WARNING! This chapter contains SENSATIVE MATURE CONTENT.

Lost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 7

Isabella

March 6, 1910

After James had undressed himself, he spread his body over his bare wife. She shook with fear and tears spilled from her eyes. She couldn't think of Edward, and she couldn't do this with James. Her hands pressed against his chest pushing him away. His hand covered her mouth before she could say no. The caring man from moments ago was gone. His eyes glared at her, daring her to continue to struggle. She froze as he whispered in her ear.

"I am your husband, Isabella. It is my right to consummate our marriage. You are my wife, willing, or not."

Pain raced through her body while he moved against her, into her. She closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. All she wanted to do was scream. Being intimate with James, her husband, was nothing like being with Edward. There were no loving touches, no tender kisses, and no waiting for her to adjust.

"You are so..." he murmured. "You feel so good, but if you don't relax..."

The more he spoke, the higher her anxiety rose and the more she struggled against him. The pain was too much. It felt like he pushed her deeper into the mattress, keeping her captive.

He gripped her tighter. "See, you already know what pleases me."

She braced herself against his movements and closed her eyes, trying to go back in time, trying to go back to Edward, but the pain James caused kept her locked in the present.

"Look at me," James growled, shaking her until she complied. When Isabella's eyes were set on him, he moved at a frantic pace until his body shuddered. He smiled down at her sweetly. "Beautiful." Then he pulled away, leaving her in the bed, and dressed before leaving without another word..

She didn't feel beautiful; she felt cold, used,and sick to her stomach. She heard the click of the door as it locked when James left the room. She retrieved her night gown and pulled it over her head, then she returned to the bed sobbing, until she fell asleep.

2011

Laying in her bed, Alice opened the letter again. Even though it had seemed sad, it was still filled with hope. The words written on the page drew her into a world only her imagination could bring to life. Discovering this man, through his letters, was a distraction from not knowing her own past. Maybe if she could learn who he was, she could figure out who she was. It was the same kind of pull the old house had on her when she saw it. It was as if she had come home.

The love Edward felt for Bella was almost tangible, something Alice could hold in her hands. She tried placing the letters in chronological order, but the cryptic messages made it hard. If she filled in a few blanks, the randomness formed a new time line every time she thought about it.

"I wonder what it would feel like to love someone so completely." Alice said, voicing her thoughts to the ceiling.

She tried to picture what he might have looked like. Did Edward have dark colored hair, or was he blond? Were his eyes brown, blue, or maybe green like her own? Was he tall and slim, or did he have a thicker build? Surely he must have been a gentle soul to love the way it seemed he'd loved Isabella. She pictured what her father would have looked like if he grew up at the turn of the century. It was such a romantic time, before the stock market crash of 1920 or the Great Depression that followed. She pictured him wearing a thick denim shirt with suspenders crossing his back and stretching down his torso. Heavy denim jeans for work that would last as long as the work did. Heavy brown leather boots that would carry him for miles. It was too bad she didn't have a picture of him from back then. But maybe she did. Maybe there was one in the shed out back, stuffed in a drawer of a desk or dresser.

Her eyes closed against her will, the letter falling to the ground as her grip relaxed. Sweet dreams of a man in love, who only had eyes for her, carried her through the night until a chill gripped her, catapulting her dreams into a nightmare.

A light outlined the dark under a thick layer of fog. Her bare feet were barely visible against the almost invisible ground of the forest. Leafless branches appeared from nothingness as the fog covered their source. There was no sound of animals or birds as she set her feet in no particular direction and moved. Only silence was heard, a silence that filled her with dread and wonder. The air stirred the fog, causing her eyes to widen as ghostly figures appeared and disappeared.

A voice cloaked in darkness called from what seemed a great distance. "Isabella? Where are you? Isabella?" The call came to her from every direction, causing her to turn in a wide circle, searching for the source. Branches picked at her hair, hidden obstacles bit at her feet as she moved, struggling for a sense of direction. Her heart pounded and blood raced through her veins.

"Who are you?" Alice called out. This was supposed to be her dream. Surely, she could manipulate the nightmare back into a dream, because Alice didn't believe in ghosts.

"There you are, Isabella."

The unexpected feeling of intimacy she suddenly felt caused Alice's body to jerk awake as her eyes flashed open. She struggled to hold onto the words and feelings as light streamed into her bedroom, fighting against the light and push it away.

Alice shook herself awake the rest of the way. The voice from her dream replayed in fading, whispered tones. She picked up the letter off the floor and returned it to the box, filled with the others, and pushed it under her bed. She brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a tight bun. Dressed in work jeans and an old shirt, she pulled on one of her dad's old flannels and stepped from the camper.

She welcomed the sun that rose from just above the trees as she stretched and took a deep breath. As weird as her night had been, she felt refreshed.

Coming around the camper, Alice froze. The blood drained from her face. Someone was sitting on the steps that lead to the porch, someone she hadn't expected. His boots were a light brown, not really a tan though. His jeans were a worn out blue and his flannel shirt was red with black and white lines. His elbows were nestled atop his knees and his head rested in his hands. His blond waves that touched his collar were in disarray as if he'd just gotten out of bed himself. But what was he doing here?

Alice wanted to step back, and would have, had the stranger's intense blue eyes not captured hers. He still looked as if he'd seen a ghost as he looked at her. She couldn't breathe until he dropped his gaze. So, why did Alice feel slapped in the face when he looked away?

"Miss Brandon. My name's Jasper Whitlock- " Jasper began, before Alice interrupted.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her tone confused him because she didn't sound mad. He had expected anger or fear, but not curiosity.

"I'm sorry I came unannounced, but I wanted to apologize for the other night. I was drunk and not in my right mind," he said in a rush. What are you doing? he thought to himself. It was hard not to look at her but he managed.

"Apology accepted," she said, sounding much closer. He hadn't noticed her move, but suddenly she was right in front of him. "Why did you yell for me to get out of your house?"

Her nearness pulled at his heart in a way he'd never experienced before. His eyes bored into hers. There was an innocence in her eyes behind the mix of green and light brown that transfixed him. He knew she had to have seen things no one else saw, because it felt like the first time in years someone saw him, really saw him. And that scared him even more.

"I'm so sorry about that. Again, I was drunk. I grew up in this house, but I let the taxes fall behind. I... I have to go," he said, quickly moving away from the porch to his car that was parked beyond the fence.

"You can come back anytime," Alice yelled from behind. For a split second she was sure he was going to turn around. She watched his shoulders drop, then in a blink of an eye, he stretched up to his full height and continued forward. She wasn't fooled into believing he hadn't heard her; she knew he had. Even as she watched him pull away, she was still taken back to see him leave.

Reaching the steps, she noticed the simple brown paper sack and was surprised to find coffee and blueberry muffins inside. She carried the bag into the house and set it on the makeshift table. She gave a sigh, then a grin etched itself on her lips. Two cups of coffee and four muffins meant he'd planned to stay before he'd seen her. His intense regard of her lingered with her the rest of the day. Why did his eyes appear so haunted? Why did his expression look like he'd seen a ghost when he stared at her?

Sipping from the first cup of coffee, Alice opened her growing notebook of projects. She slowly flipped through the first few pages that documented the rehabilitation of her home. Seeing a picture of Seth left her feeling alone. She missed his company even if he was a kid. He was sweet, and the renovations had moved much faster with him around. She wondered how he was doing in school, and if he was still struggling.

With a pen in hand, the last page filled with notes quicker than it took to finish her coffee. Today was the day she was going to finish the sheetrock in the master bedroom, and that meant wearing a dust mask. She shuddered at the thought, but it was better than being congested at the end of the day.

After struggling most of the morning, she had ten sheets of sheetrock laying in the middle of the floor. Her drill gun was fully charged and her tool belt had a pocket full of screws. Just as she was donning her mask, she heard her cell phone ring downstairs and bolted for the stairs.

"Hello," she said, breathless.

"Hi, Miss Brandon. This is Seth's father, Michael. I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but were you serious about helping Seth with his school work?"

"I was thinking about Seth just this morning and wondering how he was fairing with his grades. Yes, I was serious. The offer still stands," she replied.

"You used to be a teacher, right?"

"Yes, I was," she answered, leaving out that she didn't remember anything prior to two years ago.

"I can't afford to pay a tutor's wage, but I can help with some of your remodeling projects if you would accept the offer," he stated. Michael sounded like a proud man and Alice smiled.

"Yes, I would accept, but not until his grades improved, otherwise it's moot."

"He has an important history test coming up on Friday. Do you think you can help him study before then?"

"He can come over every night at five. Does that sound fair, Michael?"

"More than fair, Miss Brandon, more than fair. We will see you tonight then. Thank you again."

"Don't thank me, yet. I can't wait. I miss that young man."

"Till then."

"Goodbye," Alice said and closed her phone. Alice did a little girl dance back up the stairs, contemplating what time she needed to finish work before running to town. She was going to have company for dinner and needed snacks for a study session. She turned on her radio, twisting the dial to an ear-busting level, and grabbed a mask. It was time to put up some drywall.

Hours later, after screwing the bottom pieces of sheet rock in place, Alice struggled with the top layer. There was no way she was going to be able to do it by herself. She needed help. She turned down the radio and removed her mask.

Well, no better time to break for the day than here, she thought. She took in all the work she'd done, snapped a few photos to document her work, and texted them to her Dad. She mentioned that Seth was coming over to study, and she'd have help again soon.

The only way to get the sheetrock dust out of her hair would be to take a shower, but if she took a shower now, she wouldn't have enough water that night for one. She'd rather have her shower then, before bed. She dusted herself off, washed her face and hands, and pulled a brush through her hair before heading to town.

After a not-so-quick trip into town, she returned with more bags than she probably needed. But Seth could eat an entire cow, and she didn't want a growling stomach to distract him. She placed what needed to be kept cold in the small refrigerator in her camper and then started making dinner. Dinner wouldn't be anything fancy, just burgers, cooked on the grill, and chips, but it would do the trick.

She was flipping the burgers when Seth and his father arrived. Seth had a sheepish grin when she greeted them with a hug. Seth's father, Michael, Alice assumed was much older than she expected but she greeted him with a hug as well, to which he chuckled.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Brandon," he said, releasing her from the hug.

"Alice, please, just Alice," she corrected, but she had a feeling nothing she did would change his greeting.

"Did you cook as well, Miss Alice," Seth asked, eyeing the grill.

"I did and you're both invited to join me. In fact, it's mandatory."

"Thank you, Miss Brandon, but I have a job to finish. I will be back at..." Michael asked, prodding for an appropriate time to return.

"I made plenty," she answered, trying to sound authoritative but failing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Brandon, but you just invited a teenage boy to dinner. I assure you there will be no leftovers," he replied then chuckled thinking about Seth's appetite.

"I understand. We should be wrapping up about eight-ish?"

"That sounds fine. I'll be back then. Seth, mind your manners, and do as Miss Brandon tells you," Michael said.

"Dad, I'm not five. I'll try though, I promise," Seth assured his father, walking over to check out the food on the grill.

A/N

Thank you all who have reviewed this story, Favorited, or alerted it. Your response has made some pretty dark days a lot brighter.

I hope this chapter wasn't too rough on some of you. For me, it was a hard chapter to write, and no matter how many times I tried to write it or word it differently, it always came back here. I hope Jasper helped make it up to you! *RunsAwayToHideNow* lol.

I know I haven't mentioned the team that helped with this story often. And it isn't that they aren't a truly fantastic team because they are; I'm nervous y'all will try and steal them away lol. There are so many ppl that are responsible, I am always afraid I will forget someone's name. Please forgive me if I do. My Beta's are Storypainter and Yummied. My pre-readers are Sarcastic Bimbo, Kelly, and RubyDee, and MANY MANY others. I just wanted to take a sec and say, THANK YOU!

It has been a rough week, and please bear with me as I return to school next week. I promise, I will update. It might not be on Tuesday though.

The three R's of Fanfiction:

Read, review, and Rec!

Do you like Mafia stories or some kinky BMSD? Check out these two stories by HeartsOfTwilight.

WIP: Bound and Dangerous is our WIP sequel Summery:Don Edward Cullen and Donna Isabella Volutri-Cullen as they begin their new adventures in combining two power crime families together, while exploring their Dominant/submissive relationship in Master Edward's playroom. Can they keep their families safe, their relationship safe, or will outside forces tear it apart?

www..fanfiction. s/11436633/1/Bound-and-Dangerous(Copy, paste, then delete the extra periods)

Completed Fic: Bound by the Family. Summery: A Don who is a Dom; two powerful personalities bound together in one body. Will it be too much for one woman to handle, or is she exactly what is needed to balance this man.

www ..Fanfiction. s/11099568/1/Bound-to-the-Family