Wrapped Up In Christmas

It wasn’t as if she was on a timeline to finish the quilt. But even if she’d been busy, she’d have dropped everything to talk with him when he seemed so upset. Something was wrong.

Still gazing out at Harry, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “I had it in my head what I wanted to say to you, but now that I’m here, words are failing me.”

That sounded ominous. She knew he was essentially finished with the work she’d hired him to do, having only a few small things left undone. Had he come to say goodbye?

“You want to come in? Have you eaten? I could heat something up for you.”

His gaze came back to hers and he shook his head.

Did that mean he didn’t want to come in? Hadn’t eaten? Or that she couldn’t heat something up for him?

Talk to me, Bodie. Tell me what’s wrong, what’s changed from last night when we were so happy in that sleigh?

Unless he regretted their ride, their kiss.

And was leaving.

“You want to go for a drive?” he surprised her by asking.

“Uhm, yeah. A drive would be great. Let me get my coat and keys. I’ll be ready in a few. Feel free to come in and grab something out of the fridge if you’re hungry.”

Where had all the things he’d planned to say gone? Bodie wondered. He’d had everything all planned out in his head long before he’d pulled into Sarah’s driveway.

He’d had most of the night to think on it, because he sure hadn’t been sleeping. Thankfully, it hadn’t been nightmares that had robbed him of rest. Instead, Sarah had been heavy on his mind.

He’d kissed Sarah. He shouldn’t have kissed her.

He was leaving. Sarah had looked at him as if she wanted him to stay.

He couldn’t stay.

He needed to put his life back together, to make a new life for himself, to feel whole again. iSecure was giving him that opportunity, and Bodie was grabbing it with both hands.

Wasn’t that what he’d told himself as he’d been aimlessly driving around all morn

ing?

When Harry came bounding up the steps, Bodie let them both inside the house. As was their routine, Harry paused, waiting on the rug as Bodie wiped his feet, then took a towel off the coat rack to check Harry’s feet so the dog wouldn’t leave muddy paw prints everywhere.

Thankfully, Harry didn’t seem to mind the extra attention and had taken to stopping on the rug automatically after the first few times Bodie had ordered him to do so. When finished, Bodie hung the towel back up on the rack and followed the dog into the living room. His gaze immediately went to Sarah’s tree.

It was the middle of the day, but she had the lights plugged in and twinkling and there were already presents wrapped beneath it. Her comment the night before was correct. Their tree was more beautiful than the town’s tree.

Their tree.

His fingers had wrapped around the ornament in his pocket moments before on the porch and now it called to him. Taking it out of his pocket, he unwrapped the snowflake from its protective tissue paper, then looked for a spot on the tree. Finding an area where he could put it, he hung the ornament, then stepped back to make sure it looked right.

“What do you think, Harry?”

At his name, the dog lifted his head from where he lay in front of Sarah’s fireplace. He cocked his head, but lost interest when Bodie didn’t say anything further because Sarah entered the room.

“I think it looks great.”

He thought she looked great. She’d put on her coat, her hat, scarf, and gloves. Her cheeks glowed pink and her eyes were bright.

“Thanks,” he told her. “Ready?”

She spread her arms, drawing attention to her winter get-up. “Do I look ready?”