but then he just kept popping up unexpectedly and out of thin air. Each time he came, he wore a strange outfit, as if he had no idea how to dress.”
She leaned toward him as her gaze locked with his eyes. “Thomas, I do believe in ghosts. I also believe in guardian angels.”
He gasped in surprise. “You do?”
She nodded. “When I was eight, my grandfather died. I was really close to him, and I took his death really hard. Over the next few years, things happened to me that were unexplainable. My mother told me it was because Grandpa Bills was my guardian angel.”
“I’m sure it was.” He smiled, setting his fork on the table and standing. He took her hand and they walked into the sitting room and to the first loveseat where they sat together.
“Thank you for telling me about Percy,” she said.
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I’m glad you had him to help you back on the straight and narrow road.”
He chuckled. “He kept telling me that you were a good choice.”
She cuddled beside him, resting her palm on his chest. “Wise man... or angel.”
He reached for the remote on the table next to the loveseat and clicked one of the buttons. The hearth lit up as though there was a fire inside. He smiled. It was nice to pretend.
“Thomas,” Morgan finally spoke. “My bike is still at the winery. You’re going to have to take me to the winery to get my bike.”
Thomas kissed her forehead, and then trailed his kisses down to her cheek. “Is that what you really want?” he asked huskily.
“No, but... I can’t stay here.” Morgan tilted her head back to look into his eyes.
“Why?” Thomas shrugged. “I have plenty of rooms.”
“You wouldn’t be offended if I asked for the guest bedroom?”
“Not at all, my dear Morgan. I’m not going to rush you into anything.”
“Good, because I don’t want to leave tonight.”
“Can we cuddle here on the couch awhile?”
She nodded. “As long as you’d like.”
THOMAS BLINKED, TRYING to get the sleep out of his eyes as he sat at his desk, but he was both mentally and physically worn out. If this would have happened one month ago, he would have slept in – maybe slept for a few days – before deciding to go to work. But now he was different. He had responsibilities, and after seeing his father almost lose his life, Thomas had a brighter outlook on his own life and his own purposes.
Considering Morgan slept in his house in a separate room, he expected to not sleep well, but he was too exhausted to toss and turn, wondering if she was thinking about him. He grinned. Of course she was, and it warmed his heart knowing that she really liked him. She’d even had breakfast made when he woke up this morning.
They had to wake up extra early, because he had to take her back to the winery so that she could get her bike and drive home to change her clothes before getting to work on time. Doing this had gotten him to work extra early, and when he walked through the front doors, a handful of people had gasped when he walked past them, telling them good morning.
Earlier this morning, he received a message from his mother letting him know that the hospital was going to release his father today. Darion would take it easy at home for a few days, which meant Thomas was in charge now. Having this kind of authority made him nervous, but he knew he could handle it. The pain in his gut tightened as he figured the vineyard was going to be a total loss. Not only would they lose the grapes that were directly in the fire, but they would lose anything else that made contact with the smoke.
Stretching, he forced himself to wake up fully. There was a lot to be done this morning, and watching the security cameras was the first line of business. He walked to the window and looked out across the charred vines. Several workers were already tearing down the charred vines. Anger rose inside him, and he bunched his hands into fists. He needed to find the person responsible for this and make them pay!
Before starting on the security camera footage, he left his office and wandered outside and to where his workers were diligently toiling away. He greeted a few and thanked them for their help. They acted surprised that he’d be out here,