Diamond in the Rough (Precious Gems) (17 page)

“He is a very real danger, Cheyenne.  Aside from the fact that he was able to kill your mother in cold blood, he has contact with dangerous criminal elements.  I don’t know where the threat will come from but I am sure that it is coming,” he added.    She looked at him in deep thought.  His beautiful eyes were furrowed in deep contemplation and his full pink lips were pursed as though he were holding his breath. 
Even in deep thought, he truly is a gorgeous man,
she said to herself.

“Is there any chance that Maria has lied and none of this is true?”  Cheyenne asked hopefully.

“Cheyenne, it is time to grow up.  When I tried to tell you about Jason, you resisted and was sure that he was innocent.  Now, you are holding out hope that Ed is not guilty as well.  At some point you have to realize that your judgment about these two is skewed.  You are not allowing me to fully protect you if you continue to hold out hope that either is innocent.”

Brian walked around to her door.  As he opened it, he held out his hand to help her out of the truck. Accepting his assistance she stepped out and surveyed their surroundings. 

“Where are we supposed to sleep?” she asked in bewilderment. 

“Follow me,” he demanded as he began walking into the brush.  They walked for about half of a mile and came to a clearing with a small cabin.
  It was a quaint setting and could be very romantic if two people were inclined.  Approaching the cabin, Cheyenne noticed an old flower bed that had not been tended in a while. 

“Does this cabin belong to you?” she asked Brian. 

“Yes, it was my mother’s before she passed away.  She loved coming up here just to get away from everything.  After she passed, I kind of let the place go,” he said as he motioned to the flower bed. 

She had not heard him speak of his mother before and it was touching.  His eyes lit up momentarily as he spoke of her but shame soon followed as he eyed her flower beds.  For some
reason, Cheyenne could not see him poking around a flower bed pulling weeds.   The idea was so foreign to her that she let out a quiet laugh as they walked through the cabin doors.  Once inside, she soaked in her surroundings.  The floors looked like marbled leather and veins danced across the surface as light from the numerous windows teased it to life.  The furniture was plain but it complemented the rough pine walls as they transitioned into vaulted ceilings. 
This cabin is nicer that my home in Slidell,
Cheyenne noted as she proceeded on the tour that Brian was giving her.  A large flokati rug lay protectively over the living room floor, inviting passerby’s to remove their shoes and stay a while.  Cheyenne could not help herself as she took off her sandals and dug her toes into the thick pile of the rug.  Continuing barefoot, she moved to the first bedroom and found a simple yet comfortable room.  With no adornments except a lush down comforter, she decided that this was where she wanted to sleep.  No fancy duvet’s or eyelet curtains would overpower the simplicity and charm of this room.  As she placed her bag beside a beautiful antique cedar chest, Brian’s voice brought her back from her thought’s,” This was my mother’s favorite room as well.”  She felt transparent as though he could see her thoughts.  Brian took her hand and led her from the room.  Right down the hall was a huge kitchen.  Cheyenne could picture herself cooking a Sunday meal while her baby napped in the simple room down the hall.  She inhaled deeply to capture the curious scent of the cabin that already felt like home.  Brian studied her movements and expression as she took in the wonderment of the cabin. 

“My mom used to do the same thing,” he noted aloud.  “She would always say that this place
had a smell that she wished she could bottle.  She would have called the fragrance, Home.”

“This is
a wonderful cabin Brian.  It is understandable why she loved this place so much.  It sort of captures your heart in a way I can’t explain,” she said.  Here, there were no pools or maids but it had become part of her unlike any place she had visited.  Cheyenne opened the cupboards and noticed that they were fully stocked. 

“
I come up here on the weekends when I have a chance,” he explained, trying to answer her question before she asked. 

“What would you like for supper?  It is getting late and I am hungry,” she stated. 

“There are frozen pizzas.  Maybe we can just keep it simple to night.  It has been a long day,” he said as he pulled the pizzas from the freezer.  “Why don’t you go sit down and I will bring you a slice when it’s done.”

Cheyenne knew that she could get used to this.  As she sat on the cool leather couch, she put her feet up and before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep.  She was startled awake by Brian gently shaking her. 

“Your pizzas ready,” Brian said soothingly.  Sitting up on the comfortable couch, Cheyenne smoothed her hair before taking the delicate plate from him. 

“This china is exquisite,” she exclaimed as she nervously handled the heirloom.  Brian smiled at her as he took
a large bite of his slice.  Both ate in silence as there was no television.  The cabin was designed for leaving the world behind and relaxing.  Cheyenne felt safe tucked into the woods in this small piece of heaven on earth. 

The days past and soon Brian and Cheyenne had been in hiding for a week.  Neither had spoken much as it didn’t seem like there was much left to say.
She had been plagued by nausea and found it increasingly hard to hide it from him. Part of her wanted to tell him so badly and another part warned her against it. 

He paced the cabin floor, watching and waiting for an unknown threat and her thoughts were consumed by her unborn child.  Even though she knew that she would never bring herself to have him again, she would always
possess a piece of him through their baby.  The thought was comforting but yet left her feeling alone. 
How can I feel like this when there is another human being occupying my body?
She asked herself.   Strangely, she could never come up with an answer.  Cheyenne was content to spend her days exploring the cabins many hidden joys, and working crossword puzzles.  Brian had found his moms stash of puzzle books and offered them to Cheyenne to help pass the time.  She had felt honored that he would allow her to have something that had been his mother’s.  It was a small thing, but she could remember after her mother died, she held onto every scrap of paper that had been hers. 

Provisions were starting to run low so Cheyenne decided that she would make beans and cornbread for supper.  As she took the bread from the oven, she could feel herself being stared at.  After setting the hot pan down, she turned to find Brian sitting at the table with a bottle of whiskey in hand, eyeing her.  His eyes looked misty as though he had been crying but she knew that he was much too masculine for that.  Deciding to pretend she had not noticed, she turned to cut the cornbread but as she did, she felt his heat on her neck.  He was inches from her and she could smell the whiskey on his breath.
  Without saying a word, she side stepped him and carried the meal to the waiting table.  When she looked around, he was leaning against the counter with his back to her; shoulders slumped as if in defeat.  Cheyenne wanted to go to him and kiss away his pain.  She wanted to tell him everything was going to be okay, even though she knew it would not.  The food went untouched that night and Cheyenne, not being a wasteful person, put it up as leftovers for the next day.  The feel in the cabin was oppressive and brooding so she showered and turned in early.  Crawling into the nice warm bed felt like a safe haven for her.  Under the covers, all of the turmoil and stress melted away as though they could not penetrate the heavy quilt that covered her. 

During the night Cheyenne awoke to a booming clap of thunder.  It rattled the old windows of the cabin.  For her, it was unsettling.  Periodically, lightening would strike nearby and the shadows of her room would come to life.  The rain soon came and the sound of the drops hitting the tin roof was
like sweet music to Cheyenne’s ears.

“Are you awake?” Brian called from the door.  She heard the rusted hinges groan as he pushed it open. 

“I am.” Cheyenne said groggily. 

“We are under a tornado warning.  The wind is getting pretty strong out there.” He said as he waited for a response from Cheyenne.  She lay quietly in the bed, not being difficult, but suffering from the lack of anything to say.  Wanting desperately for things to be normal between them, Cheyenne turned toward the doorway.  Brian was leaning against the door frame
wearing only his boxer briefs.  His physique was that of a Greek god.  Cheyenne scooted over and patted the once occupied mattress beside her.  Without hesitating, Brian sat next to her.  Suddenly, a loud explosion outside made Cheyenne almost leap out of her skin.  Instinctively, she darted for him as though he could protect her from a noise.  The fan sputtered to a stop and she knew that the power had gone out. 

“A fuse must have blown.” Brian said as he cradled her in his arms.  Cheyenne felt less fearful
.  It felt nice to be in his arms but she knew that she should not get used to it.  It took a lot for him to tell her that he loved her.  That was obviously a huge commitment for him.  He would no doubt run if he knew that she was pregnant.

Brian lay down in the bed beside her after a while and the storm outside continued to rage.  Cheyenne woke up several times during the night and he was holding her tight each time.  By six a.m. the storm had blown through.  Looking out of the window of her room, Cheyenne noticed tree branches down and patio furniture blown about the yard.   Leaving her room, she went to the kitchen to make coffee only to discover that the power was still out. 

“It could take days for the power company to get this far out,” said Brian.  “It may be time for us to head back to Houston
.”  The thought was depressing to Cheyenne.  She had grown accustomed to the solitude and peace found inside of the little cabin in the woods.

“I think I would like to go back to the ranch.” She said with determination.  The last place she had truly felt comfort and peace was the ranch, right before Maria had shot her.  Vowing to reclaim that state of mind, she began packing her bags to leave the little piece of heaven the cabin had become. 

Getting back on the road felt nice.  As a child, Cheyenne was used to moving often.  Never having a chance to put down roots had carried over into her adult life.  Although she never allowed the thoughts to invade her life, they plagued her mentally for years.  She had internally suffered from the grass is greener syndrome.  Always envying others was a difficult task to keep up and it was
equally hard carrying the shame of her thoughts.  Now, she had everything monetarily that she could ever want but realized that she was no happier than she had been without it.  Love was the only thing that was going to make her whole and her chance at that was slipping away rather quickly. 

“It looks like we are going to get some rain later.” She noticed out loud.  Making small talk was hard since Brian did not seem to be in a chatty mood.  She rode in silence until they reached the ranch. 

It appeared to be just as she left it.  Nothing seemed out of place.  Brian punched the familiar number code into the iron gate control and they waited for it to open but after waiting a moment, nothing happened. 

“Stay right here, I need to open the gate by hand,” Brian said as he hopped from the driver’s seat. 
Wow, he can speak!
  She said to herself.  As he pushed the gate open, Cheyenne could see the muscles rippling through his thin cotton t-shirt. 
God this man is under my skin!
She mumbled under her breath. 

“Did you say something?” Brian asked as he slid back into the driver seat. 

“No, I was just thinking to myself,” She admitted begrudgingly.  Cheyenne could not remember when their banter had turned dark but she got the distinct feeling that Brian was angry with her. 

“Have I done something to upset you?” she demanded shyly.  Instead of an answer, Brian, once more got out of the truck and walked toward the front door. 
She knew that her mixed signals had upset him.  At the hospital she had told him that she loved him and then found out that she was pregnant.  She began pushing him away at the cabin and he had caught on and probably gotten his feelings hurt.

“Hey, I’m ta
lking to you,” Cheyenne said hotly as she slammed the truck door.  He still continued to walk away from her as though she had said nothing at all. 

           
“Fine, walk away.  You wouldn’t be the first and you probably won’t be the last.”     

Brian spun around to face Cheyenne. His eye’s
blazing; she could feel his anger bursting inside him like an inferno. 

“I am tired of the games.  I am fed up with your moodiness as well.  You are sweet and kind one moment and the next you are snapping at me.  I don’t function well under these conditions.  So, forgive me if I am not eating up your particular brand of bullshit but I have had enough.”

Cheyenne was stunned.  She knew what was causing her crankiness but she could not tell him.  Really, she had not thought it to be that bad and figured that she had been holding up well under the circumstances.  Looking back, she now realized that for the past few days she had been snapping at him. 

“I’m sorry.” She volunteered.  “I had no idea that I have been taking out my frustrations on you.  It won’t happen again.”