The Outer Edge of Heaven
What readers are saying about Jaclyn’s books
“Jaclyn Hawkes’ book has a touch of humor that will appeal to many readers.” — Jennie Hansen,
Meridian Magazine
“Hard to put down.” — Squeaky Clean Reads.
“A romantic romp. Exactly the type of book to read in a bubble bath.” — Marsha Ward
“I recommend her book to anyone who roots for the good guy, cries for the injured, and wants to see love conquer all.” — Cheryl Christensen,
A Good Day to Read
“The romantic tension between her characters was riveting.” — Rebecca Blevins
“Enjoyable and uplifting.” — Janet Kay Jensen,
Fiction for the Thinking Woman
Be sure to read Jaclyn’s first published book
Journey of Honor A love story
An entertaining historical romance set in 1848 in the American West.
Print Copyright
The Outer Edge of Heaven
By Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Copyright © July 2011 Jaclyn M. Hawkes
All rights reserved.
Published and distributed by Spirit Dance Books. 855-648-5559
Cover design by Thomas Gasu
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief passages for gushing reviews and for use in a classroom as an example of outstanding literature, where the title, author, and ISBN accompany such use. All opinions expressed herein are that of the author only. This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, places and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to reality is coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.
First Printing July 2011
ISBN: 0615517773
ISBN-13: 978-0615517773
DIGITAL COPYRIGHT
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to my good husband, who knows exactly when to let me run and when to kindly rein me in. He is gentle yet strong, incredibly patient, and has been known to kiss in the pantry. I love him dearly.
Table of Contents
Charlie Evans made it all the way from an appointment in downtown Salt Lake City to the eighth north exit in Orem before her silver 1994 Honda Civic hatchback started making the noise. Knowing that she only had a few minutes before the ancient car she'd affectionately named the Taco Rocket would stall, she took the next exit, opting to be stranded on a surface street instead of the freeway.
She actually made it to within three blocks of her apartment complex near the stadium before the fickle import finally quit and she coasted to the curb. It was almost a mile further than she'd expected and she gave the car a half hearted pat as she dragged her backpack off the passenger seat and set off at a brisk walk in the early May sunshine.
Inside her apartment, she dropped her books, glanced at her e-mail in box and grabbed a bag of baby carrots out of the fridge. On second thought, she snagged half a package of Oreos off her shelf in the pantry. She might have to resort to bribery this afternoon.
"I'm at Fo's." Calling down the hall to whoever might be home, she headed back out the door and across the parking lot.
Half way there, she heard a familiar voice and looked up at a third story window. "Bring milk. I'm out." She laughed as his neat blonde head disappeared back inside the window and she retraced her steps to procure the requested milk. They'd been friends since the third grade and could all but read each other's minds by now. Four minutes later, she blew a stray curl out of her eyes and knocked before she automatically opened the door to his apartment and let herself in.
Forest Eldridge sat on the floor in front of the TV with his laptop beside him and a clutter of textbooks and papers spread out nearby. Charlie turned off the TV as she went past and sprawled into the overstuffed chair beside him. "How goes the battle?" She dug into the bag of carrots on her lap and crunched into one.
Glancing up at her loud munching, he grumbled. "Don't tell me that you only brought healthy stuff. C'mon, Chuck. This is a chemistry final. I gotta have a Twinkie or something!"
He reached for the grocery bag beside her, but she moved it. "I brought Oreos, but they're for a reward." She held the bag out of his reach. "Unuh, chemistry first."
Letting out a sigh, he said, "You're brutal. How was the drive?"
Standing up, she put a leg underneath her and plopped back down. "Good. The Taco Rocket made it all the way with only one stall, and I only had to walk three blocks."
He laughed. "That probably means it won't run all day tomorrow. You had better plan to take the bus to classes. It'd be a shame to flunk out of college the last week because of car trouble."
"Not a chance! That car has carried me safely through and wouldn't dare let me down now."
He looked up at her and rolled his eyes. "Charlie, we’ve had to do something to that car an average of five times a week for what, six years now? It's time for a proper burial. Hey, we could grind off the VIN number and fly it off Guardsman's pass!"
She put a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "That is so rude! Okay, so I'll plan to ride the bus to finals. Did you finish your project?"
He groaned. "Done and turned in. Why do you think I need Twinkies?"
"Really? Dang, Fo! You're good! You'd better have an Oreo." She tossed him a cookie and automatically got up to go and bring cups for milk.
With the whole cookie in his mouth, he asked her a question that was wholly unintelligible and she laughed and said, "One more time."
Pausing to chew, he tried again. "Did you call your parents?"
"Heck no!" With a sigh, she returned to the living room and continued. "I love them Fo. I do. I swear it. But I just can't face them for the whole three months. They’ve gotten positively militant about law school all the sudden. They’ve always been pretty high pressure, but at least I’ve typically felt loved. Lately I feel like I’m in the German army or something. I thought I could handle going home for the summer, but now that it's here, I think I'm getting an ulcer."
"I've been trying to tell you. Just come with me to Montana, Charlie. You can work for my uncle on the ranch or come find something at the hospital with me. I'm telling you, the ranch is a huge place. They have like twenty employees. You might not make much, but it'd be a great summer and law school next fall is paid for anyway. You might even meet some handsome, debonair Montanan and decide to put a stop to this law school asininity."
"Can you just imagine my mother if I try to tell her I’m going to Montana to work on a ranch for the summer? She'll have a coronary! She thinks Ohio is the outer edge of civilization."
"Better her with a coronary than you with an ulcer." He nudged her with his shoulder. "Make a decision, Chuck. You've got three more days of class, and then I'm out of here." He picked up his cell phone. "Say the word and I'll call my uncle. Montana is actually the outer edge of heaven. You have nothing to lose. If you don't like it, you can go home to Connecticut and play the power game."
"That’s actually why I came over. Now that it’s here, I can’t face Connecticut. But what will I do in Montana? I'm not exactly ranch hand material."
"It is a huge ranch, but they also have an orchard and an herb farm, and they have household help and office help. If none of that sounds good, you could come into Kalispell with me and apply at the hospital or somewhere else. Kalispell is a real town, you know."
"There's a real town in Montana? I had no idea."
"Brat. Do you want me to call? Or are you going home to Elroy and the all-powerfuls?"
She groaned again and picked up her own phone. "Give me the number. I'll call for myself. His name is Christopher Elroy by the way. Not just Elroy. I'm surprised he doesn't go by Christopher. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but who marries a divorce lawyer? Who does that? The whole idea is bizarre."
"Who names their child Elroy? And who lets their mother try to talk them into who they should marry?" He scrolled down for the number. "I take that back. Your mother is the toughest bird I know. I'd probably be just as worried as you. My Uncle's name is Richard Langston. He, on the other hand, is the nicest guy in the world. Too nice actually. Here's the number."
After punching it in, she turned back to him. "You just called my mother a tough bird." Someone must have picked up on the other end. "No, excuse me. I was speaking to someone else. Is Richard Langston available please? Thank you." She put her hand over the phone and whispered to Fo, "They heard me say that."
He laughed at her. "Nice job interview intro, Chuck. Sorry about your mother."
Still whispering, she asked, "Sorry you said that or sorry that she's a tough bird?"
He took one of her carrots and bit into it. "Take it any way you want. Just come to Montana. I need someone to keep me on task."
Thirty minutes later, she had arranged to work in Montana and they had made plans for him to leave on Thursday, towing her worthless car behind his SUV. She would fly to Kalispell after she walked to get her diploma that weekend.
Knowing it had to be done sometime, she placed the call to Connecticut to notify her parents. Mercifully, she reached their answering machine and simply said that she had received a job offer from a large corporation in Montana for the summer, and had opted to go there to be near Fo. She didn't offer the fact that the large corporation was a ranch and hoped later they wouldn't ask.
****>
At six o'clock Sunday evening, when she finally made it through security at the Salt Lake International Airport, she wished she had booked her flight for immediately after receiving her diploma as Fo had suggested. It would have been so much simpler than trying to visit with her parents for a couple of days, but she had thought it was too disrespectful. After all, they had come clear to Utah to see her graduate and be with her. They loved her dearly and she knew that. They just expected such different things from her than she truly wanted.
