Love Unclaimed (The Red Truck Series)

by Jennifer Benson

  “Then it is good we brought dogs and burgers for grilling.” Audree laughed, wrapping her arms around Gavin’s neck as she pressed herself against his back.

  “Damn it!” Clint grumbled as he stamped into the water and disappeared under it.

  “So, are you serious about Georgia?” Audree asked, floating on the water in a tube next to Travis.

  “Pretty serious, I guess.” Travis shrugged and looked over toward the beach where Georgia was sitting with Ruby and Harry.

  “She was the secretary at your dad’s office?”

  “Yeah, she was hot and I didn’t see a ring so, after Trudy left town, I went back and asked her out. We went out a couple of times before I brought her to the party.”

  “And she’s still around a week later.” She winked at him. “That must be some kind of record for you.”

  “Hardy har har.” He splashed water at Audree.

  “I guess things are going well with you and Gavin?” He laughed when she splashed water back at him.

  “Yup, things are great. We both wish we hadn’t waited so long, but we are together now.”

  “And Eva seems to have adjusted to Gavin moving in and I assume moving into your bedroom.”

  “She came into my room the other night after she had a nightmare, climbed into my bed, said ‘hello Uncle Gavin. I’m so glad you’re here, I had a nightmare,’ then curled up in his arms and went to sleep.” She beamed at the memory. “Remind me to show you later. I took a picture of them.”

  “I’m happy for you both. You two finally getting together is all I could have hoped for.”

  “Thank you, Travis,” she pushed off her tube and threw her arms around his neck.

  “For what?”

  “For being such a great friend to me and always being there to pick me up.”

  “Anytime, anytime.” He patted her back and squeezed her tight.

  “You want to get your hands of my girl, little brother?” Gavin’s voice was filled with humor.

  “Took you long enough to claim her, but I guess I can give her back to you.” He released his hold on her.

  “Love you,” Audree whispered into his ear.

  “Love you, too.” He kissed her cheek and started to move away. “By the way, when are you going to make an honest woman out of Audree? Don’t want the gossip whores thinking you are still just after her body.”

  “Don’t you worry about that. It is in the works.” Gavin smiled mischievously at Audree.

  “What?”

  “Shhhh… let’s go have lunch before your brother burns the burgers.” He scooped Audree up and carried her out of the water.

  “What is going on?” Audree laughed, holding onto Eva’s hand, as Ruby tied a blindfold around her friend’s head. “I thought this was a surprise for Eva?” She had just tied a blindfold around her daughter’s eyes. Gavin told her after they had come back from a day at the lake, cleaned up, and taken a nap that he had a surprise for Eva down at the barn.

  “Gavin wouldn’t tell me. He just asked me to cover your eyes, too.” She laughed. “He said it was a surprise and that I was to bring you down when you were ready.”

  “Do you think he got me a new horse? I love Star, but wouldn’t mind another one,” Eva asked excitedly as they made their way through the living room.

  “Here, let me help, Audree.” Harry offered his arm from her left side.

  “I’ve got her, Audree. Come here, Eva.” Audree could hear the smile in his voice.

  “You know what is going on?”

  “Maybe.” Travis laughed.

  “Is it going to make me cry?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Just full of answers tonight, aren’t you, Travis.” Audree shook her head.

  “Your chariot awaits.” Travis offered his hand to Audree. “Ruby, can you buckle Eva in while I get Audree?”

  “Done,” Ruby said from the backseat.

  “We’re good,” Harry said, also from the backseat.

  “This is some party your brother has got going on.” She tried to control her excitement. Gavin had been gone all day. He had disappeared after breakfast and Ruby had kept her busy with her catering schedule and plans.

  “The partying is later.” Travis chuckled.

  “What does that mean?” Audree asked, now feeling nervous and excited.

  “Will there be cake? I love cake. Aunt Ruby makes the best cakes.”

  “Thank you, baby, I’ll make you one if Uncle Gavin didn’t get one.” Ruby hugged Eva.

  “Yay!”

  “Okay, everybody out,” Travis said a few minutes later. “Let me come get you, Audree,” he opened his door then came around and opened hers, then offered her his hand again.

  “We’re here. We’re here. Where is our surprise?” Eva called from in front of Audree and was answered with more than one shhh.

  “Okay, starting to freak out a bit,” Audree said as Travis let go of her hand.

  “No freaking, babe, I’m right here.” Gavin’s calming voice made her feel a little better as he kissed the back of her hand and guided her forward.

  “Can you take this thing off of my eyes now?” she pleaded.

  “Of course.” He stepped closer before her reaching behind her head to untie the knot Ruby had made.

  “Oh, Gavin.” Audree didn’t even try to hold back the tears rolling down her face. “It is beautiful,” she said, looking at the flowered arch before her and the candles surrounding them. As she turned, she saw her mother and father standing next to Clint, all of them smiling at her. Eva stood next to Clint with her tiny hand tucked in his. As she continued to look around, Travis and Georgia joined Ruby and Harry. “What is going on? It looks like a wedding… Gavin?”

  “I thought about it, but Ruby was right, you would go through with a surprise wedding, but you want and deserve the wedding of your dreams. So I thought we should do this part first.” He dropped to his knee before her.

  “Gavin,” Audree gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Audree Edwards, I have loved you most of my life. We have spent so much time chasing each other instead of just admitting to ourselves and to each other just what we felt. We have loved each other, fought with each other, made up with each other, and said that we hated each other, just to come back to each other. You are my home, Audree. You and Eva are my family. You’re both my world, and I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.” He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. “Eva,” he called to the little girl who ran over to stand before he mother. “Eva, I have loved you since the moment I held you in my arms the first time.” He smiled at her when she giggled. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to be your stepfather?”

  “Do I still call you Uncle Gavin?” Everyone laughed.

  “You can call me Gavin or anything else you want.” He smiled at her.

  “Then, yes, you can be my stepdad.” She leaned forward and waited until he clasped the necklace around her neck then wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. “I love you, Daddy Gavin.”

  “Oh, I love you, too, pretty girl. I love you so much.” He kissed her cheek then moved her to stand next to him.

  “Mommy, it is your turn.” She smiled up at Gavin. “Right?” she asked when everyone laughed with her.

  Gavin cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and looked up at a smiling Audree who had tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t cry, baby.” He wiped the tears away and she nodded. “Audree, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your life with me?”

  “Yes.” She nodded her head and threw her arms around his neck nearly knocking him over after he slipped a ring on her finger.

  After everyone had congratulated them, they celebrated with dinner and Eva’s much requested cake. Everyone said their goodnights and left Audree and Gavin standing in the barn in front of the arch.

  “Were you really going to marry me tonight?”

  “Yes
, I was.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the doors.

  “I’m glad Ruby told you not to surprise me. I want the whole big thing. I want my father to walk me down the aisle and give me away.” She smiled at him. “And I want to see you dressed in suit.”

  “No tux?”

  “No tux. I miss seeing you in suits. Do you miss your company?”

  “Nope. I don’t miss the suits either. I’m a farm kid.” He laughed. “And this farm kid wants to go celebrate with his fiancée. Come on.” He opened the door to his truck and helped her in.

  “Where are we going?”

  “The rest of my surprise.” He winked and closed her door.

  “Where are we driving to?” Audree asked from the passenger seat of Gavin’s truck.

  “Close your eyes.” He said as he slowed the truck.

  “What?”

  “Just close your eyes,” he demanded then softened, “please, Audree.”

  “Okay, okay.” She laughed at his demand.

  “Keep them closed until I tell you to open them.” His voice trailed off as he stepped out of the truck, followed by his door closing and hers opening. “Give me your hand.” He reached for her hand and helped her out of the truck.

  “Okay.” He moved to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her waist pulling her back against his chest. “You can open them now.” She heard a tremble in his voice she didn’t understand until she opened her eyes.

  “Gavin!” she gasped when she saw her truck parked in the exact spot it was on their first night together. The night she gave him her heart and her body. “This looks… I can’t believe you did all this.” She hadn’t moved from his arms.

  “You did it for me. I told you the other day that night was one of the greatest nights of my life. I thought, what better way to celebrate another of the greatest nights of my life than where I gave my everything to the girl I loved. I was an inexperienced kid that night and left a man who lost his heart to a girl who deserved better.”

  “Better? Gavin, I meant it when I said that was one of the greatest nights of my life, too. I had your initial tattooed on my body earlier in the day and then had you permanently tattooed on my heart and body that night.” She turned in his arms.

  “Audree, let me make love to you under the stars.” He pressed his lips to her neck and kissed gently.

  “I love you and can’t wait to be your wife.” She slid her hand down his arm and into his hand, leading him to the bed of the truck.

  “What do you think about practicing making a baby tonight?” He lifted her up into the bed of the truck.

  “Yes, let’s practice making our baby tonight.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips.

  Where to begin… it is funny I had heard my ladies (my Indie Authors) say the blurb and Acknowledgements were the hardest part of writing a book. Well, now here it is my turn.

  I would like to thank my family. Mom and Dad— you have both been wonderful parents and I couldn’t have asked for two better people to have spent so much of my life knowing and loving. My brothers and sister – we’ve had our ups and downs, but are always there for each other and not everyone can say such a thing.

  To my husband – just so you know, just because this book is done does, in no way mean that I will spend less time on FB talking to my authors and bloggers. Nor does it mean the house will be any cleaner or the laundry will be folded and taken upstairs any sooner. Love ya.

  To my kiddos – I apologize to you for the time I’ve spent following my passion, but I hope you get from that the knowledge that you have to fit in time for what you love to do. You have acquired my love of reading, and hopefully, you will forgive me for the times I preferred to write a couple of more chapters than build blocks or more train tracks for the hundredth time. I did, however, love getting my hair brushed while I wrote.

  To my ladies – yeah, this is the tough part and in no way tears free. The only way to do this is kind of in the order of meeting you all. Thanks to First Class Books for starting your beta group – I discovered my passion for reading could open up a whole new world.

  My first introduction to the beta-reading endeavor was with Megan Hand, who was introduced to me by Ana Zaun, who also introduced me to Antoinette Candela. I then worked up the courage to ask other authors if they needed a beta reader. I messaged Carey Heywood and Melissa Collins out of nowhere – they probably thought this crazy girl wants to read my book… wth – no way I don’t know her. Thankfully, they did. Through Carey I met Saoching Moose. Then some crazy girl wanted to friend me and I was like – ah who are you…lol. Turned out to be none other than Chelle C. (Bird) Craze. Then I sent a love note to Julie Hill about her book, and I found Michele Stratton and Suzanne Soneira. A family was started with these ladies. Ana Zaun then introduced me to E.K. Blair.

  I, however, wasn’t done adding to my family. Those who know me know I LOVE My Indie Authors. I wanted everyone to love them too, so I pestered bloggers to share and post and post and share my ladies. Some did; some didn’t. Those who did have now become friends. Three ladies who have joined my small ‘family’ started as three of those bloggers – Louise Chapman, Mindy Guerreiros and Miranda Sue Johnson.

  Now that I have explained how I met my ladies, I could try to explain just how much they mean to me, but there isn’t enough paper in the world and really no words for the love, laughter, support, friendship, encouragement and pictures we have shared in the past year. In the year, yes, it has only been a little over a year that I have known most of these women. That is crazy, because I feel like I’ve known them forever. I talk and/or chat with some of them almost every day and miss them when I don’t. I’m sure my family and friends think I’m nuts, because I talk about these ladies all of the time, but I don’t care, they are my family and I love them!

  I would like to say a great thank you to my betas – my butterflies that loved my characters, my story, and helped endlessly with comments and changes. Thank you Carey Heywood, Chelle C. (Bird) Craze, C C Koski, Jenn Diaz, Wendy Schaefer Samuels, Saoching Moose, and Suzanne Soneira.

  A huge thank you goes to my editor Rebecca J. Cartee for finding the errors and reading changes over and over again.

  A thanks to my editing clean readers Wendy Schaefer Samuels and Paige Maroney Smith for making my story flow and be much less error free.

  Thank you, Mindy Guerreiros for you endless help and answers about blogging, covers, publishing, finding my cover picture and, well, everything.

  Thank you, Miranda Johnson, (yeah, I’m totally crying typing this), my reading whore buddy, my one-click addiction partner, the lady who wrote my Goodreads author bio, the lady who made me cry with the intro for my cover reveal and blog tour. Then surprised me with not offering, but telling me, she would host my book’s release.

  I would like to say a special thank you to Monica Taylor for being the first to read Love Unclaimed before it even had a title and before it was even done. She read the chapters as I finished and told me to keep going.

  Thank you, Ana Zaun for telling me to get my author page up when I was scared to put it up.

  Thank you, Antoinette Candela for making me laugh with you. I will be seeing you soon.

  I would like the say thank you to Carey Heywood who read the first incomplete draft and said with some touching up it could be good.

  I would like to say an endless thank you to Chelle C. (Bird) Craze for reading my book with some additions, in only four hours, and saying where the hell is the end? She pushed me to finish this book and give it an ending.

  Thank you, Louise Chapman, for adding me to Hooked on Books as an Admin so I could promote my ladies and for telling me that my book would be fabulous.

  Thank you, Melissa Collins, for showing me you can have your kids climbing all over you and still be able to write great books.

  Thank you, Michele Stratton, for oh-so-many inspirational pictures.

  Thank you, Saoching Moose, for making me giggle every time I sent out
an NDA.

  Thank you, Suzanne Soneira, for making me sure I never see a man in boots and not think of you.

  See you in the Free For All <3

  Thank you, Renee Ericson, for making my cover just so pretty.

  Thank you, Vikki Marie Wiessner, for letting me use your beautiful picture for my cover.

  Thank you to all of the bloggers that are members of my super-secret bloggers only group.

  Thank you to all the authors and bloggers who accepted an invite from the crazy Indie Author Ninja asking you to join her many, many groups. I would thank you all, but there are over 390 members in this group, so just know I love you all.

  If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize and will get you on the next one!

  Please go check out the Facebook pages of my ladies and their books -

  A.L. Zaun

  https://www.facebook.com/ALZaun01

  Antoinette Candela

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Antoinette-Candela-Author/338524812920607

  Carey Heywood

  https://www.facebook.com/CareyHeywoodAuthor?ref=br_tf

  Chelle C. Craze

  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCCraze

  E.K. Blair

  https://www.facebook.com/EKBlairAuthor

  Evelyne Stone

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evelyne-Stone/434966173278127

  Hooked on Books

  https://www.facebook.com/hookedonbooks05

  J. M. Hill

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JM-Hill/309313749160100

  L. Chapman

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/L-Chapman/205927772882027

  Megan Hand

  https://www.facebook.com/meganhandauthor

  Melinda Sutherland

  https://www.facebook.com/MelindaSutherland.Author

  Melissa Collins

  https://www.facebook.com/MelissaCollins.Author

  M. Stratton

  https://www.facebook.com/MLStrattonAuthor