Chapter 6

Allie leaned back against the stone wall and glanced moodily at the approaching quad as it made its way over the dirt track toward her. She was hoping it would take longer for Greg to come pick her up this time. Digging her bare toes into the cool blades of grass under her feet, she plucked at the silver and gold cuff bracelet that had been attached to her wrist for the past three weeks. She had quickly deduced that it was used to track her whereabouts and there was no way to get it off.

She hadn't seen Jay since she woke up from her doctor's exam. He had explained to a groggy Allie that he needed to tend to business in Vancouver and while he was away she could adjust to her new home. She had quickly discovered her new home was actually a charmingly impenetrable fortress with no way out except through the front gate, to which Allie was routinely denied access, though she tried on a semi regular basis.

While she saw other guards on the estate, Allie's only regular companion was Greg. Lucky for her, Greg was turning out to be extraordinarily even-tempered and kind. And although Allie tended toward both of those traits herself, her current incarceration within the vineyard walls was bringing out a previously unknown temper. She tried pleading with Greg and, when that failed, she raged at him. In a fit of anger, she broke some of Jay's possessions and quickly discovered the windows were shatter-proof. Greg quietly cleaned up after her.

Ashamed of her behaviour, Allie hadn't smashed anything after her first few tantrums. Instead, she moodily walked the estate, searching for places to escape. Greg asked her to wait until he could accompany her in case she ran into trouble. She refused, so he locked her in her bedroom for a day. After that she waited until he was busy before sneaking out. She found a handy tree to climb, made it over the estate wall and all the way to the highway before Greg and a team of men caught up with her. That night Greg had the tree cut down.

He stopped the quad several feet away from Allie, cut the engine, climbed off and approached her. Without a word he held a hand out for her. With a sigh she accepted his hand. Standing up, she brushed the grass off her backside, wiggled her feet back into her sandals and followed him back to the four wheeler.

"Do you know what the boss would do to me if anything happened to you?" he asked in a neutral voice.

Allie opened her mouth to answer and then closed her lips. Slowly, she nodded, her eyes lowering.

"Exactly," he said gruffly. "Aside from not wanting him to cut off one of my favourite limbs before I reach retirement, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Allie sighed and climbed onto the quad behind him. He twisted around and tugged a helmet over her head, careful not to catch her ear studs. She looked up at him and said, "Maybe you should take a vacation, Greg. I like you and don't want to see you get hurt, but I'm not going to sit back and take his caveman crap lightly."

Greg studied her serious face and then chuckled. "Fair enough. Maybe I should rent a boat and go fishing on one of the islands. Been a while since I've done that. I don't need to watch over you once he gets his ass back here. Maybe it's about time someone gives him hell."

* * *

"She's restless."

Jay grunted in acknowledgment and stared out the window of his Vancouver home toward the distant mountains where Allie was hidden. Greg was calling with his daily check in. As usual, Allie had found a way to disrupt Jay's weekend estate. It amused him that such a kind, serene woman could cause the kind of havoc Allie was managing to cause within his household. He hadn't anticipated she would have such a temper. A part of him was looking forward to going home and experiencing it for himself as he had no doubt she would test her newfound personality trait on him.

"What did she do today?" Jay asked, opening the bay doors and stepping outside into the spring afternoon sunshine.

He hated being apart from Allie. Hearing about her days soothed him during their enforced separation. Though it was by choice that he remained separated from her, he knew it was for the best. He wanted her too badly. His self control with Allie was shaky to say the least, which was why he'd seen her only twice in ten years. If he was forced to be near her while she was healing, he had no doubt he would do something to endanger the wounds. Until they'd shared some level of intimacy for a while, he couldn't trust himself to be gentle enough with her. The best thing for him to do was give her time until the doctor cleared her.

"She walked out to the west wall," Greg said in a low voice.

"Alone?" Jay asked sharply.

"Of course," Greg sighed.

"Of course," Jay repeated. There was no reigning Allie in unless he put eyes on her at all times. He didn't want to do that to Allie or Greg. And she was safe enough while she was on the property. "You made sure there were no more trees for her to climb over?"

"Yeah, boss. She also cooked chicken parmesan and caesar salad for lunch and sent some to the gate for the guys to eat. I've been trying to keep her away from them, but she's managed to wander over a few times. They've been respectful so far as I can tell. They seem to like her and her food. She talked to Lincoln about his beer consumption and suggested he try to keep it down to five or six beers per week instead of per day."

Both men laughed.

"Not fucking likely," Jay said, shaking his head in amusement. "She probably misses work. What else did she do?"

"She went swimming."

Lust punched Jay in the gut as he pictured her new curves in a bathing suit, light brown skin shining in the water with her long dark hair streaming behind her. His hand clenched around the phone and he stood for a moment at the end of his dock next to his yacht staring unseeingly into the ocean.

"The doctor cleared her to go in the water?"

"I must have forgot to mention it. He saw her yesterday, after our check in. The wounds are healing nicely. He's given her the all clear for… exercise," Greg finished a little awkwardly.

Jay frowned. Greg had always had a sweet spot where Allie was concerned. It was nearly impossible not to feel admiration for the lovely, kind-hearted woman he'd been tasked to watch over for a decade. However, his feelings for the girl wound't be allowed to get in the way of Jay's ambitions toward her. Jay was about to give him shit for not reporting the doctor's visit earlier when Greg spoke.

"When you come back here, I'd like to request some time off."

Jay frowned, his quick mind working. "Is this going to be a problem?"

Greg answered quickly. "No. But she's become like a niece or something. I don't want to get in the way. I think you'll both be happier sorting things out without the grumpy uncle hanging around causing problems."

And getting himself killed, Jay thought. Out loud he said, "Fair enough. I'll be up your way tomorrow. Be ready to leave when I get there."