He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Let me set your mind at ease. If you need to get back for any reason, I’ll go with you so we can use the chopper, okay?”

“You don’t want to do that. Not to mention, the press would have a cow over you taking me back to town on your chopper.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make it so you can relax and enjoy yourself this week after a very, very rough couple of months. That includes lending you my helicopter with a personal escort back to town, if it comes to that.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then her lips. “Are we good now?”

“We’re better than we were. Thank you for understanding.”

“I get it, babe. Even when you’re not on duty, your squad is your responsibility, and you take that seriously.”

“I do, and even though I left them in Gonzo’s perfectly capable hands, I sort of freaked out when I realized how far removed from civilization we are up here.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. Just breathe in the fresh air and the woodsmoke.”

“I do love the smell of woodsmoke.”

“I know you do. You want to go for a walk with me and do some breathing?”

“Since we’ve lost the kids to the game room, probably for the week, that sounds good.”

He extended a hand and escorted her down the steps. “Which way you want to go?”

“Surprise me.”

He was certain his Secret Service detail was close by, but for the moment, the agents were out of sight. “Brant and the others probably love it here as much as I do. It’s so sealed off and protected that their jobs become that much easier here.”

“Probably. I had no idea what to expect of this place, but it’s much bigger than I thought it would be and obviously a very involved operation. What do the people stationed here do when we’re not here?”

“I suppose they prepare for the next time we come.”

“That seems kind of boring.”

“From what I understand, it’s considered a great honor to be stationed at the president’s retreat, even if there are stretches of time between visits.”

“I’m just saying—an occasional visit wouldn’t be enough to keep me from being bored senseless the rest of the time.”

“Duly noted, love.”

They strolled aimlessly through wooded trails that went on for miles.

“It’s nice to be outside,” he said.

“I don’t know how you can stand being so cooped up in the White House.”

“I can’t stand it, but what’s the alternative?”

“We have to get you out of there more often.”

“I’m sure we’ll find a groove with that, eventually.”

“Sooner rather than later. I can’t have you going loco on me.”

“Who else would I go loco on?”