Operation: Tempt Me (3 page)

Oh, there was
so much she had thought of since the general’s email. Now she had a purpose
other than taking care of Aunt Annabelle, which she never minded, but this was
important too. She’d bring a smile to a soldier’s face somewhere in a distant
land. Her job no longer needed to just be about paying the bills. She could
finally make a difference.

Slipping her
shoes back on her sore feet, Cambrie squished her notes into her briefcase and
headed for home.

Chapter Two

Walking into
her empty apartment, Cambrie sighed at the silence. Wouldn’t it be nice to
actually walk in and be greeted by someone? Dumping her briefcase on the couch
where she’d work, she turned on her laptop. Running into her bedroom, she
changed and returned to the kitchen to start dinner. When she logged back
online, she wanted to jump up and down. Emma had replied.

Hey,
Cam. Wow, long time no talk to. Miss you! Finn’s not home yet, he’s been out
with the horses all day. He started a stud program and I swear the horses are
getting more action than me, LOL.

But,
hun, not to worry. I’ll make sure he gets you a contact tonight. I’m thrilled
that you let me know about this. What a fantastic program!

You
know that Finn and I met online…well, thanks to my friends and his men playing
matchmaker. You never know what could happen with the right pen pal. Wink! And
of course, you’d better share all the juicy details LOL. OK. Will email in a
few.

Hugs
to you too, Em

Had Emma gone
and lost her mind? Cambrie laughed and set her laptop on the coffee table and
hurried to the microwave. Her frozen dinner was overcooked, but she was so
hungry she didn’t care. It was food and, at the moment, she had more important
things like her job to worry about than nourishment.

If Emma
thought that Cambrie had the time for a relationship then she didn’t know her
well enough. The last thing Cambrie needed was another person depending on her
limited time when she needed to keep the bills paid for Aunt Annabelle to stay
in the nursing home.

Taking a bite
of the pasta, Cambrie sat at her tiny kitchen table glancing around her small
apartment. It had been all she could afford after she sold Aunt Annabelle’s
beloved house once the doctors said the frail elderly woman needed to remain in
the nursing home for round the clock care. The medical bills had eaten up Aunt
Annabelle’s small savings until only the house was left.

Cambrie
didn’t need much though. Some day she’d have her own big, southern house with
floor to ceiling windows, fireplaces in the great room and bedrooms, and a
large eat-in kitchen like Aunt Annabelle’s house. Then Cambrie’s maid would
prepare the meals because Lord knew Cambrie’s specialty wasn’t cooking. She was
one step away from the local fire department issuing her an order forbidding
her to cook anymore. The old biddies in town had actually thought the constant
calls for assistance from the firemen for burnt dinners had been a clever way
for Cambrie to land herself a husband. She could think of better ways than
smoke inhalation to attract a man.

The ding on
her laptop indicated a new email. Cambrie jumped up from the kitchen table and
dashed into the living room. Clicking on the email, she opened it.

Good news,
Cam. My husband laughed hard when I told him of your request. Then afterward,
when Finn got this evil look to his handsome face, I knew the wheels were
turning in that thick head of his and that someone was in trouble. Hahaha.

He’s grateful
to have the opportunity to refer one of his former men for your program. Lt.
Miller Daly was one of the guys responsible for me and Finn getting together.
So in my hubby’s words, ‘it’s only fair that he repay the favor to all his men
and he’d like to start with Miller
.
’ But be warned, Cam, Miller’s
not very sociable and is probably the most opposite man from you. His email
address is at the end of this one.

You better
let me know what happens-LOL-this is so much fun. Wait until you see how hot
Miller is.

Write me
soon, Em

Cambrie
laughed. If Emma thought that she’d be part of her or her husband’s matchmaking
scheme then she was crazy. But Cambrie was a desperate woman and now had the
first link to fulfilling the grant’s requirements: a soldier to adopt. But she
had to admit that she was intrigued by Emma’s description of the man she needed
to write. With any luck, maybe this pen pal thing wouldn’t be boring. If she
had someone who could at least have a decent conversation via letters, she’d be
happy.

What would
she say? She settled back on the couch and thought of some of her favorite
romance books. As a librarian, she was well versed in all genres of books, but
the romances had always held a special spot in her heart. They were the perfect
solution to her lack of a love life. Cuddling with the characters on the couch
or in her bed had been one of her favorite past times when sleep didn’t
overcome her.

While Cambrie
wasn’t known as a flirt, she did have a great imagination and knew how to use
it. She needed to write something to this guy Miller that would interest him so
he wouldn’t brush her off as spam or a pathetic lunatic. She remembered Emma’s
wedding and all the military guys there, how they had all been larger than
life. Tall, muscular, dangerous. And very yummy. Cambrie sat straight up.

“Oh, my God!
Had Miller been at Emma’s wedding?” Talking out loud to herself had become a
bad habit, one she would surely be committed for sooner or later.

Which man was
he? They were all gorgeous and intimidating, caught up in their closed circle
of friends, dressed in spiffy military uniforms. And they were loud. That she
remembered, how they had howled and laughed all night. Still, they weren’t
obnoxious. It had been heartwarming to witness how close the men were, huddled
together for the evening, throwing a punch to the arm or a slap on the back
every so often. Emma and Finn had been their focus most of the time.

Cambrie
sighed. Someday, with any luck, she’d have a wedding day too and wear Aunt
Annabelle’s wedding dress like she had promised. If she could hit the lottery
then maybe she’d buy back Aunt Annabelle’s house.

A fist tightened
around her heart at the memories of growing up in the home that had been in
Annabelle’s family for generations. And because Cambrie didn’t make enough
money here in Maddyville, she had to give it up. Oh, well. The past couldn’t be
changed.

But the
future she had a say in and, for now, she needed to win the grant.

Sitting on
the couch with her laptop, she typed.

Dear Lt.
Daly, Finn Coleman referred me to you saying you’d help me with a very
important project. I need to adopt you. Well, figurately speaking that is. You
see, I am a librarian at Highland Library in Maddyville, Kentucky, a small town
that hosts the only library for 50 miles. It’s a vital part of the community.
My boss has asked that I apply for the grant offered by the Veterans Affairs
Department rewarding the employee in a library that proves their support of our
troops.

That’s why I
wish to adopt you. I would write you weekly and send care packages. All you’d
have to do in a few months is report how well I did. Please, Lt. Daly, email me
back ASAP so I know you got this and then we can start.

Sincerely,
Cambrie Brasher

She logged
off for the night. Sitting and pressing the refresh button every minute wasn’t
her idea of fun nor would it make him reply any faster. What if he didn’t get it?
Would he even be stationed some place that had the Internet?

She
remembered Emma going crazy not having any contact with Finn when he was on his
last mission and somewhere that had no phone or Internet service. Cambrie had
always taken modern technology for granted. Whenever she read a book that
highlighted the lack of technology in developing countries then she appreciated
having it all that much more. But Miller was military…surely he’d have a means
to communicate with loved ones, right? Maybe not every day, but most days, she
hoped.

Setting her
alarm for 5am, she snuggled under the covers not even bothering to undress. Her
pillow beckoned her and sleep teased her. Giving in to both, Cambrie shut her
eyes.

****

What the fuck
was Finn up to now? Miller wondered re-reading the email from Cambrie Brasher.
Did Finn think he was a charity case who needed his friends to find him female
companionship? Hell, no. And no way in hell did Miller feel like being a guinea
pig for some small town, snooty librarian and her silly ass program.

If she wanted
to support the troops then she could donate blood or knit blankets or
something. He sure didn’t need some tight-assed broad writing him and preaching
about the proper way to act or the ethics of war or how God could save him.

Miller was
going to kick Finn’s ass once he got back to the States. He’d be sure to swing
by Vermont and visit his ex-commander.

Miller typed
his brief reply to Cambrie and hit the send button. Then he sent an email to
Finn.

So
you think it’s funny trying match me up with a librarian, you ass? Just wait,
buddy. You’ll get yours. Gonna kick your sorry ass all over that fucking farm
of yours. You’re in deep shit, pal, and you know I ain’t all talk. Give that
pretty wife of yours my condolences for marrying a butt-head. You are such a
fuck-nut.

Miller

Miller smiled. Guess Finn’s plan backfired on him. Thought
he could get him back like he’d threatened countless times for signing Finn up
for the military pen pal program that had won him Emma.

Miller leaned back and rested his head on the pillow on his
cot. Finn should be shaking Miller’s hand for helping him find Emma. If Miller
hadn’t taken the step for him, the poor bastard would still be a lonely fuck.

Now Miller, on the other hand, just wanted to get laid.
Settling down might happen some day, but not any time soon. Missions were his
life and getting laid was easy.

Closing his eyes, he waited for his dream lady to come. God,
what he wouldn’t do to be able to stroke his cock and come to the vision of the
beauty who haunted his damn dreams. Bunking in close quarters with four guys
wouldn’t allow him that opportunity, so he settled for the throbbing in his
cock.

She was out there. And he’d find her if it killed him.

****

“What does he mean, no?” Cambrie screeched.

She had awoken in the middle of the night unable to sleep,
worried about losing her job. In her nervousness, she had checked her email.

Hi
Miss Brasher, while I’m appreciative of your efforts to run your library, I’m
afraid that I’m just not interested in being adopted. I apologize that Finn
misled you. I wouldn’t make a good pen pal for a librarian.

Best
wishes, ma’am. Lt. Miller Daly

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Cambrie said,
pacing her living room. “Wouldn’t be good for a librarian? What am I? The
plague or something?”

Oh no, he didn’t. Cambrie plopped on the couch and typed,
her fingers moving so fast across the keyboard that the click clack echoed
within the otherwise silent apartment.

Lt.
Daly, thank you for your prompt reply, but please reconsider. It will take no
effort on your part to assist me. You don’t even need to write me back if you
choose not to. All you will need to do after a few months is report how well I
corresponded. I am desperate for this program to work, so please email me with
good news. I am willing to do anything.

Cambrie

Cambrie sighed, logged off and went back to bed. The comfort
of her blankets did nothing to take her mind off her troubles.

What other options did she have if Lt. Daly refused to
cooperate? Sure she could email Emma and maybe Finn could refer her to another
guy, but there wasn’t a whole lot of time to go back and forth via a hundred
emails. If she didn’t have a plan in place by tomorrow to present Mr. Hackler,
then she could kiss her job goodbye.

There was no way in hell she’d give the cranky ol’ bastard
the chance to fire her if she could help it. She was a very smart woman, top of
her class. Figuring out a solution to this problem should be easy enough. Maybe
if she went online she could solicit someone off a chat site or something.

She buried her head into her pillow and let out a long
scream, the stress pouring out of her.

What was so damn hard about being a pen pal? Weren’t
military men always thrilled to have someone from home write them? Hadn’t the
general’s email implied that? Wasn’t her letter supposed to boost Lt. Daly’s
morale?

Then why would he turn her down flat without even giving her
a chance? The jerk! He held her life in his hands and didn’t even know it.
Well, Lt. Daly also didn’t know that Cambrie Brasher was a fighter and she
wasn’t about to give up on him so easily. Not when Emma had been so sure he’d
cooperate. And Finn wouldn’t have wasted her time if he didn’t think so, too.