He had opened his heart to her but old fears returned. He didn’t want to end up like his father, a broken man. Women left, they betrayed—that was what they did. He picked up a magazine and flipped through it. Maybe Isabel was different...maybe.
Ten minutes later, Isabel emerged from the office. Her round doe eyes rested on him. “Your turn. I’ve got to get over to the office and explain things to Mary.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I guess this is it.”
He took in a breath. Should he say something about how he felt but how the doubts plagued him? “Yes, maybe I’ll see you around.”
A shadow seemed to fall across her face. “Sure. That would be nice.” Was that disappointment that tainted her words?
Michael came out of his office and stood in the doorway watching them.
Jason stepped toward Michael’s office as the door to the outside opened and closed—Isabel was gone.
“You two have been through quite an ordeal together,” said Michael, turning to position himself behind his desk.
“Yes. Yes, we have.” Jason nodded.
He stepped inside Michael’s office and closed the door.
Michael clicked the keyboard of his laptop. “It seems our rogue agent has decided to run too, but I suspect it will just be a matter of hours before we have him in custody.”
“And the other men we saw at the warehouse?”
“Isabel was able to identify them. Petty criminals. The locals can pick them up and bring them in.”
Jason turned sideways and stared at the door, thinking about Isabel stepping outside. “So they’re not in custody yet. What if they come after her for revenge?”
“They don’t have the economic resources to flee. It’s just a matter of hours before we pick them up. You can stay with her for a little longer, can’t you?”
“Give me a minute.” Jason jumped up from his chair and bolted for the door. He took the stairs two at a time and raced out to the street.
Isabel was already two blocks away, walking into a headwind with her head down and her arms crossed. He ran to catch up with her, calling out her name when he was a block away.
She turned to face him.
“Jason, what is it?”
“You know the two men that came after you at the Wilsons’ are still at large and the redheaded guy.”
“Michael mentioned it. They don’t want to get caught. I’m sure they’re hiding,” she said.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Why take a chance? What’s another day or two together, watching each other’s backs?”
“Jason, is that really why you ran all the way up the street?”
“Yes. I’m worried about your safety.”
Her expression drooped. Her brown eyes glazed. “Oh, is that all?”
He reached his hand out to her. “Isabel, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“When I saw you coming up the street I thought that maybe... I don’t know... That it wasn’t about this whole smuggling thing. That you were coming after me to be with me, just to be with me.”
The vulnerability in her voice floored him. He let out a breath and shook his head.
“What?” A faint smile graced her face as she leaned closer to him.
“Guess I was telling myself a lie. I was looking for an excuse to be with you. Isabel?” He knew he loved her. Why was it so hard for him to admit that?
“Yes?” she said.
He pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the ground. Then he inched her gloves off, as well, so he could hold her hands in his. “Isabel Connor. I do want to be with you. Not just for another day until those men are picked up but for the rest of my life.”
She bounced from toe to heel. Her face brightening. “Yes. I want that too. I want to be your wife.”
“Well then, there you have it. I love you, Isabel.”
“I love you, Jason.”
He leaned in and kissed her with the snow swirling around them and the early-morning sun shining on them.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Mountain Survival by Christy Barritt.
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Mountain Survival
by Christy Barritt
ONE
“It’s up to you, Sherlock,” Autumn Mercer murmured as she knelt beside her dog. “You have to find her.”
Sherlock barked, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he panted with excitement.
Autumn held a sweater belonging to one of her coworkers beneath her dog’s nose. Sherlock sniffed it before sitting at attention and waiting patiently for her command. The dog was practically salivating to get to work.
Autumn paused a beat before saying, “Search!”
At once, Sherlock tugged at his leash and started toward the thick forest on the edge of the small, secluded parking lot.
The dog never looked as happy as when he had a job to do. The Australian shepherd, a red merle with striking blue eyes, was always a sight to behold. In the three years since Autumn had been training him for search and rescue missions, the canine had become like a family member.
She followed behind him, careful to track her steps so she could find her way back later. Every month, Autumn did these exercises with her dog so they could be prepared when needed.
Just last week, she and her team had to track down a missing fourteen-year-old who’d wandered away from his family on a camping trip. Sherlock had also helped with search and rescue missions involving the elderly, hikers who explored off the marked trail and once an entire family who’d gotten lost while geocaching.
Sherlock paused near a tree and sniffed. Then he veered to the left, deeper into the wilderness.
“Good job, boy,” Autumn said. “Keep going.”
Autumn pulled her jacket
