Who I Am With You Part 2

Just then, some animal made an eerie sound outside the window and a shudder pa.s.sed through her. No way was she letting herself get freaked out, though. She'd grown up in Montana, and as long as she stayed inside during the nighttime hours, she'd be fine.

Sure, the occasional cougar decided to go hunting, but they were more afraid of humans than humans were afraid of them, or at least that's the c.r.a.p her father had always told her. Still, she happened to be pretty dang afraid of any animal with claws and sharp teeth, but the vicious beasts of the forest didn't have to know that. And no one else needed to know that, either. It would ruin her carefully cultivated image.

She hadn't gone to many of the counseling sessions the doctors had offered after the accident, deciding that an injury wouldn't affect her. She would choose to beat these newfound phobias on her own. If she told herself she was fine, then she would be. It was as simple as that. Mind over matter!

Refusing to look at the window, where she felt red eyes feasting upon her, she focused on Travis's back again. He'd continued stoking the fire as if she hadn't said a single word. She was beginning to get irritated when he finally stood.

"Not leaving, Taylor," he said almost pleasantly before adding, "Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate?"

And then, much to her surprise, he sauntered into the kitchen area. The cabin really wasn't very big, and the kitchen and living room were divided only by a small breakfast bar. The dining area was to the side of the kitchen, sporting a rustic table that seated four.

No television, no frills. Just a couch, comfy chair, and small end tables with lamps on them. She was actually surprised her brother had installed electricity and plumbing in his man cave. She supposed he was a bit too used to his pampered lifestyle to go without the basics while at his hunting retreat.

"Don't you think this is something we should discuss like reasonable adults? Obviously this place isn't big enough for both of us," Taylor said again as she flopped down onto the couch, dragging a thick quilt onto her lap.

"Nothing to discuss. I'm the one who was invited-did Bryson invite you, Taylor? No, I didn't think so-and I'm not leaving. But if you want to stay with me, be my guest," he said as he set a pot on the stove and began boiling water before moving to the fridge and pulling out cheese and cold cuts, lining them up on a tray, and then creatively fanning out some crackers.

Realizing she hadn't eaten in hours, Taylor stared at the food, her mouth watering. He was putting enough out for both of them, but wouldn't it count as caving if she accepted his offerings? Not that she actually knew if he was going to offer her any of his meal. She could go and get herself a dish of her mother's macaroni salad, but that didn't sound appealing right then.

The water began boiling and he poured two cups of hot chocolate without getting her confirmation that she wanted any. When he set the cup in front of her, she was tempted not to drink it, just to prove she didn't need his pitiful cup of chocolate goodness. But the aroma was enticing and her stomach was growling, and she was only hurting herself if she played the martyr.

"Thanks," she muttered as she lifted the cup. Her reward was a beaming smile as he set the tray of meat and cheese down next.

"Dig in," he said as he piled a cracker high and slipped it into his mouth.

"Fine, but only because I haven't eaten in hours. This isn't me caving in. I still don't give you permission to stay," she mumbled, eagerly grabbing some goodies.

"I don't need your permission, Taylor. Bryson already gave me the key and his blessing, and apparently he didn't give you permission. I have dibs, doll. I'll tell you what, though-I'll let you have the bedroom," he said with a wicked smile. "For tonight, at least." He ate a few more crackers and then leaned back, looking as if he was going to get real cozy on the couch. He seemed half asleep.

Taylor sent him a glare, but with his eyes closed, it did her no good. After five minutes of complete silence, when she'd emptied the remaining food from the tray, Taylor knew this conversation was going nowhere, at least not tonight.

"It's late, so I suppose I won't complain if you sleep on the couch for tonight," she said as she stood up and began to walk around him.

As she pa.s.sed in front of him, he suddenly snaked his arm out and grabbed her, nearly making her tumble into his lap. His eyes snapped open and he was surprisingly alert as he looked at her, his expression intense.

"Don't for one minute think I'm a pushover, Taylor, just because I managed to show more restraint than most men would when a pretty teenager threw herself at them. We're both all grown up now, and I tend to go after what I want."

After a short pause, Taylor yanked her arm away and stepped back. "Is that a threat, Travis?" With the way her heart was racing she didn't feel threatened. No, if she had to be honest, she would admit she was . . . excited.

"I hate to be trite, baby, but it's a promise," he said, leaning back and looking relaxed again.

She hated being called baby. But there was nothing she could say, especially with her throat closed off and her heart hammering. Turning away, she rushed into the bedroom and firmly shut the door.

As she lay down on the bed, she knew sleep wasn't going to be her friend that night.

"Rise and shine, princess."

"Go away!"

"You're wasting the day. The sun is up, and the fish are biting."

Taylor turned over and glared at Travis. He was standing before her, looking perfect in his painted-on jeans and . . . "What in the world are you wearing?"

"What?" He looked down at himself and then back at her and shrugged.

"That vest is the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

"Now, Taylor, that's just plain rude. This is my fishing vest. Each pocket and strap serves a purpose," he said, tugging on the ugly beige thing snugly attached to his wide shoulders.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that."

"How would you know that? If you were dead, we could put you in whatever we wanted to," he countered.

"Ugh. You are insufferable. How long have you been awake? I didn't even hear you."

"That's because you were all snug in the bedroom while I was pushed out to the small couch. It's my turn for the bedroom tonight. Of course, I don't mind if you want to share with me," he said with a wink.

"Get out!" Taylor threw her pillow at his face, which he easily dodged before letting loose with a laugh and sauntering out of her room.

Flopping back onto her bed, minus her pillow, Taylor lay there for a while trying to decide what she was going to do next. If she knew one thing about Travis, it was that he was stubborn, more stubborn than her, and that was saying a lot.

Finally, she got up, used the bathroom, and decided she was through hiding in the bedroom. She'd come to this cabin for rest and relaxation and she was going to get it one way or the other. When she did finally come out to the living room, she refused to speak to the lout. She was finished arguing.

Travis simply flipped her a smile, walked into the kitchen, and proceeded to make a large breakfast of ham and eggs. The smells made her stomach growl, but she didn't want to accept his pity food.

"You can eat if you want, but I'm not going to beg," he said, scooping up his own plate and sitting down at the small table.

Taylor sat there a few more moments, and then decided she wasn't punishing anyone but herself by not eating, so with as much grace as she could manage, she stood, made her own plate, and then walked to the couch, refusing to join him at the table.

The chuckle she heard coming from him set her teeth to grinding, but she still refused to speak, not acknowledging the fact that she was acting like a pouty child instead of an adult.

If he was going to stay in the cabin, she sure as heck wasn't going to have any kind of conversation with him. She either stayed in the cabin with him, or she went back home to her parents' house where she would be smothered. That seemed the worse of the two evils.

When Travis disappeared and she heard the shower start, her stomach clenched. Knowing she could walk in there, join him in the shower, and have him more than happy with that was playing with her already messed-up head.

That was the last thing she wanted to do. Sure, she still had feelings for this man who was her first love, but he'd rejected her, and she wouldn't go crawling back to him. When the shower shut off, she squirmed on the couch.

Now that she was actually at the cabin, and where she thought she wanted to be, she was bored. That thought brought a slight smile to her pouty mouth. Her mother would always tell all of them that there was no such thing as boredom, only boring people.

She could pull out a book and read, but she was used to being active all the time, and at the moment she just felt . . . lost. This simpering, pathetic woman wasn't her. She was normally happy, a go-getter. When would she find herself again?

"I'm going for a walk. You're free to join me," Travis said as he came out of the bathroom.

She didn't bother replying. She was too tempted to say yes. With a shrug, he went out through the front door, and for the next two minutes, Taylor sat on the couch fuming. And bored. She was so bored.

When a scratching sounded somewhere in the kitchen, she jumped up and threw on her shoes. She didn't want to hang out with the man, but suddenly sitting there all alone on the couch seemed even worse than walking by his side. Normally, she'd have investigated the noise, made sure some critter wasn't going to ransack the place. Not today, though. Running to catch up, Taylor didn't take long to find Travis.

"Change your mind?" he said with a laugh.

"I figure you're the lesser of two evils. I didn't want to hang out at the cabin alone, and . . . I just don't know what to do."

"There are all sorts of things to do, Taylor. But you won't figure it out if you're acting lazy and sitting around."

"I'm not lazy, Travis!"

"I haven't seen much movement from you today."

"Why do you always try to get a rise from me?"

"Because it's so easy to do." He kept a fast pace as they went through the forest.

"Maybe that's why I can't stand hanging around you."

"Now that's a lie, Taylor. You've always been my shadow."

"I was a kid then, Travis. I may not be as ancient as you, but still, I'm all grown up now."

He stopped walking and basically undressed her with his eyes, making her shift on her feet. "Yes, Taylor. You certainly are all grown up now. And I wouldn't say thirty is exactly ancient," he pointed out.

"Just keep walking, Travis." She began moving again, but her breath was more uneven than before.

They soon reached a large pond about half an hour from the cabin. With the sun high in the sky, the water was more than appealing, but Taylor hadn't even thought to bring a swimsuit. That didn't seem to be stopping Travis. He pulled off his shirt and let his impressive tanned chest soak in the sun's rays.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a swim. You're more than welcome to join me." He began undoing the b.u.t.tons on his jeans, showing the black band of his underwear.

"I don't have a suit."

"Neither do I," he said with a wolfish grin before his thumbs reached inside the top of his pants and underwear. She barely had time to turn around before he pushed them down.

"What if someone happens by, Travis?" she snapped, refusing to face him.

"There's no one for miles, Taylor, and it's not like you haven't seen me naked before." His voice grew farther away as he moved toward the water. Then Taylor heard a splash and knew he was covered.

Still, she took a few more seconds before turning back around. "That was a long time ago."

"Ah, I could never forget how great our night was," he said as he swam away from her.

"Well, I suggest you erase it from your mind," she told him, moving over to sit on a rock, with the hot sun beating down on her. "Besides, you said it was a mistake," she added with a pout. Sweat began to gather on her forehead and neck, and the water was looking more and more appealing.

"I stand by that. It was a mistake at that moment. But times are different now, and we're both in a different place in our lives. Besides, why would I erase you when I plan on adding more to the treasure house of memories?" He was now moving closer to her, and the way his muscled arms slid through the water was mesmerizing.

"It's not going to happen, Travis. Our time has pa.s.sed."

"We'll just have to agree to disagree."

Nothing seemed to faze him as he moved through the pond, taking easy laps and obviously glorying in the coolness of the water while she baked on the d.a.m.n rock. After about twenty minutes, she was really regretting not having her suit.

When he came close to her, a mischievous grin on his face, she glared down at him. "Don't even think about it," she warned him, but it was too late. While he treaded water, he brought his arm back, and then a large wave splashed over her.

Unwilling to let that go, and tired of roasting anyway, Taylor yanked off her soaked shirt and shoved her jeans down her slender legs. She had a measure of satisfaction in seeing his eyes widen as she stood there for a moment in her bra and panties.

Yeah, look all you want, Travis, 'cause you're not touching, she thought before diving into the water only two feet from him.

When she came up for air behind him, she didn't give him a chance to turn before her arms slid around his neck and she dragged him beneath the water. When the two of them came up, he was coughing up water, and she sported an expression of utter satisfaction.

"Take that," she said, before plunging back beneath the water and disappearing. She was a strong swimmer, and though he was stronger, she certainly had more agility.

For the next hour they splashed, chased each other, played Marco Polo, and, unbelievably, they laughed nonstop. By the time the two of them climbed out of the pond, Taylor had forgotten all her reasons for keeping her distance.

Lying back on the hot rocks, she turned toward him, making sure to keep her gaze above his waistline. "Why are you staying out here?"

Travis looked at her for a minute before his arm came up to shield his eyes. They both had to let the hot sun dry them off.

"My career suddenly ended in the blink of an eye-literally and figuratively-and I needed a quiet place to regroup."

There didn't seem to be anger in his voice, only resignation. She felt a lot more bitter about the possible ending of her own career.

"What happened?" She wanted to stop herself from asking, but she was too curious. She actually did care, even if she didn't want him to know it.

"We were on a mission and an IED exploded. I was lucky, much luckier than many of the men, but it permanently messed up the peripheral vision in my left eye. I can't do my job now." He'd never really talked about what he did for the military, and Taylor was sure she didn't want to know the details. But, again, she was curious.

"Are you angry?" She sure as h.e.l.l was.

"I was for a while. I didn't know what I could do next, but I've been thinking about it a lot. Just because one door closes, it doesn't mean another one can't open."

"How can you be so positive? Don't you ever want to shout and blame someone else-anyone else?"

"Yeah. I already went through all of that. But I'm an adult, Taylor. I can't change what's happened, so I just move forward."

"You're so reasonable. I don't know . . ." She wasn't ready to talk about the racing circuit yet. She was still determined to get back to the track eventually. No one was going to tell her she couldn't, not even the so-called experts.

"It's not that I'm reasonable; it's just that it is what it is. I can't change what happened. Sure, I went through the circ.u.mstances surrounding that accident about a million different times in my head, and I thought of a thousand what-ifs, but the reality is that it did happen. I can't change that, so I can either dwell on it or I can push forward and make a change in my life."

"It's really easy to say that, but actually to believe it is something else entirely," Taylor said as she sat up, her eyes straying to his chest for only a moment. There wasn't a single second while they were lying there that she wasn't painfully aware he was naked.

"Time heals all wounds, Taylor."

She didn't miss the extra meaning in his use of the maxim. "Some wounds aren't repairable, Travis." Suddenly she was exhausted. This was all too much-the loss of her career, her dreams being shattered, being holed up in some cabin in the woods with her first love.

Just too much.

Slipping on her clothes with her back to Travis, she didn't turn to find out whether he was doing the same. She just began walking back toward the cabin. When he joined her a few minutes later, their steps cushioned by the moss-covered ground, silence reigned.

It was bound to be a long day and an even longer night.

Tossing on the uncomfortably small couch in the too-warm cabin, Taylor glared up at the dark ceiling. She should have stood her ground and not let Travis have the bed, but when he'd crawled in beside her-commando, no less-she'd practically flown from beneath the covers to the safety of the couch.