Mission Made For Two (27 page)

He’d been murmuring to her for the last hour.  Her hand squeezed around his. 

Jake bolted to his feet, still holding onto her.  Her eyelids fluttered,
then
opened. 

He brushed her cheek.  “Welcome back.”

She groaned.  “How long have I been out?”

“A couple days.”

“My head hurts.”

“And probably will for a while.
That thick skull of yours took a pretty good knock.
I need to get the doctor.”

He reluctantly released her and walked to the hall to get the nurse.  A few minutes later, the doctor in charge of Sierra’s care walked in.  Jake stepped back out of the way while he examined her.

As he watched
,
he replayed the last few days in his head.  The way he’d felt when Diaz had left with her.  The maddening uncertainty as he and Zach had given chase. 

The fear that he’d get her out of the country and he’d never see her again.

How was he going to live with that on a daily basis? 
She’d slipped under his radar and he’d fallen in love.  How could he ever be affective in his job while he worried over her?  She was a good agent and he’d never ask her to give it up.  Even as he acknowledged the fact it was probably time he did.

He needed to go home and leave her to live her life.  He couldn’t ask her to come with him. It wouldn’t be fair.  She thrived on the job.

The doctor finished his examination and declared that Sierra was on the mend. 

He left and Jake moved to her side.  Her face was still pale, her eyes dulled by pain, but she smiled.  “I’m glad it’s over.”

Jake nodded and touched her cheek.  “You need to rest.  I’m going to go call Trent.”

He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, then turned and left.

~
***~

“How’s Sierra?”  Jake sat across from Trent at USOI headquarters. 

His long time friend smiled as he
steepled
his fingers in front of his chest.  “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” 

“It’s best if I don’t.”  At least that was what Jake was telling himself.  He knew himself well enough to know that being in the same room with Sierra would be a bad idea. His feelings for her were too intense.
Too real.

Trent’s eyes narrowed. “She’s fine. 
Still on leave, like you.
  She’s only called me four times in the last week though to try to get me to send her out, but her doctor hasn’t cleared her quite yet.”

Jake nodded.  That’s what he’d expected.  Sierra loved her job. She wanted to get back in the field. 

“What about you?  Are you ready to get back to work?”

“That’s what I came to talk to you about.  I’m turning in my resignation.  I don’t need the money thanks to some good investments
,
and I’ve had enough.”

Trent leaned forward in his seat.  “Is that really what it’s about?”

Jake shrugged. It was hard to hide too much from Trent.  “Sierra and I both can’t work here.  She was here first. Besides, I’m going to be forty soon. It’s time.  I might do some contract work from time to time, but I’m tired of getting shot at,” he said and smiled. 

Trent smiled and shook his head. “You’re going to be bored.”

Jake shrugged again.  “We’ll see.”  He stood and reached across the desk. Trent followed suit and they shook hands. “Look out for Sierra, will you?  I’m sure she’ll want to plunge right back into trouble.”

“
Probably so.
 
So what about your Harley?”

“You can tell Sierra to leave it with you.  I’ll get it later.”
   

With that Jake turned and left
, knowing it would take more
than distance
from S
ierra to get her out of his system
.

~***~

Sierra walked into headquarters and toward Trent’s office. 
Four
weeks had gone by since Jake had walked out of her hospital room and hadn’t returned.  At first she’d been hurt. 
She’d cried like a damn baby.

Then she’d gotten angry.  That coward had walked away
without even telling her good
-bye.
  After everything that had happened. Everything they’d been through
.  That was all she’d meant to him.

She knocked on her boss’ door and pushed it open.  “I’m ready to get back to work,” she announced. 

Trent
leaned
in his chair.  “
I had a feeling you’d be
b
ack the first day the doctor cleared you.”

“I’m tired of looking at the walls of my apartment.”

“You should take a vacation away from home.”

Sierra crossed her arms over her chest.  “Don’t have anywhere I care to go.”

“Not even North Carolina?”  A slight smile curled his mouth.

Sierra arched an eyebrow. “Now why would I want to go to North Carolina?”

“Jake resigned.”

His words caught her off guard. 
“When?”

“Last week
.”

She shrugged.  “That’s his decision. 
Doesn’t concern me.”

“Doesn’t it?” Trent asked and tapped a pen on his desk.  “Why do you think Jake resigned?”

“He was tired of the game.”  Her answer was glib, yet she didn’t believe it anymore than Trent did.

“In Jake’s mind, one of you had to quit.  You ever heard the phrase that love is not selfish?”

His use of the word love rocked her back on her heels.  She and Jake had never eve
n hinted at the words.  Sierra still wasn’t
sure she knew what love meant.  

“Jake’s in love with you.
  He knew he couldn’t work with you anymore.  He knew his feelings would get in the way, the same way yours would too.”

She wanted to deny his words, yet knew she’d only be lying. So what did that mean?  Was she in love with Jake Harding? 

Remembering the tears she’d cried
just a few weeks ago,
she had to consider it.  She didn’t have experience with the emotion though, so maybe it was just lust. 
Sleepless nights, no appetite, thinking of him constantly, yearning to be back in his arms.

Damn it!
  That wasn’t simple lust.

“You know, Sierra,” Tr
ent said.  “The field is a tough
place to be for any length of time. You’ve been out there for eight years now and you’re damn good at what you do…but…there’s more to life.”

She looked at him. 
“Says the man who’s still in the business.”

He smiled.  “But I’m not still in the field.  If you really want to continue working for USOI, there are other positions that can be filled from almost anywhere.  You’ve been alone along time.
”

“It’s always been easier.”

“We all have to let our defenses down sometime
s
.  I think you blew Jake’s out of the water.  I’ve never seen him look quite like he looked when he left you at the hospital
or walked out of here last week
.”

“
Did he specifically tell you he was in love with me?”

Trent shook his head. “He didn’t have to. I can read people, Sierra.
 
Especially, Jake.
  Did he ever tell you how the two of us met?
”

She shook her head.

“I was Jake’s commanding officer when I was in Special Forces.
I got to know him pretty well.
You and he have a lot in common, both tough and determined, but there’s one difference.”

Sierra narrowed her eyes. “What would that be?”

“Jake grew up surrounded by love, so he learned what it was like and how to feel it.  You, Sierra, fought for everything tooth and nail.  You weren’t raised with a mother’s soft touches or a father to bounce you on his knee.  That doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to love…and how to trust.”

Sierra frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. 
“I don’t know, boss.”

“Why don’t you
take another month off
, decide what you want and let me know. If you still want to go back in the field, I’ll put you back out.  If you want a tamer position, I’ll find that for you too or if you want to just walk away and start a new chapter in your life…well, I’ll respect that too.”

Sierra looked at Trent, wondering why she’d never known what a closet romantic her boss was.  She’d thought both he and Jake were pretty
much hard asses, but apparently
she didn’t know
diddly
. 

“Another month, huh?”

“And try leaving your apartment. If you don’t go to North Carolina, at least take a trip someplace else.”

“Fine, I’ll take some time to think about things.  I’ll be in touch.”

The Harley vibrated beneath her as Sierra made the last turn up the mountain ro
ad
leading to Jake’s
cabin
.
She’d made a few additions to the bike, adding a leather saddle bag
to store some of her stuff
and another helmet.

Nervous energy zinged inside of her as
she spotted his house. 
Nervous?
 
Her?
 

Sierra laughed.  The irony of her being nervous of facing a man and telling him she loved him, when she never got nervous before a mission wasn’t lost
on her
.
But what if Trent was wrong? 

She’d sat at home another week after they’d talked, thinking things through
and arguing with herself over what she wanted
.  If Jake wasn’t in love with her where would that
leave her? She was going to
put herself out there. And that sucked for her if he didn’t return the feelings.

She’d spent the last week, just driving around on Jake’s big bike, letting the fresh air cle
ar her head.  Images of that huge
farm house she’d always wanted had morphed into a
small
log cabin
situated on an isolat
ed mountain spot.   

She pulled the big bike into
Jake’s
yard and put the kickstand down before climbing off.
Her cowboy boots crunched on the loose rocks as she placed her feet square on the ground.
Jake was sitting on his porch, a beer in hand.
At least he was home.  She hadn’t really considered what she’d do if he wasn’t. 

He didn’t stand when she climbed off the bike. 

After removing the helmet and hanging it on the seat, she sauntered toward him.  His gaze bored into her and her nervousness increased.

“Thought you’d like your bike back,” she said with a casualness she didn’t feel. What if Trent had been wrong? What if he didn’t love her? What if he’d resigned because he just didn’t want to see her again?

He took a swig of beer from the long ne
ck bottle and nodded.  “I told Trent you could leave it with him
.”

Propping against a post, she crossed her arms over her chest.  “
Oh.  He didn’t mention that.”  Doubt crept back inside her head.
“
It’s a sweet ride.
  I hope you didn’t mind, but I’ve been riding around on it for the last week, meandering here from Virginia.
”

He took another swig of beer, his gaze intent.
  “I appreciate you bringing it back to me. I’m sure you took good care of it.”

She searched his face, looking for some si
gn that he was happy to see her. Something to tell her he might actually love her the way she was pretty sure she loved him. She cleared her throat, again amazed at how nervous she was talking to him.  Something seemed wrong with that, considering what she’d done for a living the last eight years.
“Trent said you resigned.”

Jake set his beer on the plank floor and stood.  “Did he?”

“Yes, but he didn’t tell me why?”

Jake shrugged.  “I decided that I actually wanted to
l
ive to see my fortieth birthday in a few months.”

She nodded and looked up into his handsome face. 
“Can’t blame you for that.”
 
Sierra had come to the same conclusion since leaving Trent’s office. As much as she loved the thrill of the chase, she wanted to try something new.  She wanted to tread through the unknown
territory of love and relationships.
“
So you’re going to stay up here in your little hideaway
? 
All by yourself?”

He stepped close to her, his breath sliding over her cheek.  “Do you have a better idea?”