Redhead Meets Redneck: First Date (9 page)

“How often do you hike to the mountain top?” Laura said.

“When I come here b
y myself for a week, it’s the first thing I do. It puts me in the mood to enjoy the beauty of the valley for the rest of the week. I also make sure it’s the last thing I do, just as a reminder of the good time I’ve had enjoying the quiet and beauty of this area.”

Laura thought about what it would be like to spend a
whole week with William at his cabin, breakfast and dinner cooked by William, hiking with William, enjoying the view with William, and yes—even shopping for clothes at the general store with William. She took a deep breath as she realized how that lifestyle was so different from what she was used to. William had learned to be successful, and he also knew how to relax and enjoy life.

Laura’
s calves stung with each step. She realized the trail had steepened, and she had to compensate by taking smaller steps. William slowed, looked at her and smiled. Dimples. Gorgeous dimples. How could she have missed them? Were they in his photo he emailed her? She would look as soon as she got home. That is, if she ever got home.

She should have taken General Thompson’s warning more seriously. He said
her job could be dangerous. What was she thinking when he said that? Did she think that ‘dangerous’ meant a terrorist might slash her tires, or throw rocks through her windows? Maybe she thought ‘dangerous’ meant she could be injured during a training exercise, like her class in small firearms, or the Tactical Driving Class she aced. No, the truth is that she never thought about it, period. She had been so excited about the high-visibility job and earning a large salary that she never thought about what the general said; maybe she should have listened.

Her breaths were deeper and closer together. She looked at William. He smiled again. More dimples. H
e didn’t seem tired or winded. Would they ever get past this situation they were in with the terrorists? If they did, then she could let herself daydream about a long-term relationship with Mr. Dimples. For now, he was her bodyguard, a muscular, sexy bodyguard. A bodyguard who occasionally held her hand, kissed her, and hugged her. But until the terrorists were dealt with, a serious relationship was not a thought she would allow herself to entertain.

“Do you need a break?” William said.

“No, I’m fine.” The trail steepened again, and Laura’s thighs were beginning to burn. Yes, she would like to take a break, but she didn’t want to show any weakness to William. She was tough, and she would demonstrate that to him. She would never let him see the weak, insecure side that dwelt deep inside her. She saw William unzip his jacket, and, realizing her body had warmed, unzipped hers.

The fresh air and exercise was kicking in, and Laura’s sense of confidence was overtaking her fear of terrorists. She was smart, and William was capable, so together they could resolve this little problem of terrorists nipping at their heels.

William slowed, and Laura looked up. A wall of rock loomed above her.

“Where
’s the trail?” she said.

“Trail? Oh, right. Look
straight up. You see those boulders that are stacked on top of each other?”

“The
giant boulders? The boulders the size of my house?”

“They
’re not quite that big.”

“William, maybe it’s time to turn back.”

“Nonsense, this is the fun part.”

Fun? No, not fun. I don’t want to climb big ragged rocks, but I don’t want William
to think I’m afraid.

They stopped at the base of the rocks. William looked at Laura. “Ready?”

Laura nodded. William climbed on the first rock. It was small, maybe four feet high. He bent over and reached out his hand. Laura paused, and reached up. Grasping hands, he gently pulled. She took small careful steps as she ascended the side of the rock. William climbed the next rock and they repeated the process. Each rock they climbed was a little larger. Near the top William had to lie on his stomach and reach down, while Laura stood on her toes to grasp his hand. When she reached the top of the last rock she looked at her new outfit. Dust and dirt covered her jeans and flannel shirt, and her brand new boots were scuffed. She felt like crying, and then it hit her. She was attached to her new cowgirl outfit. If that didn’t beat all—a city slicker who liked climbing rocks in a redneck outfit.

“What do you think?” William said.

“Well, the shirt and pants can be washed, but the boots are a total loss. Oh well.”

“That’s not what I was referring to.”

Laura looked at William. He was looking away from her, toward the valley.

“Oh—it’s beautiful. I had no idea we were this high. The valley is so much bi
gger than I imagined. I can barely see your cabin. Look at the deer and fawns at the edge of the lake.”

“
This view is just what I need to relax when stressed. It takes my mind off work problems, relationship issues, and any other predicaments I’m faced with.”

“Like protecting a helpless damsel from a band of terrorists?”

William looked at Laura, and took a half a step toward her. They almost touched. The cool air nipped at her face, but it was periodically swept away by the warmth of William’s breath. He studied her face and started to speak, but hesitated. He took several deep breaths, each punctuating her face with his warmth.

“You
’re not helpless. And I want to protect you. I . . . I sense something that I haven’t felt before. I feel a deep longing to be with you, no matter what the situation is, good or bad, happy or sad, rich or poor, I want us to go through our experiences together.”

Laura was caught off guard
. Her knees weakened. She had tried to not think about a serious relationship with William, but his words sucked the breath out of her and she wanted him to hold her tightly. His impromptu words reminded her of wedding vows. She wanted to respond and tell him how much she cared about him, how much she loved him. Her heart wanted to reach out, but her mind said wait. Terrorists were the issue at hand, not love or long-term relationships. She stood motionless, and stared into his blue eyes.

William slowly reached his arms out and took another half step. Laura leaned into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist inside his ja
cket. She slid her her hands upwards and felt his back muscles tighten. Looking up, she saw longing in his deep blue eyes. She drew close; her lips touched his. His arms tightened the embrace and he deepened the kiss. She drew her body as close to his as she could, and his warmth permeated her body. She drew in a breath of the cool mountain air as she nuzzled into his neck. She wished time would stop, and she longed to be free from the looming threat of terrorists so she could have a life of tranquility with William.

Laura
didn’t know how long the embrace lasted, but she dared not speak for fear that conversation might end it.

“Laura.”

“Hmm.”

“We need to talk.”

“I know, but please hold me a little longer.”

William looked into her eyes
and squeezed her tighter. After a few moments he spoke. “We need to discuss our situation.”

“Where do we start?”

William clasped her hand and led her to a low rock where they both sat and looked out over the valley.

“We need to put
all viable options on the table,” said William.

“
Such as?”

“Calling General Thompson
.”

“Are there any problems with that?”

“Because you were being followed, we must consider the possibility of a mole in the CIA.”

“But, how?”

“I’m not sure, we just have to allow for that possibility. If that can happen, then there could be a mole in General Thompson’s organization.”

“That’s scary.”

“It’s unfortunate that the situation is so bad that we must consider things like that. Calling him could tip off the terrorists to our location, and then—“

“Please, don’t continue. Are there other options?”

“We could draw the terrorists out and fight them face to face.”

“You’re joking . . .?”

“It would be dangerous. You’d have to volunteer to be the bait.”

Laura took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “That
doesn’t sound like a good option.”

“I agree. But if we have to, I can call in a few favors from people I trust. Jimmy would help me organize the team. The team could do the job, it’s just a question of
—” William paused.

“A question of my safety?”

William looked out over the valley and nodded.

Laura looked out over the valley. “Any other options?”

“We could do nothing. We’re very safe here. My cabin is isolated. The terrorists will never find us. If we want to take our time and think this through some more, we can stay here indefinitely.”

Laura looked at William. She looked at his
snug white T-shirt, muscles, tight jeans and sexy cowboy boots. The thought of being isolated with him
indefinitely
had its good points.

“
I’m enjoying your hospitality,” Laura said.

“But?”

“I admit I’m scared. I’d like to bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible.”

William looked Laura square
ly in the eye. “And you don’t want to be used as bait.”

Laura nodded.

“Then it’s settled. We can call General Thompson as soon as we get back to the cabin.”

“Could we wait until after dinner?”

William looked at the fear and longing in Laura’s eyes. “Yes, it can wait.”

***

“Jaish, get out the weapons,” Tariq snapped.

“Yes, Tariq. Ah, which ones?”

“All of them, you idiot!”

“Yes, Tariq. You want the high
-power rifles, shot guns, semi-automatic pistols, and C4 explosives?”

Tariq paused
. “Everything but the C4.”

“Yes, Tariq.”

Tariq pondered the evening to come. It would be glorious. The lady’s friend would die a quick death, and she would die slowly after a long torture. He hoped she didn’t give him the information he needed too quickly. It would be his greatest honor to drag out her torture as long as possible. His hands quivered at the thought of her life being slowly drained from her body until she was motionless, and lifeless. When word got back to his friends and family, they would praise him eternally for the pain he brought to the pretty young American infidel. Allah be praised.

***

William was watching the sun set as they approached the hunting lodge. They took off their coats outside and brushed off the dust and dirt. They went inside where William started the fire, and sat on a sofa so they could warm up.

“Laura, just to be on the safe side, I
’d like to begin working on a plan B.”

“I’m listening.”

“Why don’t I call Jimmy and have him call in those favors so there’ll be a team on standby. That way if there are any problems on General Thompson’s end, we’ll have a fall-back plan.”

“I suppose that
’ll be okay.”

“I’ll get the phone out of my truck.”

William returned with the satphone and dialed Jimmy’s cell phone. “No answer. That’s strange; he always picks up on the first ring. I’ll try again later.”

William
thought about Jimmy as he stared out the picture windows. He bit his lip, and then glanced at Laura. He didn’t want her to be concerned. She already had too much to worry about. “Let’s fix dinner.”

Laura smiled. “Wonderful
. I’m starving.”

“By the way, thanks for getting all the ingredients for a tossed salad at the gas station. I
’ll go great with some steaks I have in the freezer. I can thaw them in the microwave while we make the salad.”

“All the comforts of home. I could get used to roughing it here in redneck country.”

William looked at her; she smiled like a little kid. He liked her teasing. He knew he was a redneck, and always would be. He wanted to find someone that could accept him the way he was. He could easily accept Laura the way she was. Intelligent, sexy, light hearted, sexy, intense, sexy, self sufficient, and did he mention sexy? He looked at her slim figure sitting next to him. She had a gritty-sexy appearance: dusty-snug jeans tucked into scuffed cowboy boots, emerald eyes, and flowing red hair. Out of nowhere, an image flashed into his mind. He clearly imagined her in a black evening dress with a low-cut back, a string of pearls, and her red hair put up in a loose bun. His heart palpitated. His breath quickened. Just the thought roiled his senses. But wait, he couldn’t get carried away. His job was to protect Laura, not daydream about her. He savored her company, her hugs, and her kisses, but when this terrorist situation was behind them, he might not see her again. He had to maintain self-control.