Page 34 of Guarded Hearts

She shook her head. “I can’t think of anything else at the moment.”

“Understandable.”

“I’m frustrated and annoyed. I’ve been in control of my life since I was a teenager and my father let me stay here at the ranch while he spent the Christmas holiday in Europe buying antiques.”

His gray eyes told her exactly what he thought about her father leaving her for a whole holiday season to fend for herself. But she already knew—he’d voiced it on the phone to her back then.

“We spent every night on the phone.” His tone grew wistful.

Each time he spoke that way to her, the leaves that had settled on the forest floor of her psyche stirred. At times like this, they blew away, leaving a bare spot of stark pain.

Ithadhurt that her father chose to spend the holidays without her. But she’d put on a brave face, and all her friends back in her New York prep school thought she was so worldly, staying alone in Wyoming.

Carson had worried about her. So much that he insisted that they stay on the phone even when asleep.

He really had been the best boyfriend a girl could ask for. Then he was gone, and she was left more alone than ever.

She had so many letters to read still. Rather than sitting here feeling sorry for herself, she should be in her study reading his words to her.

“You’ve been invited to a party. And to dinner.”

She jerked her head up at his statement of fact.

“How did you—” Of course. He had access to her phone now. Even though he’d given it back to her, he could still read every message and tap every call coming through.

He spread his hands, each as wide as a plate. “I wish I could allow you to go. But it’s too hard to protect you there.”

She folded her arms, mind racing. “Is there any threat now? It’s been days and nothing’s happened.”

“You’re getting lulled into thinking that the threat is gone.”

She turned her head toward the window. The draperies were drawn shut, closing off her view of the land she loved so much and dreamed about when she was away in other places.

“All I have is work, but not even that keeps me busy since everyone knows I’m on vacation.” Her stare lifted to his. “And while you’ve been a nice distraction…I’m used to a bigger life.”

“I get where you’re coming from, Layne. Seriously, though. You can’t think that a man who’d go out of his way to send you a painting that’s worth a hundred thousand dollars, then made a trip all the way here just to snap a photo of your bedroom wall, would walk away so easy. I know I wouldn’t.”

But you did.She gulped back the words she knew now to be untrue. He’d only walked away after two years passed without a single word of reply or encouragement from her. Who could blame him?

“Don’t downplay the situation, Layne. Let me do my job. I know what I’m doing.”

“How did you get into the security business anyway? You said you were a SEAL.”

When he shrugged, his bulky shoulders shifted as if his shirt felt too snug. All that sexy black cottondidstretch across them pretty tight…

“I took a few months off. I came back here with my family. I tried to ranch, but I got bored. I spent twenty years of my life protecting people. It’s all I know.”

You know my body pretty well.

“So you understand that what I know is being with people. I do enjoy solitude, but I’m feeling the strain of being housebound. Do you know the last time I felt this caged in?”

He cocked a brow. “2020?”

She uttered a laugh. “Yes! And now I can’t even look outside withoutsomebodytelling me off about it.”

His lips quirked at one corner. “It’s for your own good.”

She pushed out a sigh. “I know.”

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