headed back toward the main road. She would not be defeated.

“Maybe I don’t know much about caring for horses, but I can learn.” She announced with

determination.

“Good luck with that.” Josh smiled at her.

***********

The next morning Elizabeth walked into the hotel restaurant to find Franklin waiting at their

usual table. He rose and flashed a weak smile. This time he didn’t kiss her cheek when she

arrived. Elizabeth assumed it was due to their last parting. She left him rather abruptly after his

ridiculous idea of writing erotic romances.

She smiled brightly and said, “Franklin, it’s good to see you. How have you been?”

Franklin sighed with relief and his smile brightened. He said, “Great! I’ve been busy promoting

your next release. It seems your fans are eager to discover your views on blended families.”

Elizabeth laughed and sat down as a waiter brought her a large glass of orange juice and filled

her coffee cup.

“By the way,” Franklin said with a suddenly serious expression, “I received a phone call this

morning from Sheriff Connor. He says you have a stalker?”

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“Yes.” Elizabeth sighed and added cream and sugar to her coffee. “It’s been a terrible ordeal.

He’s been in the cabin, caused Charlie to get hurt, and followed us to Josh’s lake house this past

weekend.”

Franklin frowned and motioned for the waiter. “The Sheriff asked me if I’d gotten any

threatening correspondence for you lately, and I have to admit that my team has received several

rather odd postings on your blog.”

“My blog?” Elizabeth stared at him in confusion.

“Darling, every writer has a blog.” Franklin said with a knowing smile, “You’ve just forgotten

because my people manage it for you, along with your Facebook page, Pinterest, and Twitter

account.”

“Oh yes,” Elizabeth smiled. “You’re right, I hate those things and I never know what to say.”

“Which I find extremely hilarious, given your chosen profession,” Franklin smiled. The waiter

arrived and took his order. Elizabeth ordered a fruit plate and pulled out her iPad.

She opened the iPad and pulled up several files asking, “Did you receive the description? I

emailed it last night.

“Yes,” Franklin nodded and added, “I also received the cover mock up from Amy. Very nice, but

I was hoping to meet with her today or tomorrow to discuss it further.”

Elizabeth beamed with excitement, and took advantage of the moment she’d been waiting for,

“That’s perfect because I want to discuss moving forward with Amy’s art career. I was hoping

you could take her on as a client and connect her to some art shows. I have no idea how that

works. I do think now is the time to move forward with her career, given her recent nominations

for her cover art.”

Franklin’s face filled with a brilliant smile. He said, “You’re thinking like a business woman,

Elizabeth. That’s an excellent idea, and at your recommendation, I’d be delighted to take Amy

on as a client.”

“Thank you!” Elizabeth reached out and took his hand, “You’re a good friend.”

Franklin smiled knowingly and added, “You do realize if she goes independent, she’ll have her

hands full with her own career. She may not have any time left to work for you.”

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Elizabeth smiled knowingly and said, “Amy has become such a good friend. I would love to see

her spread her wings and fly. I can find another editor and cover artist. But I don’t think I will

find another friend as precious as she.”

Franklin nodded, “Then let’s wrap up your next few months of publicity so my plate is clean to

start work on Amy.”

Josh sat across the desk from Randy in the Sheriff’s office as Randy accessed Elizabeth’s

Facebook Page and searched for any suspect entries. He glanced briefly at Josh and said,

“Elizabeth’s Agent, Franklin Mallory, is a no-nonsense kind of guy. When I told him about the

stalker, he responded quickly giving me Elizabeth’s ID’s and passwords to all the sites his

company controls for her. He said he recalled one of his workers sending him an email

concerning a few semi-threatening entries on her blog, but he said that’s pretty common so he

thought nothing of it.”

“Franklin’s an idiot.” Josh growled. He couldn’t take the prim and proper Franklin seriously on

any issue other than fancy clothing.

Randy suppressed a chuckle and said, “Then it’s a good thing I’m checking her sites personally,

although I can’t spend all day surfing the internet. Wayne Grody called to report that he’s lost a

calf to that wolf pack. I’m going to have to get up to the reserve and drive them off again. You

interested in giving me a hand?”

Josh leaned back in his chair and relaxed for the first time in days. “Deer season is coming up.

We need to get those wolves as deep into the mountains as we can or the deer will be so scattered

the season will be a bust.”

Randy raised his eyebrows and added, “We don’t want any hunters running across a wolf pack at

4 o’clock in the morning while setting up for a deer hunt. That would be a very dangerous

situation indeed.”

Josh nodded, “That’s the problem with wolves. You don’t see them coming until it’s too late. All

right, let’s do it this Saturday. Jake and Molly will be back in town Sunday night.”

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“Then it’s settled.” Randy announced moving to sign into Elizabeth’s Twitter account. “We’ll

make it a day trip, and the girls can hang out at my house. I seriously doubt a stalker would try a

break in of a Sheriff’s house. Anyway, I’m teaching Amy how to shoot a handgun. I bought her

a Cobra 380. It’s a tiny gun, and she bought pink handles for it, but it will do the job if necessary.

It might not be a bad idea to teach Elizabeth the ins and outs of that shotgun.”

Josh laughed and said, “I’m afraid to have her shoot it. It will knock her on her ass, and she’ll

never pick it up again.”

Elizabeth pulled her SUV up the drive at Gene Weller’s farm. It was easy to spot. The farm sat

right up against the road. The drive led into a large circular driveway that centered on the main

house, barn and a storage shed. She could see the stables a short distance away from the main

road. Mr. Weller waved at her from the pasture as she climbed out of her SUV. He led a

chestnut mare over to the fence and waited for her. Elizabeth stared at the gorgeous mare. It

was dark brown with the only blemish being a white mark on its forehead. Behind it stood a

gray speckled mare with a light gray mane, equally beautiful.

When she reached the long white vinyl fence, Elizabeth smiled and said, “Thank you so much

Mr. Weller, for meeting with me.”

“It's my pleasure, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, returning her smile. “This here is Mazie; she’s a two

year old mare with a sweet disposition. Her sister, Flo, is behind me, and she’s a bit feistier, so I

thought we’d start with Mazie. My son John owns these two beauties, but he’s willing to part

with them for the right price. He’s here this week prepping the cabin for hunting season.”

“They are both beautiful!” Elizabeth said, reaching out to touch Mazie’s nose. “I want to learn

everything about them and how to care for them before I take them home.”

Just then Amy’s smaller SUV pulled into the driveway and Elizabeth added, “So does Amy.”

For the next few days while Josh and Randy dug into Elizabeth’s past acquaintances and fans,

she and Amy spent all their time at Mr. Weller’s farm.

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Thursday afternoon Josh and Randy invited the girls to lunch at Sadie’s, then took them to view

Elizabeth’s house. They sat on the built-in bench on the deck out back taking in the view of the

pond and the pasture that ran along behind it.

Elizabeth’s thoughts filled with her childhood adventures spent on this land. The camping trips

and hikes her Aunt and Uncle took her on each summer. She whispered softly to Josh, her voice

throaty with emotion, “My uncle would pack up the horses, and we’d ride deep into the woods

near the back of his property and camp. A little brook runs along the property line where we

would fish and catch tadpoles. The water was crystal clear and ice cold. The bottom of the brook

was full of sand and smooth, colorful rocks; it was perfect.”

Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said, “We should go there. I’m sure we could

find it. Jake and Molly love to go camping.”

“I’d like that,” Elizabeth said, leaning against him.

“Speaking of Jake and Molly, they are coming home on Sunday,” Josh said, gauging her reaction

to the idea of meeting his children.

Elizabeth smiled brightly and said, “That’s incredible! I’d love to meet them.”

Josh smiled, pleased at her response. Amy and Randy went back inside to look at the house

again. Josh decided to delve further. He turned to face Elizabeth and said, “We spoke a few

weeks ago about our expectations. You never really answered my question.”

Elizabeth gazed into his eyes confused, “What question was that.”

Josh smiled softly and said, “I asked if you were ready for a serious, committed relationship.”

“Isn’t that what we are in?” Elizabeth answered holding his gaze.

“Perhaps I should make myself clearer.” Josh’s smile vanished. His eyes held such deep emotion

Elizabeth couldn’t breathe. He knelt on one knee still holding her hands and whispered,

“Elizabeth Stewart would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Elizabeth gasped; this was not what she expected. She stood staring down at him unable to

speak. She hadn’t even considered marriage to Josh, or anyone for that matter. Marriage is so

permanent, so final. She refused to take it lightly. Josh stared up at her waiting for a reply. His

eyes turned such a deep blue Elizabeth felt she was losing herself in them, wanting to say yes,

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but she was so frightened of betrayal. She suddenly heard her voice said, “Josh, this is so sudden

and so unexpected.” Why was she saying that? She felt herself pull her hands from his as she

continued, “We hardly know each other. We’ve only been together for a few months.”

Josh rose; his face lost all color as his expression turned cold. He said, “A few months of being

together constantly; unlike other couples, who only see each other once or twice a week. I’d say

these few months have been intense. Elizabeth, I love you. I understand your hesitation about an

engagement, but I need to know if you’re in this relationship for the long run. Beth, I can’t

introduce you to my children if we are not going to try to make this thing work. I won’t do that to

them.”

Elizabeth touched his face saying, “Josh; I love being with you. I cherish our time together. I

care deeply for you.”

“Deeply?” Josh back away from her. He asked, “What the hell does deeply mean, Beth? Either

you love me, or you don’t. It’s not something you have to think about, it’s something you feel. If

you don’t love me now, then I seriously doubt you will suddenly fall in love me in six months or

three years.”

“Josh, please. It’s not that simple.” Elizabeth moved toward him, desperate to make him

understand they had to give it time to get to know each other before they commit.

“Simple? No, love is not simple. Actually, it’s made quite a fool out of me lately. I’ve followed

you around like a lost puppy. I’ve spent every spare moment trying to discover who the maniac

is that’s been stalking you, and for what? For your deep affection?” Josh stopped to study her

expression. He asked, “What is it, Beth? Are you scared? Are you afraid we’ll end up like your

parents? I’m not like them. You could never be like them. They were cold, emotionless zombies

who didn’t know how to show you how much they loved you. That’s not us, Beth. Why can’t

you trust me? Why can’t you believe in us?”

“If you could only read my book,” Elizabeth stammered.

“Your book?” Josh said with astonishment. He stared at her for a moment, then turned and went

inside the house.

The drive home was quiet. Randy and Amy immediately sensed the tension between their

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friends. When Randy dropped them off at Josh’s house, Josh climbed out of the truck without a

word and headed into the house. Elizabeth said a quick goodnight and followed him inside.

She followed him to the bedroom and stood watching while he grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-

shirt from his drawer. He turned and walked past her without as much as a glance. He called to

her as he walked down the hallway, “I’m sleeping in Jakes room tonight. Your furniture is

arriving in the morning. Maybe it’s a good idea to get packed for the move into the house.”

He shut Jake’s door behind him. Elizabeth stood staring at the door, unable to move. What just

happened? Why couldn’t he understand? They can’t possibly know each other. It takes three

years for people to drop their guard and relax enough to reveal their true selves. Love has

nothing to do with it. You could love someone desperately who is completely wrong for you and

end up miserable for the rest of your life. She stared at the bedroom door in disbelief. She wanted

to scream at it, to tell the door to open. She wanted to shout for Josh to come back so she could

make him understand.

Instead, she turned and shut the bedroom door quietly. She walked slowly to the bed and fell

onto the pillow sobbing.

Josh was gone when she woke up the next morning. Elizabeth quietly packed her bag and loaded

Charlie in the SUV. She called Amy on her way to her new house and asked her to meet her

there.

The first furniture trucks arrived soon after Elizabeth. Amy showed up a few minutes later. They

kept busy instructing the movers and deliverymen where to place the furniture. Finally, the last

of the deliveries arrived. Amy went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. She searched

the kitchen until she found the box labeled crystal. She poured a large glass, and insisted

Elizabeth sit down on her new living room sofa and relax while she cleaned up.

Once Amy had finished she sat down on the couch next to Elizabeth, and said, “Spill it. What

happened between you and Josh? He was really upset.”

“His kids are coming home on Sunday.” Elizabeth said with a shrug.

“So…” Amy urged her to continue.

“He asked me to marry him and I said no.” Elizabeth eyes filled with tears as she calmly stated

the gist of the situation.

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“Why did you say no? You’re crazy about him. I’ve never seen you like this before.” Amy

jumped up and grabbed her purse off the kitchen island. She dug inside, pulled out a package of

tissues and handed them to her.

“He’s so different from any man I’ve ever been with.” Elizabeth sobbed into the tissues.

“That’s why he’s so perfect!” Amy said hugging her.

“But we don’t even know each other?” Elizabeth stammered between sobs.

“What are you talking about?” Amy asked in surprise, “Beth, he knows you better than anyone,

better than even I do. He can tell when you are upset or angry by the tone of your voice. He’s

not intimidated by your bossy, know-it-all attitude. He’s a real man, like Randy. You can take

them both at face value. They have no ulterior motives; they don’t need any. They are not

complicated or intense. They don’t have high power positions or conquer the world jobs. They

are down to earth, everyday Joes.”

Elizabeth stared at Amy trying to comprehend her reasoning. Finally, she said, “What would my

readers say if the author of the three year rule strategy ran off and married a man she just met?”

Amy smiled and gazed back at Elizabeth. She said in a wistful tone, “They’d be thrilled that true

love still exists.”

“I’d look like a fool.” Elizabeth snapped.

“So you write a new book called Love Conquers All.” Amy laughed, undaunted by Elizabeth’s’

negativity.

“That’s ridiculous!” Elizabeth jumped up from the sofa and walked quickly to the kitchen.

“You can’t possibly understand, Amy. You’re a sprite, an enigma. You can plunge headlong into

a relationship, and it will last forever simply because you are unyieldingly happy all the time.”

Amy’s smile disappeared as she rose from the sofa. She followed Elizabeth to the kitchen and

placed her wine glass on the counter next to the sink. Gazing down at the still full glass of golden

liquid, Amy said, “I’m unyieldingly happy, because I choose not to surrender to negativity.” She

turned to face Elizabeth and added, “I choose to move beyond the things in my past that threaten

to drag me into a deep depression. Beth, I choose to take chances with my heart. I choose to live

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everyday ruled by my emotions. I choose to love with all my heart because if life is not about

love and friendship, then I don’t know why we exist at all.”

“It’s not that easy.” Elizabeth said softly, looking out the large kitchen windows.

“Yes, it is, Beth. Yes, it is.” Amy whispered, “Can’t you, for just one moment put your intellect

in your pocket and let your heart guide you. I promise you, no matter what happens you will be

better for it.”

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Chapter Eight

Elizabeth never felt more alone her first night in the new house. She set the security alarm and

brought Charlie upstairs, leaving all the lights in the house on. She lay in her new bedroom in her

large canopied bed and tossed and turned all night. Finally, as the sun rose, she surrendered to a

sleepless night and went downstairs to make some coffee.

She opened the refrigerator and stared at the large array of fresh fruits and vegetables. Why had

she bought this much food? The refrigerator and freezer were completely full. What had she been

thinking? Was she unconsciously planning to feed Josh and his kids? Was she unknowingly

planning to hide out in this huge house, alone for days on end?

The doorbell rang, jerking her out of her stupor. She walked quickly to the door and looked

through the peephole; it was Randy. She opened the door, and Kilo bounded in to greet Charlie.

Randy tried to smile but couldn’t manage it.

He motioned toward Kilo and explained, “Josh and I are going onto the reserve tomorrow to

push the wolves back up into the mountains. He thought you might like to have Kilo here for a

night or two.”

Elizabeth nodded as disappointment surged through her. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting

Randy to say. She shut the door behind him and said softly, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I

just made a fresh pot.”

“Sure,” Randy answered and followed her to the kitchen and sat at the island. She took two

coffee cups out of the cabinet and came to sit beside him.

Randy took a sip of the steaming black liquid and then placed the cup down on the countertop.

He gazed at Elizabeth and said, “Don’t give up on Josh, Elizabeth. He’ll come around. He’s

crazy about you. You just need to give him a little time.”

Elizabeth smiled softly at Randy and said, “I don’t think Josh is the problem.”

Randy nodded and added, “Just don’t over think this. You and Josh have something special. He’s

been alone for a long time, just him and his kids. He’s scared. Josh’s way of defeating fear is to

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jump into it head first. He’s always been that way. I think the kids coming home just set him

off.”

“I understand Randy.” Elizabeth gazed at him. Amy was right; he was a good man. He had a

good heart. “I don’t think Josh is scared at all. I think he knows what he wants and usually get

his way.”

“What do you want?” Randy asked, meeting her eyes.

“Josh,” Elizabeth answered honestly.

Randy smiled and said, “Give it the weekend. His head will clear once we are out in the woods,

and seeing the kids again will calm him down. You’ll see, everything will be fine.”

Randy rose and gave her a quick hug adding, “Amy’s coming over tomorrow morning. She told

me to tell you, Mr. Weller’s son, Tom, said you can have the horses tomorrow if you’re ready.”

Elizabeth rose and smiled, “I am definitely ready. I’ll run to the Farmer’s Supply and get what I

need this morning.”

“Oh,” Randy stopped at the door and turned back to her, “Did Amy tell you, Franklin is setting

up an art show for her in Los Angeles?”

“No, she didn’t!” Elizabeth gasped, “That’s incredible! I can’t wait to hear all about it!”

“Oh, and Josh’s foreman, Mike, has a horse trailer for sale.” Randy added, pulling a piece of

paper from his wallet. “I told him you might be interested. He said to give him a call. It’s in good

shape. Mike is a little OCD so you can count on the fact he’s taken good care of it. Josh loves the

guy; he never worries about any project when Mike is in charge.”

************

When Amy arrived at Elizabeth’s, Mike had the horse trailer hooked up to Elizabeth’s SUV and

was teaching her how to back it into place. “That’s it.” Mike said, “Now turn the steering wheel

to the right and keep backing up slowly. Great, you got it.”

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Amy’s eyes wandered down the length of Mike’s tall lanky body. At first she thought he was

thin, but quickly realized he was all muscle from his broad shoulders to his firm behind. Mike

glanced back at Amy and caught her checking him out. She blushed and spun quickly to pull the

overnight bag from the car. When she turned back, Mike was heading across the drive to her,

behind Charlie and Kilo.

“Amy,” Mike’s rugged face was all smiles. “Good to see you. I hear Randy and Josh are heading

out to do some wolf chasing.”

“Yes,” Amy said as she glanced past him to see if Elizabeth was coming, as well. “I’m surprised

you’re not going with them.” She knelt down to embrace both dogs, and they knocked her off her

feet in their enthusiasm. Mike laughed and offered her his hand. He pulled Amy to her feet as

the dogs took off across the yard and disappeared into the trees

“I wish I could,” Mike laughed, “but I’ve got something to attend to this weekend that can’t

wait.”

“Too bad,” Amy closed the car door as Elizabeth came up beside Mike.

“What do you think of my new trailer?” Elizabeth was glowing with excitement.

“It’s beautiful!” Amy hugged Elizabeth then scooped up her bag. “I’m here to help, and I thought

I’d stay the night.”

Mike raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, I better be getting back to work. Have fun with the

horses, and Elizabeth if you need any help or advice with the horses, just give me a call.”

“Thanks Mike,” Elizabeth called after him and they watched him climb into his pickup and drive

off.

Elizabeth turned to Amy and asked, “Staying over?”

Amy turned and headed for the house, “Yes, ma’am. The boys are heading out around 3a.m. for

some unknown reason, so I thought I’d just cozy up with you tonight.” Amy turned back to wait

for Elizabeth to catch up, and then added, “I brought some marinated chicken breast and

Moscato.”

“Oh, Amy,” Elizabeth cooed, placing her arm across Amy’s shoulders. “You really know how to

charm a girl. Wine and chicken; add a chick flick to that, and we are set for the night.”

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“After we pick up Mazie and Flo.” Amy reminded her.

“Mr. Weller is ready when we are.” Elizabeth giggled and opened the front door for Amy. She

turned and whistled loudly for the dogs as Amy dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs and put

the wine and food in the fridge.

Charlie and Kilo bounded through the door and skittered across the wood floor to their water

bowls by the back door. “Let’s leave the dogs here,” Elizabeth said, as Amy headed back to the

front door.

Tom Weller greeted them. He was a large man with broad shoulders and a slight beer belly. He

helped them load the horses and fill out the paperwork. In less than two hours, they had the

horses released into the pasture, fed, and watered with plenty of time to relax with a glass of

wine before starting dinner.

************

Josh and Randy unloaded the ATV’s from Josh’s trailer and loaded their supplies. Both men

carried a pistol in a holster clipped to their belt, and a rifle secured behind the seat. Dawn’s

golden rays were just breaking over the horizon when they headed deeper into the preserve

searching for any sign of the wolves.

Randy followed Josh to the ridge that overlooked Beth’s rental cabin. Josh climbed off his ATV,

pulled a string of red flags from his backpack, and handed them to Randy.

Josh asked, “Do you really think those flags are going to scare off the wolves?”

“Yeah,” Randy said, tying one end of the string of flags to a large tree. “I spoke to the Ranger’s

and they are using these in Oregon. The flags flutter in the wind and spook the wolves, so they

stay away. They also have a mild electric charge that zaps anything that grabs hold of the wire.

We’ll stake them high enough so anyone hiking or riding can easily see them, and we’ll keep

them off the main trails. These are short enough strands; they shouldn’t cause any problems. It’s

a short-term solution, but it should work long enough to keep the wolves from backtracking

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while we are driving them deeper into the mountains. The sound of our ATV’s should get the

wolves moving in the right direction.”

They spent the rest of the day tracking the wolves’ movements and pushing them deeper into the

mountains while staking the flags. As the sun began to sink behind the mountains, they turned to

head back. Randy stopped his ATV when they neared John’s and yelled across the trail to Josh,

“Let’s make a run down the maintenance road before we head in.”

Josh knew Randy needed to check for any signs of a stalker, so he offered no objections. They

dove into the woods and cut across to the maintenance road. The violet sky grew dark as the sun

disappeared behind the mountains. They didn’t have much time, but the road wasn’t far; it ran

along the rear of Mr. Weller’s property. The dirt road was dry and covered in a thin layer of

grass and weeds, but was empty of any vehicles.

They walked further up the road toward the edge of Mr. Weller’s property. Josh caught a glimpse

of something out of the corner of his eye and pulled the ATV to a stop. Randy turned around and

pulled up next to him. Josh motioned deeper into the trees. They turned off the ATV’s and

headed into the brush. Approximately 50 yards from the road, they found a portable tree stand in

a large tree. Josh climbed up the chain-link ladder. When he reached the top, it was clear the tree

stand wasn’t for deer hunting.

The stand was high enough in the tree to give a complete view of Mr. Weller’s cabin and all the

comings and goings of the girls when they lived there. Josh scanned the woods for any other sign

of the stalker but could find nothing. He climbed down as his anger rose. This stalker was a dead

man.

Randy gazed at him expectantly, waiting for a statement. Josh took a deep breath and said, “You

can see the cabin and the clearing around it, as plain as day.

Randy smiled and said, “Josh, this is a good thing. I’ll get the print kit from my office, and we

can dust it for prints in the morning. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find this guy in the database.”

Josh shook his head to clear his mind and loosen his clenched jaw. He patted Randy on the

shoulder and said, “Sounds good. Let’s get going before it’s too dark to see the trail.”

Josh released his hold on Randy and walked quickly past him back toward the trail. He felt the

impact and a sudden flash of pain drove through his chest. Randy shouted, "Get down!" and

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pulled out his gun. Josh felt Randy shove him hard to the ground, and then there was only

darkness.

************

Amy had a Skype meeting with Franklin to discuss her art show, so Elizabeth took Mazie out for

her first ride in the pasture. A cool, gentle breeze rushed across the thick green grass of the

pasture. Elizabeth urged Mazie into a gallop. Lifting her face to the evening sun, Elizabeth

basked in its warm glow. She rode the perimeter of the pasture then returned, gave Mazie a

handful of oats, and took Flo for a ride. By the time she returned the sun had disappeared in an

orange glow behind the mountains. The cloudless sky allowed the moon’s light to fill the pasture

with a soft light. Elizabeth gave Flo some oats and left the horses in the pasture. She stood

gazing up at the star filled sky as Amy appeared on the small front porch. Charlie and Kilo

rushed over to her darting around the grassy yard as Elizabeth’s eyes focused on Amy.

Amy stood silently on the porch waiting for Elizabeth. As she neared, Elizabeth could see the

stricken expression of Amy’s pale features. “What’s happened?” Elizabeth asked racing up the

steps.

“It’s Josh,” Amy stammered and started to cry. “He was shot.” She managed through her sobs.

Elizabeth’s heart pounded as she took hold of Amy’s shoulders and asked, “Is he alive? What

happened? Where is he?”

Amy took a deep breath and said, “He’s alive; it was an arrow through his chest. Randy got him

to Dr. Hallowell who called in Life Flight. They are airlifting him to Salt Lake City General

Hospital.” Amy brushed the tears from her eyes as she gazed up at Elizabeth adding, “It’s bad,

real bad.”

“Let’s go!” Elizabeth spun and yelled for the dogs. They bounded up the stairs and into the house

after her.

Amy stood helplessly by as Elizabeth grabbed her purse and keys. She took hold of Amy’s arm,

dragging her out the door. Once Elizabeth reached the main road, Amy suddenly snapped out of

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her stupor and said, “Randy is going to meet us at his office. He can drive us in his truck. He

doesn’t want you to drive.”

Elizabeth concentrated on the road and answered, “If he’s not there when we arrive we are not

waiting for him.”

They spent the night in the waiting room while Josh was in surgery. It was nearly dawn before

the doctor appeared. Dr. Jones was an older, stocky man with short white hair. He pulled them

into a family room and said, “Joshua has lost a lot of blood. He is extremely weak. The arrow

nicked his artery and collapsed his left lung. However, he’s a lucky man. The arrow missed his

heart, and he’s in excellent physical condition. He has a good chance of survival as long as there

are no further complications. The Sheriff’s quick thought to stabilize the arrow instead of

removing it saved Joshua’s life. We are going to wait and give him some time to heal before we

decide if he needs additional surgery”

Elizabeth rose from her chair and asked, “Is he out of danger?”

Dr. Jones offered softly, “We will know in about twenty four hours. As I said, he’s young and

strong. You’ll have to be patient.”

Randy rose and offered his hand to the doctor saying, “When can we see him?”

“He’s in intensive care. A nurse can take you to the waiting area. If he remains stable you can

see him, one at a time, but for only a few minutes.” Dr. Jones said, “A nurse will be with you

soon.” He disappeared through the doorway.

“This is my fault,” Randy announced, “It was my job to push the wolves back. Not Josh. I never

should have asked him to come with me.”

Elizabeth turned to Randy and took hold of his arm saying, “You know Josh would never have

let you go into woods alone after those wolves.”

Randy shook his head and added, “It was my idea to check out the maintenance road. I just had

to have one more look before we headed home. I just couldn’t let it go.”

“Maintenance road?” Elizabeth stared at him confused.

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“That’s where it happened.” Randy explained, “We found a deer stand the stalker was using to

view the cabin, and the next thing I knew Josh had an arrow sticking out of his chest.”

“The stalker?” Elizabeth gasped, glancing at Amy, “Are you saying the stalker tried to kill him?

I thought this was a hunting accident! I thought some idiot mistook Josh for a deer and shot

him!”

“No,” Randy met Elizabeth’s gaze, “It was the stalker. I returned fire, and I’m sure I hit him but

there was no time to search. I had to get Josh …” Randy’s voice broke as he spoke. His eyes

filled with tears, and he glanced down at the floor trying to gain control. “I don’t think that arrow

was meant for Josh.”

Amy rose from her seat, wrapped her arms around Randy’s waist, and asked. “Randy, what are

you saying?”

“I think that shot was meant for me.” Randy locked eyes with Elizabeth. “I’m sorry; Josh was

moving past me when he was hit.”

Elizabeth shook her head and said, “Randy, it’s not your fault.” Her head was swimming; she

didn’t know what else to say. Why was this happening? Who was this person stalking her? Why?

When would it all end?

Elizabeth sat by Josh’s bed gazing at his pale face. He looked so peaceful and quiet, but she was

sure his soul was full of torment. Josh would be furious when he discovered what happened and

who was responsible. Randy didn’t want to discuss how he managed the horror filled ATV ride

to the truck, but Elizabeth knew he saved Josh’s life. Elizabeth knew Randy was a true hero in

every sense of the word, and if Amy didn’t marry that man, she was a fool!

Elizabeth was jolted from her thoughts. What did she just decide? Amy should marry a man

she’s only known for a few months? What about the three year rule? No, Elizabeth knew Amy

was incapable of a pseudo persona. She had struggled too hard and too long to overcome her past

and define herself. Amy was the most solid person Elizabeth had ever known until she met Josh

and now Randy.

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Was she so completely wrong about the three-year rule? Was she a raving lunatic that spilled her

insanity over to millions of unsuspecting women? No! Elizabeth sat up straight in her seat. The

three year rule was solid, but perhaps there were exceptions. There were always exceptions,

weren’t there? Was she fooling herself into believing something her heart was desperate to

know?

The nurse appeared and motioned for Elizabeth to leave. Her time was up. Elizabeth rose slowly

and kissed Josh’s forehead. She whispered, “I’m here with you, Josh. I’m not leaving you.

Randy and Amy are here. You are not alone. Be strong and come back to me… I love you.”

Randy waited for her out in the hall. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

“Is he okay?” Randy asked, quietly moving to her side.

“There’s been no change,” Elizabeth said.

“That’s good,” Randy, reasoned, “No change is better than getting worse.”

“I suppose,” Elizabeth tried to smile.

“Beth,” Randy began, “I have to go. The State Police found fingerprints on the deer stand and

blood in the woods that I’m pretty sure belongs to the stalker.”

“I understand,” Elizabeth began, “Josh would want you to go.”

“There’s something else.” Randy added, glancing behind him.

Elizabeth followed his gaze to two young children. Before her stood a boy around twelve years

old and a little girl age six. Elizabeth’s heart raced as she recognized the deep blue eyes and

blonde hair. They were Josh’s children.

“Jake and Molly,” Randy called to them. They were both dressed just as Elizabeth would expect

in jeans and t-shirts. Molly’s jeans were purple, and her t-shirt had a picture of a kitty cat on it.

Jake was all boy in his torn jeans and ratty t-shirt. He looked so much like his father Elizabeth’s

stomach tied into knots. Randy knelt down next to Molly and said, “This is Elizabeth; she’s a

friend of your dads.” Randy glanced up at Elizabeth and smiled.

Elizabeth smiled at the two beautiful children and stepped forward. “Hello, you can call me

Beth.”

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“Is my daddy in that room?” Molly asked as she leaned against Randy, her tiny fingers grasping

his hand.

“Yes, he’s sleeping.” Elizabeth answered.

“Can we see him?” Jake asked, glancing at the door.

Randy rose and said, “They don’t allow children in intensive care, but there’s a window right

there you can look through.” Randy pointed to the large glass window in the wall that

overlooked the intensive care unit. He scooped up Molly and put his arm around Jake’s shoulders

and walked slowly to the window adding, “He’s asleep like Beth said, and he’s got some tubes

attached to him giving him medicine. So he might look a little funny, but he’s okay.”

Elizabeth followed them to the window. She watched the children stare through the window at

their father. Her heart melted as their young eyes filled with tears. Molly sank her face into

Randy’s chest and cried in tiny little sniffles. Jake brushed the tears away roughly with the back

of his hand and turned to face away from them.

Elizabeth said, “There’s a waiting room down the hall with a TV and a table. We can wait down

there for your dad to wake up.”

Randy kissed Molly’s head and added, “Beth is an author. Do you know what that is?”

Jake turned slowly around and said, “She writes books.”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “That’s right.”

Molly raised her head, looked at her, and asked, “Like Dr. Seuss?”

Elizabeth touched her golden hair and said, “Not exactly. I’m afraid you would find the books I

write pretty boring. They are for grown-ups.”

“Oh,” Molly said, glancing at Jake. “That means no pictures.”

“You are absolutely right,” Elizabeth laughed and added, “but I do have a laptop and an iPad

Amy brought me this morning. We can download some games.”

Molly smiled and reached out to Elizabeth. Randy handed her to Elizabeth with a huge grin on

his face. Jake stared at her, his eyes narrowed, and he asked, “How will we know when dad

wakes up.”

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Elizabeth met his gaze and said softly, “They have my cell phone number, and there is a phone in

the waiting room. They will call us.”

“Okay, then,” Jake looked at Randy, who gave him a pat on the back.

Molly fell asleep on Elizabeth’s shoulder after lunch while Jake watched a movie. Amy arrived

around dinnertime with fried chicken and all the trimmings. After they had eaten, Amy sat with

the children while Elizabeth sought out the doctors for an update, before they left for the night.

Randy was in the waiting room with Amy and the children when Elizabeth returned. Elizabeth

glanced at Randy from the doorway, and he rose to walk down the hall with her. She sighed and

said, “The doctors say he is stable, but they are keeping him in a drug induced coma for a few

days because of his lung.” Elizabeth hugged Randy and said, “He’s out of danger. They will

move him to a regular room in the morning.”

Randy’s breath came in deep gasps. He tried to control his intense joy at the news. His voice

was deep and throaty when he answered, “That’s good; I’ll take the kids home. I think you

should come too.”

“I’d like that, but I don’t want to leave Josh alone,” Elizabeth answered.

Randy nodded toward the intern that stood at the far end of the hallway near the entrance to ICU

and said, “Some state troopers have volunteered to spend their off time keeping an eye on Josh.

He won’t be alone, and you need some sleep. Amy has Kilo and Charlie already at the house. I

think it’s best if everyone stays with me until we get some answers.”

Elizabeth searched his face then asked, “What did you find out?”

Randy sighed and said, “No fingerprint match in the system. Now we have to wait on the DNA.”

************

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Josh heard a buzzing in his ears. It was sporadic but kept returning. He tried to open his eyes,

but it was hard and he was so tired. Muffled voices rang in the distance as the buzzing returned.

Josh took a deep breath and the buzzing grew louder; it pounded away at his head. Then there

were lights, bright lights. He shut his eyes and turned away from the light. Pain shot through his

chest as he drew another breath. What is going on?

Josh forced his eyes open. He blinked at the bright light coming through the windows and forced

his eyes to focus on the source of the buzzing sound. When his vision cleared he saw Molly

sitting on Elizabeth’s lap as she and Jake leaned over the small table next to the window.

“Got it!” Jake announced triumphantly as he removed another organ from the surgical game as

the buzzing alarm filled the room once more.

“Cheater!” Molly laughed, smacking his arm, “You are so bad at this game! Beth can get every

single one, and you can’t even pull out the funny bone without setting off the alarm.”

Josh tried to raise his head as he opened his mouth to speak. A wave of pain washed across his

chest and all he could manage was a weak moan. All three heads snapped to face him. Molly

squealed when she saw his eyes were open and rushed to his side. Elizabeth reached out and

slowed her pace saying, “Easy, Molly. Remember, he’s been hurt. Be gentle.”

Elizabeth rushed off to find a nurse as Jake came up beside Molly. They stood staring at Josh not

knowing what to do or say. Josh managed a weak smile and whispered as loud as his voice

would allow, “I’m okay kids. It’s just a scratch.”

Jake grinned at his dad and said, “That’s what you said when I broke my arm.”

Molly climbed gingerly up onto the bed, avoiding the IV tube. She managed to squeeze up along

the bed rail next to him and place her head on his shoulder. “Does it hurt daddy?”

Josh glanced at the door and saw Elizabeth standing there watching them. He said, “Only a little

sweetie, only a little.”

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Chapter Nine

Josh rose slowly from his seat to face Randy; his face contorted in anger. “You’re acting like a

Sheriff.”

“I sure as hell am.” Randy countered, “It was no accident this time, no bad decisions, no error in

judgment. This man shot an arrow with intent to kill. So you’re going to listen to me.”

Josh’s face grew dark red as his eyes narrowed on Randy, “You should fire that old, lazy ass

Deputy Ed Walker. Then you can hire some real help and find Beth’s stalker instead of wasting

your time lecturing me about how I should live my life!”

Elizabeth stepped in between them. She wasn’t about to allow a fistfight to break out in her

living room. She placed her hands on Josh’s shoulders and said, “Why don’t we all sit down and

cool off for a minute. The last thing we need is the two of you at each other’s throats. Amy will

be back from picking up the kids from school in 15 minutes. So you two need to come to an

agreement and fast.” She spun to face Randy and added, “Josh is fully recovered, and we haven’t

had any sign at all in the last two months that would indicate the stalker is even still around.”

Randy forced his eyes away from Josh’s hostile glare. He could see the concern in Elizabeth’s

eyes. Randy took a deep breath and moved to sit in the high backed leather chair across from the

sofa. Elizabeth smiled and added, “Good, now I’ll get you both an Iced Tea and we can all

discuss this calmly.”

Elizabeth went to the kitchen to prepare their drinks. Hopefully the argument would resolve itself

once they calmed down.

Randy glanced at Josh’s angry grimace, and said calmly, “I’m not backing down on this.”

Josh pushed his hair back from his face and met Randy’s gaze. He said, “I’m not going to let

Jake down. He’s been planning on this for over a year. I won’t let the thought that the stalker

might still be prowling those woods stop me from taking my son on his first hunting trip. I refuse

to live my life in fear.”

Randy nodded and said, “I don’t want to disappoint Jake either.” They stared at each other in

silence. Elizabeth returned with their drinks.

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She sighed and said, “Okay, so what about a compromise? Is there somewhere else you can take

Jake to hunt? Somewhere you haven’t been in a long time which is far enough away from here to

be a feasible substitute?”

Randy looked at Josh and said, “Wolf Creek is 3 hours from here, and I’ve heard it’s crawling

with Elk.”

“We’d have to leave the night before.” Josh said, “It would add another night to our trip.”

Elizabeth sat down beside Josh and said, “Amy and I were planning on taking Molly into the city

on a shopping trip for school clothes. I’m planning a girl’s weekend, and I’m having them both

over here for a slumber party. You can leave Kilo with me. I think the combination of the dogs

and my security system is plenty of protection; we’ll be fine.”

Randy added, “Amy’s become quite a shot with her Cobra 380.”

Josh looked from one to the other and added, “Mike said he’s not going hunting this year. He can

run by and check on them. They can call him if anything happens; he’s only a few minutes

away.”

“It’s settled then. I’ll find a hotel, and we will head out tomorrow as soon as Jake is out of

school.” Randy announced and rose to give Josh his hand.

Josh grinned and rose to shake his hand. “Let’s get the grill going, Elizabeth has steaks

marinating.”

The front door opened, and Molly rushed in followed by Charlie and Kilo. Jake and Amy entered

after them. Molly ran straight to Elizabeth and asked, “Can I ride Mazie today? Please?”

Elizabeth glanced at Josh, who nodded his assent before disappearing through the backdoor with

Randy.

“I get Flo!” Jake chimed in.

Amy took over the meal prep while Elizabeth took the kids out and helped them saddle the

horses. She watched as they galloped across the pasture. It was surprising how quickly she’d

become attached to Josh’s kids. Molly took to Elizabeth instantly. Elizabeth considered her lack

of a consistent mother figure a significant factor in their instant connection. In fact, Elizabeth

enjoyed helping Molly choose an outfit and fixing her hair.

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It wasn’t easy finding time alone with Josh, but Elizabeth didn’t mind. Josh’s rule of no

overnights when the children were home did put a cramp in their sexual relationship. If it weren’t

for Randy and Amy taking the kids every other Friday night, she and Josh would never have an

entire night alone.

Elizabeth did understand and agree with Josh’s reasoning. He was their father and wanted to set

a good example. He’d done a great job raising both of them. They were confident, polite, and

good-natured. She’d even taken Amy’s suggestion and was researching step parenting to add to

her Blended Families book series, although she was more interested in making sure she had a

good relationship with Josh’s kids than writing a book.

When it was time to eat, Elizabeth called the kids back to the stables and watched as they gave

the horses both a handful of oats

Amy had set the table on the deck, and Josh announced their plans during dinner.

“Randy and I have decided to hunt at Wolf Creek this weekend.” Josh began. “Are you ready to

hunt some elk Jake?”

Jake’s eyes widened, and his face broke into a huge smile. He answered, “I sure am! This is so

awesome!”

Elizabeth turned to Molly and added, “You and Amy are going to stay with me this weekend.

We are going shopping on Saturday and have a slumber party Saturday night.”

“Goodie!” Molly jumped from her seat and hugged Elizabeth then rushed around the table to hug

Amy. “We should all get matching PJ’s on Saturday for the party!”

Josh smiled across the table at Elizabeth and added, “You’ll have to show Beth how to make

s’mores, Molly.”

“I sure will!” Molly giggled and climbed onto her father’s lap.

The next day Amy and Elizabeth met Josh and Randy at the school. They said a quick goodbye

to the guys and took Molly out to dinner at Sadie’s, and then ran by the local market and bought

snacks and soda, and Molly picked out a movie.

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“Beth, can I sleep with you tonight?” Molly asked as the movie ended. She was already dressed

for bed in her princess nightgown and fuzzy slippers. “Then we can all sleep down here

tomorrow night for the slumber party.”

“Sure,” Elizabeth smiled.

Elizabeth let the dogs out for one last time while Amy locked the back door and headed upstairs

with Molly. Once the dogs were in, Elizabeth turned on the alarm and turned out the lights.

Josh woke Jake up for the second time as they sat on the deer stand overlooking a small clearing

not too far from Wolf Creek. Josh whispered to his sleepy son, “You’ve got to stay awake, the

sun’s coming up. This is when the action begins.”

Jake took the granola bar his father offered and ate it quickly, scanning the clearing for any sign

of activity. Randy’s voice came over the two-way radio, “Josh, are you two still awake?”

“Roger that,” Josh answered with a wink at Jake.

“I’m going to move up on the ridge. I can see several bulls just out of range for a good shot.

They should be heading your way soon unless I get them first.” Randy whispered across the

radio.

Josh handed the radio to Jake and let him answer, “Roger that.”

“Let’s meet up at the river at noon if we don’t get a kill.” Randy added, “We can head back after

dinner for another try at nightfall.”

“We plan on getting a big one soon, so unless you plan on sleeping, we will see you way earlier

than noon.” Jake boasted into the radio.

Josh grinned and patted Jake on the back. Randy smiled and climbed out of the deer blind that

consisted of a few tree limbs with camouflage netting stretched across the front. He headed

slowly through the trees as quietly as he could toward the ridge. Just as they reached the top, he

heard a gunshot. Randy reached for his radio just as Jake’s excited voice announced, “I got one!

An elk, an elk! I got one!”

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Randy laughed and responded, “Great work! I’ll go get the ATV and head your way!”

Once they quartered the elk, loaded it on the ATV, and carried it back to the truck to debone and

pack it in the coolers, it was late morning. They stopped at a local gas station and filled the

coolers with more ice, then headed for the one local diner in the nearest town for lunch.

Randy’s cell phone rang when they headed for the small motor inn on the edge of town to

shower and take a nap before returning to the woods. Randy answered, “Sheriff Connor,”

Josh pulled into the motor inn that looked like a string of mobile homes, linked together end to

end. They parked in the open spot in front of their door and Randy quickly climbed out of the

truck. His face had a sour expression. He listened to the voice on the other end continue to speak

without interruption.

Finally, Randy said, “Okay, let me know what you find. If I don’t answer the phone leave a

message, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

Randy glanced up to find Josh staring at him with the intensity of a puma stalking a deer.

Randy’s flashed him an innocent smile and said, “Work, sorry.”

“The stalker?” Josh asked quietly, glancing at Jake who was pulling the coolers from the truck.

“I'm following a hunch.” Randy said quietly, “I’ve broadened my search a bit. My deputy has

been doing some research for me, and he has a lead. I’ll let you know if anything pans out.”

“Are you getting close?” Josh asked nothing more. He knew Randy would tell him if he had

anything more than a suspicion.

“I hope so.” Randy glanced at Jake and added loudly, “What are we going to do with this boy?

That was a ten point elk. I can’t compete with that, and I’m an expert marksman.”

Jake’s head poked out from the back of the truck, and he said, “It was an incredible shot! Right

through the heart, just like dad taught me.”

“And this afternoon or tomorrow you get to watch me shoot a 12 point,” Josh teased, messing up

Jake’s hair.

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The girls spent the morning shopping in downtown Salt Lake City at the new mall. They ate

lunch at a trendy Argentinian restaurant. Then stopped by a hobby shop on the way home to

purchase a jewelry making kit and paint to decorate the plain t-shirts they bought that morning.

When they got home and began to discuss dinner, Molly said, “Pizza!” She jumped up from the

couch and added, “Slumber Parties always have pizza for dinner.”

Amy laughed and turned to Elizabeth saying, “She’s right you know. We must have pizza for

dinner.”

Elizabeth held a serious expression as she gazed from Amy to Molly, and back. She took a deep

breath and announced, “Let it be done!”

They all broke out in giggles and finished laying out their clothing purchases on the kitchen

island for everyone to examine.

“Can we have a fashion show after dinner?” Molly asked, dancing with excitement.

“Of course!” Elizabeth smiled.

“Well then, it’s all settled.” Amy added, “We can pick up a movie when we get pizza, and we

have our craft projects. I’d say we have a full evening ahead of us.”

“I’d like to check on the horses and give them some oats, so why don’t you two go get a pizza,

and I’ll make some cheesy garlic bread and a salad,” Elizabeth offered.

Amy spun and headed for the door. “Off we go Molly. Would you like to drive?”

Molly giggled and chased after her.

Elizabeth gathered up their new clothes and laid them out on her bed for later. As she headed

downstairs to care for the horses, she heard Amy’s cell phone ringing. Thinking it might be

Randy, she snatched it off the island where Amy left it and answered.

“Hello?” She said into the phone.

A muffled voice replied, “Hello, this is John Weller. My father gave me your number. I am at the

cabin this week on a hunting trip, and we found a black oriental jewelry box. Dad thinks it’s

yours.”

“Oh, my gosh," Elizabeth gasped, “Yes, it sounds just like it!”

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“Great!” The voice answered, “I’ll be home for the next 30 minutes if you can head over now.”

“Absolutely!” Elizabeth said. “I’ll be right there!”

She left Amy’s cell phone on the island, grabbed her purse, and rushed out the door. What a

fantastic surprise it would be to give Amy her grandmother’s jewelry box when she came back

tonight. Kilo and Charlie bounced around her as she raced out the door, caught up in her

excitement.

“Okay, okay,” Elizabeth laughed at their antics. “Get in the truck.”

************

Randy’s phone woke him from a sound sleep. They were all trying to catch up on lost sleep.

Randy grabbed the phone from the nightstand and answered it quickly, not wanting to wake up

Jake and Josh.

“Sheriff Connor,” He said into the phone. Ed’s raspy voice responded.

“Randy, I called the Denver Police about that female author, Bonnie Jones, who was killed last

spring. You were right; it was a stalker case. They tortured and raped her over a period of several

days, and then strangled her. They found her body in a creek. They have no suspects, no leads. I

requested a copy of the file. Bonnie used a literary agency based in New York City. I was able to

get a hold of the receptionist who was working late to meet a deadline. She looked up Bonnie’s

information and gave me the name of her agent, a Franklin Mallory.”

“What?” Randy sat up quickly and kicked off the covers. “Contact the New York Police and get

a search warrant for his office and home. He’s Elizabeth’s agent, as well. Call the Denver Police

back and let them know we have a suspect. Find out where he is right now and get back to me!”

Elizabeth pulled up in front of the cabin. The lights were out. When she reached the door, she

found a note saying, I had to leave early. I left jewelry box on the shelf in the garage.

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Elizabeth stuffed the note in her pocket and headed across the drive to the garage. Kilo and

Charlie raced across the drive ahead of her. They waited patiently while she struggled to push the

door upward. As the door rose, Kilo froze and began to growl. Elizabeth released the door as it

finished rising and glanced at Kilo.

“What is it boy?” She asked.

Suddenly a flash of light appeared from within the garage as a shot rang out. Kilo yipped and fell

still at Elizabeth’s feet. Charlie jumped backward in fear, and then began to bark and snarl.

Elizabeth stared blankly at the tall figure as it moved out from the shadows.

“Franklin?” She stammered.

Franklin was holding a handgun pointed at Charlie. He was dressed in a ghillie suit consisting of

a long sleeved camouflage colored hoodie pulled up over his head, camouflage pants, and boots.

He threw a rope at Elizabeth’s feet next to Kilo and ordered, “Tie Charlie to the work bench, or I

will shoot her.”

Elizabeth picked up the rope and rushed toward Charlie who continued to bark and growl. She

pulled Charlie into the garage and tied the rope to Charlie’s collar then around the leg of the

workbench. She knew it wouldn’t hold for long.

“Get the wolf in the garage.” Franklin’s voice rose in tone and urgency as he spoke.

“Franklin, what is going on?” Elizabeth asked as she rushed back to Kilo.

“Shut up!” Franklin spat.

Elizabeth placed her hand on Kilo’s chest; he was still breathing. She ripped the sleeve off her

blouse and pressed it against the wound.

“Move, now!” Franklin stepped closer, his voice loud and menacing.

Elizabeth struggled to pick up Kilo. She couldn’t move him far, just inside, past the door line.

She stroked his head as tears filled her eyes. He was losing blood fast.

“Enough,” Franklin snapped. He glanced toward Elizabeth’s SUV and asked, “Where is Amy?”

“She’s not here,” Elizabeth stammered. “Franklin, you could have killed Kilo. We need to get

him to the vet.”

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“Shut up!” Franklin walked quickly toward her and pointed the gun at her chest.

“Franklin, I don’t know what you think you are doing, but you shot a dog. That’s serious.”

“Where is Amy?” Franklin screamed at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth’s heart froze in her chest. She looked at Franklin with new eyes, realizing she was in

just as much danger of losing her life as Kilo. Elizabeth lowered her voice and responded calmly,

“Amy is in Denver shopping with Molly.”

“You lying bitch!” Franklin reached out and grabbed Elizabeth by the throat. “She was at your

house less than an hour ago. I saw her!”

“No … I …” Elizabeth tried to speak, but he tightened his grip.

“You will call her now!” Franklin growled and released her.

“My phone is in the truck.” Elizabeth said, rubbing her throat. She was startled when she looked

into his eyes; they were wild and full of anger.

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Chapter Ten

Josh pushed his truck as fast as he dared with Jake in the vehicle. Randy turned to him from the

passenger’s seat and said, “Still no response on either of their phones. I’m calling Mike.”

“Dad,” Jake asked anxiously from the back seat, “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

Josh glanced at Randy then back to the road ahead. He took a deep breath and said, “Elizabeth

and Amy’s phones don’t appear to be working. We’re worried they’re having some kind of

problem and want to get home as fast as possible, in case they need us.”

“Is Molly okay?” Jake asked weakly.

“I’m sure she’s fine, son.” Josh met Jakes eyes in the rear view mirror and added, “We’ll keep

trying to reach them. My guess is they're out riding the horses, or they went to a movie. I’m sure

everything is fine. But Randy’s calling Mike to have him run out and check on them just in

case.”

************

Amy and Molly placed the pizzas on the kitchen counter. Amy realized when she saw her phone

that she’d run off without it and went to check her messages. There were several missed calls

from Randy, and she’d had a recent call that Elizabeth must have answered. It was strange that

Elizabeth had left so suddenly. Amy was concerned something happened to one of the horses.

She glanced out the door toward the stables. The horse trailer sat next to the garage. She could

see the horses grazing in the pasture beyond. Amy set Molly to work making a salad while she

called Elizabeth’s cell phone to see where she was. Elizabeth’s phone went to voicemail. Amy

left a message, “Beth call me ASAP, where are you?”

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Suddenly a knock came at the door, and Amy rushed to answer it. Mike Cain walked quickly in

the door and glanced around asking, “Is everything okay here? Randy called, and he’s really

worried.”

Amy glanced across the room at Molly, who was busy tearing apart a head of lettuce. She looked

back at Mike and said, “We’re fine, but Elizabeth left and she’s not answering her phone. How

did you know?” Amy’s phone rang. Randy's name appeared on the screen.

“Randy,” Amy said quickly into the phone, “What’s going on?”

“Amy!” Randy gasped, “Are you all right? Is everything okay?”

Amy said, “Mike just got here. Molly and I are okay. Elizabeth went somewhere in her truck and

isn’t answering her phone. What’s going on?”

Randy spoke quickly, “I want you to take Molly and go to my office. We think Franklin is the

stalker. I’ve just been informed he was on a flight into Salt Lake City on Thursday. Do you have

any idea where Elizabeth might have gone?”

Amy’s heart was pounding. She couldn’t understand what Randy was saying. Anal-retentive

Franklin was the stalker. How could this be? Amy stammered, “It looks like she took a call on

my phone. That’s probably why she left, but I don’t recognize the number.”

“Give it to me and I’ll find out.” Randy said. She gave him the number, and Randy added, “You

and Molly need to stay with Mike and get to my office. Ed is there waiting for you.”

“We will,” Amy stammered as she fought back the tears, not wanting to alarm Molly.

“I love you.” Randy added, “Now get going.”

Elizabeth pulled her purse out of the truck and searched as calmly as she could for her cell

phone. She could feel Franklin’s angry glare boring into her back. She finally found it at the

very bottom of her purse and pulled it out. She turned slowly back to face him and asked, “What

do you want me to say?”

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“Tell her you came here to get her jewelry box just like the phone call said, and you’ve got a flat

tire. Tell her to come and pick you up.” Franklin’s voice was suddenly calm and steady.

“Why do you need Amy?” Elizabeth asked.

Franklin slapped Elizabeth with his free hand and said, “Call her now.”

Elizabeth forced back the terror that threatened and ignored the sting of his hand. She hit her

speed dial for Josh instead of Amy and tried to keep her breathing slow and steady, hoping

Franklin wouldn’t notice. The phone rang once in her ear then Franklin snatched the phone from

her grasp. He glanced at the screen and disconnected the call.

“You fucking moron!” He screamed at her, shoving her against the truck. “The last woman that

deceived me didn’t live long enough to regret it. I will shoot you in the stomach and make you

call her with your dying breath if you try anything else!”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe what was happening. Franklin was not the man standing before her

screaming. A psychopath had replaced him. She and Amy were going to be his next victims.

Elizabeth’s phone began to ring. It was Josh. Franklin glared at Elizabeth, his eyes wild with

fury, and ignored the call. He dialed Amy’s number and shoved the phone at Elizabeth saying,

“Get her here now!”

Amy’s frantic voice answered immediately; Elizabeth cut her off. She had to make Amy realize

what was happening and make sure she did not come. “Amy! I’m so glad I caught you. I had to

run to the cabin. Mr. Weller’s son called me. He found your jewelry box. I went to pick it up, but

I ran into a snag. You know what a crazy driver I am. I ran the truck off the driveway leading up

to the cabin and now I have a flat tire. Can you drop Molly off at Mike’s and come pick me up?”

“Are you hurt?” Amy asked; Elizabeth’s tone just didn’t seem right, and what was this about her

being a crazy driver? She’s a cautious driver. She treated that truck like it was her baby.

“Not yet, but Kilo is, and Charlie's here too,” Elizabeth answered cheerily.

Amy gasped Kilo’s been hurt! “Franklin is the stalker,” Amy said softly.

“Okay, that’s no problem. When she’s out of the bathtub, just drop her off at Mike’s and head

over here. I’ll be here waiting. Thanks!” Elizabeth ended the call. She glanced at Franklin and

said, “She’s got to get Molly out of the tub, then she’ll be right here.”

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Franklin stared at her with such intensity Elizabeth thought he was going to strike her again.

Instead, he turned and began to pace the length of the vehicle. Elizabeth watched, searching for

the words that would calm him. Calm down and think. He’s a sociopath, a psychopath, a

narcissist. Think, think, think. This is your job; you know how to speak to him; you can do this.

Compliment him, play to his ego, his superiority.

“Franklin,” Elizabeth spoke softly, “I can see now that you are the one who’s been watching us. I

had no idea what a great hunter you are. I never knew you could shoot a bow. That fox you shot,

I heard the men say it was a perfect kill.”

Franklin stopped and turned to stare at her. The rage was gone from his face. His eyes were dark

and cold. His face held no expression. Elizabeth continued, “You must be an expert marksman to

make that shot with the pistol that took down Kilo. One shot and he was on the floor. I don’t

know why I’m so surprised, because that’s what you do Franklin, isn’t it? Everything you do is

perfect. It always has been.”

“I became an expert hunter in the woods behind my house. I was very good at tracking animals. I

could find a stray dog and her litter of puppies in a matter of minutes.” Franklin gazed at her

with glassy eyes. “No one missed them. I was free to do as I pleased. It was my first experience

with the frailty of life.”

A chill ran through Elizabeth’s petite body as Franklins words hinted of torture and death. “You

are an expert at everything you do, Franklin.”

“You’d be nothing without me.” Franklin said moving closer to her. His face showed no

emotion, his voice low and soft.

“You are so right.” Elizabeth added, “If I hadn’t listened to your advice on going national three

years ago, I would still be a struggling author just waiting for her big break. You took that leap

of faith and pulled me up the mountain right behind you.”

“I would have done more if you listened to me about the romance series. It would have allowed

me to spend time helping Amy create the covers.”

“I should have listened to you. You are my agent; you’re the expert. That’s why I came to you in

the first place. That’s why I asked you to take Amy on as a customer.” Elizabeth had to keep him

focused on himself, on his self-love. “I knew if anyone could make Amy a success it was you.”

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“You’re an idiot.” Franklin moved so close his face was inches from hers. “Art is not what I do.

I am a literary agent. Only a complete fool would think that I could just snap my fingers and

whip up an art show for Amy. That’s not how it works, Elizabeth.” He reached out and grabbed

her throat, but didn’t squeeze hard enough to cut off her air. “I don’t have those kinds of

contacts.”

Elizabeth had lost control of the conversation. She forced the rising panic back and held his gaze,

determined to survive. There had to be a way. Amy would have the State Police here soon; she

just had to stay alive long enough.

“You’re right, Franklin.” Elizabeth had to keep praising him, keep him thinking he was in

control, convince him he had all the power and she knew it. “I was wrong, but you did it. You

found a way to set up an art show in Los Angeles. Amy’s first step up the ladder of success and

it’s all because of you.”

Franklin squeezed her throat harder. Elizabeth gasped for air. He whispered in her ear, “It’s all a

lie.”

Randy answered his cell. The urgency in Ed’s voice caused the hair on the back of his neck to

rise. “Randy, I’m in the conference room. Mike is here with Amy and Molly. The New York

Police just got into Franklin’s apartment. It’s a wreck, garbage and filth all over the place except

the bedroom, which was immaculate. There are pictures all over his bedroom, but there aren’t

any of Elizabeth. He has pictures of Amy. They are all Amy.”

“Amy?” Randy stammered. He glanced at Josh, who was pulling off the main highway onto the

narrow two-lane road that led into town.

“There’s more,” Ed added, “Elizabeth just called Amy with some weird story about being at the

cabin picking up Amy’s jewelry box. Amy is sure Franklin is there and that Kilos been hurt.

Elizabeth just kept telling her to drop off Molly and come pick her up. I’m headed out there now

to see what’s going on.”

“Ed, we are 5 minutes away so hold off and I’ll go with you.” Randy looked at Josh and added,

“I’ve got an idea.”

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Elizabeth struggled to breathe as Franklin explained, “There is no art show. I set the whole thing

up to get Amy alone in my car. Sure, we were going to head to Los Angeles, but we were going

to drive. I was going to tell her about an art show in Las Vegas I wanted her to see on the way.”

Franklin released his grip on Elizabeth’s throat as he continued. “There’s a lot of desert between

here and Las Vegas; lots of places for cars to break down and people to wander off.”

Elizabeth finally understood. It wasn’t her Franklin had been watching all this time. It was Amy.

She stared at him with a sudden clarity and said, “It wasn’t Charlie you were trying to kill that

day. It was me. I was getting in the way of your plans for Amy.” Franklin’s face showed the

slightest hint of a smile. Elizabeth added, “And it wasn’t Josh you were after in the woods. It was

Randy, because he had what you wanted.” Franklin watched as Elizabeth’s face filled with

horror. “How many people have you killed?” Elizabeth asked in as calm a voice as she could

muster.

Franklin suddenly looked bored. He stepped back from her and glanced up at the sky. He said,

“The sun is gone, and the stars are coming out.” Franklin glanced down at his watch and then

turned his gaze back on Elizabeth. “Where is she?”

“I’m sure she’s on her way. You know Amy, she’s never in a hurry.” Elizabeth forced herself to

answer him. Her sudden realization that Franklin had killed before sent ripples of terror surging

through her. When his eyes were not on her, she glanced desperately around her for anything she

could use as a weapon.

Franklin walked the few paces away to the front door and with one vicious kick broke it open.

He spun, pointed the pistol at Elizabeth and said, “Get in the house.”

Elizabeth walked slowly toward the door. Where were the police? Why hadn’t they come? She

was running out of time. She had to keep Franklin focused on himself and away from killing

her. She knew better than to challenge Franklin on his decision to hide from Amy; it would only

infuriate him. She had taken a submissive stance with him, and she was still alive. She would

continue with it until he became enraged again.

“The basement,” Was all Franklin said as he followed her inside.

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She searched the hallway with her eyes, but found nothing to use as a weapon. Elizabeth moved

to the basement door, opened it, and started down the steps at a quicker pace, hoping to catch

him off guard and find a weapon when she reached the bottom. Franklin kept pace with her, only

a step behind.

When they reached the bottom, he placed his hand on her shoulder and shoved her toward the

back of the basement. “Keep moving.”

Elizabeth’s heart raced. Searching desperately for anything to fight with, Elizabeth’s heart sank.

The basement was empty except for the large standing freezer at the far end of the room.

Franklin shoved her toward it.

Elizabeth stopped in front of the freezer. Was he going to force her inside to suffocate? Franklin

ordered, “Open it.”

She pulled open the door, and the room filled with bright light. Elizabeth sighed with relief. It

was full of meat. Franklin pointed to a large bundle of paper wrapped meat. He ordered, “Pick it

up.”

Elizabeth grabbed the meat. Franklin forced her back upstairs. She moved quickly up the stairs,

grateful he didn’t kill her and stuff her body in the freezer. When they reached the kitchen

Franklin ordered, “Put the meat in the microwave and hit ten minutes.”

Elizabeth frowned; her hands were shaking. His actions confused her, but she did as he said. The

bundle of meat weighed nearly five pounds; five minutes on high would partially cook it, and yet

still leave a portion of it frozen. She turned to face him. She desperately wanted to dig into his

psyche and discover if he had a dark past. She wanted to help him bring out his demons so he

could deal with them, but she knew it would only upset him. He needed to feel superior. He

wouldn’t easily admit to his faults.

“Who taught you to hunt?” Elizabeth asked, trying to keep him focused.

“My uncle,” Franklin answered quietly, “He came back from Vietnam with a thirst for blood.

He taught me everything I needed to know about setting traps that would kill.” Franklin turned to

gaze at her with his icy eyes. “He had a bad temper and he loved knives. It was a deadly

combination.”

“Where is he now?” Elizabeth asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

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“Early one morning he woke up with a terrible hang over and hit me so bad I thought I was going

to die. He must have kept hitting me after I lost consciousness. I think the worst of it happened

then. I woke up with broken ribs and a broken leg. My mom told the doctor I fell out of the barn

onto a pile of firewood. I remember looking at the doctor. She knew; I could see it in her eyes.

She knew, but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t do a thing. She was just like my mom. I knew

then, there was no one to help me.”

Franklin continued to gaze at the cooking meat. He added, “When I was well enough to get out

of bed, I stole my uncle’s favorite hunting knife from his bedroom. He’d passed out in the living

room. He didn’t see me coming. His eyes opened wide as the blade slid across his throat, but he

didn’t make a sound. He stared at me as he clutched the wound. I remember being surprised at

how long it took him to die and how much blood there was. There was so much blood.” Franklin

turned back to stare at the meat. “I had to chop his body into pieces so I could throw him down a

dry well not far from the house. Mom cleaned up the mess. No one ever asked where he went.

No one missed him. No one cared.”

Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears. He blamed the women in his life for not protecting him, and he

was right. She stared at him. In his mind, all women were to blame. All women were heartless,

and he was punishing them.

He sensed her gaze and turned to stare blankly at her. “Take off your jacket.” He ordered. He

pointed the gun at her, and then moved to the far end of the counter. Opening a drawer full of

miscellaneous items, he pulled out a roll of twine.

The microwave dinged. Franklin moved back to her with the twine and said, “Pull out the meat

and unwrap it. We’re going for a little walk.”

Amy’s small SUV pulled slowly up in front of the cabin to stop next to Elizabeth’s truck. The

door to the cabin was open slightly. The light from inside the house was just bright enough to

light up the small porch. No movement came from the house as the SUV idled quietly. A few

moments later the SUV shut down, and the headlights went out.

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Barking came from the garage across the yard. Everything else was still and silent. A few more

minutes passed with no activity. Amy’s SUV’s lights went on, and its engine started. It began to

move slowly toward the garage. Suddenly a series of thuds sounded. A halo of arrows struck the

front and rear tires on the right side of the vehicle.

Franklin knew he had her. Amy’s tires lost all pressure and immediately went flat. She wasn’t

going anywhere. He stepped out of the shadows from behind the stables. He moved slowly

toward her. The car door opened as Franklin neared. A figure stepped out into the dim light.

Franklin froze; it wasn’t Amy’s silhouette.

“Sheriff’s department!” Randy shouted, raising his gun. “Drop your weapon or I’ll put a hole in

your chest.”

Suddenly the area exploded in a burst of light. An array of police vehicles surged into the

clearing. Franklin held his ground, not moving. He held the bow in one hand and pulled the

pistol from his belt with the other. Randy walked around the car, and said again, “Drop your

weapons, Franklin. It’s over. Amy’s not coming. You’re about to die right here, right now. Drop

the gun on the ground in front of you if you want to live.”

Franklin surveyed the growing number of state troopers. They spilled from their vehicles and

began pointing their guns at him. His eyes slowly went back Randy, and he said, “I told

Elizabeth it was a good night to die. She begged to differ, but it really wasn’t her choice.”

“Tell me where she is, and things will go easier for you,” Randy said with venom in his voice.

Franklin shrugged his shoulders and said, “She’s on a picnic.” With that, he raised his pistol

toward Randy, and the air filled with gunfire.

Randy rushed forward to kick the gun away from Franklin. He lay bleeding on the rocky

driveway. Randy knelt beside him and said, “Where’s Elizabeth.”

Franklin smiled and refused to answer. Josh pushed his way through the small crowd of troopers.

He shoved Randy away from Franklin. “Where is she?” Josh growled, taking hold of the front of

Franklin’s shirt and shaking him.

“Search the house and the out buildings.” Randy shouted to the others, “She’s a petite brunette.”

“Where is she?” Josh’s voice grew louder as the emotionless face stared up at him.

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Franklin seemed oblivious to his wounds and the amount of lifeblood flowing from his body. He

gazed up at the stars. He tilted his head to one side when the distant cry of a wolf reached them.

“There, you see,” Franklin whispered, “dinner is served.”

Josh released him and rose but stopped when a flash of red color caught his eye hanging out of

Franklin’s pants pocket. He jerked at the fabric, and a small red flag landed in his hand. Josh

jumped to his feet and ran to Randy’s truck. He pulled Randy’s spare rifle out from under the

rear seat and shouted to Randy, who was moving toward the garage. “She’s on the ridge!”

Josh sprinted across the yard heading for the woods beyond the stables. Randy yelled, “Josh!” as

he passed, and tossed him his flashlight adding, “I’m right behind you!”

Randy ran to his truck shouting orders to have the ATV’s pulled off the back of Josh’s truck

parked behind the police vehicles. He climbed into his truck and started the engine.

Josh dove into the thick layer of brush and small trees that lined the clearing. He could hear

Randy’s truck crashing through the underbrush on the far side of the stables. He was cutting

through the woods trying to reach the maintenance road.

The trees and thorny brush tore at Josh’s face and jacket. He raced toward the summit where they

laid the first line of flags. Franklin didn’t have enough time to go much further. Elizabeth had to

be just beyond the summit. “Beth!” Josh screamed as he reached the highest point. He stood for a

moment praying she would respond. His only response was the call of the wolves coming ever

closer. He was running out of time.

Josh pushed deeper into the trees looking for any sign of Franklin and Elizabeth’s passing.

Suddenly a flash of yellow fabric caught his eye. He rushed toward the thick and snatched it

from the bush. He moved the flashlight across the ground; there had to be tracks.

Elizabeth sat shivering on the ground. She struggled against the twine that bound her arms to the

large oak. The stench of partially cooked meat snaked into her nostrils from the necklace of deer

meat Franklin strung around her neck and waist. The twine dug into her wrists. She ignored it

and worked furiously to rub it back and forth against the bark.

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“Beth!” She froze. Was that Josh’s voice calling her name? Could she be imagining it in her

desperation? “Beth, answer me!” No, it was Josh!

Elizabeth screamed, “Josh! I’m here! Over here!”

Seconds felt like hours as Josh raced into the darkness. He broke through the trees following her

voice. When he found her, his heart sank. Her shirt and pants oozed with blood.

“Beth!” Josh gasped, “Are you hurt?” He pulled out his pocketknife and made quick work of the

twine bindings.

“No,” Elizabeth answered him, “its deer meat.”

Josh cut the twine and yanked the meat off her. He tossed it into the darkness. The cry of the

wolves was much closer. Josh helped Elizabeth to her feet. He tore her shirt from her body with

one jerk and said, “Take your pants off. You’re clothes are soaked with blood. We have to leave

the scent here, or those wolves will be on us fast.”

Elizabeth pulled off her jeans. Josh made her put on his coat. He took hold of her hand and said,

“You have to run hard. If the wolves manage to surround us, we won’t survive it.”

Elizabeth blindly followed Josh through the thick mixture of trees and brush. At one point Josh

stopped suddenly and pulled the pistol from his belt holster. He spun, handed her the gun,

whispering breathlessly, “The safety is off so watch where you point it. All you have to do it pull

the trigger. Don’t shoot me. If you see a wolf, aim for the chest. You have 14 shots. Don’t waste

them.”

Josh needed two hands for his rifle but refused to let go of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s breath came in

gasps; her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her legs were like jelly. Suddenly they broke

through the brush onto the maintenance road. Josh didn’t hesitate or slow his pace. He pulled

Elizabeth behind him with one purpose in mind.

A snarling bark came from behind them, and Josh jerked Elizabeth, spinning her around to

position himself between her and the wolf. He snapped his rifle up and fired several shots, and

the wolf yelped in pain. Elizabeth couldn’t see in the darkness. The moon was only half-full,

and the forest was a maze of shadows. She heard another growl on her left. She pointed the pistol

and fired as Josh spun to face it. Another yelp of pain and Josh shouted, “Run!”

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He grabbed her hand and pulled Elizabeth further down the road. They dove off the gravel back

into the underbrush. Elizabeth was exhausted; she couldn’t catch her breath. Her mind screamed,

“We're going to die!”

Suddenly Josh stopped and grabbed Elizabeth by the waist to lift her toward a tree trunk. She

reached out blindly and felt a chain-link ladder dangling on the side of the tree.

“Climb!” Josh urged her lifting her higher.

Elizabeth reached up, grabbed the next rung and scrambled up the ladder to find a platform with

a narrow bench and a small railing around it. She pulled herself up and reached back to pull Josh

up. She could hear the wolves growl and snarl beneath them. They had made it just in time.

Josh pulled her against him on the narrow bench and kissed her long and hard. The fire of his

passion forced the cold from her petite form. She clung to him. He released her and unbuttoned

his shirt to wrap it around her bare legs. “Don’t worry, the wolves can’t reach us up here, but it’s

going to get cold.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close adding, “Beth, I was so

scared. When we found out it was Franklin I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. Why hadn’t I

seen it? When Amy got your call, I thought I was going to lose my mind if I didn’t get to you as

soon as possible. When I realized what Franklin did to you...”

“Josh,” Elizabeth pressed her fingers against his lips. “I have to tell you something.”

Josh stopped talking and stared at her. She whispered, “When I was sitting in the darkness

waiting for those wolves, all I could think about was you. I realized how much time I’d wasted

hiding from my true feelings for you. I was hiding from the beauty of our relationship. All I

needed was one more chance to see you, to speak to you, to tell you I love you. I fell in love with

you the first night we met. I don’t care about the three-year rule anymore. I don’t care about the

statistics. All I care about is being with you.”

“I love you too, Beth,” Josh answered.

“I love your kids, Josh.” Elizabeth continued. “I can’t believe how fast I’ve become attached to

them. They fill a place in my heart I had no idea was empty. I can’t imagine my life without

them, without you.”

“Beth,” Josh whispered, “I’m crazy about you. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not going

anywhere. As for this three-year rule, I think you’re on target. I agree that some people try too

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hard to become something they’re not, to please the people they love. However, the one thing

you forgot about this pseudo persona, is love. When you love someone enough to marry them

character flaws won't matter. You can get past a long lost secret that turns up ten years later. You

deal with it; you accept it, and you keep moving forward.”

“You’re right,” Elizabeth continued, “I’ve been such a fool. You are honest and open. You

weren’t hiding your past, you just weren’t ready to share it yet. I love you so much Josh. I don’t

care how long we’ve known each other. Joshua Miller, will you marry me?”

Josh’s face filled with joy as he answered, “Oh, hell yeah.”

Randy raced up the maintenance road, his lights flashing. He scanned the brush on either side of

the road for any sign of Josh or Elizabeth. He honked his horn every few yards hoping to scare

off any wolves prowling the area. His heart pounded in his ears at the thought of Josh standing

over Elizabeth’s body, fighting off a pack of wolves in the utter darkness that surrounded them.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and slammed on the brakes. He opened the

truck door and shouted, “Josh! Elizabeth!”

“Here!” Josh called out from a short distance to his left.

Randy flipped on the spotlight attached to his door and swung it in the direction of Josh’s voice.

He quickly located the deer stand. Josh and Elizabeth were standing on the platform waving at

him.

“We’re getting married!” Josh yelled, flashing a brilliant smile.

Randy shook his head and called back, “That’s great, but we really should get her out of the cold

before she catches pneumonia.”

The excitement of Josh’s announcement quickly wore off when they pulled back up in front of

the cabin. Elizabeth stared at the state troopers gathered inside the garage. “Kilo,” she gasped

turning to Josh, “Franklin shot him.”

Josh glanced at Randy, who shook his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

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Josh opened the truck door and headed slowly to the garage. Charlie rushed to greet him,

bouncing around him excitedly. Josh patted Charlie briefly and then went to kneel beside Kilo’s

still form. One of the state troopers said, “He was gone before we opened the door. He didn’t

have a chance.”

Josh nodded silently; the scent of death filled the garage with its pungent odor. Josh stroked the

soft fur on Kilo’s head. “He did his job, didn’t you boy? He’s been protecting Beth and Charlie

for quite some time now.” Josh whispered and scooped Kilo up in his arms. He carried him to his

truck that now sat beside Amy's SUV. The troopers were loading the ATV’s back into the truck

bed. Randy rushed to the truck, opened the passenger door, and small rear door for Josh. Josh

laid Kilo on the back seat and motioned for Elizabeth.

Randy closed the rear door and waited until Elizabeth arrived to tell them both, “Franklin died

soon after we headed into the woods. It’s over.”

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Chapter Eleven

Two months later

“January weather in Utah is hard to predict. We almost always get more snow than in the city

because we are in the mountains.” Elizabeth explained to her mother over the phone. “We could

have two feet of snow next weekend or the ground could be completely bare. Either way the

wedding is a go. Josh will get you here from the airport. He has a pickup truck, and he’s used to

driving in deep snow, mother. It’s not a big deal. Just bring some waterproof boots and a warm

coat, you’ll be fine.”

Josh sat next to her on the sofa, trying not to laugh as she disconnected the call. She turned and

frowned at him, saying, “I told you we should have taken the kids and eloped to Hawaii.”

“Baby, that’s just not how it’s done around here.” Josh said, slapping his knee for Charlie to

come to him when Molly opened the back door.

The doorbell rang, and Molly ran to the door, “My dress is here!” She yanked open the door to

find Amy and Randy standing there with their arms full of dry cleaning. Randy pointed behind

him; Molly gasped and ran out the door.

Jake followed them inside boasting loudly, “Randy says I can drive his truck!”

“Over my dead body,” Josh countered, and rose to take the tuxedos and gowns from Randy.

“Just once,” Jake whined coming to his side. “I’ll be careful.”

Josh ignored him and shot a glare of annoyance at Randy, who quickly shrugged his shoulders

and said, “I don’t know how the boy got that impression. Driving a vehicle without a driver’s

permit is illegal in the state of Utah.”

Josh laughed and slapped Randy heartedly on the back, then turned to Jake, “Why don’t we work

on teaching you to drive the ATV first, then we’ll see about the truck.”

“Awesome!” Jake said, he turned and gave Randy a high five.

“Was I just manipulated?” Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.

Molly came rushing back in the door, dancing with delight. She asked, “What’s its name?

What’s its name?”

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Elizabeth took the dry cleaning from Josh, and they turned to look for the source of all the

excitement. Molly was beaming with joy. In her arms was a white malamute puppy. “He’s so

white you should call him snowball!” she gushed, moving to show her father.

Randy laughed and said, “I don’t think a future police dog should be called Snowball, sweetie. I

was thinking of calling him Or Else. That way I could say to a criminal ‘Put your hands up...”

then he pointed at the puppy and added, “or else.”

Josh laughed and reached for the puppy. Jake came up beside him and stroked the pups head.

Jake stared at it for a moment as a look of sadness crossed his face. He turned to Randy and

asked softly, “Can we call him Kilo?”

The room grew silent. Josh reached out and took hold of Jake’s shoulder. He’d taken Kilo’s loss

hard. It was nearly three weeks before Jake could sleep through the night without waking up

from nightmares.

Randy cupped Jake’s chin and glanced at Amy who nodded her agreement. “That name is

perfect.”

The End

Alaina would love to hear your comments or questions about this book. Please feel

free to email her at 11alaina11@gmail.com.

Reviews are encouraged and appreciated!

Other books by Alaina Stanford

http://www.amazon.com/Alaina-Stanford/e/B009M6QXG8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

The Rule Series

Three Year Rule, Book 1

139

When renowned psychologist and bestselling author Elizabeth Stewart first noticed Joshua

Miller standing at the back of her audience she thought the tall, muscular man dressed like a

lumberjack was in the wrong room. Little did she know, Joshua would defy everything she ever

wrote about relationships. Little did she know, he was also the key to her survival.

Seven-Year Rule, Book 2

Beth and Josh befriend a young couple. Whitney and Mason's life was perfect. They scoffed at

the idea of the seventh year of marriage being the make it or break it year for most couples. That

theory didn't apply to them. They were the perfect couple. Their brand new house overlooked the

lake. Their brand new cars were state of the art. Their careers were taking off at an accelerated

rate. Their sex life was incredible. Their lives were exactly the way they intended. Perfect. When

Whitney's widower brother-in-law dies, leaving them three small children, their perfect lives are

torn apart. Raising children was never part of their plan. Raising children requires sacrifice. A

sacrifice they never intended to make. A sacrifice that could end their perfect way of life. A

sacrifice that could end their perfect marriage. A sacrifice, if not done correctly could end a

child's life.

Twenty-one Year Rule, Book 3

As a young boy Bash sacrificed everything to save his sister Amy’s, life including his freedom.

After years in juvenile detention, he’s finally free and ready to start over. Meeting Grace is the

last thing he expected. Her kindness and uninhibited lifestyle lead him toward a life he never

knew existed. He can see his future in her eyes, but his past won't let him go.

Treborel Series

Tempest Rise, Book 1

Lysette could not ignore the intense attraction she felt for Katar, the mountain Prince of Treborel.

The very moment their eyes met the sharp grip of excitement and anticipation ran through

Lysette’s entire being. Katar felt the same sting of emotion despite the knee Lysette shoved into

140

his groin in an effort to be free of his iron grasp. Attracted by her beauty and stubborn intellect

Katar knew there was no chance for a future with Lysette. She was a surgeon from the modern

world. His people relied strictly on the ancient art of the Empathic Healers. They had no need

for modern medicine. Yet he could not resist pursuing Lysette. His only hope was to find some

common ground the two could share.

As their romance blooms, an assassination attempt on Bantor's pregnant Queen Elsebeth sparks a

chain of events that lead to continental war. The war escalates. Lysette befriends several of

Treborel’s Empaths determined to learn more about their mysterious healing techniques. She

accompanies the Empaths a medical unit near the front lines where Bantor’s Elite Guard captures

them. Lysette’s worse fears come to life as the psychotic Commander Connor, bent on

vengeance against Katar tortures and kills the transport crew before her eyes. While in captivity,

Lysette races against time to save Queen Elsebeth’s newborn twins. Forced to witness the torture

and death one by one of those around her, Lysette realizes each was killed once their usefulness

ran out.

As Katar races against time to rescue Lysette. She is told he has married another and begins to

lose hope. She allows herself to grow close to the last remaining prisoner a handsome Empath

named Andru. When Lysette and Andru discover one of the twins is to be killed, they plan their

escape into the savage wilderness surrounding their camp.

Will Katar reach her before her usefulness as a doctor is no longer needed, and her torturous

death begins? If he is able to save her, will he find she has given her heart to another, before she

discovers the truth?

Vengeance’s Fire, Book 2

Kendra had not seen Cap in more than 6 months. He was a Helijet Pilot in her Majesties Air

Forces stationed in the capital city of Borel. Kendra was an Empathic Healer living deep in the

mountainous wilderness.

As Kendra prepares to travel to the Northern Mountains to the Empathic Wilderness Survival

Center with a group of students Cap suddenly appears prepared to make the 2-week trek through

141

the mountains with them. Could his motive reach beyond merely recovering the abandoned

helijet found near the Survival Center?

As they travel into the mountains, they realize the forest creatures appear to be leaving the

mountains, and heading toward the lower lands. Kendra's blood runs cold as the realizes that

'Frenzy' a time when the giant creatures that roam the mountains become crazed with hunger and

devour every warm blooded beast in their path.

As Cap and Kendra's romance begins to blossom once more, they quickly come to understand

the mountains hold a horrifying secret, which could lead to the end of the Empathic way of life

as well as their own. A threat that legends have foretold.

Hypnotic Journey Series

Forbidden Quest, Book 1

Wouldn't it be cool to have the combat skills of a seasoned warrior suddenly? Wouldn't it be

even better if the combat felt real, and there was no physical danger to you? Wouldn't it be

perfect if the hypnotist in charge of your session was not insanely evil, and using you as a

weapon in a plot for revenge?

Four friends, two in love, two in hate enter into a Group Hypnosis study attempting to introduce

fantasy adventures to small groups. They are promised a video game type of adventure rescuing

an Elf Queen from her crystal prison as elf warriors, a sorceress and a fairy. As soon as they fall

under the good doctor’s spell, they begin to realize the adventure is realer than they could have

ever imagined. They find themselves in a hostile world they cannot seem to escape from.

Certain she has found the next hot trend in adventure vacations Nicole Waters a prominent St

Louis Assistant District Attorney is forced to take her boyfriend Tom’s best friend Jack Tyler, a

local travel agent on a business vacation. Her haste to be a prime investor takes Nicole, Jack and

two others; Sarah Sims, a shy nurse practitioner and Todd Hopper, a professional hockey player

into a test program for group hypnosis.

Dr. Strong introduces the soon to be adventurers to an equipment-filled gym inside an archaic

old hotel. Undaunted by their meager surroundings, the friends listen anxiously as Dr. Strong

explains, “The wall of netting might become a series of vines or perhaps the side of a rock cliff.

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The weight machine will serve as the stimulus if you are required to lift or push a heavy object.

The stair climber will serve as a tree, the fortress wall or maybe a rock incline you must

scale.” He then offers the adventurers a mild sedative to aid in their simultaneous entry into

hypnosis. But instead of experiencing an action packed fantasy quest to rescue the Elf Queen

from her crystal prison inside the Cave of Sorrows; they find themselves trapped in a deadly

world of elves and monsters that are realer than they could ever imagine. Where a cry for help is

left unheard.

When Magic Fails, Book 2

After the tragedy of losing one of their own soon after arriving in this new world, the remaining

adventurers begin to build a new life in a new world filled with elves and trolls. Suddenly the

last surviving Elf Wizard vanishes in a violent storm leaving an entire battalion of Elf Warriors

dead. Sorceress Sarah Sims recently completed her apprenticeship. Her companions: Jack, a

skilled swordsman and his wife Nicole one of the last remaining Woodland Elves now face a

mysterious magical foe of great power.

Risking everything to save Sarah from the elf council’s decision to execute her for treason, the

elf Prince Cabal secretly sneaks the adventurers off in search of the menacing storm cloud

responsible for the wizard disappearance. Sarah quickly discovers carelessness from their past

has poisoned the land and caused the Trolls to emerge from their lair. The Trolls bring news

unexpected news that shakes the small group to its core as they head into a battle that turns friend

against friend.

As Darkness Falls, Book 3

Renegade Trolls have breached the Nether World Barrier releasing monsters from the bowels of

the earth. As a troll war is about to begin Hopper finds, he has a newborn son whose mother has

been killed by the renegades. He rushes the infant to the surface and places it in the hands of the

woodland elves until order is restored among the trolls.

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As the elves search for forest for any sign of nether beasts the Sorcerer’s Ahmity and Sarah Sims

begin preparations to open a school of magic to recreate the Wizard’s Circle after almost all of

the wizards in the land had been destroyed.

Jack, the barbarian has taken his pregnant wife Nicole, a woodland elf, deep into the mountains

for a long awaited honeymoon before the baby is born. Little by little they become aware of a

dark presence on their mountain. Death is stalking them, slowly and with purpose. Their

strongest ally is a wild nether beast that has come to call them friend. But can a nether beast be

relied upon when evil calls its name?

A Sequence of Darkness, Book 4

Hopper and the others take Pony and rush to stop the Elves from invading the Troll Tunnels and

starting a war. The team heads into the bowels of the earth to rescue Hopper’s newborn son and

Gravid’s small elf daughter, kidnapped by Renegade Trolls.

Tom battles his wraith memories and Hopper fights to control his jealousy of Sarah and Cabal's

growing relationship. Will the team survive the dark horrors of the netherworld long enough to

find the missing children? Will their heightened emotions tear the team apart and endanger all

their lives? Traveling the netherworld always comes at a cost. Who will pay the price?

Necromancer’s Whisper, Book 5

Magic is forbidden in the human realm. So are elves. Our heroes face the greatest challenge of

their lives trying to rescue Jack from the hands of a beautiful Necromancer. Finding Jack under

the Necromancer’s spell, Sarah and Cabal race to discover the secret to wielding magic in the

human realm before Nicole takes matters into her own hands.

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Alaina Stanford