The Life and Adventures of Kate and Alec

By Leigh Clarke

Clarkes latest work unfurls to a story of romance where a couple born of the west and educated as journalists find life together in love of investigative and photojournalism. Their adventures take them around the world and back to the valley in the west where the Blue Mountains in the distance welcome them. It is a tale of Kate growing up in a western valley where she meets Alec as a new member of the high schools jazz band transferring from a private school. She realizes he is the young boy she knew in grade school and the one from the rich family who lived in the large stone house on the bluff south of town. They graduate and go off in different directions with their journalism degrees, travelling the world and receiving merit for their work. They meet again and fall in love. The story covers the valley in the west from the time of pioneers and their families, both of their pioneer blood, the journalistic work of both Kate and Alec, their engagement, her kidnapping, and many more adventures along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490714837

Leigh Clarke

Leigh Clarke holds a BFA in studio art and has taken classes toward her MFA in creative writing. She is the author of the historical novel Land Above and is also in the process of writing her memoirs. She lives in the North Texas Hill Country with her pups, Beau and Bandit.

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© Copyright 2013 Leigh Clarke.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1482-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1484-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1483-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013917260

Trafford rev. 09/26/2013

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Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilog

Chapter One

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Out of the Past

S pring came early with its greenery worn like frilly lace across the face of statuesque oaks, interspersed with deep green spiky cedar trees, as Kate Kennedy wound her way home; up, around and down the bends leading to her condominium. She had graduated from University five years before and had recently been promoted to a new management position with the international newspaper she worked for, which required her to move from New York City to Denver. As an investigative reporter she had been to the Middle East, China, including Hong Kong and Tokyo and recently returned from western Africa.

Arriving to the condo on the lake, through the gated entry, she clicked open the garage, parked and entered, finding Bailey, her two year old Irish setter, not rushing to her with his usual hoppy, happy greeting, but approaching with his tail between his legs. What’s the matter sweetie, she said, patting his lovely red head and beginning to look around cautiously. Finding everything in place, she assumed he wanted her to know she’d been gone too long. Ever since she brought his tiny little body home, she’d promised herself to cut her work schedule and spend more time with him. Her apartment in the city had been small and she did walk him twice a day and went to the dog park on weekends, but she knew the long hours away each day were difficult to make up for. When she travelled she left him at a fancy doggie hotel. They said he played and romped with the other dogs during the day, but seemed to pine for her at night, when he would lie in his cage and stare out with a desolate look on his face, sometimes whimpering. It about broke Kate’s heart to think he felt loss for her absences, but she had adopted him somewhat reluctantly from a friend who couldn’t keep him. He was only thirteen weeks old, so cuddly and cute, how could she refuse; even knowing her travel schedule would keep her away from him on many occasions.

She kicked off her shoes and sat on the floor and hugged him, but he looked away from her growling softly. She got to her feet and then suddenly an arm reached out from behind and surrounded her shoulders and neck, she heard Bailey bark, and the last thing she remembered was a rag that smelled of ether being held over her nose.

Kate awoke to find herself lying on a cot in a small dark room and she felt sick to her stomach. A lamp burned next to the cot and she could see a sink and toilet across the small, narrow room which didn’t seem to have a window. The heavy looking wood door had what looked like an opening or pass-through and she thought of a prison.

It took some time for her mind to clear enough to remember what had happened, and she worried about Bailey. It all seemed too incomprehensible; and she suddenly felt very tired and her mind closed down.

Sometime later she heard a sound outside the door. A gloved hand opened the cubicle in the door and inserted a tray with food on it. Kate went over to the tray, Who are you, what do you want? Only silence followed and not feeling hungry she left the tray at the door and still in a stupor from being drugged, fell back on the cot and slept.

The next time the cubicle opened the food on the tray smelled good and she felt hunger pains. She decided she must eat to stay strong. Please tell me what you want; why are you holding me here in this cell? She said as she took the tray. Silence again followed, so she took the tray back to the cot and ate the sandwich, chips and carton of milk, finally devouring the chocolate chip cookies.

After two days of the same routine; meals changing from cold chicken and vegetables, to hot meatloaf and a baked potato, and in addition to the food he included a few magazines on the tray. She spent some time glancing at the magazines; looking to see if they had labels on them; they didn’t. She tried with all her might to envision who would be doing this to her, but it all seemed too far-fetched for her to comprehend.

Kate had no idea what time of day or night it was and this was very disconcerting. She had never experienced such a long time without any light from the outside, and wondered if it was night or day. The little lamp made a soft glow to help illuminate the darkness and the magazines detracted