Convictions: Kelly and Stephen by Delinda Dewick Read Free Book Online

short trek out to the air strip in silence.  The small prop was fueled and sitting on the tarmac.   Kelly and Charlie retrieved his bags from the back.  Charlie gave Max a final scrub behind his ears and received a lick and tail wag in return.  They walked over to the plane and gave Charlie’s bags to a young man who was helping Phyllis load the plane.
    “Thanks Phyllis.  Get him back to Anchorage safely for me.”
    “Of course we will, Kelly, you don’t worry about us.”
    “Charlie, I love you.  Please call my cell when you are home safe.  Keep in touch.”
    “I will, mom, thanks.  I had a great time.”
    He started to climb up into the small plane, turned to wave and shouted “Mom, I love you”.  With that he disappeared inside.
    “Love you too babe” she whispered mostly to herself.
    Phyllis got the props rotating without a problem and within minutes the small plane was bouncing down the runway, and then sailing off over the Alaskan mountain range.
    Kelly watched for a minute or too, until she could no longer make out the details of the plane.  She turned back towards the Jeep and soon, was slowly making her way back to town.

Chapter 6
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    It was half past eight in the morning when she returned from the airstrip.  She cleaned up Charlie’s room, tossed in a load of laundry, and finished the dishes.  She packed up all of their fishing tackle in the new tackle box and carefully stored it in the shed out back along with their fishing poles. 
    As badly as she wanted to be back with Stephen, she forced herself to slow down, to be deliberate in finishing up what needed to be done at home first.  Put first things first.  She was thirty-five years old for goodness sakes, not eighteen and she didn’t need to go running back out there too soon.  She was a mature woman and the last thing she wanted was to act like a love starved adolescent.
    Soon it was noon and she had done everything that she could possibly think of doing so she went next door to the Kramer’s to see Will.  He would watch Max for a day or two, until she could sort things out with Stephen and figure out her next steps. 
    After a short stop at the market for food she stopped into Hawley’s Hardware to beg for two more days off.  Bill grumbled about the lack of good help available but gave her a wink and told her to enjoy herself.  Not knowing what he meant by that, she ignored his remark and was on the road out of town by twelve-thirty.  At ten after one she was pulling into his driveway, parking next to his rusted blue pickup, and her heart was beating wildly, despite her self-admonishment. 
    Stephen was out of the house before she had her driver’s side door open.  He had been in the kitchen, working on the tile backsplash and waiting for her to return although he didn’t know exactly when she would.  He just hoped that she wouldn’t take too long for the sake of his sanity. 
    The thought that he might have her back in his arms before night fall had his nerves on edge.  It was worse than the first time.  The first time she had come to him he hadn’t been expecting her.  The sexual tension between them was great, but couldn’t be compared to what the addition of anticipation was doing to him this time.
    When he heard the sounds of tires on gravel he had headed for the driveway, taking the outside steps two at a time.  Getting to her car before she had climbed out, he gently pulled her into his arms and before she could utter a word he covered her lips with his.  She melted into his arms.  The desire she had felt for him before hadn’t lessoned any over the last two weeks.  When they finally stopped for air Kelly smiled up at him and said “I missed you too”.
    For Stephen, the past two weeks had been agonizing.  He had spent the time working his fingers to their bones, attempting to drive himself to the point of exhaustion so that he could sleep.  But it hadn’t help.  He had still