Keeping Guard (18 page)

A siren wailed outside. Larry jerked his head toward the sound. Nate saw his opportunity and kicked the gun from Larry's hand. The gun skittered across the floor. While Larry watched it travel out of his grasp, Nate socked him in the jaw. He staggered backward. Before Larry could gather his bearings, Nate flipped him over and jerked his arms behind him, positioning himself on top of Larry so he couldn't move. Just as he did, the door burst open. A deputy stood in the doorway, ready to take Larry away.

 

The deputy came downstairs, hauling a handcuffed Larry with him. Nate lumbered behind him, looking as if he'd returned from a war. His eyes lit up when he spotted her and Kylie rose, meeting him halfway.

“Come here.” He pulled her beside him, nestling her into his chest with his unharmed arm.

Her head hit his chest.
You shouldn't let him hold you. You can't be together.
But why couldn't she step away either?

“It's okay to cry,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “No, it isn't. And it isn't okay for me to be this close to you.”

He held her head firmly against him, as if he knew she'd pop it back up at the first opportunity. “Kylie, I want my future to be with you. I know you think I just like rescuing you, but that's only half of the story. You've rescued me, too.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Me?”

“You've shown me hope. You've selflessly offered your help and advice at the restaurant—”

“Which I'm pretty sure you resented.” Her raised eyebrows knitted together.

“Kylie, you've shown me how good life can be.” He shook his head. “I should have told you how I felt about you before today. I kept hoping that the time would never come when you had to leave. I waited too long. I didn't want to tell you how I felt, to influence your decision about whether to stay or go.”

“What about Deanna?”

“I just wanted to give Deanna a chance to say whatever was on her mind. And then I wanted to have the chance to tell her that we had no future, that I was already in love with someone else.”

Kylie blinked back tears. “You're in love with someone else? Do you really mean it?”

He smiled. “Of course I mean it. Kylie, you are everything I want and need. You're the woman God has been preparing me for my whole life. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

She dabbed her eyes with a tissue from her pocket. “You'd be a lot less busy with no one around to save.” She tried to laugh, but coughed instead as her emotions choked her.

Nate pushed a hair behind her ear. “Don't leave yet. I know it's selfish of me to ask, but stay here. Just a little longer. Long enough that we can figure things out. Long enough that we can figure
us
out.”

She didn't hesitate before she nodded. “Okay.”

He pulled her toward him. Kylie's arms went around his neck as their lips met in a kiss. Kylie melted into the moment, feeling finally like everything was right in the world. Her stalker was behind bars. The man she loved, loved her also.

Kylie felt her heart warm and squeezed his hand. She thanked God again for answered prayers.

“I do love you, Kylie.”

“I love you, too, Nate.”

Eight Months Later

“H
ey, beautiful.” Nate stepped behind Kylie and slipped his arms around her.

She paused from preparing a sandwich and turned around, leaning against the countertop at the Revolutionary Grill. Nate wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips.

She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “Is it lunchtime al ready?” Where had the morning gone?

His eyes sparkled. “Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough.”

“What are you talking about? Now that you don't work at the grill, it seems like all you want is to be here. I thought you liked working at the Coast Guard Training Center?”

“I do. But I like seeing you even more, Mrs. Richardson.” He grinned and kissed her again. He'd been able to call her that for the past six months. Kylie still liked the sound of it.

The sounds of people in the dining room filled her ears and she pushed her sweet husband back some. “I like seeing you, too, but the place is packed out there with a lunch crowd, so I've got lots of food to prepare.” She picked up a sandwich she'd made from a new recipe she was playing with. “Here, try this.”

Nate took a bite and closed his eyes in pleasure. “Very
tasty. I love it.” He pulled the bread back. “Is that cranberry sauce, cream cheese and turkey?”

Kylie nodded. “Plus a few herbs. Appropriate for Thanksgiving, huh? I think I'm going to use it on the show this week, and I might even add it to the restaurant menu.”

“Everything else you've done for this place has been a hit, so I say go for it.”

She glanced at her watch. “The cameraman and producer will be here in a couple of hours. I've got to finish this so I can freshen up.”

“You look beautiful…as always. And I'm thrilled that you got the restaurant and were able to keep your show.”

“I'm thrilled I got to keep you.” Kylie kissed him again.

“No hanky-panky back here, you newlyweds.” Harvey, who now worked part-time as a host, pushed through the doors into the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. Suzy and Carrie followed him.

“Just because you two have found love and happiness and have fully embraced your soft sides doesn't mean the rest of us have,” Suzy muttered with a smile. “But I am happy for you.”

“Thanks, guys.” Kylie smiled, amazed at how much they all felt like family to her. “Now, all of you—back to work. We've got a restaurant to run. We're going to put this place on the map.”

“I'd say you already have,” Harvey said. “We actually have a wait today—at lunch on a Wednesday of all days.”

The crew dispersed—except for Nate, who still stood with his arms around her, smiling like a schoolboy. He touched her growing stomach. “What do you think? A chef or a swimmer?”

“We have six more months before we get a glimpse of the little guy. Maybe he'll be a little of both.”

“Hopefully he'll have more of you than me.”

“I hope he's like his daddy. Honorable, hardworking, a guardian.”

“And I hope he's like his mama. You don't even realize how you rescued me from myself.”

Kylie grinned. “I guess we both rescued each other, then.” She leaned forward and kissed him again, grateful that God had rescued them both.

Dear Reader,

The first time I visited Yorktown and sat in a little beachfront restaurant, I knew I had to set a story there. The quaint town was just too eerie, too steeped in history and too wonderful to pass up.

I enjoyed getting to know Kylie and Nate through writing this story. Each have had things happen in their pasts that affect who they are today—tragedy, painful relationships, cancer. It's easy to hang on to hurts and let them shape us negatively.

Philippians 3:14 tells us that we must press on toward the goal. We must be like runners who keep going, despite the aches and pains along the way. We have to make a choice and let our heartaches and disappointments turn us into better, stronger people.

My prayer is that we can all let go of any hurts in our lives and focus on the bright future we have in Christ.

Blessings,

Christy Barritt

1. Kylie admits that it was easier to rely on God in the hard times than it was in the easy times. Some people also feel the opposite—that it's easy to rely on God in the good times and more difficult in the stormy seasons of life. Which do you feel and why?
   
2. What events from your past have shaped you into the person you are today? Have they shaped you positively or negatively?
   
3. Is there anything from your past that you need to reevaluate, that holds you back from your potential? List ways you can let those hurts make you better instead of bitter.
   
4. Nate turned his back on his own dreams in order to let his father's dream live. Have you ever given up your dreams to help someone else fulfill theirs? How did that make you feel? Did you ever regret the decision?
   
5. Kylie feels as if her family babies her. Everyone's upbringing has affected them in some way. How has your upbringing affected who you are today?
   
6. Kylie reflects on life while walking through the historic cemetery. Have you ever taken a walk through a cemetery simply to reflect on life? What do you want people to say about you one day?
   
7. Do you ever feel as if God's not listening to you, that your requests fall on deaf ears? Read Luke 18:1-8. Why can we be confident that God hears us?
   
8. Kylie says she believes in God, but she doesn't need to go to church to show it. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
   
9. Deanna wanted to be in a relationship with Nate because of what he could do for her—potentially give her status or money. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who appeared to be using you? How did you handle it? What did you learn from the situation?
   
10. Kylie discovers toward the end of the book that you can let circumstances determine who you are, or you can determine who you are through the circumstances. Which one of these notions has been strongest in your life? How can you make changes?
    
11. The townspeople come together amidst the tragedy Nate is facing. When have others been there for you? How does that make you feel? Do you return the sentiment when tragedy happens in the lives of others?
    
12. Do you have any past relationships that have mangled your view of God? A controlling boyfriend? A domineering father? A betrayal by a best friend? How can you let go of those hurts to see a true image of a loving God?