by Jo McNally
“Cassie...” Nick cleared his throat, his grip loosening but not releasing her. “Isn’t this your car?”
“Oh...yes. Sorry.” She stepped away, proud of herself for being able to do it calmly and thanking the heavens for the dimly lit lot. He wouldn’t be able to see her confusion. She reached in her bag for her keys.
“You aren’t going to pepper-spray me again are you?” She welcomed the wry humor in his voice. This was the Nick she knew how to deal with.
“No, you’re too close for it to be effective.” His brow rose in admiration, and she grinned. “At this range, I’d probably try running first, or maybe throwing something at you and screaming, since we’re in a public place.” She glanced around, trying to remember her lessons. “If you came any closer...” He stepped toward her, stopping just short of brushing against her chest. He was testing her, and she was ready. “Now it’s heel time. I’d stomp on the bridge of your foot with my heel while simultaneously jamming the heel of my hand into the bottom of your nose.” She mimicked the moves as she spoke.
Nick gave a short laugh. “You really are a good little student.”
Cassie felt an unexpected burst of pride. It had been only a few weeks, but she was stronger. And smarter. She gave him what he was looking for, because he deserved it.
“I’ve had a good teacher.”
“You have. But you also listened and followed through. That’ll come in handy when we go rock climbing tomorrow.”
Cassie stepped back, bumping into the car. “Excuse me?”
“Wasn’t that the deal you suggested? I teach you to have a life, and you try to teach me how to sit still and read a book?”
“No, I wasn’t serious...that was just... No. We’re not doing that. I am not hanging from some cliff by a rope!”
He folded his arms across his chest.
“Fair enough. How about a simple hike up Gallant Mountain? There’s a trail. We’ll stop before the rock climbing part.” His head tilted. “Let’s see how all that elliptical work has helped your stamina.”
A rough laugh escaped her. “That’s a hard no. Not happening.”
It was as if she hadn’t spoken. “Blake has a conference call scheduled with the Barbados resort at two, so I’ll pick you up after that. We’ll still have enough daylight. It’ll get chilly as the sun gets lower, so bring a sweatshirt or jacket. And good walking shoes.”
“Did you hear me? Not. Happening.”
“It’s a lot of walking—wear thick socks or double up so you don’t blister.”
“Nick! I’m not doing that.” What part of not happening did he not understand?
He reached behind her to open her car door. “Come on, get in. I want to make sure you get out of here safely. Text me when you’re in your apartment.”
“I don’t have your number...”
He handed her his phone. “Send a text to yourself. Then you’ll have it.”
She stared at Nick’s phone in her hand.
“Yeah, and you’ll have mine.” A total of four people knew her current mobile number. Amanda. Blake. Her mom. And an assistant district attorney in Milwaukee. Everyone else had the landline number at the apartment.
...I think you know in your heart you’re safe with me...
She typed her number in and sent a short text, knowing he’d read it.
Not happening.
She handed the phone back. He read it but didn’t react.
“Text me when you’re inside, or I’ll be driving over to check on you.”
“Don’t give that number to anyone.”
Nick’s head snapped up. This was a matter of life and death for her.
“I won’t, Cass. You have my word.” She thought about all the promises Don broke in the past. But Nick wasn’t Don. At least, he didn’t seem to be. It was too late to take the number back, so she finally nodded. What was done was done.
She kept her eyes on Nick in the rearview mirror as she drove out of the lot, his expression troubled in the glow of her taillights. He had questions. And she wasn’t about to answer them.
Chapter Seven
Nick had never been the type to go after viral social media fame. But the look on Cassie’s face when she opened the back door to her apartment Saturday afternoon was so priceless he regretted not capturing it with his phone. She clearly wasn’t expecting him, judging from the unicorn leggings and oversize T-shirt she was wearing. Her hair was pulled up into some kind of messy twist on top of her head. Her feet were bare, showing off surprisingly bright blue toenails.
But her expression? That was the prizewinner. Her green-gold eyes were wide, and her mouth formed a perfect, pink-lined O. She seemed frozen there, her hand clutching the edge of the door. Cassie slowly took him in, and once again, her lingering gaze had the power to make his blood heat. She started with his well-worn hiking shoes, then on up to his cargo shorts and rugby shirt before her gaze finally reached his face.
“What are you doing here?”
“Uh... We’re going hiking, remember?”
Her head went back and forth emphatically. “What I remember is telling you that I was not going hiking. So thanks for stopping, but you’re on your own.” She started to push the door closed, but Nick’s hand shot out to stop it.
“Have you even stepped outside today?” He gestured behind him to the bright blue May sky and the maples leafing out on the other side of the parking lot. The air was fresh and rain-washed from the showers they’d had that morning. “You haven’t, have you? You’ve been cooped up in this place all damn day.” She opened her mouth to protest, but it was obvious he was right. “Come on. Go change, and we’ll take a pleasant stroll on the mountainside—nothing challenging. You need to get some sun and exercise, and you’ll love the views from up there.” She still hesitated, so he offered a trade-off. “Look, you go for a hike with me today, and I promise to give you a day doing whatever you want. Including reading and sipping tea, if you insist.”
Her eyes narrowed, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her amusement.
“Whatever I want?”
Nick had the sinking feeling he was getting the losing end of this bargain, but it was too late to back out now.
“Whatever you want.” He held back a groan at her obvious pleasure with his concession. “But it’s late and it’s gonna get cool as the sun gets low, so hurry up.”
There was another moment of indecision before Cassie nodded. “Fine. Give me ten minutes. And this had better be a nice ‘stroll’ because I am not climbing any cliffs. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He remembered how tense she’d been a few weeks ago when he went into her apartment to carry that box of mugs. “I’ll wait for you in the Jeep.” He tapped his watch. “Ten minutes.”
The drive to the trailhead wasn’t long, but it sure seemed that way with the silence hanging over the vehicle. Cassie had changed clothes in a flash, but she’d also withdrawn into Nick’s least favorite of her personas—the quiet mouse. She was answering his questions about her day in single syllables, staring out the window instead of at him, huddled against the passenger door as if ready to open it at any second and throw herself out of the moving vehicle. He finally had enough and pulled off on the side of the mountain road.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Her cheeks flamed, then paled. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“I know I coerced you into joining me on this hike, but the idea is for you to enjoy it. And you are definitely not enjoying yourself right now. Why?”
The color came back to her face and she straightened a little at his brusque question. “You can’t just order me to have fun, Nick. I told you last night I didn’t want to hike a mountain with you.”
“And yet you changed your clothes and hopped into the Jeep with me when I showed up at your door. What’s happening? Do you want to go b
ack?”
A slideshow of emotions played across her face. As a cop, he’d always been good at reading people, but this woman defeated him every time. He had no idea what she was feeling, and he had a hunch she didn’t know, either. But the primary emotion he picked up from her body language was...fear.
“Are you afraid of me?” Her silence spoke volumes. “You have got to be freaking kidding me...”
He slammed the Jeep into gear and did a U-turn. He wasn’t kidnapping the woman, for God’s sake. He was only trying to help her get out more. Had she really been too intimidated to refuse him? The thought gave him pause. How many times had Jada warned him about his “steamroller” approach when he thought he was right? Was that what he’d done to Cassie? He’d driven only a mile or two back toward town when Cassie sat up straight and spoke.
“Stop, Nick. Turn around. I don’t want to go home.”
This woman gave him emotional whiplash.
“Are you sure?” She nodded, and he pulled into the next driveway and turned back up the mountain. “Are you going to tell me what the problem is?”
She chewed on her lip for a moment, then turned to face him, her words coming out in a rush.
“I haven’t been alone in a car with a man in a long time...” When her words trailed off, he took his eyes off the winding road just in time to see a single tear spill over. Damn. He hated when women cried. She hadn’t told him much of her story since that day in the gym. She’d been attacked in a parking garage. Maybe the guy dragged her into a vehicle? Shit.
“When you were attacked...”
“No, not then.” Her hands twisted in her lap. “I just haven’t been alone in a car with a man driving in a really long time, and it freaked me out more than I thought it would.” He turned away to focus on driving, and was thankful when she continued. “I tried to work through it in my head, but I couldn’t get past it. I thought I’d be relieved when you turned the car around, but I wasn’t. It felt like surrendering, and I don’t want to do that.”
“You’re a fighter.” His words were low, almost unintentional, but she heard him and gave a soft snort of laughter.
“You’ve said that before, but I’m not. I’m a mess.” She gave a gasp of surprise when he turned off the pavement and started up the steep dirt track. “Where are we going?”
Nick was thankful for the change in subject. “We’re going up the mountain. In the Jeep for as far as we can. Unless you’d rather walk?” The truck rocked as it hit a dip on the path. She grabbed the door, but she no longer looked like she wanted to escape. In fact, she was smiling and leaning forward, watching the brush sweep the sides of the truck. She laughed when the wheels spun in the mud from last night’s rain, finally catching hold of solid ground and catapulting the vehicle forward.
He had his hands full with the driving, but he soaked in the sound of Cassie’s laughter and held it in his heart like the precious thing it was. He couldn’t help stealing a glance at her, and her smile had him letting up on the gas pedal and nearly driving into a tree.
It was the first real smile he’d seen on her. Oh, he’d seen her smile. The warm-but-professional smile she had for Blake Randall. The conspiratorial smile of friendship she shared with Amanda or Julie. The cool, polished smile she used with employees and visitors. And the involuntary smile of frustrated amusement she occasionally sent his way when he’d been teasing her over something.
But this smile... He glanced over again, and she laughed, one hand on the door and one braced on the dashboard as they climbed the rutted path... This smile was really something. It was...uninhibited. Genuine. Uncensored. Unguarded. All of Cassie’s protective shields had come down, and he was seeing his new, most favorite version of her ever. He was seeing Cassie unfiltered.
“Is this what they call four-wheeling?”
They reached the small clearing where the path leveled off. A wooden gate with a no-trespassing sign blocked their way. Nick turned off the truck, glad to be able to face her now without putting their lives at risk.
“Not exactly. Four-wheeling is usually done on four-wheelers, but I guess sometimes it’s with trucks. And that was actually a pretty decent track to drive up—not exactly off-roading...” Nick stopped abruptly. He was babbling like a nervous schoolboy. And Cassie was still smiling at him. In fact, she may have even giggled—something he wouldn’t have thought possible before now.
“That was fun! I’m so glad we turned around!” Yeah, so was he. She looked around at the thick woods surrounding them. “Will you have room to turn here?”
“Eventually, sure. But first, we hike.”
She looked at the gate and the posted sign and arched her brow. “You want me to go trespassing with you to take a hike I didn’t want to take in the first place? I don’t think so.”
He grinned at her last-ditch attempt to avoid hiking and opened his door. “It’s not trespassing if you have permission from the owner. And Blake Randall told me it’s just fine.”
* * *
Cassie was pretty sure her calf muscles were tearing apart. The burning pain had her wincing as she followed Nick up the steep path. She wondered if she’d ever walk without pain again. A “nice stroll,” huh? This was more like climbing Kilimanjaro with no training.
A few weeks on the elliptical were no match for Gallant Mountain. She could ask Nick to stop, but she’d just asked for a break a few minutes ago, and that was the third one. She hadn’t missed his amusement or his sigh of impatience when he’d glanced up the trail. She vowed not to stop again. Surely they’d be stopping soon. He’d promised her there would be no rock climbing, and she could see a wall of rugged gray getting closer.
Too bad her legs would be destroyed beyond repair by the time they got there.
Nick glanced over his shoulder and slowed. She knew he was already taking this hike much slower than he usually would, so she gave him the brightest smile she could muster.
He frowned. “You okay?”
No, I’m dying. Literally dying.
“I’m fine! Great!”
I’m in agony, and you know it, you bastard.
His brow rose. “Really? You’re feeling great?”
How much longer are you going to torture me?
“Sure, great! Absolutely!”
He shook his head, and she was pretty sure he was laughing at her, but she couldn’t prove it, since he was climbing up the trail again. She stuck her tongue out at his back and bit back a groan of pain as she followed. If only they’d stopped their little adventure after the truck drive up the mountain. That was fun.
She’d never done anything like it, with the engine growling, the tires searching for traction and the Jeep rocking back and forth like some amusement park ride. She’d been so inside her head when they left the apartment, fighting off her unease at being alone with a man who was literally in control of the vehicle and, therefore, her. But once Nick confronted her silence, and then was willing to take her home rather than make her uncomfortable, she’d finally set her fear aside. Nick was right—it was a gorgeous day and she’d been missing it, sitting inside with her book.
When he’d turned the truck onto the steep dirt road—all rutted and muddy—she was so surprised that all she could do was laugh. Never in a million years had she ever pictured herself bouncing around in a Jeep going up a mountain. And it was...fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had actual fun doing something. Not that she hadn’t had moments of happiness or laughter since leaving Milwaukee, but to do something that was fun, instead of just laughing along while someone else did something... Yeah, she hadn’t done that in years.
Even this hike, with all its pain—and she was in serious pain—was almost fun in a weird way. She was so far outside her normal comfort zone that she was pretty amazed at herself. And proud. She slowed for a moment, thinking about that last word. She was proud of herself. Pride was
that odd, unrecognizable sensation she’d felt over the past few weeks as she pushed herself to become stronger. As she started taking responsibility for protecting herself. For standing her ground.
She tried to remember the last time she’d felt proud of herself. High school? She’d always had good grades, but reading and studying had come easy for her, so it wasn’t a big challenge. College? Her social awkwardness as an introvert made it hard to fit in with any of the cliques and clubs, but she had worked hard to stay on the dean’s list every semester. That was something to be proud of, right?
“Cass? Seriously, are you okay?” Nick was right in front of her now, snapping her out of her thoughts and back into the present. The present where her legs were in flames. She blew out a long, slow breath and tried to keep her face as neutral as possible.
“I’m great, Nick. Don’t stop for me.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I didn’t stop for you. I stopped because we’re here.”
She looked around in surprise. They’d reached a small, grassy clearing. To her right, a giant boulder—the size of a city bus—sat at the base of the rocky summit far above. To her left was a view of Gallant Lake that took her breath away.
The mountains around the lake glowed with the bright green of new growth. The clear blue sky above was reflected in the calm waters of the lake, creating a palette that screamed, “Spring!” Cassie walked toward the rocky drop-off, mesmerized by the view. Nick gently stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, releasing her as quickly as he’d touched her.
“After yesterday’s rain, let’s not chance the slip-factor on this cliff, okay?”
She didn’t respond right away, staring at the view. Then she spun to face him.
“We did it! We made it to the top of the mountain! And my legs aren’t cramping anymore... Well, not as much, anyway...”
His quick flash of amusement vanished. “Your legs were cramping? Here, drink some water.” He reached around and pulled a metal water container out of the small canvas pack he had slung over his shoulder. “You’re probably dehydrated. You didn’t say you were getting leg cramps—that’s nothing to mess around with.”
