Bequeathed

By Linda Mooney

Homeless and destitute, Claire Stines has no choice but to move into the log house bequeathed to her out in the Minnesota wilderness. Although she has little else to sustain her other than a few dollars and even fewer seeds of hope, she believes she can make a fresh start for herself, and if she’s lucky, maybe find a little romance.

But first she has to overcome the rumors of the house’s supposedly dark past. More importantly, who is that young man she’s seen in the woods, and why has he been watching her from a distance ever since she arrived?

And why does he both fascinate and terrify her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Mooney
• Release date: Sep 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781941321201

Linda Mooney

Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. A wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love. She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book My Strength, My Power, My Love was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book Lord of Thunder was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance. In addition, she write naughty erotic romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, and horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith. For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, and to sign up for her newsletter, please visit her website. http://www.LindaMooney.com

Book preview

Chapter One

I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re taking possession of the old Upton place. The attorney held out the key to the house, and Claire accepted it, dropping it into her purse. Here’s also an envelope containing the deed, plus some other instructions you’ll need to set up housekeeping. The woman handed over a large brown envelope, which Claire placed in her lap. The attorney gave her a pleased smiled. Now that we’ve gotten the paperwork out of the way, do you have any questions for me, Miss Stines?

Claire slowly shook her head. Not at the moment. Thank you for your help.

I take it you’ll be going up there soon to check out the property?

Actually, I’m going to be moving up there this weekend.

The attorney frowned slightly. Moving? Before you’ve had a chance to look it over first?

I’ve had a small family crisis, Claire explained without giving any further details. I need to get away for a while to…recover.

A look of pity crossed the attorney’s face. Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Is it anything that would require my help?

No, no. Thank you, though.

Well, just in case, I stuck a business card in the envelope, in case you need to call me for anything further.

Well, there is one more thing. If you wouldn’t mind, could you call the electric company and see if they can have the power on by the time I get there?

I’ll see what I can do, the woman lawyer said.

Getting to her feet, Claire stuck out her hand. Thank you again for everything, Mrs. Dobson.

"No, thank you! This deed has been sitting in our vaults for years, waiting for someone to claim it. You coming in allows us to place another check mark in our ‘completed’ column."

They exchanged goodbyes, and Claire hurried out of the building and out into the crisp fall air. A light rain was falling, which she didn't mind. This time the gloomy skies did nothing to dampen her spirits.             Once she was headed for the parking lot, she allowed herself to finally accept the possibility that her life was not in total shambles anymore. This was her last chance at a decent future. What she never realized was that it would come from her mother at a time when she was hitting rock bottom.

Claire turned the corner and spotted her car with the small U-Haul trailer parked at the curb. All she owned in the world was packed inside both vehicles. The rest she had given away or sold in order to make the eleven-hundred-mile trip.

Mike gave her a sleepy look from his blanket on the passenger side floorboard when she opened the door. Tossing the envelope and her purse in the other seat, Claire buckled herself in.

Okay, old man. Ready or not, we’re moving north.

The Bengal cat stared at her with disinterested green eyes as she started up the car and pulled into the street.

It was an eighteen hour trip from Dallas to Lake Weemonaka in upper Minnesota. Barring any unforeseen incidents, she hoped to cover it in two days. If she was lucky, they'd get there before any major cold fronts hit the area.

Mike meowed from the floorboard.

Next pit stop won’t be until we cross the border into Oklahoma. Thanks for asking.

Another meow.

Yes, I know this is the wrong time of year to go north, but we have no choice. You ought to be happy we’ll actually have a roof over our heads this winter.

Mike licked his paw, then settled back down to sleep. With the car’s heater blowing warm air over him, and the vibrations from the road and engine seeping through the blanket, he was quickly asleep.

Claire turned on the radio and prepared herself for a long, tedious drive.

Chapter Two

Claire knew that if there hadn’t been a road map inside the brown envelope, there was no way she would have been able to find the log house. With money tighter than Scrooge's fist, as her father used to say, she'd had to forego luxuries like upgrading her cell phone to the kind that had a mapping system.

But it would have been nice to have that GPS app right about now, she murmured.

The barely there dirt track broke off from the narrow two-lane road six miles outside of a little town called Monuta. She stopped the car to double-check her directions before pulling onto the winding trail. A little more than a hundred yards from the cutoff, and past the tangle of brush that scraped the sides of the car, Claire finally came within sight of the house.

Wake up, Mike. We’re finally here.

Fortunately, it had been an uneventful trip. She had pushed herself the first day to go as far as Des Moines before finding a motel for the night. With more than half the route already under her belt, it made for an easier second leg of the trip.

She pulled the car and U-Haul as close to the house as possible. Slowly climbing out from behind the wheel, she stretched until her joints popped as she studied her new home. The cat promptly jumped out of the vehicle and began to exam his new surroundings.

It was not an imposing structure, and it looked smaller on the outside than she knew it was, but that was because of the trees surrounding it. Somewhere beyond the cabin lay a small inlet fed from Lake Weemonaka. The house got its water directly from the lake instead of a well. The notes in the envelope explained the water went through a purifying filter, making it safe enough to bathe in or cook with, but suggested she carry in bottled water to