CHAPTER 7

DAY 6

Saturday

FINN POV

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I woke to the disturbing sounds of clanking coming from my kitchen. The clock on my bedside table read 0615. Dammit. I'd slept later than usual, and now it seemed she was in my kitchen wrecking it. Maggie raised her head from the foot of the bed, giving me a questioning look. I wasn't the only one wondering what was happening out there. I took a breath to quell the annoyance of having that woman here. I had eleven more weeks before this nightmare was over.

I quickly dressed and made my way down the hall, stopping before I entered the living area to assess the situation. Ever loyal, Maggie stayed at my side even though she sniffed the scent of bacon. Stephanie was standing at the stove with her back to me, stirring something in a pot. In another pan, grease popped every few seconds as bacon sizzled. She was torn between stirring the pot or dealing with the bacon. I could feel her stress from here and hoped she didn't burn down my kitchen. I waited to see how this played out.

She focused on turning the bacon and yelped as grease splattered on her hand. She seemed to have forgotten about whatever was in the pot as she pulled a plate out of the cabinet and set it on the counter while she frantically searched for something. "Where are the freaking paper towels?"

I could have told her, but where was the fun in that?

Realizing the bacon would burn if she didn't scoop it out of the pan right away, she gave up her search for paper towels and saved the bacon… literally. She sagged with relief, but there was no time to rest. The pot was smoking, and I could smell burning food from here.

"Shit!" She grabbed the spoon with her fist and held the pot's handle tightly as she tried to stir the contents. This was turning into quite a workout.

I stepped out of the shadows and came to stand a few feet behind her. "What are you doing?" I didn't mean to sound angry, but my voice came out gruff since I hadn't used it yet this morning. She jumped and jerked her head around but was careful to keep her upper body hunched over the pot, hiding whatever was inside. Interesting. Maggie rubbed up against Stephanie's leg to lend moral support.

"I'm making breakfast," she said, trying not to sound harried. As if she had everything under control, she turned back to the pot, stirring with all her might, but it looked like the spoon wasn't moving. "I made coffee. Why don't you get a cup and relax in the sunroom until breakfast is ready?"

She was trying to get rid of me, but I wouldn't make it easy on her. "What are you making?"

"Oatmeal, like usual," she said, her voice going higher in pitch. "Healthy. Healthy. Healthy. Right?"

I hadn't intended to offer oatmeal every morning for breakfast. But after exuberantly declaring she loved the stuff on the first day when she clearly did not, I couldn't resist getting a little satisfaction. Was it petty? Probably. "That's too bad." I exaggerated my disappointment. "I was going to make pancakes this morning, but I'll get out of your way since you have it all under control. Call me when it's ready."

"Pancakes?" she shrieked before I could take a step. "I thought we had to eat healthy, hence the oatmeal every damn morning this week."

Shockingly, she'd been an agreeable trainee so far. Still, I didn't know her well enough to predict her actions, and if the fury in her eyes was any indicator, she was not a happy woman. "You said you love oatmeal."

She lowered her head, muttering under her breath. Asshole. I can't believe he made me eat that slimy crap all week when I could have been having pancakes. I bet I can even have cupcakes and donuts, and who knows what else. She grabbed the pot off the stove and held it over Maggie's bowl, ready to dump the mess. Being the intelligent dog she is, Maggie backed up a few steps, sensing the offering wouldn't be good. Even though Stephanie was putting a bit of muscle into it, the pot's contents wouldn't come out. Maggie looked at her with both pity and offense.

"I thought you liked Maggie," I said, trying not to laugh.

"What?" She stopped trying to pry the gluey goop out of the pot and swung her gaze to me, confused. "Of course, I like Maggie. Why would you ask that?"

I looked at the contents of the pan, then at her, and then at Maggie.

"Right." She blew out a breath and shook her head, laughing as she put the pot in the sink to soak. Hopefully, it will be usable again. "If your offer of pancakes is still good, I'd love some."

I turned on the heat for the griddle and got a mixing bowl out of the cabinet. I wouldn't make her beg. Clearly, her knowledge in the kitchen was limited, unlike mine. In the last few years, I've come to enjoy cooking. It was relaxing and allowed me to substitute healthy alternatives, such as using whole wheat flour in the pancake batter instead of white flour, without sacrificing the flavor.

We sat at the dining table with our plates piled with pancakes made with real blueberries and bacon on the side. I noticed the missing chair at the end of the table had been returned. Interesting. I'd been offended that she felt unsafe in my home, but then I realized she didn't know me and was right to take precautions. I considered it a good sign that the chair was back in its place. Deciding not to make an issue of it, I cut into my maple syrup-covered pancakes. From the way she was inhaling hers, she must really like them. I struggled to keep from smiling. She really had been miserable eating oatmeal.

STEPH POV

I was a little embarrassed by my attempt at making breakfast, but I got over it as soon as he set a plate of fluffy pancakes in front of me. We ate in comfortable silence. After I finished cleaning the kitchen, we did target practice, lower body workout, and sparring. At noon, we made our way upstairs.

"There's enough leftovers for lunch." He nuked the eggroll stuff and fritters, added salad to his plate, and was prepared to disappear like usual at lunchtime. "You have the rest of the day free."

"I'm going to take a hike and eat lunch on the trail somewhere." I took a bite of the eggroll mixture. It tasted pretty good cold, so I put the lid back on the bowl and opted for a baggie of baby carrots instead of salad.

He turned around. "You should be fine if you stay on the trail, but be careful of bears, rattlesnakes, bobcats, and coyotes. Do you have your phone with you?"

"It's in my room." I went to my room and came back with my phone.

He pressed some buttons, and his phone vibrated in his pocket. "Now you have my number, and I have yours. Send me your maps location if you get into trouble. Which way are you heading?"

"That way." I pointed to the east side of the cabin, where the obstacle course was located. I hadn't gone past the last obstacle yet, and I was curious about what else was out there.

He went to his desk and came back with a compass. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

"Yeah. My Grandpa Plum taught me."

"Don't make me come look for you." He gave me a pointed look. "And you'll need to check yourself for ticks when you return." This trip was getting more complicated and unpleasant by the second.

I kept thinking about ticks, snakes, and bears as I ran to my room, changed into jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt, and grabbed my backpack. Pulling a blanket off a shelf in the closet, I stuffed it in the pack. I returned to the kitchen to add my lunch, a couple of bottles of water, and a couple of apples. On my way out, I grabbed Finn's ball cap from a peg by the front door.

After walking for half an hour, I stopped at a creek to watch a beaver repair its dam. Deciding this was a peaceful spot, I spread the blanket on the ground next to a humongous tree. In the quiet forest, I sat against the thick trunk and ate lunch.

A twig snapped, and I looked up to see a deer several yards away, drinking from the creek. Her little fawn was so cute and gangly, standing by her side. Sensing she was being watched, the mother stopped drinking and looked at me. I thought she'd run away, but she was sizing me up. She must have determined my threat level was low because she went back to drinking from the creek, unconcerned.

I thought they might be hungry, but I didn't know what they ate, so I googled it. Turns out deer love all fruits, garden vegetables, twigs, and grass. I tossed two baby carrots toward her and waited. Surprised by the sudden missiles coming toward them, they jumped away but cautiously began inching closer to the carrots. The mother picked up one carrot with her mouth, and the baby followed suit with the other carrot. They backed away to eat. Once the carrots were gone, they looked at me with hopeful eyes.

I threw two more carrots, but closer. I did this three times until they were almost close enough to touch. The cute little baby made a bleating sound like a goat. "Hello there," I said, tossing another carrot. "You need a name, don't you? I think I'll call you Billy since you sound like a billy goat." The mother came closer for her own carrot. "And I'll call you Judy."

They ate the last of the carrots, and I panicked a little. I didn't want them to go. I remembered the apples I'd thrown in at the last minute. I sliced a piece of apple and tossed it to the mother deer. She caught it and gulped it down. I couldn't slice and toss them fast enough.

They left when the food was gone, and a feeling of melancholy crept over me. Talking with Hector, Lester, and Mama last night reminded me that life was going on back home without me. As shocking as it was to admit, I even missed my mother's nagging, and my grandmother's crazy shenanigans. I wiped at the tears forming in my eyes.

There was one person I didn't miss. Joe Morelli. His betrayal opened my eyes to everything that had been wrong with us and severed any connection we had. I no longer felt the pull of his power over me. He destroyed my trust, and there was no way to repair it.

My time in the cellar made me stronger. It was a defining moment that changed me. The old Stephanie refused training, lived by the seat of her pants, made decisions in the moment, and never thought about the future. She had no direction. No goals. She was going nowhere. I don't know if it was because I'd hit the metaphorical bottom, so to speak, or if I would have eventually come to these realizations in my own time. Overcoming Durant's evil had shown me I was a power unto myself, and with training, I could make myself proud.

I smiled, remembering the many times Ranger had said, Proud of you, Babe. He was off on another dangerous mission, probably unaware I'd even left town. I didn't know where he was or if he was safe. My heart craved him, and I found it hard to be away from him, but since he was always leaving me, I didn't think he suffered from the same problem. Did he forget me as soon as I was out of sight? That thought made my stomach hurt. We were navigating a new path of friendship since he couldn't or wouldn't allow us to be more. He had his men keep an eye on me while he gave me space. That made me feel like an obligation. We needed to be on a more equal footing if our friendship was going to work. Even now, I couldn't stop thinking about what could have been. What would it be like if Ranger was willing to give us a chance? I guess that story would never be written.

This time away wasn't all about getting physical training. It was about teaching my heart not to want what it couldn't have. Ranger had found his path. I had to accept his decision and focus on my life. Maybe someday, our paths will merge. But while I had him in my life, I vowed to be a friend he could count on and not someone he had to clean up after and rescue from disaster every other week.

My thoughts were heavy and gave me a headache. It was getting late, so I packed up and returned to the cabin in time to help with dinner. Since I had a full day off tomorrow, I stowed my backpack in the entry closet to keep handy.

I got a homemade apple pie protein bar from the fridge and leaned against the deck railing while I ate. Finn was paddling a kayak toward the dock. My feet started down the stairs before my head could talk me out of it. He was close to the dock when I got down there. Maggie was lying calmly in front with her paws hanging over the side. She wagged her tail, excited to see me, but she waited for Finn's instructions because she was well-trained.

I smiled when I saw that not only was Finn wearing a life jacket, but so was she. I didn't even know they made them for dogs. "Look at you. You have your very own life jacket, huh?" I knelt to pet her as the kayak touched the dock. I held my hand out for the rope. He ignored me and tied it off himself. I was stung by his refusal of my help, but this was his routine, and he'd survived a long time without me around.

He turned his attention to Maggie. "Go ahead." She jumped up onto the dock, and Finn disembarked next. He retrieved a small tackle box and bucket, half filled with water, and put them on the dock.

I frowned and stepped back. Something was moving around in the bucket. "What's that?"

"Supper." He pointed at two fish the size of my forearm, flopping around angrily, and reached for the kayak to pull it out of the water. I grabbed the back end without being asked. We got it strapped to the poles under the metal roof that housed the jet ski.

"That looked fun." I dried my hands on my jeans. "Would you mind if I went kayaking tomorrow?"

He crossed to the other side of the dock and lifted the corner of the boat cover, stashing his tackle box and fishing rod inside. "It's your free day. You can do whatever you want. But it would be foolish to go out on the lake alone."

"Okay, no problem." I wasn't going to point out that he'd gone out on the lake alone. I turned to go. I was disappointed, but with only one kayak, it didn't look like I would get to enjoy the sport.

He removed his life jacket and knelt to take off Maggie's, stashing them in the boat. He was holding a rolled-up piece of leather when he pulled his hand out from under the boat cover. "You can use my old kayak in the garage. I'll take you out on the water tomorrow and show you how to catch dinner."

Catch dinner? I wasn't sure about that part. I'd never caught a fish in my life. My dad and Grandpa Plum took me fishing when I was a kid, but I was more interested in throwing rocks.

He walked by me and dumped the flopping fish on a table built into the dock's railing. It had a white plastic top, like the kind you use in the kitchen to chop vegetables. He unrolled the leather to reveal a long knife. He whacked the fish in the head with the handle, and they went limp. I hadn't expected him to brain them right in front of me. I staggered backward and almost fell off the dock. I was about to make a clean getaway when he pointed to the house. "Would you pull the water hose down here, please?"

I did as he asked, dropping the hose on the dock, and turning to go, but I wasn't fast enough. Finn's knife came down, cutting into the side of the fish's head and down its back. Gross! I looked away but still heard the blade sliding over the bones. I wasn't sure I could eat the fish after witnessing their murder.

"Hold out your hands," he said after filleting both fish and rinsing them. I swallowed, uneasy about why he wanted my nice clean hands, but presented them anyway. He plopped the fillets on my open palms. I stood there like a knot on a log while he sprayed off the table. "Take those to the house while I clean up down here."

Suddenly, I was dreading tomorrow. Something told me that if we caught anything, I wouldn't get away with just watching Finn fillet the fish by himself again.

After Finn had showered, he asked me to slice a yellow squash while he seasoned the fillets. He put them on two pieces of foil drizzled in olive oil and pinched the edges to form packets. We added the squash, whole green beans, and lemons. After folding the packets closed, he called over his shoulder, "Can you put a salad together while I put these on the grill?"

"Sure." I didn't have much experience eating salads, but I could put one together. I opened the fridge to see what I had to work with. I gathered lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion. He came back inside with steaming fish packets as I put the finishing touch on the salad. He put them on plates and slit the foil open. Steam came out, and so did an amazing smell that had my stomach growling. He took a bite and nodded approvingly. Not to be left out, I closed my lips around the tines of my fork, trying my best to ignore the fact that I was putting something in my mouth that had been alive only an hour ago. "It's amazing." I sighed and took another bite. "What kind of fish is this?"

"Trout," he said before gathering his meal and disappearing into the sunroom.

I ate on the deck. Alone. Again. Since there was still light out, I picked up the book Finn had left out for me and began reading. When it got too dark, I gathered my dishes and went inside to clean the kitchen. After a quick shower, I fell asleep thinking about kayaking on the lake tomorrow and enjoying my first full day off from training.