He found the remote to close the retractable walls, returned to his room, and showered quickly, throwing on a soft gray T-shirt and black Lululemon slacks that Madelyne had left in the closet for him. It cracked him up that Madelyne had left all kinds of clothes and toiletries and a sweet note about how handsome he was and how excited she was for him and Eliza. Madelyne seemed great. It astonished him that such a beautiful and with-it lady would put up with Brandon’s philandering ways, but he’d never had a lasting romantic relationship, so who was he to judge?
Spritzing on some of his favorite Tom Ford Leather cologne, he ran a hand through his short hair and hurried out of his room.
Lizzy’s door was still closed. He wanted to wait for her in the hallway like he had earlier, but didn’t want to be obnoxious or overbearing. She might need a little space.
Chase walked downstairs, appreciating the views in every direction. He’d been attempting to flirt with Lizzy when he said this was the most beautiful scenery he’d seen while looking at her face, though his lack of flirting skills had fallen flat. Austria was gorgeous, but Lizzy was all he wanted to focus on.
Warming pans covered the large kitchen counter. The food delivery must have come while he’d showered. That made him slightly uneasy. He trusted Captain Macon and his men, but hedidn’t like the thought of anyone having access to the house, especially when he wasn’t right by Lizzy’s side.
It was hard not to feel safe in this idyllic spot of earth, especially with Captain Macon and his men watching over them and the house armed with cameras and sensors. Thankfully, everything seemed quiet. He hadn’t seen any security issues or heard anything from Captain Macon.
According to Brandon, the man who had stabbed Lizzy, a Grady Worthen, was still at large and had sent increasingly threatening notes over the past month. The notes were pretty similar, saying she’d ruined his life so he would ruin hers.
Worthen shouldn’t have any knowledge of her current whereabouts, but Chase wouldn’t let the guy anywhere near her. He was most likely in hiding and didn’t have the finances to track Lizzy or follow her across the ocean. All the security was a precaution, but Chase still appreciated it.
Snatching a water bottle from the fridge, Chase downed a few swallows and opened the lids on each of the pans. Traditional Austrian food, from the looks of it: wiener schnitzel, a goulash full of vegetables and meat, dumplings, a deep-fried chicken that looked similar to back home but nobody did chicken like the deep south, and an apple strudel for dessert. It all smelled and looked fabulous. He’d lived on everything from MREs to food in native lands that he couldn’t pronounce and didn’t know what ingredients they contained. He’d never had a choice, even as a child, to be picky. He could eat about anything.
A door opened and closed upstairs, and he found himself forgetting his caution not to overwhelm her and eased to the bottom of the staircase. Lizzy descended wearing a fitted pink T-shirt and black running pants. Her long dark hair was damp and trailing over her shoulder.
He watched, mesmerized, as she used the railing to help her down the stairs, but she seemed to be relying on it less than she had earlier. Her smile was absolutely radiant.
“I can’t wait to eat and then go on a long walk through this picture book,” she gushed, but then her brow squiggled and her soft brown eyes filled with concern. “Are you all right if we go slow?”
“Of course,” he said, maybe too quickly. Did she mean on the walk or with their relationship? But his answer seemed to relieve her. “Let me text Captain Macon. We’ll eat and then have our protectors accompany us on this long walk.”
“Oh. Wow, Chase.” She put her soft hand on his arm. “Thank you. For the first time in weeks, I haven’t worried about being safe.”
He swallowed, stirred up by her touch, the grateful look in her eyes, and his anger at a man who had sliced her open and stolen her peace of mind. It was quite the combination of feelings and more intensity than he’d felt inside since he retired from the Rangers.
“I’m glad you feel safe.” He took her hand in his and directed her over to the spread of food. “Now … do you like Austrian food?”
“No clue. Do you?”
He smiled. “I couldn’t tell you the names of all the dishes, but I think we have schnitzel, goulash, and a strudel. It smells good.”
Chase offered a prayer, then they removed lids from containers, dished up plates full of food, grabbed drinks, and took the food out to a back patio. The views of the green rolling hills, the too-blue lake, and the towering mountains framing it all were stunning. He felt like he’d walked onto a movie set of Lord of the Rings. The setting was magical.
The weather was mild, the food was traditional and delicious, and the company and views were unparalleled.
Chase enjoyed the stories he drew out of Lizzy about the children, her friend Janie, and her mom. She was vivacious and funny, a person who really sucked the marrow out of life. He didn’t know that he’d ever laughed with a woman as much as he had with her.
After dinner, they went on a long, slow hike along trails that wound along the foothills of the mountains. Two of the guards accompanied them, about a hundred yards in front of and behind them, so they could chat, feeling as if they were almost alone. Lizzy gushed aboutThe Sound of Music, singing and spinning in a slow circle at times. He got a kick out of watching her.
“I can’t wrap my mind around you not watching it. All of our guards watched it with me on the plane. Isn’t that right, Elijah?” she called to the man in front of them.
Elijah lifted a hand and smiled at her. Chase felt a sting of jealousy.
“I did watch it as a young kid. I can’t remember much beyond it being cheesy and full of singing.”
He didn’t tell her he could also remember feeling bad for the kids in the show who’d lost their mother and had a harsh, militant father.
“Ah!” she gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “Cheesy? I’ll give you cheesy.” She grinned. No threat at all. “You have to promise me we’ll watch it one of these nights before ourSound of Musictour day. Is it really not until the end of next week?”
“Sadly.” He smiled. “Which gives us plenty of time to watch it and get me hyped about that day.”
He was ‘hyped’ about being with her. He didn’t care what adventures they did. Nothing would equal the adrenaline rush adventures he’d had with Squadron 7 or his military brothers. Being around Lizzy was a different kind of heady rush.
They walked back to the house as the sun set behind the western mountains. It had been a fabulous day, in his opinion. He’d enjoyed the scenery, the hydrotherapy, the long walk, and most of all Lizzy.
