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Chapter Six
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Seven
EthanPresent DayEthan stared at her as she told him her story. He felt like his eyes were going to bug out and he was having a hard time from keeping his jaw from hitting the table.“I tried to call you a week later, but the line was disconnected,” she finished. She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. Her green eyes were fierce. No wonder she was angry with him. He was angry with her version of him.“That's not what happened at all,” he told her, trying his best to keep his voice level. Inside, he wanted to strangle someone.She raised her eyebrows and took a sip from her straw. “It's not?” She didn't sound convinced.“Not even close,” he replied. He raised his hand and signaled to the bartender for another round. He was going to need a lot more alcohol.“So what do you think happened?” she asked, setting her drink down and crossing her arms.“I was tied up with business all that Sunday,” he explained. “But I wanted to see you. I couldn't stop talking about you to my secretary. Yo
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Eight
Laura“Are you ever going to park or are you just going to drive forever?” Ivy asked, watching as Laura drove past the restaurant one more time. She was making sure that Ethan and his bodyguard were definitely gone. She did not want to run into them on accident. She wasn't sure she could handle another dose of Ethan's charm without succumbing to him entirely.“I'm parking now,” Laura replied, pulling into the restaurant parking lot. The only cars were Elena's and a couple of sedans that didn't look nice enough to be rentals. She was safe.Laura helped Dallas out of his booster seat while Ivy ran on ahead. She could already smell the hamburgers and french fries and her mouth watered. Sandy's was a favorite dinner spot, especially when Elena was working. Laura tried not to have the kids eat out too often, but it was so much easier than trying to cook for all three of them after a busy day at work. Today, however, Laura had a different reason for wanting to eat at Sandy's.She wanted to
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Nine
EthanEthan felt oddly nervous as he prepared for his day. He'd woken up that morning in a great mood, and he knew it had to do with the fact that he was going to see Laura that evening. He checked his watch. He had two meetings before it would be time for his date, and it felt like too long and yet not enough at the same time.He stood at the foot of his bed with his dinner suit laid out on across the comforter. He held three ties in his hand, trying to figure out which one would look the best. Usually, he left this kind of decision up to his secretary, but he was on his own today.He held up the blue one. It looked nice, but he wasn't sure if the gold one gave a better impression. He wondered which color Laura liked better and wished he had a horse tie. She would like a horse tie.A knock on the door to his hotel suite pulled him from his thoughts. He set the ties down and went to open the door. Peeking through the peephole, he could see Craig waiting for him. He smiled and opened u
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Ten
Laura“It'll be okay, Dallas. I promise,” Laura told her brother as she rubbed his back. “You're doing great.”He nodded weakly and continued to vomit what little was left in his stomach into the toilet. Laura kept rubbing his back and making soft words of encouragement until the little guy curled up in a ball on the floor.“I don't feel good, Laura,” he said weakly. If that wasn't the understatement of the year, she wasn't sure what was. His little cheeks were flushed, and he looked absolutely miserable.“I know, sweetie,” she said softly, pulling him up into a hug. “Let's rinse your mouth out and then we'll go join your sister on the couch. Then we can watch a movie.”Dallas nodded weakly, letting his sister take him to the sink. “A new movie?”“Sorry, we just have the old ones,” Laura said, turning on the water.“Okay.” He didn't even try to whine about it. That's how Laura knew he was absolutely miserable. Dallas reached out and washed his hands and took a small sip of water into
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Eleven
LauraBeing very careful not to wake the small humans, Laura slipped off the couch. She gently put Ivy's head on a pillow and tucked her in while Ethan did the same for Dallas. When they were done, they both headed into the kitchen to wash their hands. Laura had them do it twice, just to be on the safe side.While she was microwaving their food, Ethan went to the bag of DVDs and pulled out something. She wasn't sure what it was until she turned around and found that he had a little candle on the center of the table. It flickered and cast a warm light on the small wooden table.“You didn't have to clear the table,” she said gently, bringing the food over. It was still in the paper take-out containers, but she didn't want to do dishes.“Yeah, but where else would we eat?” he asked. She could see he'd neatly stacked all the bills, homework, and art projects on one of the empty chairs. “Next time, I really do want to bring you someplace nice, but for now, would you join me for a candlelig
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twelve
LauraLaura scrambled out of her chair and sprinted across the room. She didn't even care that she knocked her chair over or that she was fairly sure her fork hit Ethan in the face. She had to get to Dallas in time. Time moved in slow motion as she reached for the Halloween bucket and managed to get it into Dallas' lap just in time.She was about to sigh in relief, but Ivy started making the same gurgling noise. She turned, sure she wouldn't make it in time to find that Ethan already had the bucket under her and was holding back her long red hair.Ethan cuddled Ivy close, unconcerned for his nice pants or shirt. His lovely green tie was thrown over his shoulder, reminding Laura of a cape. He was certainly Ivy's hero as he cuddled her close and comforted her.It was so domestic and so laughable at the same time. She smiled at him, even though he was too busy to see it. If he wasn't here, she wasn't sure what she would have done. If nothing else, she would have had a mess to clean up. S
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirteen
EthanEthan walked toward the familiar barn with both excitement and a little apprehension. He was excited because he was going to see Laura, and after last night she was the only thing he was able to think of. She had filled his dreams, and he had woken up needing a cold shower. He couldn't wait to see her.However, horses were not his thing. He liked dogs and cats. Horses were too big and unpredictable. He had never been riding and had this terrible prediction that he was going to make a fool of himself.He should have asked if they could go climbing. Or dancing. Or anything else besides horseback riding. He sighed and coughed as he took in a big mouthful of manure-smelling air. Laura loved horses. If he wanted to be with her, he was going to have to get comfortable around them.She was worth it, so he stood up a little straighter and put a smile on his face as he entered the barn.The smells of sunlight-warmed hay and horses, with the metallic tang of metal and leather for accent,
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Fourteen
LauraLaura led as they took the back way home to the ranch. She couldn't stop smiling. This was going better than she'd hoped. It made her glad that she was on her horse in front of Ethan, that way he didn't have to see the goofy smirk that was plastered on her face.“Slow down there, cowgirl,” Ethan called out.Laura glanced over her shoulder to see Ethan a little way back on the trail. His smile was just as broad as hers as he held the reins. His horse was carefully navigating the rocky path, but apparently wasn't going fast enough to keep up with her.“Whoa,” she said, pulling on her reins.Her horse came to a stop in the middle of the trail, and they waited for Ethan to catch up.“Come on, slowpoke,” she shouted. “Don't be afraid of a few rocks.”“If the horse is afraid of them, then so am I,” Ethan called back. “Besides, I'd really rather not fall off. That would be ugly. You don't want to see me cry. I'm a really ugly crier.”Laura laughed at his comment as she watched Ethan tr
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Forty
Laura“Luckily it went the way it was supposed to,” Ethan told Laura.She was still having a hard time believing this was all happening. She looked over in time to see the EMTs wheel Craig off strapped to a gurney. He was still out cold as they took him away with a police escort.“What's going to happen to him?” Laura asked, following him with her eyes. She gripped Ethan's hand, drawing strength from him.“He's going somewhere they can help him,” Ethan answered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry about him.”Laura nodded and looked away. She understood that Craig didn't mean to hurt her, but she wasn't ready to forgive him for tying her up and threatening her life just yet.The EMT checking Laura out cleared her throat. She smiled as the two of them looked over.“You look okay,” the EMT told Laura. “You're a little dehydrated, but your vitals are good, and you don't have any physical injuries.”“Can I take her home?” Ethan asked his hand on her shoulder.“If you want t
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Nine
EthanEight hours earlier…“Come alone, or I'll kill her.”The electronic voice clicked off, and the line went dead.A picture came through of Laura tied to a chair and address to meet.Ethan stared at the phone in his hand. He was shaking. He never shook like this during business meetings or even when climbing over hundred foot drops. But this had him shaking like a leaf in a tornado.Someone had Laura and was going to kill her.He swallowed hard. It had to be Janie. The car, the break-in... and now she had Laura.His knees buckled, and he sat down hard in his office chair. The chair swiveled, nearly dumping him over and he cursed. He hated this Colorado temporary office.“You need a plan,” Ethan whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and started visualizing. It was what he did when he faced a difficult vertical mountain climb. He would visualize each spot his hands needed to go to and just how to grip the rock. He would plan the entire ascent up the rock face and anticipate any hi
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Eight
LauraLaura dozed off. There was no way for her to keep time in the quiet of the empty warehouse. She watched as the sunlight shifted against the floor, but her eyes were still heavy from the drugs Craig had given her.When she woke, the sun was at a different angle and more yellow than gray. She was thirsty again, and now she had to pee as well. She wondered what had woken her up when she heard the metallic thud of the warehouse door.She prayed it wasn't Craig. She wasn't ready to pretend to be the compliant captive. She still hadn't found a way to get out of the ropes tying her to the chair. All she had to show for her struggles were bruises.She watched with baited breath as a man came through the door. She wasn't sure if she could handle another conversation with Craig. She pressed her ankles and wrists against the ropes that held her to the chair, but the didn't budge. It felt like all she was doing was bruising herself.The man stepped into the light and Laura gasped.It wasn't
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Seven
LauraLaura's head throbbed, and her mouth felt like she'd eaten fire. She shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing in her ears and figure out where she was. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gray light and for the world to stop spinning long enough to get a clear image.She was in some sort of empty warehouse. Pale gray light filtered in through windows on the second floor, but other than that she couldn't see much. Everything was dusty, so she assumed that where ever she was, it wasn't in active use.She tried to rub her eyes to get the grit out of them but found them tied behind her. She was on a hard metal chair, the kind used for church get-togethers and elementary school concerts. It was not a comfortable thing to be tied to.“Hello?” she called out. It hurt her voice to talk, but she had to find out if she was alone. Her voice didn't seem to travel far.She waited for a reply, but nothing came. She swallowed down her panic. She was alone and tied to a chair.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Six
Laura“Bye, guys! Have fun! Love you!” Laura waved to the kids as the car pulled away. She could see Ivy and Dallas waving back, as well as Grandma and Grandpa. The two kids were off to spend the weekend with their grandparents. Laura had forgotten about it completely until Grandma had called and asked what time to pick them up.Laura had arranged for the weekend off of parent duty two weeks ago, back when she was still with him. She'd had this fantastic idea to steal him away for a sexy weekend adventure. Then they'd broken up.That was a week ago.She turned and went back into the empty house, and she immediately missed her siblings. She had no idea what in the world she was going to do by herself this weekend. If nothing else, the barn was going to get a good cleaning.She sighed and glanced over at her phone. He hadn't called her. The only message she'd gotten from him since she told him she wanted a break was two days old.I'm fine. Home in California safe. Don't worry about me.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Five
LauraLaura walked into Sandy's and was glad to see the place was mostly empty. It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, so the usual crowds weren't there. She'd dropped the kids off for their last day at school and headed over to the one place she knew would have comfort food and a friend.“Hey you,” Elena greeted her from the bar as she walked up. Elena's smile faded as she looked at Laura. “What's the matter?”“I think I broke up with Ethan,” Laura told her. The words felt like daggers driving into her heart.“What?” Elena asked. She quickly walked around the bar and wrapped her friend up in a hug. “What happened?”“I freaked out because he was on an airplane,” Laura explained. “Like super freaked.”“Okay...” Elena let her go, motioning to two bar stools. Together they sat down to talk. “How did that lead to you two breaking up?”Laura shrugged. It sounded stupid now, but she still felt mad about the whole thing. “He's going to be traveling a lot,” she explained. “He has to go back and forth
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Four
EthanEthan let out a long slow breath as the car pulled out onto the highway. He was doing his best not to be angry, but it was hard. It was hard not to be frustrated when she messaged him so constantly. Laura was so amazing in every other way, but her fear of him flying was the one thing that he did not enjoy about her.He stared out the window, watching the mountains to the west rise and dip into the horizon. He knew that he would have texted her too if their positions had been reversed and he'd seen the news on the missing plane. It was just that there were so many messages. He had so many issues on his plate between the R&D department problems and now Janie stalking him and sending him death threats. Getting a million messages telling him to call her was not helpful.He pulled up his phone and checked the news. The other plane was a small personal aircraft, not nearly as nice as his was, but he could see how she would be worried. Luckily, the other plane had landed without injuri
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Three
LauraLaura closed her eyes and imagined herself at a mountain lake. There were horses, and the world smelled of pine and fresh rain. The lake sparkled in the sunlight and sunlight warmed her skin. It was peaceful and calm. Nothing could be wrong in this beautiful place.And then a plane crashed into the lake, and everything was ruined.Laura groaned and opened her eyes. Visualizing a calm space was not helping her anxiety. Ethan was getting on a plane again today, and all she could think about was his plane crashing and never seeing him again. It didn't matter that he'd survived the last flight just fine. It didn't matter than she knew it was irrational and stupid.She was still anxious and upset about it.She flopped onto the couch and checked her phone for the millionth time. No messages. The kids would be home soon, and she welcomed the distraction. The kitchen was scrubbed to shining, the bathrooms sparkled, and the laundry was folded and put away. She was running out of househol
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Two
EthanEthan walked onto the elevator to the parking garage in a daze. He couldn't remember the last meeting that had gone on that long. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep for a week. Unfortunately, he was going to get about five hours before he had to come back and go back to work.There were going to be more meetings tomorrow that were just as important as the ones today. The new R&D department was causing issues with investors, and he had to make sure everything worked out. It was stressful, but that was his job. He was good at this. He knew he would make it work, but it would mean a lot of hours in the office for the next few days.He was seriously just considering sleeping at his desk. He felt like he might actually get more rest. He sighed and stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage. It would be good to go home. He could call Laura from the comfort of his car on the drive home. He was already looking forward to it.Ethan waved to Bruce in the security offic
