The Hunt for Love

By Amy Lawrence

Jacob Cassidy had a life long desire of hunting, and at his fathers insistence Jake was going to take a needed vacation. When he left, he didnt know his strong desires for the hunt would wander to a prey, with two long sexy legs, instead of four. Meeting Sherry while on a hunting trip, she caught his eyes, and captured his heart. Jake wasnt sure if he wanted to give his heart to another woman, after his ex-wife had burned him, leaving a hole in his heart.

Seven years she managed to stay away from men. Working as a bartender, Sheryl Greene didnt know if love was meant for her. She had her fill of abuse and hard times, and grew up in a family with out affection. Not ready to open up she tried to keep her distance, but at his persistence, her desires seemed to be her own undoing. She had great friends and a very quiet life.

He had a love for the hunt... But could this huntress love him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 4, 2009
• ISBN: 9781467855259

Amy Lawrence

Amy Lawrence is professor emerita of film and media studies at Dartmouth College. She is author of The Passion of Montgomery Clift, The Films of Peter Greenaway, and Echo and Narcissus: Women’s Voices in Classical Hollywood Cinema. She has written on women’s voices in film, radio, and recordings (Helen Morgan, Marlene Dietrich); masculinity, acting, and stardom (Valentino, James Stewart, James Mason); and on experimental animation. She also makes short animated films.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Destination: vacation.

Whether he liked it or not, it was where he was headed. Upon his father’s insistence. In fact, that was why he, Jake Cassidy, was now loaded up in his new four by four, white, Dodge truck, with his 18-foot trailer in tow. Headed for a chunk of land he knew how to navigate like the back of his hand. No buildings had ever been built on it, nor had they added an electric pole. Even though that was their line of business.

They wanted to leave it in its natural state. It was their sanctuary. The five acres consisted of an uncountable amount of trees with a small creek running through a corner. Just enough to maybe throw a fishing pole in, if that was what he decided to do. Total seclusion and prime hunting land.

The date was September second. The early season for hunting deer opened just yesterday and Jake was going to take this opportunity to hunt. It was his first passion and if his dad forced him to take the time, he might as well enjoy it the way he wanted.

After spending a week laid up in a hospital bed, he would do what his father, Ronald Cassidy, asked of him. Jake would have done anything for his dad, it was the reason he was in the hospital in the first place. Though the situation stayed fuzzy in his mind he did remember taking a hold of the wire that threatened his dad. He couldn’t watch his dad get hurt, but in turn Jake did. 220 volts of electricity was nothing to tangle with.

The day Jake was released; his dad shoved papers into his hands stating the property Ron owned in the Mt Saint Helens mountain range was now in Jakes name and belonged solely to him. All in the free and clear, with the request Jake start living his life instead of working himself to the bone.

But Jake couldn’t buy into it. He didn’t believe for an instant that his dad, was making him set out on a vacation because he needed it. ‘Just what the doctor ordered’ Ron claimed. He didn’t need a vacation. Jake needed to get back to work. They were too busy with their business for him to be taking time off for himself. It had taken a few years to get the business going, but since early last year they had grown tremendously. They now had six employees with Cassidy Electric. They were just talking about taking on another person real soon. They couldn’t afford for him to take time right now.

Jake could count on one hand how many vacations his dear ‘ol dad had taken in Jake’s whole life, so dad insisting Jake do it now was just plain weird. Then he began spouting out talk about marriage. Added to it, Jake’s secretary, Sam, began hinting about blind dates so Jake caught on that there would be no other choice. He was being railroaded out the door.

What had started the conversation about marriage? He pondered. There was no one in his life currently. Not since Laura, anyway. She was enough to steer him clear of the dating scene, for life.

Dad knew that.

Thinking about it now, which was back in- What, 2001?

Now it was 2004. Had it really been three years since he was in a relationship? He wasn’t worried, he had been very busy, and after his last go round with the ‘L’ word, he was not in any hurry to hook up permanently with the opposite sex.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been on a date after all this time. Sam, who was his secretary or rather his personal mother hen, saw to that. He was happy with the way things were. Women always came with complications. And he had currently enough to supply himself for quite some time.

So here he was, taking the highway until its very end. Once he arrived there, he would turn left onto another highway to take him east, just on the other side of the small town of Morton. His trailer was packed tight. His vacation time: two weeks. It wouldn’t be so bad now that he was starting to warm up to the idea of having time to himself. He was assured by his best friend, Jayson, that he would come join him this weekend. It was only three days till then.

All he knew now is he needed a beer. To crack it open and let the froth drain down his throat. The heat today was enough to scorch any man. And the closer he got to the mountains the warmer it was becoming.

Jake knew he couldn’t open one just yet. Not until after the trailer was parked, his awning out and fire burning. Then he would indulge himself to pop one open. It was too easy to forget everything that needed to be done, once that happened. To Jake, being lazy was contagious. An infectious thought he could so easily catch and it took all his strength to chase away. Sundays usually called for guarding the couch and making sure no one could carry it away. So here he was, able to have fourteen days of Sunday mode. With as tempting as it was, he wouldn’t let himself turn on that lazy faucet.

Activity kept the blues away. The day to day druthers that could eat a person whole if they let it. He wasn’t used to coming here without having several more people in tow. It was going to take getting used to being alone at camp.

‘If you can’t enjoy your own company, how are you to enjoy anybody else’s?’ His mother used to say. She had many quotes she recited at her own whim. Another quote he recalled was ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’

He learned to keep his mouth shut, that was for sure.

When they lost her, just over two years ago, it had taken a long time for Jake and his father to get over losing her. She was the center of their small family. No other relatives were left in the family besides the two of them.

Sitting at the stop sign, Jake had just come to the conclusion why his father was so adamant that he take some time to himself and find a woman to warm his bed. Find the right one, he recalled him saying now. His dad was worried Jake wouldn’t give him any grandchildren. The name stopped here. But that was something out of his control.

Staring at himself in the rearview mirror, Jake’s sunglasses covered his baby blue eyes. They would have been brilliant with his current realization. After pushing his dark hair from his face, Jake’s hand re-gripped the stick shift. His left foot pushed in the clutch as his right foot held the brake tight.

Shifting into first gear he took a left turn. The asphalt road now turned to a gravel one and Jake was in familiar territory. His territory! Soon he was parking his truck and trailer precisely how he wanted them. Tucked back from the entrance, shaded by the trees. If left in the open field the trailer would often get too hot inside. He hadn’t had a chance to replace the air conditioning unit yet, so Jake would just have to make do. The heater worked just fine if it got too chilly. But the camp fire was always his first preference to the cold. Where he and his friends enjoyed the relaxation and warmth or just the place to sit around and get drunk.

Jake then unhooked his trailer from his truck, leveled it out and situated his belongings inside. Next in line was to unload his All Terrain Vehicle from the bed of his truck. Once the ATV or quad was out of the way he could begin unloading the wood and other menagerie of things he or his father insisted he would need.

After the bulk of his chores were completed, Jake realized he didn’t want to just crack open a beer, sit and stare at his fire until he was too tired to keep his eyes open. Not tonight. If he was on vacation then he was going to have a good time.

Get himself good and drunk.

Well, maybe.

Jake pulled out his lawn chair and sat near the small pile of rocks he gathered for the fire pit. He needed to rearrange them, encircle the stack of twigs to start his small fire. It was the last chore for himself, before driving out to the main road and head for the bar he would sometimes frequent just outside of town, during his and his friends’ many trips to this end of the mountains. Which was once or twice a year if they were lucky.

The Salty Dog, the sign read.

Or, as he would call it, the local watering hole.

He could hear the live band from outside. As he pulled open the door he knew the music was going to be to his liking. When he walked into the dim room he had a slight feeling he just hit the hottest place in town. If the place owned a jukebox, it was in the process of getting dusty tonight.

The tribute band blasted through the entire joint, playing a well known tune. Very few seats were open in the main room where the stage was centered. A scatter of people dancing to the music. In the side room he knew there was other bar stools parked along the walls but they were also taken. Mostly by women as their men played pool or darts.

A long-legged waitress in a very short skirt filtered through the people and around the room. Dropping off fresh drinks, picking up empties. Her hips swayed, her blouse low cut, she even bent down ultra low jutting her breasts out in front of the men’s faces.

Jake was sure she knew what she was getting herself into but he still didn’t understand how the lady could work the room so precisely. Tips, he thought, it was obviously all about the tips.

He did another quick scan of the room he was standing in trying to find the best place to sit. Still all the tables were full. He glanced at the bar, just as one of the stools at the end opened up. Well, he thought, why not?

Jake quickly made his way to the stool, snagging it before another man did. To his liking, he realized it was the hot seat. Just at the side of his right elbow drinks were filled for the waitresses, knowing in turn that, the bartender would be there a lot. Things couldn’t be looking too much better at the moment, he thought.

Yo, Sherry. The waitress he saw just moments before was ready for another tray. She was tall. Six feet, at least he would bet, and she was all legs. Could make a mouth water. But it quickly dried up when she turned to smile at him.

Hey handsome. Been awhile, huh? Her face could have been deemed a disaster without the pile of makeup she so obviously had to use. Not that it really helped much.

Yes, you could say that. How have you been? He asked turning to face the front, laughing only to himself. Over the years of coming into this bar, Jake had seen this waitress every time. Or close there to. Forgetting her name each time, Jake would refer to her as ‘Legs’. It was the one thing he could count on remembering. Jayson, if he were here, would have called her a ‘Butter Face’. And Jake would have agreed. Everything looked good. But-her-face.

Slingin’ booze. Nothin’ unusual. Sylvie smiled, her teeth were too big and crammed tight. Where is your ante rouge?

Just me this time.

But he would definitely keep his opinions to himself. His mother’s strong discipline would kick in and even though she had passed on. She was always watching over him. Be polite, she would insist. Or he would get that damn flick on the ear. At times Jake felt that tingle even though he knew it was just his imagination.

When the bartender stepped up from the back room, she had three fresh bottles piled in her arms. Her hands were full and, instantly, time seemed to play in slow motion for Jake.

She was beautiful. Her skin was light, her eyes dark and though she hadn’t looked at him, Jake would have admitted she’d made an impact. Her long, thin fingers were very capable of their task at handling the liquor. Suddenly, he had images of other tasks she could handle for him. Enjoying the thought for a moment was long enough for his overactive libido to take control. Clearing his throat, he swiftly kicked the images out of his mind. Trouble only followed thoughts like that.

She had long, straight, brown hair fastened at the nape of her neck, in a low ponytail, exposing her slender neck. Her skin was light and completely absent of makeup, her natural beauty needed no cover-up. As he watched her she flipped bottles, slid ice into a glass with ease, poured drinks like a pro.

Jake didn’t realize he was starring at her as she