Whiskey Sharp_Jagged by Lauren Dane

Author:Lauren Dane [Dane, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2018-01-17T19:20:46+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“MY FRIEND SAID we could use all his backcountry skiing stuff,” Vic told her as he unlocked the front door to the borrowed condo. “There are trails for hiking just beyond.” He pointed. He loved a good backcountry hike, especially in the snow.

She didn’t respond, but he figured it was that their hands were full as they unloaded their things.

So he brought it up again several minutes later once they’d finished up.

Not quite looking him in the eyes—a huge red flag when it came to her—she said, “I love a good backcountry hike but only when there’s no snow. And I don’t cross-country ski anymore. But I’m perfectly capable of hitting the slopes while you go out. I won’t be offended or anything.”

It was her tone that had him paying close attention. He took her hand and pulled her close, down into his lap on the big overstuffed couch.

“Tell me,” he urged gently.

Rachel paused for a time and then finally spoke. “That’s how I got... Where I was when Price held me. I can downhill ski. I can snowboard. But I can’t seem to find the pleasure in being deep in a forest when there’s so much snow. It slows you down. You can be tracked by someone else. It makes you slow.” She shivered and he fought the urge to bundle her up and take her away from there and anything that made her feel that way.

“Will you tell me these things up front from now on?” He hated the idea that she might have felt pressured to do something that took her back to that terrible time.

She winced. “I’m sorry.”

Seeing her flinch pissed him off. Not at her, but at the situation. He wanted her to know without even asking that he wasn’t mad at her. Nor did he see those things she did to keep her peace of mind as silly or outrageous in any way.

It was the opposite. Seeing how she’d rebuilt herself in the wake of such a terrible tragedy only made him respect her more.

He took a breath and cupped her cheek. “I’m going to do my best not to ever hurt you. I know these are words and eventually I’ll show you in deeds. I like going places and doing things with you so if I know some of the big things I’ll feel more comfortable. I don’t want to plan a trip and have it be really uncomfortable for either of us. And. I want to remind you that I don’t want your apologies for this sort of stuff. There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

She nodded. “It took me a year or so after getting out of the hospital before I could get out in nature any more than a big park. Slowly I was able to hike short trails at popular times of the day so there’d be other people around. I don’t hike alone anymore and I hate that. I’ve tried to do it, you know, make myself so I can just get over it.

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