Dancing in the Moonlight - Harlequin.com

RAEANNE THAYNE
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saw hurt flicker in his eyes before he veiled them.
“Nothing. You’re right.”
Expression closed and hard, he rose from the bed and
shoved on his pants with the economical motions of
someone used to getting dressed in a hurry for emergency
calls.
Before she realized what he was doing, he grabbed
up the rest of his clothes and headed for the door. More
than her next breath she wanted to go after him, but
without her crutches she was helpless.
“Jake. Please don’t leave.”
He turned, his smile not really bitter, just inexpressibly
sad. “I pushed you too hard. I should have quit
while I was ahead.”
“No you didn’t. I’m just—You keep saying I’m brave
but I’m not. Inside, I’m a quivering mass of nerves, full
of self-doubt and insecurities. This is hard for me.”
She let out a breath. “But I faced one fear tonight. I
might as well tackle an even bigger one now.”
He waited, his features solemn, hard.
Twelve years in the Army Reserves had taught her
the importance of quickly condensing her options down
to bare bones. Survival often depended on it.
As she saw things, she had two choices. She could
surrender to her fear and insecurities, afraid to reach out
and grab the wonderful gift he was offering because she
worried he might snatch it away when he decided she
was too much work and bother.
Or she could decide the time had come to go on living.
When it came down to it, there was really no
choice at all.