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Chapter Eight
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A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Nine
CarterFire engulfed the parking garage, a demon of red and orange that relentlessly pursued him. The heat of the flames licked at his skin and singed his eyebrows. His lungs struggled for oxygen as the fire stole it with every desperate inhale.Carter coughed and tried to run from the fire, but his feet were stuck to the ground. He forced his legs to move, but every step was like through quicksand. His eyes watered with the acrid smoke of burning plastic and metal. Sweat drenched his body as he struggled to get away.Somehow the flames grew. Carter panicked, his feet turning to stone as the flames consumed him.And then he woke up.Carter sat straight up in bed, gasping for air and clawing at his bed-sheets. It was just a nightmare. It was the nightmare he'd had every night since the incident.He sucked in the clean mountain air, trying to convince his lungs that he wasn't still trapped in the smoke and fire of the dream. His heart rate was through the roof, and he was going to need
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Ten
MiaMia appraised the brown quarter horse in front of her, not quite entirely sure how confident she felt getting back up on the horse by herself. The gelding looked steady enough, but it had been a long time since Mia had been on a horse. She remembered it being fun, but she didn't remember the horses looking quite so big. She decided to wait a moment before getting on. The kids would probably need her help.“Why do I have to wear a helmet?” Alexander asked, looking askance at the riding helmet they all had to wear. He held it in front of him like it smelled as he waited to get up on his horse. “Cowboys wear hats.”“You wear it because I like your head in one piece,” Mia told him. “And you need more practice to be a cowboy.”Alexander opened his mouth to complain, but Carter held up a helmet of his own.“I'm wearing a helmet,” Carter informed him, putting the heavy helmet on his own head. He shrugged like it was nothing. “These don't blow off in the wind, so I actually like it better
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Eleven
MiaLaura led the line of horses up a path away from the ranch. They were still in the foothills, but it was close enough to a mountain ride to feel on top of the world. Wildflowers, pine trees, and panoramic views for as far as she could see surrounded her. The scent of pine and dry grass warmed by the sunshine filled her nose. Peaceful was the best word Mia could think of to describe the beauty of the mountains.Mia and Carter talked and laughed as they rode their horses. They stayed slightly back behind the kids, enjoying their private conversation. Mia couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed this hard. Carter kept cracking jokes and flirting with her the entire ride up into the foothills. This was the best day she'd had in a long time.After about an hour, the path opened to a small meadow. The yellowing grass waved gently in the cool breeze with the mountains capped in snow behind in the distance.“Who wants to go a little faster?” Laura asked the kids as Mia and Carter cau
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Twelve
Mia“Grayson!” Mia screamed again, urging her horse to go after him. Her horse refused to budge. She had no idea what she was going to do, but Grayson was in big trouble. The horse was flying across the meadow and he was barely hanging on, his hands tangled in the mane and his little legs gripping on tight.Carter was three steps ahead of her. He knew what to do and had his horse ready to go. Using his larger horse's speed, he easily caught up to Grayson's panicked mare. He was able to use his own horse to slow down the terrified mare and finally bring her to a stop.“Grayson!” Mia finally got her horse to stop being afraid of whatever he saw in the grass and she galloped him over to where Grayson was. His poor little face was sheet white and his eyes the size of dinner plates. Carter helped him unclench his hands from the mane and slide down onto the hard ground where his knees promptly gave out.Mia was off her horse and hugging the boy as fast as she could move. Grayson shook like
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirteen
CarterThe piece of fabric hanging from Carter's porch fluttered in the slight breeze. It would have been picturesque, if not for the words “YOUR FAULT”, which were written in what could either be blood or red paint. Carter hoped it was paint.Carter's hands shook as he came back into the house. He no longer felt safe here. He felt like running to the nearest police station and simply taking up residence. But he was done running. Whoever was doing this was going to chase him across the globe. It was best to stay here, where he could control things and make plans. He held the high ground, even if it didn't feel like it at the moment.“Are you okay, sir?” Brian asked, coming up behind him.“I'm fine.” Carter already knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight. The dreams of fire were already in his mind.“The bomb squad says that it would never have gone off,” Brian informed him. “The threading on the head of the pipe bomb wasn't tight enough.”“That's comforting.” Carter turned fr
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Fourteen
MiaThe sun slowly slid down behind the mountains, pulling them up over herself like they were a giant blanket. The sky was awash with pinks and golds that reflected off the snow capped peaks making the world look more like a painting than real life. Mia took a deep breath in and tried to save this moment. It was going to be their second to last time on the ranch, and she wanted to remember it like this.The window was basically paid off. Even if Carter only had paid the kids the barest of wages and purchased the most expensive window possible, the work was still done. They were only on the schedule one more time. It made Mia's heart ache in a way she hadn't been expecting. She found herself looking forward to these trips. Though, if she was really being honest with herself, it was seeing Carter that she really looked forward to, not the horses and watching the kids work.“Mia?” Laura asked, touching her arm and pulling her away from the sunset. She wore a hopeful smile. “I wanted to
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Fifteen
MiaHopeful Dreamer was inside a large stall, looking huge and ready to pop, though Mia would never tell her that. The mare's tail was neatly wrapped up and tied back out of the way and she looked at the two of them as they entered. Mia could have sworn the mare rolled her eyes at them as if to say, “Oh good, more people to watch me. Fabulous. Just what I wanted.”“I actually had some more questions for you on the car design,” Carter murmured, still looking at the mare. He'd dropped his hand when they'd reached the stall and Mia found herself wishing he'd put in back on her.“I'm happy to help,” Mia replied. Her stomach got all giddy again at the thought that she had an excuse to be with him.He motioned to a bench along the back side of the barn and together they sat down and started talking.“What did you think of the trunk? Was the trunk size appropriate?” Carter asked, pulling up the designs on the phone.“Depends on if you like some junk in your trunk,” Mia replied automatically.
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Sixteen
CarterEverything was quiet in the black of the night. The barn was dark and the only sound was the gentle breaths of breathing creatures. Moonlight softly filtered through an open window and the electric lantern was turned down as low as possible while they waited. Carter was sure that he was the only one awake in the entire world, and right now, that was okay with him.Mia was sleeping on his shoulder. He didn't dare move, despite the fact that his nose itched, his right foot was asleep, and there was a piece of straw poking at his left ankle. The last thing in the entire world that he wanted was to wake her up and have her move away from him. The way her body pressed against his, even just platonically, was heaven.He smiled at her as she slept. They'd been sitting on the bench, talking about the kids and cars and various other topics. The conversation had drifted back to his cars, and she'd asked him some questions that took a while to explain. He'd started talking and realized sh
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A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Forty
Mia“Mia, where are you?” Grayson asked over the phone. “You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago.”Mia put on her turn signal and worked her way to the edge of the highway so she could get off and head up to the ranch.“I'm really sorry, Grayson,” Mia replied, checking her mirrors. “The traffic today is terrible. The snow is just slowing everything down.”“How long until you get here?” the little boy asked, obviously pouting.Mia raised her eyebrows at the phone. Grayson usually didn't care when she got to the ranch. In fact, the later she was, the happier he was because it meant more time in the barn with Star Dancer. He loved that little colt.“Five minutes, tops,” she promised, stepping on the gas and zooming up to the dirt road leading to the ranch.“Okay!” Grayson replied cheerfully and he ended the call. Mia shook her head and kept driving. Everyone seemed to be behaving oddly today.First, Laura had asked the kids to come work at the ranch today, even though it wasn't thei
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Nine
MiaMia glanced at the office door on her way out and recoiled. It was a miracle the man hadn't gotten through. Just a few more moments and he would have had them. The door on the opposite side of the office was in tatters and stamped with blood. She could only assume it was the man's with his attempts to get in.She wasn't far behind Carter. She could see the blue of his shirt as he disappeared out the front door. A sea of uniformed security stood in her way, but she wiggled between them hot on his tail. She had to catch him.Outside, the police had finally arrived. Ten squad cars all stood in the big driveway loop of the ranch with more lining up down the road. It hurt her eyes to look at all the lights, but she did see an officer putting a man into the back of one.He was tall and relatively good looking. He had the dark uniform of the security team, though it didn't seem to fit him very well. The man looked up, and she saw his eyes. They were ice cold and full of such fury that sh
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Eight
Mia“You killed my daughter. Now, I'm going to kill you.”The words were even and calm, yet so full of hatred that Mia winced. The man on the other side of the door wasn't nervous or afraid. He was calm and ready to deal out the justice he felt the world deserved. A justice with Carter dead.The man started to pound on the door. It shook from every blow and Mia didn't know how long it would hold. It was a heavier door than she was used to, but the man outside was determined, and a little bit of wood and metal wasn't about to stop him. This had to be the man sending death-threats to Carter. He had to have found a way to turn off the security system and phones. She wondered how he'd gotten security to leave.It didn't matter, though. He was here now. He was here and ready to carry out his threats.Carter didn't hesitate. He went to the window, ready with a plan. He grunted with the effort of lifting the big window open. Once it was open, he pushed on the screen, letting it tumble to the
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Seven
MiaMia stood in front of the ranch house and took a deep breath. The smells of hay and clean mountain air filled her lungs, and she tried to steady herself. Today was the day. Today she was telling Carter.The kids were at school, and she'd told her boss she was taking the rest of the day off, so there weren't any distractions. Today, she wasn't getting sidetracked by cars or kids or anything. Today, she was telling him that he was the father of her baby.Just thinking the words made her heart stumble. She still wasn't sure how he was going to react, and that uncertainty gnawed at her. She loved him, and she was terrified that he might push her away because of this.He didn't want children. He'd said it in interviews and even to her directly. She wanted him to be in her life, to be in their child's life, but she understood if he didn't want to be. This was something he had been very clear on not wanting. She wasn't sure how he was going to respond.Mia glanced around the ranch. It se
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Six
Mia“Are you okay, Mia?” Grayson asked, tugging gently on Mia's hand as they walked to the barn for their Wednesday work session.“Hmm? Oh, I'm fine,” she replied, giving herself a shake and smiling down at him. Her thoughts had been on the baby growing in her stomach.“Carter says that you can't let your thoughts wander when you're working with the horses,” Grayson informed her. “You need to use your full brain.”Mia chuckled. “It's a good thing I'm not working with the horses today then, huh?”On impulse, she knelt down and pulled the little boy into a hug. Grayson happily hugged her back. She took a deep breath in, pulling in his strawberry scented shampoo mixed with the sunshine in his hair. It smelled like innocence to her. He would never be this little again. Tears welled up in her eyes.“You sure you're okay?” Grayson asked, pulling back. He frowned a little, and she realized she'd hugged him for a long time.“I am,” she promised. “Go catch up with your brother and sister. I ne
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Five
CarterCarter sat in the garage and went over the designs for his next year's car models and felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He wished he could just go to the plant and start on them now. There was so much that needed to be done that he couldn't do from his mountain home. As much as he loved being out on the ranch, it certainly made doing business ridiculously hard. He wished he could go down to the city for at least a couple of hours just so that he could get a few things accomplished.Without access to his office and his usual business interactions, he felt out of control. He had far too much freedom out here, and he missed the hustle of the office. The ranch was great, but he craved the thrill of the deal and the excitement of being around people who shared his dream. He wasn't good at just sitting back and letting things happen, so being out here in the middle of nowhere was hard on him.He sighed and pushed his chair away from the drafting table. If he was feeling like
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Four
MiaMia walked down the aisles of the grocery store humming softly to herself. It was the first time in what felt like weeks that she'd had a moment to spend on herself and get to the grocery store. She was nearly out of food, but luckily, the only thing that sounded good lately was cereal, so she wasn't in too bad of shape. However, she'd run out of toothpaste this morning and was now at the store on her lunch break. She could deal with cereal for every meal, but she wanted to have nice breath when she kissed Carter.She wandered through the pharmacy, picking up some antacids. Her stomach had been a little queasy the night before, so she wanted to stock up. As she passed through the aisles, she came to the feminine hygiene aisle.The aisle was relatively unmarked, but there was a half empty stand of chocolate bars on the end-cap, so someone knew what they were doing. She chuckled to herself and tried to remember if she needed to pick up more supplies for herself. She did the mental m
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Three
MiaMia kissed Grayson's forehead as his eyelids fluttered shut in the dim light of his nightlight. Even his nightlight was race-car themed with the light coming out of a pair of headlights on the wall. She carefully closed the door and stepped into the common room. The other two were tucked in bed with books and heavy eyelids that didn't look like they were going to last long.Mia thought that the kids were going to stay up all night, enjoying their new rooms. It was the first time they'd each had their own room, let alone a room decorated to suit their preferences, and Mia has figured they'd be living it up.However, the events of the day had worn them out. It was a testament to how well Carter had crafted each room that the kids all fell asleep in less than thirty minutes once teeth were brushed and pajamas on. The kids felt like they were at home and fell asleep with ease.“Well, that was easier than I expected,” Carter announced as they slipped upstairs to the living room. “And t
A Forever Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Two
Mia“We didn't find any sign of the intruder, ma'am,” the police officer told her. She stood on the front porch of Margie's house with police lights flashing everywhere. She was fairly sure the neighbors were going to accidentally rip the blinds off their windows if they kept peeking out like they were.Mia nodded. She could see Brian and Ben talking with two other police officers by the garage. A crime scene camera flashed for what felt like the millionth time at the garage. She turned back to what the head officer was telling her.“The window was broken in with a rock from the yard. We've cleared the house and made sure that no one is inside or anywhere on the property. We made sure they didn't leave any surprises behind in the house,” the officer was saying. “Whoever did this isn't here anymore.”“Thank you, officer,” Mia replied, nodding along. She still felt weirded out by it all though and wasn't looking forward to going to her own empty apartment. Maybe she could get Brian to c
