Page 56 of Securing Samantha

“Are we still talking about coffee?” He winked at her as she laughed.

“Come on, we’re taking this with us,” she cajoled.

“It’s a bit early, lass. The sun’s not even up, why don’t you give me a lecture here where we can stay warm. Plus, Hope hates being left in her crate,” he gave her his excuses.

Her smile mimicked Victoria’s. “Whiskey, did I ever tell you how I learned to fight? I practiced with the mafia.”

His eyes widened.

“You know all those extra men who appear out of nowhere and hang around? The short dude who hangs around Victoria until Ivan shows up?” She went about the cabin picking up his dirty clothes and placing dirty dishes in the sink.

“The men know about this? Wait a minute. You’re trying to pull one over on me? Did Shadow and Saint put you up to this?” he asked suspiciously.

Kassie stopped and looked him dead in the eyes, “They know. They’re legitimatized. Victoria and Ivan helped me.” She gave him a pointed stare. “She even taught me how to take a man three times my size down. I’ve knocked Chase down.”

Whiskey craned his neck back in disbelief.

“Of course, he didn’t mind it much,” she grinned widely and then her mouth went straight as she glared at him. “I can give you a demonstration if you carry any doubts. I intend to take you someplace special. You can do it standing or bent over, it makes no difference to me.” She crossed her arms in front of her and arched her brow. He shook his head as he swiped his hand over his face.

“Ach, lass. I’ll be standing, I’ve got a fondness for my more tender parts,” he grouched.

She walked into his bedroom and let Hope out. “Get ready and I’ll take Hope for her morning potty break.”

He grumbled as he walked back to his room and ran a comb through his hair. He grabbed his coat, and she walked back inside with Hope wagging her tiny tail.

“Grab a hat and gloves. And get the flashlight from the closet,” she ordered him in a motherly tone as she placed Hope back into the crate and gave her fresh water.

“Anything else, Mum?” he asked.

“Don’t take that tone with me, mister, we got too much to get done today and I report to work at oh eight hundred hours,” she reminded him.

He slid in next to her as she started the truck. She drove around the other side of the mountain. When she reached her destination, she grabbed the flashlight and the food basket from the truck. Then she thrust the other light and thermos at him. She pulled a couple of blankets from the back and led him up the path. When he walked into the clearing, she slowed and made him hold the other light as she placed a sheet of plastic and blanket on top of the frozen ground. She walked back to him and grabbed his hand as she led him to the area. She sat down and glanced up expectantly at him. He rolled his eyes as he sat down beside her.

“Lass. Does Doc know you bring men to a secluded area in the middle of nowhere and share a blanket with them on a patch of frozen ice? He might want to have your head examined by Claire,” he teased.

When she didn’t say anything and pursed her lips, he sighed and sat down in the now semi dark.

“I was kidnapped by one of James Stanton’s men. When I returned home to Texas, I thought I controlled my feelings, and no one saw how badly I hurt inside. Going into crowds caused me to panic and when Maddie invited me for a shopping day, I stupidly said yes. When we stopped for a snack, I went into the bathroom and suffered one of the biggest panic attacks ever. Leo knew. I insisted everything was fine. He watched me self-destruct and I didn’t listen. It brought me to a breaking point. I rarely talked, hid food, and neglected my daughter. I pushed Chase away. I refused therapy. Maddie and Joe didn’t know what to do. If Chase didn’t save me, I think they would’ve considered hospitalizing me. He took me to this mountain. Claire even tricked me by pretending to leave to get me to talk. It remains one of the lowest times in my life. Everyone kept asking me how I felt and if I spoke with Claire. I get it.” Kassie pulled out the thermos and handed him a cup of coffee and held out the basket for him to select a pastry.

“They didn’t live through it or feel the terror I did. Later, I realized I went through something horrible, and they helplessly watched as I pushed them away. I wasn’t the only one who felt the pain. They suffered watching me struggle to make it through the day. I still have bad days. Chase still holds me when I wake from a nightmare. Some things he doesn’t know to this day. I tell him when I start to struggle, and it helps ease the pain. It’s not about trusting or loving him enough. I have to process it. He understands and gives me the time I need because he knows he’s my anchor in the storm and he’ll wait for however long it takes.”

She pulled over the basket, grabbed a muffin, and offered him another treat. He pulled a bear claw out as she topped off his cup of coffee. She pulled a bottle of water from her jacket.

“This is our place, Chase’s and mine. He brought me here right before the team’s last mission. He proposed to me over there and we married in the same spot where we’re sitting.” Kassie informed him. They ate in silence.

When they finished, she moved the basket. “When they told me the helo crashed. They expected me to fall apart, but I held faith. I worked on myself. I protected our daughter and I fought for the life I wanted. I didn’t know if Chase would return. But I discovered two things. I could let James take my life and happiness away or stand and fight. I experienced good days and bad. On the hard ones, I came up here and I yelled my frustration to the mountains and then I listened,” she told him.

For a moment he thought she’d lost her mind. She smiled widely, stood, and turned her body toward the valley. “I’m sick of people asking me how it’s going. I want to have Chase’s child. I feel bad when people tell me how blessed I already am to have Emma. I know my daughter’s a gift. I’m tired of walking into places and everyone is pregnant,” she yelled.

She turned in his direction.

“Wow. Lass, you got a set of lungs on you,” Whiskey whistled.

“Let it out. Let out the dark and bring light in,” she told him. “No one can hear you. It’s the mountain and you.”

He stood. For a moment, he was unsure of what to say. He stepped closer to her and closed his eyes.

“I’m going back to the truck. Come back when you’re ready,” she told him.

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