Page 14
Chapter
Six
Chase swam steady laps for about half an hour, thinking through every word, touch, and exchange with Lizzy, especially all that she hadn’t said.
That beautiful lady had trauma in her past.
He could relate. Throughout his childhood and teen years, he’d never felt a sense of home or belonging and sometimes he’d been around adults who were abusive emotionally and physically.
He’d longed for a parent figure to love and protect him, a safety net, a cheerleader, and someone who saw the good in him.
Coaches, teachers, pastors, and his friends’ parents had filled some of those roles for him.
He’d had his faith and reliance on his Savior and the support of great friends.
That was ultimately why he’d survived and thrived.
His allegiance to his friends was also the reason he was here in this swimming pool, but more importantly in Austria with Lizzy.
He’d seen and done things with the military that had scarred him deeply.
Still, he couldn’t regret his time there.
He loved being the protector, needed, valued, successful, and the associations with his second group of brothers, his Ranger unit.
He hated thinking that it had to come to an end but he wouldn’t change his and Robbie’s choice to save the Syrian mothers and their children.
Could this adventure and whatever matchmaking Brandon and Madelyne had cooked up be the start of a new chapter in his life?
Chase finished his laps and wiped the water from his eyes. He longed to get to know Lizzy better. Something told him he could open up and relate to her. He related to all of his ‘brothers’, but he wasn’t really one to open up to anybody. Listening and being calm were more his talents.
He found the remote to close the retractable walls, returned to his room, and showered quickly, throwing on a soft gray T-shirt and black Lululemon slacks that Madelyne had left in the closet for him.
It cracked him up that Madelyne had left all kinds of clothes and toiletries and a sweet note about how handsome he was and how excited she was for him and Eliza.
Madelyne seemed great. It astonished him that such a beautiful and with-it lady would put up with Brandon’s philandering ways, but he’d never had a lasting romantic relationship, so who was he to judge?
Spritzing on some of his favorite Tom Ford Leather cologne, he ran a hand through his short hair and hurried out of his room.
Lizzy’s door was still closed. He wanted to wait for her in the hallway like he had earlier, but didn’t want to be obnoxious or overbearing. She might need a little space.
Chase walked downstairs, appreciating the views in every direction.
He’d been attempting to flirt with Lizzy when he said this was the most beautiful scenery he’d seen while looking at her face, though his lack of flirting skills had fallen flat.
Austria was gorgeous, but Lizzy was all he wanted to focus on.
Warming pans covered the large kitchen counter. The food delivery must have come while he’d showered. That made him slightly uneasy. He trusted Captain Macon and his men, but he didn’t like the thought of anyone having access to the house, especially when he wasn’t right by Lizzy’s side.
It was hard not to feel safe in this idyllic spot of earth, especially with Captain Macon and his men watching over them and the house armed with cameras and sensors. Thankfully, everything seemed quiet. He hadn’t seen any security issues or heard anything from Captain Macon.
According to Brandon, the man who had stabbed Lizzy, a Grady Worthen, was still at large and had sent increasingly threatening notes over the past month. The notes were pretty similar, saying she’d ruined his life so he would ruin hers.
Worthen shouldn’t have any knowledge of her current whereabouts, but Chase wouldn’t let the guy anywhere near her. He was most likely in hiding and didn’t have the finances to track Lizzy or follow her across the ocean. All the security was a precaution, but Chase still appreciated it.
Snatching a water bottle from the fridge, Chase downed a few swallows and opened the lids on each of the pans.
Traditional Austrian food, from the looks of it: wiener schnitzel, a goulash full of vegetables and meat, dumplings, a deep-fried chicken that looked similar to back home but nobody did chicken like the deep south, and an apple strudel for dessert.
It all smelled and looked fabulous. He’d lived on everything from MREs to food in native lands that he couldn’t pronounce and didn’t know what ingredients they contained.
He’d never had a choice, even as a child, to be picky. He could eat about anything.
A door opened and closed upstairs, and he found himself forgetting his caution not to overwhelm her and eased to the bottom of the staircase. Lizzy descended wearing a fitted pink T-shirt and black running pants. Her long dark hair was damp and trailing over her shoulder.
He watched, mesmerized, as she used the railing to help her down the stairs, but she seemed to be relying on it less than she had earlier. Her smile was absolutely radiant.
“I can’t wait to eat and then go on a long walk through this picture book,” she gushed, but then her brow squiggled and her soft brown eyes filled with concern. “Are you all right if we go slow?”
“Of course,” he said, maybe too quickly. Did she mean on the walk or with their relationship? But his answer seemed to relieve her. “Let me text Captain Macon. We’ll eat and then have our protectors accompany us on this long walk.”
“Oh. Wow, Chase.” She put her soft hand on his arm. “Thank you. For the first time in weeks, I haven’t worried about being safe.”
He swallowed, stirred up by her touch, the grateful look in her eyes, and his anger at a man who had sliced her open and stolen her peace of mind. It was quite the combination of feelings and more intensity than he’d felt inside since he retired from the Rangers.
“I’m glad you feel safe.” He took her hand in his and directed her over to the spread of food. “Now … do you like Austrian food?”
“No clue. Do you?”
He smiled. “I couldn’t tell you the names of all the dishes, but I think we have schnitzel, goulash, and a strudel. It smells good.”
Chase offered a prayer, then they removed lids from containers, dished up plates full of food, grabbed drinks, and took the food out to a back patio.
The views of the green rolling hills, the too-blue lake, and the towering mountains framing it all were stunning.
He felt like he’d walked onto a movie set of Lord of the Rings. The setting was magical.
The weather was mild, the food was traditional and delicious, and the company and views were unparalleled.
Chase enjoyed the stories he drew out of Lizzy about the children, her friend Janie, and her mom. She was vivacious and funny, a person who really sucked the marrow out of life. He didn’t know that he’d ever laughed with a woman as much as he had with her.
After dinner, they went on a long, slow hike along trails that wound along the foothills of the mountains.
Two of the guards accompanied them, about a hundred yards in front of and behind them, so they could chat, feeling as if they were almost alone.
Lizzy gushed about The Sound of Music , singing and spinning in a slow circle at times. He got a kick out of watching her.
“I can’t wrap my mind around you not watching it. All of our guards watched it with me on the plane. Isn’t that right, Elijah?” she called to the man in front of them.
Elijah lifted a hand and smiled at her. Chase felt a sting of jealousy.
“I did watch it as a young kid. I can’t remember much beyond it being cheesy and full of singing.”
He didn’t tell her he could also remember feeling bad for the kids in the show who’d lost their mother and had a harsh, militant father.
“Ah!” she gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “Cheesy? I’ll give you cheesy.” She grinned. No threat at all. “You have to promise me we’ll watch it one of these nights before our Sound of Music tour day. Is it really not until the end of next week?”
“Sadly.” He smiled. “Which gives us plenty of time to watch it and get me hyped about that day.”
He was ‘hyped’ about being with her. He didn’t care what adventures they did. Nothing would equal the adrenaline rush adventures he’d had with Squadron 7 or his military brothers. Being around Lizzy was a different kind of heady rush.
They walked back to the house as the sun set behind the western mountains. It had been a fabulous day, in his opinion. He’d enjoyed the scenery, the hydrotherapy, the long walk, and most of all Lizzy.
Chase had imagined he would simply get through these two weeks, have some fun adventures with a hopefully nice lady, and not think about the million dollars.
Lizzy was above and beyond any hopes he’d had for his counterpart.
These two weeks suddenly loomed like a shining star in front of him.
He prayed he could gain her trust. She already seemed much more relaxed around him, and he wanted to give her space and time to relax and trust him more deeply.
The million dollars was inconsequential.
He had no desire to trick Lizzy into falling for him quickly, and he doubted anyone could fall in love in two weeks anyway.
Thanking their protectors, they walked inside and he armed the security system. Maybe they could go sit in the hot tub again like they’d talked about earlier. He’d love to spend more time with her.
“Would you like to hot tub?” he rushed out.
She smiled but shook her head. “I’m exhausted. Aren’t you? I want to sleep for twelve hours, then start our first adventure. I keep claiming I want to be surprised, but I’m dying to know what we’re doing tomorrow.”
“I can’t in good conscience keep you in suspense.” Chase pulled out his phone and clicked on the email from Madelyne. “We are touring the Hallstatt salt mines, exploring downtown and having lunch, and then taking a long, slow hike to the Waldbachstrub Waterfall.”
“A waterfall ?” Her eyes were wide and her mouth soft.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ve never hiked to a waterfall before.” She let out a whoop. “I’m out of my mind with excitement!”
She didn’t seem tired any longer. Never hiked to a waterfall? That blew his mind. She’d said earlier she’d never traveled, but never being to a waterfall? Had she never left the flats of Kansas at all? No wonder she was so taken by this scenery.
“Wow,” she said when he didn’t respond. “I can hardly wait. A waterfall . And I thought this beauty was unsurpassed.” She gestured outside the rental house, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement.
Chase nodded. Her ardor was infectious. Now that she was gushing and excited again, could he talk her into sitting in the hot tub tonight?
He wanted to keep chatting with her, maybe even hold hands.
At the same time, it was smart not to rush anything.
He wanted to develop her trust and keep himself from falling too quick.
He’d never been around someone so infectiously appealing and happy as Lizzy.
His lack of relationship knowledge could ruin the easy familiarity they’d fallen into today.
“I really owe Brandon and Madelyne,” she gushed.
“This is a dream vacation, and you are just as kind as they said you’d be, and …
” Her eyes widened. “Did they tell you they’re gifting my children’s home with a hundred thousand dollars?
” She twisted her hands nervously. “I wanted you to know, so you wouldn’t think…
Ah, crap. I keep making things awkward, don’t I? ”
Chase chuckled uneasily at that, but he surprised himself by reaching for her hand. He loved the way her smaller hand fit in his. He’d don that T-shirt blindfold again in an instant if she’d hold hands and do hydrotherapy with him again tonight.
“They didn’t tell me,” he said. “But … Brandon might be gifting me with money as well. He’s a very generous guy.”
He couldn’t spit out the million dollars he might be gifted.
It was highly unlikely she’d fall in love with him.
And after her saying a hundred thousand dollars like it was a fortune, he didn’t want to admit he could receive ten times that.
He also had to be careful not to share that Brandon was dying.
It was still impossible to wrap his mind around that secret.
“Oh yay! Of course they are. Brandon and Madelyne are such great people.” She beamed at him, then she arched up and softly kissed his cheek.
Warmth rushed through Chase’s body. He should’ve grabbed her and hauled her close, but he was caught up in the feel of her soft lips on his cheek, the smell of springtime, and the light that was Lizzy Birmingham. He was frozen like a statue.
“Goodnight,” she whispered, then she walked away from him and hauled herself up the stairs. Her knees were bowed in and she was moving slowly. She obviously was exhausted.
Chase waited until her door closed, then followed her up the stairs.
He changed into a swimsuit and went down to the basement.
He was going to lift, swim again, soak in the hot tub, and pray he could sleep.
It was only eight o’clock, and he was far too stirred up by Lizzy. Sleep would be hours away.