9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  Jake abruptly stepped back, whirled to face away from her, his shoulders rigid, hands fisted at his side.

  "Tell me you didn't do what I'm picturing you doing." His strong Texas drawl deepened, the words thickening with a biting sarcasm. "You were not stupid enough to try something so foolish."

  "It didn't work anyway. My father caught me right away. By then it had been going on for a long time. I'd just turned sixteen. Felt big enough, grown up enough that I was invincible. Turns out I was stupid to think I could stop him."

  There was a long pause, the only sounds in the room his deep breaths as Jake inhaled slowly and deeply, exhaling in the same methodical fashion. He finally turned around to face her.

  "What did he do?"

  "To me—nothing? He put my mom in the hospital though." Her voice broke on the last word, remembering how small and broken her mom looked lying in the hospital bed. Terror and hopelessness filled her soul at the thought she might lose her—leaving her alone to deal with her father's uncontrollable rages.

  "She was hospitalized for two weeks—the longest two weeks of my life."

  "You missed school. It was spring of junior year." Jake's blue eyes stared into hers, his gaze tender, filled with new understanding.

  "You told me you and your mom went to visit her sister in Dallas, but she was in the hospital the whole time."

  "My father made sure she was in a hospital in the next county so nobody would know what he'd done. It was reported as a 'car accident' on the official record. There was one nurse there, I think she knew it was all lies, but what could she have done? There wasn’t any proof, only my word against his. Nobody would have listened to me."

  "I would have, Cass. You could have told me." The softly spoken words felt like jagged glass raking across her heart. Hurt laced his words, the soft accusation unspoken but resounding in her ears just the same.

  "Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Jake. I was still a kid living in a monstrous situation, afraid every single day. Everything was kept secret. I knew, deep down even as young as I was, I knew if I told anybody he'd kill us. It was a risk I couldn't take."

  Turning her back to him, she walked a few steps toward the door Brad had disappeared through what seemed like hours ago. Digging up all these old memories felt like a serrated blade being plunged into her chest and twisted. Memories of her years in Cougar Hills threatened to drown her in their murky dark depths. She couldn't allow them to fester and spread their poison.

  Fighting down the panic clawing at her, she moved to sit on the empty sofa, clasping her hands in her lap before continuing her story.

  "When we got home, things seemed to even out for a bit. My father didn't fly into the awful rages he was prone to. Hell, he even cut back on his drinking. I didn’t see any more clandestine meetings on the back side of our property. Even mom noticed things got . . . better. Then I turned seventeen."

  "I remember the day you turned seventeen." Jake smiled, reclining against the wall next to the window. Tilting his head, his face relaxed and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He barked out a laugh, catching Cass by surprise.

  "Remember what we did for your birthday?"

  "Of course I remember. It was a Saturday. I spent the morning with my mom. She made me a special birthday brunch, and gave me her mother's locket. A momentous day. I felt so grown up."

  "I came by your house and we went to the movies with my brother and his girlfriend. Sat up in the balcony, in the dark, and I held your hand. That was the first time I kissed you."

  Cassie's smiled as the memory poured forth. Her first kiss. Soft. Tender. Oh so exciting. It was everything a first kiss should be. Sitting in the dark of the tiny one-screen theater she'd fallen head-over-heels in love with Jake. Seventeen years old, her whole life ahead of her, stars in her eyes.

  "My very first kiss. You made me feel . . . cherished."

  "I asked you out on our first 'official' date that afternoon. You weren’t allowed to date until you turned seventeen." Jake strode over, sinking down onto the cushion beside her. Lifting her hand, he traced the lines on her palm, a feather light touch against her skin. Zings of electricity shot up her arm and straight to her heart at his gentle touch. She cleared her throat, flooded with a swarm of resurfacing emotions.

  "We rode in the back of your brother's pickup down to the creek and sat on a blanket under the trees. You told me about your plans for after graduation. The Marines, wasn’t it?"

  Jake looked away, not meeting her gaze. Somehow that bothered her more than his directness moments earlier. He was hiding something.

  "Plans change, just like people do. You left without a good-bye and my brother died. So I stayed in Cougar Hills for a few more years before moving to Denver." His voice echoed in the room, distant and withdrawn. His body language changed from one heartbeat to the next and he let go of her hand, snaring his fingers through his dark hair.

  "I'm sorry about your brother, Jake. He was a good man." Cassie's heart ached for Jake's loss.

  She leaned in, resting her fingertips lightly against the scruff on his cheeks. The whisker burn felt good, right, beneath her touch. He'd always been clean-shaved back in high school, but she liked this new, slightly edgier look. It suited him.

  He meant to kiss her. She knew it, wanted it, needed it, more than she needed her next breath.

  Expecting only a brief touch of his lips, instead his mouth possessed hers, branded her with a stark passion-filled merging of lips and teeth and tongues. If his intent was to consume her with need—mission accomplished. Nothing could've prepared her for the total eclipse of her emotions. Desire roared through her, a burning deep inside, kindling for the raging fires of lust mixed with the memories of lost love.

  If he can do this with a single kiss I don't stand a chance if he wants more.

  Because she did—she wanted so much more than just one kiss.

  He lifted her hand to his lips, pressed a gentle kiss to her palm, and she curled her fingers inward, as though to hold the kiss close, preserving it within her closed fist, holding it tight.

  She swallowed the sudden lump that threatened to choke her.

  "Forget everything else, Cass. Forget your not saying good-bye." Forget telling me you loved me. "I just have one question. Answer it and I'll leave you alone.”

  “Ask your question, Jake.”

  “Why, Cassie?”

  The truth struggled with the lie inside her. The lie was more palatable, easier to tell herself after all their years apart. Telling him the truth wouldn't change anything, it could only make things worse, if he even believed her. She opened her mouth, determined to take the easy way out, tell him she'd left because she hadn't wanted to be with him any more. Instead, the truth spilled from her lips before she could stop the words.

  "My father said he'd kill you."

  Chapter 8

  Quin replaced the phone receiver into its holder, the call finished. The wheels of fate were set in motion, no stopping them now, but that didn't mean he couldn't lend a helping hand when necessary.

  His contact called informing him Dr. Daniels and Sheriff Baxter left Cougar Hills, Texas, that morning driving toward Colorado. At just under a thousand miles if they drove straight through, they'd be there in under twenty hours, probably a bit less if they didn't stop.

  He drummed his fingers on the desk top, pondering his next move. If he did nothing, which was what the Fates decreed, things worked out according to their wishes. No happy ending. No joining of souls for a couple destined to be. On rare occasions, two souls predestined to be together for all eternity could be separated through violence and blood, fire and death.

  The Fates intended Jake and Cassie to be one of these disastrous pairings, doomed to eternal separation.

  They foretold Quin bringing them together for their final earthly reunion, here at Destiny's Desire. Then with the snip of a thread, true love ended. No redemption, no do-over. Finished.

  Quin let a brief smile curl his lips. I've alwa
ys been an arrogant bastard and love sticking it to the jealous old biddies whenever I can. Manipulative bunch of old harpies, the lot of them.

  Reaching forward he picked up the phone again and dialed. Looked like he'd be interfering one more time.

  Chapter 9

  "What did you say?"

  "He said he'd kill you." The same old panic bubbled, churning like acid in her stomach. She remembered the maniacal gleam in her father's eyes when he uttered the words causing her whole world to crumble all those years ago.

  "Jake . . ." Before she'd finished his name, the door to the bedroom swung open and Brad sauntered through, strapping on a shoulder harness and checked his gun before he slid it into place. He shrugged into the jacket he'd discarded over the back of the sofa earlier, eased into it, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

  "Gotta go, Princess. Reunion's over, we need to move."

  With a stricken look in her eyes, Cass turned away. Before she'd taken more than a step away, Jake grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

  She opened her mouth to answer when a knock on the door interrupted. A mutinous expression flashed across Cassie's face. Brad just grinned and stepped around her to the suite's door. Flinging it open, he motioned Quinton Chase inside.

  "Everything okay here?" Quin's quiet voice carried throughout the silent room, its deep timber filled with concern.

  "Just old home week here at Casa de Brad." Nobody laughed and Brad shrugged as if to say "fine, don't have a sense of humor."

  "Dr. Daniels and Sheriff Baxter left Cougar Hills early this morning." Quin shot a look of compassion and understanding at Cassie when she gasped at his words. He continued on, speaking directly to Brad. “I’m sorry, Cassie.” She started at his use of her real name, knowing he’d been introduced to her the previous night with her alias.

  "I've got people tailing them, but you've probably got less than twenty hours before they're here if they don't make any stops."

  "How do you know my father?"

  "I don't know him personally, for which I'm eternally thankful, since he's a sadistic, twisted bastard. Brad and I worked behind the scenes before you got here, making all the arrangements."

  "Arrangements? You mean like manipulating me, making me come to Destiny's Desire?" Jake's words were tinged with a hint of comprehension at what Quinton Chase had done. He'd noted the changes in Ryan and Rose since coming back from Destiny's Desire at Christmastime; had heard the whole story of Quinton Chase's involvement in getting them there. Hell, he'd played his own part in getting them there. Chase was a manipulative son of a bitch.

  "Exactly, Mr. Stone. You have to be here to see this ended once and for all. Inadvertently you played a part in setting things in motion. For Cassie to have the freedom to live a normal, happy life, you have to be here to see it through to its conclusion."

  "Wait a minute—wait a minute." Cassie interjected, not understanding anything happening around her. She turned toward Brad, read the guilt in his gaze.

  "What have you done?"

  "Not me, Cass. Clayton's kept his eye on Dr. Daniel's ever since he met you and your mother. Seven years is a damn long time for two people to keep running, changing identities." Brad said, shaking his head.

  "Truthfully, I think he wants it over because he wants to marry your mom."

  "Marry my mom?" Cass sputtered the words, felt the reality of them sink in.

  "He's been in love with her since the day they met, although he hid it well. You are like a daughter to him and seeing you live life like a fugitive when you'd done nothing wrong—he wants it ended now."

  Cassie felt blind-sided, everything turned upside down. Clayton, Brad's uber-scary boss, the man who owned and operated a group of high level, specially trained security experts, loved her mother and wanted to marry her?

  "Explain it all later. Time to move now." Quin's voice broke into Cassie's reeling thoughts.

  "There's a cabin about 2 miles straight up, well hidden. I use it when I need—privacy. It's secluded and only a few trusted people on staff even know where it is. There's no road so you'll have to hike to get there—that's why you need to leave now. We'll take care of Dr. Daniels and Sheriff Baxter when they arrive."

  "Grab you bag, Princess, we're outta here."

  "Not without me." Jake's somber tones and the determination etched on his face had a pool of desire spinning inside Cassie. Now wasn't the time or the place, but the attraction between then had always been electric and burned like a wildfire out of control. Even after all these years, nothing changed that for her.

  "We don't have time for this now, Stone. Have your reunion when Cassie's safe." Brad interjected.

  "Cass will be safe. I'll be there to make sure of it."

  "Brad, he goes. We're leaving in five minutes." Quin's voice brooked no argument.

  Cass turned away from the three stone-faced men and walked into her bedroom, quickly stripping off the scarlet sweater she wore and grabbed a thicker black and white patterned long-sleeved thermal shirt, topping it with a cable knit black sweater.

  She snagged the backpack she always kept packed for emergencies; it contained new IDs, money, a couple changes of clothing, and one more item she never went anywhere without. Her personal emergency blanket, she called it. Black steel with a solid grip, the 9mm gave her the feeling of safety and protection she'd craved for the last seven years. Everything else she was prepared to leave behind, could do without. The gun always went with her.

  With a quick glance around and a muttered prayer she walked back into the living room and one step closer to the confrontation brewing with her father.

  Chapter 10

  The trek to the cabin was bitterly cold, the terrain rocky and uneven. A blanket of snow and ice coated every step as they veered further away from the lodge and civilization. Dense growths of towering pine trees clustered together, their boughs heavy with freshly fallen snow standing in regal majesty.

  Cassie hunched into her huge down jacket, reaching up to tug her knit cap further down onto her head.

  "Not much farther." Quin pointed ahead toward the left. In the distance, the cabin stood nestled among the surrounding trees, hidden from the casual observer. It had obviously been designed to blend into its natural surroundings, the rough-hewn logs a natural camouflage within the winter wonderland.

  "About damn time." Brad muttered under his breath, trudging along ahead of Cassie. Jake walked next to her, his watchful gaze continually checking on her. Did he think she'd disappear again, like she'd done all those years ago?

  Her foot struck a rock buried beneath the snow and she stumbled. Jake's arms clasped her close, catching her before she hit the ground. For a moment she allowed herself to savor the feel of his arms wrapped securely around her. One word sprang forth in her mind at his touch. Home.

  "Thanks."

  "No problem." Jake lowered his hands, and immediately Cassie missed the feel of his arms. Get a grip. One more day and he'll be gone and you'll be going back to Chicago. Alone. At least that's what her head said. Her heart on the other hand wanted something else entirely. He's your home. The other half of your whole. You need him in your life. Always have, always will.

  Seven minutes later four sets of feet pounded the snow, ice, and slush from their boots onto the slatted boards of the front porch before going inside. Quin strode across the scarred wooden planks, straight to the giant stone fireplace. Wood stockpiled beside it soon filled the empty grate and Cassie watched his sure and steady hands kindle the spark into a roaring fire. Brad strode over to a table across the room, lighting several oil lamps scattered across its top, flooding the room with blazing clarity.

  "What happens now?" Jake broached the question that had been on Cassie's mind the whole hike from the lodge.

  "I'll head back to Destiny's Desire." Quin stated. "If and when Dr. Daniels and Sheriff Baxter show up, and everybody in this room knows they will, I have security staff in place. Brad's
employer, Mr. Clayton, assures me there's enough evidence now to have them brought in for questioning."

  Cassie's glance flashed immediately to Brad. Stone-faced, he stared back at her, not blinking then nodded once.

  "Clayton's sending a team to pick up both men and they'll be transported to Denver."

  "Why now, though? He's been searching for me all this time—how'd he know I'd be here?"

  "It's time we explained everything." Brad waited until Jake and Cassie sat while Quin remained standing. Brad shot him a look to which Quin just raised a brow, crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame separating the living space from the compact kitchen area.

  "Cassie, you know your father's been under surveillance for a long time. Baxter, too. Your father's had him in his pocket almost since the beginning. The State of Texas issued warrants for their arrests last week for distribution of a controlled substance as well as a variety of related charges, including extortion and racketeering."

  "He's finally going to prison? It's about damn time." The vehemence in Cassie's words surprised even her, the bitterness and hatred scared her. She thought she'd feel relief at Brad's announcement, but all she felt was a burning hot rage. Before she could continue, Brad knelt on the floor in front of her.

  "Your father and Baxter somehow got wind of what was coming and went into hiding. Something had to be done to draw them out. Daniels' always wanted you and your mother found. Feeding him information on your location, this was his best chance of finally catching up to you."

  “So Cassie is bait?" Jake interjected.

  Brad nodded, still looking at Cassie.

  "Her mother too, but Clayton has her wrapped up tight. We're banking on Daniels wanting Cassie more. She's always the one he's chasing. Every inquiry he's made focused on Cassie. So, leaking her location gives us our best chance of ending this, once and for all."