Page 38 of Hide My Heart
I follow her, like a dog on a leash. Putting my hand on her shoulder, I murmur, “Don’t be sorry. You needed a coverup. It was my fault for lying to my mother. If I told her the truth, she might still have helped you.”
“I didn’t want to ruin Grandma’s last Christmas with a big family argument.” She wipes the bottoms of her eyelids. “I miss her so much, and after she wrote that letter, I knew I had to come.”
“Of course, you should spend Christmas with them. I’ll explain everything to my mother, and after the ice melts, I’ll drop you off at a bus station, and you can go back to Divine the way we planned before Hunter nabbed you.”
She turns around and faces me, nodding. A smile warms her face and she reaches up with both hands, draping them over my shoulders. “You’re too good to me.”
“No one can be too good to you, Amber.” Now I’m drowning in those sweet, soulful eyes of hers. I love the way she looks at me, like I’m special to her.
“You saved my life last night,” she says. “I thought I died, but I must have been hallucinating. The rain felt like daggers of ice all over my skin, and then I couldn’t find the key because my hands were numb. I tried pounding on the door, but no one answered, and the last thing I thought about was you and Beck, together. I knew you’d keep him safe. I knew you’d protect him.”
My arms close around her, and I hold her to my chest. “I’d protect you to the ends of the earth. I always will.”
TWENTY-ONE
Amber
Being in Nate’s arms ismore than I deserve. I let myself melt into his warmth and rest my face on his chest. I inhale his freshly-showered, masculine scent with a hint of citrus cologne.
I’ve never felt his shoulders and arms so up close. Never been pressed against him before. Before I left town, I was a church-going girl, and I didn’t allow anyone of the opposite sex to hug me.
And now, he’s hugging me. Last night, he stripped my frozen clothes and warmed me up with his body heat. He’s like a radiator—hot, with ropy muscles and a solid strength.
I feel safe with him, and I know this hug is meant to be friendly and comforting, but I’m anything but relaxed.
I chickened out of calling my grandmother when Nate’s mother rang the phone, and I can’t help but feel I’ve been unfair to Nate. I should have thought up a better plan.
“Hey, you’re shivering,” Nate says, and his strong, sturdy hands rub my upper arms. “I can put another log in the stove.”
“No, just let me lean on you.”
I’m so demanding and yet, I know he’d do anything for me. I swear. He’s the kindest kid in all of Divine. Others made fun of me and called me names, but not Nate. Even though he was popular growing up and he hung out with the cool crowd, he was never ashamed to say “hi” to me when he was with his friends.
He was always working, from the time he was knee high—picking cherries, selling eggs, and running errands. His family used to own the ice cream and soda fountain, and Nate worked there every day after school.
I swear he had the most beautiful eyes and the brightest smile. And he was genuine, truly caring about the people he scooped ice cream or fixed a root beer float for. Of course, he knew everyone and everyone knew him, so it was easy for him to be popular.
It was the same way at the farmer’s market after ice cream and soda went out of style and everyone wanted smoothies and health drinks. Nate being so busy and wowing the crowds meant I got to stare at him a lot.
Of course, I always lurked just out of his sight, waiting until he took a break and came looking for me.
I never figured out why a guy who had so many friends and knew just about everyone’s business cared about someone like me—a loner and a homeschooled freak.
Things changed when first his father died, and then his brother Beau was killed by a drunk driver. He’d gone on missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, and all sorts of hotspots. It’s heartbreaking that he was killed so meaninglessly.
Nate didn’t smile for over a year. He stopped looking after himself—let his hair grow long and his beard get scraggly. He gained weight and he didn’t want to talk to me. He stayed inside the bar, and since I wasn’t allowed to go into that type of establishment, I didn’t even get to say goodbye when I ran away.
Maybe I would not have let Hunter pick me up and take me on a ride to see the Cooper Creek Falls up near the Canadian border. Maybe I would have gone joyriding with Nate and my dreams of being a teacher might have come true. Maybe Nate would have warned me about men like Hunter.
“You feeling better?” Nate asks when I raise my face toward him. He sweeps his rugged hand over the side of my head, brushing back flyaway strands of hair.
The tingles making me shiver are delicious rather than chilling. I wet my lips and nod, entranced by the whiskey-colored eyes rimmed with flecks of gold. His face is more angular than I remember, losing all traces of baby fat, and there are dark circles under his eyes. His hair is a mass of dark, tousled waves, and his short beard fills his face well. His voice is deep and resonant, muted power encased with kindness.
I gulp as his eyes darken, and he moves closer.
I only now notice that he’s a man.
My hand moves on its own, cupping his cheek and stroking the soft, wavy hairs of his beard. I’ve never reached out to touch a man’s face on my own. Never wanted to be kissed more than I do right now.
