Murphy's Law by Jennifer Lowery

good thing that came out of
my marriage. She’s the one thing Kent gave me I can’t hate him for.”
    Tears shimmered in Sara’s eyes. Murphy
knew she had suffered dearly at the hands of her husband and his family. A
sudden, protective urge whipped through him. He disliked this family already.
    Abby smiled at her mother and continued
to skip along between them.
    Sara looked up and met his eyes. “I
don’t know why I’m telling you this. I told myself I wasn’t going to.”
Vulnerability and loneliness shone in her eyes.
    “Your mother, is she still in the
nursing home?” he asked.
    Sara’s eyes clouded and she looked away.
“No, she passed away two years ago. Kent insisted we move her into a more
upscale home and she died in her sleep two days later. Another mistake of mine.
I never should have taken her out of the home she loved.”
    A lifetime of regrets would break down
even the strongest person. Murphy could see them layered on Sara’s shoulders.
    “Who are you running from, if not your
husband?”
    “I’ve said too much already.”
    Sara suddenly swung Abby into her arms
and hugged the girl tight to her chest, burying her face in the curls peeking
out of her hat. Murphy watched the girl squeeze Sara tight and giggle, saw Sara
struggle to reign in her emotions, and knew he was in trouble. Sara Sheldon
represented his weakness. A weakness that had almost killed him once.
    Their eyes met over the girl’s head and
he felt himself walking onto a loaded minefield. He doubted he would walk
across without detonation and sighed. For her, he would do it.
    “Please take us back to the cabin,” Sara
said. “I think I’ve walked far enough.”
    Murphy understood what she meant. She
had gone too far and she wasn’t going any further.
    He nodded and turned around. He would
get the truth out of her another time, and then he would decide what to do
about it.
     

 
    Chapter 7
     
    Sara couldn’t sleep. She’d told Murphy
too much today and had come dangerously close to telling him everything.
    Abby slept peacefully beside her with
her arms wrapped around her doll.
    She longed for a friend, someone to talk
to and share her troubles with, someone to reassure her that things were going
to work out. Murphy wasn’t that kind of friend. He wouldn’t do any of those
things for her, so why risk telling him? He wasn’t a touchy, feely kind of
person and she doubted had a consoling bone in his body. Yet, she longed to
have him wrap her in his big, strong arms and hold her until her troubles faded
away. His broad shoulders would hold her burdens easily and keep her safe. And
he would scowl the entire time.
    Sara smiled into the darkness. Being
held in his arms again sounded really good right now. She longed to lay her
burdens on someone else, if only for a moment so she could regroup.
    Sighing, she slipped out of bed and from
the room. Warm milk wasn’t going to help her tonight. Thinking about Murphy
made her more restless. Every time she looked at him, butterflies took flight
inside her belly and electricity zinged down her spine. A response she had no
clue how to handle. Which frustrated her even more. She needed a drink. Not the
bitter, expensive wine the Benchleys always served, but a nice, solid glass of
bourbon. The kind that burned on the way down and warmed her from the inside
out. It would numb the edginess and hopefully make her forget about Murphy’s
strong arms.
    Maybe Murphy had a stash somewhere in
the kitchen. Crossing her fingers, she tiptoed into the kitchen and stopped
short when she saw the light already on.
    Murphy did have a secret stash.
    He sat at the kitchen table, half in the
shadows created by the soft light glowing above the stove. A bottle of amber
liquid sat on the table in front of him, an empty glass in his hand. His hair
was tousled from sleep and to Sara’s dismay, he was naked to the waist. Her
gaze landed on his muscled shoulders and trailed across his tanned chest. So
much for