Please, You Take Her

Dummy, you just can't leave her alone like this now.

"Bridget, are you taking a cab home, or do you have a car here?"

"My car is in long-term parking, I was going to catch the shuttle before...well...you know."

"Okay. I'll go with you to get your car. I doubt he's still around, but it makes sense to be sure. You never said you had a boyfriend."

What was I thinking? That a good looking woman her age wasn't attached?

"Ex-boyfriend," she replied in a harsh tone.

I listened as she called her parents and explained what had happened. It sounded as if they wanted her to stay with them but she refused. After she hung up she looked at me with a frown.

"I don't want my parents to have to deal with this mess."

I saw a flash of anger, then her face grew taut, muttering half to herself, "He broke into my apartment and looked at my calendar. That's the only way he could have known I was coming home today and at what time."

It was at that moment I lost my bid to stay clear of her. I had let Lisa down and now couldn't do the same to her. I just couldn't leave her like this.

"Do you think he'll be waiting for you to come home?"

The question brought fear into her eyes as she looked up at me.

"Oh my god!" as she covered her face with her hands, "He would, he definitely would. I can't even go home."

"You can if I go with you," I heard myself say.

"I can't ask you to do that. You have to get home."

"You didn't ask, I offered."

What the hell was wrong with me? Who was the stupid ass now?

The shuttle pulled into long-term parking and we got out. She pulled the ticket out of her backpack pocket, it said 'B' on it.

"Okay, section 'E'," as she headed in that direction.

"Bridget, it's section 'B', not 'E'."

Chapter 6 Tracks to Nowhere

Bridget

The drive to my apartment took about thirty minutes, and when I pulled off the street into the parking lot, Dick asked me stop and let him out. I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why do you want me to do that?"

"What's your apartment number?"

"Thirty-six, it's the end unit right over there," as I pointed.

"I'll meet you there. You park where you usually park, take your stuff inside, and lock the door behind you. We may as well know if he's here waiting for you, or not. If he sees me with you he may not come to see you until after I leave. This way you'll know for sure."

I looked at Dick with a dubious expression, "Okay. I'll watch for you from the window."

Maybe he was right. I hadn't thought of that. Kevin could just wait until he knew for sure I was alone.

Dick

I watched as she drove off and started walking towards her apartment watching as she parked and got out of her Subaru Outback. She pulled her suitcase out and walked to her door. A guy got out of his car and looked both directions as he started to walk towards her. I sped up and gained the sidewalk a few doors down as her ex stepped onto her porch steps.

He hammered on the door. It wasn't hard to see he wasn't in a good mood. He hammered on the door again and yelled her name. I saw her peek out the window and he saw the same thing, his attention now focused on the window.

"Bridget open the damn door. We need to talk," he yelled.

I stood on the sidewalk behind him waiting to see what he would do next. He was about six-inches taller and about my weight. We were pretty closely matched physically from what I could tell.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you," I said, startling him.

He turned and glowered, then took a step down onto the sidewalk making himself look big. "You, what are you doing here? This is no business of yours and I'm not going to tell you again. This is a personal matter and no concern of yours."

"I guess we see things differently. If she wanted to see you she would have opened the door for you. I guess that makes you something of a dumb ass."

I could see his anger growing as he clenched his fists. I wanted him mad, as it would work in my favor. But, if he landed a first solid punch I would pay a price. Her ex was trying to bluff me and I was doing the same--typical male behavior I knew.

Her ex took another step closer, his fists still clenched at his sides. "That stupid bitch isn't your concern. So scram."

"Sorry, she has to get me to the rental car agency. So, I think you can talk with her later."

"Who the fuck are you? Take you to get a rental car? You could have done that at the airport, moron."

"You know, you're right. I should have thought of that. It could have saved me from dealing with an asshole like you."

He charged me and landed a glancing blow right off my left cheek as I ducked away. His momentum carried him past me and I gave him a hard shove sending him off-balance. The guy tried to regain his feet but landed hard on the sidewalk. He got up slowly, angry as hell, rubbing his bruised arm charging again. This time I was ready and ducked low sending his body over mine into the large shrub next to the porch. Her ex clawed his way out of the large bush screaming profanities, his face scratched from the rough bark of the major limbs he had encountered.

"I better not fucking see you again or I'm going to tear you apart, he growled as he stomped off wiping blood from the scratches on his face. I watched as he got into his car and left. Then I touched the tender spot on my cheek--it hurt like hell. I wasn't sure if I would get a black eye or not, though it didn't seem to hurt that far up and my eye hadn't started to puff up yet. I stepped onto the porch as Bridget opened the door looking frightened and concerned.

"Dick are you hurt?"

"I'll be fine. Probably some bruising is all."

Looking around I saw the room had been trashed, with things thrown all over, a lamp smashed on the floor. It didn't take a genius to see her ex had gotten in and taken his anger out on her as best he could. This guy was bad news and I watched as Bridget sat down on the sofa and started to cry. I sat down next to her and waited until she looked up before placing my hand on hers.

"Are you going to feel safe staying here?"

"I don't know, he broke the window on the back door to get in. I'm sure he has my spare key now as I had the locks changed to keep him out. I feel violated. The bastard broke into my home."

"Is there someone you can stay with for a few days? Your parents, or a friend?"

Her eyes were red and teary as she shook her head.

"He's already been at my parents' house and I don't want them to have to deal with him again. He knows all of my friends and I'm sure he has called them too while I was gone. I don't want them involved either. I have to decide what to do now. I was thinking of moving before, and now I think I don't have a choice. He obviously isn't concerned with the restraining order, and I've heard enough stories on the news to know the police can't be around all the time. I'll go to a hotel for a while and start looking for someplace else to live."

She looked at me and I saw her expression change, "I'll get you an ice pack, your face is starting to change colors."

We sat and talked for a while as I pressed the ice pack against my face. It felt good and I could feel the swelling where my face was tender. I had to use the bathroom and when I looked into the mirror I saw a reddish bruise forming over my cheek bone. I grimaced, pleased my jaw wasn't broken.

Yeah, swift move dude. You had to play the big guy and protect the girl. Shithead!

I sat back down next to her thinking there might be a better short-term solution--at least for a few nights. She might not care for the idea, but it was the best I could offer.

"If you want, you can spend a few days at my place. It's nothing fancy to be honest, but you're welcome to stay until you make other arrangements. It doesn't make any sense for you to stay here tonight that's for sure. I don't trust the guy at all from what little I've seen."

"He's always had something of a temper, but his drinking has gotten so bad I couldn't stand it any longer, and when he hit me I told him we were finished. That was six months ago and he's still at it. I need to keep working and he knows it. That's probably the only reason he didn't smash my computer and printers."

I glanced over to her office space in the far corner of the room.

"So you work from home?"

"Yes, most of the time. Once in a while I need to see someone face to face."

"Can you fit everything you need into your car right now? I mean enough so you can start work tomorrow if you wanted to?"

"Sure, I've done it twice, so I know I can. Why?"

'There's plenty of space and power at my place for you to set up. That is, if you want to."

Are you sure you want to put up with me? I mean...well...given the past two weeks...I...

"I can manage another few days," I grinned, "I don't have stinging nettles at home."

"You know that really isn't very funny," she frowned.

"So?"

"Okay. It won't take but about twenty minutes to put my computer, printer, and plotter into the car. I have plastic bins everything goes in. Once the bins are in I'll get some clothes around so I have something to wear other than what's good in Brazil."

An hour later we were driving north headed towards Asheville. We stopped at a fast food place to get a salad and use the restrooms. I could see Bridget begin to relax a little and wondered if I was an idiot or not. My accommodations were a bit unorthodox, but they would work well enough. I decided I would leave it as a surprise and watch her reaction.

About an hour and a half later we pulled off the paved road onto my driveway, a broad gravel road cut into the hillside. I got out, pulling keys out of my pants pocket and unlocked the swinging gate. Bridget pulled ahead and waited as I relocked the gate and got back in. We had traveled about an eighth of a mile and I could tell Bridget was beginning to wonder how much farther it was. When she saw what appeared to be railroad tracks with two rail cars sitting on them as we rounded a shallow curve she asked. "What are those doing way out here?"

"This is where I live. This is home. That's a baggage car and a dormitory/coach. My grandfather worked on this section of the railroad before it was abandoned. He purchased the property knowing the track was on an easement and would revert to the landowner after rail service ended. He purchased the cars as the railroad had no need of them and had them moved here before the rail was taken up."

Bridget sat spellbound not speaking, the expression on her face blank as she looked at me.

Are these things heated? Is there electricity, water, and internet? Is he nuts?

"Bridget, are you okay?"

"You could have told me," she said quietly as she surveyed the huge rail cars through the windshield.

"Okay, let me show you around. If you don't like what you see I'll take you into town and get you set up in a hotel room."

She got out and followed me to the rail car with a series of windows and climbed the stairs at the end of the car going under an overhanging roof. The cars were painted in a green color that blended into the wooded hillsides, the word 'southern' in gold letters above the windows. She held her breath. I was sure thinking the smell would be old and musty as the door swung open. I turned on the lights and she gasped

"It's beautiful! Dick, what is this?"

"It's a former business car used to transport the big shots of the railroad. My grandfather paid a lot for it and I have invested a lot over the past three years to upgrade its equipment. It has natural gas for heating and cooking, electricity with a backup generator, well water, and internet service via the fiber optic cable that runs along the old right of way."

Bridget walked into the observation area with its sofa, chair, and small table. She followed my lead and removed her shoes as we walked into the next section. The floor was carpeted, the ceiling and upper walls painted in a cream color that reflected the indirect lighting. This section held a lustrous wooden dining table with six chairs at the far end near a wall, with a corridor leading down one side. There were another sofa and two overstuffed chairs in the room too.

"Come, I'll show you to your room," as I gently ushered her ahead of me.

I stopped at an open door and Bridget stepped inside to find a double bed on one side, a small sofa, a dresser and closet, and another small door leading to a small bathroom. I knew the finishes were fantastic, the bedding soft, luxurious as I watched her run her hand over the fabric.

She turned to me with a smile, "You're a very strange man."

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment, but you're not the first one to say that," as I quickly pushed the memory away.

Lisa told me that when she was here. Why am so goddamned strange?

She placed her hand on my arm, "It was meant to be a compliment."

Bridget

The next door down was another stateroom equipped the same as the one we had just looked at, though I could see his personal items on the small table. The next door proved to be a full-sized bathroom complete with vanity, toilet, and shower. All modern, though with a design that complemented the older interior décor of the car. At the very end of the car was a kitchen with modern stainless steel appliances, including a microwave oven. It was a complete compact home with all the conveniences, comfortable without a doubt.

"Dick, it's really nice. I wasn't expecting anything like this. But, I don't see a place where I could set up my computer, printer, scanner, and plotter unless I took over the dining room table."

He smiled, 'We're not done yet."

We were standing at the end of the car with a door leading into a dark vestibule. It didn't look very inviting as far as I was concerned. Dick opened the door and I followed him over a metal ramp under some sort of canvas diaphragm that led to another metal door with a window in it. Dick flipped another light switch as a room with large windows along one side came into view. The workmanship of the wood paneled interior was gorgeous. Two large desks faced the windows, shelves running below the bottom of the windows provided ample counter space on top. One desk held a desktop computer and standard office equipment, the other appeared to be unused.

I turned to the floor to ceiling built-in bookcases opposite the windows and perused the titles as I walked the length of the car. There were books on the flora and fauna of South America, on Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, and the United States. There was a small library of field guides too, anything needed to prepare for doing field work in the tropics seemed to be represented.

He's married to his work. He has to be to have all of this and still be single.

I looked at the expression on Dick's face and saw his smile. He took obvious pride in what I was seeing and I was about to speak when he asked.

"So, do you think this will work for you? If not, we should go back into town and get you a room.

I was still looking at the book titles, having a difficult time reading many of them. But, that wasn't what mattered now.

A hotel room or this? He has to be kidding.

"I want to stay here. I promise not to be a nuisance. I'll cook and clean to help out, and help pay for groceries."

"Good, that's settled. I'll bring in your suitcase and your clothes and you can put them away as I bring in your office stuff. This empty desk is yours so do whatever you need to set your office up. I'll run into town to do some grocery shopping as the refrigerator is empty. If you can think of anything else before I go tell me so I can get it."

I walked into the stateroom and sat down on the bed. I felt a tear form and dabbed at my eye.

I can't believe this is happening. He saved me from Kevin twice, now he's giving me a place to stay until I can get a new start. I better not mess things up. Don't do anything stupid girl. Not now.

It didn't take long to put my clothes away and as I walked back to the baggage car to assemble my work station I felt myself relax. I really didn't know Dick that well and I had been anxious about what I was getting myself into.

As I set up my computer and added my peripherals I was pleased my decision to use Bluetooth connections was paying off as there were no wires to have to run between components. I looked out the windows at the beautiful view down the narrow valley with its rocky outcrops and rhododendron thickets and thought this would be a wonderful place to call home.

How much time does Dick actually spend here?

Dick

Her only request was for me to pick up a bag of pistachios as she had a craving for them. I was sure she heard the door shut and knew I'd returned from the store. She quickly walked to the dining area to intercept me and took a bag from my arms.

"Here, let me help you."

"Thanks."

Chapter 7 Challenges

Bridget

I led the way to the kitchen and placed the bag on the counter and started to remove the contents one by one. Most of the items in the bag needed to be placed into the refrigerator and one into the freezer--vanilla-bean ice cream! My favorite with pistachios. I placed the ice cream into the freezer compartment, turned while taking a step and ran smack into Dick's chest. He reached out instinctively to stop my forward momentum but it was just a little too late. I found myself in his embrace, my breasts pushed firmly onto his chest.

"It's a little tight in here," he said quietly not taking his arms from around me.

I felt my body go warm as my heart raced. I felt the urge to press harder against him, not wanting the contact to end quite yet--but I felt him start to pull away.

"Sorry," I muttered and stepped back.

Dick

I instantly remembered the feel of her body as we stood in the rain on the jungle trail a week earlier. She had felt so delicate and fragile then--she felt the same now. She wasn't sturdy like Lisa was it seemed to me, this despite the fact Bridget was close to my height. A strange thought entered my mind--she wasn't Lisa. All of a sudden I realized I was looking into her eyes--those tantalizing, blue-gray eyes that had a quality to them I had experienced before, but had pushed away with the pain I felt.

Bridget

I felt myself start to melt as I looked into his soft brown eyes. I bit my lower lip, as I looked away, but I couldn't resist, I had to look up again. It was as if there were a force drawing us together despite my previous reservations. The kiss was hardly more than a brush of our lips, but my body exploded into small shivers of excitement and anticipation. It seemed as if I could hardly breathe.

"Dick...I...I...didn't...I..."

His lips met mine firmly, passionately as the room seemed to fade away. The empty paper bag I held in my hand fell away and hit the floor making a sound I couldn't describe, yet it was there, mingled with the whispered sound of his lips on mine. I felt myself being pulled into him, my breasts registering their delight with their deformation. I pushed my lips harder onto his and felt his passion for me expressed with his eagerness to accept them without hesitation. Then, when our lips parted I fell against his shoulder, my arms around him. My body gave an involuntary shiver as his arms left me and I released him.

"Bridget, I'm sorry...I...if..."

I pressed my fingers across his mouth, "Don't be, I needed that more than I thought I did. It's been a long, stressful two days and if there were something I needed it was to be held and kissed. Let's call it my reward to you for the bruise on your cheek," as I brushed my fingers across it gently.

We finished putting the groceries away without another word between us--both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was about to ask what we should do for dinner when I got a hint of something in another bag sitting on the counter.