Christmas Bodyguard (19 page)

I
n the early evening on Christmas eve, Elizabeth stood in the den near the decorated tree with Mary. “You've outdone yourself. I can't believe you threw this open house together in such a short time. The turnout has been great. I didn't know you all knew so many people.”

“It's been a Caulder tradition for years. And this year, especially, we have something to celebrate. With Cindy in jail, my family is safe again and life is back to normal.”

Elizabeth smiled. “As normal as it can be with a sixteen-year-old girl.”

“True. I'm glad so many of her friends are here, too.”

“And Brody.” Elizabeth glanced toward the young man with Abbey. The night of the showdown with Cindy he'd only suffered a concussion like Slade. Otherwise, he had been all right and had been back at the ranch the next day, too.

“Poor Jake. I've invited him to share Christmas dinner with us tomorrow. Him and Brody.” Lifting her glass of red punch to her lips, Mary took a sip and looked around until she found Joshua. “Also your uncle.”

“Yeah, he told me. Is there anything I should know about you two?”

“Who knows?” Mary murmured with a wink.

“Everyone, can I have your attention?” Slade stood in front of the fireplace, which was strung with garlands. When the room of guests quieted, Slade continued. “I have an announcement.” Then he crossed to Elizabeth and tugged her toward the mantel.

A blush stained her cheeks at being the center of everyone's attention. “What's this about?”

Slade knelt on one knee, took hold of her hand and withdrew a ring from his pocket. “Elizabeth Walker, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The heat of her face rivaled the warmth from the blaze in the fireplace. She knew he loved her. She loved him, too—so much that she'd gone into the security consulting business with her uncle so she didn't have to travel much or put her life on the line for a client. But she hadn't expected this. Slade was a private man and to do this so publicly was out of character. “I—I don't know what to say” was all she could think to utter, she was so surprised by his proposal.

“‘Yes' would be a good start.”

“Yes. Yes.”

Slade rose and slid the ring onto the third finger on her left hand.

“Kiss her,” a female shouted. Elizabeth was pretty sure it was Abbey.

Someone else said the same thing, and in a few seconds the crowd was chanting it.

Slade pressed her against him, his arms wrapping around her. “We can't disappoint them.”

“I agree.”

He took her lips in a deep kiss that erased all past hurts. Only the future lay before them—together.

Dear Reader,

Christmas Bodyguard
is the first in my series called Guardians, Inc. This series is about women who have chosen to be bodyguards. It has been interesting coming up with circumstances where the woman is the protector and then having the hero match her. In this series, the women and men are both equally strong characters who know how to deal with dangerous situations.

I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at [email protected] or at P. O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at www. margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website, or you can enter my monthly drawings by signing my guest book on the website.

Best wishes,

1. Trust is important in a relationship. Elizabeth didn't know how to trust because of her past relationships with her father and Bryan. Has anyone caused you to distrust him/her? Why? How did you settle it?
   
2. Slade and Abbey were faced with someone wanting to hurt them. Have you ever been really scared? How did you deal with it?
   
3. Slade didn't think the Lord heard his prayers, especially when his wife died. Have you ever thought that? What did you do?
   
4. Slade dealt with his grief by throwing himself into work rather than turning to the Lord and his family. How have you dealt with grief in the past?
   
5. Abbey's relationship with her father is rocky. Part of that is because she is a teenager trying to become independent, but the other part is that she doesn't think he loves her like he used to because he pushed her away when Abbey's mother died. Do you or someone you know have a similar relationship with a parent? How have you or that parent dealt with the situation?
   
6. Elizabeth couldn't forgive her father. She never felt loved or valued as a child. Her past ruled her life. Is there something that happened in your past that has done that to you? How can you get past that?
   
7. Abbey's life was in danger. This was hard for Slade to handle. When life seems impossible, what do you do? Who do you turn to for help?
   
8. Who did you think was after Abbey and Slade? Why?
   
9. The villain was motivated by revenge. How can we get past wanting to hurt someone we thought hurt us?
   
10. When Elizabeth's ex-husband left her, she was forced to start over. Have you ever needed a fresh start in life? Did it help you? If not, what did you do next to make your life better?
    
11. Elizabeth was verbally abused by her husband. She'd molded her life around her husband's needs and demands. Have you ever been in a situation like that? What did you do to form a healthier relationship?
    
12. How would you deal with having your child kidnapped? Who would you turn to?