Love me till the end

Chapter 16

Charlie glanced down at the note Luke had been thoughtful enough to leave on the kitchen counter explaining that he'd gone back to the crash site and would likely be back late afternoon. Like a thief in the night, he'd tiptoed out of the cabin, knowing she'd wanted to go with him. He was running again, determined not to let her get close. Every time they made love he pulled further away, until renewed desire overrode his willpower.

The wall Luke kept in place around his heart was invisible, yet just as impregnable as any wall made out of brick or stone. Charlie couldn't help but wonder what it would take to chip away at it and reach his heart.

But did she want to? Was she up to being hurt again? She sighed heavily, already knowing the answer to that. Her failed marriage and two protective brothers had taught Charlie to look out for number one.

She thought about Steven and Scott, sure by now that her family knew what had happened to her. Her brothers would be the ones to hold their parents together. Especially Scott, he was the practical one. And he had Allison to keep him from falling apart. He would be the one to make all the necessary phone calls, including the one to her agent, Tom Rivers.

A soft chuckle escaped Charlie thinking about Tom and what his reaction would be when he learned she was missing. His first thought would be the recording date she'd miss. A workaholic, he was always harping about deadlines. Tom cared for Charlie, but with him business always came first. He couldn't help it. He lived and breathed work. Once he got over his initial reaction to her not making the Breast Cancer Awareness benefit, he'd be hard to console.

Steven, on the other hand, would put himself right in the thick of things, including any ongoing investigations. Never one to just sit around patiently and wait, he was too vocal for that. Too authoritative, which probably came from his many years in the Marines. Steven liked action, liked to be on the move. Another reason he didn't hold down a job for any length of time. Come to think of it, Charlie didn't know what her brother did for a living. He lived a here today, gone tomorrow kind of lifestyle. It suited him.

Sighing, she plugged in the coffeepot and made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower. Her eyes moved around the room as she walked through it. It could use a little dusting. Luke had saved her life. Keeping his home clean was the least she could do.

* * * *

Luke opened the door, unprepared for the sight that greeted him. He stood in the entranceway for a moment, mindless of the snow blowing in from behind him. His sharp gaze landed on Charlie and Lady instantly.

They presented a warm, homey sight that made him strangely uncomfortable. Charlie had lit a fire, leaving the interior warm and illuminated by the flames. It was much too intimate. She was snuggled up in a quilt at the end of the sofa, reading an article in a magazine he knew had to be at least two years old. Lady was lying next to her with her head upon Charlie's thigh.

Luke came to his senses, and closed the door when he realized they'd both looked up and were both staring at him. There was concern, and relief in Charlie's eyes. He forced a smile. He would have returned earlier but had spent some time at the crash site, checking out the plane's engine to see if there was anything he could make use of.

"What smells so good?" he asked, as though he hadn't been gone for the last ten hours and just returned home.

"I found some kind of meat in the freezer and made a stew. I was waiting for you to come home."

Luke held back a grin, sensing she wouldn't appreciate his reason for it. The meat she was talking about was probably the rabbit he'd killed last spring. If there was anything worse than eating Bambi, it was eating Thumper.