Snowbound with the Bodyguard & The Cowboy's Secret Twins by Carla Cassidy

Author:Carla Cassidy
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460383537
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Dalton opened his apartment door, stepped inside and drew in a deep, weary breath. She was gone. All trace of her and Sammy were gone except the faint scent of honeysuckle that lingered in the air.

The silence felt odd, but he knew eventually it would feel familiar and safe. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it in the closet, then eased down in his chair and stared around the room.

The painter he’d hired hadn’t even begun the job yet. The walls didn’t really need to be painted, but Dalton wouldn’t cancel the job. Maybe the smell of fresh paint would remove the last trace of her scent from the apartment.

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, fighting against the emotion that pressed tight in his chest. He’d done the right thing. He knew how these things worked. He’d learned the hard way by his experience with Mary. He didn’t believe in repeating past mistakes.

Janette would move on, build a life and realize that what she’d really felt for him was nothing more than gratitude. However, he wasn’t confused about his feelings for her. He loved her. His feelings for Janette were far deeper, far more profound than anything he’d felt for Mary.

A solitary life. That’s what he’d believed he wanted, but now he realized how selfish he’d become. He’d guarded himself from not only women and dating, but also from his family and life.

For the first time he thought about all the reasons he’d distanced himself from his family, and for the first time he realized the answer.

His brothers had all found love. They’d found the special women with whom they would spend the rest of their lives and build happy families. He’d been glad for their happiness, but their happiness had pointed out the utter emptiness of his own life.

He needed to go into the office. He needed to do something, anything to get away from his own thoughts. He’d have one more cup of coffee then head to the West Protective Services office and spend the rest of the day there taking care of boring paperwork.

As he entered the kitchen and headed for the coffeepot his gaze fell on the bowl in the sink. It was half-full of rice cereal, and the sight of it convulsed his heart so hard, so unexpectedly, it brought tears to his eyes.

Janette wasn’t the only one he’d fallen in love with. Sammy had stolen his heart the first time he’d grinned at Dalton and cooed.

“I did the right thing,” Dalton said aloud, but his voice lacked conviction. He just didn’t understand how doing the right thing could feel so terribly wrong.

* * *

“You look peaked.” Nana stared at Janette closely as she stepped into the motel room. “You aren’t getting sick, are you?”

“No, I’m not getting sick,” Janette replied. Definitely heartsick, but that didn’t count. She gave her grandmother a fierce hug. Nana dropped her small overnight bag on the floor and beelined to Sammy, who had awakened and had somehow found his own toes with his hands.

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