Bound to You by Vanessa Holland Page A

from Jenna and the boy, away from his family, and think about things. He needed to run.
    He’d decide later whether or not to come back.
    ***
    Jenna stumbled over a box and grabbed at Ethan’s hand before he could put a Styrofoam peanut in his mouth. He immediately reached for another one, so Jenna picked him up and maneuvered around the packing boxes in the den.
    “ Brianna!” she called as she stepped into the foyer to yell upstairs. “Where are you?”
    Jenna checked the clock again. It was nearly six. Sam was three hours late. She’d almost told Ethan Sam was coming back to see him and was glad now she hadn’t. She’d suspected he might not actually show. He was probably well on his way back to Texas by now.
    A good five minutes passed before Brianna, looking about twelve years old with her hair in braided pigtails, stepped into the den holding the phone in her hand. “What?”
    “ You’re supposed to be watching him so I can pack. And I told you to take all these packing peanuts out of the boxes. We don’t need them. We’re only putting things in boxes until we can get them set out on tables Saturday.”
    “ I’m packing my room.”
    “ No, you’re not. You’re talking on the phone and playing with your hair.”
    “ Sorry. Hey!” Bri objected when she saw the box Jenna was packing. “Those are my DVDs and Blu-rays!”
    “ We don’t need them.”
    “ Yes, I do! We don’t even have cable or internet anymore. That’s all I have left to watch!”
    Jenna looked down at the box but couldn’t give in. “I have to sell the players and TVs, so it won’t matter.”
    Brianna pulled the box toward her, guarding it. “But you don’t have to pack it right now. The garage sale isn’t till next weekend. Let me have something .”
    Jenna held up her hands in surrender. “Fine. We can pack these later. Just watch him, please.”
    Huffing, Brianna took Ethan and walked away, somehow managing to hold the toddler and text at the same time.
    From outside, she heard a car door slam and went to look out the front window.
    Sam’s dark green pickup was parked in front of the house. A second later the doorbell rang.
    She dropped the curtain and slumped down out of sight, silently cursing, wishing she’d had time for a shower – and to put on something decent - the old blue t-shirt she wore had a bleach stain above her right breast. Around four-thirty she’d given up hope he would actually return and had spent an hour digging through dusty boxes in the hot attic. The dust had mixed with sweat and left her feeling grimy all over. Her hair was a mess.
    Darnit. For a man who made clocks Sam had no concept of time! She wanted to see him, but not like this.
    Without Brianna to run interference, she had to force up her nerve and answer the door herself.
    And darnit again, he looked incredible, as always. He still wore the jeans and gray boots but had changed into a crisp plain white t-shirt, one that showed off every impressive muscle. His chestnut hair was still damp from a recent shower and a stray tendril fell loose over his forehead, almost calling to her to reach out and smooth it into place.
    He smiled and gave her a once-over without ever losing the welcoming glint in his eyes. His gaze lingered for a moment on her breasts, or on the bleach stain on her shirt.
    “ Come in,” she said. “You’re late.”
    “ Sorry,” he said, wiping his feet on the doormat before stepping into the foyer. “I had some things to do. Time got away from me.”
    He smiled brightly at her and she noticed a change in him. As if he’d been rushing around and was still wound up with energy.
    “ I didn’t think you were coming back,” she mentioned.
    He nodded but kept smiling. “I changed my mind. I canceled my flight.”
    “ Oh.” Her stomach began to flutter with excitement. “You’re not leaving?”
    “ No,” he said, “I got some things cleared up. I’ll be here for a couple more weeks, at least.”
    She wasn’t