by Liz Johnson
He nodded. “What will you do?”
“Well—”
“Kenzie! I’m so glad to see you here!” Myles jumped back a step at the boisterous greeting from Angela Purdue, one of Kenzie’s oldest friends at the church. “I was just thinking about you.” Angela’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I read about your return and then Mac’s arrest in the newspaper. I’m so sorry about everything. Tell me what’s going on.”
Angela’s cold hands clung to Kenzie’s, sucking all of the warmth from the room. A shiver ran down Kenzie’s spine as she tried to formulate the appropriate response. How did one explain the betrayal of her grandfather because of his own greed, but that she still harbored love for him? How could she clarify that the man standing beside her was both her kidnapper and the man she quite possibly loved?
And like the hero that he always was, Myles stepped forward, put his arm around Kenzie’s shoulders and pulled her to his side. “Would you excuse us please?” No explanation, no excuses. He just steered her to a private corner as Angela’s face became a mask of confusion.
And then they were alone again. When he dropped his arm from her shoulders, she felt lost at sea. “Myles.” She looked at her feet then up to his chin. “Myles, I hate—”
Myles held up his hands to stop her, his stomach falling to his feet. “Save it. I know you hate me. And I’m not assuming that we’re going to pick up where we left off. But just hear me out. Please.”
“No! It’s not that! It’s just…I don’t hate you. I hate how I treated you. How I acted when you were only being honest with me. I just—I just wasn’t ready to hear it. To know the truth.”
His jaw dropped open two inches. He closed it and then tried to form words, but no sound emitted from his mouth.
Kenzie reached out to put her hand on his forearm, but stopped about five inches short. His hand sprang out to meet hers, and he held it gently there, hanging between them like the words that he wanted to say.
“Kenzie, I’m sorry,” he finally managed to spit out.
“For what?” Her inquisitiveness was genuine as she cocked her head to the side and looked into his face with huge gray eyes.
He stabbed his fingers through his hair, always surprised by its much shorter, more office-appropriate length. “I don’t know. Everything. For the prison. For the cabin. For losing your trust.”
“You never lost my trust.” Innocence shone from somewhere deep within her face.
“Not even when I—When I kissed you?”
“Which time?” She laughed.
He laughed, too. She had a good point. He finally dropped his hand to his side, pulling hers with it, effectively tugging her a step closer.
And then she stepped right up to his chest, whispering words only for him. “Myles Borden, you have nothing—absolutely nothing—to apologize for. You protected me from myself, even when I didn’t know that I needed it. You told me the worst possible truth—that Mac loved his position, his power, more than he loved me. I just wasn’t ready to hear it.” Her hand reached for his cheek and cupped it gently, then slid back to rub the fuzzy hair at the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. “For all my life I’ve counted on Mac to protect me, to keep me safe. I was afraid to trust what you said, because if it was true, then my safe little world would crumble.
“I was afraid of letting Mac disappoint me. Somehow, I thought that if I refused to believe you, Mac could never let me down. I was wrong.”
He could tell she was fighting the urge to look down. Her eyelids flickered, but she maintained eye contact. “I’m sure that someday you’ll disappoint me and let me down, like Mac did—well, I hope not exactly like Mac did—but I don’t expect perfection from you. I don’t need or expect human perfection. It’s not possible. But God still got me through this whole ordeal. And He’ll get us through whatever lies ahead.”
He put his free hand over hers on his neck, holding it in place, relishing the cool feel of her fingers. Having her that close was perfect, like a dream he never knew he’d been longing for. “Ms. Mackenzie Thorn, what am I going to do with you? You were just supposed to be another assignment, another wild adventure. I’ve been all about my job for a long time, sure that it was where God had me. But you somehow weaseled your way into my heart.” He couldn’t control his smile as her eyes started to light up. “I thrived on the excitement that belonging to the FBI offered, but somewhere between that mountain lion attack and watching you being held at gunpoint, I fell for you. And somehow, I think that you might just offer more excitement than any job ever could.”
“Does that mean that I’m going to be around for a while?” Her innocent smile didn’t fool him for a second. He knew Spicy Kenzie was just below the surface, assuring him that a transfer to a desk job within the Bureau wouldn’t leave him void of thrills.
“I think you’ve earned another kiss or two.” He chuckled. “I’ll have to keep you around long enough to pay up.”
She laughed out loud. “Funny. I was thinking that you’d earned a few of your own.”
And even though they were standing in the church foyer with members of the congregation milling around them, Myles could do nothing to stop his head as it dipped to press his lips to hers. The others disappeared as he held her close and breathed in her lemon-lime scent. He sent up a prayer of thanksgiving for the amazing woman in his arms.
When voices and conversations around them intruded on their intimate moment, Myles pulled back, just slightly.
“I guess this means that I’ll have to ask for a transfer to Salem.”
“That seems silly.” She laughed.
Doubts bombarded him. What if she did not want to pursue their relationship? Was she just toying with him? Did she think this was the end of what they shared?
Kenzie smiled at the hard look that spread across his features. She flipped a curl of red hair over her shoulder and pressed the hand that he had been holding to the soft cotton covering his chest. “Nana and I are moving to Portland. She needs a fresh start. I do, too. Besides, I’ve been offered a teaching position at the juvenile detention center there. Maybe if I can help the boys at a younger age, they won’t end up in the state prison—like you.” She winked at him, enjoying the look of humor reflected in his own eyes.
“I’d go back there to protect you in a heartbeat.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah,” he breathed as he pressed his lips to hers again.
“Well, there are two down for me. How many more have I earned? I’d hate to use them all up.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, those two were free. You’ll know when I’m paying up.” And deep in her heart she knew that she would have a lifetime to collect on that debt.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Kenzie, Myles and me as we followed the clues to discover the men responsible for the plot to kidnap and kill Kenzie. I had so much fun writing these two characters—especially Kenzie’s sweet and spicy sides and Myles’s faithful protection.
I’m very thankful that I’ve never been betrayed by a family member the way that Kenzie was. I have, however, moved far from my family and found that the people I usually turned to during difficult times weren’t right beside me. Like Kenzie I had to learn to rely on God and count on His protection and plan for my life. I hope that Myles and Kenzie’s story encourages you to do the same when you face trials.
I love hearing from my readers. You can visit my Web site at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com and leave me a comment or e-mail me. Thanks again for joining me on this adventure. I hope we have many more to come.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Who is your favorite character? What aspect of him/her do you most identify with? Why?
At the beginning of the book, Kenzie has the opportunity to pursue a different career choice, moving out of the prison and into a kindergarten classroom. If you were in her shoes, would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?
At the cabin, Kenzie f
eels that Lenora both misunderstands and dismisses her fear. When have you felt misunderstood or dismissed? How did you react in that situation?
When Myles is attacked by the mountain lion, Kenzie sees that he’s willing to sacrifice his own life to protect her. She must decide if she’ll rescue him in return. What would you do if you were in this position?
Myles gives Kenzie a special gift for her birthday—he celebrates with her. What special gift have you received? What made it so exceptional?
In Edna’s house, Myles spends his time digging through piles of newspapers, distracted from his ultimate goal by something that appears to be important. What things in life that seem important distract you from God’s true purpose?
Myles’s dream of being a navy SEAL are shattered in high school, which leads him to the FBI and ultimately to Kenzie, God’s true plan for him. What goals have you had that didn’t come true and revealed a greater plan for your life?
When Kenzie discovers that Myles told her the truth about her grandfather’s betrayal, she is filled with guilt over the way she spoke to him. Have you been in a similar situation? What was the situation, and how did you resolve it?
Mac’s betrayal makes Kenzie take a closer look at the way she’s put him on a pedestal. Have you ever done that with someone? What happened when they let you down?
It’s only after both Myles and Kenzie give their broken hearts and their attraction to each other to God that He brings them together for good. What have you had to completely give up to God before He gave it to you?
What personality traits do you think Myles and Kenzie have that make them compatible?
How has God shown Himself faithful and ever-present in your life, like He did to Kenzie and Myles?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3635-0
THE KIDNAPPING OF KENZIE THORN
Copyright © 2009 by Elizabeth Johnson
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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