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He sat up and ran his fingers through his tousled hair The fire was still burning on the hearth He’d fed it a couple of ti carefully from under the blankets so as not to wake Holly The last time he’d crept back into their warm bed, he’d yielded to teently over hers Holly had sighed and ht have been his name and he’d drawn her close, tucked her head beneath his chin, and fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep

Nick glanced at theThe stor into a cloudless sky

His heart constricted

The ploould co There’d be no excuse for hi…

‘Good ’

Nick looked around Holly was standing halfway between the kitchen and the living roo boots, and a heavy ski sweater Her long wheaten hair was pulled back in a French braid, and her face was shiny and as scrubbed as a schoolgirl’s

He sotten that his wife—his forht to wake up to

‘Good ,’ he said ‘I seem to have overslept’

Holly grinned ‘You’re a regular lazybones How about soet you started?’

‘Caffeine? You ht I was hallucinating Is that really coffee I smell?’

‘I ondering how long it would take you to notice Just wait there one second…’ She disappeared into the kitchen and popped out a s in her hands ‘You still take it with creaar?’ she asked as she came towards him

Nick nodded ‘Yeah’

Holly reached down to the warrey and white speckled coffee pot

‘Damn,’ Nick said with pleasure ‘I never noticed’

She filled both s, smiled, and handed one over He took it and buried his nose in the fragrant steam

‘A hed, and looked at Holly, who’d sat down, cross-legged, opposite hie it?’

‘Well, I decided to poke through the pantry’