Read Bodyguard/Husband for Free Online

out of high school. We’d been in college a year. Besides, haven’t you heard? All southern girls marry their high school sweetheart and have bunches of babies—” Her voice cracked.
    “Were you happy?”

    The three words struck her right in the middle of her chest.
    “Happy?” She forced a small laugh. When had she thought of her own happiness? “Sure, I guess I was happy. I was in love. I was free.” She gripped a soapy plate so hard she was surprised it didn’t break.
    “Free? That’s an interesting take on marriage.”
    “I just meant I was on my own. Away from my aunt and uncle. Away from my sister. Away—” She stopped. Away from the endless weddings and funerals and baby showers that make up the social life of a small southern town, away from Aunt Bode’s implying that she’d given up her freedom to take in Holly and Debi, away from the constant struggle to hold on to the little bit of control that made her feel safe.
    “That sounds awful, doesn’t it? Wanting to be away from my family? But I loved the idea of having someone to take care of me, instead of being the one everyone depended on.”
    “But then Brad died.”
    A place deep inside her began to hurt. She realized that as dynamic and handsome as Brad had been, all she remembered now was him lying pale and still in that mahogany coffin. She sent Special Agent Jack O’Hara a sidelong look. “That’s right. He died and I was left alone. I had to come back home and—” And what? Become strong, dependable Holly again? The one who had all the answers, who took care of all the problems? Who never asked for help but always gave it?
    “Who might have wanted Brad out of the way? How many hearts did you break when you married him?”
    “Hearts?” She laughed shortly. “Me? None. Bradwas Maze’s big football hero. Everybody loved him. Nobody hated Brad.”
    “This isn’t about hating Brad. It’s about wanting you.”
    She shuddered. “Who would want me badly enough to—? It doesn’t make any sense. How can Brad’s accident six years ago be connected to Ralph’s disappearance last year and Danny’s allergic reaction?” She hugged herself, wishing she could encase herself in a cocoon of innocence, and not have to face the reality of her situation, the reason Jack was here.
    “You’re looking at the events through the veil of time and grief. I’m looking at them without prejudice, without feelings getting in the way.” His words were dispassionate, but his tone was still gentle. She longed to wrap herself in that low, dark voice and never be afraid of anything again, but she knew that wasn’t possible.
    “You want me to believe they’re dead because of me.”
    “Not because of you. You’re as innocent as they were. You’re the target of a stalker who must be stopped before he kills again.”
    Holly met Jack’s cold gaze. Could he stop the killer? Or would he end up as the fourth victim?
    He grabbed his bags. At the kitchen door, he paused. “You know, Holly, I’m not going to go away.”
    His words slashed all the way through to her innermost self, revealing the fear that was branded on her soul.
    “Well, if you don’t, you’ll be the first.”
    “Then, I’ll be the first.” He headed down the hall.
    Holly watched his retreating back. His shoulders looked no less broad from behind, and his hair curledwhere it lay over the collar of his jacket. She let her eyes drift downward to the slight bulge of the gun at his waist, and a chill slid up her spine.
    The nightmare was real, as was the danger. There was a killer out there, and Jack O’Hara was here to catch him. Holly prayed that he could.
    Holly picked up the last two plates Debi had left, and set them down in the water. At least some things never changed. She was still cleaning up after her baby sister.
    The ring on her finger felt strange as she scrubbed the dishes. She looked at it. It gleamed and sparkled, lending its light to the bubbles that played around her