Betrayed

Cottage

After being cared for by Gabriel for two weeks, the two of us became a little stir crazy. He suggested we start going for walks every night, and drove me around to various little hikes that were suited for my level of activity. The walks we took probably helped increase my activity tolerance but that nagging voice at the back of my head made me dwell on the breathlessness I was feeling. I worried incessantly that my thyroid hormones were below normal levels and I obsessed about whether the cancer had spread elsewhere.

Finally, Gabriel brought me to see his family doctor who ran a series of blood work on me and checked to see my levels of thyroid stimulating hormone. Everything was normal but she prescribed some medication to help with my anxiety. Gabriel had a few questions he wanted to ask the doctor and the two of them dismissed me into the waiting room.

I picked up an old Canadian Living magazine from the coffee table that was set up in a corner and immediately flipped to the recipe index. Liking more than half of the recipes, I rolled up the magazine and slipped it in my purse. I was going to buy the office a yearly subscription of the magazine to make up for the one I had taken.

"Ready to go Harper?" Gabriel asked as he walked out into the waiting area.

"Yes, I am"

"I have a few errands to do the rest of the morning, but I'd like for you to pack a bag for the weekend"

"Where am I going"

"Can it be a surprise for now?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Ohh! Yes! What should I pack?" I asked enthusiastically.

"Mostly PJs, sexy underwear, woolen socks, comfy things, " he said. I raised an eyebrow at him trying to figure out where he was going to bring me, but coming up short. "I'll drop you off at my place" he continued "and go run those errands. Try to get a little nap and I'll come back just after lunch okay?" He unlocked the door and held it open for me, giving me a quick kiss before leaving again. I got straight to packing my things, though I did not own very many sexy underwear. I had more than enough pajamas as I had lived in them when I was recovering for both surgeries. I made myself some toasts with butter and brown sugar then laid on the couch with the tv on for background noise for a nap.

Gabriel picked me up from the couch when he arrived and carried me out to his truck all wrapped up in the wool blanket he had on the couch.

"What are you smiling at me like that for?" I asked, running a hand down the side of his face.

"You're just too cute when you've just woken up" he said with a crooked smile. We drove for 45 minutes out by Grand Lake, I had never been this way before but it was renowned for its gorgeous cottages.

"Are we going to your cottage?" I asked.

"Yes we are'' he replied, proudly. He turned down a narrow driveway and a small log cabin with a stone chimney facing the lake came into view. Gabriel parked his truck near the rear door and began unloading the things he had brought with him. There were dozens of grocery bags, a large travel sized bag along with each of our duffel bags. I looked out onto the lake where the sun was setting and marveled at the scenic place Gabriel owned. I followed him into the cottage and gasped at the beautiful interior. We had entered the living room and my eyes were immediately drawn to the huge stone fireplace sitting in the middle, it's chimney fully exposed all the way to the cathedral ceiling. The fireplace was framed with large windows looking out to the lake. The furniture consisted of a leather couch, a matching wingback chair and an armless leather chair with an acoustic guitar lying across it. The room was pulled together with a tartan rug directly in front of the fireplace. The place had a very masculine feel about it; there were no extra frills; everything in the cottage had a purpose.