Falling for Her Soldier (5 page)

“Mac’s engaged.”

Charlie lowered his chopsticks and grinned. “No way.” He looked at Jack. “Why didn’t Rick say anything about it this morning when we were playing hockey?”

Jack shrugged and took a bite of broccoli.

“So, Rick finally popped the question,” Charlie said. “That’s huge news.”

“Actually, Mac did the popping,” Tess corrected. “I guess she was tired of waiting.”

Charlie laughed. “Sounds like Mackenzie.”

“She already has me doing maid of honor stuff.” Tess stabbed an egg roll. “Best friend or no best friend, she knows I’m off the hook once this bundle arrives. I think she’s trying to push me into early labor.” When his sister touched his arm, Charlie turned to her. “What about you? Any news of where you’re going?”

“Nothing yet,” Charlie said. “Like I told you the other day, things are kind of up in the air with my next assignment.”

“That’s odd for the Army, right?”

Charlie nodded. “The rest of the unit is staying at the post for another year.” He rubbed his chin. “But a recent deployment left some…holes in the career field.” He paused, hoping he’d been tactful enough. He knew the details of his job sometimes scared his sister. “A lot of jobs are being moved around now, but I expect to hear any day. I’ve got two weeks of leave then if I’m PCS-ing, I’ll get another couple weeks to move. You know how these things go sometimes. There’s a lot of waiting and then it happens fast.”

“Why do you have to go if the rest of the unit is staying?” Tess asked, sounding upset. “That’s so unfair.”

He agreed, to a point. “It’s my job,” he said levelly. “Otherwise they’re a man short.
That’s
the unfair part.”

She sat back, looking gloomy. “I wish you’d be here for the baby.”

Of course, Charlie wished that too, but it was his job to go where he was needed. And despite everything, he loved his job. “I’ll talk to my Commander in Chief about it next time I’m at the White House,” he said, smiling at his not-so-little sister.

Jack passed him a glass. “Now that you’ve got the Impala running, what’s occupying your time?”

Charlie stopped chewing for a moment. “I’ve got a new project. Well, it’s sort of a project. I’m volunteering at the rec center.”

“The Warrior Station?” Tess asked. “That’s kind of awesome. But, um,
you’re
volunteering? Why?”

“They need the help,” he said, feeling a spark of indignity. “I’m available and isn’t it my civic duty to step up when called upon to assist…” He trailed off, noticing the unbelieving expressions in both Jack’s and Tess’s eyes. “There’s this woman.”

“Ohhh,” the couple said in unison.

“What’s she like?” Jack asked, putting down his fork. “Babealicious?”

“Don’t be an ape, sweetheart,” Tess said, batting her eyelashes across the table at her husband.

“We just met today,” Charlie said, running a hand over the top of his head, trying not to picture Ellie, because whenever he did, he knew it forced the goofiest smile onto his face. “Well, that’s not really true. We e-mailed for a while when I was last deployed.”

“How did that happen?” Tess asked. “Some USO thing?”

Charlie didn’t know how to explain without getting into the whole thing. Tess wasn’t privy to what had happened during his last mission. Neither were his parents. He was dealing with it the way he thought he should, the way he always handled stress: privately. No reason to have worried them back then, and even less reason now.

From out of nowhere, Charlie’s heart started to race, pounding like cannon blasts against his ribs. It was as if he’d been zapped right back there…back to that Afghani mountainside. He could smell the fire from the explosion, taste the blood in his mouth, feel the fear and adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He pinched his eyes closed, forcing the scene away. Replacing it was the image of a computer screen and an open e-mail document.

A message from Ellie Bell.

Immediately, his pulse slowed, remembering the calmness that would wash over him whenever he would read one…or reread it for the tenth time.

He wiped his palms on his jeans and took a breath. “No, it wasn’t through the USO,” he began, only after he knew his voice would sound normal. “She’s the sister of one of my good buddies in the unit. We started e-mailing. It was no big deal.”

No big deal… Ha! He was such a liar.

“But you met her today. She lives here, too?”

Charlie thought for a moment. “I don’t know where she lives, exactly. Franklin, I guess. Or Indianapolis. She must be close if she plans on being at the WS every day.”

“How long did you e-mail?” Tess asked.

“Two months.”

“Every day?”

“Not every day. Maybe a dozen messages apiece.” He loaded noodles onto his plate. “Maybe more.”

“That’s kind of a lot, man,” Jack offered.

Charlie lowered his chopsticks. “It is?”

Jack leaned toward Tess. “How many e-mails did I send you before you seduced me on your couch?”

“Zero,” Tess said, cupping his chin.

Charlie cringed. “I did not need to know that.”

“All we’re saying,” Tess added, “is that I don’t remember you having any kind of relationship with a woman for two months. That’s huge.”

“We didn’t have a relationship,” Charlie said. “And we don’t now. She doesn’t—” He broke off and ran a hand over his head. This was the sticky part. “She doesn’t know I’m the same guy.”

“Why not?”

He rubbed the top of his head with a fist. “It’s kind of a funny story.”

“Funny like I’ll want to puke?” Tess asked.

“Probably.” Charlie exhaled then sat up straight. “See, apparently I’ve got some kind of reputation around the post. I guess word got out that I’m a player or something.”

“Which you are,” Tess stated.

Not what Charlie wanted to hear. “Yeah, well, my buddy told his sister about me. But she didn’t know it was me because everyone on post calls me Hunter.”

“That’s right.” Jack nodded. “I’ve heard that.” He looked at Tess with a lifted eyebrow. “Big Game Hunter.”

“You’re seriously disgusting,” she said, glaring at Charlie.

“When we met today, I was introduced as Hunter.”

“So she has no idea you’re the same person she e-mailed for two months?”

“No,” Charlie said, not feeling very proud of his actions. Although if he could go back in time to earlier today, he didn’t know how he would have played it differently. “And I get the impression she kind of hates me.”

Tess smiled. “Really?”

“When we were first introduced, we had a…a moment. It was pretty cool.” He paused, remembering how cute she’d looked as she’d cut his hamburger in half. “But the second she found out I’m”—he rolled his eyes—“Hunter, she was completely turned off.”

“I like her already,” Tess said. “When can we meet?”

Charlie laughed.

“I’m serious,” Tess added. “This baby of mine will never have any cousins on our side of the family if you don’t get busy and settle down.”

“Whoa, whoa.” Charlie held up both hands. “Who said anything about settling down?”

Tess pounded a fist on the table. “It’s time.” She glanced at Jack. “Right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jack said. “Whatever you say.” He looked at Charlie, deadpan. “Get married ASAP, man. You’ll
never
be happier.” He leaned over to kiss Tess when suddenly he pulled back. “Again?”

Charlie glanced at Tess, who was holding up her index finger. “Down the hall,” he said, pointing toward the bathroom.

Tess scraped back her chair and took off at a rapid waddle.

“That’s what the thought of kissing me does to your sister these days,” Jack said with a smile, pulling Tess’s plate of food over to finish. “It’s like every twenty minutes, man.”

“That’s normal?”

“Yep.” Jack leaned back in his chair. “Mac even gave her some women empowerment book about it. They’re always talking about running with the wolves or something, I don’t know. One month and it’s over.”

Charlie chuckled, feeling another twinge of envy. “Good luck with all that.”

“So, tell me more about this woman, the e-mailer.” Jack peered over his shoulder toward the bathroom, then back. “She hot?”

“Incredibly. She’s got red hair. It’s wild, man.”

“You e-mailed for two months. Is there anything there?”

Charlie didn’t have to give it more than a moment’s thought. “Yeah,” he admitted. “That’s kind of what got me into the volunteering thing in the first place. She mentioned she was going to do it, and kind of halfheartedly, I said I should do something like that, too. Next thing I knew, I was signing up.”

“But you like her?” Jack said. “You’re into her, not just as your next score?”

Charlie hated hearing Jack say that. When had his reputation gotten so out of control? Had his mother known before they moved?

“Yes, I like her,” Charlie admitted. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t care if she hated me.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “But now, I don’t know what to do. I’m basically lying to the girl. I’ve never done that. Even if it’s just a lie of omission.”

“You know she’ll find out eventually,” Jack said. “You should tell her before anything remotely serious happens.”

Charlie crossed his arms tighter. “I know,” he said under his breath. He’d spent most of their lunch together so grateful that she didn’t know the truth yet. But admitting he was interested now, he knew he had to come clean, or he really would be living up to his Hunter reputation.

“It’s tricky, though,” he continued. “We had a connection online, and for a little while today, I felt like we were connecting again. When I tell her the truth, what if all those good feelings she had toward me shoot to hell?”

“That’s a possibility,” Jack agreed. “Take it slow. Have you ever actually gotten to know a woman?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was joking earlier about not e-mailing Tess before we got serious. We had a history; we were friends before anything happened. We worked together at the high school and saw each other every day. I knew her and she knew me. We trusted each other. You need to take your time, build a friendship, if you’re genuinely interested in this woman. That’s my advice.”

Charlie knew it was good advice, although he didn’t know what to do with it.

“What about the brother?” Jack asked. “Is he an ally?”

Sammy
. Charlie felt his posture slump as he blew out a long exhale. How had he forgotten? No matter how slow he took it with Ellie, no matter how good his intentions or how much she trusted him…Sam was not going to allow it.

“No.” Charlie rubbed his forehead. “He’s not on board at all.”

Jack pushed back his plate. “Because of the rep?” he asked. Charlie nodded. “Sorry, man, but I get that. I have a daughter, and if I knew she was interested in a guy whose nickname was Big Game Hunter, I’d lock her away.”

Charlie didn’t know how it was possible, but now he felt even worse.

Chapter Five

Ellie checked in with Jane before leaving for the morning, just to make sure she wasn’t needed at the dance studio before her eleven o’clock class. Some of the groups had a recital coming up; things were always stressful around that time. But Jane reported that everything was fine at the moment, so Ellie headed to the WS.

When she’d been getting dressed that morning, at first she chose a little black top with a scooping neckline, the one that showed her collarbones and maybe just a little bit more. But then she grabbed one of Sam’s old USO T-shirts she’d borrowed a million years ago and pulled it on, not bothering to tuck it in. She did
not
need to worry about her outfit today.

Playboy Hunter isn’t going to show up, anyway
, she thought as she drove through town. All that talk yesterday about volunteering was probably just him trying to get some play, impress her into tearing off her clothes.
Huh. Fat chance
.

Even if he did bother to show, he’d probably just hang around some buff female soldier—all flat abs, zero body fat, and can do fifty chin-ups—and not want to actually work at the WS.

As she pulled into a spot, Ellie looked for Sam’s car in the parking lot but didn’t see it. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Her brother might be relying on the WS too much these days, but when he was there, at least he wasn’t at home alone.

The rec center wasn’t too crowded yet. A few guys played on the gaming systems in the corner, and a ping pong game was going in the other corner. Ellie found Chick about to enter his office.

“Hi, Ellie,” he said. “Your friend’s already here.”

“Friend?”

Just then, Hunter stumbled out of one of the restrooms. He was wearing lime green rubber gloves and goggles, and carrying a mop.

“Hey,” she said, feeling a little taken aback. “You’re early.”

He pulled off the goggles. “I figured I would start my day off right.” He twirled the mop and flashed a smile. Oh boy, he was just about the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “But I saved all the drinking fountains for you.”

“How generous.”

“Chick,” Hunter said, poking his head into the office. “What’s next?”

“No more latrine duty, brother,” Chick said, looking up from his computer. “I know it’s kind of a drag, but would you two mind reshelving books in the library? There’s a huge stack and I haven’t had time.”

“No problem,” Ellie said, then looked at Hunter. He was standing at a sink in the small janitor’s closet attached to the office, trying to remove his rubber gloves. “That okay with you?” she asked, before her mind drifted too far into remembering an earlier conversation about Hunter and a janitor’s closet.

“Sure, just give me a minute.” He was trying to yank off the gloves by the fingertips, and not having any luck.

“Need some help?” she asked, joining him at the sink. “You have to peel them off. Here.” She reached for his hand, but he pulled it away.

“You can’t imagine the horrors these gloves have seen.”

“I don’t want to know.” Ellie laughed. “It’s okay, though. That’s what antibacterial soap is for.” She took his hand. “Start at the wrist, not the fingers, and peel back.” She slid off the first glove, revealing his hand an inch at a time, balancing it on top of hers afterward. “See?”

“You’ve done this before,” Hunter said.

She looked at him, surprised by how close they were. Despite his having just mopped a bathroom, he smelled really good, spicy and kind of sweet.

“Will you help me with the other one?” he asked, displaying his right hand.

Ellie almost reached out, but didn’t.
Do not play his flirty game
, she told herself.

“I’m sure you can figure it out,” she said. While he worked at peeling off the other glove, she washed her hands.

“Where’s the library?” he asked, scrubbing his hands next. “I don’t think I’ve seen it.”

“I haven’t either, but I know where it is. Down that hall past all the meeting rooms.”

Hunter held open the closet door for her and the other one that led down the hall. For a player, he had very nice manners.

“The last room on the right.”

Hunter stopped at the open door and let Ellie enter first. The room wasn’t huge, but it was bright, bathed in mid-morning light. The west-facing wall had three huge windows, and sunlight shined in through the curtainless glass. The other three walls were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the center of the room consisted of two long tables and a dozen chairs. The room was cozy and inviting, resembling a rich person’s private book collection more than a proper library.

Ellie automatically drifted to the nearest shelf and ran a finger down the spine of a hardback. “Homer,” she said.

“Which one?”

“
The Iliad
.” She pulled the book out and flipped to the middle. “Have you read it?”

“Not that one,” Hunter said. “
The Odyssey
.”

“Did you like it?”

“I don’t remember much about it. Though I do remember Helen of Troy.”

Ellie rolled her eyes and slid the volume back in its place. “Why does that not surprise me?” She moved to a rolling cart off to the side where about fifty books sat needing homes. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, but it looks like the shelves are organized by title. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Being the only ones in the room, they took all the books from the cart and placed them on the center table, commenting about the books they picked up every once in a while. Maybe it shouldn’t have, but it surprised her how well read he was. “The As should go at that end,” Ellie said, pointing. “And the Zs over there.”

“How did you get so smart?” Hunter said as he brushed up behind her, reaching for a book.

“I went to college, of course. Didn’t you?” She pulled at the neck of her shirt, feeling a little warm as a waft of his aftershave hit her.

“Yes,” he said, brushing past her again as he walked some books to the end of the table. “But I didn’t finish. I enlisted instead.”

“Did you always want to be in the Army?” she asked, genuinely interested in his answer. She’d often wondered what made people choose a military path, knowing how dangerous it could be but doing it anyway. Was it patriotism? Money for college? That obviously wasn’t Hunter’s reason, since he was still Army.

“I never considered it until I was twenty,” he said. “It was supposed to be just four years in and out, then finish college. Turns out it’s a good fit for me. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Ellie nodded slowly, feeling a little bit awed…and then feeling a little bit something else when Hunter reached over his head for the top shelf and she caught sight of his tanned washboard abs.

“Um, I know what you mean,” she said, jerking her gaze in the other direction before she started drooling. “I went to college but I haven’t really used my degree.”

“What did you graduate in?”

“Child psychology.”

Hunter leaned against the table and smiled. “So that’s why you’re drawn to the patrons of the WS.”

“Exactly.” She laughed. “No one quite as childish as a soldier.”

“I hear ya.”

“I’m kidding, of course. I don’t know how you guys do it. I hear stories from Sam…” She cut off, her hands automatically balling into fists of anxiety. “I can’t think about it. I can’t imagine.”

Hunter put down the book he was about to reshelve. “Then don’t think about it,” he said in a low voice. “That’s my job.”

A little glow lit beneath her skin and spread through her chest as his eyes locked on hers. Then she recalled what she’d told Jane last night, how she didn’t think she could get involved with a soldier, the sleepless nights, the blinding worry. But as she gazed at Hunter, she wondered if maybe…knowing people like him were out there, there wasn’t the need to worry as much.

“What you do is amazing.” She spoke around the lump in her throat. “Seriously, you don’t get thanked enough.” Her thoughts suddenly flew to her brother, and to the people hanging out at the Warrior Station, and to all the other brave men and women who defended their country every day.

Without thinking, she went to Hunter, reached out, and took his hand. “Thank you,” she whispered, lacing her fingers through his. “From me. Thank you, with all my heart.”

His hand felt warm pressed against hers, more calloused than she was used to, but gentle. She squeezed it, feeling his strength as he squeezed back.

“Damn.” The word was an exhale.

“What?” She blinked up at him, getting an extra-close look at those golden rings around his blue eyes.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then pulled back a slow smile. “That should see me through my next deployment.”

Ellie felt an inner glow again, pushing against her heart, making it a little more difficult to breathe. She pictured Hunter in uniform, all brave and sexy. For some reason, the image in her mind expanded and she pictured Sam standing next to him. Brothers in arms. When the image widened more, there was another soldier there, faceless.

She inhaled a gasp and stepped back, dropping his hand.

“Everything okay?” Hunter asked, his voice as gentle as his touch had been.

“Sure.” She nodded manically, trying to blink the image of Charlie out of her mind. Guilt swirled in her stomach, stomping out that happy glow like a campfire. How could she say to herself that she was interested in Charlie and then fondle another soldier’s hand?

“So, child psychology,” Hunter said, going back to work at reshelving. “Now that’s where the real danger is.”

“I take it you’re not dying to be a daddy.”

“Hardly,” he answered. “Not that I’m anti-kid,” he amended quickly. “I’m just not all that”—he paused to shrug—“comfortable around them. They smell fear. Like dogs and sharks.”

Dang. He’s funny, too. No wonder he can have any woman he wants.

Luckily, that little reminder rang some pretty loud warning bells in her head. “No nieces or nephews, I take it?” she asked.

“My sister’s married.” When Ellie looked at him, Hunter was smiling and staring to the side. “She’s due in a month.”

“That’s exciting.”

“I don’t know what kind of uncle I’ll make,” he said, a wistful smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Ellie could picture it: Hunter tossing a squealing boy up in the air, those powerful arms catching him easily. Or Hunter down on the floor playing airplane with a curly-haired little girl.

She snapped herself out of it. Imagining Hunter as a human being and
not
as a predator was no good for her state of mind. He was afraid of children yet he enlisted in the Army? The guy was complicated, that’s for sure. He would probably freak out when he discovered what she did for a living…that she spent hours at a time surrounded by tiny humans.

What would a tough soldier like Hunter do in a setting like that? The thought was kind of hilarious. Yep, he would definitely freak. Ellie would love to see that.

“I’m sure you’ll catch on,” she said, straightening a stack of books on the table.

“Let’s hope so.” Hunter was peering down at the spine of a book. “And except for your mother’s sister’s family in California, the one you spent that summer with, no young cousins for you, right? And no nieces or nephews till Sammy gets busy.”

Ellie lowered the book she was holding. “How do you know I lived with my aunt in California?”

Hunter met her gaze, but didn’t answer.

…

It had been in an e-mail, the whole story about how she’d been obsessed with learning to surf after watching some movie, so much that her mother shipped her out to Santa Cruz to live with her aunt the summer between freshman and sophomore years of high school.

My five cousins were all pros at it
, she’d written.
Even the ones who could barely lift a longboard. Hard as I tried, I truly, truly sucked. I spent the first two months of the summer getting very proficient at paddling back after wiping out. Then, halfway through August, it clicked. I remember catching a wave everyone else let pass. It was like my feet were glued to the board and I finally understood how to balance and shift. I can’t explain…it felt like flying.

That first wave, I only made it halfway to shore because I was laughing so hard I started crying. I wanted to stay in California forever, but I’d put some pretty major things on hold that summer, so I had to go home. But to this day, it was the most carefree and magical time of my life. I haven’t been surfing again, but since then, I’ve had a secret dream of living somewhere tropical and picking it up. It would certainly beat the Indiana winters. Maybe someday that dream will come true.

Charlie could see it perfectly: the grown-up Ellie splashing in the surf. She wasn’t just some fantasy woman with sunny smiles and a surfboard. Not anymore.

“Hunter?” Her voice cut into his daydream. “How do you know?”

“Oh, I… Sam,” he said, looking down, concentrating on the stack of books before him. “Sammy told me about your family once. We were on this all-night watch detail. No big deal.” He kept his back to her, hoping she wouldn’t see through his mistake.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. Maybe Sam had mentioned their aunt. Charlie knew for sure Ellie had in more than just that one e-mail. Another time, it was Aunt Kathy’s birthday and Ellie was sending her one of those edible bouquets. She’d asked him what kind of cookies she should order. Good old-fashioned chocolate chip was his favorite. Charlie couldn’t help wondering what she’d eventually decided on.