Avery paced to the kitchen, fiddled with the coffee cups in the sink, and paced back to the living room. “Where are they?” She asked Quinn, who lounged on the sofa, watching some sports channel on the television. “Nate said they’d be here an hour ago.”
“Flights get delayed. They’ll be here.”
She huffed out a breath. She’d been waiting nine long weeks to see her best friend. Hell, sister. They may work together, but she and Macy were more than friends and associates. Macy had been her first true friend in college and that hadn’t changed.
Quinn had warned her about Macy’s condition, told her the long, horrific story of everything Macy had gone through to get home. It fractured her heart to hear how her friend had suffered. Avery had been held captive and tortured for three days. Macy endured six weeks. The thought made her sick. She was still dealing with her ordeal and it was nothing compared to Macys.
Six weeks of captivity, wanted for murder, a trek through the mountains with a wounded leg, a stint with the CIA—not that anyone was telling Kell—then a train ride and three-week ship stowaway. She’d had to pull all of the details from Quinn. He wanted her to know just the bare essentials of what Macy had been through and she understood why. Loved him for wanting to protect her, but she couldn’t help Macy if she didn’t have all the details. Knowing her friend as she did, Macy would want to move on as if nothing had happened. Avery loved her dearly, but Macy struggled with confrontation. Well, confronting her own demons, that is. She had no trouble confronting other people.
“Can you call Nate again? See if they’re home and just not telling us.”
Quinn rose to his feet and strode to where she stood by the window. “He’ll call when they’re ready. Come on; let’s go find something productive to do.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the back deck. Not up the stairs like she’d expected. Making love to him was the best kind of distraction.
“I’m not in the right frame of mind for a swim.” She said, allowing him to pull her through the sliding doors. She still wasn’t able to swim in the deep blue lake that made up their back yard, but with Quinn’s help she could now wade in. Or, if he carried her in and didn’t let go she wouldn’t panic. Her therapist said it was a residual part of captivity and being water boarded.
She shuddered even in the warm sunlight. If she never went back to that dark place it would be too soon. Ramil Diakameli had tried to ruin her, but Quinn had saved her. If not for this tall, handsome, stubborn man she might not have made it out of Azbakastan. Out of her worst nightmare came her soulmate, and for that she would never regret her past. Mourn it, yes, but not regret.
Quinn gently pushed her down into one of the Adirondack chairs then stretched out in the one next to her. He didn’t speak, simply stared out at the lake, hands folded over his rock-hard abs.
Avery sighed and followed suit, getting comfortable as she could. She knew what he was doing. And she adored him for it. But, she wasn’t sure the tranquility of Bleu Lake could work its magic on her today.
****
Ellen Wolff patiently whipped homemade vanilla bean frosting in a mixing bowl with her favorite spatula. She had a brand-new stand mixer sitting on her counter that the kids had gotten her for Christmas two years ago, and she loved it very much, but she had yet to use it. She guessed she was old school, preferring to mix everything from scratch using a bowl and spoon. Her recipes had come from her mother and her grandmother, passed down for generations and they didn’t have fancy mixers back in the day so Ellen continued making the recipes in the tradition originally used.
Now, that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy some of her modern-day conveniences like a zester. She always used fresh lemon, lime or orange zest when she cooked and baked, and boy did that little tool make scraping the skin off fruit so much easier. And, she’d been known to use a garlic press on occasion.
Today, however, she made everything from scratch. Her best white cake with vanilla bean frosting. Triple layered and decorated with delicate pink roses. Her mother had shown her how to pipe roses when she was just a girl and she only made them for special occasions. And this was a special occasion. Nate had found Avery’s dear friend, Macy, and was bringing her home. He’d told the family not to overwhelm her because of what she’d gone through. It broke Ellen’s heart to know what that poor girl had suffered. She knew from experience with Avery what captivity could do to a person and she didn’t like it one bit. It was inhumane. Although she worried about her boys and what they did for a living, she also respected it. If not for her sons, these women may not have made it home.
The little voice in her head that argued that if her sons weren’t in such a dangerous career she would still have six living sons instead of five.
“Hush, now.” She said aloud to the empty kitchen. No one bothered her when she was baking and if they tried, she chased them out with a rolling pin. What’s done was done. The Lord felt the need to bring her son to him and Heaven was a better place for it. She was pretty certain her youngest son was keeping the Lord on his toes.
“Talking to yourself, sweetheart?”
At the sound of her husband’s teasing voice she turned and sent him a warning look as he approached the bowl of frosting. “Frank Wolff, you know better than to interrupt me when I’m baking.”
Her tall, broad-shouldered husband grinned, making her heart dance. Even after all these years, he still made her feel like a schoolgirl with her first crush. He leaned over her shoulder, swiped his finger through the frosting and scurried away before she could swat him.
“Scoundrel.” She called after his retreating back, smiling when she heard his laughter from down the hall. It was so good to hear. There hadn’t been much laughter in this house lately.
She put the bowl down on the counter and reached for the three layers of cake cooling on wire racks. As she began assembling the cake, layering the circles with frosting in between and topping it with a single layer of frosting, she let go of her thoughts and worries for Avery’s friend. She was coming home safely and that was all that mattered.
****
Macy watched the trees fly by, a feeling of euphoria in her chest. Somehow, she’d survived the nineteen-day ship ride. She’d been seasick nearly the entire time, but none of that mattered now. Nate had gotten her home and she was going to see her best friend soon. They had to stay in a hotel room in New York, near the shipyard because the only flight to Michigan had been at six a.m. They’d both been so exhausted they took showers and fell into bed. No touching, no caressing, no washing her hair this time. Neither had the energy for that. The last thing she remembered before falling into a deep sleep was the sound of Nate’s even breathing. Bringing her more comfort than knowing she’d made it home.
Now they were in his Jeep, he’d had parked at the airport in Michigan, top down and free. The wind blew her hair around her face and she loved it. Made her feel free. And what a feeling that was. One she never thought she’d feel again.
She looked at Nate. If not for him she wouldn’t be here. She owed him her life. He’d rescued her, treated her wounds, fought for her. A man like that didn’t come around every day.
Feeling reckless and overwhelmed by emotions, she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, her hand braced on his muscular thigh. He frowned at her, taking his eyes off the road for only a second.
“What are you doing? Put your seatbelt back on.”
“Pull over.” She said.
They were on a deserted country road in Cedar Falls—close to Avery, he’d told her when they turned down this road. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with all the thoughts running through her head she might have enjoyed the peaceful beauty around her.
“Why? Do you feel sick?”
Nate tapped the breaks, clicked on his blinker and pulled off to the side of the road. He put the vehicle in ‘park’ and turned in his seat to study her. God, she could lose herself in those green eyes.
“I’m not sick.” She said, leaning closer. “In fact, I feel pretty damn good.”
Recognition and heat flared in his eyes. Smart man. He knew why she’d made him stop. She moved to kiss him, mindless of the pressure it put on her wounded leg. He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“We can’t do this.”
“Why not? I know you want me as much as I want you.”
A muscle leaped in his strong jaw. “I don’t deny that, but what you’re feeling right now is a normal stress response to the situation. You survived hell and made it home. Trust me, I get it.”
She kissed the side of his neck, tasting salt on his skin. “Then you know what I need. Give it to me, Nate.” She’d always been impulsive but this felt incredible. Her body tightened and tingled. Electrified.
He stopped her hand before it found the manly part of him she so badly wanted. “Macy, enough. You’ll regret this later.”
“No, I won’t.” How could she regret being with him? Her attraction and feelings had done nothing but grow for him. This wasn’t just a fling. She didn’t know exactly what it was but certainly not a one-night-stand.
Very gently he put her back in her seat and leaned over her to pull her seatbelt across her. With a final sounding click he buckled her in. To say she was disappointed didn’t begin to cover it. No man had ever turned her down before.
The sting to her pride fired up her temper. “Is there a bar in this damn town?”
Of course, Nate ignored her. He put the Jeep in drive and maneuvered back onto the road. His silence only made her more irritated.
“You did your job. You got me home. Now, take me to a bar. I need a drink and a man before I face Avery.”
The words were out before she could stop them. That didn’t help her mood any. She crossed her arms defensively over her middle and stared out the windshield. Avery was her best friend. She’d been through a similar situation as Macy. They had so much to talk about, tragedies to share, grief to overcome. She trusted Avery more than anyone with her secrets.
Then why was she trying to prolong the meeting?
Confused, scared, anxious, she started when Nate’s hand touched her leg. Not in a caress, but reassuring. Comforting.
“Hey.” He said. “You got this.”
She bit her lip and nodded. Yes, yes, she did. With him by her side she could get through anything.
“I’d like to put myself together before we go see Avery and your brother.” She ran a hand through her tangled, windblown hair.
“We’ll go to my place first.” He squeezed her leg. “We don’t have to see anybody today.”
If she didn’t, she’d only get more anxious. Made no sense to her, but there it was. “I’ll be fine once I change.” She’d been wearing these clothes for much too long.
Yeah, not the clothes. It was her. If she admitted the truth that she didn’t want anyone to see her like this that would admit weakness. How could she let Avery see her broken?
Suddenly she wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Nate—”
“We’re here.”
She looked up to see a small cottage with blue shutters and a cute front porch. Not exactly what she’d expect of a navy SEAL. Something more like a log cabin maybe. This was adorable with tall trees behind it, a manicured lawn and a basket of flowers swinging from the covered porch.
“This is yours?” She asked, unable to hide her surprise.
Nate parked in front of the house and turned off the engine. “I only live here during the winter months.” He climbed out and came around to help her out.
“Where do you live the rest of the time?” With her hand on Nate’s arm, she let him walk her toward the house. But, they veered around it and followed the lush green yard to the back. She gasped when it opened up to reveal a large deep blue lake lined with thick forest and an occasional dock and house. Just across the way was a gorgeous log cabin that seemed to soar to the sky with its windows and angles. And tucked in the trees she could see an oddly shaped roof that jutted to the sky.
They walked across the lawn until they reached a dock. Two boats were tied there. One was a beautiful, shiny wooden boat that looked like it was still in repair. The other looked like a house on the water.
It was the smaller vessel that caught her eye. Softly, she said, “Lady Jane.”
“She’s not quite ready for company.” Nate said, leading her onto the dock and to the houseboat. “This is where I live.”
Macy pulled on his hand. “Oh, no. No, no, no. I am not getting on that thing.”
“It’s nothing like the ship. Promise.”
“Uh-huh. I can’t go through that again. I’ll stay in your house instead. You go right ahead and stay out here.”
“You won’t even give it a try?”
She met his gaze and let out a heavy sigh. He made it impossible to say no to. Although, he seemed to have no trouble saying no.
Not going there, she motioned for him to go forth. “Fine, but the first sign of seasickness I’m out of here.”
“Deal.”
They stepped onto the deck. It rocked only slightly beneath her feet. Okay, not so bad. Nate pushed open a sliding glass door and led her inside. Her brows rose in surprise as she looked around the spacious living room which connected to a beautiful kitchen. The cupboards were dark wood which should darken the place, but in fact they blended right in. A short island extended between the rooms and two stools sat beneath it. If she didn’t know better she would believe they were in a real house, not one that floated. It had everything a home did from stove and refrigerator to dishwasher.
The living area was all windows and decorated in subtle tones of gray. It looked quite comfortable. A little manly, but nice. And it suited Nate to perfectly.
“Avery left some of your things for you. They’re in the bedroom. Want to shower now or after?”
Her stomach tightened. No sense in putting it off. Like Nate said, she had this.
“No, let’s go let everyone know we’re home and I’m fine.”