"Love in the Great Pine Woods" by Gratiana Lovelace (2015-2016) (Completed)

Ch. 06 (PG-13, D, L): A Walk in the Woods Turns Tragic

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 06 (PG-13, D, L): A Walk in the Woods Turns Tragic, November 28, 2015 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #837)

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace; all rights reserved) [(1) story cover, left]

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story characters with: Richard Armitage as Sam Wakeforest, Marcia Gay Harden as Sam's older sister Tessa Wakeforest Shoop Delaney, and Emily Deschanel as Tessa's sister-in-law Olivia Delaney, Viola Davis as Pauletta Perkins, Cicely Tyson as Nellie Newton, and Anna Sophia Robb as Alice Trent, Kevin Spacey as Roger Delaney, Sam Heughan as Todd Wakeforest, Idris Elba as Dominic Perkins and others as noted.]

Authors Content Note: "Love in the Great Pine Woods" is a mature love story with dramatic themes of love and relationships. It will mostly be at the PG and PG-13 movie levels. Specific chapters or passages may have a further rating of: L for language, D for dramatic emotions, and S for sensual themes. And I will rate the chapters accordingly. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide for a chapter, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer. And as is my habit, I will summarize the previous chapter's events at the beginning of the next chapter.

Authors Recap from the Previous Chapter: The opening of the Wakeforest Family XMAS Tree Farm on Friday heralds the start of the busy holiday season. And as Sam Wakeforest and Olivia Delaney begin to explore possibly dating each other--their kisses on Thanksgiving having cemented both of their interests in that regard. However, it was the unexpected arrival of the runaway teen Alice with her baby brother Timmy that caused all of the adults to focus on helping her--with Tessa and Roger Delaney taking her in to house her as their foster children while they and Mrs. Perkins attempt to resolve Alice's desperate situation. And owing to their Friday night dinner date being cancelled--in lieu of having dinner with the Delaney's and Alice--Sam and Olivia will try again on Saturday. But Saturday will not turn out as anyone expects when events unfold that will cause the Wakeforest family grave concern as the treacherous nature of the mountain and its environs endangers one of their own.

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 6 (PG-13, D, L)--A Walk in the Woods Turns Tragic

When Sam invited Olivia to have lunch at his log cabin in the woods on Saturday, he envisioned a cozy tete-a-tete with, perhaps, some playful couch wrestling for dessert. That is so not what happens. First off, Sam and Olivia are not alone--they have a chaperone. Sam understands that Olivia's brother Roger wants to protect her from malicious gossip were it known that she were alone with a man. But Sam could not have foreseen the lengths to which her brother would go--as in, joining them for lunch at Sam's log cabin. Brothers are definitely romance killers.

And Sam doesn't remember being similarly concerned when his sister Tessa was dating Roger before they married. Afterall, Tessa was a widow. So she had been married--and all that being married entails. Though frankly, Sam doesn't want to think about his older sister in such a ... well, such a situation. Sam doesn't think the word position, because that conjures up other connotations regarding his sister Tessa. But still, he would hope that his brother-in-law Roger would cut him a little slack and give him a bit of leeway with his sister Olivia. Not a chance.

So there is nothing for it but to pick up three sub sandwiches to go at Hannah's Diner in town and then drive into the woods on the mountain to Sam's log cabin [(2)] . It is snowy and the forest is heavily foliaged at midday--lending almost a twilight feel to the day. But nightfall is much darker since the thicket of trees prevent the moon's rays from filtering down to ground level.