Page 5 of Sean

He left his office. The house was quiet and the living room empty. The kids must be in bed. A light showed under the bathroom door—probably from Julia. He headed to the linen closet to find bedding to make up the couch for himself. He was yanking out a blanket when the bathroom door opened behind him. There was a sharp gasp, making him spin around. Julia was there, eyes wide, with a toothbrush raised in the air like a weapon.

“Oh, my gosh,” she said, lowering her arm and taking in a breath. “You scared me.” She fell back against the wall, chest heaving.

“Why’s that?” he asked, keeping his voice calm. Didn’t she feel safe there? Or was she intimidated by him?

“I’m not used to having another adult around, I guess. I’ve been on my own for what feels like forever. Hopefully, I’ll stop jumping out of my skin once I adjust and know you a little better.”

So she was unsure of him. He couldn’t blame her, but holding on to this tension all the time couldn’t be good for her. He knew from frontline experience that no one could be on high alert all the time without tearing their nerves to shreds. She needed to relax, drop her guard a bit. He searched for something to say that might help her relax. Maybe it would help if he mentioned something they had in common? “I’ve got nieces about the same ages as Lucy and Amos.” His words came out gruffer than he meant them to, but Julia’s face brightened anyway.

“You do? That explains why you’re so good with kids.”

Actually, he had no idea how to deal with kids and counted himself lucky that Lucy and Amos hadn’t run screaming from him yet. He certainly didn’t have any family experience to draw on. He hadn’t seen his nieces—or the rest of his family—in the past four years. “What I’m trying to say is that I’ll protect you like you were my family.”

“That’s sweet. Thank you.” Her shy smile appeared again. “How often do you get to see your nieces?”

Her innocent question hit like a punch to the gut, and he regretted giving her even that tiny detail. He had to shut this down, or the conversation could veer into the subjects he Did Not Talk About. The subjects he’d moved all the way out into the middle of nowhere to avoid. He’d share his house and give her his protection, but more than that was off limits. “Never,” he said, knowing his answer would shock her. With a shove, he closed the linen closet and walked away.

THREE

Julia sat up in bed, her heart racing, stunned to see that it was broad daylight, sunshine pouring in the window by the bed. The sight just made her panic ratchet higher. The kids. Where were the kids? She never slept this late because they always came and got her—but this morning, they hadn’t. Where were they? Where was she? Nothing looked familiar in the small room. Her feet hit the wood floor, and she was out of the bedroom in seconds, ready to fight or run—whatever the situation took.

She skidded to a stop at the entrance to the kitchen. Right. Yes. The threatening message from Wilson. The drive to Sean’s house deep in the woods of central Virginia. He was going to keep them safe. He’d promised—and she believed him. The noise of her blood pounding in her ears began to lessen, and her adrenaline settled to a roiling sensation in her stomach. Despite the nightmare that had woken her, she’d slept so soundly because she’d felt safe for the first time in weeks.

Her eyes swept the room. Amos sat at the little kitchen table with Lucy across from him. They were both eating scrambled eggs, and her nephew was talking about constellations. His star book, as he called it, was one of the few items he had with him that was from his house. He loved that book and the stars themselves. It was his current obsession.

“You can see all of those constellations really well from my backyard,” Sean said as he put a glass of milk in front of Amos. “There aren’t many lights out here in the country, so the sky’s dark, and that makes the stars more visible. We’ll go outside one of these nights and look.” He caught sight of her, his expression shifting from serious to bemused. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” she said, suddenly conscious of how she must look. She’d worn an old sweatshirt and a pair of knit short-shorts to bed. Not her best look. And her hair was probably standing straight up somewhere on her scalp. That was the disadvantage of short hair. It could be wild in the morning. She couldn’t decide whether to reach up to smooth her hair or down to tug on the hem of her shorts so they covered more of her legs.

“Do you want some breakfast?” His tone was pleasant, if impersonal. At least it wasn’t the abrupt single word response she’d gotten from him the night before. She’d wondered about that “never” while lying in bed, but her questions hadn’t stopped her from falling into the most restful sleep she’d had in months. He might have been borderline rude, but he had made her feel like she could let her guard down a tiny bit. It was such a profound relief. Even not having to be the only one who could get breakfast for the kids allowed her to relax.

“That would be nice,” she responded. “Thank you.”

“Scrambled eggs, okay?”

“Perfect. I’m just going to get dressed…quickly.” She left the kitchen with only a bit more decorum than what she’d arrived with and went back to her room where she tossed on her usual outfit of black lightweight cargo pants and a black T-shirt. It was her work uniform when she was on assignment as a photographer, and it gave her a sense of normalcy and comfort to wear it. She combed her hair, slipping on a red fabric headband for some color before returning to the kitchen.

“Sorry, you’ll have to eat standing up,” Sean said as he put a plate with eggs and toast on the counter near her. “I don’t have any other chairs. The coffee’s hot.” He gestured to the pot before leaning against the counter to sip from his own cup.

She should say something, should thank him again for taking care of her, for feeding the kids, but she was suddenly tongue-tied. That might stem from the way his shirt clung to the muscles of his chest and arms. He was a fine-looking man, no doubt about it, and it had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to even notice something like that.

She’d been so dedicated to keeping her niece and nephew safe and worrying about her friends that she wouldn’t have noticed if a herd of gorgeous guys crossed in front of her. Having the mental space to be able to notice Sean’s appeal was an unexpected luxury. At the same time, he’d sent her a clear warning the night before to mind her own business—an important reminder that their association was temporary and strictly out of necessity. She’d gotten the message loud and clear that he wasn’t looking to make friends—and he certainly wasn’t looking for anything more.

“May I be excused?” Lucy asked. Her niece’s words gave her a little mental boost. They’d been working on table manners and appropriate social behavior.

“You may, but please thank Sean for making you breakfast first.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said, directing her gaze to Sean. Amos did the same, speaking more quietly than his sister.

“Go brush your teeth and get dressed. I think it’s a blue day like the sky out there.” She pointed through the window to the beautiful spring weather. The kids scampered off.

“A blue day?” Sean asked. Too late, she noticed that his shirt was also blue. Oops. She’d been too concerned with what was under it to note the hue.

“It’s a little game we play. We pick a color, and the kids dress in it,” she explained. “It makes that decision easy for them, and it helps me out, too. If they match, I can quickly find them if we get separated, and I’ll always know what they’re wearing on a given day. Just in case.” In case one of them wandered off or was snatched from her, she’d be able to say what color they’d had on.

“Smart,” he commented. “But you know that you’ve got a lot less to worry about here.”

“True.” She finished her meal, which had been excellent, the eggs fluffy and delicious, the toast perfectly browned. She’d eaten every bite. “What can I help with?” she asked after taking the plate to the sink. The kitchen was already tidy. The entire house was. A little barren, but clean.

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