Unpredictable Love

Moonlight Books

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A Moonlight Books Novel

Sensual Romance

Unpredictable Love

Copyright © 2016 Jean C. Joachim

E-book ISBN:
978-0-9971833-5-1

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Tabitha Bower

Proofread by Renee Waring

All cover art and logo copyright © 2016 by
Moonlight Books

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary
work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole
or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are
fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is
strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Moonlight Books

To the late Nan Eddleston Cohen and Dr.
Benjamin Cohen, the inspiration for the loving aunt and uncle in
this book.

And to the late Marilyn Reisse Lee, the best
friend anyone could ever have.

Acknowledgment

Thank you to the following people: Tabitha
Bower, my editor, Renee Waring, my proofreader, Sherri Good, David
Joachim, Larry Joachim and Steve Joachim, for providing support,
love & laughter.

FIRST & TEN SERIES

GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK

BUDDY CARRUTHERS, WIDE RECEIVER

PETE SEBASTIAN, COACH

DEVON DRAKE, CORNERBACK

SLY “BULLHORN” BRODSKY, OFFENSIVE LINE

AL “TRUNK” MAHONEY, DEFENSIVE LINE

HARLEY BRENNAN, RUNNING BACK

OVERTIME

THE MANHATTAN DINNER CLUB

RESCUE MY HEART

SEDUCING HIS HEART

SHINE YOUR LOVE ON ME

TO LOVE OR NOT TO LOVE

HOLLYWOOD HEARTS SERIES

IF I LOVED YOU

RED CARPET ROMANCE

MEMORIES OF LOVE

MOVIE LOVERS

LOVE’S LAST CHANCE

LOVERS & LIARS

His Leading Lady (Series Starter)

NOW AND FOREVER SERIES

NOW AND FOREVER 1, A LOVE STORY

NOW AND FOREVER 2, THE BOOK OF DANNY

NOW AND FOREVER 3, BLIND LOVE

NOW AND FOREVER 4, THE RENOVATED HEART

NOW AND FOREVER 5, LOVE’S JOURNEY

NOW AND FOREVER, CALLIE’S STORY (series
starter)

MOONLIGHT SERIES

SUNNY DAYS, MOONLIT NIGHTS

APRIL’S KISS IN THE MOONLIGHT

UNDER THE MIDNIGHT MOON

MOONLIGHT & ROSES (prequel)

LOST & FOUND SERIES

With Ben Tanner

LOVE, LOST AND FOUND

DANGEROUS LOVE, LOST AND FOUND

NEW YORK NIGHTS NOVELS

THE MARRIAGE LIST

THE LOVE LIST

THE DATING LIST

PINE GROVE NOVELS

UNPREDICTABLE LOVE

TOO LATE FOR GOODBYE*

ECHOES OF THE HEART*

*to come

SHORT STORIES

SWEET LOVE REMEMBERED

TUFFER’S CHRISTMAS WISH

Jory Walker plucked three letters from the
mailbox in front of the house. Two bills and one envelope addressed
to her that looked like it had been through a war. It had,
according to what was scratched in the upper corner.

SSGT. T. Stevens

Anger bubbled up inside her. She made a
beeline for the house, only to collide with her sister.

“
Amber! What the hell?” She waved the
envelope in the young woman’s face.

“
I just sent him one
letter.”

“
This is the fourth you’ve gotten from
him. When are you going to write back?”

“
It was a mistake…”

“
You can say that again. Especially
the part where you signed
my
name!”

“
Laura was so convincing. I thought
she meant one time. Only one letter.”

“
She asked people to sign up to write
to guys in the military. Not to write only
one
letter and include a lewd photo.”

“
It wasn’t lewd, whatever that means.
Just me in a bikini. I’m not good at writing. Much better at
pictures.” Her beautiful, blonde sister, with a Miss America
figure, grinned.

“
And the reason you signed my
name?”

“
I always liked yours better. Besides,
if he wanted another letter, I knew you’d write it for me. So, it
might as well have your name on it.”

“
Don’t give me that bullshit smile.
I’m on to you. And the answer is ‘no.’” Jory shoved the envelope
from T. Stevens into Amber’s hand.

“
Please? Pleeeaassseee, Jory. You’re
the writer. Not me.”

“
That’s right. You’re the pretty
sister, and I’m the smart one.”

Amber nodded. “I don’t mean it like that.
You’re so much better than me.”

“
Than I.”

“
See?”

“
No.”

Amber’s jaw jutted out. “Okay. Disappoint
some poor guy out there fighting a war. Look at his picture. He’s
hot, even with a buzz cut. Besides, he might die. Your words could
be the last ones he ever sees!”

“
He’s expecting you, not
me.”

“
Yeah, the picture. But he’ll never
know. He’s in Afghanistan somewhere. Real far away. Just write one
or two letters then tell him you got engaged.”

“
What a mean thing to do! Lead him on
then dump him with a lie?”

“
You’re not going to marry that creep,
Archie?”

“
Hell, no!”

“
Then why do you go out with
him?”

“
He beats what’s on TV. Well, most of
what’s on TV.”

“
You deserve better.” Amber turned her
big blues on her sibling.

As soon as she ramped up the supportive
heat, Jory melted. She always did and knew her little sister was
manipulating her. But she was powerless to resist. Ever since their
parents had been killed in a car crash fifteen years ago, Jory had
taken Amber under her wing.

She snatched the envelope from Amber’s hand
with a snort of disgust and returned to the house. The pretty
blonde slid behind the wheel of her car and waved goodbye.

The two girls had had to leave their home in
New York City and move in with their widowed aunt, Nan Edwards. It
had been traumatic for the much younger one, but Jory had adjusted
well. She loved Pine Grove, a small town on Cedar Lake in upstate
New York.

Amber was a different story. She dreamt of
beauty pageants and Hollywood. New York had given birth to those
aspirations, with the promise of fame on every corner, from
Broadway to Park Avenue. Pine Grove didn’t fit that picture. No one
took her seriously, least of all her big sister.

Jory, thirty-two, wrote for the Pine Grove
Independent, the town weekly newspaper. It didn’t pay much, but
spending her days in the company of other newshounds stimulated her
curiosity. Then, there was the fun stuff—rubbing elbows with the
locals. She interviewed the women’s club and covered the softball
tournament between the state troopers and the volunteer firemen.
She reported the pros and cons of fracking, and kept the community
informed.

Respect came her way as an outgrowth of her
work. Jory Walker had the ideal job, but it didn’t keep her warm at
night or send shivers through her in the bedroom.

Amber worked for Beasley’s pharmacy, doing
makeovers and hawking makeup for the small store. She didn’t make
much money, but had access to tons of new products, which she
tested on herself and her family at every opportunity. She loved
her job.

Jory tossed the letter on the kitchen table,
in front of her aunt, who sat sipping coffee.

“
She’s done it again. Damn it,” Jory
said, pouring her second cup.

Nan glanced at the piece of mail. “Done
what?”

“
Roped me in.” Jory added milk and
sugar.

“
How?”

“
Remember Laura Dailey’s drive to get
pen pals for military guys in Afghanistan?”

Nan raised her gaze to her niece.

“
We wrote about it in the
paper.”

“
Oh, yes. Now I do.”

“
Amber signed up.”

“
What’s wrong with that?”

“
She had no intention of writing more
than one letter to this guy, Staff Sergeant T. Stevens.”

“
That’s all? Doesn’t seem too
serious.” Nan shrugged.

“
It is when she signs
my
name.”

Her aunt sprayed coffee on the table.
Her eyes bugged out. “Oh my God! She signed
your
name?” Nan reached for a paper
towel.

“
Yep. Three letters have arrived from
this poor, prolific sap, who’s probably wondering why I never
answered his first one.” Jory shook her head. “The fourth arrived
today.”

“
Maybe he’s nice?”

“
Good try. I’ll answer these then beg
off. I’ll make up some excuse. Or maybe tell him I have five arms
and two heads. I’ll think of something.” Jory headed for her room
and closed the door.

The small, three-bedroom house was tidy and
well organized. A large front porch and back deck gave more space
for the women to carve out a few minutes of private time. The big
backyard, carpeted with a combination of grass and weeds, had been
the host of many a kickball game when Amber was younger. Now, it
housed an old gas grill and some white vinyl lawn chairs, purchased
on sale and looked it.

Jory flopped down on her bed. She had picked
up the sturdy, handmade, lavender quilt at a yard sale. The
covering echoed her favorite colors, with pink and dark purple
flowers against green and white.

She leaned her slim frame back against three
pillows and examined the postmarks on each envelope, trying to
figure out the order of the letters. She opened the one with the
earliest date and pulled out a small photo. Flipping it over, she
saw his name neatly printed on the back. Trent Stevens. She smiled
at the sexy picture of the Sergeant, stripped to the waist. He wore
the short hair of the military, regulation uniform pants, boots,
and dog tags, resting against an impressive, if slightly sunburned,
chest.

Obviously, he worked out. Her gaze
examined the defined pecs, covered with a smatter of dark hair. His
biceps were impressive. A hug from SSGT Stevens would be
soul-melting. A slight shiver ran through her.
Archie Peabody doesn’t look like that.
She
hadn’t seen all of Archie, since she had refused to sleep with him.
But she had seen him in a bathing suit. The words “pasty” and
“flabby” came to mind when she recalled images of him at the Fourth
of July celebration on the lake.