Joanna Sims - The Sergeant's Christmas Mission

She looked at him, and he had to quickly avert his eyes before he renewed eye contact to cover up the fact that he had, in fact, been staring at her.

“Would you take a picture of my boys and me with it?”

Shane took her phone and took several pictures for her. She scrolled through the pictures and then smiled at him.

“These are great. Thank you.”

Standing so close to her, he could catch the fresh fruity scent of the shampoo she used in her hair. Rebecca Adams wasn’t the prettiest woman he’d ever seen; she was, objectively, on the plain side. But there was something about her that attracted him. It was a magnetic pull that he didn’t understand, and more important, he didn’t necessarily like it.

Shane put some distance between them, taking the lug wrench back to his toolbox.

“Hi, Recon.” Rebecca leaned down and scratched the dog around his ruff before she waved her hand to the boys.

“Come on, guys. I need you to change out of your clothes, grab some lunch and then call your dad. He misses you.”

Carson and Caleb left the way they had come: chasing each other, screaming and laughing. Rebecca hesitated for a moment.

“Do you want to join us for lunch?”

Shane didn’t want to look at her again, but he did out of politeness. “I appreciate the invite, but I had a pretty hardy lunch not too long ago.”

“Well—” she walked backward a few steps “—if you change your mind...”

He nodded; he figured that they both knew he wasn’t going to change his mind.

In spite of himself, he watched her walk away, liking the way she carried her shoulders and the soft sway of her hips.

Unexpectedly, Rebecca turned to face him again.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I met your sister-in-law today.”

“Is that right? Which one?”

Rebecca laughed. “How many do you have?”

“Three.”

“I met Savannah. At church.”

“Let me guess.” Shane walked back over to the motorcycle. “She put in a good word for me.”

“As a matter of fact, she did.”

“Well—” Shane knelt down by the back tire “—I don’t just say this because she was talking about me. You can take what Savannah says to the bank. She doesn’t know how to lie.”

* * *

Rebecca quickly changed into jeans and a T-shirt and twisted her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. The boys, now in their weekend clothes, met her in the kitchen.

“Did you hang everything up?”

“Yes,” Carson said.

“No,” Caleb said simultaneously.

Wordlessly, Rebecca pointed her finger toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Caleb took off running, which made her smile, even as she reminded him not to run in the house.

She made a quick lunch and then sent the boys back up to their room to start unloading the boxes that had been stacked neatly in the corner by the movers. While she washed the dishes, she looked out the window over the sink and watched Shane sitting in a lawn chair between his motorcycle and his front door, brushing Recon’s coat. Much like the feeling she had about the German shepherd, Shane’s outward appearance didn’t seem to necessarily match his outward appearance. Savannah was an earnest soul—that was her impression of the woman—and her words only confirmed her own instinct about Shane Brand. There was a good man hidden beneath that beard, long hair and gruff personality. Thoughtfully, she wiped her hands on a dish towel, and by the time her hands were dry, she had made a decision. She had made one too many sandwiches, and instead of wrapping it up and putting it into the refrigerator, she wrapped it up in a paper towel and took it out to Shane.

“I know you said you weren’t hungry.” She held out the sandwich to him, spotting the open beer at his feet. “But I don’t really consider barley and hops a hearty lunch.”

Shane frowned at her for a split second before he silently took the sandwich. Recon took the opportunity, with his tail wagging, to greet her again. He licked her arm and she found a spot behind his ear that he liked to have scratched.

“I heard you playing the other night.”

Shane had eaten half of the sandwich in one giant bite. He was chewing, so he couldn’t answer right away. He swallowed hard, took a swig of beer and then said, “Ginny never minded me playing at night.”

“Oh. I don’t mind.” She wanted to reassure him. “I...” Rebecca paused, not sure she wanted to share the fact that he had, unknowingly, given her a private concert. “Actually, I sat on the back porch stairs and listened to you.”

Their eyes met, and she was so taken with the blue of his eyes. Those eyes drew her in and held her suspended for a minute before she could remind herself to look away.

“I’ve never heard anyone play a guitar like that before.”

It had been sad and haunting and passionate. Shane played the guitar with all the emotion he couldn’t seem to express in his expression or in his words. In so many ways, perhaps too many ways, Shane reminded her of her beloved father.

“Then I’ll keep on playing for you.”

She tucked her hands into her back pocket and shifted her weight onto one hip. “I wanted to talk to you about the new lease.”

Shane crumpled the paper towel in his hand and she reached out to take it from him instinctively, as she would with Carson or Caleb.

“I like you, Shane. You seem like good people. You know the house, you take care of the yard and I could really use the extra income right now while I’m settling in and looking for work. So, if you want to stay on, I’ll have the attorney send over the lease.”

“I want to stay.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

“Same rent?”

“Same rent.”

He stood up, crossed the short distance to her and held out his hand. “I appreciate this, Rebecca.”

“Of course, the old lease only accommodated for one pet. We’ll have to change that to account for Top.”

“I’ll pay an additional pet deposit, if you’d like.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m just grateful that you saved her. Any news when she can come home?”

“Tomorrow.”

“That soon?”

He nodded.

“That’s wonderful, Shane. Caleb is going to be over the moon when he hears. I’m going to warn you now, he’s going to beg you to see her.”

“He can come see her.”

“Well, if either of my boys start to wear out their welcome with you, don’t be shy, just tell them the truth and they’ll respect it.”

He gave her another nod.

“Well, I’d better get back to work. Those boxes aren’t going to unpack themselves.”

The last time, she had something to add to the conversation—this time, it was Shane who stopped her from leaving.

“I forgot the thank you. For the lunch.”

It wasn’t his words that made her pulse quicken; it was the way he looked at her, like he really saw her . When Shane looked at her, it felt as if he was able to read all of the secrets of her soul. It was unnerving and, if she was being honest with herself, exciting .

“It was my pleasure, Shane.”

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