As she waits to hear Tony’s reaction to her acceptance, Ami thinks back to her dream. It actually was less of a dream and more of a recollection, a long suppressed memory reentering her consciousness. Fifteen years ago a handsome dark haired man really had taken her father out of a casino. He was responsible for the wallet of money as well. She’d gone back to the casino the following day, and after pleading with the security guard to tell her where he could be found she tracked him down. He told Ami he had a weak spot for ladies in distress. “Lance” he told her to call him. The security guard couldn’t stop laughing. Apparently the nick name, short for Sir Lancelot, was the appropriate. The two became inseparable and spent the next few months together. Lance was the first boy to ever kiss her. What a kiss it had been too, passionate but tender and sweet. Ami was crushed when her father decided to move them to yet another town. Just before she left, Lance gave her a little something to remember him by. A beautiful scarlet playing card, the back imprinted with an ornate shield in gold leaf, on the face side, a King of hearts.
Even after they parted it seemed like Lance was watching over her; a personal guardian angel. Whenever the family’s circumstances got really bad, something would happen to correct the situation. Her father would mysteriously come into extra money, or a bill or debt would somehow be paid. Sometimes debtors would back off until her father’s next big win. Every time their lives got truly terrible, Ami told Nicole “Lance’s going to rescue us again.” Like magic, something would begin to go right. The phrase became their mantra, almost a prayer. After all these years as a good luck charm she kept the card with her. Taking the now battered card from her wallet she rubs the familiar shield. Looking out the window, she places the card against her heart. “Lance’s going to rescue us again” she whispers to herself.
“Ami, may I come in?” A commanding voice jars her from her thoughts. She turns to see Tony standing in the doorway. “You’re certain of your decision?” he asks as he enters the room. Mutely Ami nods yes. “Did you review the terms?” He asked her. “No” She replied to him. “There is no need. If it means I never have to worry about my father’s debts again, and then I’m … I’m happy to marry you”. Tony’s eyes search her face, as if looking for something. Then he sees the flash of red she is holding in her hand. “So you did keep it.” He murmurs, more to himself, then to her.
Confused, Ami clutches the card tighter, holding it firmly against her breast. “Come with me.” Tony commands her, and spinning on his heels, walks swiftly down the hallway. Ami follows closely behind. When he enters another bedroom, Ami hesitates at the door. Seeing she didn’t follow him in, Tony walks back to her. “What’s the matter, beautiful girl?” He said, gently taking her hand. “No one’s going to hurt you.” Looking at his face again, Ami feels a flash of déjà vu. Could it be? “You were supposed to look in the folder” He chides her. “You need to know it’s not what it seems.”
Chapter 5
Sitting Ami down in a chair, Tony brings the folder to her and opens it. The first page is blank, except for a playing card stapled upon it: a queen of hearts, which matched her king. The next page has a strip of photos from a photo booth; during their time together she and Lance took them at the local mall. Glancing up at the man standing next to her, she finally recognizes the resemblance between the man she once knew as Lance and the man she now knows as Tony Roma. “Lance?” Ami asks incredulously. “Keep going. You’ll soon know everything” he urges her. After those two items she found old receipts, pictures, paid debts. A letter to Nicole’s university from Mr. Tony Roma recommending her for the scholarship she received is at the back of the folder. All of which begins to add up to one thing.
“Lance, all this time you really have been watching out for us!” Ami springs from her chair to embrace him. Gently Tony holds her back. “I tried but not well enough Ami. I couldn’t stop your father from gambling or keep you from all that hardship. Then I screwed up. My family in New Jersey… they are not good people. They found out I had been spending family resources on you and your sister. They decided to send me a message. They rigged that card game. I’m afraid they may have also killed your father. I tried to take on the debt to protect you but…”
“But they won’t forgive the debt, or the money Tony has been spending on you, unless it’s owed to a family member.” Mick said from the doorway. “You aren’t family unless the two of you get married. So we came up with a plan to get the Godfather in Jersey off your back.” Mick went on to explain they had purposefully set her payments too high, to force her to come to Chicago to negotiate. The show downstairs had been for the benefit of a member of the New Jersey family, who was there to ensure Tony carried through on his word to marry Ami and settle the debt by making her a family member.
Tony looks at Ami apologetically. “Once we’re married, all is forgiven, according to my uncle. I’m sorry, I couldn’t think of any other way. I swear I will make you happy.” Hushing his apologies, Ami kisses him, at first tenderly, soon with intense passion. Relief swells into gratitude, and gratitude into longing as the kisses deepen. Mick clears his throat. “I will set up the appointment with the judge in the morning then, Sir?” Tony confirms that will be fine. “Nice seeing you again, Ms. Ami.” As Mick walks away, Ami finally remembers him; the security guard from the casino. Left alone, Tony and Ami renew their relationship in the king sized bed. Years of pent up passion and desire are soon happily realized.
In the morning, the two sign their marriage certificate and are married by a judge. Mick and Don serve as witnesses. As the newly married couple kiss, Ami realizes for the first time in her life, she is finally safe in the arms of a man who loves her. Tony not only protected her from danger, he is giving her a chance at a wonderful new life. Ami has been in love with her husband since she was a teenager. The Lance she once knew is now her Tony. The dream that kept her going through all the bad times isn’t a dream at all. It’s her destiny.
Simple Country Farm
By Kristina Belle
Simple Country Farm. Copyright 2013.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information retrieval or system without express written permission from the publisher.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Kate Rider is alarmed. She knows as soon as she pulls on to the winding country road she made a mistake. Visiting her friend Roger for a relaxing winter weekend in the country seemed like a great idea when they made the plan. She hadn’t taken a break since her dad suddenly died eight months ago. It seemed to help to ease her grief by staying busy with work. The pain is still there but while working is muted a little. Roger is an old childhood plutonic friend. It would be fun to spend a weekend chilling out with him.
She certainly could use the time away from life in the city. They made plans for the getaway weekend two weeks ago, long before the weather forecast called for a raging snowstorm. When she left her apartment that morning Kate expected the four hour drive to her best friend’s country house would be accomplished long before the snow started to fall. She was wrong. She really should have cancelled the trip.
Now she was nervously driving on a narrow country road in blowing snow so thick, she could barely see past her headlights. Under terrible driving conditions she fears she will miss her turn. Kate desperately searches through the blinding snow for any sign of her turn off. There, a little blue road sign half covered in snow comes into view. She is missing her turn! Kate jams on the brakes trying to slow down to make the turn. Her wheels hit an ice patch hidden under the snow. Her car spins wildly out of control. The last thing Kate sees is a whirl of white snow and brown earth. She hears a crunch and then lights out.
Kate regains consciousness to find herself staring through her shattered car w
indow at the face of an angel. A male angel framed in white, upside down, wearing a… wait is that a cowboy hat? “Am I dead?” Kate groans out. “No ma’am.” The kind faced angel says, “But it sure seems you came close. Let’s get you outta there”. She hears the angel say something “yee!” With a crunching of metal her car door slowly opens. Big strong but gentle hands unbuckle her seat belt and pull her from the wrecked car.
Kate hurts all over from bruises and scrapes. She finds herself lying down on a rough woolen blanket. The angel’s head is surrounded by swirling snow. “Name’s Brett, ma’am, Brett Williams. I’d like to say it’s nice to meetcha. Right now though, I need to make sure you aren’t too hurt. Sorry about this. It may hurt a little. ” Kate feels gentle hands carefully touching her body being careful not to press too hard. She really must be in heaven; the last thing she remembers is an awful crash. The cowboy hat wearing angel asks her to wiggle her fingers and toes, than asks about her head and neck. Kate mumbles her head hurts. “You must have a concussion. From the looks of it you took a nasty blow breaking that windshield with your head. We need to get you inside and out of this snow storm.”
Chapter 2
Kate is gently lifted up into the angel’s strong muscular arms. Behind her a huge golden colored horse walks calmly, following them like a faithful dog follows its’ master. Before long she sees an old farm house come into view through the snow. She had never once thought heaven would look a country farm, or that angels had horses and wore cowboy hats. Kate is brought inside and carefully placed on an old leather couch. “Now don’t you fall asleep on me, Ma’am. I have to take care of Molly. I’ll be right back to fix you up and make you some hot tea. You hang on. Won’t take but a few minutes”.
Kate looks around the room. There is a crackling fire in a huge stone fireplace. The smell of cheerfully burning hardwood fills the air. The furniture is worn but handsome and manly. Over the fireplace mantle is a six point buck’s head. She slowly realizes she is in an old fashioned farm house. It’s not heaven after all but has all the comforts of a real home. The kind her grandparents lived in all their lives. When the cowboy returns carrying a first aid kit, she can’t help but blurt out “You’re not an angel!” The man stops in his tracks, gives her a rueful grin. “No, I’m definitely no angel. That’s for sure.” Brett the cowboy begins to expertly tend to her minor scrapes and cuts.
As Brett tends to Kate, the last of her confusion begins to drain away. She realizes she is alone, with a strange man, in his home, in the middle of nowhere. But what a man. His green eyes look at her with an intensity that is unsettling. He is lean and obviously fit, like a man used to hard outside work. Suddenly nervous, she asks if he can locate her cellphone so she can call her friend. Sensing her nervousness and reservations, Brett hastens to reassure her that she is safe; he means her no harm. He goes outside to see if he can find her cellphone and recover the rest of her belongings from her car. “It’s a bit of a hike to your car so don’t get nervous. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Ten minutes later Brett returns with Kate’s purse with the phone inside. Kate manages to call Roger and tell him what happened. When Roger hears Kate was rescued by Brett Williams, he tells her how lucky she is. Roger has known Brett for several years. Not only is he handsome, and trustworthy, he’s a single man to boot! Roger has Kate put Brett on the phone.
The three of them make a plan. Kate will stay with Brett until the storm stops and the roads are plowed. Then Roger will drive down and pick Kate up. When it stops snowing Brett will see if anything can be done with Kate’s car. Roger leaves Kate with some parting advice: “Enjoy your visit over there. He’s a good guy!”
Chapter 3
As the blizzard rages and snow continues to pile up Kate spends the afternoon curled up on Brett’s couch. As they talk, she begins to learn more about her handsome rescuer. He lives alone on a farm he inherited from his grandparents. His small business is raising horses and growing hay for the surrounding area. “That’s how I met Roger.” He tells Kate in his soft but masculine voice. “I’m their hay man.” Kate finds herself completely charmed by the forthright cowboy. He makes his simple country life with his horses sound so appealing; a far cry from her stressful life working in an office in the big city.
As the grey light outside falls into the black of night Brett builds adds wood to the fireplace and begins to cook dinner for Kate. “You rescue damsels and cook?” She teases him. “Well not usually. This is my first time rescuing a damsel. I’m lucky I started out with a pretty one. But I do make a pretty mean stew.” Brett smiles back at her from over the stovetop. As he gives her the tasting spoon their fingers touch. Kate feels a thrill of heat. She is surprised at how intense a small accidental touch makes her feel. Brett has been the perfect gentleman but now she is wishing he would take an interest in her other than attending to injuries. The chemistry continues to sizzle as the two eat dinner. Kate can’t decide which is hotter, the piping stew in her bowl or the smoldering glances her rescuer is sending her from across the table.
Brett is equally surprised. He spends most of his time alone and isn’t used to getting worked up over a female. His horses have provided him with all the company he wants. That is until now. Looking into Kate’s dark brown eyes, like pools of dark chocolate, is marvelous but unsettling. A brief touch of her fingers, listening to her gentle voice, is stirring up passions he thought he would never experience again. Ever since his childhood sweetheart was killed in a car wreck five years ago he stayed mostly to himself.
After dinner Brett leaves the table to tend to the horses. A horseman’s work is never done. Kate doesn’t mind cleaning up. She begins to realize this life of country living and domesticity has an appeal she never expected. She hasn’t felt this comfortable or happy since before her father passed away. After putting the everyday dishes back in the cupboard Kate finds what has become her favorite spot on the sofa; right in front of the comforting, romantic fireplace. Brett returns from his chores covered in snow to tell her the weather report on the radio is calling for the storm to last well into the next day. Odds are the roads won’t be plowed until tomorrow evening, possibly the following morning. Kate doesn’t worry. She is comfortable and in no rush to leave.
Brett goes right to work and makes up the spare bedroom for Kate. She thanks him and as he says goodnight Kate musters up her courage and steals a kiss. She’s totally amazed she is so forward. The kiss turns searing and Brett struggles to pull himself away. He would much rather stay but still cautious of complications retreats to his own bedroom. Kate is disappointed. Feeling a little rejected she collapses onto the bed and falls asleep.
Kate wakes up much later, just as the darkness of night is beginning to lighten to gray. She hears a pair of boots approach the bedroom door. Her hearts pounds a mile a minute in her chest as she hopes the door will open. As the knob begins to turn, she hears Brett mumbling. “Get a hold of yourself man! Leave the poor woman alone. She’s already had enough trouble.” With a frustrated deep sigh, Brett walks down the hall to begin the day’s chores.
Kate stifles a moan of longing and tries her best to go back to sleep. After unhappily lying in bed for an hour she forces herself up and goes downstairs. A simple breakfast is waiting for her. She is not happy to be eating alone. After finishing breakfast she spots Brett working out in the yard, hauling hay through the falling snow. Determined to be useful, Kate runs upstairs, quickly washes up, and puts on her winter clothes. Once outside, she finds Brett still hard at work. Kate calls out to him. She wants to help. Looking surprised but pleased Brett says, “Hey, glad to see you’re a worker” and puts her to work feeding the horses.
By the time they finish, they’re freezing. The couple warms up inside over cocoa. When Brett asks Kate if she would like to see the rest of his farm on horseback, she eagerly agrees. Embarrassed, Kate has to tell Brett she is a city girl; she doesn’t know how to ride a horse. Chuckling Brett tells her no problem. She can ride double with hi
m on Molly. They mount up on the huge golden Belgian mare Kate saw the day before. For the next hour Kate rides next to Brett around his farm, pressed in the saddle closely behind him. Without thinking anything of it Brett ends the tour at the hay barn. He wants to proudly show off a few of his other horses. As he helps Kate dismount the huge mare she somehow falls right into his arms. The dual passion that had been building all morning explodes. The two make love first in the hay barn, and then move inside to the cozy house.
The afternoon flies by in a blur as passions unleashed they alternately make love and complete a few necessary chores around the farm. Roger calls Kate that evening to see how she’s doing. He is delighted to learn that Kate and Brett have been staying warm and cozy by staying close to each other. Then Roger drops a bombshell. “It’s a real shame Brett won’t be able to stay on his farm much longer. The bank is planning to foreclose early next month.” “He’s going to lose his farm? The life he loves!” Kate blurts out incredulously. Horrified she realizes Brett is standing in the doorway and must have heard her. Embarrassed, Brett turns around and walks quickly out of the house into the still falling snow.
Wasting no time Kate hangs up on Roger and runs into the cold after him. She sees Brett headed towards Molly’s snow covered pasture. When she calls after him Brett stops at the gate. Kate rushes to catch up to him. Brett reluctantly tells her the ugly truth. If he can’t raise two hundred thousand dollars by the beginning of next month, he’s going to lose everything. The land, the horses, everything his grandparents worked so hard to build will be gone. He knows no one who can loan him that sort of money. His whole way of life and means to earn a living are a lost cause.
Kelly's Jellyfish Romance (Romantic Short Stories) Page 3
