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

was to know she
was safe.
    Realizing this was getting him nowhere,
Travis started back toward the car. As he rounded the corner, something caught
his eye – a tiny slither of light. He stared at the window. The curtains were
drawn back, as he would have expected.
    Marissa stood at the window, staring into
the darkness.

 
    ***

 
    She hadn’t seen him arrive, and was
startled to see Travis standing outside the window, watching her.
    How long had he been standing there? – A
few seconds, minutes, or longer?
    What would he think when she told him, she
wondered. He’d probably be hurt. She would, if she were in his position.
    The expected knock was longer coming than
Marissa had anticipated. At least it seemed that way. She stood in readiness to
open the door, but it was as though her muscles had all locked up and she
couldn’t move.
    “Marissa – let me in.” She heard his
muffled voice, even through the heavy door. She didn’t answer, and he called
again. “I know you’re there. Please ,
let me in – we need to talk.”
    There
he goes again, wanting to talk. Always wanting to talk. Marissa sighed. She’d better let him in; he might
try to break the door down otherwise. But in her own mind, Marissa knew Travis would never do that.
    They stood staring at each other for what
seemed a lifetime, until Travis reached up and gently touched her cheek with
the back of his hand.
    Marissa shuddered. It wasn’t supposed to be
like this.
    “When did you get back?” He seemed
disappointed more than angry or annoyed, and looked terribly tired. As though he hadn’t slept for days.
    “I didn’t.” He was confused now, she could see it in his expression. It was a stupid
thing to say, given the circumstances. “I didn’t go, after all.”
    She heard his indrawn breath at her
statement. “You’d better come in.”

 
    Travis slumped onto the sofa. Didn’t go? She didn’t go? He’d been
worried sick, and she didn’t go?
    The room was in darkness; the little light
there was, coming from the kitchen and the moonlight.
    Marissa hovered over him. “Cup of tea?”
    “Forget the tea. What’s going on?” Now he was annoyed. She glared at him. That was cool, Johnston. Real cool. Now you’ve got her back up.
    “I’m having one, whether you do or not.”
That was that – she turned her back on him and walked out.
    Travis went over to the window where
Marissa had been standing earlier, and stared out for what seemed an eternity.
“What secrets do you hold?” he eventually whispered to the moonlit sky, hoping
to find the answers to all his problems. One in particular.
    “Did you say something?” He turned to find
Marissa behind him, holding two steaming cups of liquid in her hands.
    “Just thinking aloud.”
    Handing him a cup, Marissa joined him at
the window. “I guess I owe you an explanation.” Travis shrugged his shoulders.
More than likely he wouldn’t get one anyway. “I needed time to think. About us.” Marissa stared up into his face. Her eyes pleaded
with him. Her heart reached out to him.
    “Marissa,” his fingers traced the outline
of her lips. The lips he wanted to kiss. But Marissa wanted to talk, so talk
they would. After all, isn’t that what he’d been trying to get her to do since
they’d met?
    She reached up and held his fingers, then
removed them from her lips. He watched in the moonlight as her anguished eyes
glittered. “I did have an assignment, and I was going.” See, he told himself –
there was an explanation. “I pulled out at the last minute.”
    “Why didn’t you call and tell me?” He was
hurt. Why would she do this to him? After what they’d been to each other?
    “I told you – I needed time to think. I
needed some space.” Marissa studied the floor. Travis lifted her face with his
fingers until she looked him in the eye. “I’ve already hurt you.” Her voice was
low now. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
    He didn’t speak, didn’t interrupt her.