It would've been an understatement to say that the mood in the cabin was ruined.
It's amazing how just one little thing like a text message could provoke a level of fear from Allie that I hadn't seen since she first awoke in my cabin. It was difficult to even begin to console her. She clung to me like a child would a parent and her tears soaked into my now very damp shirt.
I could understand why she was upset. Who wouldn't be at the prospect of confronting an abusive ex-fiance? It even made me hug her tighter as I couldn't imagine letting anyone or anything harm her. I wanted Allie to feel the love that I had for her. That I wasn't going to let anything happen to her.
Yet the way that she cried spoke volumes of her level of fear. There was something deeper there that I couldn't quite see or understand. Something that made the thought of him catching up to her terrifying.
In my own way I still had to try to comfort her. The first thing I did was delete the offending message from her phone and then turned it on silent. That should stop any future problems for the time being. I then focused on consoling her physically by keeping her in my arms, caressing her back, and letting her get out all of her emotions.
It didn't seem to do much good. She had an answer for just about anything I had to say.
"Allie, it's okay. You're safe with me, I promise," I said while stroking her hair.
She turned her face toward me while still leaning against my shoulder. "Jim, you don't understand what these people are capable of. For them, image is everything. If anyone threatens that image, they are cut off. Either financially, or . . . worse."
"But what about your father? Can't he protect you as the mayor of the city?"
Allie shrugged. "That depends on whether he still sees me as an asset or if I've become a liability to him."
"Allie, he's your father."
She shook her head. "All these people think about is power. You think family means anything to them? Besides, my father and I haven't exactly been close since my mother died. And if the Reynolds family thinks I could become an embarrassment to their son, who knows?" Allie dragged her finger across her throat in a gesture that was clear.
"At least you're safe here with me. How can they find you up here in the mountains? It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack the size of Colorado."
"I don't know," she said while wiping away another tear. "But the Reynolds have means to do so. All the money you could possibly ask for. And that's not counting what my father might do to avoid anything ruining his political aspirations."
I felt myself getting angrier. This was a world I knew nothing about but the fact that it had someone I loved so frightened just made me want to protect her in any way that I could. It was almost inconceivable to imagine any danger finding us in such a remote spot. Even so, it wasn't like I didn't have any protection in case danger did find us.
"As long as you're with me, you're safe. I have a hunting rifle in the back closet as a just in case measure. Not to mention this place is wired up with two security cameras on the outside. Nothing can happen to you, Allie. I promise."
Her trusting eyes held their gaze upon mine. In that moment I noticed how different they were from the first day those eyes laid upon me. The combined fear and anger inside them was devastating. Yet it was a completely different look in those eyes now. A look of love instead.
"I'm sorry that you had to get involved with all of this. I'm sorry that I had to stop in your driveway," she said, wiping away another tear.
"No. No, I'm not sorry for that at all. If you hadn't, this wonderful result wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have met you, gotten to know you, and I wouldn't have fallen in love with you, Allie."
For the first time since the message, she smiled. Her lips reached forward to connect with mine in a moment of tenderness. When we parted, the love was still present in her eyes. "I love you, Jim."
Allie sighed audibly and laid her head back on my shoulder. I was glad that the rush of tears seemed to have abated but I was still concerned. Even though I'd never admit it to her, part of me wondered just what kind of mess I'd gotten myself into. Falling in love with the mayor's daughter. On the run from powerful people. Threats and old money. It was like a plot out of one of books still resting on the coffee table.
Despite the odds, not a single part of me regretted meeting Allie. Even with the potential baggage, I knew that she had my heart so completely that I'd do anything to get her away from her old life. I looked down into her beautiful face to find her eyes shut and her breathing more peaceful. It was a sight I wanted to look upon for the rest of my life.
As it began to get late and as I carried my sleepy angel to bed, I knew I had to find a way to get us out of this mess. But how do you go up against two family political dynasties and endless money? It was a question I pondered until sleep eventually took me.
That night I remembered not sleeping very well as I kept having the same dream. One in which powerful, masked people kept trying to take Allie from me while she screamed in fear. At one point, I even sat straight up in bed with a layer of sweat on my brow. A few reassuring touches from Allie reminded me she still shared the bed but the nightmare alone was enough to cause me pause. Though I hated to admit it, the nightmares were similar to the ones I had about my brother.
I eventually fell back asleep but was still the first to wake in the morning. Allie's leg was draped over my own and her head was resting against my chest. Sometimes it was all I could do not to stare. As I ran my fingers through her blonde hair, I wondered how I could be so lucky to have her in my life. Even with all the questions in the air, my feelings for Allie were perfectly clear.
I'm not sure how long I spent watching her sleep before she began to stir. She took a deep breath while stretching out her body and when she pulled back in, her eyes popped open. To say seeing those emerald-green eyes was the best part of my day wouldn't quite do it justice. They were everything.
As soon as she saw my eyes, a warm smile filled her lips. "Morning baby."
I gestured toward my leg and grinned. "I'm pretty sure my leg is all tingly and asleep but I didn't want to move it and risk waking you."
Allie's leg shot back to her side of the bed. "Oh, I'm sorry!"
My hand reached over and pulled it back where it belonged. "Don't move it. I like being this close to you."
Her smile grew larger. "So let me get this straight—you're willing to be completely uncomfortable just to be close to me?"
My eyes rolled up in thought. "Well, when you put it that way . . ."
She poked my side in a playful manner.
"I mean yes! Yes, that's completely right baby."
She leaned in to kiss me. "I knew I loved you for a good reason."
"You mean it's not for my handsome good looks?"
Her lips pursed and I knew something sarcastic was coming. "I'll give you good looks, but I was referring to the fact that you're a smart man."
"At least I got the good looks part," I said with a mumble, earning a throaty giggle from Allie. She then promptly kicked off the blanket before leaning up to stretch. She turned her head to look out the window and soon gasped. "Jim, look outside!"
I sat up and looked out the window. To our surprise, a good portion of the snow had melted overnight. I could even make out the headlights on Allie's car with how low it had gotten. I climbed out of bed and went out to the main room to check the thermometer. Even at seven-thirty in the morning, it was already fifty degrees.
"It looks like we have a heat wave coming," I said as I walked back into the bedroom. I stopped almost as soon as I entered. Allie was now clutching my pillow between her arms and sitting on the edge of the bed. She had a distant look in her eyes but I couldn't mistake the one emotion most prevalent in them—fear.
Without words, I slipped in behind her and enfolded her in my embrace. Her head drifted to its now familiar spot on my chest while her fingers entwined with mine. It was all I could do to show the support she needed.
"You must think I'm so pathetic," she said finally, the words coming out in a mere whisper.
"Quite the opposite actually. I think you're incredible, Allie."
She nearly snorted. "Incredible and sitting here so scared that I'm shaking?"
"It's okay to be fearful of the past. The true measure of a person is how they move forward from it. It took me until very recently to really understand that. And sometimes it really helps having someone else get you through it."
I meant every word that I told her. I seemed to now finally understand the pain that formed from my brother's passing and how it was only Allie's presence that helped me truly get over it and put it in the past. Sometimes it just takes someone else being there for you in your hour of need to show that you can truly put the past behind you.
Allie's head tilted up to look at me. "Will you help me get through this?"
I answered her with a kiss, long and tender. When it broke, I reached out to gently caress her cheek. "Always baby."
I was rewarded with another kiss before she stopped and spoke again. "It's not going to be easy."
Deciding on playfulness, I said, "That's good. I was hoping for a bit of a challenge."
Allie's eyes flashed as she giggled. "Jim, be serious!"
I laughed while pressing her back into bed and straddling her body. She played at fighting against my moves until bursting into another fit of giggles. Finally, she stopped resisting and looked at me with pursed lips. "You're impossible!"
"I have you completely in my grasp now, woman. Nothing you can do about it either," I said, finishing with a humorous eyebrow wiggle.
"Please sir, please show mercy?" Allie fluttered her eyelashes in an adorably feminine way.
