Forever's Promises (Forever In Luck Series Book 1) Read online

  “Um, gosh, it’s getting late,” Naomi said, looking at the time on her phone. “Mikey still needs a nap. We better get going.” Standing, she looked over to him. “Nate, ahh, maybe we could get together later and talk, like in private or something?”

  More glaring.

  Taking the child by the hand, Naomi led him out of the house and was gone. Thank God. Going back to his room, he lay on his bed until late in the evening. He felt like he couldn’t leave, or go anywhere, without running into someone, or something, that would piss him off. He called Jake.

  “Whatsup?”

  “Any word?”

  “Nope, not taking any of our calls.”

  He growled inside. “Jake, I can’t take it. I feel like a prisoner in my own home, like I can’t go anywhere, or do anything, without it being fodder for the hungry and bored around here. Naomi showed up at the house today, acting like we were going to sit down and have tea or some shit.”

  “No way!”

  “Yep,” he snapped. “I need to get away from this, I’m about to go ballistic. Now, I know what Linnie went through when I left. Any ideas?”

  “Yeah. Pack up however much stuff you want, and food to last, then call me when you’re ready to head out tomorrow, we’ll go from there.”

  The next morning, Nate was heading north, pulling Jake’s ice fishing house behind him. There wasn’t any ice on the lakes yet, but he’d bring it up and drop it off at Jake’s favorite spot, then stick around for a while. Hell, this would be a picnic compared to what he’d endured over the last five years. Settling in for the drive, he watched as big, fat, fluffy snowflakes fell. They were supposed to get some inches with this one, and the closer he got to Lake Superior, the greater the lake effect would be on the snowfall. Perfect, just what he wanted, no desert sand here. Taking a deep breath, he wondered where she was. Where had she gone? Was she okay? This was his just desserts, for what he’d done to her. Turning up the radio, he tried not to think about it. Then laughed. Yeah, right.

  After traveling north, east, than northeast, he stopped in Hayward, Wisconsin, for groceries, before finishing the last leg of his journey north. Twenty minutes more and he’d be at Bony Lake. The snow had really begun to come down, and there were several inches on the ground. He didn’t mind it one bit. Dragging the cart to the pickup, he loaded up the many Wisconsin delicacies he’d bought, along with some big fat juicy steaks, chops, potatoes, and sweets. After the last five years, he was ready for some downtime, and this was it. He planned to do it big. On his way through the checkout, there’d been a nostalgic candy display. How fitting, he thought, because right there in the middle, were bags of Bit-O-Honey candies. Linnie’s favorite, she loved the taste of honey. Grabbing several bags to have on hand, because they reminded him of how she tasted, he wondered if he’d ever get to kiss her again. Opening a candy, he put it in his mouth and headed north.

  Three hours since leaving home, and finally there, Nate drove down the service road and into the woods. He’d stop and disconnect the icehouse, then head up the hill to unload the rest of Jake’s stuff in the supply shed. After, he’d need to make sure there was enough wood chopped to keep a fire going. Having unhitched the icehouse, and about to get back in the pickup, he heard a strange noise.

  Whap, whap, whap…whap…whap, whap, whap…

  Stopping he listened, the acoustics around the lake distorting. It sounded like it was coming from up the hill, but he couldn’t be sure. Using all his training, he delicately picked his way through the brush and trees to the top of the hill, the noise getting louder as he neared. Rounding the hill, and hiding within the boughs of a hundred year old white pine, Nate was struck by the most beautiful site. Smiling widely, he took a deep cleansing breath. There, on the shores of Bony Lake, he’d just stumbled across his little bit-o-honey. She was snapping her windshield wipers trying to get off the icy buildup.

  Racing down the hill, and leaping in the truck, he headed back the way he came. Out on the road again, he sped around the perimeter of the property, and turned onto the road leading to the cabin on the hill. She was there, scraping snow off the stairs. She must’ve just arrived because there were fresh tracks in the snow. Stopping at the supply shed, he quickly unloaded and drove over to the cabin, pulling in next to her car. Getting out of the pickup, he bound up the stairs. When he got to the top, she was standing in the open doorway of the cabin looking at him, none too pleased, but he didn’t notice because he was so damn glad to see her. As he neared the entrance, she promptly slammed the door in his face. Coming to a screeching halt and nearly falling on his ass, he slid on the icy decking. Damn it!

  “Linnie, open this door,” he yelled, as he pounded with his fist.

  Nothing.

  “Linnie, damn it, open this door now!”

  Nothing.

  He jiggled the handle. Locked. Damn her! Not a problem, he thought, he’d had hours of training on how to penetrate and infiltrate hostile environments, this was right up his alley. He tried one more time, “Linnie, open this goddamn door or I’ll bust it down!”

  Nothing.

  Okay, fine, he’d play her game. Turning, he headed for the shed. Forty minutes later, he was folded like a pretzel, trying to crawl through the small bathroom window. He’d decided it best to not piss off his future father in law by busting down the door. So instead, he cased the place, and found he was able to slide the lock on this window easily. Walking through the bedroom, he flung the door to the living area open in a huff. There she was, cool as a cucumber, sitting in a corner chair by the fire, reading a National Enquirer and eating chocolates. Counting to ten before speaking, he said between gritted teeth, “We need to talk.”

  “No,” she promptly responded, then turned a page.

  He saw red. “What are you doing here?” he ground out.

  “Good question, wrong person asking it,” she answered calmly, then put a chocolate in her mouth while focusing on her news story.

  How can one person thrill and excite you, while pissing you off and making you crazy at the same time, he wondered. That’s how it was with her, always, and he was attracted to her like a moth to a flame. “Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going?” he demanded.

  Reaching over, she took a magazine off a pile of periodicals. Flipping through the pages, she answered, “Your first mistake is in assuming I didn’t. Your second is in assuming they would immediately tell you.”

  His heart sunk. This didn’t feel good at all, the moth had just been burned. “I worried about you. I was out of my mind with worry.”

  “Wow, ain’t that a bitch,” she said sarcastically. “A grand total of forty eight hours. Try five years, then you and I can talk.” Putting another chocolate in her mouth, she ripped something out of the magazine.

  Okay, he deserved that for everything he’d put her through. He hated this though, the distance between them. He didn’t like her anger and hostility, but he was responsible for it, and now he had to deal. “I’m sorry, I’ve already apologized, and as much as I wish I could go back and change the past, I can’t. I didn’t sleep with Naomi. If we could just talk about this—”

  She was up and out of the chair so fast, he stopped what he was saying. Throwing on her jacket, she jammed her feet into a pair of boots, then stomped out of the cabin. He was right behind her, hot on her heels. No way was she leaving. The trunk of her car went up. Now what the hell was she doing? Rummaging through the trunk, and grabbing various bags and belongings, she slammed the lid shut, and headed back into the cabin. He followed her. As she crossed the threshold to the cabin, she slammed the door shut again, nearly smacking him in the face.

  “Damn it, Linnie.” Quickly opening the door before she could lock it, he went after her. She was putting food in the refrigerator, and cans in the cupboard. Totally frustrated, he said “Come on, knock this shit off.”

  “Get out of my way,” she snapped. “I have things to do.”

  “Oh yeah, like what?” he chal
lenged. “We’re in the middle of a blizzard, and there isn’t exactly much to do here.”

  She snorted. “As a matter of fact, there is,” she replied confidently. “Now move, I have a date, and I need to get ready.”

  Nate felt the last shred of his sanity snap. “If you think I’m letting you leave here to go on a date, you’re out of your ever loving mind! Who? Who is it?” he demanded, acting like a caveman. He was going to beat the shit out of anyone who showed up at that door.

  “Hmmm, let’s see,” she said coyly. “If I remember correctly, their names are Ben a—”

  “Over my dead body! Not happening, Linnie, you’re not going on that date!” he yelled.

  “Oooh, really?” she said, narrowing her eyes on him. “Well you better start holding your breath then, because I have a date tonight, and I plan on keeping it.” Sliding past him, she grabbed some bags from the table, and went into the bedroom, slamming the door on him in the process.

  **********

  Linnie spent the afternoon pampering herself, soaking in the tub, shaving her legs, doing her hair and makeup. Taking her time, she got ready for her “date.” Nate was in a fit. He’d stormed outside when she'd gone into the bedroom, and started hacking away at stumps of wood for the stove and fireplace. Needless to say, he was so damn mad, that in the end, they had the equivalent of toothpicks instead of firewood. He’d also backed Jake’s truck behind her car, so she couldn’t get out if she decided to leave, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she found fifty pounds of nails spread the length of the driveway. They’d received well over a foot of snow and it was still coming. He’d plowed the yard and roadway, as well as raked the eaves to prevent ice dams from forming.

  Dressing in a black turtleneck sweater and miniskirt, she slipped on some black hosiery and knee high fashion boots, then grabbed her nail supplies. When she came out of the bedroom, he was in the kitchen area eating a sandwich. Ignoring him, she made her way to the chair in the corner. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was a powder keg about to go off. Upon seeing her, he threw his sandwich in the trash with a snap of the wrist, grabbed his duffel bag in a huff, then stomped into the bedroom.

  She heard the shower running, and once done, he came out and went to the opposite chair with a growl, sitting down abruptly. The chair creaked. Taking a deep lungful of air, she could smell him, and he smelled good. Looked yummy too, in his dress shirt and jeans. His hair had grown a lot in the week he’d been home. Finishing filing her nails, she walked over and lingered at the window, then poured herself a glass of chardonnay. Coming back to the chair, she sipped on her wine as she polished her nails. Picking up her phone, she checked the time, then carefully flipped through a magazine as her nails dried.

  “You may as well quit looking, because you’re not going on that date,” he ground out.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Watch me.”

  “Damn it!” He jumped up from his chair, and started stomping from one end of the cabin to the other. “We’re going to talk, and you’re not leaving till we do.”

  “I have an idea,” she said calmly, then took a sip of her wine. “I go on my date, then when it’s over, the two of us can sit down and share the details of our escapades with each other. Heck, it’ll be like a girls and guys gossip session, where we brag about our exploits with the opposite sex. Gosh, that sounds like fun, don’t you think?”

  His face turned red. “I don’t want to hear one damn thing about you with another!”

  “And yet, you seem to think I do?” she answered, as a matter of fact. Then she finished sarcastically with, “Come on, Nate, it would be so much fun.” Sipping more of her wine, she got up and walked by the door. He was there in a flash, holding it shut. She kept going, looking out the window as she went by, noting that it was nearly dark outside. Stepping into the kitchenette, she ate some cheese, had a couple crackers, then grabbed a spoon and a container of ice cream. All the while, he was watching her like a hawk.

  Sitting in her chair, she opened the small carton and dug in. Putting a spoonful in her mouth, she moaned. Talking to the ice cream, she said “Ohhh Ben, you’re so dreamy. Opps, I mean creamy, and Jerry, your monkey is just soooo hunky, your banana so sweet.” Taking another bite, she continued the charade, “Ben sweetheart, you have the biggest, firmest nuts. I just love to nibble on them! Mmmmm.”

  Launching himself off the door, he grabbed the container from Linnie’s hands. Turning it, he saw it was Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream. She’d played him. There were no other men, it was a figment of his imagination. He’d cut her off this morning, just flipped his lid, and so she’d played him. What was it about her that had him acting like a caveman all the time? Looking at her, he saw she was making a point of licking the spoon, trying not to laugh. She was enjoying watching him act like a buffoon. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he blew off some of the stress. “You make me so damn crazy, you know that?”

  “Good, then I’m doing my job,” she answered smugly. “Now I’d like to finish my date, if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, I mind. Big time. How you figure it’s your job to drive me crazy? I’m ready to take you over my knee and spank your ass for torturing me.”

  Getting up, she went to the table, grabbed a chair, and dragged it towards him. Now what the hell was she doing? Climbing up on the chair, she stood looking down at him with those little marshmallows, she called fists, resting on her hips. He nearly laughed aloud at her attempt to be taller than him. She was so cute trying to be tough.

  “Let’s get some things straight, Nate Sanders.”

  Ohhh, this should be educational, he thought with a smile. She was too frickin cute.

  “First off, you got what you deserved. You haven’t changed a bit. Your bossy the cow routine is what split us up in the first place, and got you in the mess you’re in right now. Two, I didn’t do anything wrong. So, there’ll be no spanking going on, unless you’re going to beat your own ass. And three, on day six of creation, God saw that man was content, and decided man shouldn’t be alone. So, he made woman to be a helper and companion to man. Hence, my job to keep you from getting too content, and thus, making you crazy in the process. Life on earth has never been the same since, women rule. Now give me back my ice cream, I want to finish my date.”

  He burst out laughing. She was too much. This is what he loved about her. She always met him head on, and she was so much fun to be with, because she always came up with bullshit like this. Well, he could play this game too. “So, you’re into scripture now, are you?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she answered, reaching for the ice cream.

  Holding it out of her reach, he said, “Well, on the off chance you are, I best do the same.” Setting the ice cream down on the coffee table, he wrapped his arms around her legs, Then looking up to her, he said, “Since you seem to be familiar with scripture, you surely must know that God commanded man to be fruitful and multiply. I plan to do just that. You’re mine, now and forever.” Picking her up, he threw her over his shoulder and headed for the bedroom. Crossing the threshold, he knew he’d take great pleasure in slamming this door shut.

  **********

  He had her down on the bed, and was over her in a flash. He was ever so gentle, but still, her senses were overwhelmed by his size and strength. Placing teeny kisses on her face and neck, he slowly made his way to her ear, creating a stir of anticipation in her that made her quiver. Tightening like a bow, her tension caught and started to climb. Wanting more and moving further, the sweater impeded his way.

  “Take it off,” he demanded, as he sat up unbuttoning his shirt.

  Crossing her arms and grabbing the hem, she worked at bringing it up. He was on her before she could finish. Arms and wrists twisted and bound, she worked to give him free reign, and struggled. The sweater stretched, but wouldn’t give.

  “Nate…”

  “Hmmm?” />
  “I’m…stuck.” He was kissing her neck and shoulder, moving down. God, did that feel good.

  “Mmhmm.”

  Tugging and pulling at the sweater, it stretched, the weave tightening at the wrists as it did. Dang it! He moved down further. Oh, Lord…that’s…that’s nice. Her body liked that. She liked that. Tension rising, she skipped the wrists and yanked on the sweater, trying to pull it up all the way. Stuck, damn it. He was so heavy. Arching her back, she tried pulling up the part of the sweater she was laying on. Oh boy, he took it as an invitation by pushing her bra up and out of the way. She moaned, when his lips touched her.

  “Nate…” she said in a breathy rush.

  “Hmmm?”

  “I’m—she swallowed with a gulp—stuck.” She moaned again.

  “Mmhmm.” He stopped momentarily, blew a hot breath over her wet skin, then went back to what he’d been doing.

  “Nate…” she said in a panic, as she yanked and pulled.

  “Hmmm?” Undeterred he was relentless.

  “I…I…” Moaning, she couldn’t finish.

  So he did. “I what? Want more? You like this?” he asked, as he licked, then sucked. “Or this?” he moved to the other side and nibbled, then flicked.

  She let out a little stifled scream, then arched her back more, trying harder to pull that damn sweater out from under her.

  “You like it all, is that what you’re saying? Okay, if you say so.” he said with a smile in his voice as she continued to struggle.

  She moaned and writhed as he went about his business. “Nate,” she said in a frantic fevered pitch, “I’m, I’m stuck!”

  “Mmhmm,” he mumbled, as he kissed his way up to her ear, then he whispered, “I know and I like it.” With that, he pulled her knees up and out, then settled between them.

  She gasped, trying the wrists one more time. “Nate,” she whimpered, turning her face to him. Answering the call, he took her through the longest, most breathtaking kiss imaginable. Starved of oxygen, and filled with passion, she was overcome and completely taken by him.