Unbroken (6 page)

“
The Snake River Mining Company operated the dredge for several years until it reached a rock dike below Bonanza in 1949. At that time, they sold it to Mr. J.R. Simplot and Mr. Baumhoff who operated the dredge until 1951, when Mr. Simplot purchased his partner's interest.”  As they neared the end of the tour, Britney continued to listen intently, though she couldn’t refrain from taking an occasional peek at Jake.  She could tell that he wasn’t paying as close attention to Mike’s speech as she was, but that was probably because he’d heard it before, maybe more than once. She had to admit, it was extremely nice of him to offer to take her sightseeing.  Most men in his position probably wouldn’t have bothered.  She was just a temporary employee after all, here to do a job. 

In the brief time that she’d known him, it was becoming increasingly clear to Britney that
in addition to being impossibly gorgeous, Jake was also a really nice guy. 

“
The dredge was then operated until 1952 when it ran out of mining claims on which to work,” Mike continued, as he wrapped up the tour. “The dredge hasn’t been operated since 1952, but it remains the largest self-powered dredge ever to operate in Idaho.”

“Thanks
, Mike.  That was really interesting,” Britney said honestly, as they reached the building’s exit.

“You guys are welcome to tr
y panning for gold in the river if you’d like.  It’s included in the tour,” he offered, motioning to a plastic tub full of small shovels and a stack of shallow metal pans on a nearby counter.

“Oh, that’s al
right,” Britney said.  It sounded fun, but she wasn’t sure Jake would be interested.  He’d probably done it before anyway. 

“I’m game.  How about you?”  Jake responded, looking at Britney with
an engaging smile and raised brows.  Despite her words, he’d noted her initial spark of interest at the suggestion.

“Sure
,” she nodded, pleased that Jake seemed truly up for it and not just summoning false enthusiasm for her benefit.

As Mike handed each of them a shovel
and pan, he finally got up the courage to ask Jake if he was who he thought he was.  At Jake’s acknowledgement, Mike’s face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. 

“Wow, it’s so cool to meet you
, Mr. McCoy.  I’m not a hockey player myself, I play baseball for my high school team, but I did watch the NHL playoff series last year.  You were awesome,” he enthused.

“Thanks,” Jake replied, with a humble expr
ession.  “Hopefully this year the Blades can bring home the cup.”

“Well I’ll be rooting for you,” Mike said with real enthusiasm.  “You guys want me to show you how to pan?”

“That’s okay.  I’ve done this before.  I can show Britney how to do it.”

“Okay, well here are
a couple of jars to collect anything you find.”  He handed each of them a small glass jar with a cork stopper.  “Good luck.”

Jake actually seemed to be enjoying himself, Britney thought, as he showed her how to pan for gold.  It was harder than it looked, but after a few tries, she got the hang of it and managed to effectively swirl the water and sand around the lip of the pan so that any gold flakes present in the sand would settle into the bottom.

A
fter about fifteen minutes, she had placed eight tiny flakes into her small glass jar.  She glanced toward where Jake was kneeling by the water a few feet away and held it up, smiling triumphantly as she gave the jar a little shake and set the gold fragments swirling about. 

“Way to go,
Britney.  You’re doing great,” he said with a wide, encouraging grin. 

Holy smokes! 
The effect of Jake’s captivating smile made Britney’s heart flutter.  Again, she was somewhat stunned by her reaction.  For a moment, she felt almost like her old self, like a normal woman with normal emotions, momentarily dazzled by the smile of a good-looking guy.  The tiny glimmer of hope she’d felt earlier flickered once again.  However, the notion that even a small degree of normalcy could be possible was both heartening and frightening at the same time, for she had been emotionally closed off for so long now.  But in that moment she wanted desperately to break free, to escape from the heart-wrenching loneliness that had become the center of her pitiful existence. 
Was it possible?
Dropping her gaze to the flecks of gold that had once again settled to the bottom of the jar, she felt something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time, a renewed sense of optimism.

Twenty minutes later, they returned their shovels and pans to Mike and accepted his cheerful congratulations on their successful panning efforts.  Britney was thrilled that she had managed to collect nearly a dozen and a half of the small gold flakes, even though Jake had deposited at least twice as many in his own little glass jar.

“That was fun,” she told him a
s they left the dredge and made their way along the dirt path that led to the one-time bustling mining town.

“Yeah, it sure was,” Jake agreed.  “Though I doubt either of us could make a living at it,” he added with a laugh.

Britney held up her bottle, cocking her head to the side as she examined the meager contents within.  “I think you’re probably right about that.”

As they followed the worn footpath, Britney was delighted by the easy conversation that sprung up between them.  To her surprise, Jake was much easier to talk to than she would have ever imagined.  And, as it turned out, he was a bit of a history buff like she was.  At her encouragement, he told her a bit of the history behind Custer as they walked.  She was surprised to learn that Jake’s great-grandfather had been amongst the first group of miners to settle in Custer.  In fact, it had been his early success that had funded the purchase of the large parcel of land that remained in Jake’s family to this day.  In addition, he’d been the one to construct the original structure that was now Ben’s farmhouse. 

“Ther
e’s even a picture of him in one of the old buildings,” Jake said, motioning to the row of small wooden structures that lined both sides of the narrow dirt road ahead. 

“I’d love to see it,” Britney responded eagerly.  She’d already scanned the area up ahead.  There was a youn
g couple dressed in hiking gear standing outside of what looked to be a small store, studying some type of pamphlet or maybe a map, and a bit farther ahead was a slightly older couple with three small children in tow. 

“Let’s stop by the old general store first.  Maybe we can find you a sou
venir,” Jake said, moving in the direction of the young hikers. 

The pair looked up as she and Jake approached, smiling and nodding, before returning their attention to what Britney could now see was
indeed a map. 

“Morning folks,” a gra
y-haired man greeted from behind a glass-fronted counter, as they stepped inside the small shop. 

While Jake stopped to chat with the friendly clerk, Britney
smiled in greeting and then moved curiously about the little store.  There was a wide variety of antiques on display throughout the one room building, as well as a number of new, non-display items available for purchase.  She’d been studying an assortment of jewelry made with stones found in the surrounding region when her gaze settled on a pale-pink, heart-shaped stone strung on a thin silver chain.  She’d just leaned forward for a closer look when she felt Jake’s presence behind her.

“Pretty,” he commented, looking over her shoulder.  “Which one do you like?”

She pointed to the necklace with the pink heart, glancing up as the clerk stepped around to the rear of the glass counter.

“Would you like me to take it out
for you?” he asked politely.

Britney nodded.  “Yes please.”

“This one here’s made out of tourmaline,” he told her, bending down to pull it from the case.  “Local fella makes these.  Does a real nice job,” he said, straightening up and handing her the necklace.

“It’s lovely.”  She held it up, admiring the simple beauty of
the stone.  “How much is it?” she asked.  The cost wasn’t really a concern however, for Ian paid her well.  Besides, she still had almost all of the money she’d received from her parents’ life insurance and the sale of their home in California, a substantial amount; though she would have gladly traded every cent to have her mother and father back for even one more day.

“Don’t worry
about it.  It’s on me.” Jake said, pulling a credit card from his wallet, before the clerk had a chance to respond.

“On no, you don’t need to do that.”

“I insist,” Jake said, handing over the card, allowing Britney no additional time to protest.

It seemed
pointless to argue.  “Thank you,” she said graciously.

“You’re welcome.” 

His smile was warm and friendly, not to mention incredibly sexy.  Again, Britney felt a tiny flutter in her chest. 

“Would you like me to wrap it up for you?” the clerk asked, after swiping Jake’s card
and handing it back to him.  “Or would you like to wear it?” He looked at Britney, his expression encouraging.  “I’m sure it’ll look real pretty on you.”

“Oh, umm…
I guess I’ll wear it,” she responded, moving her fingers to the clasp.  She managed to unhook it and lifted it up to her neck, but fumbled a bit as she attempted to refasten it.

“Here, let me help,”
Jake offered, moving to stand behind her.  Before she could utter a response, he reached for the clasp, brushing his fingers against the back of her neck as he did.  His steady hands had the clasp fastened in an instant. 

Alt
hough there was nothing the least bit untoward in the action, Britney felt a tiny shiver race through her in response to his brief touch.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t fear or revulsion that prompted the slight quiver; it was awareness,
normal,
catch your breath in a good way, physical awareness.

“There you go.”
  He stepped back around to the front and nodded his head in approval.  “Very nice.”  Turning back to the clerk, he took his receipt and shoved it into his pocket.

Much t
o her dismay, Britney felt heat coloring her cheeks and quickly turned away.  Amazing she thought, that a simple, casual touch could send her senses reeling.  It seemed impossible, but it was true.  There was no denying the obvious; she was attracted to Jake McCoy,
physically
attracted, very much so in fact. 

As they left the
shop a moment later, Britney continued to marvel at the startling notion.  Nothing would come of it of course, for even if she wasn’t irrevocably damaged by the horrifying events of her past, Jake McCoy was her boss, at least temporarily, and he was also way out of her league. However, perhaps developing a harmless crush on someone unattainable like Jake was just what she needed to regain a small portion of her old self.  It was definitely worth considering.  In fact, the more she thought about it, the more comfortable she grew with the notion.  Honestly, if she kept her head about her, what could it hurt? 

As they made their way along the dusty street
, Britney’s focus was divided between Jake’s comments on their present surroundings and the sudden, crazy thoughts that were now swirling in her head.

Hearing the familiar crunch of gravel beneath tires and the low rumble of Jake’s diesel engine, Britney glanced toward the window, a slight smile playing upon her lips as she watched his truck swing around to the garage. He’d been gone for most of the morning and afternoon, out fishing with his grandfather at one of the nearby lakes. 

In the days following their visit to Custer,
they seemed to have slipped into an informal routine.  Though she didn’t see much of him during the day, for he spent the majority of his time outdoors, they continued to share their evening meals and often watched the evening news together on the enormous flat screen television in the living room.  It was nice, the easy unspoken pattern they’d developed, and with each passing day she grew more and more relaxed in his company.  If she were being honest with herself, she had to admit that she was also becoming increasingly infatuated with her utterly charming and undeniably sexy housemate.  Though she knew that her feelings toward Jake would never be reciprocated, it felt good to experience those kinds of emotions again nonetheless. 

Alright,
stop thinking about Jake and get back to work, she told herself with a lighthearted shake of her head.  Turning her attention from the window and back to her computer, she resumed her task of sifting through the latest emails and daily correspondence. 

Walking from the garage and into the kitchen with a half dozen rainbow trout dangling from the metal stringer in his left hand, Jake was in a great mood and anxious to show Britney the fruits of that afternoon’s fishing trip with Ben.  “Hey Britney, you busy?” he called, his voice carrying throughout the lower level of the house. 

“Coming,” he heard her call from the direction of the office.

Entering the kitchen, Britney
felt her heart give a little leap at the sight of Jake as he proudly held up a stringer of fish, his breathtaking smile wide and triumphant.  “Not bad for a day’s work, huh?”

“Very nice,” Britney agreed, returning his smile. 
Standing in the middle of his kitchen in a wrinkled t-shirt and a baggy pair of cargo shorts, holding a stringer of fish, he still managed to look like a cover boy for GQ Magazine.  If they could only see him now, Field and Stream would probably offer him a small fortune to grace their own cover; maybe even offer him a job as their spokesperson.  Jake would surely give fishing a whole new appeal, at least to the female population.  “Do you need help cleaning them?” she offered, dragging her eyes from his face to the stringer of fish with no small degree of difficulty. 

“You know how to clean fish?” 

The look of shock on Jake’s face was almost comical and she repressed the urge to laugh.  “Sure.  My dad and I used to go fishing all the time.  Mostly deep-sea fishing, but we did some lake and stream fishing too.  I’ve cleaned my fair share of trout over the years,” she told him, accurately identifying the silvery colored fish on the string.

Britney Taylor cleaning fish, now that was something he wanted to see, but
despite the urge he resisted the temptation.  “I appreciate the offer, but how about this instead, I’ll clean em and you cook ‘em.”

“Deal,” she replied.  “My mom had the best fish-fry recipe ever.  Let’s see if w
e’ve got what I need,” she said moving toward the cupboard that held the spices, as Jake plunked the fish into the massive, double-sided sink.

They worked in companionable silence for several
minutes, Jake scaling the fish as Britney compiled the ingredients she needed for the fish-fry. 

“Shal
l we invite Ben over for dinner?” Britney asked after a while.

“Already did.  He’s got plans.  It’s bingo night at the VA.”

“Oh, well maybe another night then.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’d like that.”  Jake plopped another of the cleaned fish onto a plate an
d turned to look at Britney.  “Hey, that reminds me.  My cousin Rayanne is coming up from Mountain Home in a few days.  I guess John has to go to Nevada for some kind of flight training, so she’s going to bring the girls to Stanley for a visit while he’s away.  I’m sure Aunt Rose will want to have a family dinner over at Ben’s while they’re here and I know she’ll want you to come.”

“
Oh.  Are you sure?  If it’s a family dinner I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Are you kidding,” Jake said with a laugh.  “
She and Ben would have my hide if I didn’t bring you.”

“Well, if
you’re sure they’d like me to come, then of course I’d love to,” Britney said.

“Great,
I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

Britney nodded
and then turned her attention back to the large mixing bowl in front of her.  Being part of a family dinner, even if it wasn’t her own, sounded nice.

“Well, my part’s done,” Jake said a short time later, as he laid the last of the cleaned fish aside.  “Mind if I ta
ke a quick shower while you get dinner started?”

“
No, not at all.”

“Thanks, I won’t be long.”
 

Walking away
, Jake couldn’t help pondering the past several days with Britney.  Though he was still somewhat baffled by the woman who was temporarily sharing his home, there were two things he knew for certain.  First, Britney Taylor was damn good at her job, for which he was exceedingly grateful.  And second, and far more surprising, The Ice Queen was slowly beginning to thaw. 

As Jake left
the kitchen, Britney grabbed a large frying pan and started prepping the fish, trying unsuccessfully to keep the mental image of him standing naked in the shower from completely overtaking her thoughts. 

Britney was just setting two glasses and a pitcher of freshly-made iced tea onto the table when Jake reentered the kitchen twenty minutes later, looking fresh and clean and entirely too appealing.   

“Umm, smells good.”

“Have a seat. Everything’s ready,” she said, turning away so that her eyes didn’t linger.  “I made a rice dish and threw a few vegetables together to go with the fish.  I hope that’s alright.”

“Sound
s great, I’m starved,” Jake said, dropping into a chair.

Grabbing the fully-laden plates from the counter
, she set one in front of Jake and then sat the other on the opposite side of the table, before taking her seat. 

“Wow
, Britney, if this tastes as good as it looks, I might have to go fishing more often,” he said, before cutting off a bite of fish and popping it into his mouth.

Britney
waited for his reaction, inordinately pleased when his expression revealed his approval. 

“Yep, definitely going to have to do more fishing,” he said
with a nod.  “This tastes amazing.”  

“Thanks, I’m glad you like it.”

“We’ll have to make sure to have Granddad over next time.  He’ll love this.”

Britney
took a bite, nodding in agreement as her thoughts turned to Ben.  She’d only seen Jake’s grandfather in passing since her arrival, though he’d invited her to stop by whenever she had time for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie.  She’d been busy, but Jake spent time with him nearly every day.  “I’ll bet he’s looking forward to Rayanne and the girls’ visit.”

“That’s for sure. 
Rachel and Ruby love spending time with Ben at the farm, almost as much as he loves having them.  Rayanne loves it too.  She’s got her hands pretty full with John being gone so much and I know she appreciates a break once in a while.”

“Are you and Rayanne close?”

“Mmm hmm.  She’s a couple years older than I am, but we’ve always had a pretty tight bond.  Even though my parents moved to North Dakota when I was nine, I still used to spend nearly every summer here as a kid, and Rayanne and I hung out together all the time.  She was a bit of a tomboy back then and we were always fishing, hiking, riding our four-wheelers, exploring, you name it.”

“It sounds like you had a fun childhood.”
  Hearing Jake talk about Rayanne reminded her of her relationship with Tyler.  Despite the difference in their gender, they had been best friends since they were toddlers and still were today.  They talked on the phone and emailed each other all the time, but she hadn’t seen him in months and she missed him.

“Yeah,” Jake nodded
, “I sure did.  But once I started playing hockey, I spent most of my summers at hockey camps in Canada and back east.  It was fun too, but not quite the same, you know.”

The mention of hockey reminded her of
the last phone call she’d had with Jake’s agent.  “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Bruce called earlier and said that he’s planning to come up for the photo shoot.” 

“Really, why?
” Jake asked between bites.

“He said something about the girls being wi
th their mom, and that he wanted to get away from the office for a couple of days.”  

Jake nodded, his expression
concerned.  “I think the divorce is hitting him pretty hard.  It will do him good to get away, even if it’s only for a day or two.”

Britney
nodded.  She knew from an earlier conversation with Bruce that he and his wife had recently split up and were working on a custody agreement for their two daughters. She felt bad for him.  It had to be tough.

Later that night
, after she and Jake had watched the evening news, Britney headed up to her room.  After changing into her pajamas, she climbed into bed and grabbed her cell phone from the night stand.  She’d promised to call Tyler and it was getting late.  Dialing his cell number, she waited for him to answer. 

“Hey, I was beginning to think you’d forgotten
about me,” he teased a moment later.

“Sorry, I
meant to call you earlier but I got caught up with work.”

“What else is new?  You work too much
, Brit.  It isn’t healthy.”

“
I like to work.  You know that.  And I’m fine, Ty, really.”

“Are you?” he asked, his tone
suddenly serious.

Tyler Riggins was probably the one person who knew her almost as well as she knew herself.  They’d grown up together, living next door to o
ne another since they were born a mere three weeks apart.  Tom Riggins and his wife Mary had been her parents’ closest friends and she and Tyler were actually more like brother and sister than friends.  And though they had dated briefly during their senior year of high-school, they had quickly realized that they weren’t meant to be anything more than friends.  He was the most important person in her life now, and one of the few people she’d kept in contact with after moving to Minnesota.  He worried about her, and though she wished he wouldn’t, she loved him for it.   

“Seriously
, Ty, I’m okay,” she said, keeping her voice light.  “You know I enjoy what I do, and right now, leaving Minnesota and working for Jake, well it’s not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.” 
Boy was that an understatement!
  “Stanley is really beautiful, Jake’s a great boss and his cabin is spectacular, not to mention huge.  You don’t need to worry about me, I swear.”

“
I’ll always worry about you, Brit.”

“I know,” she said softly.  “
And I love you for it, I really do.” 

“Alright, on to other matters then,” Tyler said, his tone upbeat now.  “We’ve got a couple of birthdays coming up
you know.”

“Ugg, don’t remind me,” Britney groaned playfully.  “That puts us
both one year closer to thirty.”

“Ah, come
on,” Tyler chuckled, “twenty-six isn’t so bad.  Besides, I’m sending you something special for your big day.”

“You are?”

“Yep.  It’s a surprise.”

A surprise?  Hmm, what
on earth was he up to, she wondered? “Can you give me a hint?” Britney asked.

“Nope, no hints,” Tyler replied.  “But I think it’s something you’ll like.  Oh, and
before I forget, you better give me the directions to Jake’s cabin.  Since you’re not in town I’ll probably need to tell the delivery guy how to get there.”

They talked for several
more minutes before they finally said goodnight.  Setting down the phone, Britney opened the drawer of the nightstand that sat next to her bed and reached for one of the two necklaces that lay inside.  Brushing her fingertips across the smooth pink stone that Jake had purchased for her in Custer, her hand then moved toward the second necklace.  Lifting it out, she caught hold of the large ring that hung from the delicate gold chain.  It was Tyler’s first Super Bowl ring.  As she’d struggled, and continued to struggle with her inner demons, he’d given it to her to hold on to as a reminder that anything was possible.  At the age of twenty-three, he’d beaten out Ben Roethlisberger by just two short months as the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl.  And last January, at twenty-five, he’d led the NFL’s last expansion team, the Virginia Vipers to their second Super Bowl victory.  He was an amazing athlete, but more importantly, he was an amazing person.  She honestly didn’t know what she would have done without him.