Free A Winter Sabbatical (Books We Love holiday romance) by Cheryl Wright

smile.
    “I’ll put on the jug.” Marissa disappeared
into the kitchen, dropping Jonah on a chair as she went.

 
    A fool. He probably thought her a fool, standing staring out the window at
this hour of the morning.
    Of course he hadn’t said as much. But,
Travis wouldn’t, would he?
    She reached up and pulled two mugs out of
the cupboard, and heard a low “meeoooow” behind her. Jonah must have followed
her.
    Marissa rifled through the cupboards trying
to find tea. Coffee would never do at this hour. Sleep was elusive enough,
without giving it a helping hand. Travis would probably feel the same.
    As she poured the boiling water over the
teabags, Jonah rubbed his soft fur against Marissa’s bare leg. It felt good,
nice, and it was comforting.
    She had at least discovered something
tonight. It wasn’t her bed that was the problem. It was beds in general.
    Travis must have thought she’d taken leave
of her senses when she wouldn’t climb in. He must have carried her in after the
movie; she couldn’t remember going to bed at all.
    Marissa spooned sugar into the cups, then added the milk. She heard a sound behind her, and
turned.
    Travis stood casually in the doorway,
watching her every movement. He looked eerie standing there, with the moonlight
behind him; almost like an angel with a halo.
    Angel? Not likely. He’d proven last night
he was no angel. Not when it came to making love on that rug, anyway. The rug
she’d never be able to look at again, without her mind churning back to that
night, and what they’d done.
    The spoon hit the sides of the mug, making
a tinkling noise. It echoed through the kitchen, and probably through the
house. Every miniscule sound was noticeable; the ticking clock, the water
dripping from the kitchen tap, leaves brushing against the kitchen window.
    Travis helped himself to a mug, and Marissa
followed him out into the lounge room.
    She’d opened the drapes when she’d gotten
up. Travis had a marvelous view looking out over the rolling hills, across the
countryside. Trees as far as the eye could see, fences from adjoining properties,
animals such as cows and sheep, and across the skyline, birds flew, squawking
as they went.
    The full moon was brilliant, and Marissa
found it hypnotizing. She would sometimes watch it for hours. When she couldn’t
sleep, which was nearly always.
    “Do you want to talk about it?” Travis
looked at her over the rim of his mug.
    “No,” she said, noticing the sexy tussle of
his hair. And that bare chest wasn’t bad either. She slowly sipped her tea.
    “When?”
    “When what?” She stared out at the moon.
Maybe if she didn’t look at him, he’d leave her alone.
    “When are we going to talk about it?” He
sat his drink on the side table. “About what’s bothering you?”
    Distracted, Marissa took a large gulp of
tea, and nearly choked on it.
    Travis came closer, patting her back.
Almost like burping a baby.
    She waved a dismissive hand at him, again. “Probably never. It’s not something I want to talk about.”
He looked straight into her eyes, as though he was trying to read them. Or read
past them, into her brain, or worse still, her soul.
    She stood, taking her drink with her, and
walked over to the open window. Light splayed from below the horizon; the sun
was beginning to rise. Marissa loved this time of day. It was... indescribable.
    Travis stood behind her, wrapping his arms around
her slender body. Where had he come from? She hadn’t heard him move.
    Marissa leaned back, relaxing against him.
They stood together in silence, watching the sunrise.

 
    ***

 
    “I’m sorry, Dan. I know it’s the middle of
the night over there.”
    Marissa had long gone. She’d insisted he
take her home, right after breakfast. Too much work to do, she’d said. Can’t stay.
      “I
thought we were mates?” He was getting frustrated. What was the use of ringing
Daniel, if he wouldn’t tell him what he needed to know? “Yeah, yeah;