A Sweet and Spicy Kind Of Love (2 page)

BOOK: A Sweet and Spicy Kind Of Love
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The other girl named Danielle Willis clutched her blue tank top with white knuckles, as she rocked back and forth sobbing “She’s dead, I know she is gone. Why did she do it? What will hap…happ….happen to her…Oh Ms. Grant….what shall…can…we…do?”

 

The other three girls were in similar stages of hysterics most of them sobbing as they threw themselves to the ground in wild abandon. One of them even put dust on the top of her head and moaned that the funeral of the departed Molly would last for months!

 

Julian had never seen anything like it. Such displays of emotion were foreign to him but he did agree the situation was serious. A runaway horse was not a laughing matter, and he chided himself for stopping to watch the show. Quickly he ran in search of the rancher. It was time to do something more than scream hysterics…

 

~~~

 

Sweetums wouldn’t stop not even for a breather, instead continuing her wild run with apparent delight. Molly’s rump was on fire and her fingers cramped from hanging on so tight. Feelings of nausea and terror swept over her in waves, but she did not dare throw up. If she did, she might lose her balance and she remembered enough about horses to know a fall could be fatal. She only prayed that some brave soul would rescue her.

 

~~~

 

Julian left the Devonshire ranch with a quick gallop in the direction of Molly’s horse. He only hoped the crazy red head had enough sense to hold on tight. In the short time he had been at the Sunnyvale school he had observed her impetuous behavior from afar, and it never ceased to amaze him.  

 

He recalled when the class had tried to dissect a frog for science class, and Molly released them all. She was a rampant protector of wild life, and said she couldn’t stand to see an animal dissected in the name of science. It resulted in the shrill screams of Molly’s friends, as twelve frogs jumped all over the tables and chairs, some of their bodies sticking like goo to the walls. As their teacher tried frantically to collect the amphibians, Valeria Trenton, Molly’s classmate, fainted on the spot and landed on a frog crushing his slimy body under her silk dress.

 

~~~

 

When he finally caught up with Molly, Julian felt strangely relieved to see she was still in one piece. Quickly, he scanned the terrain to decide the best place to force the running horse to stop. No barrier was near enough to squeeze the animal into a smaller run, so Julian decided that the element of surprise would be the edge that he needed. Swiftly, he put his mount side by side and kept up the run, getting as close as he could without crashing into the steed.

 

It took Molly a full fifteen seconds to realize she was not alone, and that Julian was riding by her side. If she wasn’t so terrified, she would be quite flattered. As it was, she couldn’t do anything but think of her predicament and hope that Julian would figure out some way to save her from her foolish actions. It was only then that she noticed he was yelling at her to pull back on the reins. His words carried over with urgent force.

 

“C’mon Red, do something. Help me out here. You have to pull the reins sharply to the right and then to the left. Seesaw the thing until she stops.”

 

Molly heard his words but could not seem to process his commands. ‘Seesaw the thing’, what in the world was that?

 

Julian felt frustration eating at him. They could not continue the run side by side for much longer, as the terrain was changing to a more rocky plain which could be dangerous. An uneven terrain could cause a horse to trip and fall, injuring the rider in its wake. With increased urgency Julian yelled louder, trying to get through to Molly’s stupor “Red, you have to pull the reins hard to the left and then hard to the right. Make Sweetums feel the need to change course and then she will slow down.”

 

Julian’s words echoed in Molly’s ears and her arms responded to his commands. With a jerk she pulled back on the reins as hard as possible, yanking Sweetums’ head back with as much force as she could. The horse’s response was immediate. It grabbed the bit, jerked its head forward and seemed to increase its speed.

 

Julian could not believe it. Molly did the precise opposite of what he instructed. Increasing his speed to match Molly’s, Julian yelled louder “Red, please don’t do that again. You are fighting against her and you will not win. Pull the reins to the left and then to the right. Pull left, pull right. Pull left, pull right. Pull left, pull right.

 

Molly’s terrified mind finally processed Julian’s words, and she felt her hands move in reaction to this commands. Pull left, pull right. Pull left, pull right. After trying a few times she was surprised to feel that Sweetums appeared to slow down. Elated at the small change, Molly gritted her teeth and tried harder.

 

Julian decreased his gallop and spoke soothingly to the horse, reaching out to help Molly pull on the reins and increase the pressure. When the horse finally came to a stop, Julian sighed with relief. Dismounting, he walked over to Molly and helped her to the ground. He could feel her body shaking and her wide eyes were dazed, but otherwise she seemed fine.  Leaving her side, he walked over to Sweetums and ran his hands over her brown coat and soft nose as he cooed in an undertone “There, there girl. You’re all right now. It’s not your fault you had a crazy red head on your back. You’ll be fine. There, there big girl.”

 

Molly watched Julian in disbelief and her earlier fears dissipated in a flash of anger. That he hadn’t said the same soft words to her, but was busy soothing the horse was insulting in the extreme.  Here she intended to be a damsel in distress to her knight in shining armor, and he ignored her in favor of a four legged animal. What was it with him?

 

Putting her hands on her hips she watched Julian continue to caress Sweetums and speak in a loving manner. Molly was piqued. Completely. With a huff she turned away and began her walk back to the ranch. As far as she was concerned both Julian and the horse could stay together. She was going home. As she walked away kicking at the rocks with furious steps, she missed Julian’s thoughtful gaze as he watched her disappear from sight.

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

It took weeks for Molly’s embarrassing escapade to be forgotten. She was so humiliated by the whole ordeal that she refused to talk about it, even with her close friends. Most of them did not mind, but her best friend Yolanda was another matter.

 

As they sat in class, she whispered to Molly for the millionth time to fess up about the details of the ‘romantic encounter’ between her and the school’s most attractive nerd.

 

Molly gasped and put her hand over Yolanda’s mouth, as she glanced around the classroom “Shhhhh girl! Besides, Julian is not a nerd. He just happens to have a head full of books and knowledge, that’s all.”

 

Yolanda tossed her blonde curls and rolled her eyes. She was a foot shorter than Molly with a pleasant round face and a round body to match. Flamboyant colors and dramatic behavior was her trademark but, Molly had befriended her on the first day of school and they had remained solid friends over the years.

 

“Mollyyyyyy” Yolanda cried with an irritating drawl “what in the world are you talking about? Ridiculous stuff, that’s what I say. Anybody can see he is a tasty dish that you could just gobble up, don’t you think?”

 

Molly cheeks flamed pink and she looked at her with a horrified gaze “Shhhhhh girl. Everybody will hear you and I don’t want them to know my business.”

 

Yolanda ignored her her request. “Puh-lease! Who cares what they think? He’s cute and smart and as far as I know that should be all you need. But… and there is always is a big huge no-no isn’t there? He’s a nerd and that is a bit less appealing. However I think there is a good part to this whole thing. He’s got some dough and his home is a mansion. At least that’s what my mother tells me, and my mother is never wrong. She works up at that big old house off and on remember? I don’t what the deal is that they only hire temporary workers, but folks with money are strange sometimes you know?

 

Yes, Molly did know. Templeton Manor was a dark, imposing fortress hidden in the middle of nowhere and controlled by Julian’s father, Lionel Chambers. He had the reputation of being a hard man with a cold demeanor many found imposing. Most of the villagers avoided him like the plague when he made his way to town, but some of them worked on the estate from time to time, because the pay was good. “Yes, Yolanda I know he’s got money and his father is a bit of a gargoyle, although I’ve never met the man. But the money doesn’t mean anything. I like him for him, you do understand that right?”

 

Her friend nodded and tilted her head to the side with a twinkle in her eyes “Yep I hear you loud and clear, but having a little bit of cash on the side is not bad hmmm? That way you can buy me all of the cookies and cake I like, if you don’t want to use the money on yourself. So when will you get together?”

 

It was Molly’s turn to roll her eyes “Get together? As if he would even notice. The last time he was close enough, he cared more about the horse than me. Anyway I am trying to get him out of my head and you are not helping. C’mon dreamer, let’s get our class work done before Ms. Grant calls our attention and I get in trouble again. I’ve had more than enough to last a lifetime.”

 

~~~

 

Lionel Chambers sat in his favorite Victorian armchair, overlooking the decaying gardens beyond the library windows of Templeton Manor. He really needed some help with the plants and shrubs, but at the moment they would stay as they were. He didn’t need any more village hands running back to town, with the news that the flowers were dying because the old man was too bitter to keep them alive.

 

Besides, there were a lot more attractive qualities of the Manor itself. The stately home had two floors and eight bedrooms with elegant, arched windows, some of them stained in multicolored hues. The furnishings were mostly oak and rosewood and the floors were tiled in green marble, with Persian rugs and tiered chandeliers.

 

Lionel observed the scenery with certain detachment. His thoughts were on the problem of his son and just what the boy would do with his life. He admitted that as a father he was deficient in many ways. The warm feelings that a father would show were severely lacking in his treatment towards his offspring, but the tender feelings of love had died along with the wife he had buried years before. Elenora was his life and the spark that had made Lionel’s world complete. After she died, that spark had left him and he hadn’t been able to recover it since.

 

But Elenora was not the subject of his thoughts. Julian was now his concern. The boy needed to be a man and eventually take over Templeton’s holdings, but so far he had proved enigmatic and would not commit one way or another. Lionel found his attitude of nonchalance disconcerting, but he could not get his son to budge and reveal his future goals. It was clear the boy needed a distraction of some kind. Perhaps a good wife would soften him up and make him a bit more malleable. But how could he find a wife for his son in the wretched town of Sunnyvale? The candidates were not appetizing, but perhaps a girl could be found that Lionel could control. And he knew just where to start.

 

~~~

 

The mirror never lied and for that, Valeria Trenton was grateful. Slowly she turned from side to side, as she gazed at her reflection in the smooth surface of the handcrafted glass. She was a beautiful girl with large, green eyes heavily lashed and a full soft mouth. She was proud of her slim form, gently curved in all the right places and her midnight hair fell in waves, with wayward tendrils caressing her high forehead.

 

As she turned, Valeria pouted with her hands on her hips. She would definitely need a bit more curves to stand out, but for the moment the ones she had, would have to do. After all, she could not rely on just a pretty face. The extra ammunition of a well proportioned body was quite a formidable weapon. And she intended to use it to full. It was Valeria’s aim to stop any male in their tracks, especially Julian Chambers.

 

With a gleeful cry she ran over to her pink, canopied bed and felt under the mattress for her personal diary. Her room was princess inspired and decorated to give that impression. The high, arched windows were heavily draped and the wallpaper embossed in white lilies, with copper-like leaves.  Each wall was covered with multiple pictures of Valeria, and a three tiered chandelier hung from the ceiling. Two satin, trimmed table lamps were placed in the corners, and the pillows were accented with large flowers in pink, cream and golden hues.

BOOK: A Sweet and Spicy Kind Of Love
5.92Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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