AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Cara and her husbands will be there,” Dec said. “She texted me that they’d spent the night, so you’ll have chaperones.” Maybe he was trying to put her at ease instead of thinking we might be kidnapping her. Sure enough, she seemed to relax a bit in her seat with that information.
“After last night, aren’t we a little late for chaperones?” she asked, amusement tugging the corners of her mouth.
When we pulled up in front of the familiar rugged house—I spent as much time as Dec had at the MacDonalds’ place ever since we grew up together—and the smell of the grill had all three of us heading toward the back porch that overlooked the small lake.
Cara’s face lit up when she saw us. As Dec and I went over to help Tyler and Mike at the grill, she came bounding over and wrapped Hannah in a hug. We watched them talk and laugh. I was glad she liked Cara. Hell, it seemed she liked everyone she met at the diner. The only people she struggled with was us. Of course, no one else had been trying to claim her either.
“She looks like she belongs here,” Mike said, handing us each a can of soda. It was just before noon, not quite time for beers. “Hell, she belongs with you. Based on the looks on your faces, you had a good night together.”
“That?
?s what we think, too,” Declan said, not commenting on how good our night really was. “She’s the only one who hasn’t figured it out yet.”
“Give her time,” Tyler said, coming over and slapping my shoulder. “You know it’s always harder for outsiders to accept this way of life than those of us who were born into it. Didn’t she just learn about it yesterday?”
Dec and I nodded and I realized I was not a patient man. When the women joined us, I took Hannah by the hand and Dec grasped the other. Hannah blushed but she didn’t try to pull away. It was small, but it was a start.
Dec tugged her toward the steps that led from the deck down to the grass. “Before we eat lunch, I was thinking we could show Hannah around the area a bit.”
He looked from me to Hannah and she nodded eagerly. “I’d like that.”
The three of us set off toward the path that wound around the lake, but stopped at the cabin’s dock. The MacDonalds kept kayaks, but they were stored in a small shed until needed. The spot had the most striking view of the mountain peaks, almost purple colored in the sunlight, snow capping the highest peaks.
Hannah stopped and took it all in.
“Not what you see in California?” I asked.
She laughed. “Hardly. It’s incredible. So peaceful.”
A raptor swooped down over the water and she pointed to it as it arced back toward the trees. “So what do you guys do when you come up here?” she asked.
“Well that depends,” Dec said, wrapping his arm about her waist, holding her close as we continued to just look. If we weren’t having lunch soon, I’d have brought down some chairs to sit in and relax. “During the winter, we go cross country skiing and snowshoeing.”
She turned to me. “And during the summer?”
I shrugged. “Anything you want. Kayaking, fishing, hiking—”
“Shooting,” Declan finished.
I glanced at him over Hannah’s head, knowing he’d said that for a reason.
“We do target practice out in the woods,” he continued. “For fun. I could show you how to shoot if you’d like. I showed Cole.”
I rolled my eyes. “Says the cop.”
She pursed her lips, then frowned. “I’m not really one for guns.”
I shot Dec a questioning look, but he ignored me.
He acted too casual as he added, “That’s understandable. But some women want to know how to protect themselves. Most women in Bridgewater have a handgun in their handbag.” He shrugged as if it made no difference, but his motive was plain to me. It was no secret that Hannah was scared of something…or maybe someone. This was Declan’s heavy-handed way of getting her to open up. And if she wanted to carry a gun so she wouldn’t be so skittish, we’d be first in line to teach her how to use it.
It didn’t work. She pursed her lips in thought for a second but shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but no.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she rubbed them to keep warm.
I grabbed her away from Dec, tucked her against my side. “My turn.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder, laughed.
“You met in Kindergarten? Seems like you’re still there with this sharing thing.”
