Free Marrying Kate by Kimberly Rae Jordan Page B

alarm was set properly before heading up to bed.
    The house was quiet so he knew that Kate had gone up already. As he climbed the stairs he wondered if he’d find her in the master suite or if she’d be in the guest room. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d moved none of her own things into the large walk-in closet in the master suite. They were still on shaky ground, feeling their way along. Jared hoped it wouldn’t be that way forever. He felt comfortable with Kate. She had a calming effect on him and the kids , and he was grateful for that.
    Jared pushed open the door to the suite and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the lump under the bedcovers. She had decided to stay in their bed.
    Walking s ilently across the carpet, Jared approached the bed and stared down at her. Her dark lashes fanned out across pale skin and her hair was braided, not loose like she’d left it the past couple of nights. She looked peaceful as she slept, barely taking up a quarter of the big bed. Jared hoped she’d gain a little weight. It worried him that she was so thin and fragile looking.
    Kate shifted slightly in her sleep , and Jared turned away, not wanting to be caught staring if she opened those big gray eyes of hers. He changed into a pair of sweats and crawled into his side of the bed and extinguished the light. The room plunged into darkness, lightened only barely by the moonlight that peeked through the spaces in the vertical blinds.
    Jared lay on his back for a while, his thoughts still a jumble. No matter what else happened, he needed to protect his family. They were depending on him now, Kate and the kids. He couldn’t fail them.
    "Jared?" Kate’s voice, husky with sleepiness reached out to him in the darkness.
    "I’m right here." Jared stretched out his hand and touched her shoulder. She rolled over and moved a little closer.
    "I tried to wait up for you."
    "I appreciate that, Katie. But I know you’re tired, go back to sleep."
    "Okay." Her words were muffled and when silence fell over the room Jared thought she’d gone to sleep again. "Jared?"
    "What?" They spoke to each other in hushed tones though there was little chance the kids could have overheard them.
    "I’m cold."
    "It is a little chilly. Did you want me to turn up the heat?"
    Jared sat up and was preparing to stand when she answered him, her voice drowsy and soft. "No, just hold me, if you don’t mind. You’re nice and warm."
    Jared grinned sure that she must be half asleep to have made a request like that. Except for that first night, she had never initiated physical contact between them. He was glad that she did tonight.
    He settled back into the bed and reached for Kate. She willingly came into his embrace, tucking her head under his chin. His arm lay under her, but she hardly pressed down on him at all and Jared could feel the frailness of her even through the bulky sweats and sweatshirt she wore. He definitely had to protect her. She was too fragile to do it for herself.
    Jared drifted off to sleep, content with the warmth of Kate by his side and the scent of her filling his head.
    *****
    When he woke the next morning, it was to find the bed empty once again. The room was still quite dark and the luminous numbers on the clock said it was barely six o’clock. For someone who usually woke at the slightest movement, it surprised Jared that Kate’s leaving never roused him.
    Since he was already wide awake, his body finally getting back into its natural rhythm of early rising, Jared got out of bed. He didn’t bother with a robe or T-shirt as he went in search of his wife. A quick peek in the guest room revealed she wasn’t there so he went downstairs. There was a light coming from the kitchen and the scent of coffee tantalized him.
    He spotted Kate sitting in the breakfast nook, her Bible open on the table in front of her. She sat staring out the window, a mug of coffee cupped between her hands. He approached on silent feet.
    "Are you