Page 70 of Mountain Defender

“Good.” I take the last of my worries and firmly lock them away to be dealt with later. “How about this? While you’re having your meeting, I go into town. Pick up something at Breakfast Bliss so we can have a breakfast picnic.”

Gage sucks in a breath. In a carefully controlled tone, he asks, “You want to go into town yourself? Do you feel comfortable with that?”

Well. No. Not really. But I can’t live my life in fear. “I’m a little nervous,” I admit. “But I need to get back out there. And it’ll just be into town and right back. No more than half an hour.”

I can tell he’s not thrilled, but he says, “Okay. But—” He stops. “This is going to sound stupid. Overprotective, really. But that necklace I gave you? The one with the tracker in it? Will you wear it? Just to humor me?”

“I’ll wear it.” Do I really think anything will happen on the short drive into Bliss and back? Or at the breakfast diner that’s always busy from open until close? No. But the necklace is a connection to Gage. And regardless of where I am, I feel safer with it on.

“I’ll make sure to wear the necklace,” I tell Gage solemnly. Then I smile. “I’ll pick up some delicious food for us, and some of those homemade dog biscuits for Elmore, Toby, and Dewey. It’ll be great.”

For all myworries about going into town by myself, it turned out to be absolutely fine.

Better than fine, really.

The ten-minute drive into downtown Bliss gave me a chance to appreciate the blossoming colors of early summer, the trees lush with green and red leaves and tall pines stretching to a bright blue sky. I saw the farm stands scattered along the country road like old friends—the one with the cooler filled with farm-fresh eggs, another with cartons of mouthwatering strawberries, and my favorite, the little one that sells hand carved wooden figures of deer and rabbits and other adorable woodland creatures.

I almost stopped at them, but I thought that might be pushing my luck for my first trip back into civilization, so to speak. That can be for next time, when I’m feeling more confident.

As I walked into Breakfast Bliss, I braced myself for the typical anxiety I get when I go places in public. All the other times I’ve gone into a local store, I feel myself tensing up immediately, imagining everyone staring at me. I used to wait in line with my head down, hair falling in curtains around my face. I never dared look at anyone other than the cashier, who I couldn’t avoid talking to.

But this time? I felt okay.

It’s not that I feel like my self worth is tied to what Gage thinks of me. But every time I’d start feeling insecure, I’d remind myself,Gage thinks I’m beautiful. None of his friends stare or act like there’s anything wrong with me. If Georgia can be confident, scar and all, so can I.

So I smiled at people. I said hi. And when I saw Alice; I stopped to chat. I even suggested getting coffee or a drink sometime, and she eagerly said yes.

And as I was leaving the restaurant, the craziest thing of all happened. A guy approached me and asked me if I’d like to go out sometime. I didn’t know him, but I recognized him as one of the employees at the pet store. And he shyly came up to me as I was leaving and asked if I might consider going out with him.

I told him no, of course. Very nicely. And he took it well, saying how he figured I already had a boyfriend or husband, but he thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.

He didn’t look at me like I was damaged goods, either.

So that was nice. Not nearly as nice as the way Gage looks at me, like he truly thinks I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, but it made me feel pretty good. It made me think that I need to call Isla and tell her she was right.

Maybe later, after Gage and I have our picnic brunch and spend a few hours in bed. Then I’ll call Isla—actually, Facetime would be better, so I can see little Dove and say hi to Matt, as well. Maybe we can plan a visit. Have Isla finally meet Gage after hearing so much about him.

On the way home, the sun seems to be agreeing with my mood. It’s bright. Hopeful. Cheery. I find myself humming along to the music on the radio, a love song I would have considered too cheesy before, but now makes perfect sense. The scent of freshly baked muffins fills the car—sugar and butter and tangy blueberry. I take a quick peek at myself in the visor mirror to see myself smiling, my cheeks pink and eyes sparkling.

It’s a quiet drive back to the Green Mountain Guardians property, with no other cars in sight. A few houses are spotted on either side of the road, tucked back and nestled amid the trees. On the outskirts of Bliss, there’s not much to see out here other than nature, and that’s just how I like it.

On the left, I pass the little sign for Enzo’s store announcingRossi’s Outfitters – 2 miles ahead. It makes me think,Maybe I should stop in there, pick up some new outdoor gear. Maybe find something for Gage since his birthday is coming up in a month.He told me he used to love hiking, fell out of it after his injury, but he’d like to start doing it more often again.

Maybe I should plan a little party for him. Talk to Winter and Lark about doing another game night or something. Just a small gathering, his team, Lark and Winter, Max, and maybe we could get his friend Webb to come, too.

I’m deep in my thoughts when something big and gray comes flying up behind me, following my car so closely it fills my rearview mirror.

My hands tighten around the steering wheel as my adrenaline jumps.

I hate it when people drive like this. I’m going the speed limit, so there’s no reason for it.

The truck—it must be a V8 considering how loud it is—revs its engine. Then it edges even closer to the back of my car, coming within feet of hitting me.

My heart stutters.

I reach my hand out the window and gesture for him to pass while simultaneously edging towards the side of the road, giving him more room to get around.

But he doesn’t.

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