Jane's Long March Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

from the Seattle Tribune. My agent and editor had flown in to discuss an interview request from a national television station.”
    He paused. Jane leaned against the cold fireplace. So far, she couldn’t see a down side, or what had made Russell drop everything and start over so far away from his family. In fact, if what he was saying was true, he should be proud of what he’d accomplished.
    “I turned off my cell that night - ignored, missed, whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t matter - the call from my brother. After the party was over, Mom finally got through. She and Dad had taken Nate to the hospital for a drug overdose.”
    Jane’s shoulders stiffened as she watched her hopes for Russell’s help go down the drain.
    “After that, I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t be responsible for saving fractured lives. So, I bought this ranch and walked away. I can’t trust myself, and you sure as hell shouldn’t either.”
    The stubbornness that had gotten her this far straightened her spine. “You just told me not to give up. Are you only good at giving advice?”
    His burning gaze narrowed on her. “you shouldn’t have to settle for a therapist who’s made such a mess of his own life.”
    Silence stretched between them as Russell waited for her judgment, but Jane didn’t have any to give him. How could she condemn his actions, when hers had almost resulted in the death of a whole compound of people? She was at least responsible for the death of the homeless boy she’d taken under her wing.
    Linus shouldn’t have died. If she’d only been quicker, talked faster, she could have extracted him from the bomb that had been meant to take out the embassy.
    So, she had failure in common with Russell. She could see it in the self-condemnation etched into the sharp planes of his face. But it wasn't enough, was it?
    Still she fought for the life she wanted back. “I’m sorry about your brother. I have a feeling, if it were me telling you that story, you’d say, something like, life happens. There’s nothing you can do but move on. ”
    Russell’s lips twitched. She couldn’t keep the corners of her own lips from shifting in response.
    “You’re pretty good at this. Are you sure you’re the one who needs counseling?”
    “So they tell me.” Dispirited, Jane backed into the hall. “I’ll pack my gear and be out of your hair first thing in the morning.”
    Later, flipping to his back in an futile effort to find the sleep eluding him, Chase attempted to erase from his overactive mind the look of defeat on Jane's face when she’d finally accepted he couldn’t help her.
    When he heard the creak of her bed, followed by the sound of channel surfing, he stared at the ceiling lit by the moon from the window. Jane Donovan had more spunk and courage than any woman he’d ever met. It would not be smart to change his decision.
    He turned onto his side, finally drifting off to sleep with the image of the Marine front and center in his mind - all starch and vinegar on the outside, vulnerable pride on the inside.
    His dreams morphed as he slipped into a cold hospital room, where he used every argument he could to talk his little brother into putting the bottle of pills down.
    It wasn’t until later, when he was startled awake, drenched in a chilling sweat, that he realized Nate’s face had morphed into Jane’s wounded blue eyes, and it was she who called out to him, a desperation in her trembling voice he could no longer ignore.

CHAPTER
    IV
    T he next morning, Chase had to see for himself that Jane was okay. Hearing the low sound of the television, he knocked softly on her bedroom door. When there was no response, and with his nightmare still fresh in his mind, he inched into the room.
    The sight that met his eyes had his pulse taking off like a rocket. The sheet, barely covering her essentials, slipped even more as the Marine shifted restlessly in her sleep. Her blonde hair stuck out in long spikes on the