Home for Christmas (Willow Park #5) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Where
on earth was Mark? If he’d been dropped off here an hour ago, why hadn’t he
come up? She took the elevator down to the lobby and asked the front desk, but
they said they hadn’t seen him.
    Then she walked outside to ask the bell staff. A friendly
young man told her that a dark-haired, bearded man had been dropped off by a
chauffeured car but had walked across the street to the park, instead of going
into the hotel.
    She broke out in a cold sweat as she ran across the street
to the small city park that was directly across from the hotel. She had no idea
why she was so frightened, since Mark had evidently just wanted to walk, but it
was strange. It was so strange that he would go to the park when he must know
she was expecting him.
    She hadn’t taken the time to put on a coat, and it was a
chilly evening in late October. The wind blew against her loose hair, her bare
face, and the long soft skirt and clingy top she’d put on to look pretty for
Mark.
    She actually had some trouble holding her skirt down as she
reached the opposite sidewalk. Someone in a car driving by honked at her. She
assumed it was in appreciation for the sight of her legs, since she hadn’t
darted out in front of anyone.
    She stood at the entrance of the park, panting and hugging
herself in cold and concern. She saw Mark almost immediately. He wore a dark
coat and a pair of jeans, and he was standing across the park, staring into a
small fountain.
    Almost groaning in relief, she ran over toward him.
    “Mark!” she called out, as she approached.
    He whirled around—far too quickly and far more tensely than
the situation warranted. He looked like he was ready to pounce.
    “I’m sorry,” she gasped, jerking to an abrupt halt. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    How stupid could she be, running up on him like that, when
he’d been for so long in a place where he must have always had to watch his
back.
    “What are you doing here?” he demanded. He almost sounded
angry, but she told herself it was just because she had taken him by surprise.
    “I didn’t know where you were,” she explained, trying
desperately to catch her breath. “I was expecting you two hours ago. I was…I
was worried.”
    He stared at her for a long moment, still looking guarded
and wary. “Oh. I just wanted some fresh air.”
    “Of course.” She was still gasping from running over here. “That
makes total sense. I just didn’t know where you were.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “We need to get you a phone. I have no way to reach you.”
She smiled and spoke casually—as much as she could—since she didn’t want him to
think she was reproaching him.
    “Yeah. I guess I need one.”
    He didn’t make any move to leave or walk back to the hotel,
so she stood beside him, staring into the fountain just like he was.
    “I’m sorry you were worried,” he said at last.
    Even that didn’t sound like him. Whenever he’d apologized in
the past, he’d done it in a wry, self-deprecating way. He’d always had the best
sense of humor and laughed at himself a lot. She’d never known she could laugh
so hard until she’d met him.
    “It’s fine,” she said gently. Another breeze hit her just
then, turning the last syllable into an involuntary shiver.
    “You’re cold.” He said the words as if he’d just realized
it, as if he’d just noticed her for real.
    “I’m ok—okay.” She couldn’t quite speak over the chattering
of her teeth. “We can stay here longer if you want.”
    Mark was already taking off his coat and wrapping it around
her shoulders. She swam in it, since she’d always been small and even now he
was a lot bigger than her.
    It was warm, though. It didn’t really smell like him. He
didn’t smell like he used to smell. But at least it was warm from the heat of
his body.
    She tried to think of something funny to say. She wanted to
see him smile again, and she hadn’t since she’d first seen him in Germany. But
she couldn’t