Free Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe by Cassie Miles

was to comfort her, but another urge rose up within him. He wanted to caress her, to pull her toward him and feel her slender bodypressed against him. From the first moment he saw her, he’d been drawn to her quiet beauty. He liked her spirit, her warmth, even the anger that hinted at a deeper passion.
    Only one thing held him back. He couldn’t help thinking of her as another man’s wife. She’d never stopped loving her husband.
    She lifted her head and looked at him with tired gray eyes. “It’s been a long day.”
    Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand from her shoulder. “Very long.”
    â€œYou must be exhausted.”
    â€œHell, no. I slept for three days in the hospital. I’m fine.” Not exactly true. He’d been taking pain meds, and his body was sore. He was worried about how he’d stay awake tonight to keep watch. “Tell me something. If I’d given you my gun, would you have shot him?”
    She grinned and pushed the curtain of hair away from her face. “I wanted to. But I don’t think I could have pulled the trigger. It would probably upset Abby if I killed her stepbrother.”
    â€œProbably.”
    â€œBy the way, thank you for giving her that turquoise stone. She loves it. And now you’re on her Christmas list.”
    â€œI don’t need a present.”
    â€œMaking Christmas presents is as much fun for her as giving them. She’s sculpting little clay figures that we fire in the kiln. A lot of them are ponies.”
    Her mention of Christmas reminded him of a possibility that would ensure her safety more effectively than having him here as a bodyguard. She could go home. “Do you have family nearby?”
    â€œMy parents are archeologists. A couple of months ago,they rented out their house in California and went to a dig site in Peru.”
    â€œYou have no one you could stay with until the threat of danger passes?”
    â€œThere’s Wyatt’s family. They all adore Abby, and most of them aren’t as obnoxious as Clinton. But I wouldn’t be a welcome guest.” She tossed her head. “I’d rather stay here. We’re safe. Aren’t we?”
    He wished that he could reassure her, but he wouldn’t soon forget the ravaged corpse in her front yard. “I can’t guarantee it. Not while Richter is still at large.”
    A series of emotions played across her face. A frightened twitch. A worried frown. Her gaze flicked upward as if searching for an answer. She was one of the most open people he’d ever known, utterly without guile.
    Her jaw set. She showed determination. “We’d better figure out this puzzle and get Richter arrested.”
    He turned the computer screen toward her. “You can read Burke’s case file.”
    With a gesture that managed to convey exhaustion and disgust, she waved the laptop away. Her hands were nearly as expressive as her face. “I’m too tired to read. You can tell me the important points.”
    With a nod, he started at the beginning. “Nicole was kidnapped by Richter and Logan and taken to the Circle M. When Burke interviewed Logan, he learned that Logan—the leader of the SOF survivalists—sent Nicole away with Richter and Thurgood for safekeeping.”
    â€œHe told Burke that?”
    â€œLogan is in custody and talking his head off, hoping to make a deal. He says that after Richter and Thurgood took Nicole, he never saw her again.”
    â€œDoes Burke believe him?”
    â€œThere’s no evidence that shows Richter and Thurgood returned to the Circle M. But Nicole herself gave them the clue that she was there.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œProof of life,” Jesse said. “Standard operating procedure in kidnap cases is to demand proof that the victim is still alive. Here’s the first photo of Nicole.”
    On the computer screen, he pulled up a still picture of Nicole with a newspaper