Safe in My Arms

She’d seen him once more, in the dining room when she was helping to serve the meals. He was eating alone with his laptop open on the table. Many of the guests were either texting, talking on their cell phones or, like Jake, working on their computers while enjoying a meal.

Mina sighed as she headed back to the kitchen after serving a couple from Charleston, South Carolina, who were celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary. Everyone was in their own world.

* * *

Jake surreptitiously watched Mina out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what he’d said to make her run away from him this morning. Admitted that he was lonely and he’d recognized the same thing in her? Had he been too presumptuous?

He’d enjoyed the sirloin steak, baked potato and garden vegetables, and now he was checking his emails. He would much rather be somewhere with Ms. Gaines. In his profession it was sometimes hard to maintain personal relationships. He could be on assignment for months, during which he would not be in contact with a significant other. Not many women would put up with that kind of life.

He had been lucky once. Her name was Jamesa, but everybody called her Jami. They were married fresh out of college. She was a brilliant attorney, and it was his intention to work his way up to Special Agent in Charge in the DEA. They wanted children but agreed to wait five years before starting a family. He regretted that decision today, because they never made it to their fifth anniversary. Jami was killed in a car accident in their fourth year. It was Christmastime, and she was driving up to New York to be with her family. He was going to join her later. The police report said she was driving across the Brooklyn Bridge when she had to brake suddenly, hit an ice patch and spun out of control.

After Jami’s death, Jake’s only salvation had been work. He’d asked for the toughest assignments. He’d gotten his first undercover operation and helped bring down a Colombian drug lord. The Betts case was his second time undercover. But now, after more than five years without Jami, he was seriously craving a real life again. He wanted to be in love and go home to the same woman every night. He wanted the happiness that adoring someone more than life itself brought. Was he lonely? Damn right, he was lonely as hell.

That night he sat on the porch of the cabin where he was staying and looked up at the night sky. Out here, where there were no streetlights, it seemed the sky was somehow bigger than in the city. Tonight the velvety black canopy was graced by a huge yellow moon. Next to its illumination the stars faded into the background. The temperature had dropped a good ten degrees since sundown, and he felt the bite but was too transfixed by the sky to worry about a jacket.

“Had a nice day?” Mina asked as she strolled up. Earlier he’d seen her going into a cabin that sat several yards behind his and figured she must live there.

“One of the best days I’ve had in a long time,” he told her truthfully. He rose and offered her his hand as she climbed the steps to the porch.

His nostrils flared at the feminine scent of her skin. She smelled freshly showered, and a faint, clean flowery aroma wafted from her. This was also the first time he’d ever seen her in a dress. She had killer legs.

After she was seated in the chair beside his, she took a deep breath and said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said about both of us being lonely, and I think I ought to tell you, just so you’ll know—yes, I’m lonely. But it’s because I’m mourning someone. I was engaged to him when he was killed in action three years ago. Since then I haven’t dated anyone and, frankly, I think I’ve forgotten how the process works.”

For a moment or two, Jake was too stunned that she would open up to him like this to say anything. His heart went out to her. He felt her pain because he’d been exactly where she was. In some ways, he was still there. He didn’t think he would ever stop mourning the loss of Jami. But after five years he had learned to compartmentalize. Jami resided in a corner of his heart reserved only for her. And getting on with day-to-day living took precedence, because it was how he survived. He knew Jami wouldn’t want him to fall apart because she was gone. She would want him to get as much out of life as he possibly could.

He reached out and grasped Mina’s hand in his. “I know we’ve just met, Mina, but the dramatic way we met makes me feel as if we’re already friends. Do you know what I mean?”

Mina smiled at him. “As if we’ve gotten the preliminaries out of the way,” she said softly.

Jake was nodding his agreement. “Yes, so maybe you would feel comfortable enough to tell me about the man you loved.”

* * *

Mina took a deep breath and exhaled, then for the next twenty minutes she told him all about Keith and how they had complemented each other. She could be a hothead. He was a thinker, so cool, calm and collected that his attitude had rubbed off on her, making her a better soldier and a better person.

“You said I must have been on the fast track to have made captain so young,” she said softly. “You were right. My dad’s an ex-army general, and my goal was to become a general someday.

“But after Keith died I lost my ambition. And when your ambition’s gone, what’s the point? I felt as though I was just going through the motions. So I didn’t reenlist when my time was up.”

“How’d you end up here?” Jake asked.

She told him how she’d spent some time back home in Raleigh with her parents and her sisters. She had four sisters. One of them was presently working in Africa. All of them were accomplished women with great careers. She was the odd one out, with no real direction. Her grandfather had suggested she come up here and give running the lodge a try. He had no one to leave the place to when he died, and she had no immediate plans for the future.

“I gave it a try and I liked it,” Mina said now with a note of humor in her voice. “I’ve always been an active person, and this life suits me.”

Jake inhaled and exhaled. The clean mountain air was invigorating. “I can see what you mean. This is the life.”

Mina laughed softly. “I’m glad you like it. You know you could be in a luxurious suite at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. They have over eleven hundred rooms, plus a casino and a world-class entertainment center where top country music artists perform every weekend...”

Jake leaned over and kissed her in midsentence. He let her lead him, waiting for permission to deepen the kiss. He would have been satisfied with just the taste of her lips on his tongue. After a moment, Mina sighed softly and gave herself to him. Her hand came up to caress his cheek and she leaned into him. Jake marveled at how sweet she tasted and how well the two of them anticipated each other’s needs. It was a gentle kiss. It was a kiss to seal what they each knew was happening between them, a meeting of kindred souls.

When they came up for air, she heard Jake say, “Thank you for trusting me enough to confide in me. Now, let me tell you about my wife.”

Mina went from mellow to ballistic in an instant. His wife?

Chapter 4

Jake’s first clue that he had said something wrong was when Mina got to her feet, glared down at him and cried, “What? I just kissed you! You’re not wearing a ring. What are you, one of those married men who take off their wedding bands whenever it suits them?”

He stood up, hands raised in a gesture of surrender. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it to. I’m not married. Jami, my wife, passed away five years ago.”

Mina stared up at him, mouth agape. She sat down, deflated. Jake eased back into his chair, his eyes on her face in the dim light. He hadn’t bothered turning the porch light on. The only illumination came from the reading lamp in the living room of the cabin whose big picture window they were sitting in front of. He could see Mina visibly relax.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “What I should have said was that we have a lot in common. I lost someone I love, too.”

Mina sighed softly. “All day long I debated whether or not I should be honest with you and tell you why I wasn’t responding to you. Then, when I decide to take a chance on you, you mention a wife, and my first reaction is that I’d just made a fool of myself, kissing a married man.”

“A bad choice of words,” Jake said. “I’m an idiot.”

Mina eyed him warily and leaned back in her chair. “All right, I’m listening. Please, tell me about Jami.”

The tension in the air was gone. Jake smiled slowly. He told her that he and Jami were college sweethearts and had gotten married right after graduation. They’d supported each other through tough times and been grateful for the good times. It was the kind of marriage that was meant to last forever, he said. Like his parents’ marriage and his grandparents’. He’d been blindsided by her death.

“She was my world,” he said quietly. “For a long time I didn’t know how I would go on. I didn’t even care if I did go on. I started taking unnecessary risks, kind of testing the Reaper to see if he would come for me the way he’d come for her. More than anything, I wanted to join her.”

Mina nodded knowingly. “Me, too, and having those kinds of feelings can be detrimental to others around you when you’re airlifting soldiers out of a combat zone. Their lives depended on me, and all I could think about was dying.”

“You were in a bad place,” Jake said. “But you’re past that now, right?”

She nodded. “I’m better,” she said simply. “And you, how did you shake that feeling?”

Jake shrugged his broad shoulders. “Sometimes I wonder. It wasn’t anything I did on purpose. It was living one day at a time without her. Plus the fact that I knew she would have kicked my ass when we met on the other side if I’d committed suicide.”

“She was tough, huh?” Mina smiled.

“You remind me of her,” Jake said, smiling back at her. “Not physically. She was nearly six feet tall. When it came to determination and strength of character, though, she was very tough. Like you.”

“How do you know that about me?” asked Mina, her gaze meeting his.

“Not every woman would run through a forest alone to see if anyone survived a plane crash. You could have been going to a scene that would have given you nightmares for the rest of your life, yet you went anyway.”

She smiled and said, “Must have been my military training kicking in.”

“You know,” said Jake. “If running a lodge doesn’t work out for you for some reason, we’re always looking for a few good people.”

He couldn’t believe that slip of the tongue. He was so relaxed in her presence that for a moment his guard had completely gone down. He’d forgotten he was playing a role. He was not Jake Wolfe, DEA Special Agent now. He was Jake Wolfe, mysterious businessman. He hadn’t even told Mina whom he supposedly worked for.

He was relieved when Mina laughed and said, “Don’t let my grandpa hear you trying to recruit me. We’re joined at the hip. I’m his heir, and nothing gives him more satisfaction than knowing he’s training his successor to take over his beloved lodge.”

“I’m sorry. I take it back.” Jake laughed right along with her. “Does that offer to take me on a trail ride still stand?”

“Yes, of course,” Mina said immediately. “I’m scheduled to take a group out tomorrow morning at eight.”

“I see you all like to get an early start,” said Jake, stifling a yawn.

“People come here expecting to immerse themselves in nature,” Mina explained. “We give them the full effect. A couple from Florida has already signed up. Meet me at the barn tomorrow morning, and wear sturdy jeans, shoes and a jacket. We provide a box lunch. Make sure you phone the kitchen early in the morning to let them know what kind of sandwich to make for you.”

She rose. “It’s late, I’d better go.”

Jake reluctantly got to his feet. He didn’t want her to go. He’d been enjoying their conversation. “I’ll walk you home.”

As they strolled across the expansive lawn that separated their cabins, Jake gazed up at the sky. “Being here does make you appreciate nature more. In the city I rarely look up at the sky.”

“Too many big buildings in the way,” said Mina. “Where do you live?”

“Atlanta.” He told her the truth. He had found that the secret to maintaining an undercover life was to basically be honest about your background, altering very few details of who you were. Keeping two sets of data about two different people was difficult, and you were bound to slip up sooner or later.

“Nice town,” Mina said. “My sisters and I have been there many times, mostly to concerts or sporting events.”

“Oh, yeah, you said you have four sisters. No brothers?”

“No, just Lauren, Desiree and Meghan, who live in Raleigh, and Petra, who’s in Africa right now.”

“Oh,” said Jake. “What’s she doing in Africa?”

“She’s a zoologist, and she’s studying the great apes in Central Africa.”

“That’s cool,” Jake said, sounding intrigued. “What do your other sisters do?”

“Lauren’s an architect, Desiree’s a psychologist and Meghan is a history professor.”

“Your parents must be proud.”

Mina smiled. “Do you have any siblings?”

“I have a brother, Leo,” Jake told her. Then he laughed. “Actually, his name is Leonidas. My mother had a thing for Greek literature. I got off easy with Jason.”

“Jason and the Argonauts and King Leonidas of Sparta,” Mina returned easily.

“My mother would like you,” Jake said.

At her door, he bent and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Mina. Sleep well.”

“Good night, Jake,” Mina softly said, and went inside.

* * *

Once she was on the other side of the door, Mina collapsed against it dramatically, giving way to the girly side of her that wanted to dance and shout that she’d just been kissed.

She was soon brought back to reality by the sound of her grandfather’s voice. “Mina, is that you?”

“Yeah, Grandpa, I went for a walk before turning in.”

“Did you see that fella who fell from the sky while you were out?”

“Grandpa, have you been spying on me?” Mina asked, as she walked toward the sound of his voice. She found him standing in the middle of the kitchen in his pajamas with a milk carton in one hand and a huge cookie in the other.

“You’re my granddaughter,” he said shamelessly. “It’s my obligation to look out for you. We haven’t decided whether or not he’s a drug dealer, remember?”

Mina took the carton of milk from him. She poured some into a glass and handed it to him. Then she put the carton back in the refrigerator. “I don’t know what he does for a living, but I don’t think it’s anything illegal.”

“Why, because he’s a good kisser?” asked Benjamin, bushy brows arched in a questioning expression. “Be careful with that one. I smell a polecat.”

Mina laughed. She loved her grandfather’s old-fashioned expressions. “Don’t worry, I will,” she assured him. She kissed his leathery cheek. “Good night, Grandpa.”

With that, she turned and fairly floated on air down the hall to her bedroom.

* * *

The next morning, Mina woke in a great mood. She sang in the shower, ate a hearty breakfast and dressed, and was crossing the lawn to the lodge by seven forty-five. She went straight to the kitchen to collect the box lunches. Mabel Brown, the cook, an amply built African-American woman in her sixties, gave her a warm greeting then nodded in the direction of the two small brown bags on the counter.

“Where are the other two?” Mina asked.

“The couple from Florida isn’t going because the husband is experiencing hip pain and his wife’s staying with him, so they canceled their box lunch orders. Just you and the guy with the sexy voice who phoned this morning will be going on the trail ride.”

Mina harrumphed, and collected the lunches along with a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator. “These things happen. Thank you, Miss Mabel.”

“You don’t sound too broken up about it,” Mabel said to her retreating back.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Miss Mabel.”

“Get your mind into the gutter,” Mabel retorted with a lusty laugh.

Mina laughed as she hurried through the lobby and out the front door of the lodge. Miss Mabel had a wicked sense of humor, equal only to Mina’s grandfather’s, whom Miss Mabel had a major crush on. When she got to the barn, Jake was already there talking to the stable boy, Chad. Chad was a rangy kid of nineteen with dark brown skin and big, soulful brown eyes. He was very fond of Mina, and Mina of him.

“Good morning, Mina,” he said, grinning at her. “I’ve got Cinnamon ready for you.”

Cinnamon was Mina’s favorite horse, an aptly named sorrel with a white star on her forehead. Cinnamon knew the trails better than her human riders, Benjamin often said. She was the oldest horse they owned and the most reliable.

“Thank you, Chad,” said Mina. She smiled at Jake, who was leaning against the railing of the stall that held his mount, a dark-colored three-year-old mare by the name of Midnight. “Good morning, Jake.”

* * *

Jake hadn’t been able to tear his eyes off Mina since she’d walked into the barn. He’d awakened in a good mood, and now he knew why—the anticipation of seeing her again. “You look well rested, Ms. Gaines,” he said, smiling.

His eyes roved appreciatively over her trim body in those tight jeans, being careful not to linger too long because he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. He met her eyes, and she smiled at him.

“So do you,” she said. “Sleep well?”

“I did, thank you. The cabin’s very comfortable.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Mina said lightly.

“Chad here has been giving me some pointers on Midnight,” Jake said.

“Then he’s already told you she has a low tolerance for loud noises. Good going, Chad,” said Mina, smiling at him.

Chad blushed and continued saddling Midnight. Finished, he led the horse out of her stall and handed the reins to Jake.

“Thank you, Chad,” said Jake.

“My pleasure,” said Chad. “Have a good ride.”

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