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Stormy Weather
Sherrie Hansen
An ill wind is brewing up a storm and as
usual, Rachael Jones is in the middle of the fray.
If the local banker succeeds in bulldozing the
Victorian houses she's trying to save, she’s in
for yet another rough time before the skies clear.
The only bright spots on the horizon are her
friendship with Luke... and her secret
rendezvous with Mac...
Is Rachael meant to weather the storm with
Luke, who touches her heart and soul so
intimately, or with Mac, who knows each
sweet secret of her body?
STORMY WEATHER... Stay tuned for the
latest forecast!
Sherrie Hansen
An ill wind is brewing up a storm and as
usual, Rachael Jones is in the middle of the fray.
If the local banker succeeds in bulldozing the
Victorian houses she's trying to save, she’s in
for yet another rough time before the skies clear.
The only bright spots on the horizon are her
friendship with Luke... and her secret
rendezvous with Mac...
Is Rachael meant to weather the storm with
Luke, who touches her heart and soul so
intimately, or with Mac, who knows each
sweet secret of her body?
STORMY WEATHER... Stay tuned for the
latest forecast!
A sudden draft burst through the open kitchen window. “There must be a storm
front moving through,” she said.
“They’re predicting an inch of rain before dawn.” Luke’s voice sounded at ease
now that they were back on neutral ground.
“It’s getting colder by the minute.” Rachael fumbled in the cupboard for the
fondue pot. “I hope we don’t get sleet.”
He followed her to the dining room. She sensed Luke was starting to warm up to
the topic at hand, so she said nothing.
He swung his lanky legs under the table and sat forward in his chair. “I’m not
exactly sure how to say this, Rae.” He cleared his throat. “There have been some
pretty drastic changes in my life over the past few years. My whole perspective on
life has changed since I moved back to Iowa.”
Rae leaned an elbow on the table and steadied her chin with one hand. A shiver of
anticipation ran down her spine.
“I’ve been thinking about this for several weeks but I was hesitant to bring it up
earlier for fear of jeopardizing our friendship.” Luke’s Adam’s apple rose and fell
with his swallow. “I know you think I’m teasing when I call you My Little Ray of
Sunshine but you really have been the bright spot of my existence since I met you
last year.” Luke leaned forward and clasped Rae’s free hand. “I want you to know
that whatever else we become to each other, I cherish our friendship more than
anything else on earth.”
Luke’s hand was hot and smooth except for a sprinkling of hair and a callus at the
base of his thumb. She smiled. It made perfect sense that if Luke wanted to have a
more intimate relationship with her, he would want to be absolutely sure that she
felt the same way before he did anything to put their friendship at risk.
“It’s not that I’ve been unhappy being back in Iowa or taking care of the farm,”
Luke said. “I miss Colorado, but I’m glad I came home. Maybe it’s because my
dad is gone. When you lose a parent you start to realize for the first time how short
life is, and that you only have a limited time to accomplish the things you’re
destined for.”
Rae squeezed his fingers and caressed the top of his hand with her thumb. Her
imagination had rehearsed this scenario so many times it almost felt like deja’ vu.
“I understand.”
The older she got, the clearer it became that she had been designed to love, nurture,
and procreate. Her desire to be loved was as strong and instinctual as eating or
breathing. Much as she’d tried to concentrate on her career and friends, she knew
that there was nothing, absolutely nothing that would fill the longing in her soul
but to share the rest of her life with someone she loved.
“What I'm going to ask will change both of our lives – I believe for the better – if
you agree to my proposition.”
Her heart started to pound and her emotions rose to a crescendo. For a second she
thought he’d said proposal. Maybe he had. No wonder he looked so nervous. Oh,
my God, she thought. He’s going to ask me to...
Luke swallowed. “I know you’ve structured your business and your life the way
you want them, and I don’t want to intrude on your dreams, but I think my idea
could benefit both of us.”
Her mind churned frantically. Of course there would be benefits if she and Luke
took their friendship to the next stage. Romance. Companionship. Orgasms.
Hopefully a lot of them. But benefits? You got sex when you started a relationship.
You got benefits when you started a new job.
She leaned back a fraction of an inch and looked at Luke. This had to be the
strangest proposal she’d ever heard – and she didn’t understand why he was
nervous. She’d certainly given him enough encouragement over the past few
months. She looked up at him and smiled. The look on Luke's face mingled
eagerness and tenderness, the loose, honey blond curls tucked behind his ears
shone like gold. His eyes looked almost indigo in the crystal-diffused light of the
chandelier. It was all so perfect. He was perfect. So why couldn’t she shake the
feeling that she was a firefly in the hands of a little boy she didn’t quite trust?
“I want to come to work for you, Rae,” Luke blurted out. “I’d like to get my real
estate license as quickly as I can, but in the meantime I’d be happy to be your
assistant or do anything that needs to be done around the office. I know you want
to continue to focus on vintage properties and that’s why I believe I could provide a
whole new perspective to your business if I came on board and specialized in
farmland and acreages.”
Disappointment clutched at her heart. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been so
sure things were finally going to work out the way they were supposed to.
She frantically tried to maintain her composure. The last thing she wanted was to
let on that she had thought Luke was about to suggest they get married, or at the
very least, begin to explore the romantic side of their relationship.
“I don’t want to give up farming, but I have a lot of extra time on my hands now
that I’m not playing with a band," Luke said, as though testing the idea. “I’d need
a little time off for spring planting and fall harvest, but I wouldn’t have brought it
up if I didn’t think I could handle both.” He leaned forward in his chair. He was
serious, his eyes earnest and full of passion for the wrong thing... “If you have any
worries about the arrangement that I’m proposing...”
There it was. That word again. She hadn’t dreamed it this time. He’d really said it.
She stared at Luke blankly and stifled a moan. What was God thinking? All she
had ever wanted was to be special to someone, to feel the joy and contentment that
comes from being loved. She’d moved to Iowa in the first place believing that for
some unfathomable reason she was meant to be here – call it her own brand of
faith, but she had come to believe Luke Zimmerman was that reason.
Rae stared across the table at Luke’s serene-looking face. “I’m sure we can work
something out,” she said. “I’ve always thought we would make a great... team.”
front moving through,” she said.
“They’re predicting an inch of rain before dawn.” Luke’s voice sounded at ease
now that they were back on neutral ground.
“It’s getting colder by the minute.” Rachael fumbled in the cupboard for the
fondue pot. “I hope we don’t get sleet.”
He followed her to the dining room. She sensed Luke was starting to warm up to
the topic at hand, so she said nothing.
He swung his lanky legs under the table and sat forward in his chair. “I’m not
exactly sure how to say this, Rae.” He cleared his throat. “There have been some
pretty drastic changes in my life over the past few years. My whole perspective on
life has changed since I moved back to Iowa.”
Rae leaned an elbow on the table and steadied her chin with one hand. A shiver of
anticipation ran down her spine.
“I’ve been thinking about this for several weeks but I was hesitant to bring it up
earlier for fear of jeopardizing our friendship.” Luke’s Adam’s apple rose and fell
with his swallow. “I know you think I’m teasing when I call you My Little Ray of
Sunshine but you really have been the bright spot of my existence since I met you
last year.” Luke leaned forward and clasped Rae’s free hand. “I want you to know
that whatever else we become to each other, I cherish our friendship more than
anything else on earth.”
Luke’s hand was hot and smooth except for a sprinkling of hair and a callus at the
base of his thumb. She smiled. It made perfect sense that if Luke wanted to have a
more intimate relationship with her, he would want to be absolutely sure that she
felt the same way before he did anything to put their friendship at risk.
“It’s not that I’ve been unhappy being back in Iowa or taking care of the farm,”
Luke said. “I miss Colorado, but I’m glad I came home. Maybe it’s because my
dad is gone. When you lose a parent you start to realize for the first time how short
life is, and that you only have a limited time to accomplish the things you’re
destined for.”
Rae squeezed his fingers and caressed the top of his hand with her thumb. Her
imagination had rehearsed this scenario so many times it almost felt like deja’ vu.
“I understand.”
The older she got, the clearer it became that she had been designed to love, nurture,
and procreate. Her desire to be loved was as strong and instinctual as eating or
breathing. Much as she’d tried to concentrate on her career and friends, she knew
that there was nothing, absolutely nothing that would fill the longing in her soul
but to share the rest of her life with someone she loved.
“What I'm going to ask will change both of our lives – I believe for the better – if
you agree to my proposition.”
Her heart started to pound and her emotions rose to a crescendo. For a second she
thought he’d said proposal. Maybe he had. No wonder he looked so nervous. Oh,
my God, she thought. He’s going to ask me to...
Luke swallowed. “I know you’ve structured your business and your life the way
you want them, and I don’t want to intrude on your dreams, but I think my idea
could benefit both of us.”
Her mind churned frantically. Of course there would be benefits if she and Luke
took their friendship to the next stage. Romance. Companionship. Orgasms.
Hopefully a lot of them. But benefits? You got sex when you started a relationship.
You got benefits when you started a new job.
She leaned back a fraction of an inch and looked at Luke. This had to be the
strangest proposal she’d ever heard – and she didn’t understand why he was
nervous. She’d certainly given him enough encouragement over the past few
months. She looked up at him and smiled. The look on Luke's face mingled
eagerness and tenderness, the loose, honey blond curls tucked behind his ears
shone like gold. His eyes looked almost indigo in the crystal-diffused light of the
chandelier. It was all so perfect. He was perfect. So why couldn’t she shake the
feeling that she was a firefly in the hands of a little boy she didn’t quite trust?
“I want to come to work for you, Rae,” Luke blurted out. “I’d like to get my real
estate license as quickly as I can, but in the meantime I’d be happy to be your
assistant or do anything that needs to be done around the office. I know you want
to continue to focus on vintage properties and that’s why I believe I could provide a
whole new perspective to your business if I came on board and specialized in
farmland and acreages.”
Disappointment clutched at her heart. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been so
sure things were finally going to work out the way they were supposed to.
She frantically tried to maintain her composure. The last thing she wanted was to
let on that she had thought Luke was about to suggest they get married, or at the
very least, begin to explore the romantic side of their relationship.
“I don’t want to give up farming, but I have a lot of extra time on my hands now
that I’m not playing with a band," Luke said, as though testing the idea. “I’d need
a little time off for spring planting and fall harvest, but I wouldn’t have brought it
up if I didn’t think I could handle both.” He leaned forward in his chair. He was
serious, his eyes earnest and full of passion for the wrong thing... “If you have any
worries about the arrangement that I’m proposing...”
There it was. That word again. She hadn’t dreamed it this time. He’d really said it.
She stared at Luke blankly and stifled a moan. What was God thinking? All she
had ever wanted was to be special to someone, to feel the joy and contentment that
comes from being loved. She’d moved to Iowa in the first place believing that for
some unfathomable reason she was meant to be here – call it her own brand of
faith, but she had come to believe Luke Zimmerman was that reason.
Rae stared across the table at Luke’s serene-looking face. “I’m sure we can work
something out,” she said. “I’ve always thought we would make a great... team.”
| Second Wind Publishing, LLC 931-B S. Main St., Box 145 Kernersville NC 27284 Copyright (c) 2008-2010 All Rights Reserved E-mail us |
| Also by Sherrie Hansen |
