" Don’t leave your room again until I get there.”
Holly’s heart leaped; then her eyes filled with tears. “You’re coming here?”
“My plane leaves Missoula at six o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll be in St. Louis around 2:00 p.m. if there are no delays.”
“Thank you, Bud, thank you so much.”
“I don’t need thanks.”
Holly shivered. The gruff, raspy tone in his voice rattled her. Even as she asked the question, she knew what he was going to say.
“What do you need?”
“Just you, baby.”
“That scares me, too,” she whispered.
Bud pinched the bridge of his nose to quell a surge of panic. Was this where she told him that she didn’t feel the same way he did? He had to make it right. He couldn’t bear it if she suddenly became afraid or uneasy around him.
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have ever said anything to—”
“No, you misunderstand me,” Holly said softly. “I’m not scared of you. I’ve loved you for years.”
Bud could have wept with relief. “Then it’s all good,” he said softly. “I just want you to stay safe until I can get to you. Can you promise to do that for me?”
“I didn’t leave the room all day,” Holly said. “I won’t budge until you get here, I promise.”
“Thank you, honey,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this thing you’re dealing with, but we’ll do it together, so you won’t be in any danger, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Holly.”
The breath caught in Holly’s throat. “I love you, too.”
“Thank you, God,” Bud said, and hung up. "

― Sharon Sala , Blood Trails (The Searchers, #3)