Destined Mates: Purely Paranormal Pleasures

Chapter 2: Meet Stephanie

"No, no, no," Stephanie slammed her hands down on the steering wheel of her tiny car. The tiny Smart car was cute as pie to look at. Totally worth it too. Well, when she'd lived in the city it had been worth it.

But out in the boonies, also known as the beach town of Maccon City, New Jersey, the damn automobile was more trouble than it was worth.

The thing could hardly make it up the sandy dirt covered private road that would soon lead to the beautifully preserved cobblestone driveway of the illustrious Leeds family.

According to her research, the Leeds were one of the original founding families of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Like her own family tree, theirs dated all the way back to revolutionary times. What an interesting coincidence!

Not that she knew all that much about the state or her ancestors having grown up in western Pennsylvania. Stephanie had recently moved to Maccon City to be closer to her new job. A job she landed with the help of her two BFF's.

She missed Cora and Leandra every day. The three of them did everything together! Had since they were teens at the exclusive, another word for stuck-up, Mrs. Parker's School for Girls. Tucked away from normal teenagers in the wilds of Pennsylvania, the three of them had formed a little sisterhood. Vowing to always be there for each other.

They attended college together at the Brandywine campus of Penn State, opting to rent an apartment over dorm life. They even stayed, continuing to live together, after graduation. All working jobs in nearby Philadelphia.

Everything was fine until Cora got a job at a bank overseas. Stephanie was happy for her brilliant mathematician friend. You bet she was. Only, her heart squeezed at seeing her go.

That shocking announcement was soon followed by another from Leandra. Her other roommate having decided to move to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a stage performer.

Another devastating blow to the rather introverted Stephanie. Her feelings of abandonment aside, she managed to be happy for them both. Besides, they had helped her find the perfect job and town to move to before they left. In true BFF fashion.

I miss those two, she thought as she curved around the long, winding road. Too much time had passed between visits. Sure, they still sent her emails and texts. Especially Cora.

Stephanie was almost overwhelmed by her constant barrage of the latest dating apps and trends for her perpetually single friend. Sigh. They knew her too well. Fact check: She was way too shy to go to bars or clubs without her two BFFs there to bolster her.

Her experience with the opposite s*x wasn't all that satisfying. Still, she'd had to promise her two besties that she would start dating after she got the hang of being on her own. In a year or two or three.

Back in Brandywine, she'd had a sort of friends with benefits thing going on with a guy from work. It had ended before she left, and where she didn't miss Mark, she missed s*x. Just the thought of no s*x for months made her want to cry. For a shy girl, Stephanie openly enjoyed s*x, though she'd only ever engaged with someone she'd known on a friendly basis first.

Maybe I should Tinder? She scrunched up her nose. She doubted she could go through with it. If only life were a romance novel and she'd get swept away by some gorgeous man who'd keep her captive for a weekend and have his wicked way with her. That led to a smirk and a snort.

Sexy rakes weren't exactly thick on the ground in New Jersey these days. Or anywhere for that matter. And if they were, chubby blondes would probably not be on their top ten women to seduce. Oh well, so much for fantasies. Back to work.

As the official Director of Charitable Donations for the Committee to Preserve the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Stephanie was finally putting her degree in environmental sciences, minor in finance, to good use. Maccon City might not have been on her radar before, but the small beach town was close to perfect. And it was as close as she could get to the somewhat protected area she was trying to save.

Somewhat protected. A silly, yet real description of the lands that the committee sought to protect. The fact was, the Pine Barrens were in danger!

Many would question why anyone would want to save what was basically, a harsh environment not suited for much, but to Stephanie the place was so much more. There was history there. Hers. Sure, the soil was too sandy and acidic for farming, but local wildlife depended on it to survive.

It was true that large predators like wolves, cougars, and bears had been hunted out of existence in the area some time ago. But some, like black bears, were slowly coming back to the pinelands to live and breed.

Other creatures like the gray fox, beavers, river otters, white deer, and various species of frogs and reptiles thrived there. Recently, she'd heard rumors of gray wolves in the area! Wouldn't that be something?

It was also important for hundreds of migrating birds as a place to stop, find nourishment, and even nest. Nature lovers everywhere came to hike through the many trails and kayak down the rivers and lakes in the barrens.

Stephanie was all for saving species and keeping the lands and forests a safe haven for nature to thrive. Though what she especially loved was going on hikes through the ghost towns of the barrens. To her surprise, she'd discovered quite a few hidden treasures among the shrubby forest. Abandoned cranberry farms, crumbling brick, iron, and glass factories, and the ruins paper mills dotted the landscape.

The remnants of these eighteenth and nineteenth century establishments still stood almost perfectly intact in some places, though the barrens had already begun slowly reclaiming the land from the decaying buildings.

Roads and trails nearly unrecognizable, she'd already gone on more than one guided tour of the ghost towns. Hooked on the local lore and legends, such as the Black Dog, the Hag of the Barrens, and of course, the Jersey Devil himself.

Imagine her astonishment when a big development firm, Viridi Lux Real Estate, started the paperwork necessary to develop huge tracts of land in the barrens themselves!

She'd immediately started investigating, putting all the clout of her new position to use. Still, she was unable to garner a single tidbit of information about their plan. It was all very hush hush.

Rumors of strip malls and shopping centers floated around town. Yuck. Gag. The horror. As were the rumors that Viridi Lux had greased some very influential palms. Ah ha! Dirty evil-doers! She knew the firm was not to be trusted.

The entire thing stunk to Stephanie Decatur. She was a good girl at heart, despite the fact that she was left at Mrs. Parker's at the behest of her mother and father who enjoyed parties and travelling more than they did their daughter.

Aware that she cramped their lifestyle, she preferred to find joy in simple things like nature and her studies. Her old alma mater encouraged charitable work, and she found herself giving back to the community as a volunteer at senior centers and animal shelters back in PA. She'd have to find some here, she thought to herself.

And she would do all those things again, after she settled into her new home and her job. She grinned just thinking about her new job. What a wonderful feeling to be part of something as important as the preservation of an entire ecosystem! She would do everything she could to help keep the Pine Barrens wild and undeveloped.

She had more than just her job at stake. Her own family hailed from South Jersey hundreds of years ago, dating all the way back to the Revolution. In fact, her great-great-great- grand something was a naval commodore.

She'd found his information in an old family Bible that she'd inherited after her jet setting parents had died in a plane crash before her twenty-first birthday. There'd been little money left, enough to pay off her loans and get her the little Smart car. Ugh.

With Cora and Leandra gone, Stephanie was lonelier than ever. As the last Decatur around, she was determined to keep as much of her original home state preserved as possible! It was her duty. Which was why she was on this godforsaken drive to seek out one Mrs. Margot Leeds and to ask, no, beg if necessary, for the funds to buy the land out from Viridi Lux!

Thunder rumbled across the sky and she peeked out her window at the ominous looking clouds. Why were Spring storms always the worst? She sighed and rolled up the glass hoping to keep the spray off her should it start falling.

"Come on, one more mile, dammit," she swore as smoke started pouring from the hood of her lemon-yellow car.

It was after five o'clock on Friday. This was her last stop of what had been a very, very long week. The sky was darkening. The huge clouds rolling along quickly, weighing heavily in the air. She cursed as her car stalled one final time.

"Dammit!" Stephanie grabbed her purse and slammed the door shut as she struggled to get out of her seat. Stupid tiny car. Good for environment. Bad for fluffy girls like her.

Might as well head to Mrs. Leeds' house and call a tow truck from there, she figured. The woman had been gracious and inviting on the phone. Finally returning Stephanie's call after she'd tracked down the estate attorney, a Mr. Henries. It would take her fifteen minutes to get to the house, but she was sure the kind older woman wouldn't mind.

Besides, heaven knew Stephanie could use the exercise. Her cell phone was probably still sitting on her kitchen counter next to her barely touched coffee. Of course it was.

Two minutes into her trek along the sandy, dirt road and lightning erupted across the sky followed by a roaring clap that made her jump. Of course it did. If Cora and Leandra could just see her now. SMH. She'd never live it down.

She could almost hear their simultaneous cries. You've got the worst luck, Steph! It was true. She did. Anytime they'd planned a day trip, it either rained or snowed the second she got in her car.

She'd ruined more picnics, beach days, and weekend camping trips with her friends than she could even count. Not that they minded. True BFFs they simply packed the ponchos and rainboots. If only she'd remembered them now. Sigh.

"Crap. Crap. Crap!" She groaned as the first few drops fell on her head. Okay, it was not so bad. A drizzle really.

The following splat, splat, splat, splat, splatsplatsplatsplat caused minor panic to swell in her chest. Nope, of course it would not simply drizzle for her. Dismay increasing as her carefully styled, wavy blonde hair quickly became plastered to her head.

With a heavy sigh, Stephanie gripped her purse and hurried along the suddenly very difficult to see path. Darkness fell quickly with the rain. The only hints of light were the bouts of lightning that flashed every few minutes. She refused to think of the animals that stayed hidden in the trees along the road. She knew far too well what lived in those woods. Eep!

"Ow!" Panic flaring, she stepped into a small hole, rolling her ankle and falling to her knees in the quickly gathering mud. Stephanie groaned, kicked off her high heels, and scrambled to her feet.

"OW! Dammit," she yelled as pain shot through her right ankle.

"That's just great," she hobbled forward, mumbling to herself as she heaved up the steep incline. She could have sobbed with gratitude when her bare feet came into contact with a cobblestone road. The one that would take her right to Mrs. Leeds' driveway. So close!

"Finally. Oh, thank God," she whimpered and limped towards the gate.

Whining wasn't really her thing, but these were extenuating circumstances. Soaked to the bone and injured! She had no choice really. Whine or break down and cry in the middle of the private drive before she even got to the begging part. Heck no! She would not give up now!

Aching and freezing, Stephanie stopped for a second and stared at the enormous house before her. The Leeds Mansion had definitely earned that title. The place was huge! There was so much to take in. The marvel of the construction itself, the setting with the barrens as a backdrop, it was simply overwhelming! She'd need days or weeks to study it all. If only.

The private cobblestone road stopped at a wrought iron gate. A locked gate. Of course. But beyond that was an absolute wonderland. The gorgeous cobblestone drive continued, leading the way to a huge castle-like abode at the very edge of the barrens she wanted to preserve! Like something out of a fairytale. The Beast's castle, she mused.

Excitement and awe warred within her. This place screamed old money. Would Mrs. Leeds even let her in the door? She had been invited, though perhaps arriving soaked and muddy wasn't the best way to meet the person you were hitting up for some funds.

Oh well, she'd come too far not to try! Rain and mud be damned! She looked for a bell or intercom only to find an "out of service" note taped to it. More of my wonderful luck.

"Oh no," she growled. A deep growl sounded from off to the side and Stephanie paused. Oh crap! Bear? Fox? Wolf? Like it mattered. Any of them would do some serious harm. Panicked and more than a little worried, Stephanie shook the huge gate. She pounded the iron bars and rattled the door on its hinges, but the thing did not budge.

There was no way in hell she was hobbling back down to her car. Especially not with the possibility of big-toothed predators lurking nearby. Besides, the stupid thing wouldn't start anyway, and she had no phone.

Lightning crack and thunder shook the skies overhead. Shivers ran down her spine, were it not for the rain she'd probably break out in a nervous sweat. The linen dress that was so comfortable in the warm afternoon sun, was itchy and completely see-through now that it was drenched and plastered to her many curves.

As a plump, or as she preferred to be called, fluffy chick, she didn't normally do dresses. But today had been special. She'd had a lunch date with Tommy from work. Or, that is, she thought she had when she'd gotten up that morning.

After waiting twenty minutes for Tommy, the rat, at Roll Over, a local sushi joint, she'd finally decided she'd had enough and left. Unfortunately, being stood up was not uncommon for her. It had happened before and according to her friends was because she chose the wrong men. Or as they called them, guys with sticks up their asses and small d***s they don't know how to use.

Taste in men aside, she was stuck wearing a stupid linen dress in the stupid rain! Also, now that she thought about it, she was hungry and cranky from her missed lunch. Worst of all, she was soaking wet and her car, her poor, tiny car, had broken down. Again.

If these people thought they were going to lock her out of the one place that promised sanctuary in a five-mile radius, they were crazy! Stephanie simply wasn't going down like that! Straightening her spine, she walked past the broken intercom, wiped the rain from her eyes, thanked God she chose waterproof mascara, and looked for the lowest side of the gate.

"Found you, you bastard," she growled and swung her purse over the black wrought iron.

Only grimacing slightly when the once butter soft, ivory leather bag landed upside down in a muddy puddle on the cobblestoned ground.

"Okay, now me."

Cue the ominous music. Key word: fluffy. Stephanie might enjoy hiking and swimming, even some light tae kwon do. But climbing a fence while injured and hoisting herself onto said seven-foot tall fence was something else entirely.

"No choice," she growled, a fierce determination shining from her blue eyes.

Thunder boomed and her foot slipped off the rung the first time she tried. The second time, she stepped onto the rung and quickly found she wasn't going to be able to lift her legs in the tight confines of her linen dress.

Groaning, she dropped to the ground once again, avoiding landing on her hurt ankle. Stephanie swore aloud for the tenth time in a row. Unable to rip the surprisingly sturdy fabric, she had no other choice but to peel it off her wet body.

"Okay, third time's the charm, Stephie-girl," she grunted as she climbed and heaved herself up onto the top of the fence. Thankfully the spikes were only every couple of feet. The space she now occupied was flat, if a little bit high.

It was the getting down that concerned her. Crap on a cracker. She hadn't thought through to that part. Nor did she remember to toss her dress over to the other side of the fence. Uh oh.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The sound of a deeply masculine voice reached her ears. Startled and shocked, the rich timbre of the question not only brought her focus to the man, the naked man, standing in the rain below her, but made certain slumbering parts of her stand up and take notice as well.

Hot damn! Through the falling droplets of rain, Stephanie looked down into the darkest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. She had time to think one word before she felt herself slipping. Gorgeous...

"Ah!" Losing her balance, she fell forward and almost crashed down onto the undoubtedly hard, though rain-soaked cobblestone. Almost. If not for the sudden expanse of man that now cushioned her curvy body. Eep!