Sweet Heat Rising (Thoroughbred Men Series)

by Sterling, Ginny

  Tyler frowned at her. “That’s because you told them to,” he said harshly. “If you would have kept this to yourself and stayed with me, I would have never have had to hurt you. This is all a big misunderstanding and your fault. You like it rough, so what was the problem?” he said angrily.

  Sarah had to calm him down quickly before she screamed, ran or broke down crying in fear. “Tyler, you really hurt me last time and I never thought you would,” she said in a wobbly voice and felt tears coming. She watched him move closer to her, his hands still outstretched as if to embrace her. Sarah backed away again, moving backwards into the kitchen as he advanced. She jumped as he banged his hand on the counter in frustration.

  Tyler watched her carefully and saw her move away from him. “Stop it!” he said. “Why are you backing up? You want more privacy?” he asked surprised. Maybe his little Sarah wanted a repeat in the kitchen. He did not want to be interrupted this time and wanted to taste more of her.

  Sarah glanced at the gun, which was now closer to him than her. Her only saving grace would be the keypad at the back of the kitchen.

  Tyler looked down and grinned evilly. “Well, well, well... just look what you got for yourself,” he said picking up the gun. “You did not plan on using this on me, did you?” he said mockingly, waving it around in the air like it was a toy.

  Sarah did not move an inch. She was frozen in fear.

  Tyler leaned back against the counter and moved the gun from hand to hand. “We are going to have a bit of fun you and I,” he announced. “… and I am going to make you forget all about that other guy and you will know just how much I care for you,” he said, shifting the gun to his right hand again, his eyes hard. He leveled the gun towards Sarah and held her in the sight.

  Sarah could not breathe. She knew she would never make it to the alert button in time and would never be able to get the gun from him.

  Tyler saw the acceptance in her face as she realized he was in complete control. “That is right. You are going to do exactly what I say to keep me from having to teach you a lesson again. We are going to have some fun. I can do things to you to make you scream in pleasure or in pain. It’s all your choice,” he said aiming.

  Sarah shut her eyes in fear and nodded. She heard a loud pop and screamed. She opened her eyes and stared at Tyler, who looked confused and was holding his chest, his mouth agape. She saw the blood coming through his fingers and ran to the alarm pad, smashing the police button, half expecting Tyler to come around the corner and shoot her.

  Sarah opened the back kitchen door, and raced outside heedless of what was going on. She ran down to the bushes and ducked behind the dumpster nearby, her heart pounded. Her eyes were focused on the back door and she tried to stay hidden. She waited and waited for what seemed forever. She heard sirens wailing and mentally begged them to come around the building and save her in case Tyler tried to run out the back door.

  She saw a figure framed in the doorway and clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. She let out a rush of breath, when she saw it was an officer that walked through the back door. Sarah stood up and began yelling out a warning. She couldn't let Tyler hurt him. She ran from the dumpster to warn him that Tyler had her gun.

  The officer yelled at her to freeze. Sarah stopped in her tracks and was sobbing. “He’s in there and has my gun!” she cried out. “Tyler Randall came back, he had my gun and was aiming at me.” She was hysterical and kept looking over the officer’s shoulder warily, afraid Tyler would shoot them both.

  An officer waved her over, and put his gun away slowly. “It's okay,” he said as he tried to calm her down. “He is not going to hurt you anymore.” He caught her as she collapsed in the parking lot in relief.

  Two more officers came out the back door, one being Jacob who had watched her building for a few days after the assault. “Sarah, it is okay. Come inside and get some water. Do you want to call someone, call Matt, to pick you up?” he said trying to settle her down.

  Sarah was trying to get herself under control. “Is he dead?” she asked weakly. She could not believe the nightmare was over. She had seen him and it froze her in place in fear. She could not believe how she could not move, she had been so terrified at Tyler’s appearance.

  Jacob patted her on the back, “C’mon, it is okay” he said and took her arm to guide her back into the building. He would not let her enter the front dining area where Tyler’s body lay. He kept her in the kitchen and stayed with her until Matt arrived.

  Matt was terrified when he pulled up and saw the police cars and them wheeling out a gurney with a body bag on it. The alarm company had been directed to call Sarah’s cell phone first and his second if she did not respond. When he got the call, his heart stopped. There would only be one reason to push the emergency buttons and that would be if she was in danger. The déjà vu he felt as he drove to the bakery and seeing the police cars again was overwhelmingly sickening.

  He tore through the streets in his delivery truck and pulled in front of the hardware store he had visited a few weeks earlier in order to change the locks to keep her safe. Matt raced down to the crime scene before being stopped. “Is Sarah okay?” he demanded, “Can I see her? I am her fiancé,” he announced and the officer let him in. Matt moved slowly in shock, he could see where the front door had been kicked in and the bullet hole in the glass. His eyes searched for Sarah and what caught him first was that he heard her weeping from the kitchen. He expected to see her hurt again and was so relieved to see her untouched.

  Sarah flew into Matt’s arms and broke down again. She mumbled erratically what had happened and said, “I am not sure what happened to Tyler. I think he was shot,” she questioned looking around. “When he looked surprised and confused, I ran hitting the alarm pad on my way out of the door.”

  Jacob stood slowly and turned to his captain, announcing that he had shot him. “I saw him draw the gun on her and when he cocked it, I fired. I will file my report when I return to the station and await your orders, sir” he said respectfully and saluted him.

  Matt outstretched his hand to Jacob and shook his hand “Thank you. You saved her.” He owed the man everything. His precious Sarah was safe because of this man.

  Jacob nodded tightly, knowing this could put him on administrative leave or worse depending on how it was explained. To him, it made sense. There was a gun pulled, Tyler was wanted for questioning and Sarah was being protected. He just could not let someone do that again, it was part of the reason he joined the force. He had grown up watching his father hit his mother and he decided he would stop people like that when he was older.

  The police began to clear out of her bakery, once again. Matt grabbed a chair from the front dining area, and had Sarah sit down while he cleaned up the mess Tyler’s body had left on the floor. He did not want Sarah to see the blood. Matt grabbed the mop bucket again and began to clean up.

  Sarah sat there dumbfounded. She could not believe it was over and that she was okay, especially when she thought not thirty minutes ago that she might not make it. That she may never see Matt again. Her hands started shaking and she started crying softly. She put her head down in her hands and let the floodgates open.

  Matt dropped the mop and came around the corner, gathering her into his arms. “Baby, are you hurt?” She shook her head and clung to him for a few minutes.

  Sarah’s voice trembled. “When Tyler pulled the gun on me, I was afraid I would never see you again. That this,” gesturing between the two of them, “was over, because of him.” Sarah wiped her eyes. “I do not want this between us to end and it scared me. I thought I was a dead woman,” she said softly and closed her eyes, trying to let it all sink in that she was going to be okay and it was over.

  Matt held Sarah as she drew several shaky breaths. He leaned back onto his heels, rocked to his core by what she said. He confessed, “I do not want us to ever end either. When I came around the corner and they were wheeling out a body bag, I was terrified
it was you,” he said softly. “I don't want to ever worry or wonder if you are happy, if you are okay, or if you are safe. I want to make sure you are all of those things and more, baby,” he continued.

  Matt reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small box. “I was going to do this romantically and come up with some creative way so you would be overwhelmed and have to say yes but I cannot really express it any more than just telling you and showing you how much I love you ever day for the rest of our lives. I do not want to wait another day to know you are mine,” he said, caressing her cheek as she sat there. “Baby, open your eyes” he said lovingly, and leaned up to kiss her.

  Sarah opened her watery eyes slowly, and looked at Matt. “I want you to be my wife, I want to tell the world that you are mine,” he said reverently and opened the box towards her. Inside the small box, sat a Victorian ring with a small oval diamond set deep in the setting. The setting was white gold and the diamond had a been cut several times that it was covered in facets that caught the light easily.

  Sarah gasped and threw her arms around his neck. Matt laughed and squeezed her tightly, still holding the ring. “Does that mean yes?” he said happily, removing the ring from the box and holding her hand. “Sarah Marie Donnally, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” he said officially and slipped the small ring onto her fourth finger.

  Sarah looked at the lovely ring as it glistened. “Oh, yes,” she whispered. “I love you.”

  Matt whooped and picked her up, spinning her around and kissing her. “I do not want to wait, unless you need to?” he said anxiously, “I want our life and memories to start as soon as possible...can I drag you to the courthouse in the morning?” he half joked, half serious.

  Sarah laughed, “I guess I could make it after the morning rush?” she said teasing him. She loved to make him smile and could not wait for their lives to start together.

  Caramel Cake

  5 eggs

  4 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  3 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

  3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  1 1/2 cup brown sugar

  1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  3 teaspoon salt

  4 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2/3 cup of buttermilk

  3 sticks of butter

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 10” cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

  In stand mixer with paddle attachments, beat the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mixture should be light and have substantially increased in volume.

  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternating each on low speeds. Scrape down bowl and add vanilla, mix again at low speed until incorporated. Spread mixture evenly in both pans and cook for approximately 55 minutes.

  —— “The wedding cake book by Dede Wilson”

  Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) Writing, quilting, spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook or via email at GinnySterlingBooks@gmail.com