though her whole body was still trembling.
“No, you’re not.”
He carried her to the front door and wouldn’t set her down until they were inside. The lights came on after he fumbled with the switches. He finally deposited her on the couch in the family room, and a part of her missed his warmth and the comfort when he stopped holding her. After gently tucking a purple throw around her, he turned on the Christmas tree and made her a fire.
“I’m calling Mac,” he told her, his hands tinged black from the newsprint he’d used to make the fire.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” she told him, even though she knew it was probably a good idea. She didn’t want to be alone, and with this incident hovering between them, she couldn’t bear to be alone with him .
He tapped his phone and put it to his ear. “Hey, Mac.”
She couldn’t hear what he said since he wandered away. Instead she burrowed under the throw and continued to take deep breaths.
When he came back into the room, he sat down on the loveseat beside the couch. “I’m sorry,” he said, swallowing thickly, meeting her eyes. “It’s my fault.”
The guilt between then hung in the air like a soupy fog.
“No, it’s not. It’s mine. Rhett…”
And she heard that inner voice again. Follow the star .
Her eyes tracked to the silver star on top of their family tree. It winked at her, seeming to radiate a luminous light from another place, a light that uncovered more truth in her heart.
“Don’t give up on me,” she found herself saying in a whisper, feeling as broken in body as she did in sprit.
He sank to his knees in front of her. “Never.”
When Mac arrived, he and Rhett conversed for a moment in the other room. Dustin nestled in close and wrapped his arm around her, worry written all over his still–changing face, now dotted with patches of stubble.
When Rhett returned, he walked over to the couch and stood there, shifting from one foot to the other. “You take care of yourself. Do you hear?”
She just nodded, watching as Mac slapped him on the back and he left, his head bowed as if in defeat.
Part of her wanted to call him back. But she didn’t.
And dammit if the reason wasn’t called Fear.
Chapter 6
F or the next ten days Abbie didn’t see much of Rhett, although he was frequently at the hotel playing poker or meeting with Nancy to discuss his party. Mac had told her Rhett wanted her to be surprised by the decorations, so she kept out of the ballroom as the staff set up on the day of the party. Mac and Dustin told her they would meet her there, so she changed into her costume alone in their family suite. And made sure she didn’t head down until thirty minutes after the party started.
As she checked her makeup in the mirror by the door, a part of her started to worry. What in the heck was he being so secretive about anyway? Because she knew there was something. Wasn’t the costume thing an indication that this would not be a normal holiday party? He wouldn’t have legions of poker babes dressed up as Santa’s helpers, would he? Well, after what he’d told her about giving them up, she doubted it.
Still…
When she finally left their suite and found her way to the ballroom—first using her inhaler preemptively to treat the asthma he often inspired—her mouth fell open at the scene before her.
He’d created a magical winter wonderland. Him. Rhett Butler Blaylock. White netting dotted with miniscule white lights rippled like waves from the high ceiling, creating a magical sense of intimacy. Giant soldiers straight out of The Nutcracker flanked a small stage at the front. The servers were all dressed in winter white uniforms dotted with a gold insignia of The Grand Mountain Hotel, carrying silver trays filled with an array of succulent hors d’oeuvres and frosted crystal glasses of champagne. The music drifted through the room like a gentle breeze. Was that from The Nutcracker, too? It sure sounded like it, and it
“No, you’re not.”
He carried her to the front door and wouldn’t set her down until they were inside. The lights came on after he fumbled with the switches. He finally deposited her on the couch in the family room, and a part of her missed his warmth and the comfort when he stopped holding her. After gently tucking a purple throw around her, he turned on the Christmas tree and made her a fire.
“I’m calling Mac,” he told her, his hands tinged black from the newsprint he’d used to make the fire.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” she told him, even though she knew it was probably a good idea. She didn’t want to be alone, and with this incident hovering between them, she couldn’t bear to be alone with him .
He tapped his phone and put it to his ear. “Hey, Mac.”
She couldn’t hear what he said since he wandered away. Instead she burrowed under the throw and continued to take deep breaths.
When he came back into the room, he sat down on the loveseat beside the couch. “I’m sorry,” he said, swallowing thickly, meeting her eyes. “It’s my fault.”
The guilt between then hung in the air like a soupy fog.
“No, it’s not. It’s mine. Rhett…”
And she heard that inner voice again. Follow the star .
Her eyes tracked to the silver star on top of their family tree. It winked at her, seeming to radiate a luminous light from another place, a light that uncovered more truth in her heart.
“Don’t give up on me,” she found herself saying in a whisper, feeling as broken in body as she did in sprit.
He sank to his knees in front of her. “Never.”
When Mac arrived, he and Rhett conversed for a moment in the other room. Dustin nestled in close and wrapped his arm around her, worry written all over his still–changing face, now dotted with patches of stubble.
When Rhett returned, he walked over to the couch and stood there, shifting from one foot to the other. “You take care of yourself. Do you hear?”
She just nodded, watching as Mac slapped him on the back and he left, his head bowed as if in defeat.
Part of her wanted to call him back. But she didn’t.
And dammit if the reason wasn’t called Fear.
Chapter 6
F or the next ten days Abbie didn’t see much of Rhett, although he was frequently at the hotel playing poker or meeting with Nancy to discuss his party. Mac had told her Rhett wanted her to be surprised by the decorations, so she kept out of the ballroom as the staff set up on the day of the party. Mac and Dustin told her they would meet her there, so she changed into her costume alone in their family suite. And made sure she didn’t head down until thirty minutes after the party started.
As she checked her makeup in the mirror by the door, a part of her started to worry. What in the heck was he being so secretive about anyway? Because she knew there was something. Wasn’t the costume thing an indication that this would not be a normal holiday party? He wouldn’t have legions of poker babes dressed up as Santa’s helpers, would he? Well, after what he’d told her about giving them up, she doubted it.
Still…
When she finally left their suite and found her way to the ballroom—first using her inhaler preemptively to treat the asthma he often inspired—her mouth fell open at the scene before her.
He’d created a magical winter wonderland. Him. Rhett Butler Blaylock. White netting dotted with miniscule white lights rippled like waves from the high ceiling, creating a magical sense of intimacy. Giant soldiers straight out of The Nutcracker flanked a small stage at the front. The servers were all dressed in winter white uniforms dotted with a gold insignia of The Grand Mountain Hotel, carrying silver trays filled with an array of succulent hors d’oeuvres and frosted crystal glasses of champagne. The music drifted through the room like a gentle breeze. Was that from The Nutcracker, too? It sure sounded like it, and it
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