Page 9 of The Bodyguard
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Almost as pretty as its owner.”
I blushed. I had received any number of compliments since I had grown an inch and lost a bunch of weight. Things like my mother saying it was about time. From guys in my class who said things like,You’re hot now, do you want to fuck?But this was my first from Garrett. Maybe for the first time I believed it.
I put the necklace back on and smiled at him.
“Guess my job here is done. Not really much chance of finding out who did this. Just maybe keep better tabs on your jewelry.”
“Thank you, Garrett,” Mrs. Rugger said. “Or I suppose I should call you officer.”
“You’ve known me since I was fourteen. I think Garrett is fine. See you around the ranch, I suppose, Brin.”
I nodded. It was easier than speaking in that moment. I watched him leave and I thought about my foiled plan. At least he’d seen me looking as nice as I could. Still, there hadn’t been nearly enough time to interact.
Maybe next time I would get him out to the ranch. Someone outside the window, maybe? A potential break-in?
I would figure out something. Because Garrett Pine was my destiny. I just knew it.
* * *
SABRINA
The King’s Land
“I’m sure it was nothing, but I was so afraid. I didn’t think it was anything…”
It was early in the evening and I was standing at the door to my home. Garrett was on the patio. I felt a niggle of doubt about this plan, mostly because I felt like was I was establishing a pretty bad pattern of lying to him.
I’m pretty sure lying was not the best way to start off a serious relationship. But in the weeks since graduation I had only seen Garrett a few times in town. My mother was insisting I spend more and more time with her in Dallas.
Now that I was fashionable she wanted to show me off to her friends.
I’d left her with the excuse that I was getting sick, and Jennifer never wanted anything to do with the sick.
Hank was out of town on business. And Ronnie and Bea were off shopping, getting ready for Ronnie’s upcoming engagement party.
It was the first time I could ever remember having the house to myself. Well, myself and the servants, but I had conveniently given them the night off.
Trudy had protested until I told her it was my one shot at being the boss in this family so she should take advantage of me.
She’d laughed, and eventually given in and gone to the movies with her husband, Oscar.
Cue mysterious rattling of the back door off the kitchen, which I may or may not have feared was an intruder trying to break in, and a call to the local sheriff’s office. Mary, the receptionist had picked up.
Because my one evening alone was a little fortuitous, I’d needed to get somewhat lucky. Which I had. I casually asked if Garrett was on shift and, if he was, if he’d mind stopping by King’s Land on his way back to his place because I was afraid I’d heard something.
No big deal. Nobody breaking in. Just maybe someone snooping around the place.
Now he was here, and the truth was, I wasn’t sure what to do with him.
“It’s not no big deal if you were frightened, Brin. Let me in and I’ll take a look around.”
“Okay.”
Garrett walked inside and I could see him take in the massive, sprawling ranch house. It was funny, but I sometimes forgot how big it was until I saw it through the eyes of someone else.
Hank liked big space and big horns. So the open-plan ranch had as few walls as possible and as many animal heads hung on the walls as possible.
I knew Garrett’s family had owned the land north of ours, although I had never been to his ranch.
