Harlequin Special Edition November 2014 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Weaver Christmas Gift\The Soldier's Holiday Homecoming\Santa's Playbook (56 page)

Nora's misty eyes held his. “Thanks. It's been...rough, but I'm doing okay.”

Eli noticed the second she zeroed in on the scar running from just above his brow, down and into his hairline close to his ear. She started to reach up and Eli froze, steeling himself for her touch. When her hand dropped before she could make contact, he blew out a breath.

Eli wasn't offering an explanation, and if she asked, he'd have to be vague. That scar mocked him each day in the mirror, reminding him of the secret he still kept for a dead man.

An awkward silence settled between them, but thankfully his mother came into the room, breaking the tension. Since when didn't he know how to handle a woman?

Nora wasn't just any woman, though. She was special. Trying to start anything with her now, after all this time, would just be wrong. With her a recent widow and him leaving in a few months...yeah, not a good idea. So, he'd just have to put his emotions in check and do the job he came here to do.

Besides, so much time had passed; they were nowhere near the same people.

“Nora,” his mother greeted with open arms, and the two women embraced each other. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.” Nora eased back. “I just wanted to let you know that I'll stop by the hospital to bring some lunch after work tomorrow. I know the surgery can take several hours.”

Eli stood by the door, still watching this interaction between his high school sweetheart and his mother. It was like time had stood still, only it hadn't. Time had been cruel and had taken each of them down different paths, paths that led to heartache and deceit. Paths that led in totally opposite directions and as far apart as two people once in love could get.

And yet here they were, full circle. Eli wanted to reach out, even hug her in a friendly gesture. He'd lost that right years ago and had no one to blame but himself.

Already the ache in seeing her had settled deep in his chest. They were only on day one so how in the hell did he expect to see her nearly every day? Because he knew full well that Nora loved Mac and Bev as much as he did and she'd be around checking on them, worried about them.

Looked like he was about to pay his penance for leaving her behind.

* * *

Oh, sweet mercy. This inescapable, awkward reunion smacked her in the face and left her utterly speechless. Remaining friends with Eli's family had once been torture when Eli had first enlisted. She adored Mac and Bev so much that even when he broke things off and joined the army, she still held on to that precious bond with his parents. They were truly the closest thing to having her own and the teen in her embraced the stability.

Nora tried, she really did, to focus on what Bev was saying, but her mind was on the man who stood just over her shoulder. The man she'd once thought to be “the one.” The man who had told her over and over that when he graduated he planned on enlisting to explore and change the world. It wasn't the fact he was enlisting that broke them. She was proud of him for wanting to fight for freedoms. The issue was that Eli never had any intention of returning and settling down in this small town.

At one time, naively, she'd thought he'd miss her so bad he'd come crawling back. Yeah, she'd held that much hope in their relationship. When he'd been gone for enough time she knew there was no chance, she cut her losses and started dating Todd. She'd been moved around so much as a kid, she simply longed for a home and some stability. Things she thought Todd could offer.

Eli's fresh, masculine aroma had surrounded her when she'd passed by him in the foyer. There was no way she was letting him help her with her coat because she couldn't stay long...and she had another reason to hide behind the heavy wool.

After the shock of seeing Eli—with a fresh-looking, jagged facial scar—faded, her mind instantly went to their high school days when he'd try anything to get her to cross the “good girl” line. But as soon as that memory hit her, her mind drifted to Todd. She'd been doing so well lately with keeping her emotions in check. Maybe they hadn't had the best or most ideal marriage, but she mourned the man who sacrificed himself for his country.

In all honesty Eli had probably spent more time with Todd than Nora had because the two had been deployed months upon months together in Iraq over the past four years. Best friends in school turned army buddies living through some of the harshest conditions.

She'd thought when she'd married Todd that he would get out of the army, but he'd decided to stay. After four years of marriage, most of them spent with him deployed, Nora had finally lost her husband for good.

Now, due to the financial strain of living on one income, she might have to sell her home. The death benefits and pension weren't going near as far as she'd hoped.

Nora blinked back tears that were so easy to flow. Seeing Eli conjured up that part of her mind she associated with Todd and Eli together. The two men she'd loved. The two men she'd lost. She wanted to be angry at both of them for leaving her, but what good would that do?

While she knew she'd run into Eli over the next day or so, she hadn't planned on it being after a grueling day at the clinic. Between multiple cases of worms, kennel cough and vaccinations, she was ready to prop her feet up and dig into a big bowl of Rocky Road ice cream for dinner and snuggle with her finicky cat, Kerfluffle.

Most people probably wanted hot soup on a cold day like today, but she wanted the good stuff. The fattening stuff. It's not like her expanding waistline would suffer any more than it already had. Nora knew she smelled like dog and was covered in fur—occupational hazard—but she hadn't expected to see Eli before she could at least shower, change from her scrubs and attempt to fix her hair...and a half-falling ponytail did not count as fixed.

Not that she was trying to get his attention, but she at least wanted to look somewhat put together and not like a bag lady.

A pregnant bag lady. This was one time in her life she was thankful for her height. At least the weight could spread out more and her belly barely had a bump. Eli didn't know she was pregnant, as far as she knew, and it really wasn't a topic she wanted to broach with him. While she embraced the love of her small town and the folks who'd rallied around her upon Todd's death and her pregnancy discovery all within days of each other, the last thing she wanted was to see pity in Eli's eyes.

She'd seen that look years ago when they'd broken things off and she hoped to God she never had to see it again.

“If you don't mind,” Bev said.

Nora blinked and smiled. “I'm sorry. What?”

Bev patted her arm, offering a wide grin. “You're exhausted, honey. Go home and put your feet up.”

“No, no. I'm fine. My mind wandered and I didn't hear what you said.”

Wandered, took a hard right and ended up in la-la land. Such was the story of her life. Always daydreaming, because reality was starting to flat-out suck.

Except for the precious baby she carried. No way could Nora be upset about something so miraculous—no matter the circumstances.

“I just said it would be wonderful if you could bring lunch for us tomorrow if you didn't mind,” Bev said, still holding on to Nora's arm. “But only if you're already coming down. Don't make a special trip.”

“Oh, no. I don't mind at all.”

Eli shuffled his feet behind her and Nora turned to see his eyes directly locked on to hers. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't block old memories from sliding into the forefront of her mind.

Her mother may have been a drifter, but one of her boyfriends that had come and gone had lived in Stonerock. When Nora had been a teen they'd moved here and Nora knew this was the place she'd stay. Her mother had hung around for a few years, allowing Nora to actually make friends, find teen love and experience her first heartache.

Speaking of, Eli now held her gaze with those dark-as-sin eyes that used to mesmerize her. They still did.

“Bringing lunch would mean a lot to us, Nora,” he told her.

Why did she have to still find him attractive? Why did that new scar intrigue her and make her want to know all about his life since he'd left?

Stupid hormones. She did not have time for this.

“There's my girl.”

Nora turned to see Mac coming down the hall, a huge smile on his face and arms open wide. She loved this family, she honestly did, and they'd cared for her for so long she didn't know what she'd do without them.

They'd been there for her when Eli had gone off to the army and her mother had moved on. Mac had actually helped her with vet school, covering what financial aid hadn't.

They'd been there when Todd was killed. Mac and Bev were the loving, doting parents she'd always longed for.

And the thought of Mac having open-heart surgery terrified her. She knew he needed it, but there was always that chance that something could go wrong. Even though she treated animals, she knew more than enough about the surgery to be worried.

“Oh, now.” Mac took her into his arms and patted her. “Don't tear up on me, Nora. I'll be fine and back home grumbling in no time.”

Nora sniffed and eased back in Mac's arms. “I'm just tired, that's all. I know you'll be in good hands and I'll be there to make sure your family is taken care of.”

Mac squeezed her shoulders and nodded. “I couldn't ask for a better daughter.”

Nora's heart squeezed. He'd often referred to her as the daughter he'd never had. Being friends with Eli's younger brother Drake had introduced her to the family, but it wasn't until she started dating Eli that she truly felt the family bond she'd always craved. She'd thought watching him leave was the hardest thing she'd ever face. Boy was she wrong. The past few years had been difficult, but the past several months had been a whole new level of hell. One day at a time she was crawling out, trying to get back to some sort of stability in her life before she brought a baby into this world.

“I better let you guys go.” Nora moved toward the door, careful not to touch Eli. “I'll be praying for you, Mac, and I'll be by the hospital after work.”

She fled the family scene before she really did something stupid like break down in full snot-and-tears mode. Who knew pregnancies could produce such a juxtaposition of emotions?

Heading to her home next door, Nora crossed the lawn, speckled with a hint of snowflakes. She knew there was no way just one pint of Rocky Road would soothe her tonight and wine was out of the question.

There was only one thing left to do: she'd have to pull out all the stops and liberate the large supreme pizza from her freezer emergency stash. And seeing Eli looking all perfectly intriguing and mysterious with his scar and demanding presence definitely constituted an emergency.

While she hated pity from others, Nora felt she was entitled to throw herself a pity party. Once she gorged herself on junk and maybe indulged in a bubble bath, she'd feel better.

She placed a hand on her bump and smiled. She had four months to regain control of her life and emotions because, no matter the turmoil, Nora would provide stability and love to this baby...even if she was alone.

Copyright © 2014 by Jules Bennett

ISBN-13: 9781460341919

Santa's Playbook

Copyright © 2014 by Karen Templeton-Berger

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