Keeping Guard by Valerie Hansen

Author:Valerie Hansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-10-05T18:32:17+00:00

* * *

Daniella was sitting on the front porch, wearing a quilt like a shawl and waiting for Isaac, when he finally got home.

Parking, he let Abby loose and plodded wearily up the steps. “Do you know what time it is?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s after two a.m. If you’d let me come with you we could have had our little talk on the drive home.”

“Can’t it wait until morning? I’m beat.”

She laughed lightly. “It is morning.”

“So it is. Okay. Got room for me on that swing?”

“I’ll make room.” She patted the slatted bench next to her. “This shouldn’t take long, unless you make the mistake of arguing with me.”

“You know I’d never do that.” He was sending a look at her that was half scowl, half smile. “You’re not getting up the courage to tell me you’ve changed your mind again and are leaving, are you?”

“Don’t bother putting on that hurt expression. You won’t need it. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just nervous.”

“Why should you be afraid? Your sworn enemy is dead, Leon Ridge is in jail, there’s a warrant out for Jeffries and the case against him is coming together. We’ll have him in no time.”

“I’m not concerned about criminals. Your unit and the other cops can worry about them. From now on I’m staying out of it.”

“So...?”

She laid her fingertips over his lips, ostensibly to silence him, and he kissed them instead.

“Stop distracting me.”

“Why? You keep distracting me.”

Daniella blew a noisy sigh. “I want to talk about the future—our future.”

“Ours?”

She laughed again, her cheeks blooming in the dimness of the single porch light. “You shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve done everything I can think of except come right out and ask you if you love me.”

“Of course I love you!” Watching tears glimmering in her emerald eyes, Isaac couldn’t decide whether to kiss her into silence or let her keep talking.

He was about to choose the kiss when Daniella began to whisk away sparse tears.

“Okay,” she said, sniffling and smiling. “So when are you going to tell me what you plan to do about it?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Uh-uh. No fair. If I have to tell you that I want you to sweep me off my feet and ask me to marry you, it won’t be as romantic.”

Stunned by both her boldness and the way her ideas had meshed so perfectly with his, Isaac laughed. “Suppose I surprise you one day soon with a ring? Will that do?”

“It might, if you don’t wait too long.”

“I’ll do my best,” he said, sobering. “I’ll always do my best for you, honey. You know that, don’t you?”

She reached up and cupped his cheek.

Isaac placed his hand over hers, then drew it down to kiss her palm. There would never be a dull day married to this extraordinary woman, he realized, counting his blessings again and again. And he would guard his life for her sake as well as his own.

“I think your sister was right when she said the Lord brought us together,” Daniella whispered.

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