Christmas Undercover. Hope White

side of the bed. He bit back a groan against the pain of bruised ribs as he stretched out on the floor next to her.

      “Could you do me a favor and stay in one position so I don’t have to get up and down again?” he teased.

      “I’m sorry.”

      “It’s not that bad. But the ribs are a little sore.”

      “I meant, I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.”

      “Sara, it’s not your fault.”

      “Yes, it really is.”

      Silence stretched between them, punctuated by the sound of the crackling fire. Will sensed there was more behind her words, but he wasn’t going to challenge her. He tried another strategy.

      “Thank you,” he said.

      “For what?”

      “For saving my life out there.”

      “You saved mine first.” She extended her hand again and he grasped it. Unfortunately it was still ice cold.

      “Do you want to sit by the fire to warm up?” he offered.

      “Maybe later.”

      He sensed she was still frightened and probably felt vulnerable. But the more he knew about her situation, the better he could help her.

      “Are you up to talking about what’s going on?” he asked.

      “Sure.”

      “Men are after you because you witnessed a murder?”

      “Yes. They want to know what I saw, and what I heard.”

      “Did you hear anything?”

      “Yes.”

      He waited.

      “I shouldn’t involve you further,” she said.

      “How can I help you if I don’t know what’s going on?”

      “I would never forgive myself if you, or your girls, were threatened because of your association with me,” she said.

      She was a strong, determined woman, and an honorable one, as well. He couldn’t fault her for that.

      She yawned and pulled the blanket tight around her shoulder. She hadn’t coughed in the past few hours, so he felt hopeful she wouldn’t come down with pneumonia.

      “Perhaps we should sleep,” he suggested. “To be fresh for tomorrow. We’ll need to hike a bit to find a cell signal.”

      “Okay, sleep sounds...good.” She yawned again.

      Although he knew sleep would help him function tomorrow, he doubted he could relax enough to drift off. He decided to brainstorm the necessary steps to get them safely back to town.

      As options whirled in his brain, exhaustion took hold, making his mind wander to other things like his girls, his latest work assignment, Megan’s death and the gray cloud of grief that hung over his house for so many months afterward. Could he have done something differently to help his girls adjust? No, ruminating about the past wouldn’t help him raise his girls with love and compassion.

      Sara squeaked and squeezed his hand. She must have fallen asleep. Will focused on the feel of her cool skin clinging to him, and decided he’d been given another chance to help someone.

      And he wasn’t going to blow it this time.

      * * *

      When Sara awoke, it took her a minute to figure out where she was, and whose hand she clung to.

      Will.

      Embarrassed, she considered pulling abruptly away, but didn’t. She wanted another moment of peace, and it felt so comforting to be holding on to him.

      He slept on his back, breathing slow and steady. She envied him for such a peaceful sleep. Since childhood she’d struggled with nightmares that often left her feeling exhausted in the morning.

      With a sigh, he blinked open his eyes as if he knew she was watching him. He turned his head toward her.

      “Good morning,” he said, his voice hoarse.

      “Good morning.”

      “Did you sleep okay?”

      It was then that she realized she hadn’t been plagued by nightmares. “Yeah, actually, I did.”

      “Good.” He eyed his watch. “It’s eight. We must have needed the sleep.” He stood and offered his hand.

      “I’m good,” she said.

      “Want me to make coffee?”

      “That would be great.” Sara climbed out from beneath the bed and stretched. “Uhh,” she moaned. Her body ached from her fingertips to her toes.

      “Hey, easy there.” He went to her, touching her arm to help her sit in the chair.

      “I’m okay, just sore.” She looked up into his eyes. “Coffee will make it better.”

      “You got it.”

      A sudden pounding on the door made her gasp.