Page 86 of Her Delta Force Protector

“We try to connect them to organizations who can help them find a job, a place to live, someone to talk to. Sometimes it works, and sometimes even the ones with families don’t get the support they need because their loved ones aren’t able to deal with what happened. And occasionally, some are too damaged by the time we find them.”

“What does that mean?” Was he implying they took their own lives?

“Let’s not worry about that right now.” He pulled a business card from his pocket. “Keep this, and don’t hesitate to call if you need anything, even if you just need to talk.”

Their conversation refused to leave her mind, and so the seed had been planted. But what to do with it? She needed to go home, rest a little, and do some thinking. Chase’s card was in her wallet, and she just might be calling him soon with some questions.

“Harper,” Kade said, then, “LT.” He stared down at the coffee cup as he turned it in a few circles before he lifted his gaze to hers.

His voice was so soft and tender, it sounded like there was love in it. Excruciating seconds passed as she waited for him to tell her he wanted her to stay with him.

“I’m going to miss you.”

There it was, he was letting her go. “I’ll miss you, too.” She swallowed past that lump that refused to go away. They were best friends. Of course he was going to miss her. He was never going to say,Harper, I love you.The door to the diner opened, and she pushed away from the table with a real smile on her face. “My dad’s here.”

As soon as he saw her, he held out his arms, and she ran to him. The tears she’d managed to hold in until now fell down her cheeks. At least she’d have the excuse that it was the emotion of seeing her father.

“Baby girl,” he said. “I missed you so much.”

That made her cry harder. “I missed you too, Daddy.” She hadn’t called him Daddy since before she was a teenager, and it was proof of how vulnerable she was feeling.

“It’s really over?”

She nodded against his chest. “Yeah, I’m risen from the dead.” Her friends were going to be getting some surprise phone calls over the coming days. She took her dad’s hand. “Come. I want you to meet Kade.”

She introduced the two men, and Kade held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Jansen.”

“It’s David to the man who saved my daughter’s life.”

“She did a pretty good job of saving her own life, sir. Would you like some breakfast?”

“Thanks, but I stopped for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. It’s a long drive home, and I’d like to get on the road.”

Kade glanced at her, and she was sure that was sadness in his eyes. “I’ll walk you out.” He took some bills from his wallet and left them on the table.

When they stepped outside, Duke barked a greeting. She kneeled and kissed the top of his head. “You be a good boy, okay? I’m going to miss you.” Him and his daddy so much.

“He’s the real hero of the day,” Kade told her dad. He untied Duke’s leash, then grinned at her father. “Watch. Duke, roll over.”

Duke sat, then gave them a pleased-with-himself goofy smile.

“He wants you to think he’s missing a brain. Have Harper tell you stories about him.” Kade held out his hand again. “It was a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“And I’m glad I got to meet the man I’ve heard so much about. Come see us sometime.” He touched Harper’s arm. “I’ll be in the car.”

Her father was giving them privacy to say their goodbyes, and a part of her appreciated that, but the hurting part didn’t know if she could leave Kade without crying. He’d kissed her long and hard before they left the cabin this morning, and as they stood, inches apart, she’d willed her tears away. She would not cry, damn it. Not yet anyway. Not until she left, and he couldn’t witness her tears.

“Call me when you get home, okay?”

“Okay.” That was another thing she wouldn’t do. She’d text him that she was home.

He slid his hand around the back of her neck, then kissed her forehead. “No more walking into strange warehouses, yeah?”

Somehow, she managed to smile. “Yeah.”

“I...” He shook his head. “Just call me. That’s all.”

That’s all. The tiny spark of hope that had refused to die finally did with those two words.

---