Unbroken (4 page)

As Britney and Jake followed
a few steps behind, her gaze swept the tastefully decorated room.  The comfortable looking furniture was reminiscent of a past era and the words
country charm
instantly came to mind.  Her eyes moved to a beautiful quilt with a five-pointed star in varying shades of yellow and blue that was draped across the back of a large, upholstered sofa and then to the two side tables where numerous family photos were displayed.  Feeling more and more at ease, she followed Ben into the kitchen.

An hour
later, Britney got her first glimpse of Jake’s cabin.  Just a couple of miles past Ben’s property, it sat within a beautiful meadow, surrounded by a profusion of evergreen trees, tall mountain grasses and brightly colored wildflowers. It was absolutely breathtaking, she noted in relief.  It was also at least twice the size of Ben’s farmhouse. 

“Like I said, I let the architect get a bit carried away,” Jake said, noticing Britney’s awed expression. 

The house was a beautiful combination of both rustic and modern styling, built using large, honed wooden timbers and accented beautifully with stacked stone in an array of pleasing earth tones.  An immense front porch ran the entire length of the house and massive, two-story windows reflected the afternoon sun.  It was nothing at all like the small, dilapidated structure where years earlier she had discovered the true meaning of horror.

“It’s incredib
le,” Britney breathed, her tone utterly sincere.  “Your architect was obviously a genius.  It actually looks like it belongs here.”

“Uh huh,” Jake agreed, pleased
by her reaction.  “I wanted something that would add to the beauty of the surrounding scenery and not detract from it.  Other than going a little overboard on the square footage, he did a great job.”

Britney nodded in agreement.

Parking in front of the house, Jake pulled the keys from the Explorer’s ignition.  “I’ll pull it into the garage after we unload and put a garage door opener in here for you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Britney responded, opening her door and stepp
ing out onto the wide gravel drive.

As he
moved to the rear of the vehicle to unload their bags, Jake eyed Britney curiously.  During their brief stop at Ben’s he’d seen her smile, heard her laugh and had watched in stunned disbelief as she’d chatted warmly and openly with his grandfather.  He’d discovered that she was an only child like him, that she had grown up in a small town in California and that her parents had been killed in a car accident while she was in college.  He’d also realized that she was younger than she appeared. 

It was odd, he thought as he pulled out the bags, with Ben
she’d been open and friendly, yet afterward on the short drive to the house, she’d once again grown quiet and pensive.  If he hadn’t already been aware of her reputation within the Blades organization, he might have thought her reticent behavior was solely for his benefit.  It was puzzling, to say the least. 

Picking up
her two smaller bags, Britney slung one over her shoulder and then followed Jake, who toted a couple of the larger suitcases up the front steps to the house.  Stepping onto the front porch, they both stopped and turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle.

As Britney watched, a silver Chevy Tahoe pulled up
and parked beside the Explorer, an older woman with short, dark hair behind the wheel.  As Jake smiled and waved, she realized that this must be the infamous Rosie, Ben had mentioned earlier. 

Dropping the luggage
onto the porch, Jake descended the steps to greet his aunt as she stepped from the vehicle.

“Hey
, darlin’, it’s so good to see you,” she exclaimed as Jake enfolded her in a warm hug.

“You too
, Aunt Rose.  It’s been too long.”

Stepping back, she eyed Jake with a slight shake of her head
and then patted his cheek.  “You look tired, sweetie.  You’ve been working too hard, haven’t you?”

“Nah
, I’m good.  I just stayed out too late with the boys last night,” he admitted sheepishly.

“
Well, just the same, you need this vacation. When I talked to your mother the other day, she told me how much you’ve got going on, even during the off-season.  She’s worried about you, Jake.”

“Mom’s a natural worrier
, Aunt Rose, you know that,” he said, with a good-humored expression.  “Come on,” he said taking her arm.  “Let’s go up to the house and I’ll introduce you to my assistant.”

“Your assistant?  For goodness
sake, Jake, you’re supposed to be on vacation,” she grumbled, as Jake led her to the house.  “No wonder your mother’s concerned.”

As Britney waited on the front porch, she
unobtrusively took in the other woman’s clothing, hot pink capri pants, a matching white blouse with pink polka-dots and a pair of flat-heeled pink sandals.  With Jake dressed in his casual t-shirt and athletic shorts, she felt ridiculous standing there in her drab business suit but tried not to let it show.

“Rose, this is Miss
Britney Taylor.  Britney, this is my aunt, Rosemary Porter.”

“It’s lovely to meet you
, dear,” Rose said, extending her hand.

“
You too, Mrs. Porter,” Britney replied politely, as the older woman’s curious gaze raked her from head to toe. 

“Call me Rose, dear, everyone does.”  Withdrawing her hand, her smile was friendly as she studied Britney’s appearance.  “I certainly hope my nephew doesn’t expect you to
adhere to business attire while you’re here,” she said with a sidelong, semi-censorious glance at Jake.  “We’re all pretty laid-back around these parts.”

Britney
inwardly cringed.  Apparently, they were also very direct. 

Jake frowned.  It wasn’t his fault that Britney was dressed like that. 
“Britney can dress however she wants,” he said.  “It certainly doesn’t matter to me.”  Reaching down, he picked up the bags he’d dropped and strode to the front door.

As Britney turned to follow, Rosemary stopped her.  “Just leave those bags for Jake
, dear.  You can help me bring in the food.”

“The food?”

“Just a few groceries, and of course I have the meals for the next few days.”

“M
eals?”  Britney was confused as she followed Rose back to her Tahoe.

“Didn’t Jake tell you?” she asked, lifting the
rear hatch. 

Britney regarded her blankly.

“In addition to running one of the local bed and breakfasts, I operate a small catering service for some of the locals.”  Reaching into the back she grabbed a large cooler and set it on the ground and then handed Britney two large sacks filled with groceries.  “Jake’s not much of a cook, so when he visits I stop by twice a week with pre-cooked meals that he can just pop into the oven and warm up.  Since mom passed, I do the same for my dad.”  Hefting the cooler, she started toward the house as Britney followed behind.  “Do you have any food allergies I should know about?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Allergies, uh no.  But you don’
t have to go to any trouble on my account.  I don’t mind shopping and cooking for myself.  It’s really not a problem.”

“Nonsense,
Jake pays for all of the groceries and for me cooking isn’t work, but pleasure.  So it’s really no trouble at all, dear.” 

Britney followed her into the house, instantly awed by the elegant, yet
welcoming décor.    

“Unless
you would
prefer
to cook for yourself, of course.” 

Noting the slight affront in Rosemary’s tone
, Britney quickly back-pedaled as she followed the older woman into the kitchen.  “Oh no, it’s not that.  I just wouldn’t want to be a bother, what with you already cooking for Jake.”

Setting the cooler next to the large s
tainless steel refrigerator, Rosemary turned back to Britney with a warm smile.  “I always make more than enough for two, so don’t you worry about a thing,” she said, sounding mollified.  “Now be a dear and run out and grab the rest of the bags while I start unloading, will you?”

“Of course,” Britney
replied, setting the two bags she was holding onto the immense granite-topped island that took up the middle portion of the large, open kitchen.

Passing Jake on the front porch, she saw that he was
carrying her other suitcase.

“I’ll take your bags
upstairs to the guest suite,” he told her.  “Then I’ll show you around the house once you and Rose are done in the kitchen.”

“Al
right, thanks.”

Grabbing the remaining grocery bags
out of Rosemary’s vehicle, Britney shut the hatch and then stopped for a moment, taking in the lush beauty that surrounded her temporary home.  From where she stood, she had an unobstructed view of the Sawtooth Mountains and they were truly spectacular to behold.  Their rugged gray peaks were wreathed in low-hanging white clouds, while the encompassing wilderness was awash in a kaleidoscope of colors.  It really was a beautiful sight.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be so difficult to keep the images of that other remote wilderness at bay, for there was nothing even remotely sinister about this place.  There were no agonizing screams ringing in her ears, only the peaceful singsong sounds of the birds, the gentle buzzing of flying insects and the soft chirping of crickets.  She was safe now.  She had to remember that.  She couldn’t allow her fear to overwhelm her and drag her back to that horrible abyss that lurked in the back of her thoughts, just waiting to swallow her.  She had to be strong.

Later that afternoon, once Rosemary had left and Jake had shown her around the house, Britney sat in the office reviewing his schedule.  The next two weeks were relatively clear, an interview with the local paper and telephone interviews with ESPN, Maxim and another with Fox Sports.  The following week however, was going to be hectic.  Three years ago, Jake had signed on to be the face of an advertising campaign for one of LA’s hottest new clothing designers.  The pairing had been remarkably successful and had launched Jake into a realm of celebrity status far beyond the NHL.  His face, having frequently graced the covers of publications such as Sports Illustrated and Sports Weekly, was now seen on the covers of publications like GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Esquire as well.  His fame had been further enhanced the following year, when he’d dated not one, but two of Hollywood’s A-list actresses, and even more so when he’d been a contender for People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive that same year.

Now, the clothing company wanted to shoot their next layout at Jake’s cabin, kind of a high-class urban style, set against a rural wild
erness backdrop theme.  Jake had agreed, grudgingly he’d told her, and now Britney was in charge of working with the clothing and advertising companies to finalize the logistics.  She had to help with hotel arrangements, car rentals, equipment deliveries, scheduling issues and so on.  Jake had informed her quite adamantly that he was on vacation and other than posing for the pictures he wanted to have zero involvement with anything else related to the shoot.  He was going to be totally hands-off.  She got it.

The only other
challenge involved the three-day hockey camp Jake would be hosting in Sun Valley the following month.  As she’d just learned, for the past four years Jake and a couple of his former teammates had been sponsoring a hockey camp for local underprivileged boys and girls ages six to twelve, who were interested in the sport of hockey.  Funded solely by Jake and his teammates, the kids were provided with brand new skates, helmets, sticks, pads and all of the other required equipment, in addition to receiving personalized coaching from three of the NHL’s star players.  Although most of the logistics were already in place, it would be up to her to see that everything ran smoothly.  

The
remainder of the afternoon slowly slipped by as Britney sorted through the seemingly endless barrage of requests for Jake’s time.  His presence was in constant demand for charity events, he received countless requests for interviews and his numerous endorsement deals were another large time commitment.  She had already spoken with Jake’s agent twice since arriving at the house and had a feeling that she and Bruce Eldridge were going to become very well-acquainted over the next eight weeks. 

“You don’t have to work all night you know.”

Britney looked up in surprise to see Jake leaning casually against one of the open French doors that led into the office.  He was still dressed in the same rumpled t-shirt and shorts, and still looked as devastatingly handsome as ever.  With surprising difficulty, she tore her gaze from his face and glanced back at the computer monitor, noting the time in the bottom corner of the screen.  “Oh,” she replied.  “I didn’t realize it was so late.”  It was after six. 

“Dinner’s in the oven.  I hope you like Italian.  I went with the lasagna tonight.”

Returning her gaze to his face, she saw that he was regarding her with a somewhat curious expression.  “Sounds great,” she said.  “I love Italian.”  They had already gone over the household responsibilities.  They had decided to take turns with the meals and the dishes and the housecleaning would be taken care of by one of the women who worked at Rosemary’s bed and breakfast.  She would be coming by twice a week, so at least there wasn’t that to worry about.  Britney wouldn’t have minded doing a little light cleaning now and then, but vacuuming and scrubbing toilets wasn’t exactly a part of her job description.

“Good.  It should be ready in about fifteen minutes.
”

“Al
right.  I’ll just finish up here.”

“I’m serious, by the way.  I really don’t expect you to work around the clock,” he said, moving into the room.  “If Bruce is
throwing too much at you, just let me know.  The guy’s a total workaholic.  Sometimes I wonder if he even sleeps,” he added, shaking his head from side to side. 

“I kind of got that impression,” Britney nodded in agreement
, smiling slightly.  “But it’s fine, really.  I like to stay busy.”  It was true.  Staying busy kept her thoughts from wandering and kept her focused on the present, rather than the past.  Busy was a good thing.  Nonetheless, she’d send a quick email to Ian to let him know that everything was going smoothly, see if he needed anything and then she’d wrap it up for the night.  There was nothing that couldn’t wait until morning.

Nodding, Jake turned and left the room.  He
had a feeling that Britney Taylor and Bruce Eldridge had a great deal in common, in one regard anyhow.  Both workaholics, they were a match made in heaven.

When Britney walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, she saw that Jake had already set out two place settings on the center island.  He was just pulling the lasagna out of the oven when she stepped into the large, homey kitchen.  “Mmm, smells good.”

“Aunt Rose is a great cook.  I’ll probably put on ten pounds while we’
re here,” he told her, setting the baking dish on the counter and reaching for a spatula.

Britney eyed him skeptically
.  She’d already seen the top-of-the-line fitness equipment he’d installed in the downstairs exercise room and from what she could tell there wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on Jake’s body.  Like the majority of professional athletes, he undoubtedly adhered to a pretty strict exercise routine, even during the off-season.  “Can I help with anything?” she asked, glancing around. 

“No
thanks, I’ve got it.  Just help yourself to whatever you want to drink,” he said, motioning toward the refrigerator.  “Glasses are in the cabinet to the left.”

Britney grabbed a
glass, pulled a bottled water from the fridge and then took a seat on one of the barstools at the island.  Would they be eating together all the time, she wondered?  She’d kind of suspected that Jake might just fill his plate and take it into the other room to watch TV or something, but the neatly laid out place settings suggested otherwise.  She watched him as he dished up the lasagna, and then added a slice of garlic bread to each plate.  Wow, eating dinner with Jake McCoy in the privacy of his own kitchen.  That certainly wasn’t something she’d ever envisioned herself doing.  Amazing what unexpected twists and turns life could throw your way.  She supposed she should be used to it by now.  Life had already dealt her more than her fair share of the unexpected. She could only hope that unlike the events in her past, this twist would turn out to be a good one.

“Bon appetite,” Jake said,
setting a plate in front of her and then taking the seat directly across from her.

“Thanks, it looks great.”
  With an appreciative smile, she dug her fork into the healthy serving of pasta and took a bite.  Her taste buds exploded.  Oh man, Rosemary could cook!  She finished chewing and looked at Jake in wonder.  Maybe he wasn’t kidding about those ten pounds.  “Wow, this is amazing.  If all of her meals are this good, you won’t be the only one putting on weight while we’re here.” 

Jake nodded, finishing his own bite.  “Trust me, they are.”   

“I guess it’s a good thing you have all of that exercise equipment here,” she said, before taking another mouthful of the scrumptious lasagna. 

During their earlier tour of the house, Jake had offered her the use of the exercise room, the sauna, the hot tub
on the back deck and pretty much whatever else she chose to make use of.  He’d graciously instructed her to treat the house as if it were her own for the duration of her stay. He had also instructed her to do whatever she wanted with her free time.  Apparently, he didn’t expect her to keep traditional office hours either.  As long as she stayed on top of things she was free to come and go as she pleased, he’d told her. 

They ate in silence for several minutes, which gave Britney time to ponder her situation.  She’d been so nervous about leaving Minneapolis
with a virtual stranger, not to mention the security of her familiar surroundings and routine.  Now that she was here though, she had to admit that the majority of her concerns seemed a bit silly.  Jake seemed like a really nice guy and meeting his grandfather and his aunt had shown her the kind of family he was from.  They were warm, kindhearted people who obviously loved each other a great deal.  The setting was also nothing at all like the one in her nightmares.  Jake’s home was warm and inviting and she already felt comfortable in it.  Although the cabin was located a ways from town, it certainly wasn’t as remote and isolated as she’d feared, a fact that eased her mind considerably.  She could handle this, she decided, and she would.

“I was wondering if
you might like to do a little sightseeing tomorrow?” Jake asked.

Lost in thought, the question caught
Britney off guard.  She glanced up, meeting Jake’s inquiring gaze.  “Sightseeing?”

“
Sure, it’s Sunday after all, and you
are
allowed to have a little fun while you’re here,” he said with a teasing smile.  “And I am a pretty good tour guide, or so I’ve been told.”  Funny, he realized, but a few hours ago he probably wouldn’t have been so quick to make the offer.  Seriously, based on his initial impression of her, spending the day with Britney Taylor was the last thing he would have wanted to do.  But now, surprisingly, he really hoped that she would accept.  Perhaps it was the way in which she’d interacted with his grandfather, and even with Rose.  Oddly, she hadn’t seemed nearly as cool and aloof as her previous behavior had indicated.  Even now, with him, she seemed far less standoffish than she had before and much more relaxed.  It was strange.  He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but there was something about her that intrigued him, something that just didn’t seem to make sense.  But for whatever reason, The Ice Queen had definitely piqued his interest. 

“That’s very nice of you to offer
, but you really don’t have to-”

He held up his hand,
stopping her.  “I know I don’t
have
to.  I want to.  Really.”

The warm, encouraging look he gave her, partnered with his incredibly charming smil
e was impossible to resist and nearly caused her heart to skip a beat.  She could definitely understand why Jake McCoy had women falling all over him.  He was almost too beautiful to be real.  “Okay, sure… I’d love to,” she replied, trying not to lose herself in the depths of his incredible eyes. 

Later that night, as Britney lay down upon the guest room’s soft mattress, pulling the comforting warmth of the
bed’s beautifully patterned, red and white log-cabin quilt over her, she allowed her eyes to drift shut, wondering if the nightmares would haunt her here as they so often did at home.  The house was so quiet.  If was comforting to know that Jake’s room was just down the hall.  If he was still up, however, she couldn’t hear him.  As her breathing grew even, she focused on the oddly peaceful sound of a cricket’s steady chirping outside of her window.  After a while her eyelids grew heavy; and as she listened to the rhythmic sound it eventually lulled her to sleep.  

Surprisingly
, there were no nightmares to disturb her slumber.  However, she did dream.  She dreamt of a man with emerald green eyes and a beautiful smile that made her pulse quicken, a man whose warm voice drifted over her like a gentle caress and whose touch made her shiver, not in fear, but in excitement.  She dreamt of Jake McCoy.