Page 50 of Soldier Cowboy
“I can’t be responsible for anything happening to you.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it.
The warmth in the gesture surprised her. They were alone with no need to fake an intimate relationship.
“I didn’t want a bodyguard, but this is different. Being with you isdifferent. This is more like, well, being on a vacation.”
“Maybe the lies we’ve told everyone helps with that.”
It was true. No one realized Colton was guarding her from a stalker and that helped her to feel normal again. But she couldn’t deny she had begun to feel like there was something between them, something unlike anything she’d experienced before. Granted, he was far more experienced and probably understood this to be nothing more than a pure and magnetic sexual attraction. Maybe a little crush on her part but purely situational. Kind of like Stockholm syndrome.
For her, it seemed deeper than that. It felt…bigger. Wider. Like she’d dipped her toe in the middle of the ocean without any real understanding of its depth.
And Colton was that ocean.
“Why were you baking late last night?”
“You heard me? Sorry I woke you.”
“I couldn’t help noticing it wasmidnight. Mostly, I smelled the chocolate. It was delicious.”
“Yeah, I baked a cake.” He motioned toward the kitchen.
“Butwhy?”
“Why at midnight? I forgot to make it earlier. Baking relaxes me. Cooking does, generally. I think it’s the routine, getting lost in the process.”
“That’s how I always felt about photography.”
“Why did you give it up?”
“I got tired of weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. No one wanted my lovely scenic photos of Yosemite and Joshua Tree. Making a living with art is tough. Maybe I should have tried harder but the podcast just kind of happened. I did it for fun to see what would happen. If I might be able to get people interested in my photos from there. I had no clue what I was doing but I felt a passion to help people. Before I knew it, sponsors were paying me to advertise, and I started making money. It was hard to walk away from that.”
“You should try photography again, as a backup.”
“You mean in case I cannevergo back to my podcast?”
There. She’d said the words out loud. Maybe it was too dangerous. She’d never know, even if she got rid of Dan, whether he might someday resurface again. Or some other person would.
“You can’t let one delusional person alter your plans. It might take time. You could move—”
“But I love my condo.”
Colton nodded as if he understood. “Then maybe photography under a pen name. And never post your photo. Facial recognition software has come leaps and bounds.”
Yes, she’d heard. And yes, her personal photo had been on her podcast page. Not even an avatar. Live and learn.
“All good ideas.”
He squeezed her hand again. “Hey, I’m sorry this happened to you.”
It sounded as if he meant far more than simply sorry. She swallowed hard, recovering from the feel of his warm hand.
“Joe thinks it may have been for the best.”
“Your brother?”
“He’s wrong, of course. It isn’t for the best. But he didn’t handle civilian life as well as you have.”
“Who saysIhave?”
