Read Online Temptation Road by Kimball Lee - Free Book Online

bed not wanting to leave the divine comfort of its
whisper soft sheets, mounds of feather pillows, and fluffy duvet,
Teddy called from downstairs to let her know he was there, but he
said Fletcher wasn’t with him. Her heart and stomach lurched and
she wondered where he was, as she slipped into yoga pants, flannel
shirt, a big cashmere sweater and socks. Then she showed off her
new bed to Teddy as he handed her a cup of coffee.
    “I went to that auction in Ashville last
weekend, you know the night and day I was gone? I bought the bed
and a few other things that I’m having shipped, but they were able
to take the bed apart and put it in the Yukon. Isn’t it glorious?
It’s been forever since I had things just for myself, I had a
cottage in L.A. before I married Carlo but I was never there.
Mostly I was in Milan with Alana DeLuca or traveling for work.
Anyway that’s all over now if my damned divorce will come through,
and this is the life I want. I ordered all the linens from a great
store called ‘ Feather Your Nest ’ and now if you and Fletcher
just get that fireplace working I’ll be in heaven, it does get cold
up here in the middle of the night!” Rae said. She was happy in her
scantily furnished room in her unfinished house and she was
adapting to her pet rooster, but she wondered where the man of her
dreams could possibly be. What had kept Fletcher away that
morning?
    *
    Around noon he drove up and walked in the
house holding a puppy. It was a chocolate lab and he handed it
gently to Rae. Teddy said that Fletcher thought maybe she needed
something more to love than a rooster and that it would grow to be
a decent watch dog. Rae took the puppy and buried her face in the
velvety softness of its fur, then she caught the front of
Fletcher’s shirt and pulled him to her. His eyes turned dark and
she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his and kissed him
just a little too long. They both blushed and Teddy cleared his
throat and asked what she would name the puppy.
    “I don’t know, he feels like velvet but
that’s not a very good name for a boy dog,” Rae said, then she held
him up and looked at his tummy to make sure he was a boy.
    Teddy and Fletcher laughed at her then as
Teddy put coffee beans in the grinder to make a fresh pot.
    “He’s the color of a coffee bean,” she said,
looking into Fletcher’s eyes and he smiled and nodded. “Coffee?”
she asked and he shook his head. “Bean?” she asked laughing, and
Fletcher nodded and took the fat puppy from her and nuzzled its fur
with his eyes closed and a look of pure joy on his face.
    “Bean,” she said, moving close to Fletcher
and petting the puppy. She looked into his eyes when he opened
them, he still held the puppy close as he smiled down at her, and
she said, “He’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me, and I love
him already.”
    The three of them worked inside the house all
day while a storm was brewing on the mountain and in the forest,
the north wind blew in suddenly and left monstrous black clouds
hanging over Temptation Road. The wind howled like a banshee all
around the eaves and chimneys of the house trying to claw its way
in. Snow began to fall and soon it was blowing and swirling so that
it was impossible to tell if it was falling up, down or
sideways.
    Teddy bundled up as best he could and said,
“This storm came on fast, I’d better go check on Pop.”
    “Maybe Fletcher should go with you, it looks
dangerous out there, the roads must be icy,” Rae said, holding the
sleeping puppy and hoping Teddy wouldn’t agree with her.
    “No, he’s nearly done with that bedroom
fireplace; if you lose power way up here on the mountain you’re
going to need it for heat. I’ll just be sure the old man eats a hot
meal and doesn’t burn the place down, then I’ll come back if the
roads aren’t too bad.”
     
    She found that she could talk endlessly as
Fletcher listened. Sometimes she would be chattering away and she’d
catch