Protecting Holly. Lynn Bulock

something?”

      Sara laughed. “Early? Not exactly. It’s five-thirty, my regular time to head out of here.”

      Holly looked at her watch, stunned. “You’re kidding. We missed lunch again. I’m going to have to start setting an alarm clock or something. Maybe I’ll send out for dinner, anyway.”

      Sara started unzipping her coat and walked into the office. Great, Holly thought, here comes a lecture.

      Sara didn’t disappoint her. “I know you’re on a big project, but girl, you have got to get a life. At least enough of one so that you don’t come in here when it’s barely light out every morning and leave after dark every day. When was the last time you saw sunlight? You look pale.”

      “Hey, I don’t tan anyway. Not during the summer, or even on the ski slopes. So that’s not a good indicator of how often I’m outside,” Holly argued. Maybe it would deflect Sara’s question, because the real answer was almost embarrassing. In the week since she’d had lunch with Jake, the only daylight she’d seen on any day but Sunday had been driving to work in the morning.

      Given his drive right now, she’d almost expected Jake to protest when she told him that she wouldn’t be working Sundays no matter what happened. Instead he just nodded. “I expected that. In fact my mother would applaud. She’s horrified that I’m not at least taking the time off on Sunday mornings to meet the rest of the family at Good Shepherd. Of course it isn’t like I make it on a regular basis even when I’m not swamped.”

      Holly could have told him that without thinking much. She saw his parents virtually every Sunday, and Adam and his new bride Kate seemed to put in regular appearances since he’d begun to recuperate from his gunshot wound. Even his sister Colleen, jaded and busy newspaper reporter that she was, made it to church many Sundays. Holly held her tongue, knowing that adding to the complaints Jake was already hearing from his mother wasn’t a good idea. She knew how little she heeded anybody who agreed with her own mother’s nagging that she needed to get out more and do things with people. Why aggravate her boss, even if she agreed with his mother? A noise brought Holly back to the present.

      Sara was still standing in front of the desk, tapping a foot and waiting for an answer. “Okay, I’ll try to get out more. At least enough to see daylight once in a while, anyway. But it’s not going to happen right away. There’s just too much to do every day to get ready for this trial.”

      “It must be something. Even Jake Montgomery, champion workaholic, doesn’t usually keep you here this many hours.”

      “I’m keeping myself here most of the time,” Holly countered. It was true, mostly. Jake would have let her go home much earlier than she did, if he’d noticed that she was putting in the kind of hours she was. Of course he didn’t notice much right now that wasn’t related to Alistair Barclay’s computer or the disks he’d gotten from the raid on the La Mano Oscura cartel. That much was obvious in the fact that he hadn’t thought about lunch, or even coffee, for hours.

      “You know, I’d better check on Jake, now that you mention it. He hasn’t been out here in hours.” Holly cast a worried glance at his door.

      “Do that. And then go home.” Sara looked as stern as a young woman in a fuzzy angora scarf could look.

      “I will. Or at least get out of here pretty soon. There are all kinds of things I need to catch up on outside the office.”

      “I’ll just bet. And only sixteen shopping days ’til Christmas,” Sara piped up with a wicked grin.

      Holly groaned. “Don’t even remind me. Now go home yourself and let me check on Jake.”

      “Will do. See you in the morning, Holly. I know you’ll be here when I get in. You always are.”

      She couldn’t argue with Sara on that score either, Holly thought as she got up from her desk and crossed the room to Jake’s door. She knocked softly, but there was no answer. “Jake? You there?”

      He was there, propped straight up at his desk, all right. Hands on the keyboard, still sitting up in his chair, Jake Montgomery was asleep. Holly stifled a giggle. It was funny and painful at the same time, watching her boss dozing at his desk.

      She walked up quietly and softly rested a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t want to startle him too much. “Jake?” she called out quietly. Even that woke him quickly. He reared backwards, almost upsetting his chair.

      “What?” Dazed, he shook his head. “Holly? Don’t tell me I fell asleep.”

      “Sitting straight up. Jake, this has got to end. You need a real night’s sleep at home in bed. I need the same. And we both need a good, hot nutritious meal.”

      Jake recovered quickly from his nap. “Does this mean you’re asking me out?”

      “No.” Her reaction was so quick, and so snappish, Holly even surprised herself. How could she react to Jake that way, of all people? “That is, I didn’t mean to suggest that we have dinner together. Just that we both need a hot meal and plenty of rest.”

      “I understand. And you’re right. Maybe if I just finish this one thing…”

      Holly felt herself clucking like a mother hen. “Jake Montgomery, I’ve never crossed you in the two years I’ve worked here. But this time I’m going to. Neither of us will be worth anything to this investigation if we get sick and worn-out. And you’re skating on thin ice, mister. Go home. Get some rest. Send out for a pizza, or Chinese or something. I know there’s probably nothing worth eating in that bachelor loft you call home.”

      “You’re right. I think there’s a carton of orange juice, something that used to be cheese, and an almost empty mustard jar in the whole refrigerator. And don’t even get me started on the pantry. If I had mice, they’d starve.” Jake’s grin was wry. “And you’re right about going home for a change, too.”

      “I know I am. And this time I’m going to walk out with you to make sure you actually leave. You keep telling me you’re going home at night and then you don’t.” Holly knew she sounded stern, but she’d learned from the best. Her mom had taught high school English for more than a dozen years before she’d become the receptionist at the Sentinel. Nobody could do stern like a high school English teacher. Jake was just lucky he wasn’t chewing gum.

      The next morning Holly took her time heading for the office for a change. It was what she’d “traded” Jake for by making him leave early the night before. “I’ll go home now, and have a decent dinner on the way there, if you don’t show up until at least nine tomorrow morning. Deal?” His blue eyes were sharp again after his little nap.

      “Deal. I’ll even make it ten.” Holly hadn’t told him that she’d spend the time before she came in lining up his mother’s Christmas gift. If he thought she was actually doing something for herself, he’d be more tolerant of the late entry into the office. But if she spent all that time on herself, she’d feel worse, so this made more sense.

      She knew from past experience that Jessica Mathers Vance would be at her desk fairly early most days, and she’d be the one to speak to about some kind of gift for the shelter to make in Liza Montgomery’s name. Although what Liza hadn’t already given the shelter, Holly couldn’t imagine. In the time that Holly had volunteered there, an anonymous benefactor had donated quite a bit over the years, and a few months ago the mayor’s wife had quietly revealed herself to be that benefactor.

      Still, it was good of Jake to actually realize how close the shelter was to his mother’s heart, and to know that doing something for Galilee would make her happier than some more traditional Christmas present. Holly sighed. Her boss was thoughtful in many ways when he put his mind to it. The shame was that he didn’t put his mind to it very often. When he had time to spend outside the office, he spent it socializing with a variety of lovely young ladies like Zoe.

      Of course, she reflected, Jake was free to spend his time any way he liked. She just wished he didn’t seem to like that empty party