by Aimee Bishop
"You can't prove that," I laughed.
"Not to mention your argument of Stephanie being single and unstable is now completely invalid. Gracie couldn't ask for a more stable home."
Christian knew he was at the end of a losing battle but refused to back down.
"You'll be hearing from us soon," he said, jumping up and dragging his wife out the room by her arm. "You can't have her."
All Maxwell and I could do was shake our heads at them.
"They can't do a thing," said Frazer to us. "You're both legally entitled to Gracie. They can fight all they want, but they'll never get anywhere."
"And I'll make sure of it," said Margie with a wink.
Max's grip on my hand tightened and he kissed my cheek.
"Don't think about them," he said. "You won't be hearing from them again. I promise."
Epilogue
I held my passport in one hand with Gracie in the other. She was dressed up in her new holiday clothes; pink bow in her hair, Hawaiian patterned dress, and flip-flops. The girl at the desk waved at her as she took my passport and Gracie waved back.
"She's a cutie," said the girl. "She'll be a heartbreaker."
Max was close behind me as we walked through the terminal. The smell of hot tarmac and jet fuel was in the air. All around us, people were milling around with their baggage; everyone excited to be heading to such an exotic location.
"Just think. In eight hours’ time, we'll be in the hotel, luxuriating by the pool."
"It can't come quick enough," I said.
I took his hand and felt how strong he was. Once again, I found that I had to pinch myself. Things were perfect, almost too perfect and all of it had come from the tragedy of losing Suzanna.
I thought briefly about Suzanna’s beloved farmhouse. We’d been concerned about what would happen to it once Gracie and I moved into Max’s home. Luckily, mom and dad had decided they’d love to move back so they wouldn’t miss Gracie growing up, and they’d taken it over.
I won’t pretend that they didn’t help me wipe away the guilt of having it left to me and then abandoning it– they really had. Now, all was well– I knew they’d look after it well, and that Suzanna would appreciate them being there. And Gracie and I got to spend time with them frequently.
It had worked out perfectly.
As we walked out onto the tarmac and climbed up the steps to the waiting plane, I couldn't help but feel that Suzanna was with me, guiding me in the right direction. Now, as I took in my new life and appreciated every single second of it, I knew that she was looking out for me. Maybe in some way, she had made sure that I landed on my feet.
"Thank you," I whispered up to the sky before we boarded the plane.
"What was that, sweetie?" Asked Max.
"Nothing."
We took our seats, me by the window, Max at the aisle and Gracie in between us. I looked out toward the horizon and wondered what else there was to discover. With my new family by my side, there was no end to what I could achieve.
"Okay, time to buckle up," I said to Gracie.
Once again, the sun caught her face and for a split second, I could see Suzanna in her eyes. Then the moment passed, and the flight attendants began their safety drill.
"Here we go," grinned Max.
"Yep, here we go," I said, reaching over to take his hand. "We'll be there soon."
~
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His Forbidden Heart by Aimee Bishop
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Please Enjoy This Excerpt from
Forbidden Mountain
By Aimee Bishop
Available on Kindle
Abigail
I made a terrible mistake.
I’ve ruined my life.
That’s why mom and dad sent me away to live with my grandparents on their farm in the middle of nowhere.
They want me to milk cows, but I couldn’t think of anything worse.
All I want to do is run away.
But the locals spoke of rumors.
They speak of dangerous men who live in the mountains.
The most dangerous man of all is Jeremiah. Apparently, people who stray into his path are rarely seen again.
But that’s just what I do.
JEREMIAH
I thought I had it all.
Money, a perfect family, nothing to ever worry about.
But then I come home early one night, and I make a discovery that tears all of that apart.
Before I know it, I’m thrust into the path of a new girl in town.
She’s a real wild child, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
But her family have forbidden her from the mountain.
She’s heard all the rumors too.
But does she believe them?
Chapter 10
JEREMIAH
Night had settled on the mountain. Dad had long since fallen asleep in front of the fire while Nathan had driven home hours ago. Even Harry was fast asleep at Dad’s feet, his long breaths drawing his stomach in and out as his fur shone in the firelight.
This should have been the perfect moment, I had everything I needed but I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop my mind from running away with itself. Abigail had been on my mind since she left. In this town, she was a breath of fresh air, a free spirit, someone who was cool and laid-back and fun to hang out with, but there was no denying her wild streak.
Bernard’s old beat up truck was still in front of the house, still wrecked and there was no denying it was her fault. But I couldn’t help but see the funny side of it. There was something so amusing about the idea of Abigail jumping out the window and taking off in old Bernard’s truck. The old dude must have had a fit. Still, she was very lucky it wasn’t a bad crash and that she wasn’t seriously hurt; it might not have been me that found her, it could have been one of my cousins. They weren’t quite as kind as me with trespassers.
With everyone else asleep and yet another sleepless night ahead of me, I decided to head back out into the night. As I slipped into my coat and wrapped myself up tightly, I wondered why I wanted to go outside.
Was it to get some fresh air and clear my head? Or was it because somewhere, at the back of my mind, I secretly hoped I’d catch a glimpse of Abigail.
Once outside, I took a few steps into the trees then stopped. There was no point thinking that I didn’t want to see her again. She was all I’d thought about. She was like a human firecracker that had been aimed right at the center of my life when I least expected it.
That’s it. I’m going to see her, I thought. I’m going right now, and neither Bernard or my dad or anyone else can stop me.
~
I jumped out my truck at least a half mile from Bernard’s farm, not wanting to risk him seeing or hearing me. It was a crisp night and every footstep I made echoed in the frozen air. But inside my coat, I was beginning to sweat, not with the effort of traipsing across the frozen mud, but from something I could only guess was nerves.
As I approached the back of the house, my palms were sweating and my mouth was dry.
What’s gotten into you? I asked myself. You’re acting like a lovesick teenager.
But that’s exactly how I felt, and as I stood beneath her window, I picked up a pebble and hurled it at the glass. A second later, the light came on. I threw another one and soon after, her silhouette appeared. Pushing open the window, she leaned out. At last, I could see the white moonlight bounce off her perfect skin. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, and her hair was loose around her face. She was ethereally beautiful.
“Wh
at are you doing here?” she hissed.
I decided to just come out with it.
“You wanna come for a drive?”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Yeah, maybe.” I replied. “But I can be fun too.”
She glanced over at Martha and Bernard’s window, where the light was still off. She ripped her shawl off.
“Meet me at the kitchen door,” she said. “But be quiet.”
Chapter 11
ABIGAIL
“I should not be doing this!” I laughed as we ran through the field. “I’m going to get in so much trouble when Martha finds out.”
“If… Martha finds out,” corrected Jeremiah as he took my hand and led me through the darkness.
We reached his truck where the fields met the forest, and jumped in. His truck smelled just as masculine as he did with the scent of oil and smoke embedded in the leather upholstery. It couldn’t have been further from Bernard’s old heap of rust. This thing was modern and luxurious, with a stereo that glowed neon blue and heated seats that massaged my back.
“You like it?” he asked, noticing the look on my face.
“Uh, yeah!”
He twiddled the knobs on the stereo, and I waited for the sound of country music to begin blasting out the speakers. I was surprised then when the upbeat lilt of R&B came on.
“You thought I was a Ted Nugent fan or something, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” I confessed with a laugh.
“Hey, we’re not all hicks out here.”
“I would never suggest such a thing.”
He gave me a mischievous sideways glance as he changed gear. We drove through the deep forest, the leaves kissing the windows as the road narrowed.
“You still never told me where we’re going?” I asked.
“You’ll find out soon.”
There was a tinge of danger in his voice, the promise of something forbidden. It made me think back to what the girls said today. They told me Jeremiah and his family were dangerous. They told me people went up that mountain and never came back down.
Is that what was going to happen to me?
Was I never going to be seen again?
I thought about what the girls said. Then I thought about how he’d looked after me so well last night. If he wanted to do anything to me, he most likely would have done it already, and he would have had an excuse. I was, after all, trespassing on his property.
No, I thought. He’s not dangerous.
Or is he?
“What’s up?” he asked, sensing my tension.
It was then that I realized my body language was defensive, my arms folded up and my legs crossed into barriers. Pressed up against the door, I couldn’t be further away from him if I tried. Meanwhile, the truck plowed on and on through the dense forest until branches hit the sides, making scraping noises along the roof as we bumped up and down on the rough terrain.
“Nothing,” I said.
He wasn’t convinced. Slowing down, he took his attention off the road for a minute and turned down the radio.
“What’s the matter?”
In the darkness, the blue light of the stereo glinting off his face, his features shone with perfection.
“Nothing, it’s just that…”
“That what?”
I had to tell him. I had to know if the rumors were true.
“I’ve heard things,” I said. “Terrible things.”
Without a word, he sighed and sped up, driving headlong down the winding road.
“Woah, what are you doing?”
He still wasn’t saying anything.
Then, when I thought he had lost his mind, the trees gave way to a clearing, and something sparkled far out in front of us. It was water, a beautiful, vast expanse of glittering water that twinkled beneath the moonlight.
He slowed to a halt and sat back in his seat. Turning to me, he reached for my hand.
“I guess it was only a matter of time,” he said. “People say a lot of things.”
“But are they true?”
He scratched his beard and thought for a second before staring off into the distance. This was not the response I wanted.
“Jeremiah, tell me! Are they true?”
His eyes moved over to the water. It was gorgeous here, a true hidden paradise and part of me thought I’d completely ruined the moment. Still, I had to know.
“Don’t listen to what those stupid women tell you,” he finally said.
I nodded.
“Okay.”
“I mean it.”
He reached out a hand and curled his fingers around my jaw. Despite his strength, his touch was gentle. I wondered what his hand would feel like on other parts of my body. Would they be just as tender gripping the curve of my waist, my hips, my wrists…
“Don’t listen to them.”
“I won’t,” I whispered.
He pulled away. I found myself wishing he hadn’t.
“This is Lake Dyer,” he said. “Named after my great-great-grandfather.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“Your family must own a lot of this land.”
“We own all of it,” came his clipped reply. “Well, all of it apart from Bambridge. A long time ago that was handed over to another family, the Bennets.”
My stomach dropped.
“The Bennets?”
There was that knowing look in his eye again. He knew what that meant.
“That’s my name.”
“Of course it is.”
I thought for a second, staring out at the water. That meant that long before living memory the town belonged to Jeremiah’s family, and then it belonged to mine.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, pondering what that meant. I watched the moonlight glint off the lake like diamonds falling on ice. The water was so still it looked like a painting, the stars so bright they didn’t seem real.
“Why was the town handed over?” I eventually asked.
“Well, that depends on who you ask. The Bennets, meaning Bernard and his folk, will have you believe it’s because they fought us for it and won. Ask my dad, and he’ll tell you it’s because that patch of land was good for nothing. It wouldn’t grow so much as a weed and old legends spoke of ancient curses. My family will tell you they practically demanded the Bennets take it.”
“And what do you believe?”
He shrugged and laughed.
“I don’t give a shit,” he said. “It’s all nonsense to me.”
“So it’s not like we’re supposed to have some rivalry, you and me?”
He laughed again.
“What, you getting some Romeo and Juliet vibes?”
“Is that what we are? Star-crossed lovers?”
He licked his lips.
“You tell me.”
His eyes were dazzling as they bored into mine.
I didn’t need to look into them a second longer to know what he was thinking. I inched closer to him, then closer again. He held his hand to my cheek; it was warm and soft. I leaned into it, wanting to feel more of him.
Kiss me, I thought. For the love of God kiss me.
I closed my eyes and waited. There was the creak of his leather jacket as he leaned toward me. The smell of his hair and skin filled my senses. I held my breath. Gradually, I began to feel the heat of his breath on my lips; they tingled as though he was touching me already.
Everything around us disappeared. I could no longer hear the crickets in the bushes or hear the owls hooting in the trees. There was nothing but the touch of his hand and the promise of his kiss.
His mouth touched mine, soft as silk and light as a feather. I waited for him to push himself against me, to get rough and thrust his tongue into my mouth, but he didn’t. He kissed me gently, barely grazing my lips.
“You’re so beautiful, you know that?”
I blushed, grateful that the darkness was shrouding my embarrassment.
“You do know that, don
’t you?”
I said nothing.
“It’s always the pretty girls who are the most insecure,” he said.
“Hey, I’m not insecure.”
“Well, you don’t act like you know what you look like.”
“What does that even mean?”
He shook his head and brushed his fingers through my hair. My body was responding to him. I wanted him to jump on me and take me right then and there, but he was too sweet to do such a thing. Instead, he tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead.
“It means that you deserve to walk the Earth like you own the place,” he said.
I held onto his hand and pressed my cheek into it.
“So, are you still afraid of me?” he asked.
“I never was,” I said. “Everyone else was. I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m beginning to realize that.”
He stroked a finger down my cheek before resting it on my top lip. I kissed it and held it between my lips, tasting his skin.
“Why does it have to be so complicated?” I whispered. “Why do people fear you?”
He pulled his hand away and rested it on the steering wheel.
“Maybe I’ll tell you someday,” he said. “But now, I better get you home. Don’t want you in any more trouble.”
I couldn’t help but be disappointed. I wanted to stay here forever and kiss beneath the stars before making love until the sun rose. But he was starting the engine, and we were winding our way back down that narrow road.
“When can I see you again?” I asked, then immediately regretted it.
I sounded so childish and desperate, but I couldn’t hide my feelings. There was no way I could stand not seeing him again. His kiss was the most excruciating tease, and I needed more.
“Soon,” he said. “Real soon.”
Butterflies were dancing in my stomach.
How long was soon?
~
End of Excerpt
~
Forbidden Mountain by Aimee Bishop
Is Available on Kindle
More Information is Available at
www.sashasworldofromance.com
