Leaning his head down to hers, he sighed. “I didn’t mean for this to go this way. For us to follow this path.” He pulled back and sat up. He wanted to see her face, to make sure that she understand his words.
“We’ve only known each other for a couple weeks. I mean...” He ran his hands through his hair and he watched tears forming in her eyes. He dropped his hands and took her hands into his. “I can’t believe that I can feel this much about you so quickly. It just doesn’t happen. I don’t know what we have, but I know I’ve never felt this way before.”
She smiled at him and the fear in her eyes disappeared. “I feel the same way. I’ve known since the second I met you. I’ve known there was something about you. You stuck your neck out for someone halfway across the world, someone you’d never met. I’m so glad you did. I’m so lucky to have you. To be with you.” She reached over and kissed him again.
“Sandi...” He kissed her and decided words couldn’t express his thoughts. “How about I run downstairs and grab us a snack?”
She chuckled. “I could use a snack.”
The next morning the sun was shining and they hopped in the car with her paint supplies and headed out to find the little white church he’d known would be a perfect spot for her to paint.
The leaves weren’t in full color, but a lot of them had turned overnight from the chill in the air. As they drove through the winding roads, her eyes were glued to the windows. They stopped at a small shop and had coffee and pastries. After another half-an-hour drive, they came across the small building set in the middle of a large green field. The trees that surrounded it were still very green, but he could just imagine the leaves in full fall colors.
She sat with a large sketch pad on her lap, since they hadn’t found an easel anywhere. First she sketched out the basic shapes.
“I’ll probably wait until we get back to the house to paint it, so I can prop this up somewhere.” He sat next to her in the cool grass, watching every move, each line she created. It was like she’d captured every detail. It was amazing to him to see that her eyes picked up on all the angles. When he looked at the building, he noticed that it needed a good coat of paint and a few new shingles on the roof, and small maintenance items that needed to be done. She pulled out the beauty in it all somehow. It took just over an hour for her to get the pencil outline complete. When they packed up, he decided to take a different route back to town. Less than ten minutes later, she was yelling at him to pull over. He stopped the car, worried something was wrong. When she jumped out and grabbed a large canvas she’d brought, he smiled as she rushed to the side of the road and started drawing the charming covered bridge he’d almost missed seeing. Apparently there had been an old highway that went alongside the one they were on. The bridge looked like it hadn’t been used in over a hundred years. Its charm was still intact. He leaned on the hood of the car and watched as she sat on the side of the highway, totally engrossed in her work. The sun was warm on his neck, and he realized he could enjoy driving around all day, watching her draw.
It took her a little over two hours to complete the drawing of the bridge. There were more angles and lines, and he watched as she included a lot of the trees and bushes that had grown up around the bridge. The water that flowed under it came alive in her drawing. He couldn’t wait to see her add color to it all.
“Thanks for stopping. I’ve never seen a covered bridge before.” She smiled as they drove back towards town. I can’t wait to paint these. I think I’ll do the chapel in water colors and the covered bridge in oils if we can stop and find some somewhere.”
They drove up to the house, and Sandi eagerly got to work at the large dining table as he set out to make them some lunch. He was excited to see what she’d do with each canvas.. By the time he carried in a bowl of home-made chicken soup and sour dough bread, she was already halfway done with the water color of the church.
“Wow, you’re fast.”
“On some things. Oils take longer. But I wanted to get this one done before I started on the bridge.” She rubbed her hands together and he realized it was chilly in the room.
“I can start a fire in here.”
“No, that’s okay, the cold keeps me moving.” They ate their soup, and she got back to work while he cleared the dishes. Then he jogged up the stairs and grabbed the pile of clothes that needed washing and straightened up the room they’d used. He found an old video of when he and Carter had visited last. He popped that into the machine and laughed as the pair of them took turns videoing each other water skiing. They had a few other buddies stay for a few nights and at one point there was a large party that flashed on the picture. He didn’t know who had the camera, but when an image of Carter kissing Eve flashed on the screen, Mitchell was shocked. He didn’t know they had ever been an item. He’d always thought they had hated each other the whole time. He’d have to make sure to razz his friends about the incident that had happened over a decade ago.
When he went back downstairs, she had set the water color canvas aside and was tediously working on the oil color of the bridge. He could see why it took more time to work with the oils. She used smaller brushes and each stroke was controlled, where the water color brushstrokes were wild and more free-flowing. Here, the colors didn’t blend. Instead, they ran along each other, highlighting the contrast and texture.
He stood over her for almost an hour watching her work. When the light started to dim in the room, he flipped on the lights overhead and moved a chair closer so he could watch her. They didn’t speak. He didn’t want to interrupt her, and no words were needed as she worked.
He was totally amazed at the piece when she finally started cleaning the brushes. He’d never seen anything more detailed or more beautiful.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.” He stood up as she leaned the canvas on the china hutch. They stood there looking at the canvas as his arm came around her shoulders. He realized everything felt right. She felt right in his arms. It felt good to have her there, to celebrate the beauty they had created together. He’d never expected something to just click, but being with her everything did, and he realized that he didn’t know what the next step was.
In the next few days they traveled all over the countryside. She went through almost three dozen canvases, filling them with the beautiful scenery they explored together. They had gone hiking a few times and had found a beautiful waterfall where they spent the day, her painting, him watching. They had packed a lunch and had ended up staying until almost dark.
The leaves were in full fall color now. Everything seemed to be so much more alive to her. They had made a run to a different art supply store a few towns away to get more supplies. Mitchell had even found a small portable easel that they could carry with them. She’d bought a small carry case for her paints so she could paint on-site instead of having to go back to the house.
They spent the rainy days inside making love the entire day, and they spent the sunny days outside. Their evenings were filled with their passion for each other. He hadn’t told her he loved her yet, and she was beginning to worry. She told him every chance she could without seeming too desperate.
It was on their second week there that he’d finally received a call from Ethan. When Mitchell got off the phone, his face was filled with concern.
“What? What is it?”
“That was Ethan. He was on assignment in Brazil. Apparently the assignment went bad. He’s finally back in the states and will check into your situation when he can. He told us to stay put for now and he’d send someone up here to help make sure everything is secure.”
Part of her heart sank. She’d almost forgotten why they were hiding out. The last few days had seemed like a wonderful dream. Their time together was some of the best she’d ever had and she didn’t want it to end.
Now that Ethan was back, did that mean she would be going away? Starting a new life under some other name? In some other state, or worse, another country? She hadn’t t
hought that far ahead. She couldn’t imagine leaving Mitch. She knew he couldn’t drop his life for her. He had too much to lose: his place, his business, his friendships, his family. He’d never leave it all for her. Especially since he still hadn’t told her that he loved her yet. Why would he give everything up for her?
“Oh, I see.” And for the first time in weeks, she did. This was just a short break for him. A reprieve from the mundane life. She didn’t doubt that he cared for her. He showed her every time they made love. But he wasn’t ready to commit to someone whose life was up in the air like hers was. “That’s good.” She tried to smile at him. The crease between his eyes increased and he began to frown. “Isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it will be nice to know that your family won’t be able to find you.” He started pacing across the floor, still holding his phone. “Listen, I’m going to step out and make a few calls. I haven’t checked in to the office for a few days.”
“Sure,” she got up and started to leave the room. “Mitchell, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in the future, but I hope that wherever I go, that we will still remember this time fondly.” She smiled and then turned to walk out of the room.
She walked past the living room and went straight out the front door and out to the end of the long front porch. The American flag was still waving in the light breeze. She looked at it and thought of how different her life had been since she’d first come to this country. How much she had changed. Would she have recognized herself if she had looked into the future, five years ago?
Her clothes were all Americanized. She no longer wore the long hijabs demanded by her culture. She didn’t painted her skin with henna, no longer wore the ornamental jewelry she’d grown to love as a little girl. For that matter, she no longer spoke in her native tongue or even had private thoughts in it either.
She leaned against the railing and watched the sailboats in the harbor. She loved this country for everything it stood for. Everything she’d ever desired. Freedom. She was hurt that some would never feel the freedom she had a taste of in the last five years. The thought of it disappearing scared her. She knew the penalty for what she’d done was death in her culture. Even though it wasn’t condoned by the courts, that didn’t mean it stopped it from happening. There had been several cases in the news the last few years where family members had tracked down girls here in America and Europe to inflict their punishments. She’d followed each story, wondering when it would be her turn. Living in fear. Thinking about it, she guessed she had never truly experienced freedom. At least not yet. Not until she was either dead or her family was.
She realized it came down to just that. Her or them. Pushing away from the railing, she started walking across the yard towards the pathway that led down to the water. When she made it to the beach, she was thankful for the cold breeze coming off the water. When it hit her face, she felt alive and realized that was what mattered the most.
No matter what her family did to her, they couldn’t take her time with Mitchell away. She’d gladly give up her life today, knowing that she’d been truly happy once. Even if they were separated and she had to start a new life somewhere else, she would always remember this time as the happiest in her life.
She made the decision to enjoy the next few days at least, until Ethan made his move to step in and move her. She would do everything in her power to make this time truly enjoyable.
“There you are.” She spun around and saw Mitchell walking fast towards her, worry in his eyes. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I decided to go for a short walk.” She looked around and realized she was farther from the house than she realized. When he approached he took her in a gentle hug.
“Here.” He removed his jacket. “You’re freezing.” He helped her put it on and, she realized she was cold. She’d been so deep in thought she hadn’t known how cold it was. The wind had picked up, and she shivered as it tossed her hair around her face.
“Let’s head back?” She nodded and smiled at him.
“Is everything okay in the city?”
“Yeah, so far so good. I’ve told them I’ll be away for a few more days.” He was frowning again, and she wished more than anything that he would open up to her and give her a glimpse into what his thoughts were. She’d never been in a relationship before and didn’t know the etiquette of how to ask him to open up to her.
They walked back to the house, hand in hand, in silence. For the rest of the evening he was quiet. After dinner, she walked into her temporary studio. It was one of the larger bedrooms on the second floor that had a large desk where she could paint. She sat down and started working on another piece. However, after a few minutes, she set her brush down. She didn’t feel like painting anymore that evening.
The sun was setting and the colors in the room were vibrant on the white walls. She went and laid down on the small bed and watched the shadows float across the ceiling and the walls.
Memories flashed, and the shadows became images in front of her eyes. Faces of people she once knew, places she’d been, appeared on the blank walls, the colors adding to the calmness of her thoughts. Then a large shadow loomed over her, dark eyes resting on her, boring into her, causing her to cringe in pain. Her hands and face were slashed open with rocks as everyone she’d ever loved threw stone after stone at her as she knelt in a dark pit.
Then it all stopped and one shadow stepped forward. Pointing at her with a long thin finger, a deep voice cried, “ṭraikṭara, ṭraikṭara.” Over and over he called her a traitor.
Then he lifted his other hand and in it he held a long sharp blade. Just as it arched down, she called out, “No, Pita!” and sat up.
Chapter Sixteen
“Shh, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream.” Mitch sat next to her on the small bed, holding her still as she cried into his shoulder. He ran her hair through his fingers and realized he never wanted to let her go.
Ever since the call from Ethan, his mind had been consumed with trying to figure out how to get her to stay. But he knew there was no way they could possibly live in constant fear of her family. After all, Ethan had confirmed the worse. Her father and cousin had enough power that they were in the states under diplomatic immunity. Meaning they could do whatever they wanted, go where ever they wanted, and most importantly, stay as long as they needed.
Ethan was going to have his men check into it further. If he could prove they were abusing it, or had committed a crime, they could be sent back home. But until then, they were free to come and go. The police were limited as to what they could do, which is why after the taxi incident, they’d never heard from them again.
She leaned on his shoulder now crying, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel and smell of her. Would he miss this when she was gone? Gone somewhere, hiding for the rest of her life. He didn’t want to think about her having a new life. Maybe falling for someone else, marrying, and maybe even raising children.
“I’m sorry. I guess the dream affected me more than usual,” she said leaning back, wiping the tears from her face.
“More so than usual? How often do you have them?” Since their arrival he’d noticed a few times where she’d been twitching at night, but he had always been there to pull her into his arms, away from the dreams.
She shrugged her shoulders. “More often since I know they are close.”
He ran his hands down the side of her face, brushing back a strand of dark hair back. She had dark circles under her eyes and he noticed a lost look in the dark pools that hadn’t been there before.
“Ethan and I are going to make sure they never find you.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Come on, I’ve made some dinner and found Caddyshack. You’ve never experienced comedy until you’ve experienced Chevy Chase in Caddyshack.” He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
The next day it rained and instead of staying in the room with her, watching her paint, Mitch used his phone as a compu
ter and did a little more research. Diplomatic immunity laws were long and so in depth he was getting a headache trying to understand the basics. Just the fact that her family would have gone through such trouble to get their government’s approval to come to the States under this law told him the lengths they would go to get their hands on her.
He felt hopeless as he walked up the stairs. Just as he reached the landing, his phone rang. When he walked into the room, he felt even more hopeless.
Sitting beside her, he waiting until her attention was off the painting and on him.
“I have to go into the city tonight. I shouldn’t be long, but something major has come up. I’ll be back here by tomorrow evening. Will you be okay by yourself for a night?”
Secret Passions (Secret Series Romance Novels) Page 14
