Wrapped Up In Christmas

She was making another Quilt of Valor, a precious gift to another soldier. Would that recipient appreciate Sarah’s generosity the way Bodie had? Would this quilt offer hope the way his had to him?

Would that person go from the bleakest black to seeing a flicker of light as he or she read the note Sarah would no doubt attach to the quilt?

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

He shouldn’t be here. Not in Sarah’s room. Not in Hamilton House. Not in Pine Hill. He didn’t belong.

But he would do this, would make the repairs for Sarah, would pretend he fit into her shiny world when he’d only ever belonged as an Army Ranger serving his country in a desert half a world away.

When the repairs were done, he’d move on, having repaid her kindness. She need never know why he’d come to Pine Hill or why he’d been willing to linger in the town she’d painted so vividly in his mind but that made him starkly aware of how much he was an outsider.

She’d told him to go wherever, but being here, in her private space, in the room where she’d likely made his quilt, felt wrong. He exited the room, closing the door behind him even though she’d left it open that morning. He didn’t want to see into her room when he walked down the hallway.

Bodie continued his inspection, taking measurements and making notes. When finished, he sat down at Sarah’s kitchen island with a pen and paper and began making lists. He was still sitting there working when Harry’s ears perked up at about the same time as Bodie heard a car in the driveway.

Barking, Harry took off toward the noise. He sounded ferocious, but the second he reached the front door and realized it was Sarah, the dog quieted.

“Bodie?” Sarah called from the foyer. “Hey, boy,” she baby-talked his dog. “Yes, I know you want this, but this is lunch for Bodie and me. Next time I’ll bring something for you, too.”

“In here,” he called, glancing toward his wrist. He was surprised at how much time had passed—and even more surprised that Sarah had brought him food.

“Oh,” she gasped when she stepped into the kitchen, bags in hand, and caught sight of him sitting at the bar. “I didn’t realize you were in here.”

He stood up from the barstool and reached to take some of her bags. “Let me help you.”

“Thanks,” she said, placing the remaining bags next to the legal pad he’d been scribbling on. “I wasn’t sure if you’d brought anything for lunch, or if you planned to go get something, or what. When I picked up my lunch from Lou’s, he sent some for you, too.”

Whatever was in the sack was making his stomach rumble with the same hungry longing he saw in Harry’s eyes.

He’d eaten at Lou’s twice the day before and had met the owner. Nice guy—mid-sixties to maybe seventy. Crinkled eyes and forehead; calloused, scarred hands that implied he’d worked hard his entire life; and a friendly hello to everyone who came into his restaurant.

“Why would he do that?” The man had been nice enough, but restaurant owners didn’t usually give away their wares to strangers.

As she was pulling items from the bag, Sarah looked at him and she shrugged. “I think he felt guilty.”

Bodie frowned. His lunch and his dinner the night before had been excellent. What did the guy have to feel guilty about?

“Why?” Had the man felt bad that he had a “no animals inside the restaurant” policy? It hadn’t been that big of a deal. Lots of places didn’t allow pets.

Sarah tilted her head and gave a little shrug as she continued to pull items from her bag. “Let’s just say Lou may or may not have played a role in a background check being run on you.”

Bodie’s brows rose. “Why would a restaurant owner run a background check on me?” He’d paid with cash, but even if he’d paid with a credit card, not that he had one, that would’ve been a bit excessive.

Not that anyone would find anything problematic. He’d done some nasty jobs, but everything he’d done had come from official orders and he had a pristine service record. He’d been a good soldier.

“Don’t be upset,” Sarah urged, pausing in what she was doing to give him a pleading look. “Lou was watching out for me.” She paused, then started over. “Well, he might have been trying to win points with Rosie, too.” Sarah gave an indulgent smile at the woman’s name. “To hear her tell it, that was his motivation, anyway. Regardless, Lou’s intentions weren’t bad.”

Still confused but not wanting to make a big deal out of it, Bodie shrugged. “No problem. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Except a quilt he’d folded and packed away inside the large duffel bag in his truck so Sarah wouldn’t see it.

“That’s what I was told,” she admitted, walking over to remove two glasses from a cabinet and flashing another smile that added a sparkle to her eyes. “Water?”

Quietly wondering if anyone had ever been blinded by the dazzle in a smile, Bodie nodded.

When she’d poured them both glasses, she put one of them in front of him and the other in front of a stool one place down from his. Having given him a burger and a box of fries, she sat down and unwrapped her own burger.

“I hear you’re so squeaky-clean that you’ve never even had a speeding ticket,” she said before taking a generous bite. “Mmmm, this is good.”