Forever's Promises (Forever In Luck Series Book 1) (10 page)

Startled,
he jumped. Lifting his head, he looked at her, then smoothed back her hair and
kissed her on the side of the head. “You sure?”

She
nodded.

“I
can stop if you need me to, just tell me, okay?”

She
nodded again.

Kissing
her one more time, he started. “You were in the cities looking at colleges with
your mom. Jake was up here fishing with your dad. I had worked all day and had just
gotten paid, when I ran into some of the senior guys we knew from Frederic.
They invited me to a kegger. Having time on my hands, I went. I was on my first
beer when Naomi showed up with some other girls. She started making small talk
while we sat on the couch, she on one end, I on the other. The next thing I
know, I’m waking up. My shirt’s unbuttoned, as was the top button of my jeans.
Naomi was passed out on my shoulder. I had no recollection of what had happened,
and it freaked me out, several hours had gone by.

“The
best I can guess is that our drinks had become mixed up at some point, and someone
had put something in hers. When I went to leave, she woke up and asked me to
take her home. I did. The next thing I know, she’s pregnant, and I’m supposedly
the father. Then her dad started throwing around rape allegations, and I
panicked. The shame, the embarrassment, my parents, your parents, you, Jake, Naomi,
a baby, I’d screwed up, just made a mess of everything, and I left. I caught a
ride into the cities and joined the Army.

“It
wasn’t until…” he paused, putting his face against the back of her head, then
continued, “later, after I’d slept with a couple of women, that I realized
there are telltale signs indicating you’ve had sex with another. That’s when it
dawned on me I hadn’t slept with Naomi. There were no indications to suggest I
had, but being a virgin I didn’t know enough at the time to deny it, and by the
time I figured it out, the damage was done, and I was stuck in the Army at a
time when our country was at war.”

She
moved away from him, and he feared losing her again. Lighting a small candle on
the nightstand, she turned to him, scooting in close. Releasing the breath he’d
been holding, he sighed a sigh of relief, and took her in his arms. She was so beautiful
in the candlelight. Panicking a little, he pushed himself up on his forearm and
felt the need to repeat himself, to convince her, “It’s not my child, I—”

Putting
a finger to his lips, she quieted him. “I heard you,” she whispered. “I need
some time to think about this.”

He
kissed her. “I hate that this happened.”

“Shhh,”
she silenced him again, tracing his lips with her finger. “I know, me too. It’s…I
just need to think some, that’s all.”

Well,
at least he’d been able to tell her what happened, he thought. That she finally
knew was a huge relief. He would’ve liked to of talked about it more though,
had her respond and tell him what she was thinking, but he knew if he pushed
her she’d shut down, so he let it be. “Okay, I get it,” he replied, respecting
her need for time. He couldn’t help but think again, how other women would be
all over this, combing the event with a fine tooth comb, emasculating the guy
in the process, while making everyone suffer. But not Linnie, no, not her. He
went to kiss her again and her arms went around his neck, bringing him closer.
Holding him tight, she deepened the kiss, communicating with him as she so
often did, without words. This was good, he thought, this was classic.
Reassured, he willingly followed her lead.

**********

The
snowstorm ended early the next morning, and the day was shiny and bright. Linnie
headed to the bathroom, while Nate went to the kitchen. She hated mornings,
always had. She needed a shower and some coffee, then she’d start to wake up.
They needed to work on moving the snow later. She had to admit, being at the
cabin, all comfy and cozy with Nate, minus the prying eyes of the general
public, was really, really nice. She’d be content to be like this forever, she
thought, but knew it wouldn’t last. They’d have to go back to reality soon. And
then what?

Thinking
back on what he’d said last night, it was possible he wasn’t Mikey’s father,
and despite all her imaginings, he’d never cheated on her in heart. Yes, it was
possible he may have had sex with Naomi, but not while in control of his
faculties. She’d seen this in the ER many a time. A girl brought in with no
recollection of events while at a party or with a group of guys, her life
forever altered by the thoughtless, self-serving acts of others. She didn’t
know what was worse, the conscious knowledge of living through rape, or the
unconscious void of not knowing what happened and thinking the worst. It happened
to men too. She’d seen that in the ER also, just not in the frequency it
happened to women.

Was
this a random mistake, she wondered, or had Naomi been the target? Or, was Nate
set up to take the fall for one’s indiscretion? Listening to Nate talk, it
appeared he’d never considered this could be the case, but for some reason
Linnie couldn’t quell the notion. Open the newspaper on any given day, and you
could read story after story detailing people’s behavior during acts of
desperation, but work in the ER and you’d see it firsthand. She’d have to think
on this some more, she decided, maybe ask some questions. As a result of her
experience, she knew enough to know that what people reported, or what they
thought, didn’t always reflect the truth of the situation. Time would tell.
Those DNA results would shed some light on the matter, so it was good Nate was
pursuing it.

Going
out to the living area, she poured herself some coffee and went to sit in the
corner chair. Taking a long drink, she sat back, settled in, and closed her
eyes, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. She was aware of Nate coming to sit
on the footstool right in front of her. He was eating something, and looking at
her, she could tell without even opening her eyes. Ignoring him, she just sat
there with her eyes closed, relaxing. Then she smelled something.
Sniff, sniff
. What was that? It smelled
good. She cracked one eye, then two.
Sniff
.
“What are you eating?” she asked.

Leaning
in, he put a piece of toast to her mouth. Taking a nibble, she moaned. Sitting
up, she peeked over the rim of the bowl he was holding. He held the spoon out
with a small bite on it, and she took it. “Mmmmmm.”

“Let
me feed you,” he said. “You need to eat.”

Scowling
at him, she said, “You play dirty, you know that? I don’t like breakfast.”

“I
don’t know what you’re talking about?” he said, smiling innocently. “It’s just
one hundred percent pure Wisconsin spun honey on toast, and a bowl of honey nut
cheerios.”

“Give
me that.”

“Nope.
Open up, I don’t trust you with the dishes.”

**********

Nate
went looking for Linnie. It’d taken several hours for them to clear all the
snow and he thought she was in the cabin warming up, but instead he found her leaning
over the engine of a snowmobile out in the shed. He smiled. Ever since taking a
small engines class in high school, Linnie had an affinity for them, and she
was good with them too. She’d been so curious and intrigued by them, her dad
spent hours teaching her and helping her to learn, while they worked on the
farm equipment together. She was so damn sexy to him when she talked shop, and
watching her now brought back wonderful memories of him as a fantasizing
teenage boy. Man that seemed like eons ago, he thought. He’d had one hell of an
imagination, and he was damn glad he could now make it all a reality.

“What’s
up?” he asked, coming to stand by her.

“Well,
they haven’t been taking care of them, that’s for darn sure,” she answered. “I
was able to get that one to run, but it’s rough, and this one is a no go. Gas
is bad, plugs are old, and I’m sure the carburetor needs a cleaning. We’ll bring
them back so I can work on them in the shop. Let’s take that one out, but not
too far, in case we have trouble.”

He
smiled listening to her. “Sounds fun, I haven’t been on one since the last time
you and I went.”

“Yeah,
same for me,” she replied.

They
spent several hours riding around, checking things out. Pointing to a partially
downed tree that looked like it’d been hit by lightning during the summer, as a
large portion hung at an awkward angle, she headed that direction. Stopping, he
got off and shook the limb, ridding it of its snow, and then yanked hard. It
came away with a loud crack. Linnie yelped loud, slapping her hands over her
ears, while slamming her eyes shut.

“Ah,
you okay?” he asked in concern.

“Yes,”
she answered rapidly, breathing hard. “I just hate that sound.”

“Oookay…alrighty
then. It’s down, so you can open your eyes now,” he said, feeling a little bewildered.

She
nodded. “Thanks, I will…when I’m ready.”

He
stood staring at her. “You want to tell me what this is all about?”

“Just
hate the sound, that’s all. I’m fine,” she responded quick.

Aha,
right. He stood watching her, and after a minute or two, she opened her eyes
and let go of her ears. He looked at her concerned. She smiled, trying to
reassure him.

“Do
you think you can hang on to it while I drive us back?” she asked. “It looks dry,
we could use it for firewood.”

“We’ll
try, if not, then I’ll come back with a chain and get it.” Something wasn’t
right here, he thought. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,
I’m good,” she answered flippantly. “Let’s head back.”

After
two days together, goofing around and relaxing, their belongings were packed
and ready to go for the return trip the next morning. Snuggling in bed after having
made love, he asked what had been on both their minds.

“What
happens now?”

She
shrugged, then responded, “I don’t know.”

“I
don’t want us to be apart. I don’t want to be at my parent’s, while you’re with
your dad and brothers. I want us together.”

“I
figured you’d say that,” she answered, closing her eyes.

“I
think we should start looking for a house,” he said.

Oh
boy. “Ahhh, maybe.”

“What
does that mean, maybe?” he asked, his words taking on an edge.

“Well,
it’s, ahhh, big step, with a long term commitment, and with everything the two
of us have been through in the last few weeks, and with some things still up in
the air, I don’t think we should make hasty decisions we could come to regret
later, that’s all.”

“He’s
not my child,” he spit out.

“Calm
down,” she said, trying to ease him. “It’s not that. It’s, well, just that I’m
expected back in Chicago in a month’s time. I need to figure out what I’m going
to do next.”

Nate
was out of bed and over to the light switch in a flash. Flipping it on, he came
back to the bed with grim determination. Forcing her to look at him, he said, “I
will not have you in Chicago, while I’m back in Luck.”

“Sooo,
you’re willing to move to Chicago then?” she tested, even though she knew the
answer. He was a good guy, a really good guy, and she loved him beyond a doubt,
but he had a tendency to demand what he wanted, and thus, make decisions for
her. She needed him to see that this relationship thing was a two way street.
He needed to respect and appreciate that she had ideas, goals, and wants too,
and accept that there may be times when he didn’t always get what he wanted.

Frustrated,
he growled. “Linnie,” he implored, “come on.”

“What?”
she answered, feeling hurt and looking away.

He
shook his head, and took an angry breath. “You know I can’t do that. Dad’s
expecting me to take over the business someday, and I have a lot to learn.
Right now, my only claim to fame is loading and shooting a gun. Technically, I’m
unskilled, so my job prospects in Chicago are slim. I need to be here,
apprenticing, and taking classes to learn plumbing and heating.”

“Well,
then,” she tested, giving him another chance, “Minneapolis, maybe?” She didn’t
want to live in Minneapolis. His jaw clenched. In a way, this was the old
argument from five years ago.

“Possibly,”
he answered, his voice strained. “Rural communities need nurses too. If you
stay and work here, we could both have what we want.”

Not
really, she thought. “Umm, yeah, kind of,” she answered.

“What
do you mean, kind of?” he asked annoyed.

Taking
a deep breath, she explained. “Well, I’m just getting going in my career. I
only have a couple years under my belt, and I have a lot to learn too. I may
have a passion for rural nursing, but I need nursing experience. Rural nursing
is different than working in an acute care setting of a big urban hospital.
Rural hospitals are more like MASH units, they take in traumas and stabilize
them enough to get them to the big hospitals where they can get the care they
need, and the same goes for the critically ill. The kinds of patients you find
staying at small town hospitals can be pretty simple cases, and it would be
really easy for me to loose skills I already have because I’m not using them,
or to never gain them at all because I never needed them.”