Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series) (4 page)

Lynn would be home now, unpacking from her trip to California.
 She worked for a major department store in Colorado Springs, and traveled back and forth to San Diego. Sher gave herself another mental reminder to set up a night when the two of them could meet for dinner and get caught up on their lives.  She missed the laughter they always shared when together.  She could use some of that laughter now.
As she got within three blocks from her home, she saw flashing blue lights.  Her stomach turned over.  They couldn’t be at her house.  This wasn’t happening, again.  But she was wrong.  Something was wrong.  Sher pulled up in front of her home, and she saw the garage doors were opened.  Three officers stood in the garage, one of them, Glen.

As she got out of the car, her legs felt like lead weights.
 Officer David turned to Glen and motioned towards her. 

"I'm sorry, Sher. During the hourly patrol of the neighborhood, the officer noticed your garage was open. Someone searched through your boxes, and they weren't careful while doing it.
 There's a lot of damage," Glen said sadly.

Sher barely understood what Glen said.
 All she saw was the mess in her garage.  When she bent down, she picked up the wedding picture of her parents.  The glass and frame were broken.  Then the tears fell. Seemed everything she treasured had been destroyed.
Glen saw Sher cry only one time before.  Right now she resembled a lost girl, as tears slid down both cheeks.  He refused to hold back.  He quickly gathered her in his arms as he felt this was the only natural thing for the moment. She didn’t resist. She not only looked lost, she felt lost.   Being held in Glen's embrace made her feel safe if only for a few moments.

"Why.
 Why would he do this?  I told him nothing of his is here," She said between clinched teeth.
"Who, Sher?  You know who did this?" Glen asked.
"William.  He's been calling me.  And he came to the shop.  He seems to think I have a box of his.  I tried to tell him nothing of his is at this house.  But he won't listen.  He is determined to check his self.  But even William wouldn't do all this.  I know he can be mean, but he knows my parents belongings mean so much to me. It's all I have left of them, besides the memories," She said, as she held the broken picture frame close to her chest.
"Stay here.  I'll be right back," Glen told her.
She watched as Glen walked towards Officer David, but, again heard nothing of what was said.  Right now, it took all her strength not to crumble.  The idea of cleaning up, and having to throw away some of her parents cherished memories, made her nauseous.
While he spoke to his partner, Glen‘s still observed Sher.  Although she broke his heart years ago, no one deserved to go through this.  He still thought of her as one of the sweetest, most kind people he knew. He recalled some of the hassle her ex caused during their separation, while he dated Sher.  Back then, he wanted to confront the jerk.  But now, he wanted to beat him to within an inch of his life for what he put Sher through.  She looked so alone and hurt at this moment, and he felt helpless.  He was determined to not let her go through this alone.  She cannot stay here alone.  Something was going on, and he was also determined to get to the bottom of it.  He would not let her get hurt again, if he could help it.

"Give me your keys.
 I need to check everything in the house to make sure nothing is touched inside," He told her.
Sher checked her coat pockets, but found no keys.  She didn’t remember turning her car off and removing them from the ignition. 

"They must still be in the car," her voice came out in a slight whisper.
Glen retrieved her keys, and before he unlocked the door leading into her kitchen, he unsnapped his holster, and removed his gun. He was not taking any chances of an intruder being inside and armed.
Glass crunched under Sher’s feet.  She bent down again and picked up a remnant of glass that she recognized as one of her mother’s crystal bells.  Her mother loved her bell collection.  

Sher left the bells and Hummel collection packed while she refinished the curio cabinet she picked up
at an estate sale a few months ago.  She was almost finished with restoring the cabinet.  Why didn't she work faster on it?  Then her mother’s treasures would be inside, instead of in pieces on the garage floor.

"No one is inside.
 But you can't stay here.  It's not safe," Glen said.

"This is my home. I won't let William, or anyone else, chase me from my home," The fight returned to her.

"Be reasonable.  Someone broke into your home, has followed you, and now broken into your garage.  If they haven't found what they are looking for, they will be back.  I cannot let you stay here alone." He said firmly.

"It's not up to you to let me stay here.
 It is my decision.  I will not leave my home," Sher told him stubbornly.

"Then I will be a fixture on your sofa. I'm not trying to curb your independence.
 I'm trying to keep you safe.  I'll have the patrol officer stay with you, while I run and pack a bag.  No arguments, please.  If you won't leave, then I have no choice but to stay with you," He could be just as stubborn as Sher.
"You cannot be with me twenty-four hours a day. We both have lives.  And it's not fair for you to put yours on hold to babysit me," She said the words, but hoped he would stay.
As he pulled her into his arms, he fought back. "I start my week vacation tomorrow.  I have no immediate plans, just yard work and movie watching. So, yes, I can be with you twenty-four hours a day.  Besides, it will finally give us time for that long overdue talk."

With that, Glen left her standing there, while he spoke to the patrol officer.
 She vaguely heard his car drive away.

Entering the kitchen gave her a strange feeling of violation.
 She recalled all the many times she entered her home, and the peace she always felt.  Will she ever feel that peace again?

How could she survive with Glen in her life every moment, when she found it so hard to keep her feelings hidden?
 All these deep feelings had been crept up on her every time she gazed into his eyes.  Could she hide them for much longer?  She didn’t even know if he had someone important in his life now.  She felt so secure in his arms for those few minutes in the garage, but did she have the right to feel as she felt?

 
Enough of these thoughts, they weren’t getting her anywhere. A person wished for things to be different, but that didn’t mean they would be.
Remembering, she left her purse in her car, she went outside.  The patrol officer greeted her as she closed her car door.  She felt, again, the hair on the back of her neck as it stood on end.  This was the second time in a few days, she had felt this.  Someone watched her.  She glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. No strangers lurked in the bushes.  No cars that didn’t belong were parked on the street.  Well, except for the police car.  Her neighbors must be curious as to what she was doing lately, with so much police activity at her home.
As she dropped her purse on the bar, she noticed the light blinked on her answering machine.  Remembering, the call she planned to making to her best friend, she was sure one of the calls was from Lynn.

"Sis.
 Are you there?  Pick up.  Something is going on.  Are you ok?  Please pick up. I will be returning earlier than...Noooo.........." There’s a sound as something broke, then nothing.  Brad was in trouble.  Again, she felt sick to her stomach.  He could be hurt, lying out there somewhere, and she wasn’t even sure exactly where he was.
She jumped and screamed at the same time, when someone grabbed her arm.
"It's me. I didn't mean to scare you.  Isn’t that Brad on the machine?" Glen asked, as he let her go.

She hadn’t heard Glen come in; she was so lost in thought.

"Yes and something’s wrong.  He was cut off.  I need to call him back,” Sher said in a panicked voice.

Fumbling in her purse, she found her cell phone.
 The call went directly to voice mail.  She tried again.  Again, it went to voice mail. She tried hard to remember if Brad gave her the location of the camp site he went to.

“He’s camping outside Estes Park. But I’m not sure exactly where,” she said.

"You know reception is scratchy in the mountains.  We can try again later. I’m sure it’s nothing. Brad probably tripped over something.  He’ll call you back later and tell you all about it,” Glen tried to calm her.

“You’re probably right.  Brad does his own thing all the time, and nothing bad has happened yet,” Sher said.

He wouldn’t let on that he too is worried. He heard the whole message Brad left.  Something definitely happened.  It didn’t sound good.  But right now, Sher had enough to worry about.  He’s see what he could find out regarding Brad in the morning.  His first priority was Sher tonight.

"I brought Chinese.  I know you haven't eaten, and Mongolian Beef used to be your favorite, and before you say anything, it is gluten free," He said with a smile.

Sher couldn’t believe he remembered.  Mongolian beef and chicken fried rice was her favorite.  

She had been gluten free for three years.  When she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, she thought she would have to do without so many of her favorite foods,
 but so many restaurants had gluten free menus now.  Still every once in a while she ate something accidentally and was very sick.  It happened less and less the past two years.

"I'll get the plates. And thank you for being you.
 You always are so thoughtful, and seem to know what I need," She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. His thoughtfulness meant so much right now.

"Not always,
 or you would have kept taking my calls, and we will still be together," He mentioned.

"Do we have to do this now?
 I'm hungry and worn out.  I want to get some food in my body, then a long hot bath.  Then some sleep, I have to be up very early," She replied back, wearily.

"No we can do this later.
 But mark my words.  We will do this later," he told her firmly.

While they ate, there was silence.
 Glen remembered back to the last time they had Oriental food together.  He asked her to go away for the weekend.  He wanted to take her to a romantic cabin in the mountains.  He knew right after he asked that he said the wrong thing.  And that's when it ended.

Looking at her now, he realized, he still wanted her.
 He hadn’t wanted a woman as much as this. Although they had yet to be intimate, the desire was there years ago, and was still there now.  He had hoped the weekend at a cabin would show her how good they could be together, and how much he loved her, but it never came to be.

They finished the meal in silence, and Sher took their dishes to the sink to wash.
 Her nerves were shot.  How would she go through the night, knowing her body reacted so strongly towards him?  She ran from him years ago.  But did she want to keep running?  How can she keep her distance, while he looked at her with such longing?

She was so deep in thought it took a moment before she realized he stood right behind her.
"I'll finish these.  You go take your long bath.  I want to check around outside.  Then I'll make sure everything is locked down for the night," he suggested.

She practically ran from the kitchen.
 She couldn’t be this close to him, for she knew she’d give herself away.
Lying in the bubbles in the tub was one of her favorite things.  She felt her muscles relax.  Maybe she would stay here all night.  The idea of sleeping in her bed, with Glen in the next room unsettled her.  Sher dried off, and dressed in her most modest pajamas.  She even threw on a robe, which still made her feel under dressed.

Since she wasn’t sleepy, she decided a cup of hot chocolate might do the trick. Stepping out of her bedroom, she came to a sudden halt.  There was Glen, as he came from the hallway bathroom, dressed only in a pair of jeans, and he rubbed a towel through his hair. She kept her eyes on his chest.  She knew he’d have a beautiful, smooth chest.
Finally, she moved her eyes from his chest up to his face.  The desire she saw there, made her weak.  She wanted this man, and she knew, he wanted her just as much.

No words were spoken, as he stepped closer. He cupped her face and leaned down to claim her lips.  It was a kiss she never felt from him before.  It took her breath and senses away.  She thought a second that his shouldn’t happen but all she cared about was feeling.  She wanted to feel him kissing her, touching her, being inside of her.

He pulled back, and ended the kiss. Searching her face for any sign of regret, he saw none.

“Please don’t stop. I need you.  I want you,” She wasn’t sure those words were spoken out loud, and she didn’t care.  All she wanted was him.

“I’m not stopping, just getting started,” He breathed softly, as he led her back to her room.

His arms held her close, rubbing her silky back, under her night shirt.  He knew her skin would feel so soft.  She smelled of peaches and citrus.  He couldn’t get enough of her smell.  He tried for two years to forget the smell of her.  He dreamed of making love to her. Now he was anxious. He didn’t want to scare her; she had been through so much.  He needed to take his time. To love the way she wanted to be loved.