Free Tender Vow by Sharlene MacLaren

comment about wishing you wouldn’t wake up in the morning, it got me all worked up. I’ve spent the better part of the last hour worrying about you—and breaking the speed limit because of it, I’ll have you know.”
    She shrugged and headed toward the stairs. He followed like a wounded pup. “I have no idea why I said that,” she said with a slight toss of her head. “It was stupid.”
    “Yeah, it was.”
    At the foot of the stairs, she bent to straighten a pair of shoes, as if that would fix everything else. Then she padded down the hall to the kitchen.
    “I understand your feeling desperate, Rachel,” he said, still following her, “but don’t say rash things unless you want people to knock down your door. Stuff like that tends to make a person a little crazy.” He leaned his body in the doorframe, every nerve alert as he watched her open the fridge and take out a bottle of grape juice. Relief surged through his veins. He couldn’t live another minute if something happened to her. “You will get through this, you know.”
    “What makes you the expert?” She opened a cupboard door and took out a drinking glass. “Care for some juice?”
    “No, thanks.” Her back to him, she unscrewed the lid and poured, then took a couple of good swallows before slowly swiveling her body to look at him. Her robe had seen better days, but it at least did a decent job of covering those parts he had no business looking at.
    “I’m no expert, Rachel, but I know how it feels to lose someone you love. We’re in this boat together, remember?”
    She studied the rim of her glass, running her finger along it but saying nothing. Her golden hair, still wet from her shower, hung in a muddled mess around her oval face.
    Suddenly, a notion came to him. “I have an idea,” he announced. “Go get dressed.”
    “What?” She lowered her glass a fraction and threw him a perturbed glance.
    “Just do it, okay?” He stepped forward to take her glass and set it on the counter. Then, he slowly pivoted her so that she faced the door and gave her a little push.
    “But, I don’t— It’s late. I need to get to bed, and, besides, my hair is wet.”
    “So, what’s the big deal? It’s not like you’ll be seeing anybody tonight, and you don’t have to get up early, do you?”
    “Not—exactly, but I just— What if I don’t feel like going anywhere? Jason, what kind of scheme are you cooking up? I’m not much in the mood for doing anything.”
    “Don’t be an old poop. This will be good for you, I promise. Now, hurry up before the clock strikes midnight and I turn into a pesky ogre.”
    “Pssh. Who said we had to wait till midnight for that?” she muttered as she shuffled toward the stairs. He grinned with satisfaction.

Chapter 6
    Five minutes later, Rachel was seated comfortably next to Jason in his Jeep. They backed out of her drive and headed west as a calming, gentle breeze blew in through the partially open windows, brushing her cheeks and ruffling her damp locks. The streets were quiet, save for some light traffic and a few folks out walking dogs. With the exception of several well-lit gas stations, every establishment they passed was dark: drugstores, office supply stores, a furniture and mattress store, and several other small businesses.
    They rode in silence until they came to the intersection at Lakeshore Drive and U.S. 15, where Jason made a right turn onto Lakeshore. “Are we going to the beach?” Rachel asked.
    He smiled, his eyes trained on the road. “You gotta admit, it’s the perfect night for it, and I haven’t been down here in ages.”
    They followed the Lake Michigan coastline, which led to the state park. Along the way, they passed restaurants, bars, novelty shops, and ice cream parlors, all hot spots at the peak of tourist season but now much quieter with the passing of Labor Day.
    Just past a playground area, Jason found a parking space facing the lake, pulled into it, and cut the engine. The