9781618850676UnchainedMelodyHunter (4 page)

She
pulled her Jaguar into the parking lot and took a grateful Dachshund out of his
crate. “Do you need to stretch your legs, man?” She giggled at her own joke,
two inch legs always needed to be stretched. She took her luggage out of the
trunk and began to roll it toward the sidewalk when she stopped dead in her
tracks.

The
tastefully designed sign that sat in the front yard read—

Welcome to the Lost Maples

Proprietors - Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Stewart

 
Annalise almost fainted. Mr.
and
Mrs. Ethan Stewart? Ethan? Could it
possibly be
her
Ethan? Just
thinking of him made her mouth go dry and her legs feel like they were made of
rubber. What should she do? Part of her wanted to jump into her car and go back
home. Feeling weak, she opted for sitting down on one of the welcoming benches,
letting Tiny smell the dark green monkey grass.

She
had to make a decision quickly or soon it might be taken out of her hands. He
could walk out the door at any moment, that is if it
was
him. She looked
at the door of the beautiful Victorian home and pictured the door opening and
Ethan standing there. She could see his broad shoulders and smooth tanned skin,
his big blue eyes, his beautiful face. Ethan was the sexiest man she had ever
seen and, for a brief period of time, he had been hers. Just thinking about him
caused every nerve in her body to go on red alert and her breathing to become
shallow and ragged. Desperately, she tamped those feelings down. Even if he
weren’t married there was no going back for her.

Knowing
that it would be torture, she still would love to see Ethan again. In fact,
there was no one in the world she would rather see than him. It would be a
pleasure to be around him again, even if were just for a little while. They
could keep it light and casual and reminisce about old times; and then just let
it go. She had long ago gotten over the hurt that had nearly crushed her when
he refused to come to her after ‘the incident’. At the time, the pain of his
rejection had been much worse than her physical pain. But soon, when she
learned the true extent of her injuries, she had thanked a wise God in heaven
for keeping Ethan away from her. No matter how painful their long-distance
break-up had been, it was preferable over watching his face change from desire
to horror when he would have learned the truth of her condition.

If
she were to see him today, he would never have to know he was the only man that
she had ever loved, or ever slept with, or ever dreamed about when she was all
alone—and desperate with the knowledge that it always had to be that way.

If
he had been single then maybe she would have turned around and left because no
matter how much she dreamed about his hands on her body and the way his
lovemaking had made her shiver with excitement—those things could never, ever
possibly happen again. At least a wife would provide a buffer. Besides, there
were probably dozens of Ethan Stewarts in this part of Texas. The likelihood that
it was her Ethan was pretty slim and she honestly needed the change of pace
this place appeared to offer.

She
took a deep breath, steeled herself to react just the way she had to, and together
she and her little buddy walked up the wide inviting steps and opened one of
the double French doors. She prayed to God for strength as she possibly walked
into the home of the only man she would ever love.

Chapter Two

A
small bell announced their entrance. Suddenly a barrage of barking shook the
house and another dachshund of the same dark red shade as Tiny came racing into
the room, making that ferocious, thundering racket only an excited wiener dog
can make. “Mojo, get a hold of yourself. We have company. Good morning, ma’am. You’re
Miss Ramsey, you said? Let me check you in.”

Annalise
looked up at the owner of the same voice she had heard over the phone. She let
out a ragged breath—it wasn’t him. This was definitely a good-looking guy, but
it wasn’t her Ethan. She couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed. He
smiled at her, raking his eyes appreciatively over her face and body. Whew,
this Ethan sure wasn’t acting married.

He
turned to the computer and began entering information. “Here you are, I see that
you’re planning on being with us for awhile. Two weeks, right?” She nodded an
assent. He rummaged around in the drawer for a key. About that time, Tiny
pulled out of her grasp and both dachshunds began a skittering dance, barking
and smelling and generally just going wild. Tiny followed the other dog behind
the counter and into the next room.

“Tiny,
come back here,” she called. Starting to follow him, she stopped in her tracks
when she heard it—his laugh—the sweetest sound she could ever remember and a
lump rose instantly in her throat. Every fiber of her body screamed its
excitement. Her nipples pebbled, her clitoris swelled and cream started
gathering deep within her. It was Ethan.

“Look
at you!” She could see him through the door as he knelt in front of her pride
and joy. “What’s your name, pudgy?” He slowly reached out a hand to pet the
dachshund. Having one of his own he knew they could be unpredictable.

The
other man laughed. “His name is Tiny.”

Then
Ethan’s blue velvet voice caressed her ears. “Tiny isn’t so tiny, is he?” Ethan
scratched the dog under his typical alligator-like snout. “You’re as wide as
you are long, buddy, and that’s saying a lot.” Annalise held one hand up to her
heart.

It
was him.

In
the flesh.

And
he looked three times as good as he had looked back in college. He had matured
and filled out and tanned and God, just looking at him was making every inch of
her body ready itself for his possession. Lise stood perfectly still. He hadn’t
even looked at her yet; he was preoccupied with the two dogs, who were acting
as if they each had found a long lost friend. She realized she was staring, but
she couldn’t help it.

The
other man was watching her strangely. Apparently, some of the emotions she was
feeling were registering on her face. Should she say something, go ahead and
reveal herself? Maybe he wouldn’t even remember her. The name Annalise Ramsey
wouldn’t mean anything to him; he had known her only as Lise Evans. Perhaps it
would be best to just leave the past be.

Then
he looked up and the world stopped spinning. There was no doubt he recognized
her, it showed by the stunned expression on his face and the utter stillness of
his body.

“Lise?”
Instantly, he dropped the leash he was holding, walked rapidly around the counter
and swept her up in his arms. She had every intention of remaining her normal
aloof and cool self, but at the familiar touch of his body against hers, every
inch of her body felt like it had come home and she melted against him.

* * * *

He
stood still for several moments, holding her in his arms, her feet a good six
inches off the ground. The fact her body had instantly surrendered to him did
not go unnoticed. This was heaven. This was paradise. God help him, she didn’t
have a bra on and he could feel her nipples welcoming him as clearly as if she
whispered the greeting in his ear. Their hearts were beating fast and he knew
she was as aware of the heady cadence as he was. She smelled the same, a warm
luscious, clean smell of vanilla and spice. And Ethan knew it was no perfume
she wore, that smell was just Lise. Sweet, sexy, soft, beautiful Lise. Her
hands made little circular movements of longing on his body. There was no
mistaking it, she was as glad to see him as he was to see her. And though he
made no move to let her go, he allowed her to slowly and sensuously slide down
his body, until her feet touched the ground once more.

* * * *

Annalise
could not miss the tremendous swelling of his sex, as it nestled so intimately
between them. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and the next second she
raised her head, her lips automatically seeking his. Then reality slapped her
in the face—what was she doing? He was married! And she certainly wasn’t the
same woman who left his side six years ago. Sorrowfully, she pushed gently back
against his embrace. He was very reluctant to let her go. Without looking up at
him, she took one step back and offered him her hand. “Ethan, it’s so good to
see you. “I’ve thought of you often.” He looked down at her hand and then back
to her face, but his own hand finally came up and enclosed her own. It wasn’t a
simple handshake, for his thumb caressed her palm, sending shivers throughout
her body.

Against
her better judgment, she lifted her eyes and he was looking at her with an
intense, heated, hungry expression. She understood the look; she felt the same
way. If this had been six years ago, before her world fell apart—nothing would
have stopped her from accepting the invitation his eyes were issuing—meeting
his every need, and satisfying his every appetite. She didn’t need to forgive
him for ending their relationship; she had forgiven him for that long ago. If
things were different, no wife, no scars, she would take him back in a
heartbeat—no questions asked. After all, didn’t the old movie say, ‘love means
never having to say you’re sorry’?

They
stood still for another moment, eyes locked until she broke the spell by
stepping back another foot or so and taking the key from the counter. She had
to put some distance between them before she self-combusted. She looked at the
other man. “Would you help us to our cabin?”

* * * *

Alex
couldn’t believe his eyes. So this was the elusive Lise Evans Ethan had been so
crazy about in college. It looked obvious to Alex, his brother was still crazy
about her and that the feeling was overwhelmingly mutual. He stepped forward to
take her bags, when one cutting look from Ethan stopped him in his tracks.

“I’ll
go with her.” Ethan picked up Tiny’s leash, her luggage and then held the door
for her to exit. “You’ll be in the
Antoinette
Cabin
.” Annalise followed him, she would have followed him anywhere. They
walked down the veranda steps and to the right of the main house. Mojo was
close at Tiny’s heels. Despite the beauty of her surroundings, Annalise had
eyes only for him—but she couldn’t let him know that. How was she going to
survive this torture? She tried to change her focus.

“You
have a beautiful home.”

“Thank
you.” His words were so clipped. She tried to think of something to say that
would get them past this awkwardness.

“What
did you do after graduation, Ethan; did you stay in the area?” He was walking
so fast, she was having trouble keeping up with him.

“I
went to New York, worked as an investment banker on Wall Street, for awhile.” As
he spoke, his voice started to take on a more natural sound. “I guess I got out
just in time, although my firm wasn’t one of the ones that failed. What about
you?” They came to the small cabin with the dubious name of
Antoinette’s
Leap
on the door. It was rustic, but lovely. He put the key in the lock and
opened the door. Stepping aside, he made room for her to enter—but not much
room—she had to brush by his big, hard body to get through the opening. Her
breasts brushed his chest and instantly her nipples hardened even more. Hoping
he hadn’t noticed, she glanced up at his face only to discover that his head
was tilted back and his eyes were closed, as if every fiber in his body was
striving for control. She knew the feeling. Pushing on past him, she entered
the small, yet very welcoming room.

He
followed her in, carrying her bags past her and took them into the bedroom. Standing
by the door, she could see him placing her things on the queen-sized bed. Her
breath caught at the image of him next to the bed she would be occupying later.
He looked so right standing there. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe. How
was she going to get through this with her heart and soul intact? Perhaps it
would be wise if she got out of here as fast as she could. Nothing good could
come from this. Sadly, she didn’t have the strength. He was like a drug to her
system and if she couldn’t have him, at least she could be close to him for a while.
He looked at her expectantly and she realized she had never answered his
question about what she had been doing with her life since graduation.

“I’m
a writer.”

“Good
God! I hope you don’t write romance novels!” He said those words with such
disdain that he effectively shut her up. What could she say? ‘Well, actually…’ For
a minute there, he sounded like her parents. They had heartily disapproved of
her career. In fact, she rarely saw her mom now. Her dad had died several years
ago. Unfortunately, she had never really reconciled with him. Her dad had been
an angry man, self-righteous and judgmental. Her mother wasn’t much better. They
certainly hadn’t been able to handle the erotic nature of her stories. That was
one of the reasons she continued to use Jeff’s name, even after the annulment,
it saved her family from obviously having to be tied to her by association. She
was saved from having to answer by the sudden appearance of the other
gentleman.