TODAY, WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME BACK OUR GUEST AUTHOR, DEE STEWART, WHO IS SHARING AN EXCERPT FROM HER NOVEL, 'LOVING EMILY' #RWRTeamBlog #ReadWriteRepeat
Excerpt
Loving Emily
When Emily roused twenty-four hours later, she was confused and disoriented until she realized that she lay on her bed in her old room at her grandparents’ ranch. She tried to remember how she got there, but in the end it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Emily dragged herself into the bathroom, took a shower, and found an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt in a dresser drawer.
Hearing her grandmother’s warm laughter in the kitchen, she headed in that direction and hesitated when she saw Hunter sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake left over from the funeral.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.
Noticing that she swayed on her feet, Hunter rose and helped her into a chair. She snatched her arm out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me.” Emily faced her grandmother. “What’s he doing here, Grammy?”
Brianna glanced at Hunter. “He came to check on you after—”
“After I buried my husband and my daughter, you mean?” Emily interrupted her grandmother with a bitter edge in her tone.
“Yes, but don’t you remember what happened after the graveside service?”
“No.”
“You fainted and Hunter brought you to the ranch.”
“How noble,” she sneered. “I don’t need a watch dog.”
“It started to rain,” Hunter offered a quiet explanation. “You sent everyone away so you could be alone. I stayed behind and I’m glad I did.”
“You need to leave. Now, Hunter.”
“Why are you so angry with me?”
“My husband and daughter are dead. Because of you. Because of your mother. I can’t stand the sight of you.”
“I swear to you, Emily, when I find evidence that my mother was responsible for Smith’s death and the loss of your unborn baby, I will make her suffer. I will make her suffer the way she’s made you suffer.”
He leaned down and kissed Brianna on the cheek. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. McAdams.” Turning toward Emily who watched him through cold, dark eyes, Hunter added, “Take all the time you need, Em—”
“Or what?” she flung in a caustic tone. “You’ll fire me?”
“No. I’m never going to fire you, Emily. You’re too important to me…to CSW. You’re the heart of the company. Everyone knows it.” He paused. “Good night, ladies.”
The gentle censure in her grandmother’s face caused Emily to grab her jacket, car keys, and purse and abruptly leave the ranch. Not in any shape to take care of herself or her beloved pets, she left Boss and Sunny behind with her grandparents.
A cold blast of air greeted her as she entered the home she’d shared with Smith for one sublime month. Emily changed into Smith’s favorite T-shirt, reached for the bag of his personal effects she’d been given at the hospital, and crawled onto the luxurious king-sized bed. Hot tears scalded her eyes as she found the watch she’d given him on their honeymoon. She tucked his wallet and his badge that the police commissioner had presented to her at the funeral under his pillow. Emily took Smith’s elegant diamond encrusted wedding ring and hung it on the delicate gold chain with her locket. She dropped his car keys into a nightstand drawer and cried herself to sleep.
Days passed. October faded into November. An early snow blanketed the ground. Emily did not leave her bed. She returned text messages from her family and friends only to keep them from visiting her. She slept constantly, waking long enough to check her cell phone and use the bathroom, although there wasn’t anything in her system. Emily couldn’t recall the last time she ate. Maybe it was the last night of her joy. And then one day…never ending darkness…
***
Hunter glanced at his cell phone for the umpteenth time, waiting for Emily to respond to his latest text message. An inexplicable fear gnawed at him. He asked Tanner, Jamie, and Jewel if they’d heard from Emily, and when they replied that they hadn’t, Hunter left CSW and drove to her home. He let himself inside with a key he’d been given and shivered. It was cold and silent like a tomb.
Hunter took the mahogany stairs leading to the second floor two at a time and burst into the master bedroom. He drew in a sharp breath. His heart nearly stopped beating at the sight which met him. Emily lay motionless on the bed. He tried to rouse her but did not receive a response. Cursing loudly, he called 911.
Two o’clock in the morning.
Snow fell outside the University of Colorado’s medical center. Much to Emily’s disappointment she discovered she was still alive. Machines monitored her heart rate and blood pressure. A bag of fluid pumped nutrients into her depleted body.
No! No! I was so close! So close!
Her gaze fell upon the tall figure of a man dozing in the chair next to her hospital bed, and she groaned aloud.
“You. Why are you here? Why can’t you leave me alone?”
Hunter roused instantly. “Em. You’re awake.”
“Yes, no thanks to you. It was you, wasn’t it, who found me?”
He winced at the look of pure loathing she leveled at him. “Yes.”
“Look, we’re not best friends, and we’re no longer colleagues. I want you to leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that, Em. I’m invested in you whether you like it or not. More importantly, I made a promise to Smith, who was my best friend. I promised that I would take care of you if something happened to him.”
Tears burned in her eyes. “He wasn’t killed in the line of duty, Hunter. Your mother viciously took him and my daughter from me. I wish I had never met you.”
Hunter’s jaw tightened with anger. He wanted to shout, “Right back at you, baby!” But his mouth dropped open in absolute surprise when he heard a deep, familiar voice in his head admonish him.
Be patient. Be kind. Remember your promise. I know you love her.
He glanced around the hospital room. Empty except for him and Emily.
She noticed his confusion and asked abruptly, fearfully, “What? What is it?”
He shook his head to clear it. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I understand how you feel, Em. I wish I had been Mags’ son with my father.”
She lifted her eyebrows in astonishment. “I never realized that’s how you felt.”
“Now you do. Paris and Mason won’t quit investigating until my mother is brought to justice.”
“Justice,” Emily repeated, “won’t bring Smith and Danielle back to me. Go away, Hunter. Leave me alone.” She turned toward the frosty window and stared at the heavy snowfall.
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Link to Loving Emily: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTGDMRDR
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AUTHOR BIO
Dee Stewart spent four decades teaching high school English. Recently retired, she enjoyed sharing her love of literature with her students. However, her passion has always been writing. She started writing at age thirteen after being inspired by Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mysteries. In high school she was introduced to her first historical romance and fell in love with the genre. She wrote her first romance during her senior year of high school. Since then, she has spent the majority of her adult life working on her craft. Mrs. Stewart published her first novel in 2018, and now has 23 to her credit and two short stories. She looks forward to hearing from her readers. Currently, she lives in Florida with her husband and two cats, Devil and Precious
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COMING SOON: On Monday, 21st September, our team member, author Richard 'Doc' Correa, shares a rant and his short story, 'J.A.C.K.S'.
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