Wrapped Up In Christmas

Harry jumped back into the truck cab and Sarah welcomed his wet kiss against her cheek, laughing as he continued to lick her, putting her hands up to protect her mouth from his affection.

“Settle down, Harry.”

“He’s fine,” she assured him, giving the dog a scratch as he settled onto the seat next to her. “I’m going to miss him after you leave.”

After he left. Sarah’s words rang through Bodie’s head. He was leaving, had never thought he wasn’t. Yet, hearing her say the words left him feeling heavy, as if gravity tugged hard on him, trapping him against the seat.

Sarah’s gaze met his. A mixture of resolve and perhaps a glimmer of something more shone there. “I’m going to miss you after you leave, too.”

He’d been happy in Pine Hill. But he’d been biding his time until he could get back to a life of high stakes and travel. He’d loved that life. Missed that life.

Working for iSecure wouldn’t be the same as his time in the Army. He didn’t fool himself that it would. But once he put his time in as a glorified babysitter to the rich and famous, Lukas would move him into more challenging jobs. Jobs Bodie welcomed and that his friend needed to avoid now that he was about to become a father.

“Is your new job dangerous work?”

Had she read his mind?

“People or places who aren’t at risk don’t need to hire a high-end security firm.”

“Which means I asked a silly question.” She gave him a smile that almost seemed to tremble as she said, “I’ll worry about you.”

Yet another reason why he shouldn’t have spent so much time with Sarah. She had such a big heart that he knew she really would worry.

“I’m not worth it.”

“How can you say that?” she demanded, her face flushing. “You are, Bodie.”

Unable to stop himself, he touched her cheek, traced his thumb across her smooth skin. “You only think that because you don’t know the things I’ve done.”

“Those things don’t matter.”

She was wrong.

“What matters are the things you do in the future.”

What he’d do in the future was leave.

She didn’t say the words, but they echoed throughout the truck cab. He drove her home, neither of them saying much.

“Come in?” she invited when he pulled into Hamilton House’s driveway.

Bodie hesitated, then nodded. There were only a few things that needed to be done for him to finish with the suites completely.

“I didn’t mean for you to come in to work,” she told him when he headed toward the hallway leading to the suites. “We could watch a movie or play a game or something.”

“Or I could knock out the rest of the work tonight.”

“In a hurry to finish?”

Stopping, he didn’t turn to look at her, just stood still, taking a deep breath. “Despite what you may think, I will miss you, Sarah.”

She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask him to stay, and for that he was grateful.

Staying wasn’t an option.

For so many reasons. Not the least of which was that Sarah deserved so much better than a messed-up man such as himself.

“I’ll be in the suites.”