Broken Arrow

By Crystal Steadman

      "Hey Jesse, it's almost time to hit the track. Samantha comes up behind her."

"Hey girl, what's going on? You look like you're out in La-La land? Earth to Jesse."

"Yea sorry it's just Damion isn't here yet, and he's always here by now to give me his famous pep talk."

"Maybe his football pract

• Language: English
• Publisher: Romance Novels
• Release date: Jul 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088192498

Crystal Steadman

Crystal Steadman is an American Author. She started writing books at the age of 15, but she didn't publish her first book until she was well into her 30's. Crystal writes romance novels, but she is starting to dip her toes in other genres.

Book preview

Broken Arrow

by Crystal Steadman

Contents

Broken Arrow

by Crystal Steadman

Authors Note

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

Broken Arrow

Secrets, and Lies

The Unexpected Love

Savage Maui

Unspoken Truth

Falling for Mackenzie

Stand-alone book to come

The Water Girl

Saving Corky

Authors Note

Warning: this book has violence, sex, vulgar language, kidnapping.

This book was my very first baby. I wrote this book when I was 15, but I never had the nerve to have it published until now. I did my research and realized I could the publishing on my own. I hope you as readers enjoy the story as I did as I was writing it. This book is a short story base book.

Much Love, my wonderful readers.

Prologue

Hey Jesse, it’s almost time to hit the track. Samantha comes up behind her.

Hey girl, what’s going on? You look like you’re out in La-La land? Earth to Jesse.

Yea sorry it’s just Damion isn’t here yet, and he’s always here by now to give me his famous pep talk.

"Maybe his football practice is running late tonight Samantha tells her. Knowing full well practice is over. Several girls’ boyfriends are here, so the boys have already gone home and cleaned up.

Nice try, Sam, but Tiffany’s boyfriend is already here.

Well, J, you said that his mom has been being a bit of a bitch lately. Maybe she wouldn’t let him leave after he got home from practice.

Yea, you’re right, Jesse says and walks out to the track.

Okay girls, let’s get in your places we are about to start.

Jesse’s up to race her opponent, but something feels wrong. She can’t figure out why she’s feeling strange, so she pushes it away and takes off. But this time, something is pulling at her heart and she collapses five feet away.

Shit! Jesse, are you okay Samantha asks, racing over to her with the coaches.

I don’t know. It’s hard to breathe, Jesse says and about that time they hear a siren racing by and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Oh god Samantha, we have to get down to the four-way. Something is wrong. Jesse screams.

Calm down, Coach tells her, but Jesse isn’t having any of it.

Samantha now!

Okay, Jesse let’s get you up, and we will head to my car.

Jesse and Samantha make it to the four-way in no time and Jesse screams the moment she sees Damion’s truck wrapped around a tree.

It’s not his Jesse, it can’t be his. There are tons of trucks that look just like Damion’s truck Jesse. I need you to calm down. Okay, let’s get out and try to see what’s going on, okay?"

Okay, you’re right, Jesse says, getting out on shaky legs and once she’s out, she runs over to the truck in the trees, but a police officer catches her around the waist.

Whoa, sweetheart, where do you think you are going?

My, my boyfriend is in that truck. She cries.

Shit! The cop lets slip, and Jesse knows instantly what happened.

No, no, no, she shakes her head. Please tell me he’s not. He’s not. She can’t get the words out.

I’m sorry sweetheart, I can’t give you details, but I will tell you that unfortunately there were no survivors.

Can you tell me if the boy was wearing a football jacket with the number 8 on it?

The cop just looks at her with dead eyes, and that gave her all the answers she needed.

��

It’s the day of the funeral. Jesse and her family are getting ready to walk out the door when her mom stops her. Honey, are you sure you want to do this?

Don’t you do this right now, mom.

Baby, I am just looking out for you. Damion’s mom was really upset with you at the viewing yesterday. It’s already a stressful day for you. I just don’t want anything else to add to it.

He was my boyfriend, and I loved him and he loved me. She can’t take that away and she can’t make me feel any worse than I already feel. He was coming to see me when the drunk driver hit him.

Adam steps up in front of Jesse. It’s okay baby, let’s just get out the door.

They make it to the funeral home right before the service starts, so they set in the back roll and nobody notices them until Jesse walks up to say her goodbyes.

Damion’s mom and dad were standing in front of his casket when Jesse makes her way up to it.

Teresa slaps Jesse right across the face. What in the fuck are you doing here? You have the nerve to come up in here and fake like you give a shit about my son. If you did, he would be here still and not fixing to be put in the ground.

You just wait one damn minute Kathleen says, putting her body in between Jesses and Teresa’s. You will not treat my child like she was the one who killed your baby. I can not even imagine what you are going through, but you will not make my child feel any worse than she already does.

I’m sorry, Jesse, but we are going home now.

Chapter 1

Hey beautiful girl, how are you doing this morning? Jesse asks her beautiful horse as she is getting ready to feed the animals in the morning.

Are you ready to eat?

Hope pulls her lips up in a smile of approval.

Okay, I get it. Jesse laughs.

Jesse pours Hope her food, then goes over to the other horses to give them a pet on the head and feed ‘em.

Once she’s done feeding all the animals, Jesse goes back over to Hope and starts brushing her.

We will go on a ride this afternoon if the weather will let us, Jesse tells Hope. It’s been a few days hasn’t it girl? Jesse says, kissing Hope on the muzzle.

Hope shakes her head up and down and parts her lips again in a smile.

You miss our rides too, huh? Jesse asks, then looks over at the beautiful house across from her parents’ property.

Someone must have finally bought the old Manning house. Jesse says out loud and about that time a tall guy in about his 20s, she guesses, walks out on the porch and waves at her.

Jesse waves back, then turns her body to face Hope again.

What? I didn’t want to be rude. 

Don’t look at me like that, Hope.

Okay, so he’s a nice-looking man. So what?

Hope raises her lips like she’s laughing at Jesse.

Boy, to be a horse, you are such a smart ass, Jesse Says then looks at her watch.

Shoot, I’m going to be late for school.

Darn you, Hope. You always distract me, she tells her horse.

Rushing into the house, Jesse runs upstairs to get a shower.

After her shower, she goes to her closet to get clothes out for the day. It’s a little chilly outside, so she picks a pair of blue jeans and a baby blue sweatshirt, a pair of boots that don’t have farm smell all over them.

She goes downstairs to start breakfast for the rest of the family. When it’s finished, she wakes everyone up. Once they are all up, and eating, she gives her dad a kiss on the cheek and leaves for school.

Once she gets to school, her friend Samantha comes over to her truck.

Hey slacker, did you forget we had a track meet today? Samantha asks her.

Crap, is coach Lindsey pissed?

Na, I covered for you. I told her you worked last night.

Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you, Samantha.

I’ll go talk to her and smooth it over after school. 

So, on a better note, someone moved in to that house that’s next to our property.

It looks like it’s a couple of younger guys in their early 20s, Jesse tells Samantha as they’re walking to their math class.

I saw one of them this morning. He was kind of nice looking from a far. 

Really? What did he look like Samantha asks?

Not really sure, I only briefly looked at him then turned back to what I was doing, Jesse says, shrugging her shoulders.

So, what you’re saying is he saw you looking? You got all shy and turned around and started talking to your damn horse like you always do. Am I right Samantha asks? 

No, he waved at me, then I waved back. Then turned back to Hope and finished what I was doing. Besides, I was just looking over there and noted to Hope that people moved in next door and then he walked out on the porch without a shirt on and waved at me, so I was being nice and waved back. Then I turned around, so he didn’t think I was stocking him, Jesse says, then sticks her tongue out at Samantha.

Oh, yes, because that’s the first thing the new person next door is going to think is damn, I’ve only been here a day, and someone is already stocking me. Samantha says sarcastically.

I would be taken aback if, as a new resident, I saw a stranger watching me while I stood on my porch barefoot and shirtless. I’m going to think, damn, I can’t even move out to the country without nosey neighbors."

Um, I thought you said you only got a glimpse of him, then turned back around to Hope.

That is sounding like you were staring the boy down until he caught you. Samantha says, laughing at Jesse.

Let’s just get to class, Jesse says, pulling Samantha in their math class direction.

You are such a nerd. Samantha says, shaking her head.

You’ll work the nerve up to talk to a guy one of these days.

Now that’s a man Samantha says as they are walking through the classroom to get to their seats.

He is so dreamy!

He is your teacher, Jesse says through greeted teeth.

I think it’s against the law to be thinking what you are thinking.

No, it’s only illegal to date my teacher, Samantha says. Besides, he is only 21, and I am 18 and a senior, so as long as we keep it a teacher studied relationship until after I’m out of this school in 3 weeks than we will be fine.

But that’s the problem. You’re not keeping it that way. You’re going to his house, and he’s taking you to dinner and stuff.

He will lose his job, and maybe even go to jail if you get caught. It doesn’t matter if he is only 3 years older than you; he is a teacher at the school you are attending.

Okay, I will be more careful, mom. Samantha says, then walks to her and Jesse’s table and sits down.

Just as Jesse is sitting down, the bell rang for class and Mr. Smith calls class to order.

As Jesse looks up, she catches the smile he sends Samantha, and she rolls her eyes.

They spent the next hour doing calculus. 

Thank god Jesse whispers once the bell rings to switch classes.

Ugh, I hate calculus.

Samantha laughs. You always have. As smart as you are, and you get all sweaty and flustered doing math. I just don’t get it. 

Jesse sticks her tongue out at Samantha. We can’t all be good at everything now, can we? Jesse asks as they are walking out of the classroom.

True that sister, so how are things at home? Samantha asks Jesse as they are making their way to their other classroom.

Fine, why do you ask?

"You just seem a little distanced. I just want to make