time.”
Now he was pissed. Because she wasn’t listening and there was no way she was truly prepared for what life with him entailed. “Do you really want to be a part of this kind of life? The kind where I disappear for weeks on end? Where I can’t call you and can’t let you know that I’m even alive?”
She swallowed but didn’t say anything, and he knew he’d made a point she couldn’t refute. But he still kept going.
“Christ, Georgie, you freaked out because a student went missing from your class. What the hell will you do when it’s me who’s missing? Call my fucking boss and demand to know where I am? Do you really think that’ll work?”
Her eyes filled with tears and his heart ripped in two. He didn’t stay to see if they would fall.
* * *
Georgeanne watched Sam walk out of the house and into the yard. She wanted to call him back, wanted to say she was sorry, but he’d pretty much stunned her. And he was right. How could she stomach the life he led after she’d felt so out of control of her own life these past couple of years?
Tim had abandoned her for another woman. Jake Hamilton skipped class a few times and she’d gone looking for him. What would she do when it was Sam who left? How could she possibly have a life with him when he was right that she wouldn’t like it?
And why did she even think she wanted that life? She’d had a crush on him once and they’d had sex. So what? That wasn’t a recipe for the future, no matter that he made her feel good about herself again for the first time in a long time.
Georgeanne swiped her fingers under her eyes and wiped the moisture on her clothing. And then she grabbed her computer and determined to get some work done. Eventually, Sam came back inside. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. He walked over to her side and thrust a piece of paper at her.
“What’s this?”
Sam looked grim. “You’re going to have to make a call later, Georgie. It’s best if you practice it so you can sound natural.”
She read over the words, her blood going cold. “I’m supposed to tell them I have the information. And that I’ll sell it.”
Sam shrugged. “Yeah.”
She read the paper over a few times. “All right.” Because she would do whatever it took to capture this man. He’d killed Jake, and he’d tried to kill her. Plus she figured that if the military was after him, he clearly wasn’t a nice person.
“You need to read it aloud.”
She looked up at him, the paper still clutched in her hand. “Is this the kind of thing you do all the time?”
Sam was standing over her, hands in pockets, frowning. He hadn’t said a word about earlier, but they both knew it was still there between them. “It’s part of it.”
She shook her head, the enormity of what he did pressing into her brain. “When you left to join the Army, I don’t think I pictured this. I pictured tanks and guns. And believe me, I didn’t like the idea of that at all. But this seems more frightening somehow.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He sucked in a breath, blew it out again. “I did the other stuff for a while. This is something new, and yeah, it’s dangerous. But it’s important, Georgie. What we do—the guys I work with, me—keeps this country safe.”
She’d always thought of the Army as dangerous and she’d hated that he might be in jeopardy. But this . God. This secret organization—because she had no doubt that’s what this was—was simply another layer to an already risky career.
“Are you happy with your choices?”
His jaw flexed. “Yes.” He let out a sigh then and sat down across from her. “This job is me. It’s something I’m good at. If I’d stayed in Hopeful, I’d have never amounted to much. Even with your family’s influence. I couldn’t afford college, and without that, there were no jobs I’d ever grow with. I didn’t want the mill, Georgie.”
“You could have gotten student
Now he was pissed. Because she wasn’t listening and there was no way she was truly prepared for what life with him entailed. “Do you really want to be a part of this kind of life? The kind where I disappear for weeks on end? Where I can’t call you and can’t let you know that I’m even alive?”
She swallowed but didn’t say anything, and he knew he’d made a point she couldn’t refute. But he still kept going.
“Christ, Georgie, you freaked out because a student went missing from your class. What the hell will you do when it’s me who’s missing? Call my fucking boss and demand to know where I am? Do you really think that’ll work?”
Her eyes filled with tears and his heart ripped in two. He didn’t stay to see if they would fall.
* * *
Georgeanne watched Sam walk out of the house and into the yard. She wanted to call him back, wanted to say she was sorry, but he’d pretty much stunned her. And he was right. How could she stomach the life he led after she’d felt so out of control of her own life these past couple of years?
Tim had abandoned her for another woman. Jake Hamilton skipped class a few times and she’d gone looking for him. What would she do when it was Sam who left? How could she possibly have a life with him when he was right that she wouldn’t like it?
And why did she even think she wanted that life? She’d had a crush on him once and they’d had sex. So what? That wasn’t a recipe for the future, no matter that he made her feel good about herself again for the first time in a long time.
Georgeanne swiped her fingers under her eyes and wiped the moisture on her clothing. And then she grabbed her computer and determined to get some work done. Eventually, Sam came back inside. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. He walked over to her side and thrust a piece of paper at her.
“What’s this?”
Sam looked grim. “You’re going to have to make a call later, Georgie. It’s best if you practice it so you can sound natural.”
She read over the words, her blood going cold. “I’m supposed to tell them I have the information. And that I’ll sell it.”
Sam shrugged. “Yeah.”
She read the paper over a few times. “All right.” Because she would do whatever it took to capture this man. He’d killed Jake, and he’d tried to kill her. Plus she figured that if the military was after him, he clearly wasn’t a nice person.
“You need to read it aloud.”
She looked up at him, the paper still clutched in her hand. “Is this the kind of thing you do all the time?”
Sam was standing over her, hands in pockets, frowning. He hadn’t said a word about earlier, but they both knew it was still there between them. “It’s part of it.”
She shook her head, the enormity of what he did pressing into her brain. “When you left to join the Army, I don’t think I pictured this. I pictured tanks and guns. And believe me, I didn’t like the idea of that at all. But this seems more frightening somehow.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He sucked in a breath, blew it out again. “I did the other stuff for a while. This is something new, and yeah, it’s dangerous. But it’s important, Georgie. What we do—the guys I work with, me—keeps this country safe.”
She’d always thought of the Army as dangerous and she’d hated that he might be in jeopardy. But this . God. This secret organization—because she had no doubt that’s what this was—was simply another layer to an already risky career.
“Are you happy with your choices?”
His jaw flexed. “Yes.” He let out a sigh then and sat down across from her. “This job is me. It’s something I’m good at. If I’d stayed in Hopeful, I’d have never amounted to much. Even with your family’s influence. I couldn’t afford college, and without that, there were no jobs I’d ever grow with. I didn’t want the mill, Georgie.”
“You could have gotten student
Similar Books
