by Marie Fraser
“You’ll have to be more specific love,” Jackson smiled. “I felt a hell of a lot just then.”
“Dammit, Cap. You know damn well what I’m talking about!”
“’Fraid not, doll.”
“Fine,” Sarah huffed. “Must have just been me then.”
“Probably so,” Jackson said and Sarah watched him then. It was so hard to tell if he was bullshitting her or if he was serious. “You okay?”
Sarah watched him pull his jeans on and felt the flash of heat slide through her again at the memory of just how good he’d been. “Yeah,” she lied. Physically she was fine, but her heart hurt and she knew she’d been feeling that for quite some time where Jackson Pike was concerned. “I’m great, thanks.”
Sarah jumped off the table and pulled on her dress. “I’ll send you an invoice for the underwear.”
“Sarah,” Jackson said, obviously catching on to her blasé attitude.
“No, Jackson. I’m good, really. It was great, better than actually.”
“So that’s it? That’s all you wanted was to get laid?”
“Sure, why not?”
She could tell he didn’t believe her, but his pride was a force to be reckoned with. “Alright, great. I’ll walk you out.”
“No, it’s okay.” Sarah turned toward the door. “Really, I can find my way. You should rest. It won’t do you any good to tear your stitches.”
“Give me a reason to see you again.”
“I’m leaving, Jackson,” Sarah said in a rush. “I’m going to stay with my brother until the insurance comes through on the house. After that I…I don’t know where I’ll be or if I’ll even move back.”
Jackson looked down at the floor before those pretty damn eyes met hers again. There was such honesty there, Sarah thought. It was a shame he tried to hide it. “Where?”
“Tucson,” she said. “He, my brother, owns a set of bakeries there. I’ll help out, until I figure out my next move.”
***
Jackson didn’t follow her to the door, because admitting that he needed her was just too far of a reach at that moment. Instead he let her walk away and kicked himself in the balls afterward.
“What the hell’s eating at you?” Finn O’Leary asked in his thick Scottish accent. “Did your lass up and leave ya?”
“Leave off, Irish,” Jackson said, goading Finn, who was as hot-blooded as any other man he knew. The first time he’d ever made the mistake of calling Finn Irish, the man had clocked him so hard he’d fallen down and his jaw had swollen so that he couldn’t talk for a day. Now the two men laughed, most of the time, about the moniker.
“How can I, Cap? We’re getting ready to pack up for home and I won’t see you for at least six months.”
“You taking time off?”
“Yeah, got myself a girl I gotta go see.”
“Ah, can’t blame you there.”
“Then why aren’t you going to see your own pretty lass?”
“She’s not here anymore, moved to Tucson, until she hears about her insurance policy.”
“Is that stopping you from finding her and letting her know how much you want her?”
“She’s knows how much I want her.”
“Does she know you need her? It’s a powerful thing, for a woman to be needed.”
***
Sarah was wiping out the display cabinets, before the morning rush of customers, when the bell above the door rang. “Welcome to the Peterson Family Bakery,” she chimed, continuing to wipe down the counters. Finally she stood up and cleared her throat. “How may I hel-“
“Coffee would be nice,” Jackson said, eating her alive with his eyes. “If you have it.”
When she just stood there for a solid two minutes, staring, he figured he’d take it as a good sign. “Coffee, right.” Jackson sat down at a small table and watched her work, grinning to himself when she bobbled both the coffee pot and his cup and saucer. “Here you go, anything else?”
Jackson pulled a small box from his pocket and set it on the table next to his coffee. “That’d depend on you, pretty Sarah.”
Sarah put the pot of coffee on the table and all but sank into the seat across from him. Her blue eyes were teary when they met his. “Hey,” he soothed. “it’s okay, Sarah. There’s no rush and I’m not looking for anything. I don’t have any expectations, except that you’ll hear me out.”
She sniffled and shook her head. “I don’t know how things have been for you these last couple months, but frankly I’ve been miserable. I’m cranky, I can’t seem to concentrate and getting through clean-up and ship out so the next hotshot crew could come in was hell. My crew was insistent that I at least come and talk with you, see how you feel about things.”
“Things?”
“Us,” Jackson amended. “Sarah, I don’t know how or when it happened, I can’t pinpoint a specific moment to be honest, but somewhere between our first date and our last night together, I fell in love with you. Not an easy admission for a guy who’s used to choosing his own path.”
“Honesty?”
“Always,” Jackson said.
“I’m not ready for this,” Sarah said. “I’m not ready for my house to be gone, or my home roots to be yanked out as if they never mattered. I love my brother and his family, but I hate living here, it’s not home. I wasn’t ready for you either. Oh, I wanted you. The wanting was easy and smooth. You were so damn likable and the sex, well, I don’t think I have to elaborate on that one. But then you moved into my heart and I couldn’t evict you no matter how hard I tried, how far I ran.”
“Sarah-“
“I wasn’t finished,” she said, folding a napkin over and over again. “I never expected my life to be so crazy messed up.
“I never expected when I first met you that you’d become this larger than life fixture in my day to day routine and now…now I just don’t function well when you’re gone.”
“Are you moving back to the Crescent Valley?”
“I just got my insurance check yesterday,” she smiled. “I’ve been working with a Realtor on some property not too far from where I lived before, thought maybe this time around I’d see what I’m capable of. I could certainly use a nice, strong man to help me out if you know any.”
“I’m applying for the job, if it’s open, Sarah,” Jackson said, opening the small box to show her a small, intricately designed engagement ring.”
“God,” she breathed. She looked up into sea god eyes and felt her heart shift back into place. “Then this is me accepting your offer,” she grinned, feeling like a complete idiot. “Just for the record,” she added. “I love you, Cap.”
“As long as you remember that I said it first,” he winked. Jackson put the ring on Sarah’s hand and ordered a dozen donuts to go with his coffee.
“You’re not actually going to eat all those are you?”
“I’m not a glutton,” Jackson grinned. “But I happen to know that more people work here than just you and your brother. I figured maybe everyone would enjoy a nice treat.”
“What’s the celebration?” London Peterson said when he came out into the lobby from the back room.
“We’re getting married!” Sarah squealed, wrapping her arms around Jackson and pressing a kiss to his surprised mouth.
“Well, little sister. It seems you have some introductions to make.”
Epilogue:
Sarah wore a pretty Vera Wang dress she’d been eyeing forever, even before Jackson had come along. They honeymooned in Ireland and Sarah was able to tell Jackson two weeks later that she was unequivocally pregnant.
“Jackson,” she called, walking out of the bathroom in their small travel trailer. In her hand she held a small object.
“What is it, love?”
“Look,” she smiled, handing him the pregnancy test.
“What’s this?”
“Well, if I’m correct, it means we’re having a baby.”
Jackson’s eyes were full of wonder wh
en they met hers and the smile was instant upon his face. “You’re, we’re…we’re having a baby?”
“Looks like it,” Sarah grinned. “I’ll take another test tomorrow morning to confirm it isn’t just a fluke. But from what I’ve read and heard, it’s pretty reliable, at least this far into it.”
Sarah smiled when Jackson scooped her off her feet. “You’re not working, no more traipsing all over the damn countryside. And no more developing your own photos. The chemicals you use in your dark room could be dangerous.”
“Jackson,” Sarah giggled. “Cap, we’re going to be fine. All of us.”
“Of course we are,” he agreed, pacing the floor like a nervous cat. When Sarah’s hands took his he finally stopped and looked into her eyes. There he saw his future and everything in life that actually mattered.
“I love you, Jackson Pike.”
“I love you, pretty Sarah,” he said, placing a hand protectively low on her belly. “Both of you.”
Sarah kissed him then and everything he’d ever wanted fell into his hands in that moment.
Sneak Peek of Careful What You Fish For
Byron Rhodes is Ex-Army, but that doesn’t stop him from being all he can be. For him that means dragging his two best friends, also discharged from military service, along on a journey of self-discovery and innovation.
Driving out to the sticks is Byron’s idea of a great time and his friends oblige him when they decide to go in on opening a camp for vacationers who might just want a taste of country living. Jess, the comic relief thinks the place is fantastic, if rugged and in need of some TLC.
Kevin, the buzzkill, isn’t so impressed, but he does his part to get the camp up and running and before long the three friends are entertaining their first guests.
Celine Carter is hoping that a weekend in the woods with her best friends will help her sort out where her life is supposed to be going. She finds the accommodations her friends booked, quaint with a still under construction feel to everything. The food is first rate, for the country and she is interested when the owner, Byron, sets his eyes on her.
She’s not looking for anything really, but what’s a little harmless flirtation anyway? Will Celine figure out what it is about Byron that sets her blood humming, or will she settle for a quick fling? Can Byron show Celine that there’s more to life than planning to live it? Byron has his work cut out for him in more ways than one in Be Careful What You Fish For.
Prologue
A beat up old Ford pulled into a dirt parking lot from a long, winding road leading into it. Surrounding it were cabins of all sizes and in all sort of disrepair. The scenery is exquisite, with lush foliage in all shades of green and brown. Huge trees that seem centuries old with moss growing haphazardly on them. From the windows of the car the lake appears to glisten in the background and they could hear the echoes of loons overhead. Trees stood still in a quiet solute to nature. Wild flowers were growing everywhere and you could see sunflowers peeping up from the sides of the cabins, all pointing their faces to the sun. It was obvious, even from their limited vantage point that the landscaping would need some work, as patches of grass grew to the height of a man’s thigh in certain areas. Cattails were growing by the water, grouping around large rocks, where the water tended to gently lap.
Byron, the driver and the oldest of the three turned to the others, “Well boys, it looks like we finally did it. We got out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
“Some fire,” Jess said. “This place is great.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kevin said. “From what I can see all I have is tons of work to do. There’s no way this place is ready to go in two months.”
Byron had a rough look to him. He had a wild head of black hair and an unruly beard to match. His facial features were almost lost in the wilderness of his hair. His prominent cheekbones, however, still jumped out despite the mess. He had a small scar just under his right eye that appeared whitish against his tanned skin. You could see the outline of his muscles from under his black long-sleeved shirt.
“Well let’s just hope this investment works out,” Kevin said, from the backseat. He was the complete opposite of Bryon. As the youngest, he was prone to complaining, but was always quick with the humor to cool things off again. His chestnut brown hair was neat and tidy, and styled like a young Indiana Jones. His facial features were soft, yet his jaw line had a firmness that spoke of passing youth. He had no other facial hair to be seen except for the stubble that the journey there had left. Tattoos poked out from underneath his gray t-shirt. Black ink swirled to just above his collarbone, telling a tale all its own. He had obviously just woken up from a restless sleep because his body was hunched in an uncomfortable position and he had an annoyed expression on his face.
“I think you two had a better attitude about missions when we were still in the service,” Jess grumbled from the passenger side seat with displeasure, although a slight smile crept across his face. This smile made his face look like a cartoon with his crooked nose, the result of a bar fight he’d been on the wrong end of. His hair was a cross between the other two men. Wild and red, his hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail that kept the curls from messing up his vision. His green eyes were alight with humor. One could say he almost had a boyish face if they didn’t look too hard.
“Shut up,” Kevin said, obviously irritated as he smacked the headrest in front of him. Byron simply rolls his eyes at the retort parks the SUV, automatically unlocking the doors so Jess and Kevin can get out.
“Alright, let’s move the stuff inside. I’m tired and it would be nice to sleep in an actual bed.” Kevin said as he moved towards the trunk of the car.
But Byron shook his head, “We should look around first, to make sure that everything is stable. We might have to fix a few things before we actually get settled.”
“Well how long will that take? It’s not like we have very much daylight left,” Kevin complains making a move to return to the door he had just exited.
“Does this place even have electricity?” Jess asks, making a valid point. He still hadn’t gotten out of the car yet, he was reclining back slightly in his seat now that Kevin was no longer behind him. “Hey, don’t look at me, I’m not the one who called about getting it set up. There’s no guarantee they’ve made it out here to turn it all on.”
“Okay, how about this. We at least set up the kitchen?” Byron offers.
At the mention of the kitchen Kevin instantly perks up and runs back towards the trunk to gather some supplies. They weren’t going to move the food into the cabin just yet in case there were problems that had to be fixed, but the thought of an actual kitchen has him enthuse. Byron locks the car after all the doors are shut before the three men make their way to the main cabin. They had chosen the one directly in the middle mainly because it was center to everything else and it was also the main lodge, the one where campers would eventually gather for group activities and such.
The steps of the porch creaked as Byron walked up them, Jess followed directly behind him. But Kevin lingers behind to make sure he has everything. He sets one foot on the bottom step of the porch and then the other, but with a tremendous crack the step breaks, and his feet fall into the hollow area below. Kevin falls forward with a curse of surprise, before dropping the kitchen supplies to brace his fall. “Damn dry rot!” he roars as the other two stand on the porch laughing.
5 years later…
Read more of Careful What You Fish For here
Sneak Peak of Running Wild
Aiyana is a free bird, figuratively of course. In reality, Aiyana is an Omega, she is the female wolf in the Arikara Clan, sworn to protect them with her pack. She lives a peaceful and tranquil life, working as a receptionist for the Bear Lake Cabins. She doesn’t want much in life, she has everything she could’ve ever asked for. Except a soul mate, which is something she dreads ever running into.
When a hunting accident lands Aiyana in the hospital, she must come to terms
with two things.
A stranger has labeled her his wife. The stranger happens to be her soul mate.
When love and duty clashes, Aiyana must make decisions that inevitably will cost her, her mental peace.
Can she find a way to make things work? Will the troubles at home increase because of her absence? Or has love entered her life as an antidote?
Each chapter filled with fun and mystery, the Running Wolf is the upcoming paranormal saga of the werewolf series.
Prologue:
The wind in her fur and the mud beneath her feet, helping her stretch herself long and wide as she continued to run, not after a specific location but for the thrill. For what was the point of this life, this heritage, if one couldn’t enjoy it to the fullest? If she couldn’t live this way, life would seem pale.
Aiyana raced through the forest, leaving behind the human façade she had to portray for the world around them. She used all her might to navigate, for today she wasn’t going to stop running.
The world was hers to explore. For now, there were no responsibilities to turn to nor any missions.
For now, she was the running wolf.
Aiyana was free and she had so many possibilities to explore. She reached the cliff and dove in, the water greeting her like an old friend.
Chapter 1:
The Oneida County, situated in the heart of the Northwood’s of Wisconsin, was the most sought out tourist destination of the area. People came from far and wide to settle down in the area for a few weeks. The Bear Lake Cabins and Rooms was the most famous inn of the area, where guests enjoyed every day they spent there.
The area was famous for the fishing preferences it presented the guests with. Essentially, the whole site had been created to accommodate the growing number of nature lovers, coming to the area to hike, fish, learn cooking skills, and to commune with the beauty of nature.
Aiyana sat at the reception, waiting for her shift to be over. Her stomach was growling from hunger, she hadn’t hunted in a long time, exactly one whole night.