Chapter 1

Romance suspense

            "What do you mean, it's not deep enough?" Anna rubbed her eyes for the fourth time, and felt her neck start to ache from holding her phone between her ear and shoulder for so long.

            "I'm sorry, Anna. Let me ask you, have you ever actually been to Antigua or did you do all your research online? Because that is what it feels like when I read this. Like you just looked at a picture, but you haven't actually felt the wave's crash over your feet, or smelled the amazing salty air, or even tasted the food."

            "No, I haven't. Ok, I get it. But the whole manuscript? I took me three months! There is nothing you can use?" Anna groaned as her head collapsed onto her arms, spilling auburn curls across the desk.

            "Sorry, Anna. As your agent, I'm telling you I want better for your fans. But as your friend, I telling you I want better for you. You need a break. Go live a little! Travel. You need a new perspective. Call me when you're back, and then we'll talk. Ok? Got to go, Luvs!" 

            The hum of a dial tone forced Anna to hang up the phone. She glared at instrument of unwelcome news. Seriously? Three months and nothing to show for it?  The peel of the doorbell pulled her out of a deepening pity party. She ran her hand through thick auburn hair and pulled it up into a messy bun as she walked to the door. Glancing down, Anna saw she was still in her hot pink duck pajama pants. And it was 4:40 in the afternoon. She pulled at her shirt, hoping whoever it was wouldn't notice she wasn't wearing a bra. Unless it was the Fed Ex guy. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror next to the door, the idea of the cute Fed Ex guy lifting her faltering spirits. Her mind was entertaining a brief fantasy of a breathless evening romance involving yours truly and.....what was that on her shirt? Horrified, a second glance at her reflection revealed a large brown stain across her left breast. Quickly, looking down to confirm her fear, Anna remembered the coffee pot's rebellion and early retirement the week before. Apparently, she had not gotten the stain out after all. And the fantasy vanished as she reached for the door. She really, really hoped it wasn't the cute Fed Ex guy.

             It wasn't.

            "Aw, look at you, my beautiful Anna!" It was Fredrico, and Greg.  Fredrico leaned relaxed against the porch railing. He was wearing an all white ensemble, complete with a fedora and very out of place. He looked like he belonged in Milan, or Miami not Fort Collins, Colorado. He looked good, as always. His smile was contagious and Anna felt herself grinning back as her guard rode up. Fredrico was full of charisma, exotic good looks and a casual self confidence that made you gravitate to him, despite knowing he could get you to do anything he asked. Seriously, anything. Before Anna could answer him, she heard an excited bark and a large dog rushed through the door. The Mastiff jumped up, his paws on Anna's shoulders, his thumping tail furiously vibrating the floor. Anna reached down and fondly scratched behind his ears, which only encouraged a happy reply with a lick to her face.

            "Greg! It's so good to see you! But, what are you doing here, Fredrico?"  She asked as she leaned over to nuzzle Greg's neck.

            "Hey doll, I miss you. You're so good for me. Ya know?" The sound of Fredrico's voice made Greg look back to him and for a split second Anna was taken to a time when the three of them had been blissfully happy. If only for a while. Really, who wouldn't be with an amazing Italian photographer for a lover, and his overly affectionate Mastiff named Greg?  Her world had been perfect. She hadn't dated much before, and with Fredrico's easy charm and sexy admiration of her, quite quickly she had been swept away. The fact that Fredrico had an amazingly exciting life, which was so very different from her own, pulled her in even deeper. His gentle demeanor put her so much at ease that when a recent fire left him and Greg homeless, Anna had felt an instant need to help by insisting he move in with her, despite it being so soon after meeting him. But deep down she knew Fredrico wasn't the kind of man to be monogamous or even stay in one place long.  So, for a brief period, Anna savored and delighted in sharing her home and life with a man who awakened her sexual and social senses. But, Fredrico wasn't wired to be exclusive. And Anna was. So when Fredrico's assignments began taking him out of the country weeks at a time, and after finding photo's of a ménage-a-trio in which Fredrico was involved and Anna wasn't, she sensed the end coming. Knowing it was better for her writing schedule and her heart, Fredrico and Greg moved on, at her request. But that had been almost two months ago already.

            Why is he here? She mentally braced herself, hating her lack of will power against Fredrico and his beguiling smile. Who was she kidding? He was easy to look at, ok- he was gorgeous. And nice. And what he could do with his tongue and his hands...Anna shook her head. Not going back down that road. She realized he had been talking, and tried to catch the rest of what he was saying.

            ".... and since you are kind of like his mother, I knew you would take him, right? Plus, he always liked you better."

            "Wait, what?" Anna had a feeling she had just missed something important.

            "It's not that long. For maybe, like 3-5-maybe 9 weeks, tops. I promise." Fredrico was already setting an oversized dog bed, medication bottles and a dog pan on the stoop. He walked over to Anna and Greg. He grinned again as he stroked Greg's back.

            "I'll miss you, bud. Be good to the lady." Fredrico backed out the door.

            "What? Fredrico, I can't take your dog! I have to...." Anna desperately tried to think of any possible excuse but was drawing nothing ...her mind was blank.

            "Honey, all you do is peck, peck, and peck at your computer. Since you always stay in, Greg will be good for you!"

            "I....I...." Anna was stammering, caught off guard between compliments and the reality of what was happening.

            " Anna, damn, you look really good and I really, really appreciate this. I owe you. Yeah?" One last charming grin and a wink and he was walking away.

            "Why can't you take him?" Anna shouted at his retreating back.

            Fredrico turned towards a low slung silver convertible, which she hadn't seen parked in her driveway, and nodded at the sultry blonds, eagerly waiting. They giggled and waved at Anna. She wanted to flip them off, but didn't.  

            "You know, four's a crowd. Ok, Ciao!" he waved as he sunk into the driver's seat, revved the engine as he reversed and pulled away. Anna stood mystified in her hot pink duck pajamas while a Mastiff named Greg started chewing on her favorite Elvis Presley throw pillow. How does this always happen? She picked up the doggie bed; medication bottle and dog pan, and walked back into the house.

            She fell into a white wicker chair as Greg sauntered over and laid his head on her lap. Deep in thought, she rubbed the Mastiff's head and ears as she went over the only two conversations she had had in less than twenty minutes. Both had alluded to the fact that she had very little of a life outside of her home.

            Yes, I do! I do...things. She argued to herself. Like, last week I...the thing at the courthouse! Wait, did getting your drivers license renewed count? She groaned, at which Greg joined and gave a sympathetic whine.

She really did have no life.

            Besides groceries, the occasional splurge on clothing she would never wear, or to the closest Staples for ink and paper, her life was pretty predictable and pathetic. Even with Fredrico, she had lived vicariously through his stories. To be honest,   in their brief interlude, she was merely a wallflower to his social life, and when he left so did it. She dropped her head into her hands and moaned.

            "What it wrong with me, Greg?"

            A glance around her small, comfortable home made her cringe. While she knew every creaky floor board, loose knob and which window had the best morning light in her home, she had no idea who lived on the other side of the fence, and she had been in the house almost four years. So intent on establishing her writing career, she had committed herself solely to it. Between deadlines, query letters, necessary research and endless pitch articles, Anna's life had little time for much.

             "You know, Greg, I don't even have plants," she stated. The closest thing to an actual conversation and it was with her ex-boyfriends dog.  Yeah, her life left much to be desired. She had dreamt being a writer involved sitting on a beach, under a palm tree as waves of inspiration endlessly guided her career to a life filled with book offers and a bank account of cash.  Standing up, she walked over to her computer and purposely shut it down. Soaking in a long, hot bath with a glass or two of Riesling while listening to Adele sounded like the perfect end to a less than stellar day.

 

                                   ***

            The next morning found Anna in sunglasses, jeans and a white tee shirt- the most dressed up she had been in a week. She set her overstuffed suitcase in the backseat of her cherry red Jeep Cherokee, a gift to herself after selling her first novel. Not that she used it much. It still had less than 20,000 miles on it. But when you live in Fort Collins, Colorado, owning an SUV of some sort was required to keep with the rugged, outdoor perception. She really just liked the cherry red color. She had no idea where she was headed, but somewhere on the way to the bottom of the Riesling bottle, an idea had formed and grown overnight.

            Faced with reality, Anna had a choice to make. Experience the life of her dreams or continue to only dream about life experiences. She opted for the first, which had made her hyperventilate and caused her stomach to tie up in knots. But taking her agents advice, she was going to go experience the world, or at least try.

            She packed her suitcase, cleaned up the house and fed Greg all the edible leftovers in fridge- mostly because she had no dog food in the house but partly due to the uncertainty of her return. This both scared and excited her.

            Promising Greg that she would stop at Pet smart for actual dog food, she shooed him into the back of the jeep where his dog bed was waiting. Greg circled the bed twice before he sat down, only to bounce back up to stare out the back window.

            "Whatever works for you, buddy. Just don't get sick in my car, ok? No sick!" Anna admonished as she closed the back door. Grabbing a case of water, she remembered Greg's medication bottle and quickly went back inside to retrieve it.

Tramadol- pain relief for arthritis/degenerative joint disease. Classified as a narcotic, this drug is to be used in compliance to the recommendations by a practicing veterinarian. Please follow dosing instructions closely. One capsule, twice a day with food. May cause drowsiness, visual impairments or loss of motor control.

            Once again in her Jeep, she held up the bottle to read the label.

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

.

                Anna's heart dropped as she realized that Greg had gone without his pain medicine the night before. Maybe this wasn't the best time to start living so vicariously. A thousand reasons to take Greg back into the house filled her mind. He needed stability, and a warm bed. How well could he handle riding around in the back of a car? Was she jeopardizing Greg just for her own merit? 

            "No!" she said loudly and guiltily glanced at Greg in the review mirror. It wasn't meant for him. "No", she said again softly. This was the same type of reasoning that had cost her the last four years - no more isolation. 

            She put the car in reverse, scared that if she stayed any longer she would cave. But as she pulled away, she admitted to herself that the thought of leaving scared her just as much, if not more.

            Within an hour, she had stopped to stock up on dog treats and food for Greg, which he appreciatively and quickly consumed with his morning pill. Satisfied that he would be good for a while, Anna navigated her way to I-70 south with a destination towards Salt Lake City. 

            Five hours later, four bathroom breaks including some short walks, mostly for Greg, Anna took the exit for Highway 89 north, heading for Mt. Pleasant, Utah.  The trip had offered majestic mountains views and breathtaking scenery. What had she been thinking? With views like this, she owed it to herself to enjoy it much more. She vowed that after this adventure, she would find a way to incorporate much more time to exploring the world around her.

            It was about the time she was deciding between taking up biking or rock climbing that she noticed the engine light flashing on her dash. A quick glance in the review mirror confirmed that Greg was still napping, setting her mind at ease.  She checked her GPS. Great, Mt. Pleasant was still a ways off.  Her father had often raved about the 19th century main street, and Anna had decided it an ideal place to begin her research for her latest novel.

            The Jeep sputtered and coughed to a stop, as steam hissed out from the front of the vehicle. Stuck somewhere on highway 89, she had little cell phone reception and Greg would need more water soon.

             Really? Now? This wasn't the adventure she was looking for. Maybe this had been a big, colossal mistake.

            As she looked around the secluded area, she noticed a restaurant or bar, with a blinking marquee not far ahead. The Double D.

            Oh, that's most definitely was a bar, she thought.  A quick glance at her watch told her it was barely three in the afternoon, which explained the empty parking lot, except for two lonely motorcycles in the far corner. Most likely the workers, she reasoned.  Turning the key, she tried to coax the Jeep, hoping to make it to the parking lot. It didn't. Thankful that is was downhill, she put the Jeep in neutral to coast into the parking lot. She parked, checked on a Greg, cracked the back windows for fresh air and prayed someone inside might have better cell reception than she did.

            As she walked past the motorcyles, the smell of leather, gasoline and alcohol filled her senses, reminding her just how far out of her league she was.  A twinge of uncertainty settled between her shoulder blades, and a small knot of fear heated her belly.  What was she doing? This was crazy! She had no idea what she was walking into.  Determined to no longer be only a voyeur to life, she tried to stamp down the fear, lifted her chin and walked through the door.

            Her eyes blinked at the dimness and tried to adjust to the dark. She glanced up and met guarded, beautiful green eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. She had a feeling that her first adventure was about to begin.