Where One Road Leads (18 page)

“Can I bring your bags upstairs? Show you the rest of the place?”

His suggestion provided a good break from the awkward moment. Matt retrieved her suitcases and led her up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.

“I’m stunned,” Krista declared, not wanting to let another long moment of silence pass between them. “How in the world did this get built so quickly?”

She recognized touches from Emily’s home mixed in with the new décor. Still, they’d left enough empty space for her to put in her own flair.

“Well, we cheated a little,” Matt replied. “It’s really a modular, but it’s hard to tell.”

“Really?” That did surprise her. The place was sweet, and as he gave her the brief tour, she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect, exactly what she would’ve chosen for herself.

“It’s like starting from scratch,” she declared when they came back into the living room. Maybe that was what she needed to do, leave the past behind and face the future.

“I’ve been so used to living out of a suitcase and an empty apartment for most of my life,” she explained. She wanted him to understand how much this meant to her, how much she wanted it. “I never made a home for myself, not since I had to leave Quail Ridge for jail. Nothing in my life seemed certain or solid after that. I never felt safe enough to put down roots.”

Matt nodded, his lips tight and brows furrowed as if troubled. “I was just the opposite.”

For the first time since her arrival, he pulled her gently to him. She melted against his hard chest and inhaled deeply as if to reclaim his essence. It felt so perfect being in the safe circle of his arms again, as if they would provide as much protection from the outside world as the walls of this house could.

“I thought I had set down roots and I was determined not to break them, not even when Rachel walked out on me. I needed that anchor. I needed to keep the familiar close at hand. Now suddenly those things don’t have the same meaning.”

Keeping her arms tight around his waist, Krista pulled back so she could look at Matt’s handsome face.

“I hope you’re not planning on pulling up stakes and moving out of Quail Ridge,” she teased, although she was deathly afraid he planned to do exactly that.

When he laughed and pulled her back to him, a great deal of weight lifted off her shoulders.

“No, I’m not leaving town,” he assured her. “Though I did put my house on the market. Since we decided to build this house for you, I thought I’d move into the loft over the mill. A new start without the pieces of Rachel and our old life together.”

Krista nodded in understanding. This was as big a step for him as it was for her.

“Then we’re both starting fresh together.” Krista touched her lips to his cheek, and feathered kisses across his stubble-roughened skin until she reached his mouth.

“Together,” he murmured against her lips. His hands roamed up her back and tangled in her hair. “I love you, Krista. I hope that doesn’t scare you.”

Krista shook her head. “Nothing scares me anymore, Matt. I love you too.”

Matt caressed her cheek. The touch was so sweet and she hadn’t realized how much she wanted, needed. Missed it. She was starting from scratch, and that meant she no longer would be afraid to let love into her heart.

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