“Amada, we will need to leave for Cedar Creek tomorrow. Do you need help getting your things ready? I can help you,” Alex said as he glanced up at her pain-filled green eyes.
“Alex, I don’t think I am ready to go back. Please don’t try to make me go. Let me stay here a few more days,” she pleaded. “I’m not ready.”
“I can’t stay here, and you can’t stay alone,” Alex responded with a little more curtness than he intended.
Mary Kate looked at him with a flash of independence in her eyes as her chin lifted in defiance, “I’m not alone here and I’m as secure, if not more so, than I am at El Lobo.”
Trying to hang on to his composure that was riddled with concern and trepidation he tried again, “Mary Kate, Max is at the ranch and others that need our assurance that everything will be fine. We must systematize the security for the Cattleman’s Ball this weekend. I can’t oversee that from here. We have to go back.”
At this point, Mary Kate stood and walked to the railing and stared in the direction of the setting sun and the crystal blue water before she turned to him. “Alex, I’m not going with you in the morning. I will be staying here. If all those things are more important to you than I am, or our unborn child, then you go ahead and I’ll join you in a few days.”
Alex stood with an assault of anger and emotion in his voice, “You’ll go with me in the morning, and I’ll not hear of anything else.” He knew as soon as his statement came out of his mouth he had chosen the wrong thing to say, and the wrong way to say it. Backing Mary Kate into a corner and ordering her to do something, you can be assured that she’ll do the exact opposite.
She turned to face him and with a steely calm in her voice that was as cold as ice and loud enough for Peter to hear as he walked back to the main house, “I will not be on that plane in the morning, you can be assured of that.” At that point, she walked back through the house, up the stairs, slammed the bedroom door and Alex heard the lock on the door engage with a click.
He walked back to the bar to get him a tall glass and a bottle of bourbon, and returned to the veranda. As Peter walked out onto the veranda to see if everything was okay, Alex told him to get a glass and sit down, they had a setback in their plans to return to Texas.
Chapter 13
Peter got a glass from the bar and walked back to the veranda to sit down next to Alex. He reached for the bottle, “No, hold out your glass and I’ll pour.” He could tell this wasn’t Alex’s first tumbler of bourbon, as he sat back and began to nurse his first. Peter had a funny feeling this was going to be a long night.
Alex shared with him the argument prior to his arrival regarding Mary Kate returning to Texas with them. Peter informed him that he heard it as he was walking over.
“Why is she so damn stubborn? She knows what type of danger she’s in, or shall I say we all are in.” Alex’s speech was beginning to reflect his choice of beverage and the amount he had already drank.
“You know how she can be when you back her in to a corner, Boss. That was a mistake,” Peter confirmed shaking his head. “Have you ever thought that maybe Mary Kate’s in panic mode right now? After all that has happened, life will eventually get back to normal for everyone but her.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex scowled at Peter as he refilled his glass.
Peter responded very carefully knowing full well that Alex was on the edge. “Everyone will return back to work, if they choose to. Mary Kate will never be a field operative again, which has been her life for as long as you and I have known her.” Peter paused to assess his friend’s reaction before continuing. “She’s losing control of her life and being backed into a corner only magnifies that fact, just like a few minutes ago, naturally she is going to react with fight or flight. Do you want flight again?”
Alex was deep in thought mulling over what Peter was saying; Peter watched Alex again a few minutes before he proceeded. “We all know how much you guys wanted a baby and are elated about it, but it is still Mary Kate’s life that will change more drastically than anyone’s, including yours.”
**********
Alex continued to consider what Peter was saying and realized for the first time just how much their lives would change when the baby arrived, especially Mary Kate’s. All anyone had thought about was how excited they were about the baby, and that Mary Kate was alright. Peter was right, and Alex knew he had just made matters worse by trying to force Mary Kate to return to the ranch before she was ready.
Alex had been horribly inconsiderate and wondered how he would make it up to Mary Kate, if she’d let him. They had certainly had their disagreements over the years. With her Irish temper, she had slammed many a door, but she had never locked one. What an idiot he had been.
Alex continued to sit on the veranda and drink as he brooded over the situation, while Peter decided to settle in and get some sleep. He occasionally would make a comment and reflect on how he was going to apologize and get her back to the ranch until he eventually fell asleep.
He was awakened by Mary Kate moving around upstairs. The master bedroom was directly above the area of the veranda where they were sitting. With all his special ops training it didn’t take much to wake him, even in the state he was in. Peter stayed asleep in his chair.
He continued to sit there and listen to the movement from upstairs. The lock on the door to the master bedroom slid to the open position and the door opened. Mary Kate was moving downstairs and was now standing in the doorway to the veranda when Alex turned to look at her.
“Come on out, you won’t wake him,” Alex told Mary Kate as she watched him from the doorway.
She moved out to stand by Peter who was leaning over against the armrest of the chair he was sprawled on. One boot was off and both feet were propped on top of the coffee table. Mary Kate turned to the chair behind her to retrieve a lightweight throw to cover him.
Mary Kate looked at Alex and offered him the other throw from the back of the other chair and he accepted it with the understanding that he would be there all night. Without a word, she turned to go back upstairs.
“Mary Kate, you know I just want to protect you. It is very difficult to admit it to anyone but you that for the first time in my life I’m really,” he paused, searching for the right word, “scared that something might happen to you.” Alex shared his explanation of his behavior with her very quietly, so as not to wake his buddy.
“I know that, and thank you for being honest with me. My life has been so out of control lately and I can’t seem to get a handle on it. When you ordered me to go back to Cedar Creek, I just snapped. I never meant to lose it like I did,” Mary Kate stated with just as much feeling as Alex did.
“Go to bed and get some sleep. I will be here throughout the night and then return to Cedar Creek in the morning. Are you sure you aren’t ready to go back?”
“I just can’t go back yet. I need more time. Just a few more days, and I will be ready to go back.”
“You know I want you there for the ball. That is very important to our family, Mary Kate.”
“Yes, I am aware of that.” With that statement, she turned and went back upstairs to bed.
Alex heard her close the door just before the broken sobs started. The sobs continued throughout the night until just before dawn. Alex understood the silence as a sign she had finally fallen asleep.
Just before the first rays of sun began to shine, Alex went into the kitchen to make coffee. After the pot was brewed, he retrieved two mugs from the cabinet and returned to the veranda. Both men drank their coffee strong and black. He poured them both a cup and drank from his and took Peter the other. They both needed strong coffee and plenty of it, especially Alex.
Peter sat up just as Alex reached him and handed him the cup. When he sat up, he grabbed his head and groaned. Alex chuckled, but stopped immediately when Peter gave him a warning look that would terrorize a feral hog. Alex stepped away and went to stand by the railing and look out over the water.<
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“The helicopter will be ready to take us to the plane in forty-five minutes and our flight leaves for Cedar Creek thirty minutes after that,” Peter informed him of the morning’s itinerary.
“Thanks. Why did you let me do that last night?” Alex asked.
Peter responded, “As if I could have stopped you short of knocking you in the head with a baseball bat.”
“Well, you should have.” Alex looked at the roof above him referring to Mary Kate.
“What happened after I fell asleep?” Peter asked.
“Mary Kate came downstairs last night to check on us and cover you up. We visited a few minutes about lives being out of control and people losing their tempers. She also mentioned people needing time to regroup their thoughts and life prior to returning to Cedar Creek. Then she went back upstairs and cried for hours until she fell asleep just before dawn. That about sums it up,” Alex replied.
“Alex, she is hurting, scared, and confused. She just wants a few days to think and get herself back together as best she can. Give her some time. She’ll be safe here with Jaime and Cougar and the others. Besides, she isn’t helpless anymore.” Peter didn’t back down when Alex began to glare at him. “Did she relock the door when she went back upstairs?”
Alex stood and headed for the stairs and took them two at a time. He went to the bedroom door and eased it open. Mary Kate never stirred, so he continued across the room to shower and dress for his trip back to Cedar Creek. He didn’t want to wake her because he knew she had very little sleep last night, but he couldn’t leave without apologizing and tasting another kiss.
He finished getting ready and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed by her. He knew she was awake, because he had seen her stir when he returned to the room. Alex put his hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t turn over and face him yet. Alex began speaking to her anyway, trying to explain his behavior last night.
“Amada, I am so sorry I lost my temper last night. I never meant to hurt you. I just want to keep you close and protect you from any more harm. Every time I think of you being in danger it makes me physically ill, and I have to force the nauseating bile back down my throat. The physical rage I feel is more than I can bare. I can’t lose you again, Amada, I just can’t.” Alex lowered his head to rest on his arm propped on his knee.
Mary Kate turned and faced him. “You won’t lose me again, Alex, me or the baby.”
Carefully, Alex pulled her up into his arms and held her as securely as he dared so as not to hurt her shoulder. He held back because of the wound, but knew she was healing nicely and she was pregnant not disabled. With that, the hug became fiercer.
“All I am asking is just a few more days here to rest and relax while you are trying to get everything under control at the ranch. I will join you then, I promise.” Mary Kate pulled back and looked up at him and gave him one of her life altering smiles.
“I don’t like it, but alright. Jaime and Cougar will be here, along with other team members coming in and out of the field. We’ll talk every morning and evening, and when you are ready to come back, Jaime and Cougar will accompany you. Do you think you’ll be back in Cedar Creek by Saturday night?” Alex solicited.
Mary Kate’s loving eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t say a word. She couldn’t promise him that she would be there, because she didn’t know if she would be ready to go back in three days. Alex pulled her back to him and kissed her with a passion that burst through both of them as if there would be no tomorrow.
The helicopter that would take Alex and Peter to the plane at Cancun International was firing up, and they knew it was time for Alex to go. He gave her one last embrace and stood up and left the room. He didn’t look back because he wasn’t sure he would be able to leave her if he did. He knew they both needed this time apart.
**********
Mary Kate got out of bed and went to the window to watch him leave. Tears were streaming down her face as he got in the helicopter and turned to look up at the window. He must have known she would be standing there. Mary Kate stayed at the window watching the helicopter as it lifted off and until it disappeared. She went back to bed and cried herself to sleep again. She slept until Isa woke her up mid-day with a breakfast tray.
She asked Isa to take the tray to the table on the veranda and she would eat out there. Mary Kate got out of bed and put on her robe. She went to brush her teeth, wash her face, and pull her hair back in a ponytail before going out on the balcony to eat the lovely breakfast Isa had prepared. On her way out of the bedroom, Mary Kate picked up the cordless phone in case Alex called.
Mary Kate was hungry. She had not had an appetite to speak of for weeks and she knew she had to eat balanced meals because of the baby. As she ate, she thought back over the last few days and knew she had to start to relax because the stress couldn’t be good for her or the baby. She planned to spend the next few days sleeping, reading, walking on the beach, and planning the nursery. Then she realized she had to plan two nurseries, one here and one at the ranch.
As soon as she finished eating the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Alex.
“Hello, Alex. How was your flight?” Mary Kate asked.
“It was fine, but would have been better with you by my side,” he replied.
“Alex, please don’t.”
“I’m sorry Amada, but I just want you to know that I miss you and I love you. Where are you and what are you doing?”
“I’m out on the veranda and just finished breakfast. It is a beautiful day and I’m enjoying it now that I’m awake. I was just thinking of you and about the nursery, or nurseries I should say,” Mary Kate said with the first suggestion of excitement in her voice in longer than he could remember.
Alex inquired. “Nurseries, as in more than one?”
With a chuckle in her voice Mary Kate informed him, “Yes, more than one. There will have to be a nursery at the ranch and one here.”
It was so good to hear cheer in her voice, he just hoped it stayed there. He was also very relieved to hear her refer to needing a nursery at El Lobo.
They visited for a while longer and before hanging up, Mary Kate told him she loved him and already missed him. Alex took that as a good sign and hoped it meant she would join him soon.
Mary Kate slept off and on the rest of the day. Isa prepared a wonderful dinner that she shared with Jaime and Cougar. They discussed the security situation around the compound and brought her up to speed with the activities taking place at the ranch. Mary Kate went to bed early and slept better than she had in a long time.
Jaime and Cougar shared the night duty responsibility that Alex assigned them prior to his departure. One of them was to be in the house with Mary Kate at all times throughout the night. The days were a little less restrictive, but she was still to be in their midst at all times. She was to go nowhere alone or be away from their reach at any time during her stay at the compound.
Early the next morning, Mary Kate was up and in the kitchen making coffee and a pot of tea when Isa came in the door. Cougar had taken the last half of the night shift and was talking to Mary Kate when Jaime came in the door a few minutes later. Isa started breakfast while the others took their morning beverages and moved to the table on the veranda to enjoy the morning.
The three of them discussed the night’s events that involved the various projects the company was working on. Mary Kate enjoyed discussing work and realized how much she had really missed it during the last few weeks. She also thought about how her role in the company would change with the addition of the baby. She didn’t regret it at all; she was just now realizing that.
Mary Kate asked if anyone was available to go with her to walk along the beach later in the day. She missed that and knew when she returned to Cedar Creek she would not have much of an opportunity to take those walks. It was really the beginning of letting go of a large portion of the time spent at the compound. She knew that before too long Alex would want the ran
ch to be their main residence.
Cougar said he would have a break later in the morning and would be glad to go with her to the beach. It wasn’t very far from the house and was still on the compound, but it was a little more isolated from the main area and she didn’t need to be there by herself. Jaime said he would take her later in the afternoon, if she preferred. Both men told her they would make time for the walks daily if she wanted them to as long as she was in residence. She gave them both her most dazzling smile and told them how much she appreciated their kindness. What she didn’t say is that Alex would skin both of them if they dared let her out of their sight.
Isa stayed busy in the kitchen most of the day preparing all of Mary Kate’s favorite dishes and desserts. Mary Kate slept and read and enjoyed sitting and watching the water and the boats as she always had. She always found renewed strength and comfort around the water and that was why she loved this place so much. She would miss it, but she would love anywhere she and Alex called home.
During one of Mary Kate’s naps, Alex called. When Isa told him she was asleep, he replied not to wake her, but have her call when she woke up. He had Isa transfer him back to the office, so he could talk to Jaime. They discussed how things were going and Mary Kate. Jaime assured him all was fine and that Mary Kate was doing very well. Alex brought Jaime and Cougar up to date on developments at the ranch and was going to send them the security plan for the Cattlemen’s Ball, so they would have it on the system in their office and could monitor from there, too. After a few more minutes, they concluded their conversation and hung up.
Mary Kate woke up and went to the kitchen to check on what there was to eat. All she seemed to do anymore was eat and sleep. Isa assured her that was perfectly normal, especially for the next month or so and then her energy would begin to come back. She also told her Alex called while she was asleep, and asked that she return his call when she got up.
Twice in a Lifetime_A love story you'll never forget! Page 13
