Her Hidden Falls Bodyguard Billionaire Cowboy - Taylor Hart Page 0,38
eyes. “Dear God, if you’re there …”
She hesitated, feeling like an idiot. But she remembered what her own mother had her do every night—kneel and pray. Her own mother had made her do that with her on the day she died: take her hand and pray.
“Look, I know things have been dicey the past couple of years. I know that. And I know that I haven’t always done the things I knew were right. I’m sorry about that.” She held her breath, thinking about her brother. “But I was angry about Brian. I was angry about Mom.” No longer could she force back the tears, and they dropped from her eyes. “And I was so alone.”
A warm, soft feeling sparked to life inside her chest. Goose bumps trailed down her arms. Here was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time—the feeling that God was listening.
She sniffed. “I’m sorry, and I’m grateful. Grateful that you kept me safe. Protected me. Led me to Hidden Falls. Led me to the Hardmans. I know I could have landed in a much worse place, and I want to thank you for that. And …” The emotion eased inside of her, and the warmth grew. “I want to thank you for Sean. Thank you for Sean, and thank you for helping me trust him, because he’s such a great man.”
Memories of the things he’d been to her, the things he’d done for her the past few years, filled her mind. The memories grew stronger when she thought of the last few days and being with him and the fun they’d had. The way he looked at her. The way his lips felt.
She bent her head. “Father, I don’t want to lose him. I’m afraid without him. I don’t know what to do.” She stayed that way for a long time, kneeling by her bed.
“Zoey?” Sean called from somewhere in the house. “Are you about ready?”
Distantly, she heard his footsteps. With a deep breath, she felt a new thought take hold—a distinct impression that she should trust Sean. “In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
She got to her feet. She knew what she had to do: fully trust him.
Sean knocked on her door. “Zoey.”
“Yeah.” She grabbed her swim bag. “Ready.”
He searched her face. “You’re sad. What’s wrong?”
His gaze was brimming with intuition and attentiveness. Whatever Sean Hardman had in regard to her, she liked it. He was too dang perceptive for his own good.
“I need to give you something,” she told him. Her heart pounded in her chest, even though she knew she wanted to do this. She wanted to be completely honest with this man from now on, no matter what. She moved out into the kitchen and put her stuff down on the counter.
“Okay, I’ll text the Winters to let them know we’re running late.” He pulled his phone out and tapped out a message, then sent it and turned back to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She moved to the counter and filled a glass with water, sipping it as she stared at the beach. “This has been the perfect adventure, hasn’t it?”
Sean sidled up close behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and ran them down to her hands. “It has been the best beach adventure.”
His touch was like warm sunshine on a cloudy day. She turned to face him, feeling braver than she had for a long time. “I want you to know that I do trust you. That I admire you. That I want to be the kind of person you admire, too. The kind that does the right thing because it’s right.” Her hand trembled, and she touched her necklace.
Sean swiped a strand of hair out of her face and smiled at her. “You know I admire you and all you’ve gone through. Don’t tempt me to kiss you again.”
Her hand trembled as she reached for her necklace, carefully taking it off and opening the little compartment that contained the computer chip. “I want to give this to you. I was going to have it as my backup plan. You know, in case things didn’t work in WITSEC, in case the Cortez family came after me again. But I want you to have it.”
Sean stared at the chip, his playful expression evaporating. “What is it?”
“Brian left it in my necklace. I only found it the day you told me you were leaving for the FBI.”
He evaluated it as if it were a bomb about to explode. “You