Trained To Defend. Christy Barritt

him every month, asking when he wanted to come work for him. But Colton had refused. He’d know when the time was right to go back—if he ever did go back.

      Despite all of that, sometimes he wished he could turn back time and go back to those days when his life had seemed so full. Back when he’d had someone to share his sorrows and joys. When his dreams of having a family had seemed close enough to touch.

      There was no use dwelling on all of that now. He had other more pressing concerns to think about. The first thing he wanted to do right now was move Sarah’s car out of sight—just in case.

      He grabbed Sarah’s car keys—she’d left them on the table—and then went outside and climbed into her sedan.

      Colton cranked the engine and slowly pulled around to the back of his cabin.

      As he did, he glanced around. This car was old. It was the one Sarah had back when they’d been engaged. And it had been unreliable then.

      In fact, Colton was surprised the vehicle had even made it this far. It was probably fifteen years old, one of the seats was ripped and the engine made a puttering sound.

      Colton put the car into Park and shook his head. Just what had happened with Sarah in the past two years?

      His jaw tightened. It wasn’t important. That wasn’t his business. Nor was what kind of car Sarah was driving or what kind of condition it was in.

      As he took the keys out of the ignition, he glanced on the floor and saw a bag there. It seemed out of place in the vehicle. The leather looked expensive and new.

      Colton started to reach for it and then stopped himself.

      No, he wouldn’t look inside. That was too intrusive. But his curiosity was sparked.

      He glanced down at it one more time and saw a tag on the side labeling the bag as Buzz’s. This must be dog supplies.

      At that thought, he unzipped it, checking to see if there were items inside that he needed to take into his house for Buzz.

      Instead, he saw money.

      A lot of money.

      Carefully, he prodded the bag open more. His eyes widened.

      Just by looking, Colton would guess there was at least fifty thousand dollars there.

      Where had Sarah gotten that money? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

      Had she gotten in with the wrong crowd? Had she done something illegal?

      Colton didn’t like the conclusions that his mind started to form.

      But he needed to be more cautious now than ever.

       FOUR

      Colton climbed out of Sarah’s car, locked the doors and went back inside the house. He wandered into the kitchen and pulled out what food he had in his refrigerator. Maybe something to eat would help them sort out the situation.

      He put some water on to boil for rice and found a can of gravy. This would work as dog food until he could get something else.

      A few minutes later, Colton heard the water stop and the bathroom door open. The clothes disappeared from the hallway.

      Colton’s pulse pounded at the thought of talking to Sarah again. It had been so long, and there was so much he wanted to say to her, to ask her. But he needed to keep himself in check. The last thing he wanted was to get hurt again.

      Buzz lay at his feet, keeping a watchful eye on the house. “Long night, huh, buddy?”

      The dog stared back at him, seeming to take everything in.

      “Your food is almost ready,” Colton continued. “Maybe you could use something in your stomach too.”

      Buzz raised his nose to the air and sniffed his approval.

      Just then, Sarah emerged from the hallway, her hair wet and her skin flushed. Yet she looked adorable. She always did.

      “Thank you for the clothes… I can’t believe you kept them.” She stopped at the kitchen counter, looking a touch self-conscious.

      “I meant to get rid of them. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.”

      “I guess so.”

      Colton nodded toward the kitchen table. “Look, why don’t you sit down? I’ll fix some breakfast.”

      Her lips twisted down in an adorable half frown that Colton often thought about. It wasn’t just that expression. He often thought about Sarah. He thought about her too much, for that matter.

      He knew he needed to move on—to find someone who’d be more committed to him than a career. But there was no one else like Sarah. Despite that, she was off-limits.

      “If you don’t mind, then that sounds good. Thank you.” She glanced around. “This place looks really great, by the way. It’s rustic, but it’s got a bit of style to it. Did you make this live-edge table yourself?”

      He nodded and began scrambling some eggs in a bowl. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

      He liked working with his hands. It was quiet work that helped him to sort out his thoughts. He had a barn out back that he used as a workshop. He’d thought on more than one occasion about how much Sarah would enjoy a space like that to paint. The view of the mountains out the back was amazing.

      As he poured the eggs into a sizzling pan, the timer went off. The rice was ready. He put the food in a bowl and waited for it to cool.

      Buzz scooted a little closer, and Colton smiled, tossing down a small piece of egg for the dog to eat. A few minutes later, the omelets were finished, and Colton set the plates on the table so they could eat.

      “Green onions, cheese and ham,” he said. “Is that still good?”

      He was rewarded with a smile.

      “It’s perfect,” Sarah said. “Thank you.”

      He placed a bowl of rice and gravy on the floor for Buzz and then sat down. “So, how did you meet this Loretta woman?”

      Sarah forced herself to swallow a bite of her breakfast, not hungry but trying to eat anyway. “It’s kind of a strange story. I was actually participating in an art show in Spokane. It was outdoors. I saw Buzz near my booth. He’d stepped on something. I went over to help him and found a rock had gotten lodged in his paw.”

      “Poor guy.”

      Sarah flashed a bittersweet smile at the dog. “Yeah, he wasn’t feeling too great. I decided to wait with him until his owner came back. Loretta showed up. Apparently, Buzz had gotten away from her. She was in her wheelchair and had attempted to take him out to the show. She offered me some money for my trouble. I told her I couldn’t accept anything. She ended up coming over to my booth and purchasing a painting instead. She talked to me a little about my work, and genuinely seemed to like it.”

      “How did that lead to a job?”

      Sarah put her fork down. “At that point, she knew my name and even my number—I’d given her my business card. She called me two months later and offered me a job as Buzz’s caretaker, as well as part-time personal assistant. She said the job would still allow me time to work on my art. It was like an answer to prayer.”

      “It sounds like it.”

      “It wasn’t always easy. Not at all. Loretta wasn’t the easiest to get along with. But I really respected the work she was doing in the medical community, and it was an honor to work for her. She was a medical researcher, and she developed a drug to help people with arthritis.”

      “That’s great, Sarah.”

      She picked up her fork again but looked uncertain. “I know