Becoming Three Read Online Free PDF Page B

eyes against the burn of tears. “I can't lose you.” For so many years, Sarah had felt like Jace was the only rock she had in her life. She couldn't shake the connection to this man, even though she had Jasper to rely on now too. “I won't lose you.”
After leaning into him for a long moment, Sarah pulled herself together and stepped away. Jace grabbed her wrist and yanked her right back to him. Her arm burned where he held her, and her breath caught at the flash of fire lighting his pale eyes.
“I apologize for my tone before, and for what I said.” Jace clenched his jaw, and it looked like he swallowed something nasty. “Your boyfriend was right about that. I shouldn't ever talk to you that way, and I'm sorry I did.”
Sarah's chest constricted, and she cupped his stubbly cheek. “Thank you.” Her voice came out scratchy, catching her off guard. Her thumb inched dangerously close to brushing across his lower lip, and she ripped her hand away. “All right; I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed before I'm late for work. Give me twenty minutes and the bathroom will be yours.”
“Thanks.” Jace settled back in his chair and took another swig of juice. “I'll be human again by then.”
Sarah turned to leave, and her attention zoomed in on the wall. She moved closer and leaned in. A gashing hole sat at chest level. She spun back to Jace and pointed. “What happened here?”
Jace gave the hole a quick look. His features bland, he said, “I tripped.”
Liar.
Sarah let it go and moved down the hallway to her bedroom, but as she gathered her stuff to take a shower, she wondered what the truth was about the damage to the wall.
Moreover, why Jace felt like he had to hide it.
Chapter Three
    “Damn, Jas,” Ren said, laughing, “if you were a girl, I'd say you were glowing. You've been grinning all morning. What the hell is up with you?”
“Nothin'. Just happy is all.” Jasper lay flat on his stomach and reached his arm down into the frigid water of Willow Stream, filling a vial of water for testing. He collected water at measured intervals while Ren snapped photos of the stream. They regularly tested the water to make sure all its levels were healthy for the fish as well as Hawkins Ranch cattle. The photos Ren took were to keep a visual record of the waterway and would be available should the state ever want to view them.
“I know what brings 'happy' to a man's face.” Ren shifted his camera and snapped a picture of Jasper. He took a look at the display screen and nodded. “Yeah, that's a telling shot. How is Sarah doing lately?”
“Perfect.” Jasper capped a vial full of water and put it in its proper slot in a transport case. He looked at Ren and could feel his face flaming. “That sounds stupid, don't it?”
“It sounds nice.” Ren took the lead of his horse and started walking down the stream, going slowly enough that Jasper quickly fell in beside him with his horse, Shiloh. “It sounds like you like her a lot,” Ren said. “And if anyone deserves it, Sarah does. You do too.”
“Maybe.” Jasper slid a sidelong glance in Ren's direction. “I tell ya, Ren; there's times when I'm with her, it feels like the stuff that happened in my life before I came here don't matter, like maybe I could make enough of myself to offer her somethin' more real than a lot of promises with nothin' to back them up, you know?”
“It feels good to have something to bring to the table,” Ren said. “I will agree with that. But don't mistake having money or stuff as being the same as being worthy. You're still the same kind guy you were the day Caleb hired you; you just have a job history behind you, some stability, and some money in your pocket to go with it now.”
They walked the stream at a leisurely pace, letting the warmth of the late-spring day sink into them and the sun shine on their faces and bare arms.
“If you turn into a jackass, though,” Ren added, jabbing at Jasper's shoulder, “Sarah's not