Judged Love Read online



  Judged Love

  Shannon Snider

  Copyright 2012 by Shannon Snider

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  Chapter 1

  Friday night at the Sunset Dance Club she was dressed in a black mini skirt with fishnet stocking, six inch stiletto heels and a drape tank top. With jet black hair pulled up in twist with the ends sticking up. All the jewelry she had on was a spiked leather dog collar around her neck, a matching one around her wrist and large hoop earrings. She fit in to the crowd well at the heavy metal club but still stood out because of her beauty. Annabelle was up at the bar talking with her sister Mary. Mary is a simple looking woman with dark brown hair, thin and stands about five foot two. Annabelle is the type of exotic one with her long jet black hair, light tanned skin, perfect shaped body and stands five foot flat. With her heels she was towering over Mary tonight.

  “What’s wrong?” Annabelle almost has to yell at her sister to be heard.

  “Nothing is wrong. Holy cow look what just walked in.” Mary yelled back. Annabelle looks over her shoulder at the door and sees two cowboys walking in. She is instantly drawn to the taller of the two. He is standing there in the perfect pair of wranglers, a blue button up denim western shirt, black cowboy boots and his black Stetson hat. Her first thought was comparing him to the Marlboro man, tall dark and handsome just didn’t do him justice. His eyes are a dark brown and his needing a haircut dirty blond hair isn’t what draws her attention it’s the fact that he has a passionate look in his eyes. That look of passion in everything that he does. He can feel someone looking at him and looks up to lock eyes with the strangest color eyes he has ever seen. They are not quite blue but almost a light purple color. He instantly sees the passion behind those eyes but starts to look away the moment she pulls away. Then he sees her. She never actually turns around to face him.

  He tries to wrap his mind around the fact that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She reminds him of an angel just all in black with an exotic twist to it. He leans in to his friend and says, “who the hell would walk around in public trying to look like a vampire or at least like they are dead?’

  His friend starts to laugh at what he said. “Ben you need to get out more. Don’t ya know that’s how the young ones dress now all in black? But dang look at all the color in that tattoo. I wonder what the bottom looks like.” Ben then looks at her again and can see the top of a sunset tattooed on her back covering most of her shoulder blades.

  “Ouch that had to hurt! Let’s get a drink and see Molly so I can say I was here then get out of here.” They head for the bar near the door to see Molly the owner of the club. “Two Buds and how’s business Molly?” Ben asks while leaning over the counter to kiss Molly’s cheek. Molly is a tall girl almost six foot with bright red hair cut short and in spikes.

  “Here on the house and it’s good. About time you boys decided to show up. I’ve been open six months and my best friends finally decided to show up.” Molly responded while handing over the beers. “You guys could have left the hats and boots in the trucks. Do ya like the place?”

  Matt started to laugh and Ben responded, “You were always the odd one of the group but we still love ya. How do you listen to this music you can’t even understand what they are saying?”

  “Honey you don’t hear it as much as feel the music besides I don’t know how you listen to country with all that whining and crying.” Molly says while trying not to laugh too much. Molly knew these guys were the different kind of cowboys.

  At the other end of the bar, “Dang If I knew cowboys looking that good were to show up I would of dressed the part.” Mary yelled in Annabelle’s ear.

  “Oh come on we are here to have fun, not find a couple of cowboys to mess all the fun. Let’s dance.” With that Annabelle headed for the dance floor and got lost in the crowd.

  ~

  Later that night Ben was trying to sleep but all he could see when he closed his eyes were those passionate purple eyes and the beautiful woman with them. He continued to try to get some sleep but it eluded him for half the night. Finally at about four in the morning he was able to get some sleep but was dreaming about the woman with those eyes, the perfect heart shaped mouth and that tattoo. The moment in the dream she was getting ready to show the rest of the tattoo he woke up again. Ben mumbled to himself, “Dreaming of someone besides my wife is not good.” With that thought he was wide awake again. He gave up after that on getting sleep and begins a miserable day with little sleep.

  ~

  Annabelle was asleep having one of the best dreams of her life of riding horses with a tall dark cowboy. In the dream they stop riding and begin to kiss and that’s the moment she looks in his eye to realize she is dreaming of the cowboy from the club. She sits straight up in bed startled that she would dream of a man she knows nothing about. How did mister tall dark and handsome get into her dreams? She knows nothing about the man but here she is dreaming about him.

  Chapter 2

  On Sunday at the children’s emergency room Ben is sitting on the bed with his son Benny waiting for the doctor to come in the room. When in walks a tiny doctor with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. In her blue jeans and pink shirt mostly hidden by her white coat she still looked good.

  “Well Mister Ben what did you do to that wing of yours?” She then looks up and sees those passionate eyes again from Friday. She stops for a minute just to get lost in them and then remembers she doesn’t even know the man.

  “Well it’s Benny and he fell off his pony. I don’t think he broke his arm but can’t be too safe.” His father responds but he almost can’t hide the look on his face of there is no way she is the doctor she looks to be eighteen not old enough to be a doctor. “When is the doctor coming I would like to talk to him.”

  With then last comment her eye brows shoot up and she is put on the defensive. “Well I am the doctor and if you give me a minute with Benny we will decide if we need x-rays and what to do.” She puts her pda back in her pocket after looking over Benny's vitals. “Alright I’m going to feel your arm and tell me what happened and if anything hurts okay.” She smiled down at the four year old. She can’t believe that the man she dreamed about all weekend was assuming she wasn’t the doctor. How could he be so judgmental of her without even knowing who she was?

  “I was riding trigger, he’s my pony. He got scared and I hit the ground on my arm and it hurt but not now. Did I break it?” Benny said without talking a breath.

  “Boy for being only four you are good. And I don’t think you did but like your dad said it doesn’t hurt to check.” She then looks up at his father to confirm he is the father and when he nods that he is she continues. “I don’t think it is broke but I think we should x-ray the wrist just to be sure. Sarah will be here in just a minute to take him down.” Annabelle got up to leave the room and said to Benny, “I’ll be back once you get the x-rays to tell ya what it says.” She left the room for her next patient.

  Sarah and Ben headed to x-ray with Benny and handed him over to the tech. “I have to ask how old is that doctor she looked like she should be in school?” Ben asked as soon as the door shut.

  “Well she is twenty nine and has been a doc for four years. Why do you ask she is one of the best we have?” Sarah asked.

  “She looks younger than that. If you say she is the best I will believe you si
s. How are you and Matt?” Ben responds while twirling his hat in his hands. He was lost in the thought of the tiny woman who was the doctor and she was reminding him of someone else but he just could put his finger on whom or where he had seen her before.

  “We are good. You are still coming over for dinner on Wednesday right?”

  “Yes I’ll be there and Dad said he will watch Benny for us. If you had other things to do I know the way back and I’ll bring Benny back.”

  “Alright I’ll see you before you leave.”

  Back at the room Annabelle walks in with a smile on her face. “Well it’s not broke just sprained. So little one you will have to wear a sling for a couple of days and then be good as new. Now let’s get this sling on and you can be on your way.” She fit him with a sling and then left the room. The entire time she was with them she had to fight with herself to not get one more look at Ben. And both Ben and Benny left the room to say good bye to Sarah at the counter by the exit.

  “Where is my doc I want to say good bye to her to? She is purty.” Benny said loudly to Sarah. Ben was looking down the hall that is when he saw it the girl with the tattoo on her back. She was wearing heeled boots, tight jeans and a spaghetti strap tank top. He could see the top of the sun tattoo. He thought what the heck she was doing here. Maybe she was here with somebody or maybe he was dreaming about her so much he was starting to see her every place he went. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a leather jacket draped over her arm she was talking to one of the nurses she was too far away from him to hear what she was saying.

  “Well, let me see if she is still here honey.” Sarah turned and saw her. “Dr. Montgomery, Benny would like to thank you.” With that Annabelle turned and faced them. You could have knocked Ben over with a feather; the doctor was the woman from the club he was judging for her outfit. The angel he dreamed about all weekend. She slid her jacket on and walked over with a smile on her face already. She squatted down in front of Benny.

  “You don’t have to thank me Hun. It’s my job to fix little cowboys up.” She smiled and the stood while ruffling his hair.

  “You sure are party.” Benny said.

  “Thank you Hun.” With that she stepped away to walk out the door. Ben and Benny left behind her. They headed for his Ford crew cab pickup. Ben watched Annabelle head for a purple Harley. He couldn’t believe that tiny woman was going to get on a bike. Once he had Benny in the truck in his booster seat he dared to take one more look at her. There she was straddling the bike with her helmet on revving the motor. When the thought crossed his mind, what would it feel like to ride a bike with her and have her holding him, almost floored him? What why was he almost drooling over a woman who was nothing like his Veronica his safe cowgirl he married right after high school?

  Chapter 3

  Wednesday night, at Sarah and Matt’s house Annabelle showed up early on her Harley and parked it next to Sarah’s Honda. Annabelle walked up to the door with a bottle of wine. Sarah opened the door before she was even up to it. “Annabelle, would you please help me in the kitchen. And we need to put that wine on ice for dinner.” She couldn’t figure out what was up with Sarah and why she was waiting for her to show up. While in the kitchen Sarah and Annabelle were talking when the doorbell rang. “Mathew, would you please get that.”

  “All ready halfway there. It’s probably just Ben.” Matt said while opening the door. “Hey Ben.”

  “When did you get a Harley?” Ben said while looking at the Harley in the drive.

  “Didn’t that’s Annabelle’s. She is joining us for dinner.”

  “Sarah’s still trying to set me up. When is she going to learn I’m not ready for anyone?” Ben said while coming into the house. Sarah was always trying to set him up with different women since his wife died but he just never saw anything in any of them that compared to her.

  “She won’t rest till you are happy again. How are things at the ranch since I left?” Matt said while leading to the living room. Matt and Ben sat in the living room waiting for the women to come out of the kitchen.

  In the kitchen:

  Annabelle whispered to Sarah, “How the heck do you know Ben? And please tell me this isn’t a set up?”

  “I have known Ben since grade school. And I plead the fifth. You really should get out there and date how are you going to find mister right?” Sarah said while grabbing the dishes for dinner. Once in the dining room Sarah said to Ben, “You have met Annabelle before except I think you may know her as Dr. Montgomery. And Annabelle you met Ben.” Ben stood to look at Annabelle and got lost in those passionate eyes. Annabelle lost herself in his eyes as well and the moment seemed forever. Sarah coughed to get their attention. “Shall we eat?” Sarah then looked at Matt with a knowing look of I told you so.

  Everyone sat to eat and had a pleasant meal except with a heavy tension in the air. “So Dr. Montgomery, tell me about yourself since it seems my sis here is bound and determined to set us up.”

  “Oh you’re related I thought Sarah said she’s known you since grade school but you two look nothing alike.” Everyone started to giggle at what Annabelle said. “What did I say something stupid?”

  “Oh no honey. You just have it all wrong we all went to school together and Ben’s first wife was my sister. He just has always called me his sis. And Matt is his best friend from school or as Ben refers to him as his brother works for him out at the ranch. Sorry I should have given you some back ground.”

  “Well Ben I grew up here went to school at UNR and now I live here not much to tell. And please just call me Annabelle no doctor when off duty.” Annabelle recovered from her mistake. Annabelle knew Sarah was getting ready to tell her entire life story of school because she had the look of fire in her eyes but before she could say anything else Sarah blew her top.

  “Not much to tell! You are the youngest med school grad to ever leave UNR with the best grades. Don’t short change yourself. I’m sorry but anyone who graduates high school at sixteen, college by nineteen and med school by twenty two ands does a two year internship all before they are twenty five should be proud of their accomplishments. ” Exclaimed Sarah while giving Annabelle a stern look.

  “Ok so I am smart but that’s it. Now it’s your turn, Ben.” Annabelle said while trying to hide the fact she was blushing.

  “Well guess I’ll get it over with Sarah. I own Walker Ranch and work every day while raising my son. What else do you want to know?” Ben waited for the dollar signs to go off in her eyes like most other women. Every other woman he dated thought just because he owned a twenty thousand acre ranch that meant he was loaded and they could have an easy life. But the dollar signs never went off in her eyes, it almost seemed like she could care less.

  “Ok so you really are a cowboy and not just dress for the part.” With that Ben had a stupid look on his face. He just couldn’t believe she couldn’t care less if he had money most women didn’t act like this. But why all the black clothes and the spiked collars? “Sorry I don’t usually talk much about myself so if you have any further questions just ask Sarah. Sorry Sarah I need to step outside for some fresh air.” She got up from the table and walked out to the porch and sat on the swing. Why did everybody feel the need to try to set her up all the time? Ben was left at the table try to get the hurt look of Annabelle’s out of his mind. Why did she dress the way she did? Tonight she wore a pair of tight black jeans and a crotched black top with her heeled boots. Of course her jewelry was her spiked collar and her wrist had a smaller version on it. She had her hair in a French braid tonight but all he saw were her eyes that every time she had emotion behind would turn a little more darker purple. Her beauty would have made a weaker man fall to his knees before her. He started to have thoughts about what it would feel like to have that tiny woman pressed up against his body and the feel of those perfect heart shaped lips. Sarah got up and followed Annabelle out.

  “Honey what’s wrong?” Sarah asked while sitting on the swing with he
r.

  “Why does everybody judge me before they know me?” Annabelle asked without thinking. “Sorry I shouldn’t be asking you he is almost your brother.”

  “Oh trust me he is not perfect. I have watch that man go through hell and come back for his little boy. Besides there is nothing to judge you about. You are the sweetest person I know with the biggest heart but you do forget to let people love you back.” Sarah pushed the swing back with her foot.

  “You know since Evelyn, mom and dad I can’t love anyone. I’m just scared that person will get hurt too. Besides it’s not like he even noticed me.”

  “Honey you know what happened to your parents and little sister had nothing to do with you it was a drunk driver that killed them not you.” Sarah pulled Annabelle into her arms to give her a hug. “And besides when Ben saw you tonight I think that’s all he saw for a good five minutes.”

  “Not to sound mean but Ben was the husband of your sister Vicky right?” Sarah nodded her response. “Well he is kind of cute.”

  “Cute honey he more than cute! He is one fine looking man!”

  “Sarah! How could you, you’re married to his best friend.”

  “I know honey but I have watched him grow up from a gangly kid to the man he is today. And if he is ever mean to you tell me and I’ll knock him around for you. Besides what could one date hurt?”

  “Tell me more about him.”

  “Well he loves his land, his son and God. What more is there to tell? Besides the fact, that he is one fine looking man?” Annabelle was lost in thought about the fact that he loved God. But would he except her for who she is and the way she was with God.

  ~

  In the dining room:

  “Matt would you tell me more about Annabelle. I’m trying to see what Sarah had in mind by trying to set us up.” Ben asked without looking at Matt.

  “Well she loves being a doctor, kids and God. And have you ever seen her ride dang if I wasn’t married I would think of chasing her.” Ben was lost in thought about her love of God. But she was so wild how could she have the love for the same god he did. While lost in his own thoughts thunder clapped outside and he could hear the rain start to pour down outside. Matt jumped up and ran out the front door.