Unbroken (9 page)

All three nodded vigorously.

“The Blades are my favorite team,” gushed one of the two blondes in the group.

“Mine too,”
exclaimed the petite brunette, smiling brightly.

From her vantage point across the rink, Britney watched the three women as they conversed with Jake, feeling more than a little envious as she noted their easy, flirtatious smiles.

Looking on
as they pulled out their cell phones, excitedly snapping pictures as Jake graciously posed with each of them in turn, she thought back to her former life, feeling a sudden wistfulness.  A few years ago she and her friends might have done the exact same thing if they’d inadvertently happened upon someone like Jake McCoy.  But now, here she was, sitting alone on the sidelines with all traces of her former self tucked safely behind her protective façade. 

Her
sense of wistfulness didn’t last long, however, as another emotion quickly began to take hold.  Watching Jake’s continued interaction with the female trio, she observed the women grow visibly bolder by the moment. Seeing one of the blondes lean toward Jake, her expression openly inviting as she brazenly placed her hand upon his arm, Britney couldn’t deny the spark of jealousy that flared within her.

Fortunately
, she didn’t have to suffer the vexing emotion overlong however, as Jake’s attention was soon diverted by Rachel and Ruby as the girls skated up to the group.

“Come on, Jake, skate with us,” Rachel called out, eyeing the women surrounding him with barely concealed irritation.

“Yeah, come on
, Jake,” Ruby seconded as she squeezed between the two blondes, holding her gloved hand out to him.

“Please e
xcuse me, ladies,” Jake said politely, taking Ruby’s hand.  “It was nice meeting you.”

With one last narrow-eyed glance toward the three women,
Rachel followed Jake and Ruby, quickly grabbing onto his other hand as they skated away.

Nice job, girls, Britney thought to herself as she watched them lead Jake away.  A short time later, all three were headed in her direction.

“I think the girls have had enough
skating for today,” Jake said as they stepped off the ice. 

“My toes are starting to get cold,
” Rachel said, sitting down on the bench and thrusting her legs out in front of her. 

Looking ov
er the top of Rachel’s head, Britney saw the female trio watching their little group with avid interest.

Knowing that Jake was currently unattached, she couldn’t help wondering what might have happened if
Rachel and Ruby hadn’t intervened earlier.  All three of the women were attractive.  Would Jake have taken an interest in one of them?  Perhaps asked one of them out even?  Though it was certainly none of her business, the notion bothered her more than she cared to admit. Hmm, so much for her
harmless
little crush.

“Would you like me to help you take your skates off
, Rachel?” Britney asked, suddenly eager to get them on their way.

Leaving the ice rink
a short while later, Jake steered the truck out of the parking lot and headed west.  Turning onto one of the main streets that ran through the center of town, he glanced at the girls in the review mirror.  “Who wants ice-cream?” he asked, motioning to the
Charlie’s Ice-Cream Shop
sign on the opposite side of the street.

“Me,” Ruby cried, bouncing up and down excitedly
in her seat.

“Me,”
Rachel echoed, with only slightly less enthusiasm than her wildly animated younger sibling.

“How about you
, Britney?”

“
Sure, sounds good to me.”

“Well alright then.  Ice-cream it is,” Jake said as he pulled the truck into one of the parking spaces that lined the street.

Stepping out, Britney was reaching to open the rear passenger door for Ruby when she noticed the small women’s clothing boutique a few doors down from where they were parked.  Standing there, she was struck by a sudden impulse as an image of the women from the ice rink entered her thoughts.  “Why don’t you three go on ahead,” Britney said, once they were all out of the truck.  “I just want to take a quick peek in that store back there and then I’ll catch up with you.  Okay?”

Jake glanced curiously toward the shop and then back to Britney.  “Sure thing,” he said good-naturedly.  “Come on
, girls, let’s go and see what flavors they have.”

Watching as they walked across the street, Jake holding each of the girl
’s hands, Britney moved quickly to the entrance of the small shop.  Opening the heavy glass door, she heard a melodic tinkle and looked up to see an old-fashioned metal bell mounted just above the doorframe.  With a quick look around she could see right away that it was an upscale establishment, but it hardly mattered.  She didn’t have time to worry about price.  As she entered, she could see that the lone salesclerk was busy helping another customer, the only other person in the store it seemed, and merely acknowledged her with a welcoming wave and a friendly smile. 

Proceeding
swiftly toward the nearest clothing rack, Britney flipped through a dozen or so tops.  Finding her size, she grabbed a cute V-necked pastel-pink blouse and another short-sleeved periwinkle-colored top with a button front and a drawstring waist.  Without giving herself time to think about what she was doing or to second-guess herself, she moved on to the next rack.  She found two more colorful, light-weight shirts and tossed them over her forearm.  Stepping toward a rack of dresses, she scanned the selection and pulled a short yellow sundress from the mix and then chose another in a bright floral-print. 

“Hi there.  Can I help you with anything?”

Britney looked up to see the young salesgirl coming toward her and the other customer now perusing the jewelry case.

“Would you mind setting these on the counter for me while I finish looking around,” she asked, handing the girl her armful of clothes.
  She didn’t have time to chat.

“Oh sure,” she said, eagerly taking the pile of clothing.  “Did you want to try anything on first?”

“No.  I’m in a bit of a hurry,” Britney informed her as she stepped toward a table holding several stacks of denim jeans and a variety of capri pants.  Quickly thumbing through them, she selected two pairs of jeans and two pairs of capris in her size.  With no time to try them on, she’d simply have to hope for the best. 

As the salesgirl moved behind the counter, Britney grabbed a couple of cotton t-shirts and set them on the countertop alongside the pants.  She noticed the other customer in the shop watching her
with a peculiar expression, but catching her eye, the older woman quickly turned her attention back to the jewelry case.  She probably looked like a crazy person, she realized, moving about the shop like a whirlwind as she hastily pawed through the racks of clothes.  Oh well, she thought with an internal shrug, let them think what they wanted.  It hardly mattered to her.

“Will that do it for you then?” the wide-eyed salescl
erk asked, glancing up from the mound of clothing on the counter.

“Do you sell shoes?”

“Shoes?  Um, well, we have a few.  Over there,” she said, pointing toward a small display near the front of the store.

“Great.  Can you start ringing these up while I take a look?”  Without waiting f
or a reply, she turned and hurried toward the shoes.  Her eyes instantly focused on a pair of multi-colored ballet flats that would go with just about anything and then moved to a pair of simple beige sandals with a flat heel.  Looking down, she searched the boxes stacked under the lower portion of the display table for her size.  Luck was with her and she found both pairs in a seven and a half.

Returning to the counter, she handed over the shoe boxes
and then reached for her wallet as the clerk scanned the barcodes. 

“Is that everything?”

“Britney nodded and glanced at her watch.  She’d been in the store for exactly eleven minutes.  Not bad.

“Okay the
n.  Your total comes to sixteen-hundred, seventy-two dollars and twelve cents,” she said with a slightly tentative expression.

Britney
handed over her credit card without hesitation.

Jake and the girls were just finishing up their cones when Britney walked into the ice-cream parlor carrying several large shopping bags.  His brow rose in surprise.  Dang, she’d only been gone fifteen minutes.

Noticing Jake’s look of astonishment, Britney smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.  “They were having a sale,” she said lamely.

“Wow, Britney, you sure got a lot of stuff,” Rachel said, eyeing the bags as she wiped her hands with a paper napkin.

“
Sorry we didn’t wait for you,” Ruby said, licking the last bit of chocolate from her lips. 

“That’s okay,” Britney told her. 
“Jake’s got ice-cream at home.  I think I’ll just wait and have some after dinner tonight.”

“Are you sure?” Jake asked.  “We don’t mind waiting, do we girls?”

They both shook their heads.

“Or, you can
get something to go and eat it in the car if you want.”

Both Ruby and
Rachel turned to look at Jake accusingly.  Apparently they hadn’t been offered the same deal, Britney realized, as she tried to hide her smile.

“Thanks, but I’m good,” she said.  “We can go if you’re ready?”

Jake nodded.  “Alright then, let’s get going.”

Sliding from their chairs, the girls tossed their napkins into the nearest trash
can and headed for the door.

Later that afternoon,
Britney entered her bedroom and unpacked her shopping bags, laying the new additions to her wardrobe atop the bed.  Biting her lower lip as she eyed the colorful display, she felt an array of conflicting emotions.  Buying the clothes was one thing, but wearing them was another thing entirely and she couldn’t help questioning her rash decision and the motivation behind it.  Looking down at the clothes, she tried to tell herself that she was tired of hiding, that it was time to stop living as a shadow of her former self and overcome her fears once and for all.  But even though she knew those were all valid reasons, she couldn’t lie to herself.  She recognized that the primary motivation behind her impulsive behavior was Jake.  She wanted him to see her in something other than the plain, boring clothes she’d brought with her.  Foolish as it might be, she wanted him to see her as a
woman
and not just as his temporary assistant.   

Heaving
an audible sigh, she turned and sat down on the edge of the mattress, pushing the clothes aside.  What was she thinking? Even if he
did
notice her, what would be the point?  Just because she was attracted to Jake didn’t necessarily mean that she would be able to have a normal relationship, a normal
sexual
relationship, with him or any man for that matter. But not only that, Jake McCoy was a world-famous celebrity, she reminded herself.  She could never be with someone like him, for more reasons than one.  For starters, the women he dated were bold and self-confident, women who didn’t shy away from attention, women who unlike her were willing to live their lives in the spotlight.  If
she
were linked with someone like Jake, she would never be able to keep her true identity a secret.  It would be impossible.  All that she’d done to protect herself, to disappear and leave her past behind, would be for naught. She couldn’t go back to that life; she
wouldn’t
go back to that life, not now, not ever.

Disheartened
now that reality had set in once again, she rose from the bed and moved toward the closet.  Gathering a handful of hangers, she turned back to the bed and reached for the first item of clothing.  Sliding the bright yellow sundress that lay atop the pile onto one of the hangers, she gazed at it wistfully for one long moment and then lightly smoothing the fabric of the skirt she turned to put it away.

In the days following their trip to Sun Valley, Britney hadn’t seen much of Jake, as Rosemary and Rayanne had roped him into helping out with some minor renovations at the B and B, keeping him busy for the greater part of each day. 

Today
, however, Rayanne and the girls were returning to Mountain Home and she had accompanied Jake to Ben’s house for a farewell lunch.

“Well, I suppose I’d better round up the girls,” Rayanne said, as she lifted the plate that held the remaining section of the pink-frosted angel food cake they’d eaten for dessert from the table and carried it to the kitchen.

Clearing the last of the des
sert plates, Britney followed her into the kitchen, setting them next to the sink where Rosemary and Ben were finishing up the last of the dishes.

“I’ll go and get them,” Britney offered.
  After they’d finished their cake, Jake had accompanied the girls out to the barn so that they could say goodbye to the litter of kittens they’d discovered a few days earlier.

“Okay, thanks,” Rayanne replied.  “Just make sure they don’t try and smuggle one of those kittens out of the barn,” she added with a grin.
 

“I’ll do my best,” Britney laughed.
  She knew from their earlier conversation that Rayanne’s husband, John, was allergic to cats.

“Don’t worry.  I’ll frisk them bot
h before we get in the car, just in case they manage to sneak one by you,” Rayanne called as Britney headed for the front door.

Entering the barn a few minutes later, Britney cast a sweeping glance around the cavernous space, but failed to spot either Jake or the girls.  “Jake,” she called.  “Rachel, Ruby, are you in here?”

“We’re up here!” a childish voice
exclaimed.

Looking up, Britney heard a shuffling sound from above and watched as several tiny bits of hay floated down from the cracks in the ceiling.  Ah, they were in the hayloft. 

“Over here, Britney,” she heard a moment later. 

She turned toward the sound, noting as she did the wooden ladder
bolted to the wall.  Walking over, she spotted Rachel peering down at her from the large square cutout in the floor of the loft.  “Oh, there you are.”

“Come on up,” Rachel replied with an encouraging grin.

Giving the ladder a quick once over, she decided that it looked sturdy enough.  “Alright, here I come.”  Placing her foot on the bottom rung, she climbed carefully to the top. 

Grabbing her hand as she stepped on
to the floorboards, Rachel pulled her further into the hayloft.  She saw Jake and Ruby then, sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room beneath an open window.

“Britney, come see the kittens,” Ruby called out from where she sat cross-legged beside Jake, a black and gray striped bundle of fur nestled in her arms.

Fortunately the roof was high enough so that Britney was able to walk upright as Rachel towed her over to the sunny corner.  Sneezing once, twice and then a third time as the combination of dust and hay tickled her nose, the sight that greeted her was well worth the minor assault on her sinuses.  With his legs stretched out in front of him, Jake sat with his back against the wall, a tiny gray and white kitten sitting contentedly in his lap as he gently stroked its fluffy head while two more bounded around his feet, swatting playfully at the ends of his shoelaces.

“I think they like me,” Jake said with a sheepish grin
, as he met Britney’s amused gaze.

“I can see that.”  They were proba
bly all female, Britney thought to herself.  Chuckling, she bent down and picked up one of the kittens cavorting at Jake’s feet.  “They’re adorable,” she said, brushing her cheek against the tiny feline’s soft fur.

“This one’s my favorite,” Rachel said as she scooped up the other kitten and plopped down onto the hay-strewn
floor.  “Her name’s Tinkerbell.”

“And th
is one is Britney,” Ruby said, referencing the kitten she held.  “I named her after you.”

“You did?” Britney asked in surprise. 

“Uh huh.”

“T
hank you, Ruby,” Britney said, extremely touched by the gesture.  “That was very sweet of you.” 

“
You’ve got Peaches and that’s Daisy,” she continued, pointing to the bundle of fur in Jake’s lap.

“
What am I, chopped liver?” Jake grumbled teasingly, glancing between Rachel and Ruby with an exaggerated frown.

“What’s chopped liver?” Rachel asked, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s just an expression,” Jake replied with a laugh.  “What I meant was, how come you didn’t name any of them after me?”

“
Oh.  Because they’re all girls, silly,” Ruby informed him with a tinkling laugh.

“Ah
, I see,” he replied, feeling somewhat mollified.  “Well I suppose that’s alright then.”

Britney snickered, rolling her eyes dramatically.
  Boys and their egos.

“
We wanted to take them home with us,” Rachel said, nuzzling Tinkerbell’s tiny head.

“But w
e can’t, because Daddy’s allergic,” Ruby added with a dispirited frown.

“
That’s too bad.”  Britney gave them a sympathetic smile.  “But you know, you can still come and see them whenever you visit the farm.”  She tried to sound reassuring.

“I guess so,” Ruby acknowledged.

“Uh huh,” Rachel agreed half-heartedly.

“If you’d like,
Jake and I could check in on them from time to time, until you two come back for another visit,” Britney said, glancing at Jake for corroboration.

Jake’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. 

“Will you?” Rachel asked, her expression brightening as she turned to Jake.

“Oh, well
yeah,” he agreed, after only a second’s hesitation.  “Sure we can.”

With Jake’s confirmation, Ruby and
Rachel’s moods seemed to improve significantly.

“You’d better say goodbye for now though, girls,” Britney said, setting the kitt
en she held back onto the wooden floor.  “Your mom sent me out here to find you.  She’s ready to go.”

With only a modicum of foot-dragging, Britney and Jake managed to get the girls headed toward the ladder a few minutes later.

“Better let me go first,” Jake said.
  “In case anyone slips.”

Once he reached the bottom, Rachel and Ruby scampered down the rungs after him
like a couple of pros, with Britney bringing up the rear.  Unlike the two girls, she was a bit more cautious as she made her way down.  Apparently not cautious enough, however, as her foot nearly slipped off the second to last rung.

Noting Britney’s misstep, Jake automatically reached out to steady her, placing his hands at her waist.

Though Britney quickly regained her footing, it was the sudden presence of Jake’s hands at her waist that made her wobble and nearly lose her balance.

“Don’t worry.  I’ve got you,” Jake said as he plucked her from the ladder and set her onto her feet.

As her heels touched the ground, Britney couldn’t help but notice that her backside was pressed firmly up against the solid muscle of Jake’s front. For a moment she stood frozen in place, her arms and legs refusing to budge as she savored the unexpected contact. 

As Britney regained her balance, Jake’s hands lingered upon her waist. 
They were so close that the shapely curve of her derriere was pressed up against his pelvis.  Remarkably, her body seemed to fit perfectly against his, her feminine contours melding seamlessly with his own.  Holding her there, it felt good.  It felt damn good. 
Whoa
, he thought in the very next instant.  Where the hell had
that
come from, he wondered in sudden bewilderment?  Dropping his hands from Britney’s waist, he took an immediate step back.

Spinning around, Britney did her best to keep her voice as well as her expression from revealing her inner thoughts. 
The last thing she needed was for Jake to realize that his touch, innocent as it might have been, had set her pulse racing and left her longing for more. 
Talk about embarrassing!
  “Thanks, that was a close one,” she said with a forced laugh and an appreciative smile.

Jake recovered himself quickly, forcing his licentious musings aside as Britney turned to face him.
  “Well I don’t think you would have broken any bones from that height,” he said good-humoredly, returning her smile.  “But we may have averted a twisted ankle.”

There was that smile again, turning her insides to jelly. 
“Well it’s lucky for my ankles then that you were here to save me,” she replied in a playful tone.

“
Hey, are you guys coming?” Rachel called from where she stood just outside the open barn door, interrupting their lighthearted banter.

“Yep, we’re on o
ur way,” Jake called back.

Although Britney was still experiencing a temporary high, the lingering effect of Jake’s touch, she couldn’t help feeling a little downhearted too as she followed him and the girls back to the house.  In the short time she’d known them, she had grown quite fond of Rachel and Ruby, and Rayanne as well.  Sadly, she was going to miss them.