Chapter 13

Bob put wood on the fire and then sat close to the wood stove and watched the fire through the glass on the door. Ann sat in the other chair and was quiet with her thoughts. If she could do the job the extra money would ensure that Breda would realize her dream of becoming a doctor.

She was aware that Bob had said something to her, "I'm sorry my mind was wondering. What did you say?"

"You can tell me to mind my own business or whatever, but I'm curious why a beautiful woman like you never got married again. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

Ann shook her head slowly and then told him about Ray, his gambling, her rape, the flight from New York and how she happened to get into the florist business. When she finished talking the tears were flowing down her cheeks. Bob got out of his chair, walked over to her and took her hand. He pulled her out of her chair and sat down in the other chair and pulled her into his lap.

"I'm sorry I asked you about that Ann. Just sit here with me a while. I just want to hold you for a while. I'm sorry that I asked you..."

Ann put her hand over his mouth and whispered that it was Ok and then let him hold her. As much as she hated to admit it to herself she liked having a man's arms around her. Bob held her for over an hour; neither of them saying a word.

Ann felt content to be in his arms but she knew that his legs were going to go to sleep so she stood up, "I think that I'll go to bed. Thank you for holding me. I liked that."

"Ann, I'm sorry that I..."

"I'm glad that you asked. It was time to stop reliving it every day and being afraid that those two men would find me some day. I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my chest and I can start living a normal life again."

She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you again for holding me. I forgot how nice it was to be held."

She turned and walked up the stairs to the sleeping loft. She was exhausted and climbed into bed with her clothes on and she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Bob sat for a long time watching the fire through the glass of the wood stove. He had been afraid, when he bought the wood stove, that it wouldn't be big enough. It kept the cabin as warm as if the cabin had central heating. He fixed himself a stiff whiskey and water and sat in the semi-darkness sipping the burning liquid. God, he wished that he hadn't asked Ann the question! He felt like a fool for prying into something that was painful to her. He finished his drink and leaned his head back to rest on the chair and closed his eyes.

He woke up to Ann shaking him gently, "Did you sleep in the chair all night?'

Bob saw that it was morning and he sheepishly nodded his head, "Ann, I'm really sorry that I asked you... I guess that I was just trying to make conversation. They say that a fool will always find some excuse to put his foot in his mouth."

"Don't keep beating yourself up over that. I've allowed that to dictate how I ran my life for too many years. I've relived that day a million times. It's time to move on. Now, if you are really serious about that job, I'll start as soon as the couple that wants to buy my business settles on it. Just one thing I insist on; if you feel that my work is not to your satisfaction, you'll let me go."

"Agreed, now how about we get packed up and start back down to civilization. We can stop in Hinley and get breakfast somewhere. There are several good restaurants that serve a great breakfast."

"Don't forget, you'll have to give me the name of the garage that towed my car. I'll call them Monday to find out how much it will cost to fix the car."

"Ann, I wouldn't put too much money into that car. I'm sure that it's going to cost at least two thousand to fix it. I could see that you did a lot of suspension damage when you ran into the ditch. I'll let you use the Skoda until you officially start with the company. Then, if anyone shoots at you, you won't get hurt," he added with a chuckle.

Ann look at him quizzically, "Won't people think I'm driving a tank?"

"No. You'll know that you're driving an armored vehicle but it looks just like every other Skoda. No one will know that it's armored."

Ann smiled, "Tell me again what a Skoda is. I've never heard of it."

"A Skoda is a Czech car. VW bought into the company somehow and they've made the Skoda into quite a respectable car. In Europe, they say that the Skoda is the poor man's Mercedes. It is as luxurious as some of our so called American luxury cars. You'll find that it's a bit heavy and you have to get used to the drive manners of the car. You have to remember that it has a few hundred pounds of armor to carry around. We did a few things to the engine to compensate for the extra weight."

They began to pack their things and in about two hours they were heading down the mountain. Bob pulled into a restaurant in Hinley that he knew served a good breakfast. They were seated right away. The waitress brought two cups and the coffee pot and poured them each a cup of coffee. Bob asked for a few minutes to make up their minds and the waitress left them.

"Bob, I really don't need to use your car. I have the van if I really need to go anywhere."

"Nonsense. I don't know when or even if I can sell that car. Most people that want a B6 vehicle don't want a mid-sized car. They go for the big SUVs or a Mercedes. If they can afford an armored vehicle, they can afford a Mercedes. Don't forget to tell me to give you a gas credit card. Armored vehicles aren't built for great gas mileage."