Crossroads: the Chance City Series Book Three
Copyright© 2023 by Robin Deeter
Chapter 18
Romantic Sex Story: Chapter 18 - Carter “Wheels” Ellis doubts that he’ll ever find a wife since he’s a paraplegic. But Nora Guthrie has strong feelings for him, and they begin a powerful romance. Sparks fly between Mayor Carly Branson and male prostitute Ray Stratton despite their mutual hate. Or is it love? Four people come to important crossroads. Will they find happiness, or take a wrong turn and end up heartbroken?
Caution: This Romantic Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Heterosexual Fiction Historical Mystery Western
When the first loud crack of thunder sounded, Nora both jumped and smiled. She loved thunderstorms, but she hadn’t been expecting the noise. It was the first indication that a storm was coming. Then she frowned because she worried that Wheels would get caught in it on his way home.
That thought wouldn’t leave her alone. Lightning flashed and Ollie cuddled even closer to her, his compact body trembling. She put him on her lap and hugged him.
“It’s all right. You’re safe.”
More thunder rolled overhead, and Ollie buried his face against her. Nora jumped again when someone pounded on their door. Ollie wouldn’t let her put him down, so she carried him with her to answer the door.
“Nora, you come on with me. We’re going to the basement. It’s a bad one,” Vern said as soon as she opened the door.
Rain had just begun to fall. Knowing that Vern had various weather instruments that he used to keep track of storms, Nora didn’t doubt that he knew what he was talking about.
“Where’s Wheels?” he asked.
“He went to see Johnny.”
Vern pursed his lips. “Okay. Well, c’mon.”
Nora grabbed her sweater and put it over Ollie, following Vern across the yard that separated their two houses. They’d just reached the back porch when the heavens opened, sending both rain and hail crashing down onto the house.
They rushed inside, Vern guiding Nora down to the cellar where the rest of the family had gathered. If Wheels had been with them, Vern and Carl would have carried him down the stairs to safety. The Ellises had turned half of their large basement into a family room. They often spent evenings down there in the summer to escape the oppressive heat.
Two comfortable sofas and various chairs lined the walls and a small table and chairs stood off to the side. Like the rest of the house, it was a homey space with a welcoming energy.
Vern and Nora informed the others of Wheels’ whereabouts.
Rena said, “Well, I’m sure he’s fine. He knows enough to stay put until it passes.”
Nora smiled tightly, holding both Ollie and Clyde on her lap. The toddler and monkey hugged, finding comfort in Nora’s and each other’s embrace. As the family sat together, the adults tried to keep the kids occupied and silently prayed for their absent member. Little did they know that he needed every prayer that was lifted to the heavens.
Wheels came to in stages, his fuzzy brain and aching head making it hard to concentrate on where he was or to remember what had happened to him. As he lay there, he slowly became aware that he lay on grass and that he was soaking wet. In fact, water still poured down on him and for a few moments, he wondered if he’d fallen asleep in his shower. He’d done that a couple times when he’d been hungover.
Then he remembered the grass and knew that he wasn’t in his shower. The fog in his brain gradually faded and he recalled what had occurred. His left shoulder suddenly throbbed and burned, stealing his breath for a few moments. Wheels groaned from the pain, but he also relished it. It meant that his spine hadn’t been damaged further. In fact, from the waist up, his body hurt almost everywhere.
Wheels lay still, assessing each ache and pain. His uncle was a great doctor and had taught the rest of the family about various injuries over the years, so Wheels knew what to look for in certain instances. He was fairly certain that his left shoulder was dislocated, but his right arm and shoulder seemed all right outside of his skin burning.
Raising his head slowly, he looked at his arm, noting that his forearm was badly scraped. Dizziness swept through him, along with nausea and he retched, which jarred his injured shoulder. When the nausea passed, Wheels spent several minutes catching his breath from the agony that coursed through his body.
Trying to get his bearings, he looked around, searching for anything that looked familiar in the darkness. The sky was black, indicating that it was overcast. At least if he’d had some moonlight, he might have been able to make out buildings or something. Since he couldn’t stand up, it was even harder for him to see anything because he was forced to remain at ground level.
After careful thought, he decided to start moving. Hopefully, he was close to a road or someone’s home. There was no way for him to tell how far he’d been tossed by the monster twister. Hoping he was still close to the road leading from Sundance Ranch into town, Wheels used his good arm to crawl along. One foot at a time, he dragged himself forward, determined to find help and get home to his family.
“Uh oh. Haven’t seen that in a while. Your uncle is at it again.”
Daniel Lone Wolf followed Benny’s gaze, spotting Cotton sitting at a far table in the bar. He sat alone but was conversing as though someone sat in the chair across the table from him. Daniel sighed at Cotton’s unusual behavior. This was why some people considered him touched in the head. Judging by the irritated expression on Cotton’s face, it wasn’t a friendly conversation.