Chapter 12
Alaska had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming as the days went by.
She spent her mornings with Drake on his back porch, as usual.
They drank their coffee and talked about the upcoming day.
Then she spent a few hours over at the lodge, checking guests in and out and answering the phone.
In the afternoon she, Drake, and Mutt hiked around the property.
She looked forward to the exercise and getting to know the land around the lodge.
And she was happier and more content than she’d been in a long time.
She also learned more about The Refuge every day.
She’d always known they welcomed more than just military personnel suffering from PTSD.
Anyone who’d experienced a trauma was welcome with open arms. But one of the more interesting discoveries was that if someone was scheduled to arrive who might have danger following them—a stalker, or an ex with a grudge, for example—everyone at The Refuge was notified.
Staff and guests. While weapons weren’t allowed on the property, Drake explained that anyone on the premises could be vital in keeping a guest safe and, of course, needed to be alerted for their own safety, as well.
If someone didn’t want to be involved, if their PTSD made it impossible for them to be comfortable in that kind of situation, they were given a refund, plus a free stay equal to what they’d originally booked.
To Alaska’s surprise, only one person in three years had ever taken the offer.
Every other guest had been willing and eager to keep watch over the more vulnerable visitors.
That alone reaffirmed Alaska’s faith in humanity.
There was also a lockdown procedure. If something happened that put guests in danger, everyone was notified via the intercom system and they’d be expected to hunker down in their cabins or in the lodge.
The security procedures Drake and his friends had put in place were impressive, and Alaska assumed they went a long way toward making everyone feel reassured.
Drake had initially been worried Alaska might be alarmed over some of the things she was learning about the behind-the-scenes operation of The Refuge, but in reality, the knowledge made her feel even more proud—and safer—than before.
Though she was thrilled to learn more about the business, that was eclipsed by spending time with Drake, himself. Since declaring them dating, they’d spent their evenings much the same as before, reading, watching TV, but with the added benefit of making out—a lot.
And every night, when they crawled into bed, she held her breath hoping this would be the night. The night he’d do more than simply hold her.
She couldn’t deny she was nervous to have sex with the man she’d wanted for years, but her excitement overrode any trepidation.
She wanted to be good enough for him—in bed and out—even if she still thought she’d never live up to all that was Drake Vandine.
But she hadn’t lied; she’d take any time with him she could get.
He’d had another long meeting with his friends and they’d decided to invite the potential investor to The Refuge, to see if his interest still held once he saw the place.
Drake had been concerned about her reaction when she learned the man was Chinese, but Alaska assured him she wasn’t upset.
Yes, some anonymous person in Beijing had bought her from the sex trafficker, but she hadn’t even made it halfway to Asia.
She would hardly hold the male population of an entire country responsible for her ordeal.
Whoever that buyer was, she assumed he was lying low to ensure he wasn’t caught up in the backlash from her rescue. Besides, it was unlikely he would know who she was, or even where she’d disappeared to after the rescue. The man who’d called The Refuge that fateful day was dead.
This morning, Drake had been called away from their lazy coffee on his porch to cut up a tree that had fallen over one of the more popular hiking trails on the property.
She had the hour before work to herself, and had planned on spending it relaxing, but then she’d remembered that Henley McClure was going to be at The Refuge that morning.
The therapist came to visit guests three times a week. Alaska had been avoiding the sessions. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she wasn’t ready to talk about what happened. Maybe because she was embarrassed at how easily she’d been duped.
But for whatever reason, this morning, Alaska was ready. At least to sit in on a group session and see how things went.
Being alone had gotten easier. She no longer jumped at every strange sound and the nightmares had faded away almost completely. Of course, she had a feeling the latter was due to spending every night cuddled up with Drake, but still.
Now that she was working at The Refuge, Alaska felt a duty to know more about what the therapist did, so she could more accurately inform the future guests of their options.
So, after finishing up her second cup of coffee and giving Mutt extra pets, she headed out of Drake’s cabin toward the lodge.
There was a room off the dining area that Henley usually used for sessions.
If a guest indicated that he or she wanted a more private conversation, arrangements were made for that to happen.
Most of the guests were new since Henley’s last visit, and Alaska knew that meant the session might be fuller than normal. Robert was just cleaning away the breakfast buffet when she arrived. The chef gave her a welcoming smile as she headed for the therapy room.
Alaska had thought she was ready—but the second she walked into the room, sudden nervousness almost made her turn around and leave.
She was fine. She didn’t need this. Nothing actually happened to her. She wasn’t raped. She wasn’t even really all that hurt. Not like most of the people she’d met who came here to heal.
She’d just taken a step backward when a deep voice sounded next to her.
“You okay?”
Jerking and quickly sidestepping away, Alaska looked behind her.
Tonka was standing nearby, frowning at her reaction.
“Sorry,” she said, looking down. Tonka was nice.
All the men who ran The Refuge were. She’d spent the least time around him, because he was always at the barn, dealing with the animals.
He didn’t tend to hang out with the others at the lodge, and she rarely saw him eating a meal there.
The animals seemed to calm him like nothing else did.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come up behind you like that,” he said easily. “It’s not too late to leave, you know. Hell, even after Henley gets started, you can still leave.”
His words were enough to make Alaska’s resolve harden. “No. I need to know what goes on here so I can better tell the guests what to expect.”
Tonka stared at her for a long moment. He was tall, a few inches taller than Drake, so she had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes.
His dark hair was well groomed, as was his beard.
Out of all Drake’s friends, The Refuge’s owners, Tonka seemed to be the most…
wounded. He seemed to be wound tightly and he didn’t mingle with the guests, preferring to spend his time in the barn with the myriad of animals who now made the ranch their home.
It was the emotion she saw swimming in his eyes that caught her attention.
The anguish she saw swimming in their depths made her heart hurt.
Like the others, this man had been to hell and back.
She didn’t know his story, and Drake had admitted he didn’t either, but it was obvious whatever had happened to him, it had far-reaching repercussions.
“You remind me of the squirrel who lives behind the barn,” he said quietly.
“Um…thanks?” Alaska said.
Tonka’s lips twitched. “The first time I saw him, he was pretty much just days from dying. Skinny as hell, two of his feet were missing, and his tail didn’t have any hair on it. He was ugly as hell…and so damn pathetic, it would’ve been in his best interest for me to put him out of his misery.”
Alaska inhaled sharply. “Um…ouch?” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
“Sorry, you in no way remind me of that squirrel because of your looks. I was just trying to set the scene.”
His words made her feel a little better. He went on.
“I went inside and got a handful of almonds I’d planned on eating with my lunch.
I sat against the side of the barn and talked to him.
Threw him a few of the nuts, and eventually the little guy got up the courage to come closer.
I’m guessing that was because of his belly growling and not because of my witty conversation,” he said with a wry grin.
Alaska was fascinated. This was the most she’d heard him say at one time since she’d arrived.
“Anyway, the little guy was obviously terrified, but so damn determined at the same time. I don’t know what happened to him, why he was in the condition he was in, but even though he was clearly scared to death of me, of the new experience he was having, he didn’t run away. That’s why you remind me of him.”
Staring at the man, Alaska relaxed a fraction.
She was scared. It was ridiculous, really.
There was nothing to be afraid of. She didn’t even have to talk during the session if she didn’t want to.
She’d read the notes on what happened at group therapy.
Henley would lead the conversation and anyone who wanted to contribute could do so.
“Is he still around?” she asked after a moment.
Tonka smiled again, and it changed the entire countenance of his face.
“Yeah. I built him a squirrel condo. It sits against the base of a tree behind the barn. He’s now got a girlfriend and they had babies this year.
The hair on his tail grew back, he’s fat and happy, and doesn’t seem to mind that he can’t climb trees. ”
Alaska grinned. “I’m glad.”
“Me too. So…you staying or going?” he asked.