Blind Trust Page 3

  Persistence though, he had that. And patience. Today however, did not seem to be his day.

  “Just a minute, Hazel,” Cecelia said. She turned toward Brian. “Is there anything you need right, now, Brian?”

  He grinned and was tempted to answer with, A kiss from you, but instead he said, “Nothing that can’t wait.”

  “Okay. Talk to you later.” She went back to her call, and he went outside to walk around the grounds.

  This security job mostly consisted of walking, watching, and checking. He could walk over to the stables and see what the ranch foreman was doing with the horses.

  Yesterday, the foreman had told him the vet would be arriving right about now. It would be interesting watching what he would do with the animals today.

  He wondered if Cecelia would consider going for a horse ride with him, if they chose a gentle animal and kept to the easy trail for beginners. He’d make sure to keep her safe from harm on a horse, or anywhere else.

  The list of ‘dating in’ possibilities was growing.

  The only question was would she say yes to any of them?

  Chapter 3

  Cecelia was pleased to hear Hazel’s voice on the line. Hazel was one of her best friends.

  Hazel Whitaker worked as a receptionist at the Rosewood Center, and she and Cecelia had become good friends while Cecelia had stayed there, learning braille and how to be a receptionist and secretary. After she’d taken the new job and moved to Montana to the brand-new Triple C Ranch to be the receptionist there, the women had kept in touch.

  Both centers worked in a similar way. Women went to the centers to learn how to empower themselves, learning self-defense and other life skills to be safe and stronger when they left and started their new lives.

  After graduating from the program, a woman who had been as terrified as a mouse after being the victim of a violent attack or a domestic abuse situation left the centers with new confidence, life skills, and strength.

  This was certainly true for Cecelia. Her time at Rosewood Center had been amazing. Newly blind, she’d had so many challenges. Learning to find her way around the house, the sidewalk, the grocery, the sand dunes behind the house and the ocean beyond.

  She had never been terrified of the ocean before. It had taken the love and support of all her house sisters before she would even put one foot in the water.

  And moving through the dunes? Another major hurdle for her.

  With the support of her housemates, she’d overcome that hurdle as well. They had become as close as sisters. They all stayed in touch via email, but a phone call was a special treat.

  Sometimes, working together in the same company, though at different locations, she and Hazel got to talk on company time. They always managed to catch up a little on personal matters.

  Much as she enjoyed chatting with Brian, he wasn’t going anywhere. In fact, he would be here tomorrow and the next day, doing his job.

  Hazel, though… Talking to her was a real, once in a while, treat.

  Cecelia leaned back in her chair, enjoying the call and forgot all about Brian.

  The dream brought it all back as the night of the fire replayed in her mind…

  The sound of gunfire woke Cecelia at once.

  She reached for her braille phone on her nightstand and dialed the sheriff.

  “Hello, please hurry, there’s been a gunshot at Three C’s Ranch. I don’t know what’s going on. I was asleep, and it woke me. Please hurry,” she repeated.

  The dispatcher on the other end of the phone told her to leave the line open, so they could hear what was happening.

  She left the phone open on the nightstand and moved to the closed bedroom door. Placing her hand on the door so she’d feel anyone trying to open the door, she waited, listening.

  Nothing.

  The house was silent again.

  She turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping out.

  Someone was in the hallway. She sensed the person before she even asked, “What’s happening?”

  She reached out, her hand finding a man’s hairy forearm. Her hand closed around the man’s arm.

  He quickly pulled Cecelia out of the doorway into the hall and moved her behind him. “Put your hand on my back.”

  Hank Patterson. She knew his voice.

  His hand was trying to move her hand to his back. She should have let him guide her.

  Hank was the head of the Brotherhood Protectors. She knew and trusted him. But she was frozen with fear, standing still, listening. Sniffing.

  Then she smelled it.

  Fire.

  Fear filled her.

  She couldn’t see the fire to escape it; she’d have to rely on the others to help her reach safety.

  It’s not safe here.

  The dreams always took her back to this place. Where she stood frightened and frozen in place, unable to run and not knowing which way to run, but feeling inside like she very much needed to run to stay alive.

  Then she woke.

  She still had nightmares about fires and not being able to get out of the building.

  Tonight, she’d had another one.

  Leah had reassured her the nightmares would happen less frequently with time.

  Cecelia knew she was perfectly safe here now. During her waking hours everything was fine.

  Leah had also reminded her, that even when those arsonists had set the building on fire, she’d still been safe.

  Everyone had looked out for each other and made sure they all got out. During her waking hours, she knew all this, but it hadn’t stopped her nightmares.

  Fear of fire, when you’ve actually lived through one, is a very palpable thing. A very real thing. It wakes you with your heart racing.

  And you couldn’t tell yourself that a fire would never happen to you, as the real event proved that indeed, it could, and it had.

  That was the monster she fought now.

  She bunched up her pillow, punched it once, and then settled down and tried to fall asleep again.

  Brian came around the corner, just in time to hear Cecelia talking to Leah.

  “There are no direct flights to San Diego from Bozeman, Montana,” Cecelia said. “So now, I don’t know what to do.”

  “You need to go to San Diego?” Brian interrupted their conversation.

  If she needed to go to San Diego, he could help.

  “Yes, my cousin Samantha Whitaker is in the hospital there, getting ready to have her appendix out and I need to go see her,” she said.

  “I just happen to be driving to San Diego tomorrow,” he said.

  “You’re kidding,” she said.

  “Nope. Serious as hell. One of the other guys is filling in for me tomorrow and until I’m back. I have to take care of some things on base,” he said. “I plan to drive. You can ride along.”

  “That’s a long way to ride along,” she said.

  “Yep. It’s an eighteen-hour drive to San Diego from here. I could make it in two days, but for the two of us, I’ll make it three. So, you won’t be on the road more than six hours a day and can rest. And I’d enjoy the company.”

  He watched Cecelia’s face as she considered his offer, one little wrinkle line winding across her forehead. A worry line.

  “This will solve your problem, and I’ve already been vetted to protect you and escort you,” he said. “As good as a hired bodyguard. Better, since you know me.”

  “He’s right, you know,” Leah said. “If we hired you an escort, Brian is the man they’d send. Or someone like him. You have nothing to fear with him escorting you.”

  “Okay, okay,” Cecelia said, putting her hands up in surrender. “Enough persuading. I can’t take both of you pushing me. I’ll ride along to San Diego. Sam said San Diego is rougher than it used to be. She wasn’t keen on me coming out alone.”

  “Great,” Brian said. “I’m looking forward to our trip.”

  “I am, too,” she said. “Thank you for taking me all the
way out there to see my friend.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said. His phone beeped and looking down at it, he said, “I need to take this,” and then walked outside.

  As he walked, he held back a fist pump in the air that he felt like making.

  Hot damn. I just wanted one date out with her, away from the ranch. Now I’ll have a whole week. Plenty of time for us to get to know each other better.

  Cecelia heard him go out the door and sighed.

  What have I just agreed to? Six days on the road with Brian. I don’t know if I can do this. And we have to leave tomorrow!

  Fortunately, her workday got so busy she didn’t have time to think on it further. She’d agreed to go, this would help them both, and now she needed to stay busy today instead of worrying about it and turning into a nervous wreck.

  The next day, everything had been prepared, and Brian was more than ready. The gas tank on his truck was full, and he’d even washed the truck inside and out before driving to the ranch to get Cecelia. There was a cooler of water in the back, along with trail mix and apples for snacks to tide them over in between stops. He even had a solid chocolate bar in the cooler in case she got a craving for chocolate. He wanted everything about this trip to be a good experience for her.

  Everything had been well planned, the way he liked things. He would stay at the Naval base while Cecelia would stay at her cousin Samantha Whitaker’s house. They would need to pick up Sam’s house key at the hospital when they went to see her, so the first thing they would do is visit her cousin.

  Then he’d drop Cecelia off the next morning for a longer visit, while he went to his appointment on base. After which, he would come back to the hospital and take her out to lunch. She would have one more day to visit her cousin, and then they’d start the three-day drive back.

  That gave him eight days together with her, to prove he was just the boyfriend she needed.

  He wondered how Cecelia would handle staying alone in her cousin’s house where she would be alone. If she would be afraid. But she’d explained, it was originally her aunt’s house, and her cousin had inherited it. She’d spent many holidays there and was familiar with the house.

  Brian could not wait to get on the road with her.

  He pulled up to the ranch, parked, and got out.

  Her suitcases were sitting on the big wooden porch beside the front door, and she sat in a rocking chair waiting for him. Pretty as a picture with her soft blue T-shirt and blue jeans, white socks and white tennis shoes, and her dark sunglasses on, she could have been on the cover of a magazine, promoting the restful beauty of the ranch.

  Hurrying toward her and up the steps, he called out, “Good morning! Are you all packed and ready to go?”

  “I am,” she said, and nodded with a smile as she reached for her cane and stood.

  “Good,” he said. “I’m looking forward to our trip. Weather reports are good, so we should have smooth sailing.”

  She smiled at that. “You Marines and the sailing,” she said. “It must be something, sailing on those big carriers.”

  “It is,” he agreed. Then he changed the subject. “Stay put while I put your bags in the truck, and then I’ll come back and- “

  “I don’t need help down the steps,” she said, interrupting him, her tongue quick to respond. “I know these steps. And you need to know the ground rules before we leave. Lead a blind person only after they accept your offer to do so. Don’t assume I am helpless and leap up every time. I will get around quite well, without you, most of the time.”

  He’d never heard her be snappish before, but she sure was this morning.

  What had set her off?

  “I have something for you,” he said. “And I would like to give it to you here, before we get into the truck. If that is all right with you.”

  “For me?” Her voice held surprise. “You didn’t have to get anything for me.”

  I might as well give it to her now, reframe this morning, and soften her mood if I can.

  “Hold out your hand.” His commanding voice told her not to argue with him.

  She held out her hand, palm up, and waited.

  He placed the purple velvet bag into her palm.

  “What’s this?” she asked, feeling the soft drawstring bag with the necklace inside, her fingers caressing it.

  He’d picked out velvet for the texture and enjoyed watching her face as she felt the bag. Her expression had moved to one of surprise, and now, of joy. That was the look he liked to see on her, and he was glad he’d helped to improve her mood.

  Her index finger moved inside the bag, opening the drawstring, and she found the necklace, hooking the chain on her finger and drawing the delicate gold chain out.

  Watching her, as always, was fascinating.

  “Oh,” she said. “A necklace. What a nice surprise.”

  “It is a necklace. The chain and the pendant are gold, and the pendant has a gold owl on it,” he said.

  “Ooooh,” she said as she ran her fingers all over it.

  “But it’s also a GPS,” he said. “San Diego is kind of bad in some areas, and it’s a big city. With you wearing GPS tracking, if for any reason we get separated, I can find you. I hope when you wear it, you’ll feel safer. All you have to do is press on the front of the pendant, and that will send a signal right to an app on my phone. Then I’ll see where you are and come find you.”

  “Oh, how thoughtful,” she said. “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “Let me put it on you.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I’d like that.”

  He gently took the necklace from her and unfastened the clasp.

  She leaned forward for him.

  Then reaching both hands around the back of her neck, he found the clasp with the other side, and connected them. The pendant part of the necklace now lay nestled between her cleavage.

  She placed her hand over it, flat against her chest and said, “I won’t take it off again until we’re back home. That way nothing can happen where I can’t let you know that I need you to come find me. It feels good.” She smiled. “Lightweight, but also it’s comforting, like you said.”

  “Good,” he said, and he bent to kiss her forehead.

  She gave a happy sigh, her smile deepening.

  “Remember, if you need me for any reason, all you have to do is press once on the pendant,” he said.

  “I will.” She placed her hand on his arm and looked up at him, joy written all over her face. “Thank you for such a thoughtful gift.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, enjoying seeing her happiness. “I want you to be able to relax and enjoy our trip. Now, I’ll load your bags, and you can make your way to my truck. And I’ll remember to ask you if you need my help, but you must also tell me when you want it or need it. Good communication must work both directions. Deal?”

  “Yes.” She smiled and nodded up at him. “Deal.”

  He watched her move her cane in front of her, and he backed away to pick up both her bags and carry them down the steps.

  Once her bags were in his truck and she was to the bottom of the steps, he called, “Over here.”

  She walked toward him, and he thought of how brave she was being, facing her fears by taking the leap to go on this journey with him. He would do anything he could to make sure it was an enjoyable experience.

  He moved around to open the passenger door of the truck and said, “I’m going to open doors for you, and will help you into my truck and out of it, and I’m going to do that because that’s what a gentleman does. So, I hope you will allow me that pleasure.”

  “Oh.” She stopped, close to him, a look of surprise on her face as if she hadn’t considered that. “Well, okay. Yes, that’s nice actually.”

  He smiled to himself, knowing it was. He’d treat her like a lady, and he was glad he wouldn’t have to argue with her about it. Because it was about respect for her, not about whether she was independent or not. He w
as glad they’d be compatible on that note. Dating women who argued about that one was no fun for him and told him quickly whether they were compatible.

  He’d been raised in a Chinese-American family, where respect and good manners were important, so his woman would need to be able to fit into that world as well, if they were to be a long-term couple. It was best to figure these things out early on, so neither of them wasted time with the wrong person.

  From what he’d observed of Cecelia, and what others had told him about her, she was an amazing woman he was very much interested in.

  As Leah had said, he needed to take it slow. Which wasn’t a problem. He would savor each moment of this trip, each small step while he wooed her and watched her face. For that privilege alone, this trip would be perfect.

  After helping Cecelia into the truck, he asked if she’d had breakfast, and she said that, yes, Emma had made her such a big breakfast she’d thought maybe the cook was afraid Cecelia wouldn’t be fed on this trip.

  Brian laughed. “She does like to make sure everyone gets fed, and she fusses over you like a mother hen.” He laughed again. “Okay then. We can plan for a late lunch but tell me if you get hungry. I have snacks packed and water in the cooler.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Cecelia said. As they headed out on the road, she relaxed back on her seat and tucked her hair behind her ears because a breeze blew through the open window, spreading it across her face.

  “Would you like me to roll up the window up and turn the air on?” he asked.

  “No, not yet,” she said. “Maybe when it gets hotter. I’m so often inside on the phone that it’s nice to be riding along, feeling the wind on my face.”

  “Well, you just let me know when you want me to roll it up,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  They listened to the radio for a while, and then he glanced over and noticed she was dozing. Her head was leaning to the side and bobbing.

  He reached for a small blue pillow behind him on the back seat, and then reached across to tuck the pillow next to her head to cushion and support her head.