Christmas Bodyguard by Margaret Daley

Author:Margaret Daley
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2010-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

“That’s it for today. You all did great.” Spread out before Elizabeth in the exercise room were five teenage girls from the cheerleading squad and Abbey. Sweat beaded Elizabeth’s forehead, and she took the towel slung around her neck to wipe it away. “Any questions?”

“When can we do this again?” Lily, breathing hard, brushed her long brown hair away from her face.

“Yeah,” several of the girls chimed in.

Elizabeth peered at Abbey. “That’s your call.”

“I’ve got play practice after school all next week. How about next Sunday afternoon after the play is over with?”

“And in the meantime, you all can practice the moves I taught you.”

“I’m just glad to know what I can do if someone attacks me.” Lily ambled to her bag and picked up her bottled water next to it, then took a swig.

“Me, too,” Lindsay added, getting her drink.

“How many want to go riding?” Abbey asked, avoiding eye contact with Elizabeth.

Three of the girls declined because of other commitments, but Lindsay and Lily wanted to.

After the three teens grabbed their gear and left, Elizabeth pulled Abbey to the side. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not? Your uncle has finished making this place like a prison. Guards are everywhere on the ranch. No one is expecting us to go riding. It wasn’t planned. So what can go wrong? Today is beautiful, and I need to be outside in the fresh air.”

For a few seconds her brave front fell, and Elizabeth glimpsed a scared, vulnerable young woman. “We need to run this by your dad.”

“Please make him understand I need this. I haven’t been out this whole holiday weekend, except to ride in the training ring. I didn’t even go to church this morning. I want at least a little of my life back.”

The plea in her voice hammered at Elizabeth. She knew how hard all of this was for Abbey. “School is tomorrow. You’ll be going there and to play practice afterwards.”

“Please talk to him about letting us ride today. We don’t have to be gone long.”

“Okay, I’ll talk with him.”

Elizabeth headed to the door. She knew how hard it was for someone to stay inside a house for days and days, especially a teenager who was used to doing a lot of activities. That was one of the reasons Joshua had expanded out from the house to secure the ranch as much as possible.

She found Slade on the couch in the den, reading some reports. She paused in the doorway, noting the tiny furrows between his eyebrows as he concentrated on what he was going over. His mouth formed a neutral slash. He jotted something down on the paper before him, then looked up.

His gray eyes brightened. “How was the tae kwon do lesson?”

“Productive.”

“Good. I liked your suggestion to teach Abbey and her girlfriends how to protect themselves. The more she knows, the better this dad is going to feel even after the scumbag threatening us is caught.”

Elizabeth crossed the den and sat in a chair near Slade.

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