But enough of that.
“No, there isn’t anywhere, Jim. Believe me, I’ve looked into it. I don’t want to live in Bloomington anymore, either.” How many businesses had closed their doors over the last few years? When her dad had been transferred to the main branch of his insurance company here in Bloomington, the town had seemed like it was stuck in the middle of a corn field, when she’d been forced to move here in the eighties. The area had grown and prospered, until all of a sudden the economy had declined because of the state budget crisis, that’d been developing over the last ten years. Although she had a lot of friends here, she’d never really liked this town. It was kind of unbelievable to think that she’d remained here, even after her parents had retired and moved away. “I’m still pretty sure you could find a better job, if you moved somewhere else.”
Jim appeared hesitant when he shook his head no. No doubt about it—he was afraid of change. With dark brown hair that was graying at the temples, and warm hazel eyes, Jim wasn’t a bad looking guy. Maybe he wasn’t as thin as he used to be? But, heck, for someone who was approaching fifty, he still looked pretty damned good.
But as far as anything special between them?
Nah, not really. And there hadn’t been any genuine spark between her and Kyle’s father either. Come to think of it, there’d never really been any special guy in her life. Kind of sad, considering she’d just had her forty-fifth birthday the week before. Jim hadn’t even remembered. And what did that say about their, so called, relationship?
Yes, Beth was even more relieved, now, that Jim had decided he wasn’t coming along with her. It saved her the trouble of having to tell him, that she didn’t really want him moving along with her to Crystal Rock, anyway. It’d probably hurt his feelings if she told him so.
CHAPTER ONE
Two weeks later, Beth was pulling off the highway and slowly driving into the town of Crystal Rock in her SUV. At least Kyle had been content on the entire eight-hour drive. They’d made a few pit stops to use the restroom, and after purchasing some fast food, she’d pulled into the parking lot of a scenic rest area, so they could stretch their legs and eat. It’d been years since she’d taken a trip with Kyle, because of his behavior problems. In fact, she’d purchased the SUV immediately after he’d hit her so hard on the head, she’d nearly run the car she was driving off the road. Beth had owned a four door sedan back then, and Kyle had always sat right behind her. Now, at least, he was settled far enough away from her in the backseat, to allow for some reaction time, for her to prepare for the worst.
Beth peeked through the windshield excitedly as they drove through the center of town. She glanced at Kyle in the rear-view mirror—his deep blue eyes were as big as saucers as he stared at the Christmas decorations lining the streets. It was two weeks before Christmas, and an awful time of the year for the car plant to be closing, she thought for about the millionth time since it’d been announced. But at least the long-time employees had been offered early retirement benefits, along with decent compensation packages.
She’d only seen pictures of the house she’d bought online. She’d depended on her cousin, Cal, who’d checked it out thoroughly beforehand. Callahan Construction had been working on the demolition work for the past four months, so that Beth would be able to complete the finish work on her own. She’d learned a lot about remodeling from all the work she’d done on her house in Bloomington, since purchasing it twelve years ago. Hopefully the house in Bloomington would sell—cause she really needed the proceeds to complete all the projects that needed to be competed in this house. It was four times the size of the house she’d owned in Illinois! But she hadn’t been able to resist—the price was a steal, according to Cal. Although her former home was located in, what was considered, a prime area of Bloomington, the real estate market just wasn’t what it used to be, because of the economy.
Beth glanced at her watch. Even though she had the address logged into her GPS, she was still supposed to meet Cal at his office in about an hour—so he’d be able to take her directly to the house and show her around. Maybe she’d give him a call to see if he was already waiting? But looking back at Kyle, who was obviously content, she decided to take a drive around the lake instead.
Crystal Rock was her mother’s home town. But once the family had moved from Bloomington to Arizona, her mom and dad and two younger sisters hadn’t visited here much. Since Beth had remained in Bloomington after graduating from Illinois State, she’d never made it back here at all. The members of each branch of the family had still managed to remain close though, and Beth’s cousins had flown out several times to Phoenix, where her parents had continued to reside, even after they’d retired.
It was kind of amazing she still remembered the direction toward the lake, Beth thought, as she followed the access road leading out to Dragonfly Pointe. The last time she’d been here was back in the eighties, when she’d been around sixteen-years old.
Oh, my God, she thought, stretching up in her seat as she and Kyle drove by the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Beth stared in shock through the passenger window. It was everything that she’d heard it would be, but more. The last time she’d been in Crystal Rock, the inn had been about one quarter of the size it was now. And it’d been falling apart—nearly ready for demolition.
The Dragonfly Pointe Inn rose majestically above the lake, amidst a backdrop of towering pines. Now, with its columns and crisp white siding, it looked stately—magnificent, really.
Turning her attention back on the road, Beth managed to jerk the wheel of the SUV just in time. She’d come only inches away from running down a floppy-eared dog, as he wandered down the edge of the road. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath. He looked to be a Bassett hound—well, partly, anyway. As he scrambled over the blacktop, his leash was held onto by a jogger, who was running beside the dog on the gravel.
When she began to slow down, the man lifted his hand in acknowledgement, while continuing to keep pace with the dog.
Relieved, Beth blew out a long, deep breath as she kept on driving. Hopefully, she was going in the right direction? Yeah, she was, she discovered, because soon she was pulling the SUV off the road and into the parking lot of the deserted Dragonfly Pointe Beach.
She’d always loved this place—Beth had lots of great memories from spending summers here with her cousins. And despite the fact that she’d never actually lived here, the town of Crystal Rock had been the only place in her entire life that’d ever felt like home.
She turned to Kyle—who was looking hopeful, with his endearing smile and big blue eyes. Now, he was twenty-years old, but he’d always been a handful—especially once he’d outgrown her by several inches. He’d had some behavior problems associated with puberty. But Beth considered herself fortunate compared to some of the other parents she’d met. Many of Kyle’s classmates had much more severe problems than he’d had. Kyle’s temper had always been relatively manageable—even though she’d eventually broken down, and put him on medication during his teenage years, for the sake of his teachers and caregivers.
Ah, what the heck? It was a crisp cool day, and a little fresh air would be good for them both after the long drive. Why not just go for a short walk along the beach?
She bundled herself up into her winter coat, and slipped her earmuffs over her ears. Hopping out from the van, she slid open the passenger door behind her. “Put your coat back on, sweetie,” she said.
Kyle grinned, as he slipped into his coat, and pulled his hat on over his head.
Reaching over, she yanked the stocking cap down completely over his ears, before zipping up his coat to his chin. Pulling his hood over his head, she tied it securely.
Kyle was definitely excited, and he began to giggle.
Probably because he was already thinking about when he was going to be able to sneak that hood off from his head, Beth thought, grinning and reaching for Kyle’s hand.
As they headed toward the beach, peaceful contentment invaded
her senses once she and Kyle began making their way across the crunchy sand. The air was crisp, but Beth had been told that it wasn’t nearly as cold as it usually was at this time of the year, because Cal and his crew had been able to work around the clock at her new house. Normally, the lake would’ve begun icing up at this time of the year, but with the breeze blowing in across the lake, choppy waves crashed over the sand.
When she let loose of Kyle’s hand, he began running immediately beside the edge of the water. Obviously delighted, he laughed harder, and harder still, as he rushed down the length of the beach.
Yep, this place still seemed magical, Beth thought, closing her eyes. The soothing sound of the pounding waves, along with the haunting squalling of the gulls, infused her senses. She breathed in the crisp cool air—it smelled so fresh! Tipping her face into the sun, she felt exactly like she’d felt when she’d been a kid, vacationing here—happy and at peace.
All of sudden, someone grunted out loudly, and soon, the next moan that Beth heard was accompanied by a long, soulful howl. Opening her eyes, she spun around and searched the vast expanse of beach.
Finally, she spotted him. “Kyle—what’ve you done?” Covering her mouth with her hand in horror, Beth began running across the sand, rushing over as quickly as she could to Kyle.
Apparently, he’d tackled someone. Kyle sat up, giggling, on top of a flat, prone body. A stranger was lying beneath him, leveled on the sand.
The man’s faithful friend was obviously alarmed, because he began cleaning the man’s face frantically with his tongue.
Damn it, she inwardly swore. It was the same dog she’d nearly run down in the SUV, only a few minutes ago!
CHAPTER TWO
Zach sputtered and spit, when Emily began licking over his mouth and beard, after cleaning the rest of his face first. “Okay, Em, you can just quit that right now. I’m fine,” he muttered to the dog, reassuringly.
And then a shadow fell over Zach from above, as a woman began talking to him in a breathless voice. “Oh—I’m so sorry! I’ve never seen Kyle do anything like this before—he does like to watch football sometimes...”
Her voice was so soft and sexy, was the first thing Zach thought. He’d been jogging along the beach, trying to decide whether to steer clear of her, or stop by and say hi. And then he’d been ambushed by, what’d felt like, a tank.
Zach opened his eyes and looked up to try to see the woman that belonged to that voice. But his eyes were blinded by the sun, and he was seeing double.
His eyesight seemed to be adjusting a little more by the time he got a hold of himself.
And then he was able to focus in on her face. Damn—I think I’m in love, was the second thing he thought. He hadn’t had a real good look at her through the windshield of the van earlier—although it’d been long enough to notice that she seemed to be pretty damned hot.
And, whoa, he admitted to himself dazedly, hot didn’t even begin to describe how lovely she actually was!
Zach started, turning his attention to the kid who was using Zach’s body like a beanbag chair. He was giggling like crazy.
But he really wasn’t a kid—was he? He looked to be a little bit bigger than Zach had thought when Zach had first set eyes on him. This woman was his mom? Must be, he supposed, because she grabbed the boy by his hand and yanked him off from Zach’s chest. She just didn’t look old enough to have a kid who was probably in his late teens or early twenties!
The woman continued to hold the boy’s hand. He was nearly a foot taller than her, but she seemed to have him under control. Grimacing and biting on her lip, she bent down and began looking Zach over. “Are you sure you’re alright? I’d like to help you up, but I’m afraid if I let Kyle go, he might just jump on top of you again.”
Zach blinked and shook his head in confusion. And then he began to laugh. He just couldn’t help it—this situation was pretty damned ridiculous.
A smile began to tug at the corner of the woman’s mouth, before she was laughing along with Zach.
And then Emily stuck her snout into the air and began to howl.
The kid began giggling again, and the woman rolled her eyes upward.
Finally, their laughter began to subside into awkward silence.
Zach was shaking his head numbly, when he slowly sat upright from the sand.
Yeah, she was really lovely, Zach thought, once he finally stood up on his feet. She had deep blue eyes, and shoulder-length, white-blonde hair. Maybe she was a little bit older than he’d thought at first? But wow—the way she laughed—soft, slow and kind of breathless—and the way she smiled—like the sun was coming up after one of his long restless nights. He shook his head dazedly. Everything about this woman seemed to be turning him on.
And when Zach looked into her eyes, he was feeling something that he’d never felt before—something that he’d never thought he was capable of feeling.
Ever.
CHAPTER THREE
What was wrong with her? This man—this stranger—was doing something really crazy to her insides, and her heart was thumping madly in her chest when her eyes met his.
And what beautiful brown eyes they were—with flecks of gold, but warm and creamy, like melted chocolate. Usually, she didn’t care much for facial hair. But, on him, that neatly trimmed beard and mustache somehow looked right.
When was the last time she’d ever felt tongue-tied around a man?
She shook her head numbly. Never! This was silly—the guy was young. He had to be at least ten years younger than her. Taking in a deep breath, while attempting to regain her, normally rational, sensibilities, Beth stuck out her hand to introduce herself. “I’m Beth Bowen.”
When his hand clasped hers firmly, Beth sucked in an unsteady breath, when a jolt of awareness shot through her senses.
“Zachary Logan. Nice to meet you Beth,” he said, in a smooth, southern drawl, while staring deeply into her eyes. “And this is Emily,” he added, nodding at the dog.
Even that voice sent shivers down her spine. She couldn’t believe all the things she was thinking about, as she looked Zach over slowly. Although he was wearing a scraggly old hooded-sweatshirt, she could tell his shoulders were broad, and his hips were narrow. Just the way he stood there before her, seemingly relaxed, made him look so sexy.
She blinked. Get a hold of yourself, Beth. She searched for something else to say. “Uh—this is my son, Kyle,” she said, sounding rather breathless.
Zach reached for Kyle’s hand, and shook it firmly.
Kyle gave him a huge smile. When Kyle acted like he was ready to pounce on Zach again, Beth took a firmer grip of his hand.
“I bet Kyle’s going to be part of the program at Crystal Visions,” Zach said.
“Yeah,” Beth answered, somewhat surprised. “He sure is.”
Zach grinned.
Uh, oh, Beth thought, as her heart began beating irregularly again.
“I work there, part-time,” he said.
Beth’s eyes went wide. “Wow—that’s a coincidence.”
Zach nodded his head in obvious agreement. “For sure. But it’s a small town—especially in the winter.” He turned to Kyle. “I definitely know a few kids who’d be really happy to meet you, Kyle.”
Beth smiled at her son. “I’m glad to hear that,” she said to Zach. “I know that the program is only a couple of years old, and there’s not a whole lot of available funding for too many other kids to be enrolled, right now.”
Zach shook his head up and down slowly, and gave her a smile that seemed to be uncertain.
She searched for something else to say. Beth still couldn’t believe she was tongue-tied—it was really kind of crazy, considering she’d always been a rather talkative person.
Even around great looking guys.
But the weird thing about it was, as he continued to stare into her eyes, Zach appeared to be searching for something to say to her as well. He hesitated, looking first at Kyle and then at her. “Well, I sho
uld probably get moving—before my muscles begin tightening up.” Bending down, he picked up Emily’s leash.
Suddenly startled from her silence, Beth checked the time on her watch. “Oh, man. We’re running a little late now, too.” She looked at Zach and grimaced. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look like you might be limping a little.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Previous injury,” he answered, rather gruffly. “I’ll walk you guys on up to your vehicle. I don’t live too far away from here.”
Beth smiled at Zach, before they all made their way across the sand toward the parking lot.
* * * * *
After walking with Beth and Kyle, and delivering them to their SUV, Zach continued jogging with Emily across the road and down the path. Currently, he was living in the guesthouse belonging to a friend—a former air force pilot, who’d served under Zach’s command.
Luke Bryant was special—he’d also been responsible for saving Zach’s life when they’d been serving together overseas. After the bombs had been dropped on Kobani, their team had returned to the isolated air field that had served as their temporary headquarters. Merely hours later, they’d been attacked by a stray group of insurgents, who’d apparently come across their base—it definitely hadn’t been an organized effort. The five men had been contained, but only after they’d wreaked havoc at the airbase, where Zach’s team had been preparing to fly out. Known as Hawk, Luke’s best friend Alex Benton had been killed—his plane had been struck by fire on the landing field, immediately after Hawk had climbed into the cockpit and put the plane into motion.
With the resulting explosion of the F-22 Raptor, chaos had ensued afterwards. Another bomber had caught fire—Zach’s—and Luke had recognized the danger instantly. He’d managed to radio and stop two other pilots from proceeding from the opposite end of the field, before jumping out from the cockpit of his Raptor. Zach was trapped in his plane, where the heat from the fire had impaired his instruments on the dash. Somehow, Luke had managed to open up the cockpit door from the outside, and yank Zach out. But not before some serious physical damage had been done to them both. Luke had gone unconscious when the burning wing piece had broken off, crushing his leg. Luckily, emergency services had been established for just these kinds of circumstances—they were in a protected zone—and the Iraqi government had sanctioned the U.S. occupation of the former airbase.
Two Hearts Unspoken (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Book 2) Page 2
