Lost and Found Pieces 2

endanger her mental well-being. If he had to blue-ball it for the next ten years, he would do it. She deserved his patience. And he thought her love would be worth it in the end.
So, he tamped down his need and sense of futility. When he’d said something about going back to real life, he’d wanted her to say something more than she’d gotten used to their arrangement. Like he was a second irritating cat she’d learned to live with and barely tolerated.
Crossing to the wall hooks by the door he grabbed a jacket, shrugging it on. Roz peeked around the corner at him from the hallway. “Are you going out?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back in a while.”
He could tell she wanted to say more but didn’t, and he kind of hoped she realized he was aggravated with her. He’d been the nice, accepting guy as long as he could. Some kind of acknowledgement would be nice. He was in love with the damn woman, but he knew if he told her she would spook.
The walk and the chilly air did him good. For a while he sat at the gazebo in the woods, letting the sound of the night wrap him in comfort. He could sit here for hours just listening to the stories the woods told.
When he heard the crunch of leaves, he was surprised. Roz came down the path, wrapped in one of his outdoor flannel shirts. Mac liked seeing her in them, though it swamped her smaller frame. One night when she’d stayed in the gazebo late, she’d been almost frozen and he’s made her put his flannel on. Since then she’d worn them often, if her own jacket was misplaced or out of reach. He didn’t mind. It made him feel like he was taking care of her in some small way.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked, moving toward the chair beside his.
“Of course,” he murmured.
She settled to the chair and sighed as she looked out over the stream. There was a natural glen here where the stream kind of meandered. About a hundred yards further on it started down the mountain, picking up speed. Mac hadn’t followed it all the way down, but far enough that he knew where it ended up. When he’d first arrived, he’d scoped out the entire mountain, his Green Beret training serving him well. He’d memorized the tracks of the four-legged animals as well as the two-legged, dismantling the old still he’d found on the East side of the mountain taking advantage of this stream.
The moonlight danced on the water now and even though it was cold, it was hauntingly beautiful. “This was how the town was.” Roz murmured. “They’d decorated with those little white lights and it felt like a fairyland. It’s hard to imagine bad stuff when your surroundings are so beautiful.”
“Yes,” he agreed softly. “The lights are my favorite part of Christmas. I have an in at the Columbus Zoo and I used to go over and just hang out, watch them string up the lights around the exhibits.”
“That’s cool,” she breathed. “I loved that zoo. Trevor and I went there too many times to count when he was growing up, and we went to the Wildlights many times.”
“I went last year. It’s changed a lot over the years.”
In the moonlight he could see the slight smile on her face. “I’d like to see it again.”
He wondered if she really meant that. Did he dare ask her?
“Let’s go.”
He could see her mouth drop open as she turned her head toward him. She didn’t say anything for a long time and he could almost feel her fighting her demons.
“Let’s call Parker and Andromeda and see if they’ll be home this week. We’ll stop in for a day or two, go see the lights.” He laughed and knew he was going to make her angry. “If you’re tired of me you can just leave me there.”
Roz jerked her head toward him. “I’m not tired of you,” she said quickly, and looked down at her knotted hands. “In fact…”
Mac waited for her to continue, but her voice trailed away. “Yes?”
She sighed forcefully and swung her legs to the side of the chair so that she was facing him. “I want you to know how much I’ve appreciated you being here. I know I said it earlier, but I really mean it. I haven’t ever felt so safe. I thought it was the cabin, and you in the cabin, but now I’m beginning to think it’s because of you. You make me feel safe.”
Mac went still, afraid to move in case he spooked her. He’d never expected her to say the words. But then, he always knew she was strong. “I would never let anything happen to you, Roz.” He reached out and gripped her wringing hands, stilling them. “Literally, I would protect you with my life.”
She heaved a sigh and looked up at him. In the light of the cold moon he could see tears glistening in her eyes. “I know you would,” she whispered. “But it doesn’t make this any easier.”
She looked down at their hands and her fingers ran over his big thumbs. “You know, I’ve never— not for one single minute— worried that you would hurt me physically. I realized earlier that I can recover from anything physical. I have before and I probably will again. The emotion, though, that’s what really sends you into a tailspin…”
Roz glanced up at him and her eyes seemed to be trying to tell him something, but he wasn’t sure. “Roz, you are literally one of the strongest women I know. And I would never hurt you. If there’s something you need let me know and I’ll do everything in my power to help you. I would like to think we’ve at least become friends through all this.”
She barked out a laugh and those trembling tears slipped down her cheeks, glistening in the moonlight. Mac had seen her cry before,