Valiant Defender by Shirlee McCoy

Author:Shirlee McCoy [McCoy, Shirlee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2018-10-11T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

The sanctuary was silent when Justin walked into Canyon Christian Church. Not surprising. He was a half hour early, his dress shoes spit polished and squeaking as he walked to the front of the church and took a seat in a pew. He hadn’t slept well the last few nights, and he’d been up before dawn, following his Sunday morning routine, hoping that Boyd would make the mistake of coming after him. He was prepared for it, even praying for it, as he’d run his normal five-mile route and sat on the front porch with his coffee.

Daring Boyd.

Taunting him the way Boyd had taunted the team.

But, of course, Boyd hadn’t shown up, and Justin had finally given up and showered. During the months that Portia had been living with him, he’d gotten into the habit of making a hot breakfast before church. It was the one morning they were both free. No school. No work. No obligations other than to themselves.

With Portia gone, there’d been no reason to cook, and he’d found himself with a little too much time on his hands. The house was empty without Portia. No music drifting from her room. No muffled complaints as she picked through the clothes in her closet or attempted to style her hair.

He hadn’t realized how much those things had filled the house and made it into a home.

“I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep.” Gretchen’s voice echoed in the empty space, and Justin turned, surprised and pleased to see her walking up the aisle. She wore a dress. Light blue and soft looking, it clung to her slender curves and fell just past her knees. No high heels. No makeup. She was beautiful, and he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed before.

He’d seen her at church many times.

He’d seen her on base, wearing jeans and sweaters or running gear. Always with perfect skin and dark lashes and a half smile on her face, but all he’d noticed was Gretchen. The woman he worked with, partnered with, brainstormed with.

She wasn’t smiling now.

She looked tired and a little unsure. That surprised him. From the day she’d arrived on base, Gretchen had been confident and filled with energy. She threw herself into her work, never seeming to doubt her abilities.

She slid into the pew beside him, setting her Bible next to her hip.

“You miss Portia,” she said before he could offer a greeting.

“The house is too quiet without her.”

“I’m sure. I remember when I finally moved into my own place. It was difficult getting used to the silence. Even when it was just me and my parents at home, there’d been noise and people to fill the emptiness. They entertained a lot, and it always seemed like we had someone staying at our place. Then, suddenly, I was on my own, coming home to a house that no one was in, and it felt very empty and lonely,” she said as she tried to shrug out of her jacket. It caught on her bandaged arm, and he helped her, tugging gently until she was free.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.