I was still beating myself up half an hour later, trying to find the answers as I sat at the kitchen table with my forgotten coffee. I tried looking at things from all angles but it was no help.

It’s much easier to diagnose and analyze others, not so much when it comes to yourself. Of course in the back of my mind was the worry that if I pursued this I’d only end up making a complete fool of myself.

That maybe in the bright light of day it’ll turn out to be nothing more than an over abundance of gratitude. Somehow I don’t think so though. If it were nothing more than that I’m sure I’d be over it by now and these butterflies in my tummy would’ve taken flight and left long ago.

No! I remember feeling safe with him there in a way that I’ve never felt with anyone else before. Especially when he’d pushed me behind his back, blocking them from view.

And that feeling of safety had been about more than the gun that he held trained on them, but him, the man. I know enough to know that that kind of emotional rollercoaster, to go from stark terror to immense relief can play hell with the human psyche.

That I shouldn’t trust my emotions right now. And yet, knowing all that, there was something inside me, something new and dare I say, exciting, that was telling me there was something there, something more than meets the eye.

What that something is I still don’t know yet, but I won’t find out unless I see him again. I do know one thing for certain, and that’s that I can’t just ignore my feelings. I believe strongly in seeing things through. Or what some of my acquaintances call, being a persistent pest.

Whatever, there was a new sense of excitement in the air, one that I’d never felt before, and something tells me it had to do with him. Why that is, is the big question.

Is it simply a case of hero worship? Is it because I saw something in his eyes that spoke to me? Or is it what I’m beginning to suspect? That the feelings he’d awakened in me, were more than just a passing whim.

It seemed almost preposterous to think that with just one fleeting look I had seen so much. My mind said that, but my heart was saying something else entirely. It’s the first time this has ever happened to me.

And because I have no experience with such things, having spent the last five years with my head buried in books of a scientific bent, not only were these new feelings confusing, they were borderline terrifying.

I rubbed my suddenly trembling tummy and fought back the feelings that threatened to overwhelm me. After a little heart to heart with myself, for the first time in my sheltered life, I decided to overlook my natural reticence and fear of rejection.

I will never get anywhere if I was forever shielding myself, afraid to try new things, anything. I’m getting way ahead of myself, but whether my daydream was going to fall apart before it got started, this time I owe it to myself to at least try. That sounded good in theory.

But of course I then spent the next half an hour talking myself into doing what needed to be done. Somehow I knew if I didn’t see this thing through that I’d live to regret it. There was something in his eyes….

I convinced myself, once I untied the knots in my stomach, that it could be done without me losing face. I didn’t have to show my hand right away or make a fool of myself in the bargain.

I did have a legitimate reason for seeking him out after all. I could go to him under the guise of thanking him for saving me. I just need to get my foot in the door and see where we go from there.

Once I feel him out, if I find that I’m totally off base, that there’s nothing more going on than what’s in my imagination, I can always hide behind that excuse and he wouldn’t be the wiser.

With my mind made up the butterflies in my stomach calmed down just a bit. I decided that I’d better get to it now before I lost my nerve, which was a great possibility. Best not to let it go too long.

“Momma, I think I’m going to run into town this morning and do some shopping.” I took a sip of my now lukewarm coffee, hiding my lie behind the cup.

“What? After the night you’ve had last night? I don’t think so dear.”

“Oh don’t make such a fuss momma I’m perfectly fine.” Surprisingly it was nothing short of the truth. Because of my preoccupation with him, there were no lingering effects from my near mishap.

I finished my coffee quickly and headed to my room to get ready for the day. I knew if I weren’t careful my overprotective momma would have me shut away in my room until I turn sixty.

So now was as good a time as any to show her that I wasn’t shaken and that I had no intention of letting what others had done dictate my life. The fact that I still had no idea who those men were or what it was they wanted, was neither here nor there.

Daddy was seeing to the legal side of things and I’m sure sooner or later the truth would come out. No doubt they were just local thugs who were in the habit of committing such acts, and it had not been personal.

Pushing those depressing thoughts aside, I threw myself into getting ready for our first meeting after the fact. I chose my outfit carefully after my leisurely morning bath, not wanting to come off too flirty or inappropriate. Just what do you wear to meet the man who’d saved your life?

I’m ever the conscientious dresser, making sure the outfit fits the occasion, but this was unchartered waters. I tossed clothes over my bed and every available surface in the room and still didn’t have a clue.

I accepted the fact that I wanted to look good for him. That for the first time in my life, well, since my early teens when boys mattered, that I wanted to attract his attention. I wanted to see that look in his eyes that I’d seen so fleetingly the night before.

Of course I found myself questioning what it was that I’d seen once more. Had I really read him right? It was dark after all. No, there’s no denying the pull I felt when I saw that look, there was definitely something there.

There was a sadness there, mixed with something else that I couldn’t ignore, not even in my dreams. And that is why I have to search him out. Why, no matter how unsure of myself I am, I must see this through.

In the end I chose a canary yellow summer dress that cinched in at the waist and belled out above my knees. Yes it left my shoulders and arms bare, but it wasn’t too daring and wouldn’t set off any alarm bells.

Of course the way it hugged my curves and dipped slightly between my breasts was meant to draw the eye. But all in all it was very acceptable for this morning’s visit.

My gold mule flats were a perfect match and I chose to go with simple diamond studs and a thin gold necklace with only my datejust on my wrist. Simple elegance.

With just a splash of Hermes Joy perfume I was out the door headed for my powder blue Mercedes Cabriolet convertible, my steps light and hopeful.

I should probably have gone with the Rover seeing as I was going into the woods, but today felt like a top down kind of day. I could do with some sunshine in my life.

I’m not sure which one of the night’s events made everything seem so much brighter this morning. But things that I’d come to take for granted about my surroundings were suddenly noticeable once again.

That feeling lasted until I was away from the safety of home and the reality of what I was about to do set in. I was very proud of myself when I was able to quell the sudden unease I felt as I pressed my foot down on the gas and refused to look back.

It wasn’t like me to bounce back so effortlessly, and I knew it was because of him; Braden. That’s part of the reason I have to see him again. I have to know if these feelings are just a leftover from the adrenaline rush of the night before.

Or if the safety I’d felt in his presence, the feeling of being protected that had followed me into my dreams, was real. And more, if what I saw in his eyes, the way they made me feel, was more than an anomaly.

I’d got his address from the sheriff the night before under the pretext of sending a thank you note or something. My face blushed at the memory of the almost knowing look he’d given me.

With that thought in mind I did stop off in town and bought him a bouquet of summer flowers. The truth is I chose that particular arrangement because one of the flowers which I was sure was some kind of manufactured cross breed, was the exact color of his eyes; almost.

After leaving the outskirts of town behind I second-guessed myself twice before I reached the turnoff to his place. My heart raced but it had nothing to do with the attack or being this close to the place where it took place.

I didn’t even give that a second thought as I drove down the rugged dirt road. I passed one place that I knew wasn’t it because of the directions from the sheriff, and drove another couple hundred yards until I came upon his place.

I turned the engine off and sat in silent awe. It was beautiful. The cabin was made of logs that had been stained a honey gold that shone in the morning sunlight.

There were huge bay windows running along the front of the cabin, a more than adequate sized front porch with rocking chairs that looked as if they too were honed from the same wood as the structure and the biggest wind chime I’d ever seen hanging by the entrance.

With the backdrop of the mountains and the lake that ran along one side the place was picture perfect. Like a magazine spread. I fell in love with it sitting right there in my car.

Outside the front yard was a perfectly immaculate lawn, trimmed by wildflowers of every imaginable color. Close to the house, just under the windows on either side of the front door, there were rose bushes that were in full bloom.

It was nothing at all like what I would’ve expected of the mountain man or the hot rod I’d met the night before. I had a moment’s doubt that maybe he didn’t live alone and the feeling made me light headed. Why hadn’t I thought of that before coming out here?