Forever's Embrace (Forever In Luck Series Book 2) (5 page)

Heading
back to the reception area, Jules couldn’t stop smiling. She didn’t say
anything, but he’d just been busted. It’d all been a ruse. He’d totally
forgotten about the scores he was looking for, and Linnie’s drink.

*****

Jake
was pumped! She’d agreed! Now those damn Packers’s had better pull a win out of
their ass or he’d personally go to Lambeau and beat the shit out of Favre. The
odds didn’t look good. The Pack had already lost to the Bear’s once this
season, and they’d lost six of the ten games they’d played, whereas the Bear’s
had won nine of their ten. But still, they had to win, they just had to. Just
in case though, he’d left a loophole. He’d told her he’d have a bottle of wine
delivered, then simply failed to mention he’d be the one making the delivery.

Was
this night ever going to end? He was supposed to give her a ride home, and if
the time proved right, he was going to try and hold her hand. He didn’t want to
screw this up. He really, really liked her. He laughed to himself. That was a
joke, it went much deeper than that, he was way beyond like with her, and they
hadn’t even kissed.

Holy
hell, where was that waiter? He needed a shot of some Jack. His mind was all
over the place. She’d been so unbelievably gorgeous coming down that aisle, and
he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her. The pale pink of her gown with
the imbedded gems, glittered and glowed about her shoulders, mesmerizing him.
Looking down the long table, he found her, and the sight of her had him damn
near drooling all over himself. Her neck was exposed, and the cut of her gown
provided him with a tantalizing peek of her cleavage. Man, she was hot.
Reaching up, he loosened his collar some.

Then
there was that hair of hers, he couldn’t forget the hair. He closed his eyes
thinking about it. A thick mass of golden, gossamer-like strands, all piled
atop her head, and he wanted to take it all down and run his fingers through
it. Shit, he needed to loosen his collar some more. A heavy hand fell upon his
shoulder.

“She
go for it?” Nate asked, as he sat down next to him.

Jake
nodded. “Sure did.”

“Go
for what?” Nik asked, leaning over.

Jake
and Nate looked at each other, then Jake gave Nik, and a now interested Kris,
the details of his wager with Jules.

“Nice,”
Nik said, nodding his head. “You lucky bastard. I still want to beat the piss
out of you though.”

Kris
chuckled. “Make that two of us.”

“Hey,
it can only be one of us, and if it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been one of you
then,” Jake answered, not feeling one ounce of remorse.

“Yeah,
but I would’ve won,” Kris answered, holding up his beer. “To the stud.”

They
all toasted his success.

“Now
they’ve got to win,” Jake added, taking another drink of his beer.

“That
they do,” Nate agreed. “Can you take her to the airport tomorrow? Linnie’s
worried she’s abandoning her by leaving for Lutsen in the morning.”

“Yep,
already planned on going no matter what. Tell Linnie not to worry, I got it.”

Nate
smiled knowingly. “Figured as much.”

Clank,
clank, clank. “Can I have your attention please?”

Jake
looked down to the end of the table, to where his dad was standing with a glass
in hand.

“I
just want to let you all know how very happy I am today. Cheers to the
beautiful bride, my lovely daughter, and my new son-in-law.”

They
all toasted amongst cheers and whistles.

Then,
putting his hand on Nate’s dad’s shoulder, giving it a little shake, he
continued, “And as a special little gift, Steven and I called in a few favors and
hired a band. They’re here, and setting up in the bar as we speak.”

Linnie,
Jules, and Nate’s mom, all clapped excitedly, while the guys sat in stunned
silence.

Then
Steven spoke up, “Now boys, don’t be so disappointed. We put the word out that
the Albrecht boys needed dance partners. So don’t worry, you won’t be sitting
around twiddling your thumbs.”

They
all groaned.

“Great!
Thanks!” Nik answered sarcastically, tipping his bottle of beer in mock
appreciation, while Karl and Steven smacked each other on the back, proud of
their endeavors.

“Twiddling
thumbs would be more fun,” Kris bellyached under his breath. “If I have to
dance, then something better be getting twiddled tonight.”

“Here,
here,” Nik added, putting up his beer bottle.

“How
do we dance again?”

“Who
the hell knows? Back in fifth grade, Dillon Johannek said all you had to do was
get out there, move your feet, and shake your tambourine.”

“Dillon
was a geek.”

They
all busted out laughing.

Jake
put his hand up for the waiter, “Four shots of Jack, please.” The waiter
skittered away.

“Now
you’re talking,” Kris said.

Soon
they all held up their shot glasses, and Jake made the toast, “For fortitude.”

“Here,
here,” they all said, with a cheer and a slam.

Soon
the band was warming up and about to begin. Jake had no choice in the matter,
he was going to have to dance all night. Scouting out the room, he could see
Jules was already gaining the attention of several male patrons. He couldn’t
take any chances with her. Getting his brothers attention, he nonchalantly
nodded across the room to the bar area. Nik and Kris glanced that direction,
then to Jules. They nodded their heads in understanding.

Looking
to Jules, Jake noticed she was practically levitating off her chair she was so
excited, and knowing her history, this would no doubt be a first for her. She’d
probably die if one of those guys asked her to dance, but she wouldn’t know how
to say no with enough conviction that they’d leave her alone.

The
band started, and Jake prayed things would hold out till there were more people
on the dance floor. Just then, his dad stood and held out his hand for Jules.
Springing out of her chair, she jumped at the chance. Jake and his brothers
slowly turned and looked at one another in quiet disbelief, then busted out laughing.
He never thought he’d have to compete with the old man! Go figure.

Jake
sat there watching as his dad waltzed Jules across the floor, then glided and
twirled her about. The band was playing songs by the decade, and they were
definitely in the Lawrence Welk era, so he should probably thank his dad for
picking up the slack. It hadn’t hurt that she’d had a couple glasses of wine,
but it was obvious she knew how to dance when the two of them started doing
those moves you only see on TV…the jitterbug maybe, or was it the lindy? Wait
the charleston? Whatever. Hell, they were doing some kind of swing thing. She’d
probably learned how dance from her grandma.

Kris
and Nik had managed to be pulled onto the floor, and when the music turned to
the seventies, his dad put Jules’s hand in Kris’s and the two danced freestyle.
Jake smiled as he watched her wiggle around the dance floor. Flitting this way,
then that, her little butt shook as her shoulders shimmied. She was laughing
and having the time of her life. Several songs later, Nik took her for a spin
around the floor, and Jake got up. They had safely made it into the eighties,
and he was tired of everyone else having her attention but him.

Cutting
in, he stepped up, and she gifted him with a lovely smile and a bow of her
head. Then she started dancing circles around him, literally, and he struggled
to keep up. She vibrated with energy, and he swore he felt every flick of her
hips with a zap down low. He tried picking up the pace without stepping on her.
God, Frankenstein could move better than him.

“Dillion
Johannek said all you had to do was get out there, move your feet, and shake
your tambourine.”

He
didn’t know a damn thing about shaking a tambourine, but he’d had a staring
role in the sixth grade musical shaking maracas. Plus, his mom had said he was
a natural. He’d go with that. So, he stomped his feet and shook his maracas, as
he followed her around the floor, all the while praying no one had a camera.

Mercifully,
several songs later, the tempo slowed, and he took her in his arms and held her
close, as they rocked back and forth. Now this, he could handle. Oh man, she
felt wonderful in his arms. Leaning to her ear, he asked, “You having a good
time?”

She
turned slightly, placing her cheek against his and nodded.

He
froze, her hot breath caressing his ear in and out. He didn’t know how much of
this he could take, but he liked what he was feeling. A lot. “Anytime you’re
ready to go, let me know,” he continued.

She
nodded again, nuzzling his ear a little in the process. He snapped. His spring
was sprung, and all he could do was hang on to her tight and pray he didn’t
lose it.

A
little later, he helped her into his pickup. After buckling her up, he went to the
driver’s side and got in. He’d quit drinking hours ago, in preparation for this
time alone with her. No way did he want to screw this up. He watched as she put
her head back and relaxed.

“You
tired?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

She
looked over to him. “Kind of, but it was worth every minute,” she answered,
with a warm smile

“It
was a nice time.”

“Mmmhmm,
I’ve never been to a wedding before. The whole thing was beautiful.”

“You’ve
never been to a wedding before?” he asked surprised, glancing her way.

“Nana
was older when she moved us to Chicago, and didn’t know anyone there, and I
don’t have many close friends. At least none that I know well enough to invite
me to their wedding. So, no, I’ve never been to a wedding.”

Interesting.
“So, how do you like Luck?”

She
smiled encouragingly. “I like what I’ve seen so far. Small though, compared to
the big city, but nice. The city has little communities within it too, so it’s
kind of the same in some ways.”

“So
where’s your favorite place to go at home, when you’re not at work that is?”
Reaching over, he took her hand in his.

She
paused, looking down at their hands, then answered, “The Swedish Bakery in
Andersonville.”

He
reveled in the fact she was letting him hold her hand. “You like sweets then,
do you?”

She
got a big smile on her face, and he knew she had an affinity for baked goods.

“Yeah,
you could say that. I have a bit of a sweet tooth, but mostly because it
reminds me of Nana, and our time together. She loved to go there. Plus, I
worked there regularly for a few years, before I got heavy into my studies, so
it’s nice to be able to go back there from time to time.”

“What
did you do while you worked there?”

“Baking
and decorating. How about you? Have you always worked on the farm?”

“Yep,
I’ve always been here. Can’t imagine anything else I’d want to do but be a
farmer.” The closer they got to home, the slower he went. He wanted more time
with her. Going north on 150
^th
Street, they started down a large
hill.

“That’s
great. I’m glad you’re able to do what you want. To work where your passion
lies,” she responded.

Hmmm,
peculiar. “How about you? Have you always had a passion for what you’re doing?”

“I’m
good in science, and my mind is analytical. Any job that fits that is my pass—”
She gasped as they topped a large hill. “Jake, stop the truck!”

Putting
on the brakes and rolling to a stop, he hoped she wasn’t going to be sick.
Unbuckling, she jumped out of the truck and ran out front, then stopped. Whoa,
she was going to slip and fall, he thought worriedly. Looking beyond her, he
saw what had her attention. The northern lights. It was a little late in the
year for them, but this worked well for him. Turning off the truck, he grabbed
the blanket he kept on hand for emergencies, then went to stand beside her.

“Jake,
look at them, just look at them. Aren’t they beautiful? The bright lights of
the city block them out for the most part, so I’ve never seen them before, I’ve
only heard about them. This is so… magnificent.” She shivered and her teeth
chattered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this beautiful before in my
life.”

Turning,
he shook out the blanket, then stepping behind her, he wrapped it around her
while holding her in his embrace. Leaning in close to her ear, he said softly,
“I have.”

She
turned her head and looked up at him for a short time, then said, “Thank you.
That was very kind.”

“Yes,
but more so, it’s the truth. Watch the lights, they don’t last long.” He
rejoiced as he stood there holding her, despite it being freezing out.

“In
the city we see some stars, but not like this,” she said, as she looked above
them, her head tipping back and resting on his shoulder. “Look at all the
stars. This is amazing. I never imagined anything like this.”

“I’m
glad you like it. I’ve grown up with this all my life, so it’s everyday normal
for me. You can see the big dipper over there,” he pointed, “and the little
dipper there,” he said, moving his finger over. She leaned back against him
fully, as she looked on.