I keep playing Finn's words over and over again in my head. To the point, it's made it hard to focus. Not even meditation has helped. It's nagging at me. With all my heart I want to go back to Polson. I want so much for the town and the people in it to become our permanent little slice of heaven. But, my head is telling me no. Why risk it. Staying in one place for too long has messed with my thinking. Disrupted what I think is best to stay one step or more in front of my husband.

Then there's Jake. President of the local motorcycle club - The Kings of Retribution. Jake is a large man. Not only in size but in presence. At six feet three inches he fills any space he's in. He carries himself in a way that demands attention without speaking a single word. It's captivating. Jake is in his forties but looking at his body; you wouldn’t think it. Staying physically fit is important to him. I think it stems from his years in the military. His short dark hair has a bit of gray dusting right at his temples and tapers towards the back, and his striking blue eyes pierce my soul whenever he looks at me. I knew better. Everything about him should have told me to steer clear of him, but instead, everything about him appealed to all my senses. I put up a fight-tried to reinforce the wall I placed between us. Somehow, he always found a way to slip past all my defenses. He looked at me with knowing. I felt like he saw the real me underneath. He could see Anna.

I'm quiet and soft-spoken. I've never been the type to draw attention to myself. I don’t wear flashy clothes or makeup, I'm understated, and that’s alright with me. Which is why I couldn’t understand what Jake saw in me. A plain jane, tiny redhead with way too many freckles.

When Finn told me about his plan for setting me up in Polson, I wasn’t too sure. It was further away from Buffalo, South Dakota than I wanted to be. It meant longer drives and possibly less often. That alone made me sick to my stomach. Finn assured me that this move might end up being my last and he was so confident in his statement he even paid the rent for a whole year on a building that was set up with everything I would need to open a bakery of my own. It meant I could start truly building a future. Even hope to settle down for good. I let myself think it was possible. For a couple of years, as hard as it was, I made it all work.

That being said I don’t trust men. I wanted to believe Jake. He isn’t a bad guy. Maybe in the eyes of the law, he may have done some bad things, but I don’t see that when I look at him. I know everything he does is to protect the ones he loves and cares for. The thing is I trusted my heart once before, and it betrayed me. I let it blindly lead me in the direction of heartache, and fear. Loving a man again put me at risk. I won't allow that to happen again no matter how much I want to.

I open my eyes, turning my head I stare into the flicker of the candle sitting on the corner edge of the bathtub. Today was another long day on my feet. I did however finally get the opportunity to get back in the kitchen before opening this morning and baked a few things. Janet loved them so much she set them out for the customers and gave me half the earnings in sales. It felt good to be in the kitchen doing what I love.

I've been baking since I was little. My mom owned a bakery called The Sugar Shop in Chicago. Her mother and father owned the business then passed it down to her. My grandparents are Irish immigrants. My parents were born here in the United States as was I. They made a good life for themselves. I grew up in a strong family and knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Just like my mom and my nana before her. Strong, hard-working women. My father died when I was twenty after being mugged and attacked one-night walking home from the general store down the road from where we lived. One of the officers showed up on our doorstep that night to tell my mother and me what had happened. Not having our own transportation, he drove us to the hospital in his patrol car. Daddy held on long enough to see the loves of his life because he never made it through surgery. A few months before we lost my dad I met Ronan. At the time I still lived with my parents. I can't say it was love at first sight. Truth be told, he was far different than the guys I was attracted to. A bit on the shorter side but still much taller than myself. He wasn't unfit, I would say he had a runner's body; very slim and toned. His hair a dark shade of brown, and brown eyes.

Before I knew it, one meeting with Ronan De Burca lead to another. I fell head over heels in love with him. My mom and dad, however, didn’t like him so much. You see, Ronan's family is well known. Depending on who you talk to his family members are good pillars of the community, and to others they say there is more than meets the eye. My parents told me time and time again that no good has come from their bloodline. They said the De Burca family built their wealth and empire on the backs and from the blood of others. When I look back, she was right. They were all right.

The fact I didn't heed my family and friends warnings eats at me every day. He doted on me; always showed up with flowers in his hand and paid for every date. He took me out and introduced me to his parents as the love of his life. I had stars in my eyes when I looked at Ronan.

I wanted to make him happy. I placed his happiness above my own. If he didn’t like my hair down, I would wear it up. If he didn’t like the dress I wore, I changed it. All to please him. I didn’t recognize it as control at the time until it was too late. We got married a year later a few months after I turned twenty-one. I wanted my mom to be the one to give me away, but she wasn’t supportive of my choice to marry a man she didn’t approve of. It broke my heart. I wanted her to love and accept him, but I didn’t let her opinion of him affect mine. Ronan would always assure me my mom was only having a hard time letting go of her only child. So, I believed him. Believing in him--in us was the worst mistake I have ever made in my life, and I've been spending the last two years running from him to save ours.

Shit. I overslept. Blinking again, I rub my eyes to make sure I read the clock on my phone right. I should have been at the diner almost an hour ago. I look over at the alarm clock sitting on my nightstand to find it flashing. Dammit. The storm that rolled through last night must have knocked the power out momentarily while I was asleep. I throw the blanket off and jump out of bed. Rushing I toss some clothes on and undo the braid from my hair, which is the only way with all these curls I won't wake up to a matted mess. Snatching my car keys from the kitchen counter I grab my things and head to the door. Yesterday while at work the guy from the mechanic shop came by. It turns out my battery cables came loose and needed replacing. He said it was a simple fix and the check engine light was on due to an O2 sensor, which he also replaced. Lucky for me I had enough to pay him for his time. Thanks to Finn. After I told him about my car, he took some money from his wallet and insisted I use it to make sure my car got fixed. He's done so much for me. I don’t know how I can ever repay him and it's not enough to say thank you.

Parking my car behind the diner next to Janet's truck, I rush inside. The place is busy with our usual morning rush. Slipping my apron over my head, I tie the sash and step behind the counter where Janet has her hands full. "I'm so sorry I'm late," I express.

"That’s okay, hon. It happens to us all. Could you take these orders to table 6 and 8 for me?" She asks while balancing a few plates in her hands, "Oh and table 2 needs a coffee," she shouts over her shoulder walking off.

I grab the plates and take them to the hungry waiting customers. After making sure their orders are to their liking, I leave them to enjoy their meals. As I'm walking pass tables to grab a fresh pot of coffee to take to table two, I hear his deep voice.

"Good morning, Little Bird."

My steps falter, and I have to catch myself by grabbing the edge of the table beside me and close my eyes. My heartbeat thuds against my ribcage. My body reacts the same as it did before. Warmth engulfs my hand and lighting bolts dance across my skin when a hand takes hold of mine. His hand. I prepare myself to see anger for leaving the way I did. He deserves so much more than me. So much more than the lies and secrets I've had to hide. Lifting my head my eyes connect with his. His piercing blue eyes don’t show any sign of hate or anger. They show worry, longing, and dare I say, love. "Jake," I whisper his name.

His eyes close. Like he's soaking me in. His thumb starts to stroke the fast beating pulse on my wrist. "I always knew you were waiting to fly away, but I have to admit I wasn’t ready. My heart wasn’t ready, Grace."

His words cause a major crack in my already crumbling exterior.

"How long are you working today, beautiful?" Jake asks with his eyes still fixed on me and his hand still covering mine.

I lick my lips, "My shift ends at two," I offer.

Jake stands, taking his wallet from his back pocket and slips a ten underneath his empty cup of coffee. His body fills the space between us. I breathe him in. He always smells like cedar, mixed with the leather of his cut.

Brushing my hair aside he bends and whispers in his husky gravely tone, "I'll be waiting for you outside at two o'clock, Little Bird," he promises. My skin comes alive with goosebumps from his warm breath against my neck.

"Okay." I answer him timidly.

I don’t turn to watch him walk out the door. I only listen for the sound of the bell jingling and then the rumble of his Harley as he fires it up and leaves. I stay frozen in my spot, tuning the noise out, until I feel a light touch on my shoulder.

"Honey, you okay?" Janet questions and I shake off the remaining effect Jake had on me.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," I try to convince her, but the look on her face says otherwise.

"Mmhmm. Honey, the moment that man touched you the temperature in this building went up eighty degrees. Oh, what I'd give to have a man look at me like that again," Janet remarks as she fans herself with one of the menus.

"He's just an old friend passing through. That's all," I tell her walking behind the counter to finish my previous task and grab the pot of coffee from the hot plate.

"You keep on telling yourself that, dear," Janet adds before taking her notebook from her apron pocket and writes down another customer's order.

The rest of my day flies by faster than I wanted it too, and my nervous jitters have only gotten worse with every hour that passes. "I'll see you in the morning, Janet," I give my goodbye for the day and clock out. On the phone, she gives me a small wave. Stepping out the back door of the diner, waiting next to my car on his bike is Jake.

"Lead the way," he tells me.

No point in arguing I get in my car. He's going to want answers. So, I need to make up my mind on the short fifteen-minute drive if I'm going to tell him the truth or feed him more lies.

Jake pulls in behind me as I put my car in park and turn off the engine. I'm out of the car and unlocking the front door just as he's walking up the drive. I open the door and walk straight to the kitchen needing a glass of water. I've yet to say a word to him even once he closes the door. Sipping my water, I try to calm my nerves.

I hear Jake sigh, "Grace."

"Give me a minute, Jake. I know you want answers. Give me a minute to gather the strength to give them to you," I plead. Setting my water down on the counter, I spin around but stay in the kitchen and face him. Jake starts striding my way, but I lift my hand, "I need you to stay right there. Please, Jake, because what I have to say is hard for me to reveal and harder for me to admit to you."

Noticing how visibly shaken I am he stops and places his hands inside his front pockets. A move which instantly puts me at ease.

"I'm listening, babe," he remarks.

Pulling in a deep breath, I lay my secrets out in front of us. "My name isn’t Grace Cohan," I bite my lip and rub my hands together nervously, and briefly look away.

"Eyes, Grace. Give me your eyes," Jake pleads in a calm demanding tone.

My eyes meet his again.

"Keep going," he encourages me.

"I was born Anna O'Shea. I've been on the run, or I should say hiding for the past two years."

"Babe, what have you been running from?" Jake asks with worry etched across his handsome face.

"Not what. Who." His eyes that were soft change to rage with my admission, but still he stays quiet. I close my eyes. This last part is the hardest to say to him. I'm not afraid of Jake. He would never hurt me physically. This I believe with every fiber in me. I'm afraid the last part I reveal will be me hurting him. I gather my strength and keep my eyes on his, "My married name is Anna De Burca, and I've been running from the man who almost killed me. I'm hiding from my husband." As hard as I try I can't hold back my tears. I stand there letting them fall down my face, and I wait.