Everlasting
Love
Prologue
In a small town he had to be cautious.
Driving too close to his intended victim would be obvious. He’d lagged back
allowing more distance between his car and the one in front of him. When
several vehicles exited the highway, he hung back even farther. His prey was no
longer insight but he knew the Chevy was still there. He gripped the steering
wheel tighter and tried to be patient.
As the city gave way to the
mountainous forest, he saw his opportunity; pressing on the accelerator he
started to close the space between them. Now, in this isolated wildness, he
needed to move in for the kill.
No one would find a body or the
missing vehicle for some time. This was the perfect set up. No witnesses. No
surveillance cameras. For once and all, he could loosen the chain around his
neck and live a carefree life again.
He sped up and still no sign of the
other tail lights. The driver must have turned off to another road. He’d passed
countless side roads since entering the highway. Finding which road the other
vehicle used would be impossible.
He wiped his hand across the back of
his neck. Pulling over to the side of the road, gravel crunched beneath his
tires. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel. He’d quit his search for now.
He’d find his victim another time. Then he’d free himself from his burden.
Excerpt:
Everlasting Love
Chapter One
Miranda Cummings inhaled the fresh fir scent the moment she opened the door of her Chevy Impala-the fragrance of freedom. The cold, crisp air bit at her warm cheeks yet she felt exhilarated. Gravel and slushy snow crunched under her shoes as she hurried around her car. Opening the passenger door she picked up her overnight bag and placed the strap on her shoulder then she added her computer bag. Not wanting to make another trip out in the cold, she hooked several grocery bags on each hand. With one swift hip movement, she closed the door.
Gingerly she walked up the three snow-covered, wooden steps to the deck. Focusing on her weekend of solitude, she quickened her pace to the cabin on her right.
“Can I help you?” a deep baritone voice startled Miranda causing her to fling her arms out and drop one of her grocery bags.
Intent on carrying her belongings into the cabin, she hadn’t seen or heard the man behind her. Turning around, she froze. Reclined in an old-fashioned, white cast iron bathtub with claw feet, the man appeared relaxed, content and not at all perturbed as he bathed on a deck outside.
Steam rose from his warm water into the cold air. Water dripped from his short brown hair and glistened on his muscular torso. She suppressed the desire to caress the breadth of his wide shoulders. Stubble darkened his face with a day’s growth of beard. His rugged good looks caused her heart to flutter.
“I must have made a wrong turn…“ She couldn’t tear her gaze from his broad chest. As the water droplets traveled down his body her gaze followed suit. Miranda realized the hunk of a man was not only tranquil but also very naked. His muscular arms, which rested on the edges of the tub, could easily wrap around her. She wanted to feel his strength, his support from those strong arms. “…somewhere,” her voice squeaked.
He reached down and picked up a can of beer, which sat on the deck. Tipping the can back he took a swig then set the beer beside the tub. “Where were you going?”
His pecks rippled when he moved. Look at his face not his chest, Miranda scolded herself. “A friend of mine has a cabin up here.”
She glanced at the A-frame structure to her right nestled in a grove of fir trees where she’d intended to spend a couple of nights off the beaten path. Flower boxes below the two paned windows held browned plants from winter’s frost. The plumbing’s primitive her friend had said, which would explain a bathtub on the deck. The cabin in front of her fit her friend’s description.
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