Blind Trust Read online

  They’d gone out. But he’d behaved so strangely, she’d turned him down for a second date. Yet even with full sight, she still hadn’t seen the attack coming. When he’d come at her with a baseball bat, she’d had no clue.

  Now, she was even more vulnerable, completely unable to see an attack coming at her. She would miss those microseconds if a crazy man flipped that switch, and she’d never see it on his face.

  No way am I dating anyone. The risk is too great. If I’d been blind when Elijah swung that baseball bat, I’d have been dead. I can’t risk dating anyone.

  However, she didn’t say any of that. She ignored the way his voice reached something deep inside her, and the way his scent made her want to lean in, closer to him. Instead, she just shook her head, picked up her cane, and stretching it out before her, walked away.

  Chapter 2

  Brian stood quiet, watching her move down the hall, and then he turned and headed out to his car. He needed to go for a drive and think about what it might take to get her to say yes.

  He was outside, opening the door of his mustang, when Leah strode toward him.

  “I overheard your conversation with Cecelia and wanted to catch you before you left.” Leah gave a slight frown. “It won’t be easy getting Cecelia to go out on a date with you, away from the ranch, but I do think it would be good for her. However, you should know what she’s dealing with. I can’t divulge what she’s told me in counseling, you’ll have to talk to her to learn more than I tell you today. Just know there’s an issue she needs to work through and don’t take her rejection personally.”

  Concern over what might be keeping Cecelia from saying yes now entered his mind, along with questions of what it might be. The Three C’s Ranch did harbor abused women. “Thanks,” Brian said. “Any input you have, I appreciate.”

  Leah tilted her head as she locked her gaze with his. “Has she told you what caused her blindness?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “But I’m hoping we’ll get to that topic soon.”

  “She was attacked savagely outside a mall in Detroit,” she said. “Her attacker went after her with a baseball bat.”

  “Dammit,” he bit out.

  “The injuries are what caused her blindness. Two years ago, it was on all the news stations at the time. Elijah Blair. I’m surprised you didn’t hear about the attack.”

  “I was probably overseas when it happened,” he said. “The timeframe is right.”

  “It was all over the news,” she said. “Everyone talking about the ‘Batter Up’ attacker.”

  “Much of the time, I wasn’t getting the news over in the Middle East,” he said.

  “I’d rather you hear what happened from her or from me,” Leah said. “There has been gossip among the women, which I had to put a stop to. They don’t realize how keen her hearing is, or how soft her feelings are, especially when they start talking about what happened to her.”

  “People who gossip don’t care,” he said. He hated that anyone had been gossiping about her. She seemed to be a sweet woman and deserved to be treated better than that.

  “As for the rest of her story,” Leah continued, “she’s finally been able to tell it in small groups, and last month we recorded her on video, sharing her story, so it could be shared with our other center and with the ladies here. We have a collection of videos of the resident’s stories, only to be shared within the centers, to help new residents understand that they are far from being in this alone, and that other women have gone on to thrive after participating in the program.”

  “That’s great,” he said. “I’m glad she’s grown stronger.”

  “You’re new, and normally I’d tell you to give this more time, but your interest in her is clear, and I don’t want to put this off,” Leah said. “Since her story is out publicly enough that most everyone here on the property knows it, I can tell you this much: Cecelia went on a first date with a man she barely knew, and when she turned him down for sex, and then turned him down for a second date, he stalked her to the mall, the following night and took along his baseball bat. Elijah Blair owned several Blair’s Batter Up batting ranges and practiced often. When she turned him down, something made the man snap, and she was the recipient of his rage. He followed her to that mall and in the parking lot, went after her with that bat.”

  Brian clenched his fists as anger filled his body with each word she spoke. The desire to kill the man who’d harmed Cecelia fueled that anger.

  “He nearly killed her,” Leah said. “She was lucky he didn’t, but her face and skull were fractured during the attack, which left her with bleeding on the brain and permanent damage to her optical nerves.”

  “Damn.” He frowned. “I hate that she went through that.”

  “I do, too,” she said. “But she has healed physically to the extent she will heal, and now she has to wrangle the emotional aspects of her recovery. You can help. There aren’t many men who come here, for her to talk to.”

  “She’s amazing,” he said. The beautiful woman he was attracted to had survived more than many veterans he knew.

  “She is,” Leah said.

  “Where’s the guy now?”

  “Behind bars for a very long time,” she said, her gaze hardening.

  “Not in for life?”

  “The prosecutor was new.” She shook her head. “And not a good one.”

  Brian watched Leah’s face as she spoke, keeping his thoughts to himself. Thoughts of what he could do to the man filled his mind. The guy was lucky to be behind bars.

  Leah studied his face as well, no doubt using her therapist’s skills, and likely reading his emotions. He knew he had to keep his temper under control. He could manage that. He wasn’t one to do something stupid.

  The past was nothing he had any control over. What he could do was protect Cecelia now, and in the future, to make sure no one else hurt her. And that was a job he would take very seriously.

  Hearing her story had brought out his protective instincts.

  “The best thing you can do for Cecelia now,” Leah said, “is to understand where she’s coming from. She has fears about going beyond the boundaries of the ranch and has deep fears about going on a date. It’s not about you; it’s about going on a date with anyone. And her PTSD may kick in if you do convince her. The recent arson attack on the ranch house hasn’t helped things. She needs someone to talk to besides me. She needs a friend.”

  He nodded, listening. “We can start out being friends,” he said. “But I’m still going to keep asking her out.”

  “Good.” Leah nodded. “That will boost her self-esteem. Just don’t push her too hard. Keep it light.”

  “Will do,” he said.

  So, Cecelia’s afraid to go out on a date? Then we won’t go ‘out’. We’ll go in.

  If he couldn’t get her to go out on a date to a place away from the ranch, then he’d have to date her here at the ranch.

  There was more than one way to woo a woman.

  He’d go slow, and she’d learn she could trust him.

  Trust had to be earned, and that took time.

  The following week, Brian walked into the ranch house carrying his lunch. Cecelia could always tell it was Brian when he entered the room, because he smelled so good.

  Today the scents she was picking up on were Brian and something yummy, likely a sandwich.

  Her stomach growled, and she realized she was hungry though it was only eleven o’clock. Early for her to eat lunch and early for him to be here.

  “Hello, Brian,” she said, with a smile. “You’re early today.”

  “How did you know it was me?” he asked as he stepped over to Cecelia’s desk, holding his lunch.

  “By your scent,” she said, her smile deepening. She was not about to tell him how good he smelled.

  “Again with the scent. You’re like a bloodhound,” he said. “You always know when I am near.”

  “A little,” she said and laughed.

 
“How are you today?” he asked, his tone deepening.

  “Fine,” she said, shivering a little because she liked the sexy edge to his voice. “Something smells good.” She smiled up at him. “Lunch?”

  “Italian sub,” he said, holding a bag from the deli, which held the long Italian sub and a bag of barbeque chips. “Do you like subs?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I do.”

  “The deli was running a lunch special, and a whole sub is more than I can eat for lunch today,” he said. “Want the other half?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Thank you.”

  His grin went wide, though she couldn’t see it. “When do you take your lunch?” he asked.

  “Right now,” she said, pushing her chair away from the desk and standing.

  “Good,” he said.

  “I’ll just tell Emma, our cook,” she said. “So she’ll know not to prepare anything for me.”

  “Does she usually fix your lunch?”

  “Yes,” Cecelia nodded. “I take all my meals here at the ranch. It’s part of my compensation package, and I don’t have to worry about shopping or cooking.”

  “Nice perks off the job,” he said.

  “Yes, Emma takes good care of me here. She’s a fabulous cook. So, I lucked out.”

  “Yes, you did,” he said. He could see how cooking might be difficult for a blind person. He couldn’t imagine how they managed it.

  There were a lot of things he wondered how she managed. Since he’d met her, questions had been gathering in his mind.

  “Okay, I’ll go tell Emma and have her make us some lemonade or iced tea,” she said. “Which would you prefer?”

  “Iced tea, unsweetened.”

  “No sugar at all?”

  “I like to add my own.”

  “Okay, I’ll be sure she brings some sugar packets, too” she said.

  “Perfect,” he said.

  He was glad Cecelia had agreed to share his lunch. It would give them a chance to get to know each other better. Cecelia fascinated him, and he wanted to know more about her.

  “Indoors, or out?” he asked once she came back from talking with Emma.

  “Out,” she said. “I need the fresh air.”

  “You pick the spot,” he said. “And I’ll follow you.”

  “Okay,” she said. She walked to the front door and onto the big wooden front porch. “This okay?” she asked.

  “Sounds good,” he said. He was still getting used to the fact she couldn’t see his nods, or his smiles, and how all good communication with her required words.

  Before meeting her, he’d never realized how much he smiled and nodded and used nonverbal communication. In his job as a Recon Marine, and now his job in security, it was essential to be able to communicate silently with his teammates.

  Talking to Cecelia had opened up his world even more to seeing things from a different angle.

  He realized many of the mannerly gestures he made, she would never see. She might sense them, and she was quite good at that, but she would not see them all.

  But that didn’t mean he would forgo them. Quite the contrary. He would need to make sure she knew he appreciated her for the lady she was, and that might mean going an extra mile or two for her.

  Emma came out onto the porch, carrying one glass of iced tea and one of lemonade.

  “Hello Mr. Ken,” Emma Ives said, handing him his drink.

  He could see he was not the only one here on this ranch who was more formal. “Hello, Mrs. Ives,” he said. “You can call me Brian.”

  “One day, Mr. Ken,” she said, nodding.

  “Mrs. Ives,” he nodded back at her, smiling.

  “You are welcome to join us for meals, Mr. Ken,” she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out four sugar packets and placing them on the table for him. “No notice needed. Or help yourself to the welcome cookies and the evening cookies.”

  “Mrs. Ives,” he said. “I would have to spend many more hours in the gym if I were to eat your delicious food. But thank you for the invitation.”

  “The kitchen’s always open to you, Mr. Ken,” she said. “You are always welcome.”

  After more head nodding and smiles, Mrs. Emily Ives went back into the kitchen.

  “Wow,” Cecelia said after the cook went inside. “That was like watching one of those movies about people who live in the manor houses. So mannerly. What happened to my Marine and my cook?” She laughed.

  “Just being respectful,” he said. “Believe it or not, a Marine can also be a gentleman. You should see our dress ball.”

  He froze with the words that had slipped out before he’d thought about what he was saying.

  It was the most awkward moment. He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. Had he hurt her by speaking before he thought?

  She laughed, making the moment pass. “So, you’re not all covered with green paint and ready to slip into the jungle? I won’t know what to think of you now. You’ll have to tell me if it’s a jungle day or a dress up day.”

  He wanted to hug her and give her a kiss. This sweet woman was making the moment fun and trying to make him feel better.

  “Yes, Miss Cecelia, I certainly will. Now, since you have your lemonade, are you ready for your sandwich?”

  “Oh yes,” she said and held out her hands.

  He opened the bag and took the sandwich out, breaking the two halves apart and handing hers to her.

  They ate and chatted about the weather, who would be at the ranch this week, and when this current group of women would leave and the next group would arrive.

  Then he finally decided to broach the subject he’d been wanting to talk about, to learn more about her.

  She seemed relaxed now, and she’d made him feel better about his mistake earlier.

  Brian knew part of the answer to his question before he asked, because Leah had told him about what had happened to Cecelia, but he wanted Cecelia to tell him first-hand what had happened to her.

  He wanted her to feel she could talk to him about anything.

  “I haven’t asked you,” he started, softening his voice, “but I’ve been wondering about your blindness…” He paused, looking to see whether she stiffened, but she didn’t. “What happened to you? How did you lose your sight?”

  She inhaled a deep breath, held it, and then released it and spoke, “A man I went on a date with took a baseball bat to my head. My face and skull were fractured, my brain bled, and there was permanent damage to my optical nerves. My sight isn’t coming back, in case you were wondering and hoping. This is my life now. I’m happy here at the ranch, where I can help other women. I’m not looking for anything else. So, you don’t need to keep asking me out.”

  “I hate that it happened to you,” Brian said, glad she couldn’t see his expression, because she might read it as pity, and that wasn’t what he was feeling. “Knowing this doesn’t change a thing. I still want to go out with you. I’m still going to keep asking you out. So, don’t expect me to quit. Quit is a four-letter word.”

  She sighed. “Marine,” she said.

  “That’s me,” he said. “Not a quitter.”

  She smiled at him and then said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Thanks for having lunch with me.”

  “Thank you for the sandwich,” she said, rising to go back in, just as Leah was coming out onto the porch, looking for her.

  He rose with Cecelia, though she didn’t see him. “My pleasure,” he said. “We’ll have to do this again, sometime.”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod. “We will.”

  “There’s a call for you, Cecelia,” Leah said. “I put them on hold.”

  He watched the women go back inside, the smile never leaving Cecelia’s face. He was glad to have had a hand at putting it there.

  Brian went to visit Cecelia at her desk for a chat, thinking he would ask her out again, but when he got there, he saw there was a new woman joining the
center who had just arrived, and Cecelia was processing her in.

  He busied himself with checking the security system that had already been checked by the night shift and waited for a chance to speak to her.

  “If you need anything,” she said to the new resident, “You can stop by my desk or call the private line.” Cecelia picked up a card with numbers written on it, as if her hand knew just where to go, having done it so many times. “You’ll have a phone in your room you can use to call out. Please memorize this number, so you’ll have an emergency number to call if you leave the property.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” the short woman with the dark pixie haircut said. “I don’t even have a car here.”

  “Humor me, okay?” Cecelia reached into a drawer and fumbled to find the key she was looking for.

  He already knew that each key had a braille code on it so she could tell one from the other. He’d watched her do this before and found the way she coped with things fascinating.

  Everything about her intrigued him.

  “You never know where you’ll find yourself, and I’ll feel better if you know this number,” she said. “I like to know where all our ladies are, and I get nervous and worry if I think any of our ladies will be out of touch. This way, you won’t be.” She pulled out a key. “Here it is.” She held the key out, smiling. “This key is yours. You’re in the third room on the right.”

  “Thank you,” the young woman said, taking the key.

  “You’re quite welcome,” Cecelia said.

  Another call came over the headset, and she took the call, giving the new woman a wave as she went back to work.

  “Hazel, how are you?” Cecelia asked. “Everything going okay over at Rosewood Center this week?”

  The Rosewood Center, in North Carolina, was the first of the two Courage and Confidence Centers to be established and worked similarly to the Three C’s ranch. One evening, out of curiosity, he’d read the brochure about the centers which had been in the library on an end table. Now it

  Brian had planned to ask Cecelia out again today, but she was busy every time he’d tried to talk to her.