"Gwen, you only went to a couple home games last year. Kate went to everyone that she could, and I attended a few with her," pointed out Paula. "It isn't all that unusual for Kate and me to go to a football game, and Lisa was a cheerleader when she was a senior, so I can understand her wanting to go. How is it that you're going to an away game now?"
"I'm a senior this year, Mother," replied Gwen somewhat testily. "You're the one that told me I should enjoy my senior year more. That's all I'm trying to do."
"Sure. You just want to watch Gifford kick our butts up and down the field. It has nothing to do with a certain stud football player that's blinded by your beauty," teased Kate.
"I don't know if I approve of you going out with this young man, especially under these conditions. No woman should be forced to do something like this against her will," reasoned her father. "Maybe I should have a talk with this Steve person and nip this situation in the bud?"
"Yeah, Dad! Every girl wants her father to "speak" to her hot date. Have you not been listening? He isn't taking advantage of Gwen! If anything, Gwen is toying with him. He'll chase her until she decides to let him catch her. Protecting Gwen from the best looking guy in her school is hardly necessary, and certainly not wanted," replied Kate with vigor.
As the teams warmed up, Kate turned and spoke to Gwen, "Well, at least Dad decided not to come, so you don't have to worry about him giving Steve a talking to. Mom and I won't embarrass you too bad, but you know Lisa. When she sees Steve, she won't be thinking about how she's three years older than he is. Don't let her steal him away."
"Kate, I don't know where you developed such a low opinion of me, but I would never go after any of my sister's boyfriends, and I expect the same from you. We're family and we support each other, and that certainly includes keeping boyfriends!" insisted Lisa.
"I overheard Bill Johnson talking to Ken Bradley at the refreshment stand a little while ago. Their sons are on the team and both fathers felt that this was going to be a very good year for the football team. They have a new coach, a new quarterback, and a very new offensive scheme according to those two. They said tonight's game will be different than any game the team has ever played," recounted Paula. "I asked them why and they just grinned. They said that they were sworn to secrecy, but I should be ready for a lot of scoring."
Sparta won the coin toss and elected to defend on the first possession of the game. After the kick-off, Gifford had the ball on the forty-two yard line. Their senior halfback, Will Jauron, had won the league rushing title as a Junior and immediately picked up where he had left off the previous season. Sparta's defense worked hard, but Jauron managed to average five yards with every carry. Then he carried the ball in for a score from the fifteen yard line. They tacked on the extra point and after five minutes of play, Gifford had a 7-0 lead.
"Uh-oh, Gwen! You may be home reading your novel tomorrow night after all," worried Kate.
"I just want to know what position your Prince Charming is playing," complained Lisa. "So far, I'm not very impressed with any of the Spartan players."
Gifford kicked off and the nervous sophomore returner fumbled the ball. By the time the dust had settled, Gifford had recovered on the five yard line. Jauron ran it in for the score on the very next play. With just over five minutes gone, Gifford led 14-0. Again Gifford kicked off, but this time the kid on the receiving end managed to hang on, although he lost five yards on his attempted run back. Sparta had the ball on the 27 yard line when its offensive unit took the field.
"There's Steve!" yelled Kate. "He's number 12. He must be the quarterback! He looks hot even with a football helmet on."
Paula glanced over at Gwen to see her reaction. Gwen had her pocketbook straps twisted in knots. She was staring intently at the playing field as she tortured her purse. Paula smiled to herself and returned her attention to the game. It was pretty plain that Gwen had not been exactly truthful about her feelings for the young man that had asked her to the dance. As that thought crossed her mind, a roar went up from Sparta's section.
Sparta's running back had managed a pretty good season the previous year. He was third in the league in rushing, and that was with a mediocre team. Everyone expected him to be the workhorse of the Spartan offense. On the first play from scrimmage, Steve took the snap and turned and tucked the ball into the halfback's stomach. The back hit the line hard and managed to gain some positive yards. That was when the fans, as well as the Gifford defense, realized that Steve still held the football. He looked left and pulled his arm back. Then he suddenly turned to his right and lofted a pass deep down the right sideline. Billy Harris was at least ten yards beyond the defender as he gathered the ball in full stride at the twenty yard line and raced into the end zone!
The Gifford section was dead silent, but the Spartan side made up for it. High fives, loud cheers, and whistles swept through the stands. Gwen realized that she was one of the loudest fans as she yelled and screamed her approval. Her sisters and mother were right next to her, showing their excitement over the turn of events.
"My God, Gwen! He must have thrown that ball fifty yards! He sure seems serious about winning this game and keeping his date," laughed Lisa. "Kate, let me have those binoculars so I can get a good look at our hero."
Lisa focused in on number twelve as he and his team mates slapped each other on the back. She quickly determined that Steve was a very popular man at the moment. He was taller than all but a couple linemen and looked every bit as strong. Then she saw him scanning the Sparta cheering section, obviously looking for someone.
"Wave ladies," Lisa instructed as she held her free hand high and whipped it around. "Our hero is looking for Gwen to make sure she saw that great play. Let him know what we think!"
With that, Kate and Paula stood up again and began waving frantically toward the Spartan bench area. Almost reluctantly, Gwen stood up and gave her best imitation of the Queen of England by moving her hand back and forth a few inches in front of her face.
"I don't know how, but he found you, Gwen! His smile just doubled in size. Maybe Kate, Mom, and I helped a little by being such boisterous fans," suggested Lisa. "Holy cow! He's a gorgeous looking man, Gwen! You started right at the top!"
The score was tied at half time at 28. The Spartan offense managed to score every time it had the ball. Steve passed on most plays, but they did very well every time they handed the ball off to the running back. The Spartan defense had begun to stiffen and once they began to slow down Jauron, Gifford had no alternatives. They tried a few passes, but their quarterback showed poor decision making and a rather weak arm.
Sparta scored on the first possession of the second half to take the lead and never looked back. The final score was 49-31. When the game ended Sparta's faithful poured onto the field and mobbed the players. Paula could see Steve smile as fans and players slapped his back and shook his hand.
"So, Sis. Should we go down and congratulate our newfound hero?" teased Kate. "It looks like the cheerleaders are doing just that. Look at those shameless hussies hugging Steve and kissing his cheeks! We need to get you down there to stake out your claim! Let's go."
"No, Kate. I'm not going to make an ass of myself in front of those bimbos. I told you that he'd have all kinds of pretty girls after him. It just happened faster than I had anticipated. I never dreamed he'd be such an athlete. Let's go home," added an obviously dejected Gwen as she started down to the exit.
In order to leave the stands, they had to descend down almost to the playing field, then turn and go out a runway under the bleachers. Gwen was just beginning to make the turn when she heard her name called. Surprised, she looked over her shoulder to see Steve standing near the bleachers. He was looking directly at her and pretty much ignoring all the well-wishers around him. Gwen felt hands push her toward the railing. Her feet seemed to move on their own accord as she shuffled up to the railing and looked down at Steve.
Steve smiled, reached up and grabbed the rail and vaulted up so he stood on the platform near Gwen, with the handrail between them. Those fans that had been headed for the exits all seemed to stop, and suddenly became very quiet.
"I'm going to need directions to your house so I can pick you up for the dance tomorrow night, Gwen. What time should I get there? What's your phone number? You aren't going to back out on me, are you?" quizzed Steve as a beautiful blonde girl suddenly stepped up to him and hugged him tightly over the railing.
"Give me your number and I'll get you all of Gwen's information. I'm her sister, Lisa, and you've made my day. Look at all of those cheerleaders with their mouths hanging open," whispered Lisa directly into Steve's ear. "You be good to Gwen. She's really, really smart about a lot of things, but she's new to this. Please don't hurt her."
With that, Lisa stepped back and declared, "Kate, you weren't kidding. Gwen's new boyfriend is a hunk! It makes me wish I was three years younger. Steve, can you ride back to Sparta with us, or do you have to ride the team bus?"
"Dinner will be ready in an hour and a half, Steve. Would you like to lie down for awhile? You look a little drowsy," commented Paula. "Good idea, Mom! Come on, Steve. I'll help you get situated. I forget what you've been through, at least until I look at your face. Let's get you in bed so you can rest," prompted Gwen. "You'd better come back and watch TV with us pretty soon or we'll all know he's not getting any rest," laughed Caroline as Gwen closed the bedroom door. "Mom, do you think we made a mistake allowing Gwen to be with Steve?" asked Paula in a serious tone. "Seriously? Not even close. I'm a little old fashioned, but you can't keep those two apart, even if you tried. They wouldn't lie or sneak around, but that boy has a serious dose of testosterone pumping in his veins and Gwen is about as beautiful a woman as I've ever seen. They can't be kept apart and it would be wrong to try. They aren't your average high school kids, not by a long shot. I don't think there's any limi
Gwen rushed over to Laura and followed her out of the room. Steve was covered in bandages and once again had an IV plugged into his left arm. Gwen walked up to his bed and took his hand and smiled. Steve tried to smile back and groaned as his split lip reminded him of his ordeal."Steve, you know what this means, don't you?" asked Gwen. "I'm going to have to wash your back in the shower again. You know I'm going to make you stay with us and I'm going to smother you in love. I just hope you're healthy enough to survive it because it's going to be constant and intense. Think you can stand it?""That's all I could think about when I was lying under that damn rock ledge! I knew if I could just hang on, you'd be rubbing your naked breasts against me again, washing my back and allowing me to wash your front. I had to time to think about my love for you, Gwen. I'll never love another woman the way I love you. I know that.""Oh, Steve! My heart was breaking when you were taken away, but I nev
"I decided to check out his chest area for any injuries or punctures. His chest, stomach, and back were all covered with horrible long black bruises. It's pretty apparent that the guy must have beaten Steve with some sort of club!"Cries and moans filled the room at Brad's statement. He waited for the ladies to collect themselves. "He also had shrapnel buried in his back, buttocks, and legs. One large fragment and several smaller ones appeared to be infected. He's quite ill. I have no idea what sort of internal injuries he may have suffered from the beating and the wreck. His face is badly swollen, with one eye totally closed. There you have it as far as I can report. Obviously, the doctors will have much better idea of the extent of his health problems."No one had expected to hear that Steve had been badly beaten before crashing and then enduring several days in a blizzard. Everyone wore shocked expressions and tears flowed freely. Paula hugged Gwen and cooed into her ear much as sh
They had formed a plan for searching while in the copter and moved out to follow that plan. Two days later they still had almost half of the area they wanted to search untouched. The snow was well over three feet with drifts eight and ten feet high. They felt a real urgency as they pushed through the snow. It was not likely that anyone would survive for days in this environment without proper equipment. They feared that their window of opportunity for finding Steve alive was rapidly closing.They were not looking for a body. They searched likely areas where a man in distress would look for shelter during a storm. They looked for caves in the hillside, smoke in the air, tracks in the snow, and deadfalls where downed trees could offer some protection from the elements. By Friday afternoon, they were tired and discouraged, but in agreement that they would not end their search until they found Steve. Neither brother wanted to return home from this mission they had undertaken empty handed.
Steve had been taken totally by surprise when the gunman appeared from behind the car. He cursed himself for being so careless, and for endangering Lisa. Her fear was obvious, but it forced Steve to remain calm. The situation was tense and he knew that he needed to remove Lisa from danger.As soon as he realized that he was the man's real focus, Steve decided that he'd go with him if Lisa were allowed to leave unharmed. Steve was also certain that if Lisa was hurt in any way, he would find some way to wreak vengeance on the gunman.As the man secured his hands, Lisa was allowed to slip away. Steve was under no illusions about what was facing him, but with Lisa safe, he would be able to face it without concern for her.They drove a couple miles with his hands strapped to the car door. Then the gunman turned into a driveway as the garage door opened. He pulled alongside an SUV, shut the motor off, and closed the garage door. Steve's abductor then walked around the front of the car. As h
"They had a blizzard up there a couple days ago. There's two feet of new snow and the temperatures have been in the teens with a strong wind since then. Steve must be in that weather, trying to survive after blowing that bastard to hell. He'll need help!""I have some connections," declared Brad as he headed out of the room. "Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out."Ten minutes later, Brad came back into the living room. "I called in a few favors to get this information. They found body parts all over the wreckage, but none were Steve's. They did find blood on some of the wreckage that was Steve's. They feel it's possible that he's alive and on foot in the Burns National Forest. Amber's dad tried to send the National Guard in with helicopters and other equipment, but couldn't because there's another blizzard bearing down on the area right now. They can't risk more lives, so they have to wait it out. They think it'll be clear by the weekend, or maybe Friday and they'll go