Half an hour later, Steve and Gwen pulled into the Anderson driveway. At least they pulled into the bottom of the drive, as it was full of cars. Gwen looked the cars over and turned to Steve."I'm so sorry. It looks like every relative and friend my family knows has decided to meet at our place. I think it may be to inspect you and maybe grill you as boyfriend material. I'm not saying you're my boyfriend or anything, but I know everyone inside will say it. I have to invite you in or they'd give me the devil, but you can leave if you want. I wouldn't blame you," admitted Gwen."For some reason, you don't seem to understand that I really enjoy your family. I'd be glad to meet all your family and friends. In fact, I want to meet them, if you're okay with it.""Okay, but don't say that I didn't warn you. They'll talk like we're getting married next week and ask all kinds of embarrassing questions. The Inquisition was a walk in the park compared to an evening in our house when you're datin
Steve had to park his car down the street because the Anderson driveway was filled to capacity. Kate greeted him with a hug as he walked up the driveway."I'm so glad you came, Steve. I've got a few girlfriends here, and I kind of told them we're real close since you're dating my sister. I'm not going to embarrass you or Sis, but it would be greatly appreciated if you'd act like you really liked me," begged Kate."Kate, I really do like you, but let's make this clear. I like you like the sister that I never had. I may start loving you like the sister I never had, but it's always going to be like a sister, okay?""Oh, Steve! You'll be my big brother? I never had one before, but I think I'm going to enjoy it a lot! That sounds perfect. I'll be sure to tell Sis that I'm not trying to steal you away. Thanks so much!" squealed Kate in delight as she led Steve around to the pool area behind the house."I think this guy is stalking me!" called Charlotte as she walked up to Steve and gave him
For his part, Steve wasted no time catching up to Gwen as they left homeroom for their English class. Gwen felt a tingle of pride to have Steve walk her down the halls where the other students could see for themselves that the star quarterback was, indeed, walking with the class "braniac".Steve took a seat directly behind Gwen, who sat in the front row. Charlotte sat across from her in another front seat. Mark, Bev, and Barry came in together and sat nearby. Steve saw a very attractive, petite blonde girl enter and look around at the gathered students."You're Steve Hammer? Did you receive the required reading list for this class? If so, did you have time to read all four novels? Will you require any extra time to complete the assignment," quizzed the pretty girl."I'm on the last chapter of the fourth novel. I'll have them all read by tomorrow morning. Thanks for asking," replied Steve politely, but with some confusion. "How about you? Did you read all of them, or will you need more
"There's just one more thing, and then I'll let you go. I told you that I had the idea while reading the names of those in this year's senior class. The name that caused me to dare this folly was yours, Gwen. You practically have a lock on valedictorian. You want to be a surgeon. And lately, you've been garnering a great deal of publicity, all of it good, by the way. You're limited only by what you can imagine. I want you to be the chairperson for this year long fund raising project, and the sky is the limit. Work with Dave Kite, or at least be sure he is aware of your schedule and plans. He's done a marvelous job of developing a web presence for us. Let's use it to our marketing advantage. We'll try anything if it isn't illegal, or obviously immoral. This class will the very best this school has ever had!" predicted Ms. Walker to the enthusiastic seniors.Steve congratulated Gwen as everyone filed out of the auditorium. He then turned and headed for the locker room to prepare for foo
Amber Stahl, with the zeal of a young reporter, smelled a story and decided to hang around after the game. If she was noticed videoing the first dance by the homecoming queen and king, it wasn't mentioned. Half the crowd had their phone cameras pointed at the couple. She just had time to get her report back to the station in the state capital before the eleven o'clock news. It was a slow news night and the lady sports director quickly scanned the video to glean the highlights. Her curiosity aroused, she played more slowly the highlights that interested her. Then she called the news director over to view the video from Sparta."Ms. Walker, my YouTube videos had a real shot in the arm Friday night," revealed Dave Kite as he took his seat in homeroom. "Channel 4 carried highlights of our win over Crawford, the crowning of our homecoming Queen and King, and at least fifteen seconds of their first dance of the evening. Somehow they found out about our class YouTube account and mentioned it
"That's what we're going to discuss this evening, Kate. I think I may be able to help her efforts to raise money. I own a very successful dealership and we sponsor a lot of worthy causes.""Here comes my Dad, Mr. Governs. He probably has a few things to say to you. It was nice meeting you," added Kate more politely than she felt."Hello, Mort. You remember me? We met when you dated my oldest daughter, Lisa. I sort have developed a short speech I like to give young men that date my daughters. It helps clear the air and avoid any misunderstandings," asserted Ted. "Do not use alcohol or drugs at any time in my daughter's presence. Always drive and conduct yourself in a responsible manner or I will not allow my daughter to go out with you. Treat her with respect at all times."Gwen and Paula were putting the finishing touches on Gwen's hair when they heard Ted give his spiel. They looked at each other and smiled as they listened to Ted recite his rules. Gwen had far less concern than the
Gwen knew real fear as she looked at Mort's face and heard his intentions. She threw her door open and ran into the woods. She heard Mort curse and then the engine started. Headlights lit up the forest, forcing Gwen to flee farther into the night. She remained quiet until she was certain that she heard Mort drive away. She had the presence of mind to listen carefully so that she could determine the direction of the nearest highway. Gwen had her phone, but until she could establish her location, calling someone for help would only create unneeded worry for her family.Not one to whine, Gwen began walking in the general direction of the highway. Half an hour later, Gwen found herself on a county road. Having grown up in the area, she only had to walk a half mile or so along the road before she was able to identify her location. With a sigh, she used the speed dial on her phone."Charlotte, I need you to pick me up. I'm stranded on Henderson Road, about halfway between the river and the
"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier this evening when you were getting ready to go out with butt-head," pointed out Kate. "You weren't going to tell Steve about Mort if you could help it. I guess all women are liars and cheats and really want men to play with their "girls". That's probably exactly what Mort believes.""Besides," added Gwen, ignoring Kate's observation, "Dad punched Steve tonight when he saw my torn blouse and Steve standing there all angry. That's enough to keep Steve away forever.""Ha! I'll give you odds that Steve will be back as soon as you invite him. He'll even apologize to Dad for making him so upset that he felt he had to hit Steve. Did you see how Steve just rubbed his chin and looked at Dad? I don't think Dad will be popping him in the chops again anytime soon," chuckled Kate. "But it was great that Dad was willing to mix it up with Steve for his daughter's honor."Steve had no idea what to expect when he entered the homeroom the next morning. He h
"Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half, Steve. Would you like to lie down for awhile? You look a little drowsy," commented Paula. "Good idea, Mom! Come on, Steve. I'll help you get situated. I forget what you've been through, at least until I look at your face. Let's get you in bed so you can rest," prompted Gwen. "You'd better come back and watch TV with us pretty soon or we'll all know he's not getting any rest," laughed Caroline as Gwen closed the bedroom door. "Mom, do you think we made a mistake allowing Gwen to be with Steve?" asked Paula in a serious tone. "Seriously? Not even close. I'm a little old fashioned, but you can't keep those two apart, even if you tried. They wouldn't lie or sneak around, but that boy has a serious dose of testosterone pumping in his veins and Gwen is about as beautiful a woman as I've ever seen. They can't be kept apart and it would be wrong to try. They aren't your average high school kids, not by a long shot. I don't think there's any limi
Gwen rushed over to Laura and followed her out of the room. Steve was covered in bandages and once again had an IV plugged into his left arm. Gwen walked up to his bed and took his hand and smiled. Steve tried to smile back and groaned as his split lip reminded him of his ordeal."Steve, you know what this means, don't you?" asked Gwen. "I'm going to have to wash your back in the shower again. You know I'm going to make you stay with us and I'm going to smother you in love. I just hope you're healthy enough to survive it because it's going to be constant and intense. Think you can stand it?""That's all I could think about when I was lying under that damn rock ledge! I knew if I could just hang on, you'd be rubbing your naked breasts against me again, washing my back and allowing me to wash your front. I had to time to think about my love for you, Gwen. I'll never love another woman the way I love you. I know that.""Oh, Steve! My heart was breaking when you were taken away, but I nev
"I decided to check out his chest area for any injuries or punctures. His chest, stomach, and back were all covered with horrible long black bruises. It's pretty apparent that the guy must have beaten Steve with some sort of club!"Cries and moans filled the room at Brad's statement. He waited for the ladies to collect themselves. "He also had shrapnel buried in his back, buttocks, and legs. One large fragment and several smaller ones appeared to be infected. He's quite ill. I have no idea what sort of internal injuries he may have suffered from the beating and the wreck. His face is badly swollen, with one eye totally closed. There you have it as far as I can report. Obviously, the doctors will have much better idea of the extent of his health problems."No one had expected to hear that Steve had been badly beaten before crashing and then enduring several days in a blizzard. Everyone wore shocked expressions and tears flowed freely. Paula hugged Gwen and cooed into her ear much as sh
They had formed a plan for searching while in the copter and moved out to follow that plan. Two days later they still had almost half of the area they wanted to search untouched. The snow was well over three feet with drifts eight and ten feet high. They felt a real urgency as they pushed through the snow. It was not likely that anyone would survive for days in this environment without proper equipment. They feared that their window of opportunity for finding Steve alive was rapidly closing.They were not looking for a body. They searched likely areas where a man in distress would look for shelter during a storm. They looked for caves in the hillside, smoke in the air, tracks in the snow, and deadfalls where downed trees could offer some protection from the elements. By Friday afternoon, they were tired and discouraged, but in agreement that they would not end their search until they found Steve. Neither brother wanted to return home from this mission they had undertaken empty handed.
Steve had been taken totally by surprise when the gunman appeared from behind the car. He cursed himself for being so careless, and for endangering Lisa. Her fear was obvious, but it forced Steve to remain calm. The situation was tense and he knew that he needed to remove Lisa from danger.As soon as he realized that he was the man's real focus, Steve decided that he'd go with him if Lisa were allowed to leave unharmed. Steve was also certain that if Lisa was hurt in any way, he would find some way to wreak vengeance on the gunman.As the man secured his hands, Lisa was allowed to slip away. Steve was under no illusions about what was facing him, but with Lisa safe, he would be able to face it without concern for her.They drove a couple miles with his hands strapped to the car door. Then the gunman turned into a driveway as the garage door opened. He pulled alongside an SUV, shut the motor off, and closed the garage door. Steve's abductor then walked around the front of the car. As h
"They had a blizzard up there a couple days ago. There's two feet of new snow and the temperatures have been in the teens with a strong wind since then. Steve must be in that weather, trying to survive after blowing that bastard to hell. He'll need help!""I have some connections," declared Brad as he headed out of the room. "Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out."Ten minutes later, Brad came back into the living room. "I called in a few favors to get this information. They found body parts all over the wreckage, but none were Steve's. They did find blood on some of the wreckage that was Steve's. They feel it's possible that he's alive and on foot in the Burns National Forest. Amber's dad tried to send the National Guard in with helicopters and other equipment, but couldn't because there's another blizzard bearing down on the area right now. They can't risk more lives, so they have to wait it out. They think it'll be clear by the weekend, or maybe Friday and they'll go
Amber had the camera on a tripod as she stood in front of it with Gwen. The voice in her ear told her she was going on in ten seconds. She counted down and turned to Gwen."What can you tell us about this situation, Gwen. What has happened here?""A dark man with a heavy accent and a gun stopped my sister, Lisa, in the parking lot of the Sparta mall a short while ago. He demanded that she text my boyfriend, Steve Hammer, telling him that she needed him outside. When he went out to see what Lisa needed, the gunman told Steve he had to submit to having his hands bound and to get into the gunman's car or he would shoot both Steve and Lisa."Steve told the gunman that he would kill him if he harmed Lisa, but if he let Lisa go, Steve would agree to being bound and leave with him. As he secured Steve's wrists, my sister was able to flee the area. She is unharmed but pretty shaken."We called the police immediately and they are doing their best to find the gunman and Steve. The man had a hea
"They're afraid that if they move me, they'll miss the exclusive features you've been granting me the last few months. Now that you have a hit song and your clothing line is being promoted all over TV and the internet, the station doesn't want to lose you. They've given me a raise and a promise to move up once you guys are in college."I'd like to do fifteen minutes with you two. It will be live, with a few seconds delay in case something unacceptable is blurted. It's going to be during the eight o'clock hour and the network may rebroadcast it during their morning show if it looks interesting enough."Saturday morning found Lisa, Kate, Gwen, Amber Stahl and Amber O'Leary setting up at Macy's, well before the normal opening time. Amber O'Leary had arranged to have a piano delivered to the area the kids were using. She felt confident that fans would be asking Gwen and Steve to sing since they had a hit song. The girls were shown their changing room, while Steve once again was given a gl
School was scheduled to reopen Wednesday morning, one week after the attack. Steve had managed to cut off his bandages by himself that morning and limped to the shower to prepare for the day. He was doing his best to soap up his upper body when he felt hands stroking his back! He swung around in surprise to find a naked Gwen standing behind him.Trying to remain cool, he slowly ran his gaze over Gwen's body. His eyes lingered on the Y created where her long legs came together. Then he moved on to enjoy her full breasts and hard nipples."Do I look okay? I'm pretty nervous about you seeing me like this," admitted Gwen. "Am I too heavy or something?""You're incredible! I can't believe how beautiful you are, Gwen. Your body is perfect!""Thanks! The nice thing about us being naked is that I can actually see how much you appreciate looking at me. It looks like Little Steve enjoys the view. He's looking right at me!" laughed Gwen as she began soaping Steve's shoulders and chest.The showe