Alaskan Mountain Pursuit Elizabeth Goddard (best short novels .TXT) 📖

reasons we became friends in the first place. Two guys at a state school—we stuck out a little bit wanting to follow Jesus. I’ve talked enough with Noah to know he shares that faith. I don’t know much about Kate, she’s pretty busy and keeps things to herself but I’ve seen her Bible in the lodge in your family’s area and it moves around, like she takes it different places to read.”

The man really did take “observant” to a whole new level.

“And you’re telling me that with three siblings who know Jesus, you honestly don’t?”

Heartbeats passed. “That’s not what I said, either.” Summer forced the words out slowly.

They sat by the fire in silence. She didn’t offer any more information. Clay didn’t ask any questions.

Her shoulders fell. She wasn’t giving up on escaping from this man who wanted her dead. Not by a long shot. But his silent, unknown, possible presence made everything feel heavier, made her consider everything more deeply. What if he did succeed, did manage to kill her? Was she happy with her life now?

If she died now, could she honestly say she’d been living for the last three years?

TWELVE

Clay knew he’d misstepped, at least where Summer was concerned. What he didn’t know was how, exactly. He’d assumed up until now that Summer might be in one of those seasons of life where she was busy and her times with God were inconsistent, but it appeared she intentionally avoided God.

As a police officer, Clay had seen more than his share of how life could break people. He’d seen people who had let tragedy push them to vices. Drugs. Alcohol. It wouldn’t surprise him if Summer used mountain running to escape in the same way. What he didn’t know was how to convince her that he understood, that he didn’t think worse of her because she wasn’t living in her faith right now. He was sad for her. But it didn’t change his opinion of her.

“What did my brother tell you about me?”

“What do you mean?” Clay asked in an attempt to stall for time, to give himself a minute to figure out how to react to her question. This was the kind of conversation he hadn’t anticipated ever having with Summer. They were friends. Bodyguard and woman in danger. It wasn’t that the topic was anything too intimate, but it was certainly personal, more personal a conversation than he’d have guessed they would be having.

How long was he going to have to tell himself those things until he finally and truly believed it?

He met her glacier-blue eyes, swallowing hard at the knot in his throat that had nothing to do with this particular conversation and everything to do with the draw he felt toward her.

Summer took a breath and continued, “I was under the impression somehow, when we first met, that he’d told you about me.”

“Just that you were his sister and to stay away from you.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Her voice had hardened. Interesting. Why?

Clay shook his head, not sure what he was reassuring her about, but wanting to anyway. “I don’t think he meant anything bad by it.”

Her laugh was hard, cold. “Sure he didn’t. I get it, okay, Clay? You’re this great guy. You’ve got real faith. Guys like you deserve women who believe as strongly as you do.”

“There you go again, talking about yourself like you don’t know Jesus when you haven’t answered my question yet about whether or not you do. Are you a Christian, Summer?”

He wasn’t usually so blunt, didn’t usually feel it was the best approach, but Summer was pushing him toward it. Maybe she was pushing to see if he’d give up on her? He wasn’t sure but he could tell she was going for some kind of reaction. He didn’t know if it was best to give it to her or not, but the woman touched such a raw place inside him, ignited his emotions to such a degree that he didn’t want to measure what he said, didn’t want to keep his distance anymore and keep his feelings uninvolved.

Honestly he wanted to kiss away every frown line on her face that said she didn’t think she was good enough. Good enough for whom? She was the kind of woman who was so hopelessly out of his league he had hardly allowed himself to consider her.

“I asked Jesus to save me when I was seven,” she said softly. “Told him I knew I was a sinner. That I believed His death on the cross was for me too. And I did, Clay.” She sniffed. He didn’t know if she was crying or if the smoke was bothering her. So Clay didn’t do anything, just waited.

But after a long moment of silence, he finally prompted her, “And?”

She smiled wryly. “My faith may be a bit...lapsed at the moment, but I know that’s all that’s required. What do you mean, ‘and’?”

“Something happened to take the childlike faith of a seven-year-old and dampen it, push it aside.”

Summer let out a breath. “Even if you had looked me up I guess you wouldn’t know this part.”

“I told you I didn’t. I don’t know anything about you that you haven’t told me. Besides that your brother wanted you to be off-limits—but, Summer, I think that was because he doesn’t think I’m good enough for you.”

She was already shaking her head. “No, he just knows...” Her cheeks flamed. “He knows how easy it is for me when my heart gets involved to forget everything else.”

Clay’s chest was tight, it was getting harder to breathe. Something about the heartbreak coming off Summer was affecting him. Was this what it felt like to be really truly close to a person? He’d had a few solid friends in high school, guys from his town who he was still pretty close to today. But there was an added element here, and it was not just attraction.

He stoked the fire a little more. Looked at Summer. Her face was