Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe Read Online Free PDF Page A

right?”
    â€œFine,” he mumbled.
    As she studied him, her face filled with concern. Though her lips didn’t move, he heard an echo of her soft voice inside his head. Starting over isn’t so bad .
    After his failure to protect Nicole, he wouldn’t mind having a fresh start. A new direction for his life.
    He’d been looking for a sign, a reason he had come back from death. And he sensed that Fiona might hold the answer to his deepest questions. She might provide him with a reason to go on living.

Chapter Four
    Standing in her front room, Fiona wasn’t sure whether she should be scared or embarrassed that she’d reported an intruder who didn’t exist.
    She couldn’t turn to Jesse for guidance; he’d disappeared into the kitchen, moving slowly. When they were outside and he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, she’d thought he was going to keel over, which wasn’t surprising considering his injuries. Carolyn had told her that he was unconscious for three days. Jesse was still weak and ought to be in bed. Not that he’d ever admit it. Typical man! When men got sick, they either put on a macho attitude or curled up in bed and whined like babies.
    Agent Burke was giving the orders. “Everybody out,” he said. “We need to spread out and search.”
    It went against her instincts as a hostess to have these men troop through her house without offering hospitality. “I should make coffee.”
    â€œLater,” Burke said.
    Turning away from her, he spoke to the man who had been in the car with Jesse. Wentworth? Burke rattled offinstructions about how the outbuildings should be searched and reminded him that they should proceed with caution.
    Fiona could see why Carolyn had fallen for this big, rugged FBI agent. Not only was Burke a fine-looking man, but he seemed strong-willed enough to stand up to Carolyn’s dynamic personality. These two would strike sparks off each other for sure.
    While the searchers dispersed, she asked, “Is there something you’d like me to do, Agent Burke?”
    â€œI’ll get the sheriff over here to dust for prints, but I doubt we’ll find anything. You keep a tidy house, Fiona.”
    â€œExcept for the enclosed porch off the kitchen. I’m using that as my pottery studio.”
    â€œLet’s take a look around and see if anything’s missing.”
    Dutifully, she scanned the living-room furniture and the shelves near the door where she stored some of her finished pottery. The TV was still there. And the computer. Nothing seemed out of place.
    Burke followed her down the hall to her bedroom where she checked the contents of her jewelry box that rested on the knotty pine dresser. “Nothing appears to be missing, but the door to my walk-in closet is open. I didn’t leave it that way.”
    â€œIt might have been opened when we searched,” he said. “Take a look inside.”
    Against the back wall was a neat row of dressy clothing, still in plastic dry cleaner’s bags. Matching shoes were stored in their original boxes. She never wore those clothes anymore. They were part of her old life.
    Jesse joined them. Though still pale, he seemed to have regained some of his strength. “I’ll take over in here,” he said to Burke. “You might want to keep an eye on the search.”
    â€œThanks. Except for your man Wentworth, these guysaren’t trained in forensics. They wouldn’t know a clue if it jumped up and bit them on the ass.” He gave Fiona a wave. “I’ll be back.”
    Jesse came toward her. In spite of his slight limp and the black sling on his left arm, he moved with confidence.
    â€œYou seem better,” she said.
    â€œI’m getting a handle on these pain pills. Just a little foggy around the edges.” He peeked around her into the closet. “Tidy.”
    â€œI haven’t touched most of those things since