Forever's Promises (Forever In Luck Series Book 1) (21 page)

“Jake,
let me use the cat,” Nik said forcefully.

Jake
didn’t move, just sat there looking at Nik.

“Come
on Jake, don’t be an ass,” Nik continued, his voice becoming sharp and edgy.

Jake
didn’t budge.

“Get
off the sled before I pound the piss out of you,” Nik threatened.

Jake
didn’t flinch, just sat there staring Nik down.

Jules,
on the other hand, was looking to skedaddle back into the house. No way did she
want to be around for this. She didn’t want to ride the snowmobile anymore.
They were going to get in a fight, and she’d just figured out it was over her.
As she began to turn for the house, she felt Linnie take her arm and hold her
there.

“Linnie,”
she said desperately, hating to look back to the situation at hand.

Nik
was staring Jake down aggressively, all red and angry, while Jake sat back,
seemingly unaffected by the showdown. Then suddenly Jake shot to his feet, as
Nik made a move towards him.

“Oh,
I get it,” Nik said angrily. “You’re an f-ing asshole, you know that. You’re
lucky I don’t beat the shit out of you, here and now, for cutting in on me.”
Then he turned and stomped off.

Jules
felt horrible. This was terrible. Not only did this happen, but she’d just
realized the plan was for her to ride with Jake. She was so dumb about all this
stuff that she’d stupidly assumed she’d be riding with Linnie. She began to
blink rapidly as she fought back tears. With her heart pounding and her brain
in a panic, she couldn’t help but think she’d created problems between Nik and
Jake. Reluctantly, she moved closer to the snowmobiles because Linnie had hold
of her arm and was literally dragging her in that direction.

When
she got there, Jake patted the seat in front of him, and she froze. No way! He
could
not
mean for her to drive that
thing, could he? There was no way. Suddenly, something happened that’d never
happened before, she became really angry with Linnie. Why had she done this to
her? Why? Looking over, she saw Linnie seated in front of Nate, looking
contrite. They were all watching her. The ground could’ve opened up at that
very moment and swallowed her whole, and that would’ve been fine by her.

Looking
away and staring down the drive, she wished she was back in Chicago. She felt
Jake take her hand and gently pull on her arm. Closing her eyes, she tried hard
not to cry, and let him pull her down. The other snowmobile started and headed
out. Opening her eyes and looking away, everything was blurry, and her heart
beat rapidly. She was in an all-out panic, and she couldn’t breathe. From the
point of pure desperation, she pleaded, “Jake, I, I…” her voice caught, and her
words stuttered. She began to visibly tremble.

“Shhhhhhh,”
he said softly, as he gently put his arm around her, touching her, soothing
her. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. No worries. I know you’ve never
driven before, and it’s okay. We’ll take this slow, and we’ll go at your pace.”

Well,
if that was the case then, they wouldn’t do this at all! She felt a tear escape
and quickly looked down. He removed a glove and gently wiped it away.

“Try
not to cry,” he said softly. “It’ll be okay, you’re safe. I promise. Here, let
me show you what to do. Turn forward and I’ll show you. I’ll help you. I
promise.”

Listening,
she faced forward.

He
took turns pointing, “Brake, gas, start, feet here.”

Then
grabbing a helmet, he helped her put it on. Turning the key, he started the
snowmobile for her, then put on his own helmet. Moving in close behind her, he
took her hands and stretched in an effort to help guide her.

“Put
your hands here, and steer it like a bicycle, while giving it some gas,” he
instructed.

Hesitating,
she looked to him.

He
nodded in encouragement, and she did as he said.

Soon,
they began to move.

*****

Worried.
Jake had been really worried. He thought for sure Jules was going to bolt when
it came time to ride the snowmobile, and it broke his heart when she began to
cry. He was proud of her though. She’d faced her fear, and did what he asked
her to do. They’d traveled a snail’s pace the whole time, and fortunately the
snow conditions were such that the snowmobile still moved along in the lower
gears. Once they caught up with Linnie and Nate, they stopped at the gas
station to get something warm to drink. While Linnie was a coffee hound, Jules
drink of choice was hot cocoa. It just seemed to fit her to a tee.

Riding
along behind her, snuggled up close, about drove him mad. He didn’t know what
she had on, but she had this deep spicy fragrance about her. It wasn’t floral,
and he felt like he’d smelled it before, but he couldn’t place it. Woodsy?
Earthy? Whatever it was, he liked it, and the thought of it combined with the
taste of hot cocoa made his head spin a bit. Kissing her would be an experience
for sure. She’d taste good, he thought. There was no doubt about it.

On
their way back home, she didn’t want to drive, so he sat in front and explained
to her how they’d be going faster, and how one leans to the side when turning,
and so on. After, he took her hands and wrapped them around him, telling her to
hang on tight. Then, they flew. At one point, as they traveled a straight
stretch on the Gandy Dancer Trail, he felt her rest her head on his back, and
loved it. He couldn’t explain it, but he wanted her there, leaning on him,
resting on him. Fortunately, once they returned to the farm, she was all smiles,
and despite the rocky start, in the end, he felt certain she’d enjoyed herself.

The
Thanksgiving meal proved to be another challenge for them both. Kris had
managed to corral Jules into sitting next to him in Jake’s chair, then proceeded
to dish her up. Jake watched her jump, as Kris slapped a spoonful of mashed
potatoes on her plate with a splat, and then saw her trying to wipe fruit salad
off her shirt when it went flying. She gasped, and tried to intervene without
success, when Kris poured a generous portion of gravy over the majority of her
plate, and because he’d put so much food on it, the gravy oozed over the sides.

Jake
had to keep his smile to himself though. The problem with Kris was taking care
of itself. He knew Jules was in an all-out panic, because when he’d dished her
up, she’d been very particular with her food, moving it around her plate,
keeping it from touching, and she’d eaten only a minute amount. What was on her
plate right now, was probably equivalent to what she’d eat in a week. Well,
he’d take care of it. Jake Chivalrous Albrecht to the rescue. Gotta love it, he
thought, this was working out nicely for him.

As
was tradition, his father said a Thanksgiving prayer before eating, and Jake
was ready. While all heads were bowed, he quietly switched his plate of food
with hers. He’d been careful when dishing it up, taking the smallest of
quantities, then working hard to keep it all apart. He nearly laughed aloud when
he heard her gasp upon opening her eyes. He imagined she had prayed for a
miracle, and ta-daaa, it’d been answered.

Looking
around the table, he caught Kris glaring at him. He wasn’t intimidated though,
he took the challenge and held that stare. He knew Jules was aware of the
tension, but if anyone else was, he wasn’t sure, until his father told everyone
to start eating. Kris looked away first, despite being extremely pissed, and
Jake wasn’t sure it was completely over between the two of them, but he’d cross
that bridge when he came to it. Jules looked to him with tears in her eyes, and
he nodded for her to start eating as he patted her on the knee. Her hand
trembled as she reached for her fork.

His
moment of triumph came during dessert, as he sat on the couch with Nate. Kris,
on the other hand, sat alone on the loveseat. Naturally, Linnie would sit next
to Nate, so Jules had her pick, the roomier spot next to Kris, or the tighter
fit between him and Linnie. She chose him, and as she scooched in between them,
he sat forward making room, gulping down his pumpkin pie quickly, so he could
get next to her real fast. He could smell that scent of hers stronger than
ever, and it tantalized him. Hell, he felt like he could taste it.

Once
done, he slowly sat back, and as she tried to move over, he scooted in, placing
an arm behind her along the back of the couch. She had nowhere to go, but
closer to him. She was almost in his arms, and it took all his reserves to keep
from pulling her in closer, while holding her in a loving embrace.

When
Kris looked over and scowled at them, she looked down, and Jake took the
opportunity to run his thumb back and forth over the curve of her shoulder in
acknowledgement of her discomfort. Turning, she looked at him, and still he
kept rubbing her shoulder, all the while gazing upon her with tenderness. She
lowered her stare to his shoulder, and then to his chest, before taking a deep breath
and letting out on a long sigh as she turned back to the TV. He’d have given
his left nut to know what she’d been thinking just then. He really hoped it was
in his favor.

It
wasn’t until after midnight that the house was quiet. Jake lay on the couch
thinking of it all, while staring at the dying embers of the fire they’d built
earlier. He and Jules hadn’t talked much, but they’d spent the majority of the
holiday together. It’d been a long trying day at times, but overall, he felt
like Superman. Honestly, he’d never worked so hard for a woman. Heck, he’d
never worked for a woman at all. They generally came to him, and if he liked
the girl, they’d go on a few dates, but that was about it.

The
cold slowly crept in as the fire died, and he realized for the first time that
it’d become quite cold outside. Getting up, he went to look out the window. It
was a clear night, windy though, with a quarter moon high in the sky, and minus
ten on the temperature gauge. No excuses being made, he knew his room in the
basement would be cold, and if logic stood, if it would be cold to him, it
would be freezing to her.

Now
what? Did he dare get an extra blanket and take it to her? Would it ruin
everything he’d been working for? Would he frighten her? Would she come and ask
for an extra blanket? He shook his head. He knew the answer to that one. Running
a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath and blew it out, then growled in
frustration. Shit, what to do, what should I do? There was no way he could lay there
knowing she was freezing. Then he remembered what she’d said.

“I was shivering
so much so, my teeth chattered…I thought maybe he’d offer me his coat or
something, but he didn’t…he let me freeze to death.”

Here
goes something, or nothing, he thought.

“Make her feel
cared for…feather the nest a little.”

Walking
downstairs, he headed for the laundry room.

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