Montana Sky

Chapter 12: Safe Harbour

You're my first taste, first taste
Of the sweetest feeling I've ever known, that I've known
You're my safe place, my safe place
From a world that can be so cruel and cold
You're my harbour, you're my shelter, you're that welcome smile
That lets me know I'm home
– Trisha Yearwood: You're Where I Belong –

****

Bradley drifted slowly into wakefulness, yawned deeply, his brain immediately telling him it wasn't anywhere near morning yet; the house was quiet and very soon he also became aware of Stefani's presence missing from the bed. Frowning, he turned on the nightstand lamp, noticing midnight had just passed so he had been asleep for a couple of hours; she didn't seem to be in the bathroom either and a slight restlessness moved through him, worry about her health having worsened. The hallway was dark and silent, but the living room seemed to have a light on and Bradley made his way downstairs, a wave of relief washing over him when he spotted her curled up on the couch, a soft blanket draped across her shoulders for additional warmth. She was talking quietly with Bobby, who was seated by the table, some papers in front of him and Stefani chuckled at something her manager said, turned her head, a tender smile spreading onto her face.

"Hey, B."

"Hi, guys." He walked over, kissed her hair, giving a scratch to Charlie who was laying by the couch. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." She tugged him next to her. "I woke up a little while ago and you were out like a light, so I came down here and found this crazy man still hard at work."

Bobby grinned bashfully, shuffling his papers. "I'm just trying to have everything sorted for my meeting on Monday morning, so I can chill out tomorrow at home. Night time is so peaceful here; even with my arm broken I've managed to get a lot of stuff done lately."

Bradley nodded, pulled Stefani close; she kissed his cheek, settled comfortably against his chest. "Is Sarah still taking you to the airport in the morning?"
"Yeah." The manager sighed, looked around the living room. "I'm going to miss this place; I can't tell you how much I've appreciated these past few days, Bradley, everything you all have done for us. It really is a true haven of peace you've got here; the accident was something we could have done without, but it brought us here, changed many lives for the better, so... I can only be grateful for that. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he said quietly, smiling, holding the slightly teary blonde a little tighter. "But you'll be back soon, won't you?"
Bobby nodded. "Yes, I will and in fact, I wanted to talk to you two about that before I go, so we might as well do it now, since we're all here. As you may know, I have been in regular contact with Peter since he left, as well as some other people from Stefani's security team and we've agreed they will come back here with me in a couple of weeks' time."

He gave a somewhat apologetic smile to Bradley. "Now, please don't get me wrong; this place is truly amazing, it feels very safe and secluded, but right now only a very limited number of people know she's here. We want to keep it that way until we can create a proper plan with the members of her team; unfortunately this means staying here as much as possible for now, Stef, avoiding being seen by any visitors, as your security is something we simply can not overlook in any shape or form. Bradley, I can probably trust you with ensuring she is safe?"

"Absolutely." He touched Stefani's cheek softly. "One hundred percent. And whatever you and the team need to do, if you want to install security cameras or gates or anything like that, it's all fine by me."

She looked at him, shook her head. "B, you don't have to..."

"Yes, I do," he cut in, determinedly. "Angel, your safety, along with Lea's, is the most important thing to me, and I will do whatever it takes to guarantee that, but at the same time I want to make sure our peaceful life here will continue. I will not have curious fans or journalists trampling all over the ranch in an attempt to get pictures of you; the local people will love you once they get used to you being here, I've no doubt about that, but what they won't love is Big Timber turning into a paparazzi central any more than it already is. There are photographers around quite regularly hunting for Irina and a few reporters have tried to do stories about me too over the years."