Page 38 of Desert Thorns

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On the way back to the monastery, Harley and I discussed what else could’ve been in the crates her ex had obtained. We always circled back to the same answer: firearms or other kinds of weapons. After I’d checked in with Father Andrew—Father Cruz was still gone—I walked Harley to the guesthouse. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the occasional lighting ripping across the black night sky.

“I don’t want you to spend the night outside in the storm,” Harley said when we reached the guesthouse.

“I’ll sleep under there.” I pointed at the additional roof structure at the side that used to cover firewood storage.

“But you need some proper sleep!”

The way she stomped her foot made me grin. “I sleep better outside.”

“Hogwash.”

“I’m serious.”

“Why?”

“I, um . . .” I ran a hand behind my neck. How was I supposed to explain this? “Wentworth used to have a twin brother, Monroe. Keaton did something that . . .” I hauled in a breath. Not my story to tell. “Our parents blamed Keaton for Monroe’s death. Or at least they acted much colder towards him than the rest of us. I was too young to understand, but could tell that I didn’t want to be in Keaton’s shoes. So I did everything by the book so as not to fall out of my parents’ favor. Sleeping on the floor or outside forced me to . . . stay focused.” Saying it out loud made me aware of how messed up this was.

Harley’s features softened in the glow of the kerosene lamp. “And now you do the same thing to not fall out of God’s favor?”

Gritting my teeth, I looked away. Lightning lit up the woods, the tree tops bending under a strong gust of wind. Man, this woman knew how to dig deep. “It’s just the way I’m wired.”

“But you know salvation is a gift, right?”

“I do.”

“Then why do you act like you have to earn it?”

“Because I won’t waste Jesus’s gift. He died on the cross for me. The only appropriate response is to give my all in being obedient to Him.”

An emotion I couldn’t decipher flashed across Harley’s face. Something dark. “You’re right about that.”

Thunder clapped right over us, and she flinched. A raindrop hit my face, then another.

“Let’s go inside.” I opened the door and gestured for her to go ahead, but she stayed rooted to the spot, arms folded.

“Only if you spend the night inside. Sleep in the hallway on the floor if you must, but I don’t want to find you barbecued tomorrow morning.”

I chuckled. “All right. Get in the house now, or else we’ll both get barbecued.”

A smug smile took over her face as she sashayed past me. I followed her, nearly plowing her over when she came to an abrupt halt and whirled around to me.

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.” Her hazel eyes misted over. “You have no idea how much this means.”

I backtracked, closing the door as an excuse to put some distance between us in this narrow hallway. “No big deal.”

“Yes, it is.” Harley took another step toward me, pretty much cornering me. She was so close that her flowery scent taunted me. “You’re a gift from God, Kingsley.”

My heart stalled.Kingsley.She’d used my birth name.

And it had never sounded sweeter than coming from her lips.

I stared at said full, pink lips. Did they feel as soft as they looked?

My head swam. Was it hot in here or was it just me?

“Can you please stop looking at me like that?” she whispered. “We’re trying to keep our distance, remember?”

“Yeah,” I heard myself say. “I remember.”