Forever's Embrace (Forever In Luck Series Book 2)

  FOREVER’S EMBRACE

  J. Darling

  FOREVER IN LUCK SERIES

  Book 1: Forever’s Promises

  Book 2: Forever’s Embrace

  Book 3: Forever’s Affection

  Book 4: (Late 2014)

  FOREVER’S EMBRACE

  FOREVER’S EMBRACE

  Copyright © J. Darling, 2014

  First Edition

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or were used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. The republication or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic or mechanical or other means, not known of hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.

  STORY DESCRIPTION: Mere acquaintances, Jake Albrecht and Jules Blomgren find themselves fostering a budding romance when she visits Luck, Wisconsin, over the Thanksgiving holiday. Separated by time and distance, the smitten Jake devises a plan to get her back to Luck in time for Valentine’s Day and a little romance, when the unexpected happens and their new found love is tried beyond measure. Will it withstand the test? Will he be able to get her to give him a chance? Find out when you read the epic drama in Forever’s Embrace, book two in the Forever In Luck series.

  This book is dedicated to my supporters.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  CHAPTER 1

  Standing in the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Jake Albrecht waited with his younger sister Linnie for her best friend and maid-of-honor, Jules, to arrive from Chicago. Nate, Jake’s soon to be brother-in-law, had been banned from this trip because Linnie was picking up her wedding dress and he wasn’t allowed to see it. Protective as ever, Nate insisted she not travel alone, and so, as brother to the bride and trusted friend, Jake was enlisted to tag along.

  It wasn’t like they had to twist his arm though. Jules was a looker, and he couldn’t wait to see her again. It’d been nearly five years since he’d last seen her, and if he wouldn’t have been so young and dumb at the time, he would’ve known back then that she was a one in a million kind of gal and would’ve tried to get something going with her.

  The fact that they were separated by six hours and four hundred plus miles hadn’t stopped him from fantasizing about her though, and he’d had a vivid imagination where she was concerned. He wondered if the attraction would still be there, would he still feel the same or—

  “Now, Jake, remember it’s her first visit, so don’t go giving her a hard time. I want her to feel comfortable enough to want to come back again.”

  “Me? You talking to me?” he asked innocently. “I’m not the one who gave her a hard time when we visited you in Chicago. It was Nik. I was a perfect gentleman.”

  “Aha, right,” Linnie said, rolling her eyes. “Which is why I have to tell you, and Nik, to play nice. Now behave,” she admonished.

  He shook his head at her like she was crazy, then turned away and cracked a wide grin, because he and his younger brother had been rather merciless. Jules was a blusher, and boy was she pretty when she did. Turning back, he asked, “How come she’s so shy?”

  “Because she’s never really been around men. When she was little, the kids picked on her a lot at school, so her grandma pulled her out and homeschooled her for a few years before she attended an all-girls school.”

  “Her grandma? Where are her mom and dad?”

  “They died of carbon monoxide poisoning when she was a baby. Her grandparents were caring for her while her parents worked the evening shift. They went home after work to sleep for a while before picking her up in the morning. They died when the furnace malfunctioned.”

  Thank God she had grandparents, he thought. “Does she have any family?”

  Linnie shook her head. “None. Her grandparents have since passed, and initially weren’t able to have children for whatever reason, but then surprise, Nana found out she was pregnant with Jules’s mom while in her forties. So, there’s no aunts, uncles, or cousins, and if there was anyone extended beyond that, they’d lost contact with them long before Jules was ever born.”

  Hell, she was painfully shy, and all alone. That had to be tough, he thought. “Why didn’t she drive up? She could’ve saved some money by driving.”

  “She doesn’t know how to,” Linnie answered.

  “What?” Jake asked in shock. “What do you mean she doesn’t know how to?”

  “She doesn’t know how to, she’s never driven. She’s lived in the city all her life and never learned how to drive. She walks or takes public transportation.”

  Feeling perplexed, he asked, “What kind of work does she do again?”

  “She’s a pharmacist, works for a big pharmaceutical company doing research.”

  That’s impressive, he thought. “Wow, doesn’t that take, like brains, and time to complete? She can’t be that old.”

  “Sure does, and she’s not, she’s twenty-five. Jules is wicked smart though. If she relaxes enough while she’s here, you’ll see what I’m talking about. She finished high school early, and then started college right away. She just kept right on going from there. Her test scores and academic performance were so advanced, she was able to get into programs others only dream about. She made it through in record time, and was contacted by a headhunter working for the company. They snatched her up right away, and now she has a dream job.”

  Fascinating, I’m twenty-five too, he thought. “It’s strange then that she’s so shy. You’d think she’d have come out of her shell, met some guy, and be having the time of her life by now.”

  “Yes and no,” Linnie said. “In order to finish early and get good grades, she had to apply herself in school and study a lot. She didn’t party or date. In her job, she’s involved with projects that have her working independently, or only with a few members of a team, so she doesn’t have a lot of contacts there. Some men at work have expressed an interest, but she doesn’t want an office romance, so no go there. Then of course there’s the shyness piece too. I think she’d like to find someone special, she talks like she does, but nothing so far. So, we’ll see, someone will come along and sweep her off her feet.”

  A wave of people came towards them, and Jake could just barely see a beautiful head of blond hair bobbing amongst the crowd. She was here, and his heart started to thump. People began to split off, and pretty soon, there she was. He knew he was in trouble the moment he saw her again. If she’d been a looker before, she was a knock out now, and Jake watched as man after man turned and stared at her as she walked down the corridor. Undeterred, she continued making her way towards them, oblivious to the stir she was causing.

  Amazing, absolutely amazing, he thought, then imagined for a brief moment what it would feel like if she’d come for him, was looking for him, and would walk straight to him and into his
arms. He inhaled deeply as he remembered meeting her for the first time five years ago. His attraction to her had been instantaneous, but he’d figured time and space would have dulled that particular ache. But ohhhh no, it was still there. Big time.

  Linnie squealed and ran to Jules, the two throwing their arms around each other and hugging as people walked on by. Jake watched, wishing he could do the same. I need to play this real cool, he thought, not wanting to lose control and embarrass the hell out of himself. Rolling his shoulders in an attempt to shake off his gathering tension, he stood up straight and tall, putting his best out on display. Then he slowly made his way over to her, all the while hoping she’d throw him a bone and remember who he was.

  Taking notice of him, she pulled back from Linnie’s embrace, and said between batting lashes, “Hi, Jake, it’s nice to see you again.”

  ZING…a shot of electricity whizzed through him like a pinball. His body hummed to attention and vibrated so much so, he was damn near levitating. Reminding himself to breathe, his chest expanded as he took a deep lung full of air. The sultry tone of her voice was like a smooth caress to his ears, a delicate stroke over his body that made his hair stand on end, and hell if it didn’t take every ounce of his control to keep from hugging her, then and there, in a manner that left no question as to how he felt about her.

  Continuing to try and play it cool, he did his best when he gave her his trademark quirked lipped grin and flick of the head upwards, while responding low, hoping she’d get his message, “Hey, Jules, you’re looking good.” What a lie, she looked downright scrumptious. He couldn’t help but get lost in those beautiful blue, blue eyes of hers, as his stare locked onto hers intently.

  Blushing profusely, she quickly broke the contact by looking away, hiding from his stare.

  Ohhh, he groaned inside, she was lovely, and he wanted to be with her, bad. There was something about her that made him want to start beating his chest like an ape, and howling like a wolf, in hopes of getting her attention. Linnie jabbed him in the side. He knew what that was about, he’d made Jules blush, and she didn’t think he was behaving.

  Collecting her luggage, they headed for the parking garage. He needed to figure out a way to get some time with her fast. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and she probably had to be back in Chicago come Monday, so essentially four days to try and make something happen.

  Listening as he drove, Linnie and Jules sat in the back of Linnie’s car talking and catching up on things, all the while acting like he wasn’t even there.

  “So, how’s work going? What are you working on?” Linnie asked.

  “It’s going well, I’m on a neuroscience team right now. We’re studying the structure of the nervous system through the use of human biology, neuroimaging, and biomarkers. By gaining a better understanding of the brain and the nervous system circuitry, we can better direct our efforts towards improving degenerative and psychiatric diseases.”

  “Wow, that sounds cool,” Linnie answered.

  “Yeah, I’m enjoying it. In addition to running studies of our own, we’re doing a systematic review of the topic literature using meta-analysis. The knowledge we gain will help us refine and advance our existing formulations, as well as assist in developing new therapies too.”

  Ooookie dokie then, he didn’t know what that was all about. She’d lost him somewhere between nervous system and biomarkers, her voice having lulled and distracted him, but whatever it was she was doing, and how she talked about it, made her sexy as hell. He wondered if she fit the typical stereotype, hair up, large glasses, lab coat, clipboard, and found he needed to loosen his collar a bit.

  “Niiice,” Linnie said, all drawn out. “Any particular area of interest for you within the study?”

  “Mmhmm, pain, the nocioceptors and their corresponding neurotransmitters,” Jules answered.

  Okay, so he kind of got that. If she only knew how much pain he was in right now. He raised an eyebrow, he might be able to work this to his advantage. Hmmm, he’d have to think on it bit. Well, come to think of it, he was pretty sure his shoulder was hurting right now, his biceps and triceps too. Hell, come to think of it, both of his shoulders hurt. That’s to be expected with all my muscle, and the amount of physical labor I do, right? He smiled. Maybe she could take a gander, look him over, and give him her expert opinion. Not bad, Albrecht, not bad, he thought giving himself a mental pat on the back. Wait! What had he missed?

  “So you didn’t like him?” Linnie asked.

  “Well, he was nice, but I don’t know. I felt kind of…well, uncomfortable.”

  “Why?” Linnie asked.

  Yeah, he wanted to know too.

  “I don’t know. I just did. It’s…it’s…hard to explain. Nana would’ve probably called him a dandy. Yeah, I think so. He seemed out to impress, like appearances were important to him, but you know that’s not me, I’d fail at it miserably. My job may have me operating in that kind of circle, but it’s not where I’m from, or where I want to live.”

  “He treated you well though, right?” Linnie quizzed. “No trouble in the end?”

  “Mmmm, yeah, sort of,” Jules answered, hesitating.

  He’d personally drive to Chicago tonight and beat the shit out of the guy if he hurt her. Come on Linnie, pull it out of her, come on.

  “What do you mean, sort of? What happened?” Linnie pushed.

  “Well, it was before all the snow and it’d been warm when we left on the date, but then cold when we left the theater after. I was shivering so much so, my teeth chattered. He insisted we take a walk and look around awhile. I thought maybe he’d offer me his coat or something, but he didn’t. By the time he took me home, I was frozen. I…well...I think… Oh never mind, I shouldn’t say.”

  Yes, you should, Jake thought. Come on Linnie, keep her going.

  Encouraging her, Linnie said, “Say it, what’d you think?”

  Jules sighed. “Well, I kind of think he wanted me to be cold, so…well, he, umm, could, ahh, warm me up.”

  Jake growled inside. Maybe he would be driving to Chicago tonight after all. Keep fishing Linnie, keep fishing.

  “And?” Linnie asked questioningly.

  “Not a chance.” Jules said vehemently. “No way. I would’ve maybe held his hand, might’ve let him kiss my hand good night, but that would’ve been it, and only if it was a good date, and it wasn’t, because he let me freeze to death. So, no way.”

  Shazam! Shut down cold. Boy, that had to have hurt. Jake knew the guy recognized his mistake, but by then, it was too late. Haha, sucker. Jake felt like he’d just won a bout in the wrestling ring. Dancing around the ropes, warming up his mental muscles, he thought about everything he’d learned so far. He didn’t want to strike out like that ding-a-ling had.

  Let’s see, homeschooled by granny, all-girls school, shy, hasn’t been around men, dandy, offer her his coat, hold her hand, kiss her hand…hmmm, this was all sounding pretty old fashioned. In fact, with grandma at the helm, she probably grew up watching old movies, and hearing stories about courting, and having a beau, and waiting till your married. Oookay, so in other words, he needed to quit playing her, and he’d needed to keep his shirt on.

  “How’s Nate?” Jules asked, shifting the focus. “Are things getting better?”

  “Oh Jules, I’m so proud of him. He saw a lot in Afghanistan, and Iraq, and he’s struggled with it all since his discharge from the Army, but we’ve been talking a lot, and he’s working on it. He’s had an appointment at the VA, and they’ve started him on a medication that helps with both anxiety and depression. Plus, they’ve made the referral to the PTSD program in Minneapolis. A case worker called a couple days ago and did an intake on him. He’s starting the program the middle of next week, and it’s going to be intensive. We’ll be spending a lot of time in the cities, but that’s alright. Thank you for sending the information you did. It really helped.”

  “That’s great, I’m happy to hear it.”

&nbs
p; “I picked up my wedding dress before meeting you at the airport. I can’t wait for you to see it. Did you get the bridesmaid dress you liked?”

  “Yeah, I got the light pink one with the rhinestoned sheath and sweetheart neckline,” Jules answered.

  “Nice, I really liked that one,” Linnie said. “I love that the rhinestones are different colors, the light blue ones will bring out your eye color.”

  “Mmhmm, I liked that too, it’s one of the reasons I bought it. Once the wedding’s over, I may have it shortened, and then I’ll be able to wear it somewhere fancy, or then again, maybe I’ll wait. It’s not like I go many places, let alone fancy ones.”

  “I think shortening it is a good idea, that’d be nice,” Linnie added. “We’re here Jules. This is the farm.”

  Jake turned to go down the driveway.

  “Really? Oh, wow! You have like…cows…and stuff right in the yard practically,” Jules responded, looking around wide-eyed. “Oh my, look at the size of that barn. It is a barn right? Am I saying that right? Goodness gracious, are those more cows over there? Well, and there too?”

  Jake wanted to laugh at her wonderment. It was cute. Heck, this was just every day ho-hum to him, but that she found it new and interesting made it fascinating to him too.

  “What are all the buildings for?” Jules asked innocently. “I mean, people don’t live in any of those do they?” Looking around again, she said, “Where are all your neighbors?”

  Linnie laughed. “The buildings are just storage places for different kinds of farm stuff, and our neighbors are a few miles away.”

  “Miles?” Jules asked incredulously.

  “Yep, miles.”

  Barely in the yard, Nate was out of the house and headed their direction.

  “Oh boy, here he comes Jules, get ready. Your being here, means it’s really real, and he’s been counting the days till your arrival.”