89878 words long. 2000 Hard Shell Word Factory [Golden Contract Contest Winner] en Novel text/xml Suspense Chapter 9 COLE NEEDED THE short respite alone in the kitchen while she hunted up a bandage. He was worried about her, and his son and Karen and his nephew Tim, but did he need to unload it all on her shoulders tonight? After she was daring enough—kind enough—to spring him from jail and invite him into the cabin? It bothered him that he couldn't tell her that John hoped she'd do that very thing. If she got harmed because of this crazy plan of his and John's, a planned hatched with an old drunk.... He thought about the attic, old days of summer ... making love to erase all else. Love? No. Try sex, man, pure and simple. Feel your reaction to her? Don't you listen? She just got done explaining you were fooled back then. You thought she loved you and it all started from some ambition of hers to have a trophy on her arm. Hmm. Sounds like some of the reasons you dated a few women along the way since Laurel.
