You Can't Choose Love Read online

  Ethan stopped his thoughts there and backtracked. This was the first time he had admitted, even to himself, that he was, in fact, in love with Janet Price. He didn’t know how or when it had happened but it did.

  Janet felt hot from all the dancing; George and Kan were tireless. She stepped outside onto the balcony which was donned with lights and beautiful decorations. When she stepped outside, she noticed that she wasn’t alone. A figure (which she recognized as Ethan from the back) stood at the railing, staring off into the air. He held a cigarette in his hand and was smoking at distant intervals.

  She didn’t know if he didn’t hear her come up behind him or if he chose to ignore her, but he didn’t turn around. Janet stood beside him, staring into the night sky as well. The view was beautiful.

  Ethan glanced at her in acknowledgement but didn’t say anything.

  “I didn’t know you smoke,” Janet commented. It was an important fact that any girlfriend should have known. But wait, Janet was never his girlfriend.

  Ethan shrugged. “I quit for a bit.”

  “Why?”

  Ethan turned to look at her. “Because I wanted to be good enough for you.”

  Janet was taken aback by the response.

  “You could have been good enough for me in other ways, Ethan,” she said softly.

  “I know,” Ethan replied.

  They stared ahead for a while before Ethan spoke up again.

  “I miss you, Janet.”

  Janet didn’t respond.

  “And I’m sorry about all the hurt I caused you.”

  Janet nodded. They both faced each other now. She reached up to touch his cheek. He caught her hand and kissed her palm. She still felt tingles run down her arms at his touch. Will he ever stop making her feel this way?

  Janet pulled her arm away gently. “I’ll be seeing you.” And then she was gone, leaving Ethan alone on the balcony. He longed to kiss her more, to kiss every inch of her body. But he had lost that privilege.

  The last interaction they had was the defining point for their relationship. There was a lot to learn from this interaction about loyalty, love and strong will.

  It began when Jih lost his temper over Ethan’s infuriating attitude.

  Chapter 15 – The Last Interaction

  “Snap out of it already, Ethan. You honestly expect us to believe you’re in love with such an ordinary girl? You’re only pursuing this because it’s the best way to get back at your parents for what they did to your previous relationship.”

  Jih and Ethan were in the middle of a heated argument again, this time in a street in front of the pub. George and Kan watched on but did not intervene.

  “A few months ago, the two of us would be laughing over the thought of one of us being in love with such a plain girl. Where’s your sense of humor gone? You’ve been wallowing over her for ages now.”

  “Shut up, Jih,” Ethan said, his voice deadly. “Janet isn’t ordinary. And one of us is in love with her.”

  “Oh, yes she is. And you know it wouldn’t last with her. Instead of taking your anger out at us all the time, please go get laid and get the hell over it. I’m done with you and that pathetic girl till you stop this act.”

  “Pathetic?” Ethan’s voice was even more deadly this time. “If you ever talk about her like that again, I’ll destroy you.”

  Jih knew Ethan was capable of the threat and more.

  With a last contemptuous look, Jih turned away just as Ethan lunged at him. George and Kan watched with amusement as the two of the wrestled. Ethan managed to get in three heavy blows before Jih threw him back.

  “Really, Ethan? Is she really worth all this?” Jih asked, his voice rough. Ethan stared at him, his expression so intense that Jih seemed to draw back slightly.

  Janet, who was on her way back from work, heard the commotion. When she heard Ethan’s name, she was drawn to the voices. She observed the scene as the two brawled violently again.

  Janet turned to George and Kan. “What are you two idiots doing just standing there? Why aren’t you stopping them?” She was enraged. Janet threw herself between Ethan and Jih, pushing them away from each other. It wasn’t much work since Jih, who had been on the losing side of the battle, already lay in a hump on the floor. Ethan turned to look at her, confused at her sudden appearance. His face was bloody but nothing compared to what Jih looked like. Janet cradled his face in her hands.

  “Look at your face!” she cried. “Just look at the state of you!”

  “And why should you care what state I’m in?” Ethan shot back.

  “I don’t particularly enjoy people injured because of their own stupidity. I’m sure your fight with Jih could have been solved without violence.”

  Ethan didn’t respond.

  “Are you even capable of thinking ahead of your actions?”

  She held his face tighter. “Fix this. Fix him and yourself. You can’t get away with everything you do, Ethan. I hate seeing you like this.”

  She pressed a kiss to his forehead, the only part of his face that wasn’t bloody. With a last exasperated look at him, and the two onlookers, she left.

  Chapter 16 – Making Amends

  Janet shifted in her bed, unable to find a comfortable spot, ready to cry from frustration and exhaustion. She wanted to fall into a deep sleep but her body wouldn’t let her.

  A gentle knock sounded on her door. She sat up warily, wondering who would be knocking at her door at 1 am. Cautiously, she peered out of the peeping hole to find Ethan standing there. She threw open the door. Ethan looked a lot better since the fight that evening. His face wasn’t bloody anymore except for a few wounds here and there. There was a bandage on his cheek.

  “Polite gentle knock?” she asked him. “Jih must have hit you harder than it seemed.”

  It was then that she realized she was standing in front of Ethan wearing an oversized T shirt and nothing else. Her hair was in disarray and she must look terrible. He didn’t seem to care as he stared at her with his deep, penetrating eyes.

  Suddenly, she threw herself at him, holding him in a tight embrace. He was surprised but hugged her back, stroking her hair.

  “You’re such an idiot,” she sobbed against his neck.

  “I’m alright, Janet,” he said soothingly.

  “You’re still an idiot.”

  They stood like that for a few minutes before Janet pulled away to look at him. He still held her as she ran a hand down his injuries.

  “Feel better?” she asked.

  “Much,” he replied.

  His closeness was impairing her judgment like it usually did. “Perfect,” she found herself whispering. “That means you should kiss me now.”

  He hesitated, as if hovering on the edge of a precipice before leaning in and capturing her lips with his. She pulled him closer as he moved his attention to her neck. She sighed in delight as he continued up her jaw.

  “You’re shivering,” he murmured.

  “It’s draughty outside,” she replied reasonably.

  “Invite me inside then,” he said lazily.

  Without waiting for an answer, he picked her up and kicked the door shut with his foot. He carried her to her bed and dropped her there. Janet hastily pulled her shirt down as she scrambled into a sitting position. She scowled at him but then invited him to sit with her. He kicked off his shoes and slid in beside her, pulling her close as they lay back against the pillow. The quilt covered them both.

  “Why did you hit Jih?” she asked quietly.

  “He talked about you in a way I didn’t like.”

  Janet turned to him in surprise. “I don’t want you beating people up on my behalf.”

  “It wasn’t for you. It made me angry.”

  They were silent.

  “Where do we go from here?” Janet asked. “You’re still a rich, spoiled brat and I’m still only just a serving girl.”

  “I thought maybe we could try a date,” he replied. “A real one. Just you and I, do
ing something normal young adults enjoy doing. A nice, uncomplicated evening.”

  “Ethan, if you think that’s even slightly possible, I’m willing to try.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her softly, resting his forehead against hers. Janet’s body was tingling all over from his nearness, the tension almost crackling between them. His fingers were trailing gently up and down her arms, creating a tension between the two of them as they looked into each other’s eyes. She was afraid to move, not wanting to break the spell.

  But then he sighed, before sitting up.

  “I should go.”

  She sat up too, frowning.

  “Don’t let me keep you from whatever is so important.”

  Ethan laughed. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold back with you lying half-dressed next to me. And I want to take it slow this time. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  Janet nodded reluctantly.

  She walked to the door with him.

  “I’ll see you at university and then we can arrange that date,” he said. He leaned down to place one last kiss on her lips before he departed.

  BACKYARD ABDUCTION

  Caroline Lake

  Backyard Abduction

  Copyright 2016 by Caroline Lake

  First electronic publication: July 2016

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Backyard Abduction

  ASHTON

  The wind howls. A porch-screen door slams over and over. Rain falls in sheets as lightning illuminates the pealed green painted exterior of the old farm house. Upstairs, 23-year-old Ashton Alexander cuddles up under a thick old quilt while getting lost in her favorite book. A romance novel about a tall quiet cowboy who sweeps a northern socialite off her feet. The novel is growing worn with dog-eared pages. Glistening abs seen through a cowboy’s unbuttoned shirt splash the front cover.

  “Lucius ripped off her lacey bodice, revealing her heat flushed bosom. His weathered worn lips kissed roughly down her silky curves. She craved for him to be inside her.” Ashton bites her lip after quietly whispering every word of the book. She’s never had much luck with the opposite sex, or people in general.

  Nightly she finds herself living vicariously through her guilty pleasures: damsels in distress, knights in shining armor and sexy bad-boys-turned-good, to name a few.

  Her thick red hair is pulled behind her reading glasses into a makeshift ponytail. She rubs her fingers slowly over the nape of her neck. Her imagination plays out the page turning foreplay in her books. She yearns for a man to take her like that.

  “The once sweet socialite kneels down and undoes the rugged cowboy’s six shooter and chaps only to reveal his…”

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Startled, Ashton almost jumps out of her covers. She hides her book in a frenzy and pulls the covers around her.

  “What is it?” Ashton says twice, the first time barely being able to get out until she cleared her throat.

  “It’s Autumn Spirit, Pop says she’s ready to give birth” Faith, Ashton’s slightly younger sister, yells from the other side of her door.

  “Okay, okay… Hold your horses,” Ashton says, cracking herself up. “Ha ha, not funny,” Faith says while turning the door handle. “Why’s the door locked, anyway?”

  Ashton looks over at her romance book wedged in the side of the bed and yells to the door, “Something about nosey little sisters would be my guess.”

  She pulls the quilt off of her and places her reading glasses on the large wooden dresser next to her bed. Ashton, wearing only a t-shirt and panties, looks for jeans and a hoodie.

  Faith keeps knocking to playfully agitate Ashton. Ashton puts on her hoodie and glances out her window, overlooking the stable. Lightning strikes in the distance outlining the structure in the black of night. The rain hasn’t let up. She hears Faith knock again and quickly grabs another hoodie. She opens the door to Faith in mid knock and throws a hoodie at her shocked face.

  “You’re helping.”

  “But hey… I don’t know a thing about… It’s raining out there.”

  Faith pleads with Ashton, who runs past her down the stairs.

  “It’s not my responsibility”

  Ashton stops at the bottom of the stairs and jerks a look back at Faith. “Well, today it is.”

  Ashton heads to the front entryway. She grabs her boots and puts them on. Trench coats, jackets, trucker hats and cowboy hats hang from various coat racks by the door. The outside screen continues to slam from the wind.

  Faith makes it down the stairs in her purple t-shirt and slippers, still holding the hoodie Ashton threw at her. Her hair is blonde and frazzled from the drying.

  “I’ll help out under one condition.”

  “Okay, I’m all ears,” Ashton reluctantly says, while putting on a trench coat.

  “You go out with me tomorrow, no questions asked!”

  “Fine.”

  Ashton rolls her eyes and slides some boots to Faith.

  “Let’s go help Pops.”

  AUTUMN SPIRIT

  A white, spotted black mare exhaustively stares at Ashton while she combs her mane. Autumn Spirit has been ready for birth for weeks. It’s been a long pregnancy even for a horse, and Ashton is glad it’s finally time. The weather wasn’t helping, though. Hours earlier, Ashton had to use all her tricks and energy to calm Autumn from the outside thunder. Faith didn’t last as long. She’s passed out sitting on a bale of hay in the next stall. Ashton’s tired, but her animals are the only thing she loves more than her books.

  “It’s okay, Autumn, it’s okay. You’re going to be a mama, soon.”

  Ashton kisses the mare on the nose.

  “I bet your baby is going to a free spirit like you.”

  The barn door slams open. Ashton’s father plows in and labors to shut the door against the screeching elements. The door closes and with it the howling wind and cold breeze follows. He walks over to a wooden stool under a hanging lantern and undoes his trench coat with one hand. He reaches into an inside pocket to a grab a thermos with the same hand. Ashton’s father is a man with little emotion, despite his constant frown. He’s worked his farm his whole life, but after a tractor accident he’s had to reluctantly step back his role. He’ll be cursed for the remainder of his years with a gimp hand and a stiff walk. He motions the thermos to Ashton.

  “It’s warm, Darlin. Where’s Faith?”

  Ashton motions her head to the nearby stall. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected too much more.”

  “Well, honestly I’m surprised you got her out here.”

  “True. Though, I may have sold my soul to do it. We’ll see tomorrow night I guess.”

  “Well, don’t be too hard on her. She’s just not like you, Ashton. Heck, she’s not really like any of us. Between you and me, if I didn’t see her come from your ma myself, I’d swear she’s adopted.”

  “Yeah,” Ashton laughs, then turns serious as she continues to comb Autumn. “I miss mama.”

  “I do too, kiddo. I miss a lot of things.” Ashton’s father looks down at his useless hand. “But I miss her the most.”

  “I love hearing how ya’ll met. At the Drive in. You spillin your drin
k all over her and her date. And you getting decked. What I would have given to be there.”

  “Yeah, your ma was always a sucker for taken care of wounded animals.”

  “So that’s where I get it from.” Ashton pats Autumn gently.

  Ashton’s dad maneuvers the thermos open and pours the steaming drink into its cup lid. “I called the vet. If the storm clears up, he’ll head out in the mornin”

  “Don’t know if she’ll last that long.”

  “So, Faith is making you get out tomorrow. That’s good Ashton. I want you to get out.” He brings Ashton the warm drink.” You shouldn’t be stuck here your whole life with this old man.”

  Ashton takes a sip of the cup from her dad. “Water!”

  “No, it’s hot chocolate, sweetie”

  “No, Autumn’s water broke.” Ashton puts her cup down and hollers for Faith. The horse whinnies and starts to sway back and forth. Ashton tightens the horse’s rein against the nearby post.

  Faith wakes up with a rush of energy.

  “What’s going on?”

  Ashton grabs her rubber gloves.

  “Time to deliver a foal.”

  THE LAKE

  An aged, white Chevy barrels down winding dark country roads. Mud from the truck’s wheels fling past its slightly open windows. Country Rock music blares from inside. Faith barely pays attention to the road as she applies lipstick on pouty lips through the reflections of a bedazzled visor mirror. She mostly steers with her knees, much to the horror of Ashton, her red-headed best friend of the same age, sitting shotgun. Ashton wears her emotions on her face. She’s always been nervous by Faith’s driving, and even more nervous about their destination - “Make-Out Lake.”