Please Come Home for Christmas by Lenora Worth

Author:Lenora Worth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Matt folded his arms and turned back toward the fire, staring mindlessly at the bubbling chili pot, the sound of its clanking lid creating a musical rhythm. Eventually, Sophie scooted back over to his side and laid her head on his shoulder.

“So, are you looking for a job?” she asked.

Oh, boy, this was one conversation he had hoped to avoid. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he wasn’t quite sure whether omission measured up to an out-and-out lie.

“I thought I’d wait until after the first of the year to make a decision,” he said finally.

“Does that mean you have more than one offer?”

He paused before answering her. “Sort of.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Either you do or you don’t.”

Matt sat up straight and put his arm around Sophie, pulling her against him. “I thought I’d made a decision . . . until you came home. Jo-Jo said you were staying in Nashville for Christmas.”

“What have I got to do with it?”

Aunt Sarah laid down her knitting without looking at either one of them. “I think I’ll go crawl up under a bunch of quilts and take a nap in my room.”

“Won’t it be too cold for you away from the fire?” Sophie asked.

Aunt Sarah waved back over her shoulder as she left. “I’ll be fine. I just need a little catnap. You two have a lot to talk about, and you don’t need my two cents thrown in.”

With that, she disappeared down the hall toward the bedrooms, and Matt glanced at Sophie’s quizzical expression.

“What’s going on?” she asked, straightening. “And don’t you lie to me, Matthew Weatherly.”

“I’d never lie to you, Peanut,” he said in a soft voice. “It’s just I never thought we’d reconnect. It’s like time has stood still since I saw you last.”

She smiled, her cheeks pink in the glow of the fire. He caressed her face with the back of his hand. “Your ponytail is crooked.”

Sophie inched away from him. “Okay, I know when you’re stalling.”

He sighed. “I haven’t signed the papers yet—”

“What papers?”

“When I thought you weren’t coming home, I talked to a Marine recruiter about the benefits of re-enlisting now that I’m an RN.”

She shot to her feet, her hands fisted at her sides. “You can’t be serious!”

Now he’d done it. Why couldn’t he have waited to find out how she felt about him before he opened his big mouth?

“I was . . . till I laid eyes on you when I rescued you from that ditch. The signing bonus is generous, and with my degree now I’m eligible for officer training school.”

“The Marines? You’d actually re-enlist in the military? After all this family’s been through? I thought you loved it here. I thought—” She turned away from him, crossed her arms, and stared into the fire.

“You thought what?” Matt stood and put his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. She was wound tighter than a spring.

“Nothing,” she said flatly.

He turned her around, but she wouldn’t look at him. “I know this is fast, Soph, but I need to make a decision about my future.

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