“Where are you going?”
Taya stopped and looked into the SUV. There sat a female with black hair and green eyes who looked so ancient her breath caught before she remembered to breathe.
“I’m going to the bed and breakfast across town to see if they have a room.” She answered, unable to deny those eyes anything.
“You’re in luck. My name’s Selma and I own the bed and breakfast along with my husband, Victor. Why don’t I take you? That way you won’t have to walk.”
Taya waited for that voice to tell her to run but it was quiet. It approved of Selma for some unknown reason. She knew it was a mistake, but before she could help it she was placing her bags in the back of the SUV then climbing into the front.
“How long have you been in Newburg?” Selma asked as she pulled away from the curb.
“I’ve been here for about a year.”
“You only have two bags?”
“I guess I’ve been drifting.”
Selma nodded. “Looking for home, that happens sometimes. Not everyone comes directly to me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Most special people pass through my bed and breakfast, some stay like Paige and Aviana who you will meet when you get there. Some are only there for a season till they find what they’re looking for.”
“I’ll be one of those. I just need a place to stay for a few days. I’m glad you have a bed that’s unspoken for.”
“We definitely have room for you. Here we are now.”
Taya looked through the window. The bed and breakfast was in a beautiful old fashioned home. It had a grand porch that would sit multiple families at once with a beautiful stair-case leading up to it. She felt special just looking at it.
“Thank you.” She exited the SUV going around to the back to retrieve her bags.
There were several people sitting on the porch as she slowly followed Selma.
“Everyone, this is Taya; she will be staying with us for a while.”
“Taya, this is my brother-in-law Cal and his soul-bonded, Paige. Over there,” she pointed to the left of the porch, “is Rylan and his soul-bonded, Aviana. The laugher from the front yard is my son, Vick, as well as Rylan and Aviana’s daughter, Mckayla.”
“Nice to meet everyone.”
They waved at her as she followed Selma through the front door.
“You can sign in here.” There was a desk not far from a grand staircase.
She walked over to it and signed the book noting that the last name on the page belonged to Aviana. They must not have had a busy winter. She looked at her signature Taya Clark, which was her real name, not the fake one she had been using. What did it matter, whoever was following her seemed to have found her?
“Follow me.”
Taya grabbed her bags and followed Selma up the steps to the next floor.
“I have the perfect room for you.” She led her to the last door on the right.
The room was beautiful and peaceful. She hadn’t seen anything this nice since she left her house behind. Her parents were handling the sale of it for her. Her heart ached as she thought of them. She hadn’t talked to them in a year, scared that a simple phone call from her might put them in jeopardy.
“Thank you, Selma, this is a truly lovely room.”
“I thought you might like it. You missed dinner but I’ll cook up something for you. Come down after you get settled.”
“You don’t have to do that, I’m fine.’
“Then why do you look hungry?”
Did hungry have a look? Her doctor would say she looked like she should be losing weight. She was hungry even though she was trying to deny it.
“I could eat something.”
“Good, I love to cook. See you downstairs.”
Taya noticed her bags were still clutched in her hands. She released them and walked around the room. It was a suite and she was standing in the middle of the living room. It was done up in shades of blue. Soft and calming. She opened the door on her right to find a closet perfect for boots, coats and knick-knacks. The door on her left led to a large bedroom. The bed must have been a king and still there was plenty of room to walk around.
The bedroom was also done in shades of blue with silver accents. There was a large closet. Her clothes would look pitiful with all the unused space. The next door led to a large bathroom. She was already in love with the huge tube with a separate shower. It felt like she had gone to a fancy hotel. There was a new one that would be opening soon in Newburg but she doubted it had anything on the bed and breakfast.
She unpacked hoping she would actually be able to stay here for a few days. After stowing away her luggage, she made her way to the front door. No better time than now to see if the food was done.
The pictures in the hallway were fantastic. They looked like someone had lovingly painted them. Oils maybe. Whoever did it should have been famous for the detail they put into them.
The staircase was so grand she could picture an epic kiss here. The man running up the steps as the startled woman looks down to see him, a smile lighting her face as she runs down to his arms. He tilts her backward, they kiss. The credits roll on the love of a life time.
A laugh escaped her lips as she pulled herself back together. Love like that wasn’t real. Counseling herself to stop dreaming, she descended the staircase and walked through the living room until she found the dining room. A large wooden table sat in the middle of the room. There were more chairs around it than she wanted to count. This was a quaint bed and breakfast that seemed to still cater to the idea of family.
“Selma?”
“I’m in the kitchen, come on in.”
She walked into the kitchen to see it was sleek and modern.
“This place is a dream; you must love it here.”
“It’s my home, I do love it.”
“Can I help you?”
“Nope I’m almost done, have a seat.”
There was a huge island in the center of the kitchen. Taya sat on one of the stools surrounding it and watched as Selma put the finishing touches on the meal.
“I hope baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans are okay. I can whip up a salad if you would like.”
“You have already done too much. I can’t say thank you enough. Please no salad.”
If she saw another piece of lettuce she might become one. Her days of salads were over. She liked herself even if the doctor didn’t. Her blood tests, as well as all her other tests, had come back saying that she was in good health. Yes, dropping a few pounds might have been nice but not at the risk of the good health she was already in. She looked down and smiled; she was totally hot even if her doctor didn’t realize it.
“I hope you don’t mind, Gabe is going to eat with you. He missed dinner tonight.”
“That’s fine with me.”
“All right, I will leave you to your meal. I am going to find my soul-bonded and my son.”
“Wait, what is a soul-bonded?”
“Ask Gabe, I’m sure he’ll want to explain it.” Selma was out the room before Taya could say anything else.
The food was on the table before her so she helped herself making sure she left enough for Gabe, whoever he was, to have some.
She looked up when the kitchen door opened; the male from the porch came in. What was his name? Rylan that was it.
“Hi Rylan, I was just eating…”
He looked at her, locking eyes, causing her hands to shake. Carefully she put down the spoon she was using. Get yourself together. He’s soul-bonded whatever that means. He had no effect on her when she was on the porch but now he seemed different, almost as if his entire being was calling to her.
“Sorry for staring,” she mumbled.
“That’s all right. Who are you?”
“I’m Taya. I met you on the porch when I came in. Selma introduced us.” She was going crazy, there was no way this was the same man she met earlier even though he looked just like him.
> “You met my twin, I’m Gabe.”
Thank God she wasn’t lusting after someone else’s man.
Chapter Three
“Hi Gabe, sorry for the confusion. You both look alike but you don’t feel alike, I guess that’s…” She let her words die off knowing she was about to start rambling.
“Sorry,” she mumbled feeling like a fool.
“That’s all right. Most people besides our family and intimate friends get us confused. The fact that you didn’t is nice.”
She looked up and gave him a shy look. He was handsome, where his brother didn’t disturb her, he did. His hair was brown with a rakish look that came a little below his shoulders. He had beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of the sky. She bet they got a deeper blue when he was drowsy or good Lord when he was aroused. A tingle between her legs made her want to suck in a breath. He was wide and defined like he was a linebacker. She had no idea how he did it, but his looks were drawing her in like bears to honey.
He was dressed in a pair of nice brown carpenter pants that showed off his behind making her want to swallow her tongue. The pullover shirt was just tight enough to emphasize a chest thick with muscle. There was definitely no way she was getting him confused with his brother.
“Selma said you haven’t eaten yet. I made sure to save some for you.”
“She cooked like the whole house hadn’t eaten yet.”
“I know. So glad she didn’t think I could eat all of this.”
Gabe pulled out a stool and sat beside her filling his plate. “Don’t worry, I eat a lot. I have a high metabolism and need to keep my energy up.”
“Then I better get seconds while I have a chance.” She threw a grin at him. It wouldn’t be a problem, him eating a lot. In fact, she was willing to cook the food for him if only he were coming home to her.
Stop, she told herself. Fantasizing about a man when he was right beside her wasn’t something she wanted to do. Thinking she could fall in love or even lust would just take her one step closer to losing herself.
“What do you do, Taya?”
She opened her mouth and then shut it. How could she tell him she used to be a hospital administrator? He would probably think she was lying. Look how far away from that she had come.
“It’s complicated.”
“I understand complicated. How did you get to Newburg? Did you grow up here or come in on the greyhound?”
“I came on the greyhound but how did you know.”
“Either you are born here or you come on the greyhound. No one new ever drives into town, strange but true. If you ever have free time, you should just sit around and watch when the greyhound comes into town. Most times people get off, go to the café to eat, and then get back on. It might take months or longer before someone actually gets off to stay. In the end most of them end up here.”
“If I had known I would have just started by coming here,” she teased in a slightly flirtatious voice.
“All that matters is that you’re here now.” The smile he gave her was wide and open.
She took a bite of her potatoes and smiled to herself. Yeah, she couldn’t afford to get involved, but even she deserved a meal with light flirting and butterflies in her stomach. This was more than she ever got when she was back home.
They finished the meal in silence. Gabe got up and began putting the left overs away.
“Let me help you,” she stood and reached for a plate brushing against Gabe’s hand. Power, dark and needy surrounded her, holding her in place.
He pulled his hand back and lowered his eyes as he turned away from her. Taya was beautiful, he tried not to notice her but everything about her appealed to him. Just the touch of her hand burned him, bringing him to an awareness he never felt before. Her grey eyes were warm with flecks of gold in them. Her smile was bright, the kind that invited you to get close and stay a while. She had a waterfall of straight black hair that looked silky soft. His fingers itched to touch it. Her curves were enough to drive him crazy. He was so used to very thin women coming up to him. He liked curves and she was actually eating. The women who tried to hang around him ate so much salad that he hated even seeing it now.
She laughed off the touch and the way he stared at her for a minute. If she got scared she was going to run, and there wasn’t any other place to go unless the thought of sleeping in the street appealed to her.
Carefully she maneuvered around him and took the dishes to the sink. She would speculate about what happened later. She washed the dishes and he dried, neither of them talking until the kitchen was clean.
“I think people are still sitting on the porch. It’s a beautiful night; would you like to join them?” Gabe asked her.
What would she do if she didn’t? Go to her room look at the walls. There was a television but she wasn’t in the mood for it.
“I would like that. I never got to ask you what you did for a living.”
“My brother and I write music, both the lyrics as well as the actual music.” They walked out the kitchen into the dining room.
“Wow, I wonder if I have heard any of your songs.”
“We have several in the top forty right now. So you have probably heard them.”
“You guys must be famous.” They walked out on the porch where everyone else was sitting.
“We write under different names so no one will know it is us.”
“Anonymity, I understand that.” She took a seat on the top step with Gabe sitting next to her.
“We never wanted to be famous,” Rylan chimed in. “We simply love music.”
Taya took a look around her. Rylan was sitting in a lounge chair with his daughter asleep in his arms. Aviana was holding his hand as she sat next to him. Selma and Victor were on the other side of the porch with their son asleep in his father’s arms. Cal and Paige weren’t too far from them. Sitting alone on the banister was someone she hadn’t met when she came in.
“Taya, that’s Joaquin.”
“Hi, nice to meet you,” he gave her a small smile.
“Nice to meet you also.”
“Now you’ve met everyone who lives here,” Gabe told her.
“How are your rooms?” Selma asked.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Nice to hear.” Selma stood up. “Victor, we need to put Vick to bed.”
He gave her a wicked grin before standing. “Right behind you, Darling.”
“Have a good night, everyone.” They disappeared into the house.
Rylan stood cradling Mckayla in his arms. “We need to get Kayla to bed also.”
He threw a look at his brother before saying goodnight to everyone and walking in the house. Aviana followed him with a smile and a wave goodnight.
“It’s so peaceful around here,” Taya commented.
Paige laughed as if she couldn’t help herself. “It’s peaceful right now. I think of it like we have entered the eye of the storm but it’s still raging around us and moving our way.”
Taya nodded. It was actually a good analogy for how she felt.
Paige and Cal stood up. “It’s time for us to retire. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.” They entered the house followed by Joaquin who said goodnight.
“Wow, which one of us scared them away do you think?”
Gabe chuckled. “I think it was the two of us together that did it.”
“Why?”
“No one has ever seen me. They always see my brother or see the two of us as one. When you came out here you didn’t look at Rylan then look at me as if you were seeing double. When you looked at him you didn’t see a twin but a separate person. That’s rare, unique, and they wanted to give me a chance to be alone with someone who saw me for me.”
She slid her hand over to cover his.
“I would hate it if everyone looked at me and thought I was interchangeable with another person. You’re not, you know. I see how different the two of you are and I’ve just met you. As far as the rest of the world, it’s the
ir lost if they can’t see what a terrific person you are.”
“Well, you’ve won me over. How about going for a walk? There’s a gazebo not far from here.”
“I’d like that.”
He stood and stretched out his hand to help her up. She took it and descended the porch steps. They walked slowly, her wrapped ankle didn’t throb too much but she didn’t want to aggravate it.
Add a movie and this would be the best blind date she’d ever been on, except this wasn’t a date. Blind or otherwise and she needed to remember that.
“How much of this land do they own?”
“They own all of it and probably more than half of the town. They have been here a long time.”
“Families do that. They hand down what they own through the generations.”
“Your right and one day this will all go to Vick. Although something tells me that before it’s over Mckayla will own the other half of the town.”
“Two powerful families under one roof.”
“Something like that.”
The walk to the gazebo was beautiful. The leaves were unfurling and the trees were coming alive. The soft grass under her feet seemed to whisper with the beauty of the night and her heart beat loudly because he was still holding her hand. It truly was magical.
“This is nice.” She stepped on the gazebo feeling like she was in an old fashioned movie—one where the male would go down on bended knee and produce a ring as he declared his undying love.
You’re moving too fast, Taya, she cautioned herself. Let’s back it up and picture the captain of the football team taking off his letter jacket, placing it around your shoulders, and going in for a clumsy kiss, because there can never be more than that.
“What are you thinking?”
Her cheeks flushed and she turned to look at the flowers beginning to bloom.
“Nothing really. I…I was thinking about football. Do you play?”
“No, I stayed away from contact sports growing up. Did you play sports growing up?”
“No, I always thought I was too big for them.”
He looked at her with blank eyes.
Gabe's Destiny (Alien Mates Book Three) Page 2