AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not falling for her was the right thing to do.
Then why did it feel so awfully wrong?
Chapter
Fifteen
Jacey put the fresh food Clint had brought with him in the fridge and finished dinner prep but didn’t want to eat without Cade. She nibbled nervously on a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the new tray of goodies and snuck peeks at Clint and Cade out the window.
The discussion looked animated, but they hadn’t come to blows. That was good. She wished Cade would share with her, but who was she to petition he share his personal sorrows? She was a demanding house guest and protection detail. Not his future girlfriend, no matter how she longed to be close to him emotionally and physically.
She heard the truck motor turn over and her gaze darted to the window. Dropping the cookie in the trash bin, she took a quick drink of water and pulled plates out to try to look busy and not like she had been eavesdropping.
Cade strode in the door, taking his hat off and setting it to the side. He nodded to her and walked to the kitchen. She could not get a read on his eyes. It looked like he had a burden removed and then was shackled with another.
“Smells great. Shall we pray and eat?” he asked.
Her brows rose. Clearly not ready to share. “Of course.”
They prayed, dished up plates, ate. Neither of them brought up the elephant in the room. After cleaning up dinner, she was not certain what they would do. They’d gone on some walks in the evening, played cards, watched a couple movies. She would love to do something active right now.
“Can we swim in the lake?” she asked. It was the one thing he’d told her they would do and they hadn’t.
“It will be freezing with the sun down,” he said, meeting her gaze then looking away. He felt more distant than ever. What had Clint shared with him?
“I have heard cold therapy is beneficial for … something.” She smiled and hoped her look was inviting.
“I’ve heard that too.” He returned her smile and shrugged. “All right. If you’re instantly a popsicle, I’ll get you back home quick.”
Home. This was her home. “I am made of steel and iron, Mr. Miller.”
He chuckled. “I believe you’re tougher than nails, sweetheart, but you’re also soft in all the right ways.” He gave her a generous smile and her stomach hopped. “All right. Do you have a swimming suit?”
“Yes, sir, I do.” Her stomach dissolved into fluttery hops as she envisioned seeing him in a swimsuit. Swimming might be a brilliant idea on her part and exactly what she needed to get him out of the funk he had sunk into since Clint’s visit.
“Let’s do this.”
They walked upstairs, and he retrieved swim trunks and two beach towels from his master closet before giving her a warm smile and walking out. She hurried to put on the one-piece swimsuit that had been in her suitcase and a long, summery dress over top, sliding into flip flops.
Cade waited for her downstairs. He had a T-shirt and board shorts on and slid into flip-flops as they walked through the mudroom and into the garage. It was weird to see his legs and bare feet. He had naturally tan skin, but his legs looked pale compared to the deep brown of his arms, hands, neck, and face. She could see puckered scars on his right knee.
“What happened to your knee?” she asked.
“Blown ACL,” he said. “The end of my Army career.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. I loved the military, but it was time to be home.”
She waited, but he didn’t offer anything else. “Your knee looks painful.”
“Not anymore.”
He opened the low door of the utility vehicle in his garage, which was parked next to his large white four-door Ford truck. The drive was short around the bottom side of the lake. The weather was mild, a beautiful summer evening with the sun sinking behind the mountain to the west.
He stopped the Ranger next to a rock formation that climbed up into the mountains to the east and jutted out over the water. “We should try this earlier in the day when we’re sweating from chores and the hot sun.”
“We’re here now,” she reminded him. “A dip in the cold water is the plan.”
