The Season of Forever

A Seasons Saga Novel

by Brenda Ashworth Barry

Life throws curve balls left and right at Beth Ann and Kaylob. Tragedy strikes, leaving Blake shot and paralyzed needing to undergo a delicate surgery, that he may not survive. While Kaylob deals with the emotional roller coaster of all the secrets kept from him, he is also holding his breath waiting to see if Blake makes it through the night, after being shot three times. Beth Ann tries to keep the faith, but with a new child and everything going on around her, she finds faith slipping away.

If he does live through the operation, will he ever walk again and will he blame Ginger, who also suffers from the physical damage of being shot and beaten by her soon to be ex-husband? She is faced with the fear that Blake might die, or Arnold will be jailed, and all she can do is blame herself. Some relief comes when Frankie swears to take Arnold to trial and have him put away.

Come and take the final journey in book six with Beth Ann and Kaylob as they say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. They both cling to each other as life gives them storms and devastating news.

Will they ever get their forever life of love and happiness?


Excerpt

Chapter One

 

Blake’s eyes flew open to unholy pain, but he fought like hell to focus. Why were fireworks echoing around him and where was he? Wait, this was winter, so why in God’s name was he lying on the ground outside? The sounds around him vanished as the memory assaulted him.

Christ all mighty, it wasn’t fireworks it was gunshots. Blake raised his head and tried to move, but couldn’t budge anything. Damn, the burning was excruciating. He groaned in agony, feeling as though his guts had been ripped out. Placing his trembling hand on his stomach, he asked, “What the hell?” Something warm and wet gathered on his fingers. “Holy shit.” He glanced at the blood as it dripped down onto his shirt.

He cringed. “Damn, that’s not good.” When he tried to wipe it off on the asphalt, he tasted a metallic flavor in his mouth.

Did that mean he was bleeding internally? Was he dying?

He caught sight of his friend, Johnny, who was firing his gun at Arnold, Ginger’s deranged husband, who kept darting behind the telephone pole. Johnny was yelling into the phone with his free hand. “Get someone here now. Two have been shot and are bleeding. One is my fiancée.”

Good thing Blake had a long cord that allowed Johnny to bring the phone out on the front porch. He heard Johnny say, “hurry,” before he dropped it.

The pain ripped through him, and his breathing became labored. Oh Lord, he remembered something else, Ginger had been with him, but where the hell was she?

“I’m calling the police,” someone yelled, more than likely his neighbor.

“I called the ambulance,” Johnny yelled back.

Blake heard several loud cracks and saw Johnny shooting at Arnold. After a few seconds, he saw the asshole finally fall to the ground and start to wail, like the coward he was. Thank God, Johnny had finally brought him down, and it appeared he had got him in both legs.

“Make sure you get his rifle, Johnny,” Blake said with a ragged voice and knew damn well Johnny would handle it, but it made him feel something besides completely useless since he couldn’t move.

Johnny ran over and handcuffed the piece of shit. “You fucking scum!” He grabbed the rifle.

Blake was sure as hell relieved that Johnny had been a detective and was his bodyguard.  He knew how to handle this. No doubt, he was big enough to kick Arnold’s ass from here to China. He winced, trying to move again, but couldn’t.

“Ginger,” Blake hollered. He needed to get to her and see if she was okay, but nothing worked. “Ginger!” he called out two more times. Where the hell was she?

Johnny hurried next to Dana, his fiancée, who was like Blake’s little sister. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said, trying to soothe her as she cried.

Next, he rushed to Blake “You’re okay, boss. Help is on the way.”

They both shot a glare at Arnold when he yelled, “I’m going to kill that bitch. You can’t stop me. Ginger, get out here, you slut!”

“Bastard,” Johnny grumbled. “I got him in both legs, but I should have shot him in the head.” He touched Blake’s arm. “Can you move anything?”

“No.” Blake tried again with a raspy voice. “Check on Dana, and make sure she’s okay. We have to find Ginger, too.”

A few minutes later, Johnny was holding what looked like Dana’s sweater around her arm. It was bleeding, but it didn’t look too bad.

Dana looked over and met Blake’s eyes. “Johnny, go to Blake,” she cried. “I’m fine. I can hold my sweater on my arm.”

Johnny ran over, pulled off his jacket, and stuck it under Blake’s head. “I can’t move you, boss. The people on the phone told me to wait and let the paramedics do it.”

“I can’t feel my legs.” Blake glanced up at him and saw sadness shadow his eyes. “If I die, make sure Ginger is taken care of.”

“You’re not going to die,” Johnny said, but Blake knew by the look in his eyes that he didn’t believe it.

“Just promise me!” Blake raised his voice. “Now, check on Ginger.”

“I don’t want to leave you and Dana.”

“She’s here, damn it.”

He looked around. “Where is she? I didn’t know she was here. I thought you were just delirious when you were calling for her.”

Blake pointed at the car. “Oh shit, now I remember. I pushed her inside the car. I think she was shot in the head.” He closed his eyes and felt tears burning. He hadn’t been able to keep her safe as he'd promised. There was no way to hold back his emotions. He’d grown fond of the redheaded beauty. After everything that monster had put her through, she couldn’t die. Her crazy asshole husband had beaten her so bad that he’d almost killed her.

Blake saw Johnny open the car door. “Ginger,” he queried, and then leaned inside. “She’s still breathing, boss, and her eyes fluttered. Ginger,” Johnny said again. “It doesn’t look like the bullet went in. It’s just a graze, and I think it knocked her out. I’m pretty sure she’s okay.”

Blake heard sirens and tires squealing a second before they came to a halt. Once they stopped, paramedics flew in all different directions.

“Check for weapons and get this idiot in the back of the other ambulance,” a police officer ordered. “I don’t want him around the people he shot.”

Chaos hustled all around, giving Blake no time to think. He could hear his pants being ripped off, but there was no sensation.

“You’re going to be okay, Mr. Tanner. We’re getting you to the hospital, and we will get you stable,” one of the guys said.

The paramedics kept Blake immobilized. One of them kept reassuring him that he was fine.

Before he could speak, they had him on a gurney and were taking him away. He didn’t know if Ginger would live or die and wished they would take her with him. Once he was inside the ambulance, he could smell the scent of antiseptic as they started cutting off his shirt. The next sensation was some type of needle being poked into his skin. He sure as hell felt that.

The same dark-haired guy kept talking to him, asking questions, but he couldn’t seem to answer. Voices were trailing away. The steady rhythm of the heart monitors was the one thing he could make out. It pierced the silence of his mind.

Warm blankets were thrown over him, which helped to stop the ice running through his veins. He was fading in and out.

“You’re okay. Do you hear me?” one of the guys said again, but Blake knew he was lying. He still couldn’t feel his legs.

“My name is Doug, and I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.” His eyes widened, and Blake didn’t miss his glance at the heart monitor. “He’s going into shock; grab me some more warm blankets.” Doug pointed. “Let’s hit it. We need to speed it up,” he ordered. “Go ... go.”

Blake was only half conscious, but was aware when they pulled up to the hospital and took him out of the ambulance. He could feel the bumps and the sound of the wheels on the gurney as they rushed him toward the double doors.

With no warning, everything was going completely black. The last thing he remembered was someone yelling.

“Gunshot wound victim.”

"The Season of Forever" by Brenda Ashworth Barry

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Genres

Historical Romance
Women's Fiction
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