Taylor continued to stare at Kam until he looked away. "We should get going." He opened the door, and Taylor got in the back seat.
Was it possible that her memory helped this soldier keep fighting? Was it possible that he also never forgot her? She hadso many questions she needed to ask him, and she wasn't sure when she'd get her answers. If ever.
They turned down a dirt road off of Route 1 and headed into the woods away from town, where the moose outnumbered people. She shivered at the memory of the almost trampling coming to mind as the trees towered over them.
"You okay back there?" Kam turned from the front seat.
She cleared her throat. "I'm fine. I could use a shower, a change of clothes, and some food. Not necessarily in that order."
Max chuckled. "I've got food at home. And there is a bag in the back that is for you."
Taylor twisted to see the back of the SUV. There, next to a crate, was her jump bag. "How did you get that?"
Scenarios of Max breaking into her car flashed through her head.
"Relax. I did not steal it from your car. Agent Schulz had Officer Peters drop it off. That man told me that if you die, he would not stop until I and whoever I was working with were brought to justice."
Kam looked at her over his shoulder, and her cheeks warmed. She might also have some things to tell Kam. She opened her mouth to tell him that she and Peters were only friends and that there was only one man who had ever had her heart, but he shook his head then faced forward.
She couldn't let him think she had moved on. "For the record, we are friends. Nothing more." She stared at Kam, who did not look at her. "It wasn't for his lack of trying either."
This got Kam to look her way. "You are a beautiful woman who is intelligent and compassionate. Any guy would be fortunate just to have you in his life—even as a friend."
"Friendship is all I could give them because my heart died three years ago." Tears burned her eyes.
"Maybe the right man will one day bring it back to life."
"We are here," Max announced, killing the connection between them. She wanted to tell him that he was the right man. He would always be the only one, but right now they needed to focus on getting her own life back so there could be a them in the future. One where they got married this time.
Taylor grabbed her jump bag from the back before heading to the small cabin. The log home reminded her of a vacation home for a couple. Quaint. Cozy. Not exactly what she expected from Max, Kam's Russian friend who now worked for the government. Or at least sorta worked for the government? She'd have to circle back and ask for that story. Just one more thing they needed to talk about.
"It's not much, but how is that phrase? Don't judge the man by his house?"
Kam chuckled. "You mean, don't judge a book by its cover?"
"That's the one." Max waved her over. "Come, I'll show you my humble home."
Kam gave Taylor a small smile. With a wink, he took her hand and they walked up the steps to the porch together. The move gave her hope that Kam understood her hint that he was the one who could bring her heart back to life. If she let him. She was running out of reasons to stop her heart from feeling all of the emotions again.
There were two rocking chairs on the porch with a small wooden table between them. A pot of flowers added a pop of color to the space. Definitely cozy.
Max opened the door, and they stepped into a picture-perfect cabin complete with an overstuffed couch and matching chair. There was a small kitchen and a round table with three chairs off to the right. To the left were two doors. If she were to guess, one was a bathroom and the other a bedroom.
"Your place is great, Max." She was trying to figure out where they would all be sleeping, but it was a roof over her head, and according to Kam, this place was safe.
Max laughed. "This is not where I live."
She followed him into what looked like a generic bedroom. Bed, dresser, nightstand, but there were no personal touches. No photos of loved ones or past trips. In fact, there was very little on the walls.
Max walked toward what she assumed was the closet. He slid open the door and pushed back coats. He pressed his hand against a scanner on the wall, and a section of the back wall swung open. Taylor blinked. A secret room? What kind of law-abiding citizen needed a secret room?
She descended the stairs behind Max, who flipped a switch at the bottom. This wasn't a secret room. This was a whole complex.
Kam gave a low whistle."You really outdid yourself, Max."
Max started walking backwards. "To your right is the bathroom. This area I like to call my play space." The room held a large TV, a couch, two recliners, and a pool table.
"Still play pool?" Kam nodded toward the table with a low-hanging lamp over it.
