“Right now I can’t remember a time when I spent a day with not a worry in the world,” Slade said.
The weariness in his voice beckoned Elizabeth forward. “It’s been a while for me, too.” Even as a child she’d never felt totally free to be herself, to enjoy life without a concern. The thought made loneliness creep into her heart.
He rotated his chair around. His gaze snagged hers, intensity in his gray eyes, and something else—vulnerability—that reached out to her. Linking them. Her pulse reacted by speeding through her. She didn’t want anything to happen to him or Abbey.
“I guess that’s a price we pay when we grow up.” He cocked a corner of his mouth in a half grin that faded almost instantly. “But my daughter shouldn’t have to worry about it quite yet.”
The appeal in those startling eyes, storm filled at the moment, touched a place in her heart that she kept firmly closed—had for years.
MARGARET DALEY
feels she has been blessed. She has been married more than thirty years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun. Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for more than twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.
Christmas Bodyguard
Margaret Daley
MILLS & BOON
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Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer;
thou shalt cry, and He shall say: Here I am.
—Isaiah 58:9
To Marcella—thank you for all your support
through the years
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EPILOGUE
LETTER TO READER
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
ONE
“Watch out!” Slade Caulder said through clenched teeth, gripping the door handle on his SUV. Why had he allowed a sixteen-year-old with a permit to drive? Only a few more miles to the ranch—thankfully.
“Dad, I saw him coming out. I’ve got everything under control.”
When he noticed Abbey sliding a glance toward him, his heart rate shot up even further. “Keep your eyes on the road.”
“I’m gonna ask Gram to take me driving next time.”
“No.” Although he wished he could let his mother-in-law take over teaching his daughter to drive around Dallas, he wouldn’t. It was his job.
The car gained speed. “Don’t go over sixty.”
“I’m not. I have to practice going highway speed. Quit worrying about me.”
Yeah, sure. She might as well ask him to quit breathing. It wasn’t going to happen. Abbey was all he had. At least this was an almost-deserted stretch of road.
Thud! Bam!
A blowout?
Suddenly the car swerved to the right toward the ditch along the highway. He lurched around and glimpsed the color leaching from Abbey’s face. Her knuckles whitened as she fought the shimmying steering wheel.
“Daddy!” she screamed above the thumping sound followed by a whomp. “I can’t control…”
“Take your foot off the gas. Put the brakes on. Get off the road.” He schooled his voice into the calmest level he could manage. He desperately wanted to change places with his daughter, but knew he couldn’t.
The rougher terrain along the shoulder alerted him right before the car plunged into the ditch, heading toward a tree growing in it. Slade twisted toward Abbey, but the seatbelt retracted, immobilizing him like a prisoner. The air bags exploded outward, slamming into him. His breath whooshed from his lungs.
Blackness swirled before him. He fought to stay conscious, but his eyelids slid closed as the darkness rushed at him…
Pain jolted Slade back from the void. He opened his eyes to a fine powder dancing in the air about him, choking him. He coughed but his body protested the sudden movement—a deep, throbbing ache spread out from his chest. As he raised his hand to his head, a hissing filled the air, vying with the sound of the engine running. Pushing the deflated air bag back, he tried to straighten but couldn’t. The seat belt trapped him. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Suddenly, a thought drove the daze from his mind. “Abbey!” he called out, but she didn’t answer.
Adrenaline pumped through him. He jerked his head toward his daughter. The action sent the world before him spinning and forced him to close his eyes for a few seconds. But the need to make sure his daughter was all right overrode everything. Alert, totally focused on Abbey, he squashed his own pain.
A tree limb, having smashed through her side window, pinned her against her seat. Her head tilted to the side, blood streaming down her face from multiple cuts. Panic battled to take over Slade. He tried to thrust the limb out the hole in the window so he could get to his daughter better. The branch refused to dislodge.
Think! He couldn’t lose his daughter, too.
His hand shaking, he reached across and felt for her pulse at the side of her neck. Strong. But she hadn’t moved. He quickly dug into his pocket for his cell and called 911. Once he knew help was on the way, he allowed a second of relief to flutter through him.
The vibration and sound of the motor grabbed his attention. He snaked his hand through the limb’s small branches and managed to turn his SUV off. Then he rummaged in the compartment between the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat for the first aid kit, tore into it and unwound