by Juno Rushdan
More than that, the truck had been a promise from his father that he would eventually run the ranching portion of the Albright estate, something he’d dreamed of doing since he’d been a young boy.
But that had been before his life had fallen apart. That had been before her. Even though it had been ten years since he’d seen her, been with her, thoughts of her still shot a hot wave through his body. He was never sure whether it was the burn of a rich anger he’d never gotten over or the white-hot fever of a desire that had never burned itself out.
“Should I expect you back here for dinner?” Stephanie asked, pulling him from his wayward thoughts.
“No, I’ll just grab something while I’m out, but tell David I’ll be ready for the appointment at the lawyer’s office at noon tomorrow.”
“I’ll tell him,” she replied. “And enjoy your first day home.”
“Thanks, Steph. I’ll see you later.”
Jake stepped out the back door and drew in a deep breath of the August heat. It smelled of pasture and hay and cattle. It was a welcome scent. He’d never wanted to be in Italy working for the family winery. His heart had always been here in Dusty Gulch. But, when his father had insisted he go, Jake had believed there was nothing left here for him, and all he’d wanted to do was escape.
Times had changed. Justin Albright was dead, and Jake’s grief was deep for the man he’d admired and loved and desperately wanted to please. His grief came from the fact that he would now never gain the closeness he’d wanted with his father. He’d always thought there would be time for him and his father, but time had run out.
He headed toward the garage in the distance. Once there he got into his pickup and headed out. He followed the drive around to the front of the house, where he had a view of the small town below...a town nearly owned by the Albright family.
He had no idea how his father might have divided things up between him and his brother. Hopefully David would be agreeable to letting Jake take over the ranching business and David would be kept busy with the real estate and any other business.
When he reached the bottom of the hill, instead of turning left to head into town, he turned right and headed in the direction of Eva’s place.
He knew going to see Eva Taylor, now Eva Martin, was a foolish thing to do. He’d been seventeen years old and she’d been sixteen when they’d first begun dating. Eventually they had shared an explosive love affair. She’d been his first lover and he had been hers. That had been over ten years ago.
In those ten years, she’d married and had a child and was now a widow. He had no idea why he wanted to see her again, but as he drew closer to her small ranch on the outskirts of town, the nerves in his chest bunched and tightened.
He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so tense. She’d really been nothing more to him than a first love...a high school sweetheart. Maybe he just needed to see her again in order to stamp closure on the fiery relationship that had haunted him over the years.
As he pulled down the long lane that was her driveway, he saw the ranch house looked much the way he remembered it. Painted white with dark green shutters and trim, this place had been where he had spent much of his teenage years.
Spending time here with Eva and her father, Tom, had felt like home. Tom had welcomed him like a son, and there had been much warmth and laughter and caring in this small ranch house.
He pulled up and parked, and his gaze swept the area. Although the house appeared to be in good shape, her barn and some of the other outbuildings were weatherworn and begged for paint and some repairs.
Was she struggling financially? It must be hard for a single woman with a son to keep a ranch up and running. He knew they had struggled with money issues when her father had been alive. None of your business, a small voice whispered in his head.
He got out of his truck but stood hesitantly by the driver’s door. What in the hell was he doing? He shouldn’t have come here.
Ten years ago she’d broken up with him, and she had never indicated that she’d regretted her decision. She’d moved on with her life and had probably never given him a second thought.
He was just about to return to his truck and drive away when the front door opened and there she stood.
Clad in a sleeveless summer dress and with her long black hair falling down beyond her shoulders, her beauty nearly stole his breath away.
Her violet-blue eyes were widened in surprise. “Jake,” she murmured. “Wha...what are you doing here?”
“I just thought I’d stop by and visit an old friend,” he replied. He gestured toward the door. “Can I come in? Maybe get a cup of coffee?”
She hesitated for a long moment, and once again he wondered what in the hell he was doing here. She was even more beautiful than she had been ten years ago, but she definitely didn’t appear overjoyed to see him again. And why should she? He was probably nothing more than a distant memory in her mind.
She’d married her husband months after Jake had left town. She’d had his child. Jake had been nothing more to her than a high school boyfriend. But high school had been over a long time ago.
She finally opened the door wider to allow him entry. As he swept by her, he couldn’t help but notice the scent that wafted from her. It was the same perfume she’d worn years ago, a spicy, slightly floral scent that instantly heated his blood.
And that’s when he knew exactly why he was here. He wanted her. He’d never stopped wanting her. And he believed the only way he could really move on from her was to have her one more time.
Copyright © 2020 by Carla Bracale
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ISBN-13: 9781488067679
Witness Security Breach
Copyright © 2020 by Juno Rushdan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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