Desert Heat Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter two

  Chapter three

  Chapter four

  Chapter five

  Chapter six

  Chapter seven

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Chapter thirteen

  Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Chapter seventeen

  Chapter eighteen

  Chapter nineteen

  Chapter twenty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Chapter twenty-two

  Desert HEat

  A.D. herrick

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to any person, place or theory is in no way intended or to be inferred as fact or reference.

  The work is the singular property of the Author, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission, unless as part of a Review, Interview or Public push of the work and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Cover Design by Erin Trejo

  Photography by Keith Powell Photography

  Model Alex Hood

  Copyright ©2017 Herrick

  All rights reserved

  Also by A. D. Herrick

  (A Heavy Metal Romance)

  Rock On

  Rock Harder

  Rocking Away

  Always Rocking

  Secrets

  Echo

  Rip It

  Á La Mode

  Chasing Brittan

  Break Down

  Hooker Please

  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks to my dear friend Alex Hood for allowing me to plaster him across my book; you are such a good sport!

  Keith Powell, you are an amazing photographer! Thank you for allowing me to use your amazing image!!

  Erin Trejo, thank you for making my cover come to life!! You are a rock star!!!

  To my amazing friends who helped me bring this story to life, thank you so very much! You ladies are amazing!!

  Kevin, you are my everything! I love you like a love song baby!!!

  What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter two

  Chapter three

  Chapter four

  Chapter five

  Chapter six

  Chapter seven

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Chapter thirteen

  Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Chapter seventeen

  Chapter eighteen

  Chapter nineteen

  Chapter twenty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Chapter twenty-two

  About The Author

  Chapter One

  It was too good to be true. It had to be. I flipped through the listing, backward, and forward reading every word down to the fine print, literally, the fine print, and then reading it all over again. Forty acres of desert near Carson City, Nevada for only six thousand dollars. Six thousand dollars. It was unheard of here in Miami. Of course, I knew Miami didn't have a desert, so it was almost like comparing apples to oranges. But the amount of land for such a cheap price-unheard of. I could feel my heartbeat spiking at the thought of owning so much land in one place.

  I vacillated over the listing, my cursor hovering over the bold red contact button for the agent. This had to be a legit sale; the site was a well-known listing site, one I had used numerous times in my past land purchases. Forty acres...

  Closing my eyes, I clicked the button on the mouse, letting out a long slow breath as I did. Fear and elation mingled together in a sweet heady mixture sending shivers down my spine.

  "It's just six thousand dollars." I tamped down my squeal of delight, clamping my teeth together as I rocked excitedly in my seat. The familiar buzz of excitement coursing through my veins threatened to burst through my skin.

  My grandmother had preached about the importance of investing throughout my childhood, always claiming that land was the best investment money could buy.

  “Always buy land; they’re not making any more of it.” She would say, peering over the rim of her glasses at me as she worked tirelessly at her cross stitching.

  Though that wasn’t true anymore, they were indeed making land. Man-made islands were popping up all over the globe, most notably the Palm Islands in Dubai. The thought of purchasing a piece of land that could easily be wiped away by a rogue wave or natural disaster made me cringe, further cementing my addiction to purchasing land inland, land that had stood the test of time against natural disasters. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t imagine ever having the finances to buy an island, man-made or not.

  I had been saving money over the past five years, promising myself I would take my grandmother’s advice to invest in my future, more particularly, land. So far, I had done just that, purchasing land in Montana, Alaska, Arizona, and Texas. They weren’t big purchases, just a handful of acreages here and there, mostly just a handful of acres deep in the wilderness. Land nobody wanted which sold at bottom dollar prices. But it was land nonetheless.

  I made sure to diversify my investments by sinking a little bit of money into stocks and bonds. Most were long term investments, nothing that could quickly be liquidated. None gave me nearly a fraction of the excitement as land acquisition.

  Property investment was my one true passion, it held my heart. It was the one thing that continued to excite me even after the sales were final. Each purchase was like Christmas morning, filling me with so much elation.

  Every time I clicked the button to submit an offer it felt like the first time, excitement and nervous energy flooding my senses. It was like being on a roller-coaster. The building excitement as the car chugged its way up the incline just before cresting the top, sending you rocketing down the rails, your stomach reaching the back of your throat, a mixture of fear and exhilaration fighting for dominance.

  I felt the same nervous energy fill me, my leg jostling like a jackhammer as I waited for the phone to ring. My laptop bounced with the movement, making the words on the screen difficult to read. I read them enough to recite them from memory but that didn’t stop me from reading them all over again.

  Surely the email had been sent to the listing agent. It never took those guys very long to call back, no matter the time of day. They were like sharks, always hungry for their next sale, desperately willing to pitch their best sales spiel, often times trying to up sale the next best thing.

  Drumming my fingers on the keyboard I tried to distract my mind. Giddiness bubbled in my stomach making me feel queasy. I had no idea why the thought of buying land in Nevada had me so anxious. It wasn't like I would ever be going out to the property. This property would go in the books like all the others, just an investment stored away for a rainy day.

  I never visited any of the land I purchased; they were all a part of my portfolio, a small cushion in case times ever got rough. I flinched internally at the thought of times being so bad that I would have to sell the bits of land I had been collecting over the past few years. I would almost rather have my organs harvested than give up the tiny pieces of earth I had worked so diligently to acquire.

  When my grandmother had passed, she left me her house and a small insurance policy that made my life as a social worker more comfortable. It afforded me the opportunity to feed what
has now become my addiction to land procurement.

  I could never imagine my life outside of Miami, Florida. This was where I was born and raised and had resided for the last twenty-five years. This was home. The one place I felt myself.

  I scrolled through the surrounding listings on my laptop. There were so many listings for land in Nevada just as cheap as the land I was looking at. This reassured me of the legitimacy of the parcel, but for some reason this one particular parcel of land in Nevada called to me like a beacon in the night. It just felt right.

  My cell phone began to jingle. The sounds of Bach filling the room.

  "Hello?" I answered excitedly. My stomach a ball of knots.

  "Dude, where are you?" My best friend Samantha's voice called from the other end of the line.

  "Shit." I cursed under my breath. I was supposed to meet her down at the Sixth Avenue Lounge for drinks.

  "I'm on my way." I pasted a bright smile on my face hoping it would disguise the dread I felt about going out to the Lounge with her.

  As much as I loved Sam, I hated the busy crowd at the Lounge. I preferred to spend my time in quieter settings, more specifically, parked in front of my computer doing exactly what I was doing now, scouring the net for my next big purchase. My next high.

  "You're not even ready, are you?" Sam accused her, disappointment heavy in her voice.

  Looking down at the tattered gray sweat pants and white ribbed tank top I was wearing I sighed. "I can be, just give me like five minutes." I promised.

  "Well, are you even moving to get ready?" Sam knew me well enough to know that I was indeed not moving. I was still sitting on the couch, staring at the Nevada listing on my laptop.

  Five minutes, I promise." I crossed my fingers and toes hoping she would believe me.

  "Get off your ass and get ready Sasha." She huffed into the receiver.

  Hanging up the phone, I continued to stare at the screen of my laptop, wondering what it would be like to live in Nevada, all thoughts of getting ready to meet Sam were replaced by my daydreams.

  I imagined a life on the Vegas strip, colorful lights, live shows, and the bright sun shining on my face. Yeah, I knew the property was in Carson City, but I couldn’t help imagining a life in Vegas. How far off could the land be from the Vegas strip anyways? I was never the geography star in school but I was sure Nevada wasn't all that big; Carson City had to be close.

  My phone rang again, pulling me from my fantasy. I groaned in defeat.

  "Sam, I promise, I'm almost ready." I sighed annoyingly into the phone.

  "Ms. Gaines?" Came a nasally voice of a man from the other end of the line.

  "This is she." I quickly amended putting on my best business voice, unsure of who was calling.

  "This is Harold Forte with Deep Desert listings. You inquired about a property we have listed for sale with HousesNow.com." He spoke curtly, clearly not one to mince words or carry on idle banter.

  "Oh yes," I cried out excitedly, feeling sure the shrillness in my voice had busted his ear drums.

  I cringed.

  Mr. Forte cleared his voice. "Ah, yes, well... How can I help you?" His tone bordered on boredom seeming eager to get off the phone.

  "I saw the listing for the forty acres and it intrigued me. Could you tell me more about it?" I couldn't hide the nervous hesitation in my voice.

  “Ms. Gaines, it is forty acres of high desert, what more could I tell you? Everything you need to know about the property is in the listing.” I could hear the exasperation in his voice at my question, making me feel like an amateur.

  It was true; everything about the property was in the listing, forty acres of barren desert land. The image showed dry cracked desert dotted with tumbleweeds and cactus.

  I wasn’t sure what I had expected him to tell me about the land. Most of the agents I had encountered had tried to sell me on the possibilities of purchasing the land, siting the glowing statistics of the area, painting a picture of possibilities.

  I quickly realized that Mr. Forte was nothing like typical agents. He was more of a businessman than sales man. I could work with that.

  “The listing price is six thousand?” I asked to clarify, donning my best business tone.

  “Yes, Ms. Gaines.” The impatience in his voice was followed by a sigh.

  “I would like to purchase it.” The words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop and give it a second thought.

  “Very well, where shall I have the paperwork sent?” His tone was softer than when we started, the edge of annoyance leaving his voice.

  “I noticed several other listings by your agency, are any of them bordering the property I’m interested in?” I asked, hoping he would say yes.

  I knew it was a roll of the dice, but with the land being only six thousand I could afford to buy several parcels.

  “Give me a moment to clarify but I believe I have several.” I listened intently as the tick of fingers striking the keys of a keyboard sounded into the phone.

  Anxiously I drummed my fingers across the computer in my lap as I waited.

  “Ms. Gaines, I have a cluster of five properties in the same area. The one you are interested in is to the south. Each property looks to be within the same acreage and price range.”

  I fought to control my excitement. Giddiness threatened to take over as I wiggled in my seat.

  “I would like to purchase all five.” I spoke as clearly as I could, my smile nearly splitting my face in two.

  “Very well.” I could hear the slick smile in his voice. He may have been all business but I knew he was just as excited about selling five properties in one go as I was about buying them.

  We ended the call with me giving him my contact information and the number to my closing attorney. I may have been a newbie at land acquisition but I always used an attorney in favor of purchasing any listing on my own.

  With an attorney backing me, I avoided purchasing properties with heavy liens or ones that were in dispute. My attorney provided an individual title search, ensuring all sales were legitimate.

  My phone rang again, Sam’s name dancing across the screen. I cringed as I answered, remembering my promise to be ready in five minutes to go out.

  “Hey,” I sang sweetly into the phone, an apology at the tip of my tongue.

  “You haven’t left yet, have you?” I could hear the annoyance in her voice, pelting the excitement that still coursed through my veins over the pending land purchase.

  “I have a good excuse.” I promised, my voice nearly pleading for understanding.

  “Can it. I’m headed home.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice making me feel like an absolute heel.

  I immediately felt bad for standing her up. Sam had been my best friend since grade school. Her sadness was my sadness. Her disappointment in me hit me hard making me feel like the worst best friend in the world.

  “I’m sorry babes. I had a call about a new land purchase. Coffee before work?” I offered, hoping to make it up to her.

  “Fine, coffee.” She conceded with a sigh.

  I could hear her eyes rolling as she said it.

  We spoke a few minutes longer before ending the call with plans set up to meet for coffee the following morning before work.

  Chapter two

  “I don’t understand why you keep badgering me to find a man.” I cried mournfully over the rim of my coffee cup.

  My best friend Sam has been on me to find someone to settle down with ever since she and her boyfriend Anthony got engaged.

  “Seriously, Sasha, you would be so much happier with a man.” Sam’s pale features crumpled with my lack of enthusiasm.

  “I don’t need a man to make me happy though, Sam.” The warm cup of coffee in my hands tasted bitter on my tongue as I spoke the words.

  They weren’t entirely untrue. I didn’t need a man, but I’ll be damned if I would admit that the nights were pretty freakin lonely without one.

  “You need someone,
a woman perhaps.” I nearly spit out my coffee at her remark.

  I swallowed hard around the laughter lodged in my throat.

  “Kill me why don’t you?” I sputtered out laughing once I was able to breathe.

  “What?” Sam feigned innocence, placing her hand over her heart as though deeply offended.

  “You’re such a heifer.” I rolled my eyes dramatically with the insult.

  “Hey, what can I say, I hate seeing you alone. All you do is work and buy up bits of land. What are you going to do with it all anyways?” She had been on me about this since I started buying land, never fully understanding why I did it.

  “Sam, you know why. It’s an investment for my future.” I reminded her for what felt like the millionth time.

  Sam flipped her wheat blonde hair over her shoulder with a dramatic sigh. “That makes no more sense today than it did every other time you’ve told me.”

  I shrugged. “Later on in life if things were to ever get tough, say I become an invalid and need extra money to pay for my care, I can just sell off a piece of land. Or say a development needs my land, they pay me a hefty price to cough it up.”

  “So you just sit on it, paying taxes, until you need to sell it or someone wants to buy it from you?” Her forehead wrinkled with confusion.

  “Pretty much.” I gave a noncommittal shrug as I finished the last of my coffee.

  “Aren’t you even going to go check out any of the land you bought?”

  I shook my head. “No, why would I?”

  Sam’s jaw dropped in surprise. “How do you even know the land even exists? They could be selling you imaginary space.”

  I chuckled at her remark; it wasn’t as farfetched as some like to believe. There had been many cases of that exact thing happening.

  “That’s why I use a closing attorney. They research the land; make sure it is indeed real. They make sure no one else owns it, and that there are no liens against it. It’s a sure thing.” I gave her my best comforting smile.