Return to Red Creek by Nathan Hystad (free ebooks romance novels .txt) 📕

ten, and she’d been putting Brent off a lot lately, trying to get her final project done before spring break next week.

She blew a loose strand of hair off her face and texted him back, smiling as she did: fine. But you gotta meet me halfway

Brent knew about her fear of being alone in the dark and was always nice about it. She hurried over the path leading to her residence, scanning the courtyard diligently as she crossed it. A few other students milled about, friends and couples heading to and from Friday night festivities.

She suddenly felt less tired and was excited to see Brent, even though they’d had lunch together that day. Taylor took the stone steps two at a time as she approached the Gothic dorm building. The exterior of the residence was beautiful, the façade holding up much better than the shared rooms had over the test of time.

The halls were well-lit as Taylor headed home to drop her stuff off and change her shirt. As she neared the end of the hall, she saw the crack under her door was dark. Karen was either sleeping or still out, but Taylor’s money was on sleeping. Her roommate was a philosophy student and didn’t get out much socially. On the rare occasion, Taylor had been able to persuade the reserved eighteen-year-old to have coffee with some people, and even hit a party or two, but she always seemed uncomfortable during it.

As the door creaked open, Taylor saw the bed was actually empty.

“Good for you, Karen,” she said to her absent roommate. Taylor dropped her bag on her bed, which sat in the right corner of the tiny room. After plugging her laptop in, she went to the cramped closet she and Karen had to share, and searched for something that didn’t scream introvert at the top of its lungs. She was getting better as the year went on, and she was proud of herself on so many levels.

She settled on a t-shirt from a long-gone rock band, one of her dad’s favorites, and pulled the elastic from her hair, letting it fall freely to her back. Taylor was glad to be in this dorm. It was women only, and each room had a sink and mirror in a room no bigger than a closet. She went inside and combed her long brown hair, wondering idly if she should dye it. She thought she’d caught Brent checking out a blonde girl in class more than once. Maybe it was time for a change.

Taylor grabbed a light jacket and her phone, remembering she wanted to text her dad. With expert efficiency, she keyed the message and hit send. Dad, I wanted to say thank you again. I love it here. See you soon. Spring break!

She slipped the phone into her pocket and left for the party.

Five minutes later, she saw Brent walking toward her, and when he spotted her, his arm came up, giving her a wave. He jogged the rest of the way and picked her up, spinning her around before setting her to the ground in a flourish.

“Thanks for coming, baby,” he said. His breath smelled like beer, and he was slightly unsteady on his feet as he held her close.

“Someone’s been having a little too much fun without me,” Taylor scolded with a laugh.

“It’s never fun when you’re not there,” he said a little too loudly.

“You’re full of it. Let’s go, it’s getting cold out.” Spring was coming, but nights were cool in upstate New York.

Brent pulled away, glancing at her with his light brown eyes. His hair was swept to the side, and as always, he wore a goofy grin on his handsome face. He was a bad influence on her, but Taylor didn’t care. She worked hard and needed some enjoyment while she went to school.

His arm settled around her waist as they walked down the cobblestone sidewalk, heading for the pledge house a bit off campus. Birds sang from perches along Walker Lake, and Taylor thought life might just be perfect.

“What do you think about me coming to Manhattan during spring break?” Brent asked.

Taylor noticed herself trying to step away from him after he asked and chalked it up to surprise. Her parents hadn’t met Brent yet. Actually, they didn’t know he existed. Her dad was a little protective over her, although “little” might be a stretch. He was insanely protective of her, not that she blamed him. If anyone else had been through what they’d experienced twelve years ago, they’d be the same way.

She didn’t know what to say and could tell that taking her time responding was only going to start an argument. Maybe it was time they met him. They’d been seeing each other since a month into the school year.

“Seriously? You can’t even say anything to that?” Brent let go of her and walked away faster, head lowered in a sulk.

“Wait, B. It’s not that I don’t want you to meet them. It’s my dad. He’s…”

“He’s the Paul Alenn. Horror writer aficionado. I’ve been reading his stuff, you know. Doesn’t seem like the fun-loving guy you always describe. He seems…”

“Dark? Brooding? Demented?” Taylor asked, catching up to Brent. She wrapped her arm in his and kissed his cheek.

“All of the above. How he fathered such a nice young woman, I’ll never understand,” Brent said. It appeared the argument was over, but she still needed to give him an answer.

“Sure. Why don’t you come into town and stay a night or two? We’ll go out for dinner. Maybe Tavern,” she said as they walked off campus and onto a dimly-lit street, where a few old colonial two-stories lined the residential road. The first one was the fraternity house Brent resided in. Loud music pumped out the open windows, and it got louder as the front door opened.

“Fancy. Tavern on the Green. I’ve always wanted to eat there. You sure your parents will be cool with this?” Brent asked, stopping at the