Affairs of the Heart (6 page)

“
Let me get
that for you.” He placed his hand over hers.

“
I’m
perfectly capable of carrying one small piece of luggage.” Her grip
tightened under his.

She wasn’t about to allow
him to help her. She was perfectly capable of handling her own
little overnight bag.

“
At the
moment, you don’t look capable of doing anything but taking a cold
shower.” He tried to pull the bag from her as the plane jolted to a
stop.

“
Leave me.”
Khristen gave her bag one last tug, causing it to open and spilling
the contents onto the floor of the plane.

“
Now see what
you’ve done!” She stooped to gather her overturned belongings as
quickly as she could. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone and let
her get on with her life?

“
Here, let
me.” Shadoe bent and picked up her things and placed them in the
bag, including her lacy panties and their matching bras. He held
her undergarments between his thumb and forefinger for a moment.
Dropping them, he picked up the nametag dangling outside the case
in his hand.

“
I can do it
myself.” Khristen grabbed and tossed the tag into the bag with the
last of her things. She snapped the bag shut and headed for the
departure door wondering what act of God had caused her case to fly
open when it had been locked. She had a feeling this was going to
be one hell of a vacation.

* * * *

“
Khristen
Roberts,” Shadoe whispered to himself as he watched Khristen make
her way to the back of the plane.

There
couldn’t be more than one of her, could there? She had snatched the
ID tag fast, but he thought the city and state on it had
read
Madison,
Wisconsin
. He was still
stunned by what he read. Was she his Khristen Roberts? Well, maybe
not his but the magazine’s?

It had to be her—the
woman Ric Scott had recommended for the article that would most
likely end his career. How many Madison, Wisconsin Khristen Roberts
could there be in the world?

He hoped there was only
one—the one who sparked something in him he once thought did not
have a chance to ignite ever again; the one who for a few hours
made him remember he was just a regular Joe, not the Universal
Wrestling World Champion; the very one making her way down the
little departure hallway. If he didn’t follow suit, he’d lose her
in the crowd.

He grabbed his athletic
bag and followed her. If he lost her, he would either have to call
all over Maui looking for her or contact Ric Scott to find out
where Khristen Roberts from his newly acquired magazine was
staying. As he saw it, his only option was the former.

Dear Reader,

 
I’m not
much on putting words to paper, action is more up my alley. I’m
Flame, the reigning champion in the Universal Wrestling World
(UWW). So why am I here?

I grew up in a wrestling family
and cut my teeth on the squared circle, which by the way is the
only “lady” I trust any more.

I’ve gone and bought out a
small press magazine in Madison, Wisconsin that was going nowhere
fast, hired a woman by the name of Khristen Roberts, who according
to the editor-in-chief is untrained and wants nothing more than to
be a journalist.

Okay, I’m a sucker in helping
people out, it’s my one weakness, if I have any. Problem is she’s
on vacation in Hawaii. I’ve got to catch up with her somewhere
along the line for her to join up with me and the UWW. I just hope
Khristen is up for the ride…it’s always a trip.

 
Yours
truly,

The
Flame

Get your download or print copy today and
post a review!

www.museituppublishing.com
/
www.amazon.com

Rings of Paradise © 2012 by Maxine
Douglas

MuseItUp Publishing

14878 James, Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, H9H
1P5

ROAD ANG
EL

Inspirational
Paranormal Romance by
Maxine
Douglas

Chapter
One

“‘
Let It
Snow’ on this...” the radio DJ hummed through the radio. Before
long I was humming along with the classic Christmas song that more
than described the frightful weather.

The snow truly fit
snow-packed Interstate 94 which I travel westbound weekly. With
less than a week until Christmas, I dropped the load in Gary,
Indiana. Then with a mere eight miles to go before hitting Chicago,
I can head back home to Wisconsin and my little girl. Damn if I’ll
let her spend it with strangers again. I promised and mean every
word.

The northwest wind whips
across Lake Michigan, causing the blinding lake-effect snow I
hate—the trucker’s nightmare I’ve learned to ignore.

I’m on a mission, damn
it, and no stupid storm will stop me.

Still, I have to admit
visibility is slim, like driving through a kaleidoscope of white.
The effect plays tricks on my eyes, but I squint, refusing to pull
over. I’ve never allowed the weather to interfere with my job, and
I’m not about to start now—especially this close to spending
Christmas with my family for the first time since my baby daughter
was born three years before. She was my Christmas miracle, Isabella
Mae Thomas—perfect in every way. Crystal-blue eyes sparkle even
when full of sad little baby tears. Light, curly, strawberry-blonde
hair falls above her shoulders, framing her round little face and
chubby cheeks, giving her a cherub look. Sandi named her Bella, and
I was fine with that, as long as a glittering vampire didn’t show
up at our front door with a large wolf at its side.

I chuckle. “I
have a feeling Sandi would have been thrilled to have a
Twilight
family of her own.” I chuckle again at the thought of
chasing both off while Sandi asks them to come in for dinner. I
take my gaze off the road for an instant, the picture flitting
through my mind even as the sadness of losing her resonates through
me.

Flexing my hand, I
remember how Sandi nearly crushed it during delivery. “I can feel
your presence Sandi.”

Her grip had felt like
being caught in a vise, every bone about to be shattered, leaving
me wondering when she’d acquired super-human strength. My
soft-spoken wife became a rowdy-mouthed sailor spurting things
totally incomprehensible as she pushed our baby into the world, and
then it was over. Her body relaxed, her breathing returned to
normal, and our lives forever changed with the wail of a new
life.

The words “it’s a girl”
swelled my heart with pride, but it was seeing Sandi nuzzling the
pink bundle in her arms that poured great love into me. I’d never
felt anything as amazing as that day. I couldn’t wait for the next
time we’d welcome a baby into the world.

A moment later, my life
came crashing down around me when Sandi closed her eyes for the
last time as Bella snuggled contently in her arms.

“
I wish they
could have saved both of them, but the aneurism…”

The tires of the truck
catch a patch of ice and jolt me back to the reality of the
snow-covered highway. “Damn. Keep your mind on driving, you fool!”
I push the past away and return to concentrating on getting through
the December snowstorm. If I were to lose my focus now, I could end
up jackknifed in the road, causing a mass of destruction in the
aftermath and cost Bella her one remaining parent.

The strange, otherworldly
view through the windshield is like looking into a snow globe after
the first shake, only this snow isn’t stopping; it’s getting
heavier as I creep farther down the highway. The faster my wipers
move, the less visible the tire tracks in the snow-covered highway
are. At this point, it doesn’t matter what speed they cleared the
glass; the wind blows the snow immediately back into
place.

The crackling of the
company cell phone slices through the whistling of the wind.
Irritated, I tap the button on my wireless earpiece. “It’s snowing
like hell; what ya want DJ?”

“
You pulled
over yet?” The dispatcher’s voice comes through full of static,
sounding like an old scratched 78 record. “Get that damn truck off
the road as soon as possible. Interstate 94 west of Gary is closing
within an hour. You’ve got to bed down for the night.”

No way am I going to
break my promise to my daughter. Besides, pulling over is a moot
point when I can’t see the edges of the road. “Right,” I snort.
“Like that’s gonna happen. I can’t even see the shoulder, let alone
find a place to pull over.”

“
I don’t care
how or where you do it, just do it. Too damn dangerous for you to
be pushing through, and you know it,” DJ snaps.

“
Gotta make
it home for Christmas.” I glance down at the speedometer and then
settle back in my seat. Forty miles-per-hour isn’t going to get me
home as early as I’d like, but it will get me there sooner than
bedding down for the night. “Can’t afford to be stranded in some
truck stop. I promised this year I’d be there…not here.”

“
You aren’t
going to be any good to your little girl in a pine box! Boss wants
all the trucks pulled over within the hour. It’ll give you time to
update those logs of yours while waiting out the storm, eleven
hours or not!” DJ says and then hangs up.

* * * *

Rubbing my face, I yawn
big and deep, pulling in as much oxygen as I can, trying to focus.
It’s no use; my eyes are fuzzy. Finally feeling the effects of
driving in a blizzard, I reluctantly admit I need to find a place
to get off the road and bed down for the duration.

“
A little cat
nap, and then I’ll be good to go.” The eight-mile length of road
between Gary and Chicago isn’t getting any better. The question is:
where’s a good place to stop? I can’t see the shoulder. Hell, I
can’t see the road. Driving in these conditions is like trying to
find my way out of a box full of shipping popcorn—nearly
impossible.

Glancing down at the
speedometer, I wonder when I slowed to thirty miles an hour. At
this rate, I’ll find myself stuck with no place to go. “I hate to
admit it, but DJ was right.” I have to get off and find a place to
wait out the storm. The sooner the better.

I’m not even sure where I
am at the moment. All the road signs are obscured by snow, and I
can’t make out any city lights. For all I know, there’s a power
outage in the area. Even the CB has been quiet for a while.
Everyone in their right mind is off the road and asleep in their
bunks. Everyone except me.

Licking my dry lips, I
reach for the water bottle just as a shadow bursts through the
snow. “Whoa!” Grabbing the wheel with both hands, I brace for
impact.

Shaking when none comes,
I suck in a breath as the tail end of a deer disappears into the
shadowy storm. “Stupid, fricking deer! Holy crap! If I wasn’t awake
before, I sure as hell am now.”

As the snow swirls in the
glow of the headlights, I figure several inches have fallen on top
of what may have been tire marks in the road. I don’t even want to
think when it was plowed last. At this rate, I probably won’t see
one until tomorrow.