Predestined: Nathan McCoy's Story (Hell Yeah! Book 37) Read online

  Clare was enjoying their conversation. “I’ve really enjoyed the times I flew in a helicopter over the region, a bird’s eye view of the mountains is unforgettable.”

  “Yea, I’d like that. How about whitewater rafting? Ever been?”

  “No, sorry to disappoint. That’s a little out of my comfort zone.” Too strenuous was more correct. “Oh, I know. The UFO Watchtower in Alamosa is a trip. I’ve been there a couple of times.”

  “Really? Have you ever seen a UFO?”

  Clare plugged in the slow cooker. “I have. Have you?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve seen some things I can’t explain, but nothing worth repeating. Tell me your experience.”

  She pointed out the window to the top of the mountain. “One night, I looked out this window and saw something on top of that far ridge. It looked like one of those round restaurants that sit atop a tall tower like the Space Needle in Seattle.”

  “Or the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, I gotcha.”

  “Yea, well I could see lights in windows. I couldn’t see the shape beyond that I think it was rounded. I sat and stared at it for the longest, but I heard nothing. I intended to stay up and try to see it leave – but I fell asleep. It was gone the next morning.”

  “Neat! That’s damn intriguing.” He loved talking to her like this. Just the sound of her voice made him happy.

  “Yea, other than that – there’s so many places that deserve a daytrip. Just driving around in your vehicle is awe-inspiring. Waterfalls, mountain ranges, the colors in the fall are breathtaking.” She snapped her fingers. “And there’s the Mountain Village Gondola in Telluride – it’s a fun thing.”

  “What about restaurants? Do you have a favorite?” Yes, he had an agenda. Sue me.

  “I do. I’ve only been twice, but I’ll never forget it. Alpino Vino in Telluride, a gorgeous chalet located on-mountain at nearly 12,000 feet. It only seats 26 people, but there’s a wood-burning fireplace and the tables are in these sweet little nooks and crannies. Very intimate. Very romantic.”

  “You were there with a man?” Jealousy burned in Nathan like an overdose of hot sauce.

  “Two of them.” She gave him a wink. “Storm and Mad. I said it was romantic, because I could imagine how I would feel if I were there with someone special.”

  Nathan vowed to take her there soon. “What did you have to eat?”

  “The menu is mostly Italian. We went during the day, and I had an amazing grilled cheese with tomato soup. At night they go all out, but you can only get there by snowcat.”

  “You’re right, that does sound romantic.” He thought a second or two. “How about we play a game?”

  “What kind of game?” She tapped her chin. “I have some board games and a deck of cards. And dominoes.”

  “All right.” Nathan’s brain was buzzing, trying to figure out how he was going to pull this off.

  “They’re in the bottom of the cupboard by my desk. Help yourself while I fix us some sandwiches.”

  “Good deal.” She sounded happy. He was enjoying himself.

  When he came to the apothecary style cupboard, he saw three sections on the bottom. Squatting down, he began opening doors. Not seeing the games, he rummaged around.

  “They’re on the right.”

  “Ah, okay.” Just before he shut the left-hand door, his eye caught on some type of a book where the letters he could see read NAT. Curious, he started to look closer by moving the notebook that covered up the rest of the word. He just barely touched it, revealing an HAN.

  “Did you find them?”

  Nathan jerked his hand back and slammed the door, opening the right one. “Yea, I did.” He picked up an assortment of games. As he stood, his mind was reeling with what he’d seen. What was his name doing on some type of book? Or could it be something else? Some other Nathan. Maybe she kept a collection of the works of Nathaniel Hawthorn or a book on the Civil War General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Either of those things made more sense than her having something concerning him.

  “Ham and cheese okay?”

  “Perfect.” Nathan brought the items to the kitchen table, his thoughts still on what he’d discovered. “Can I help?”

  “You can grab us a can of soda a piece from the fridge. I’ll take a Diet Dr. Pepper.”

  “Coming up.” He chose a Coke for himself. “How about some chips?” he asked after spotting a bag in the corner of the counter.

  “Sure. Pickles?”

  “If you have sweet.”

  “I do.” She finished assembling the sandwiches, then placed them on a dessert plate. “I made these too. Do you like them?”

  “I do.” Nathan admired the pottery. “I really like the color, the mix of blue with the shades of green reminds me of the Guadalupe.”

  “I’ve never been to your part of Texas. Storm says the Hill Country is beautiful.”

  “It is. I can’t wait to show it to you.”

  His confident comment made Clare sad. “So, what do you want to play?” she asked as she took her seat and popped the top on the can of soda.

  “Hmmm, strip poker?” He held up the cards.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Strip Monopoly?” He tapped the appropriate box.

  “Go Fish is more your speed.” She shook her head in disapproval. “Try again.”

  “All right. Party pooper.”

  “How about Trivia?” Clare asked in a helpful tone.

  “I was going to say Truth or Dare, but we’ll do that in a minute. For what I have in mind, trivia will work better.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I think we should make the game interesting.”

  She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “How interesting?”

  “Very.” He gave her a sexy smirk. “Let’s see. We’ll make it quick. Five questions and whoever answers the most correctly wins the prize. If there’s a tie, we’ll entertain questions until the tie is broken.”

  “I think I should warn you,” Clare stated slowly. “I have an unfair advantage if we play trivia.”

  “Oh, really? How?”

  “Because I’m very good at it.” She was telling the truth. “Really. Super champion level.”

  He held up the box. “Have you memorized all the answers?”

  “No.” She acted very insulted. “I play myself at night, if you must know.”

  “Who wins?”

  “Well, I do,” she answered with a straight face. “And to be fair, I’ll show you the group of cards I haven’t played with yet. So…you’ll have a fighting chance.”

  “That’s all I ask.” He started taking the lid off the box. “Although, you might not be as good as you think you are. After all, when you play yourself, you’re bound to win. While I, on the other hand, have read extensively on any number of topics as I babysit herds of cattle or while away my evenings around the campfire.”

  “I guess we’ll have a tight game. So, what’s the prize?” Clare wasn’t too sure she wanted to hear his answer.

  “Each one of us gets to ask something of the other. Nothing unreasonable. Nothing subversive. Just something within our power to grant. You could ask me to chop you six months’ worth of firewood. Or you could ask me to give you a foot rub or a thousand kisses.”

  Clare was beginning to get the idea. “What would you ask of me?”

  Nathan put his hands under the table and crossed three fingers on both hands. He needed all the luck he could get. “Uh, that you go on a date with me. One date. A real date.”

  Chapter 12

  Go on a date with me. One date. A real date.

  “Nathan. No.”

  “Why?” He didn’t understand. They were so good together. Couldn’t she see how right they were for each other? “What are you scared of?”

  Clare couldn’t believe he’d asked her that question. “Scared?”

  “Yea.” He thought he might try a new approach. “After all, you’re so sure you can beat me.”<
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  “I am.”

  “So, come on. One date. No big deal, champ.” He paused for effect. “I dare you.”

  Oh, he wasn’t playing fair. “You’ll probably cheat.”

  “I will not. I’m a gentleman.” He eased his hand over to take hers. When he touched her skin, she tried to jerk away – but he held fast. “Please. One date with me. How bad could it be? I mean…we’ve been inseparable for the last thirty or so hours. And I gave you multiple orgasms.”

  Clare covered her face. “Give me strength.” Finally, she threw her hands up in the air. “Okay. If you win…and that’s a big if – I’ll go on one date with you. Satisfied?”

  He smiled at her. “I’ll never get enough of you, but yes – for now. So, what do you want from me?”

  Clare gave it some thought. There were many things she wanted from him and so few she could allow herself to ask for. “Okay. Here it is. I’d like for you to run me some kind of line between my house and the barn. Maybe something made of clothesline wire. Just in case I get into a situation again like I did the other day.”

  The seriousness of her request took him by surprise. “I’ll do that for you anyway. It’s a good idea.” He wished he’d thought of it.

  “Okay. Good.” She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s play. Prepare to be taken down a peg, Mr. McCoy.”

  Finding the group of never before used cards, he placed them in the middle of the table so they could both draw from the deck. Clare went first.

  “All right. First question. What causes the most power outages in the US?” Lightning, she thought. Turning the card over – she saw that she was wrong. “You’re never going to guess this.”

  Nathan thought a minute. “Hmmm. I know what causes a lot of power outages back home, but I’m not sure it would apply to the whole country.” He chewed on his bottom lip.

  “Quit being sexy and answer the question.”

  He smiled. “Am I sexy?” At her glare, he held up his hands. “Okay, my answer is squirrels.”

  “You’re right.” Clare couldn’t believe he knew the answer. “Lucky guess.”

  “My turn.” He drew a card, smiled, then reached over to a fruit bowl on the counter and picked up an apple. “Here we go. In the country of Greece, throwing an apple at someone is actually a declaration of…” Nathan paused, then casually tossed the apple up in the air and caught it.

  “Gee, let me think. William Tell, apple shot from his head. Isaac Newton, hit on the head by an apple. Proved gravity.”

  “Is that your answer?”

  “No. I’m still thinking.” She shook her head. “War, I guess.”

  “War? Are you kidding? The answer is love.” He tossed the apple to her. “Throwing someone an apple is a declaration of love.”

  She looked down at the apple she held in her hand as if she’d never seen one before. “I didn’t know that.”

  “The score is one to zip. Your turn.”

  Clare mumbled under her breath. “Yep. My turn.” She drew a card, stared at it, then snickered.

  “Boy, that’s an evil sound.”

  “Not at all. Here’s the question. “The male of what species testicles explode on mating and then dies?”

  “Jesus.” Nathan grabbed his crotch. “What kind of blasphemy is that?”

  “Just Mother Nature’s way of…dealing with things. So, what’s your answer?”

  Nathan was still grimacing. “I’ve forgot the question but don’t repeat it.”

  Clare giggled. “Ah, come on. Talk about a blow-job!”

  Now, Nathan laughed. “Oh, you didn’t.” He held up his hand to give her a high-five. “That dirty little comment deserves an answer and mine is…honeybees.”

  Aghast, Clare’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”

  “My Ag teacher used to keep bees. He made the process part of our course, we learned far more than we ever wanted to know.”

  “Dang.” She was beginning to get a mite worried.

  “Let’s see what’s next.” He drew another card and smiled. “Oh, you’ve got this one.” He began speaking with a distinctive drawl. “Which accent do most Americans think is the sexiest, most liked, and easily recognized?”

  “Well, I was gonna say French but considering you sound like Foghorn Leghorn, I’ll say Southern.”

  “Yes!” He raised a fist in triumph. “Good job. Score 2-1. Next question is for the win.”

  “We’ll see.” She drew a card. “Okay, Nathan, what did the first vending machine dispense?”

  He thought a moment, then answered quickly. “Condoms.”

  “No! Ha!” She jumped up. “The correct answer is…holy water!”

  “Aw, really? Are you sure?”

  She showed him the card. “Read ‘em and weep.”

  “Fine. Still 2-1. Question #5 can tie the game for you, Ms. Romy.”

  “Lay it on me.” She had a very uneasy feeling about this.

  “The country of Iceland diverts roads to avoid disturbing communities of what?” He looked at her expectantly.

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  She made a soft moaning sound that went straight to his dick. “And the answer is…”

  “Penguins.”

  “No! The answer they’re looking for is elves!”

  “Oh, it is not.” She reached to take the card away from him, but he held it over his head. “Give me a kiss and I’ll give to you.”

  “A kiss? No way.”

  “Okay. As long as you give me one on our date.”

  “I want a rematch.”

  “No, no rematch. A deal is a deal. I’ll put together some plans for a day trip. And at the end of that day, I’ll take you to Alpino Vino.”

  “Alpino Vino? Really?” She was stunned. “No, that’s way too expensive.”

  “I have money. Besides, this will be an occasion. An important occasion.”

  “It’s not necessary.”

  “Oh, it is.” He stared at her with an intense focus. “It’s vital.”

  Clare let out a long breath. “I’ll stir the soup.”

  “Do you want to play another game? If not, I’m sure there are things two consenting adults could find to do.” At that moment, everything became brighter. “Hey, the lights came on!”

  When she didn’t respond, he looked over to see her leaning on the counter with her head in her hands. “Romy? What’s wrong?”

  She tried to straighten up, but she thought she might faint. “Nothing.”

  “That’s not true. Do you need water? Food? Some aspirin?”

  “I need to get to the bathroom.”

  “Okay.” She reached for his arm, but he picked her up instead. “Hold on, sweetheart. Do you feel sick?”

  “A little?”

  He walked swiftly. “Okay. Here we are.” Nathan eased her to her feet.

  “Go.” She pushed him softly.

  “You don’t have to be shy. Not with me.”

  “Please.”

  God, she was so pale. “All right. I’ll be right outside the door.” He shut it and stood there, listening in case she fell. A cabinet door opened and shut. He could hear the sound of pills rattling, then water running. “Romy?”

  “Just a minute.”

  A few seconds later, he heard the toilet flush. Still, she didn’t come out. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “I’ll wait.” And wait he did, for a full five minutes. He swore he’d wait thirty more seconds before he took the door off the hinges. “Romy?”

  At that moment, she emerged. “Sorry.”

  “What happened?”

  “It was nothing.”

  “Don’t tell me that. I held you in my arms. Your skin was cold. Clammy.”

  “Ick.”

  He ignored her attempt at humor. “Your breathing was shallow, and your heart was racing ninety to nothing.”

  “I’m fine.” She was attempting to walk past him when he picked her up again.
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  “You’re stubborn.” He was so worried, he didn’t know what to do. When they reached the couch, he sat down and cradled her in his lap. “Now, talk. Has this happened before?”

  Clare was at a loss for words. “I’m okay. I’m used to this.”

  “So, this has happened before.”

  “I told you it’s nothing.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  She struggled for a bit in his arms. “Let me go.”

  “Never.” Nathan held her gently. “Now, if you don’t tell me how to help you – I’m going to carry you down the mountain in this blizzard.”

  Clare licked her lips. They were so dry. “Can I have some water?”

  “Of course.” He placed her on the couch, rising to fill a glass with cool water from the tap. When he returned, he knelt next to her and raised her head. “Drink up, baby.”

  After taking a few sips, she closed her eyes. Searching for the words, she gave him an explanation. “This is chronic. It comes and goes. I take medicine.”

  “Is it serious?”

  “It hasn’t killed me yet.” Making light of her situation was the same as lying. Clare felt guilty but…

  “Does this condition have a name?” His arms tightened around her when she shivered against him.

  “Fainting. Low Blood sugar. Arrhythmia.” She fudged her answer by naming some of the symptoms. “Bottom line, I think you made me swoon.” Clare prayed her feeble attempt at humor would work.

  Nathan kissed her on the forehead. “Well, whatever I did to make you swoon – tell me, I don’t want to do it again.”

  Clare almost cried when he began to rock her back and forth. “Really, it will pass. When I told you I wasn’t athletic, it’s because of this bane of my existence. I can exercise, but in moderation.”

  “You’ll have to tell me how to take care of you.” He kissed her on both cheeks. “You shouldn’t be living alone.”

  Now, Clare struggled hard enough that Nathan relinquished his hold on her. “I’m not leaving my mountain. I don’t want to be in a place where people fuss over me all the time.”

  Her adamance struck Nathan as odd. “This isn’t new, is it?”

  “No, it’s left over from childhood.” Maybe that made it sound less critical. “I know how to deal with it.” She started to get up. “I really should work on my painting. You can read. I have plenty of books to choose from.”