Christmas Haven. Hope White

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      Julie sat down across from Morgan and forced a smile. He quirked a brow. Ugh. He knew her too well.

      “Well,” she started, “we just had a kid placed in a really good foster home. That’s always exciting.”

      “What about her parents?”

      “His. They’re drug addicts. Gave up their rights to their two sons.”

      “How sad,” Mom said.

      Julie didn’t talk much about her work with her mom. She didn’t want to upset her. Or scare her. Julie had found herself in threatening situations from time to time, but she was prepared.

      Except for what she saw earlier this week.

      Mom served the tea and slid a plate of cookies between Julie and Morgan. She joined them at the table.

      “Drug addicts,” Morgan said. “You deal with some pretty dangerous people.”

      “Says the police chief,” Julie quipped.

      “Police chief of a small, sleepy town.”

      A small, sleepy town. Her words spoken to him during one of their last fights.

      “So, Morgan, how’s your dad?” Mom interrupted the awkward moment.

      “As well as can be expected,” he said. “He’s probably got only a few months.”

      “I’m so sorry.” Julie’s mom glanced into her tea.

      “Yeah, well, he led a productive life,” Morgan said. “Family, career, he had it all.”

      Insinuating Julie had given up one for another.

      “Bill is a good man,” Mom said.

      Morgan shifted in his chair. His father appeared to be a good man to the outside world, and most of the time he was good. But Morgan and Julie knew there was another side to the chief, a dark, tortured side.

      “How long are you staying around?” Morgan asked.

      “A few days,” Julie said. That had been the original plan, although now she wondered if everyone would be better off if she got out of town sooner rather than later.

      She still didn’t know how dangerous this situation was or what her pursuers wanted from her.

      Sure you do. You witnessed a crime. They want you dead.

      She shuddered.

      “Honey, let me get you a sweater.” Mom jumped up and went to the front hall closet.

      Morgan leaned across the table, narrowing his intense, blue-green eyes at her. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?”

      She couldn’t rip her gaze from his. He knew something was wrong and he wasn’t going to back off. But she didn’t want to involve her family or Morgan in whatever danger was stalking her, and she surely didn’t need a lecture about the dangers of her job.

      “It’s not your problem.” She got up and went to get a spoon to stir sugar into her tea.

      “It is my problem if you’re in trouble and you’ve brought it to my town.”

      She closed her eyes. Right. It was about Morgan protecting his citizens, not about him being worried about her.

      Julie was about to tell him to mind his own business when Mom breezed into the kitchen.

      “Here you go,” her mom said, hesitating. She glanced from Morgan to Julie. “What’s going on?”

      “Nothing, Mom. Everything’s fine,” Julie said.

      With a shake of his head, Morgan downed his tea and stood. “Thanks for the tea and cookies, Mrs. Burns.”

      “You’re very welcome,” Mom said with a questioning frown.

      “Good night.” With a nod Morgan left, shutting the front door with a resounding click.

      Julie sighed and closed her eyes.

      “Jules, sweetie, talk to me.” Mom placed her hand on Julie’s shoulder.

      “I’m just burned out at work.”

      “Julie?”

      She glanced at her mom.

      “I love you with all my heart,” Mom said. “I think a part of Morgan’s heart still loves you, too. We’re worried—”

      “I’m fine,” Julie snapped, sitting at the kitchen table.

      Mom walked up to her and rubbed her shoulders. “Whatever it is, we can work it out together.”

      Julie wasn’t so sure. If the police couldn’t help Julie, Mom and Morgan surely couldn’t. Nor did she want to get them involved with whatever criminal element was stalking her.

      She loved her mom too much.

      Which would make it that much harder to leave again. But she had to. She couldn’t risk trouble following her here, to her mom’s house, to Morgan’s town.

      “Honey, please,” her mother pleaded.

      “Something happened at work.”

      “Do you want to talk about it?”

      Julie shook her head. “I can’t. Not yet.”

      Mom frowned. “Well, you’ll tell me when you’re ready. But, sweetie, you can’t run from your problems. You should know that.”

      Was she referring to Suzy’s death? Or to Morgan?

      Sadness washed over her. So much loss.

      Mom stroked Julie’s hair. “It’s okay. You’re home now. And Lana can’t wait to see you.”

      “I can’t wait to see her, either.”

      “She’s coming for breakfast.”

      “Awesome.” And it was. Julie kept so busy at work that she had little time to miss them. But right now, sitting in Mom’s floral kitchen, she remembered the joy and laughter they’d shared. An ache crawled through her chest.

      “You look exhausted. How about I tuck you in?” Mom offered.

      “That would be great.”

      Morgan pulled out of the Burnses’ driveway, but didn’t go far. Parking a few houses down from the old Victorian, he eyed the upstairs window. Julie’s room.

      He guessed whatever made her scream out in her sleep was the same thing that drove her back home to the safety of family and friends. And now she was having second thoughts.

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