Faithful to a Fault Read Free Page A

him to scramble to his feet. He held out a hand and she took it, letting him haul her up. “Sorry. Totally forgot.” Always a good way to impress the ladies. Make sure they catch a cold by letting snow into their sweaters.
    “It’s okay.” Sarah started to brush snow off her coat with brisk motions, then her hands slowed, then stopped. He glanced at her face and saw her gaze had drifted over his shoulder.
    All five other players—Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Maria, her boyfriend and Tony—stood huddled together, watching them with obvious interest.
    “Sorry,” he called out and took Sarah’s elbow to lead her back. “Guess I had more in me than I thought.”
    “This is as good a time as any to stop for some hot cocoa,” Mrs. Miller said. “Let’s all head in for a break. We’ll just call it halftime.”
    “Sounds like a plan. I’ll get a fire started,” Mr. Miller said with a wink and headed in.
    “Great!” Maria grabbed her boyfriend’s arm and dragged him into the house, pausing only long enough to stomp the snow off her boots before heading in. Tony followed close behind.
    “And then there were two,” Pete said. He held out an arm but she shook her head and plopped down on the patio stairs.
    “I’m going to stay out here for a minute. Too hot.” She unwound the scarf around her neck and leaned her elbows back to the step behind her. Tilting her face to the sky, eyes closed, she could have been sunning herself on a beach in Tahiti. Minus the puffy coat, of course.
    “I’ll sit with you, if you don’t mind.”
    “I have a feeling even if I did mind, you’d sit anyway,” she said, not opening her eyes.
    Pete’s butt hit the wood with a thud. “You’re probably right.” When she said nothing, he took a chance. “What are you thinking about?”
    “Just thinking that I love the Millers for inviting me to all these things. The family things,” she clarified before he had a chance to ask. “They have always made me feel like one of their own.”
    “They’re good people,” he agreed. “Let me tag along for leave when they could have said no.”
    “Hmm,” was all she said.
    Why did she need the Millers to play family with? Was she so alone in the world? God, he could relate. Not the time for that though.
    “Sorry about the tackle. I tripped.”
    She chuckled and the sound warmed him, reaching every cold nook and spreading like wildfire.
    “No you’re not. Tripped, my butt. Just say it. You wanted to win.”
    What he’d wanted was to feel her under him. To have a damn good excuse to tackle her, press his body to hers, let her feel the weight of him. What he wanted was to be alone in a dark room doing all those things. Not in the cold snow, with an audience of five.
    “Yup. I wanted to win.”
    “Well, honesty is always nice.” She stood then and he did as well. When he offered her his elbow this time, she took it. The simple gesture gave him a kick in the stomach but he ignored that and led her inside.
    * * * * *
     
    Sarah opened the door to a shocked Pete.
    “You live here?” He looked back toward the main house. “In the garage?”
    “Above the garage,” she corrected. “If you didn’t know I lived here, who did you think did?”
    Pete held up a dish covered with foil as evidence. “Mrs. Miller asked me to bring this to Mrs. Nelson. Said if she wasn’t at home to leave it with that woman who lived in the garage apartment.”
    “Uh huh.” Laura Miller knew damn well tonight was Mrs. Nelson’s canasta night. That woman indeed. She reluctantly stepped aside and opened the door wider. “Well, come on in. It’s freezing.”
    Pete was careful to scrape his boots first, which she appreciated. She took the dish from him, asking, “Freezer or fridge?”
    “Freezer,” he answered absently, eyes roaming the small living space. He didn’t remove his coat. That meant two things. One, he didn’t mean to stay long, which was good for her sanity. And two, she wasn’t faced with the