AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
She was pushing herself beyond the limit, but she didn’t want to stop. Being out here in the middle of nowhere had been a good idea. The isolation inspired her, and she needed the downtime to think. She could feel the muscles in her calves protesting, but she didn’t stop.
The encroaching darkness covered the trees, helped by the sliver of clouds obscuring the moon.
She wasn’t afraid, far from it. The cabin was owned by her mother and was tucked into a large piece of land with towering trees. Most of the leaves had been stripped bare by the season. Fall had descended like a vengeful monster, and the weather was making itself known.
She’d wrapped up well, the thick sweatpants and matching hoodie lending some warmth. She’d also been running for the past thirty minutes, which was enough to work up a sweat.
Skidding to a stop near a makeshift bridge, she bent and took several deep breaths.
She supposed she’d gone overboard, but she needed to get out of the cabin for a while. Writer’s block was kicking her ass.
Her male character was sounding more like a douchebag rather than a decorated detective, and her female character was too whiny. Straightening, she took a deep breath, the air bracing and sharp and just what she needed.
She didn’t mind the cold and could feel the sweat trickling down her back, the moisture gathering under her breasts. She stood there, a tall, willowy woman with curves in all the right places. Her thick, dark brown curls were scooped back into a messy ponytail.
Her golden-brown eyes scanned the area, taking in the scene, shielded by long dark lashes. Her skin was smooth and color the same as coffee mixed with cream.
The wind had picked up somewhat, cooling the moisture on her face reminding her that she needed to do her stretches. Leaning one hand against the rough tree trunk, she worked her calves and flexed her screaming and aching muscles.
She was going to finish the run and head back to the cabin. It was dark, but she had too much on her mind to contemplate going to bed. She was going to try and get some work in, but first, she had her mother’s outlandish request to think about.
“You must be out of your mind.” She’d stared at the ageless beauty reclining on the loveseat in her opulent sitting room in shock, Michelle Bledsoe (she’d reverted to her first husband’s name as soon as her third marriage had finished). Michelle waved a hand dismissively as she stared at her only child. “I need this.”
“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way I’m going to agree to something like that. It’s ludicrous.”
Then, she’d dropped the hammer. She had cancer and was going to need a hysterectomy. The doctors weren’t sure that it would be successful. Fifty-fifty chance of recovering was what they were saying. “You show no signs of settling down- “
“I’m thirty years old!”
“You’re married to your career. I can’t blame you for it. I did the same. I only took a break when I was carrying you and went straight back to work as soon as possible.” Her expression had become thoughtful. “I shortchanged you.”
“Dad was there- “
“I shortchanged him as well. Richard was such a good man, and he loved me, even knowing I didn’t love him.”
“Mother- “
“I’ve always been honest with you, darling.” The shadows had touched the beautiful golden-brown eyes. “You know that the love of my life is Sydney, and you know what happened-“
“Mother, is there a point to this?”
“Yes. I’m assessing my life, realizing there will come a time when I won’t be here, has me thinking.” She stared at Macayla. “I need this, darling. Both Sydney and I.”
She’d been so absorbed in the memories that she was at the plain wooden door before she realized she’d arrived back at the cabin.
Pushing the door open, she stepped into the warmth. Before her run, she’d hauled logs from the shed and made a fire. The reddish-gold flames were leaping and crackling, shrouding the small room in a haven of coziness.
“Water.” She muttered as she kicked off her tennis shoes and entered the small kitchen. The cabin had been a gift from Sydney Randall to her mother and was very old. Macayla had discovered that it had been their meeting place, the place they had run to when they wanted to be alone.
She’d been coming here for years, and when she heard what the cabin was for, she’d balked at returning. Uncapping the bottle, she took a healthy gulp of the refreshing water and leaned against the island.
It was weird that the love between her mother and multi-billionaire investor Sydney Randall had survived over the years. She’d been through three husbands, and he’d married, according to her mother, a woman who’d been cold and unfeeling and had died a year ago.
“I’m surprised you haven’t got back with him. You were both cheating on your partners when they were alive, now they’re no longer in the way, why aren’t you with him?” Macayla had asked.
Her mother smiled serenely. “Our love transcends everything. I’m not getting married again and Sydney respects that. Marriages never worked for us and we don’t need a legal document to realize that we’ll always love each other.”
