Conard County--Christmas Bodyguard by Rachel Lee

Author:Rachel Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-09-13T18:31:21+00:00

* * *

HALE WATCHED HER sleep for a while, thinking she looked like an angel, then grabbed another purchase out of the bottom of one of the bags.

An hour later, when he emerged from the bathroom amid steam from his long, hot shower, he was clean-shaven. He always wore a beard, whether short or long, but the times called for looking very different. He supposed Allie would be shocked.

He felt a flicker of amusement over her imagined response. Time to stop looking like Jim Bridger.

* * *

WHEN ALLIE WOKE, the early winter night had fallen. Then she saw Hale sitting in the chair by the window, reading the atlas in the light of a lamp.

Was that Hale? She rubbed her eyes. “Hale, what happened?”

He looked up from the atlas. “Face met razor. Razor won.”

My God, he was handsome. She’d guessed it, but now that she could see his square jaw and get a real look at his mouth, she no longer had to imagine.

“Changing your appearance?” she guessed.

“My best friend wouldn’t recognize me right now. Beards are a great way to change your appearance but removing one can have the same effect after a period of time. Are you shocked?”

“I kinda like the way you look now.”

He returned to his atlas without replying. Either he didn’t care what she thought, which was highly likely, or after his burst of caring last night he was returning to his monolith persona.

She rose, feeling grimy after sleeping in her clothes. “How long before we have to go?”

“Long enough for you to take a shower if you want.”

She took him up on it and returned wearing her last fresh change of clothes. She felt remarkably better.

Then even better when she saw he’d broken out the hummus and the pita chips. Plastic knives decorated the paper plates.

“Eat a little,” he suggested. “It’s going to be a long night.”

She didn’t doubt it. When Hale got behind the wheel, there was almost no stopping him. He still occupied the lone chair, so she perched on the foot of the bed facing him. He pulled the small table over between them with its passengers of plates and food.

“There’s still a bit of fruit left if you want it, and a banana or two.”

She smiled, putting some chips and hummus on her plate. “Unless you want them, I’ll save them for later.”

She was still getting used to his new look. The absence of a beard made him so attractive. Not “pretty” attractive. Not the look of some Hollywood heartthrob, but attractive in a harder way.

And he still struck her as dangerous. Which he probably was, but she hoped never to see that side of him. She hoped they got through this somehow without violence, but the way he’d spoken a few times warned her that it was not going to be that easy, especially from the men who were following them.

It wasn’t long before they were on the road again, sunshine bright from a blue sky, sparkling off the snow that seemed to be growing deeper on either side of the road.

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