Then Came Love (17 page)

A jet came in for a landing and she swung her feet onto the floor. A shower would make her feel better, and then she’d grab a bite to eat and check out the hockey game. Brian would probably show up...that would definitely make her feel better. She grabbed her kit and headed for the shower.

***

“Pardon me, Captain. May I join you?”

Karen looked up from her book, and couldn’t hold back the grin that spread across her face. “Hi, Brian. I was just thinking about you.” He was so tall, so broad-shouldered and handsome. The few single women inside the wire were practically falling at his feet, but he didn’t seem to notice.

He raked a hand through his curly blonde hair. “I checked the hockey game first, but you weren’t there, so I tracked you down in here.” He motioned to her book. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a book. You read more than anyone I’ve ever known.”

Karen pulled the book toward her defensively. It was by her favourite author, Bryce Courtenay, and she was savouring every page. “What’s wrong with that?”

He held up both hands, palms out. “Nothing, nothing. You don’t have to be so touchy.” He leaned forward, and peered into her eyes. “Have you been crying?”

He knows me too well,
she thought. “Don’t be silly.”

“Look, do you mind if I grab an iced tea? It’s really hot out there and I’d just as soon stay here for a while.”

Karen tugged at the neck of her shirt where it was sticking to her skin. “Sounds good to me. Grab a couple of bottles of water too, will you?” She watched him stride away. Here in the heat of the desert, Brian Calder was a like fresh ocean breeze. They’d met the first week she was here, when he came into the hospital to bring a stuffed toy to an Afghan child he’d medevac’d in from an outlying province. His concern had touched her, and even though she’d vowed not to get involved with anyone here, she’d agreed to meet him at Tim Horton’s on the boardwalk for coffee. She didn’t know who first came up with “The Boardwalk” for the string of commercial outlets, but they were immensely popular and added a touch of normalcy to an otherworldly environment.

* * *

It hadn’t taken long to discover that he was from Courtenay on Vancouver Island and she was from Comox.

“So how come we never met?” she asked, nibbling on a donut. “It’s not as if our high schools were that big. Seems to me we were always playing against each other.”

“Well.” Blue eyes the colour of chicory flowers looked at her steadily. “I went to private school at Shawnigan Lake.”

He was embarrassed. “I won’t hold that against you,” she said with a grin. “Your parents were only doing what they thought was best.”

“I suppose so.” He rubbed his eyebrow reflexively. “But they came close to yanking me out when I almost drowned.”

“Good Lord. What happened?”

“I was sailing alone.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “They warned me about the sudden gusts on the lake, but I was young and cocky, I knew everything. Anyway, the boom came around and clipped me on the head.” He pointed to a fine white scar that ran through his right eyebrow. “Knocked me out and the boat heeled over. Fortunately there was a power boater nearby and he came and rescued me.”

“What happened to the sailboat?”

He threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Thanks a lot!”

Everyone looked their way, and Karen caught envious looks from several women. She looked back at the man across from her. His former cockiness had mellowed into a self confidence that he wore well. Paired with his good looks, it was a potent combination.

As the weeks turned into months, they became a couple, but it was the oddest relationship Karen had ever experienced. They went to the movies together, where he draped an arm over the back of her chair and whispered comments into her ear. He held her hand walking across the compound late at night, and squeezed it at the door to her barracks. Several times he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, murmuring goodnight as he did so. Often, in her dreams, she felt his lips on hers, felt his strong arms enfold her. She’d wake up with her heart racing, wondering if she was missing out on something special. But then sanity would prevail, and she’d remind herself of their agreement.

It had come almost two months after she arrived. They’d gone for a walk, and were sitting on a cement form by the edge of the runway.

He’d picked up a handful of loose rock, and was tossing them at the fence. “Do you ever wonder why I don’t put a move on you?”

His tone was casual, but Karen sensed that they were in for a serious discussion. Her pulse quickened. “I suppose so, yes.” His face was shadowed by the artificial light.

“It seems only fair that I tell you this. After all, you told me about that creep in Nanaimo. What was his name? Phil the Pill, wasn’t it?” He turned in her direction.

She smiled. “His name was Phil, yes.”

“Well, I had a similar experience, only I was the one who got dumped by the girl I thought I was going to marry.”

She pulled back and gave him a sharp look. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You mentioned that you had a relationship that didn’t work out, but I didn’t realize it had gone that far.”

“Yeah, well.” He fidgeted for a moment, then continued. “Her name was Crystal, or I should say her name
is
Crystal. She works at Island General.

“The hospital in Comox.” Karen knew it well.

“Right. We met there at a staff party. I’d been flying for the Ambulance Service and somebody invited me to come along.”

“What does she do? Is she a nurse?”

He shook his head. “She’s in personnel. No, wait. They call it Human Resources these days. She took some kind of a course in hospital administration and between you and I, I think she wants to run the whole place some day. Anyway, we’d been going out for almost a year. I’d introduced her to my family and everything, and we’d been talking pretty seriously.” He scrubbed his face with a hand. “At least I thought we were serious. She wasn’t keen on me coming to Afghanistan, but I thought she understood how important it was to me.” His eyes took on a far-away look. “Come to think of it, my family wasn’t too thrilled either. Afraid of the danger, you know.”

Karen wished she had someone to worry about her, but said nothing. This was Brian’s story, and she was interested in what was to come.

“So, I decided to ask her to marry me on the day I was leaving for Edmonton, for indoctrination to the Afghan experience.”

Karen gave him a lop-sided grin. “I like the way you word that.”

He nodded. “I was out of my depth when it came to choosing a ring. I talked it over with my grandmother, who is, without a doubt, the coolest lady in the world, and she offered to give me her engagement ring. She was way ahead of her time; she chose it herself.” He patted his breast pocket, unbuttoned the flap and pulled out a ring.

Even in the reduced light, sparks flew from a circle of diamonds surrounding a small, pale blue cushion-cut sapphire.

Karen gasped. “It’s gorgeous!” Brian handed it to her and she slipped in on the end of her forefinger, turning it one way and then the other. “Your grandmother has wonderful taste.” She handed it back to him. “So what happened?”

“I had it all planned. I was leaving late in the afternoon, so I invited her for lunch at our favourite restaurant. She told me not to pick her up, that she’d rather meet there, which I thought was kinda odd at the time, but I agreed.” He paused, then took a deep breath and went on. “When I pulled up in the parking lot, she was sitting in her car with the window down. I was so nervous and excited that I ran over to her and pulled out the ring and asked her to marry me.”

He looked down at the ring. “In my memory, the rest of that scene happened in slow motion. She stepped out of the car and looked at me as though I was crazy or something. ‘But Brian,’ she said, ‘I can’t marry you. I’m in love with someone else.’”

“I thought she was kidding at first. ‘Come on, Crystal’ I said. ‘Stop kidding around.’” His voice faltered for a moment, but when he looked up his eyes were clear. “She wasn’t kidding.”

Karen frowned to herself. “I think I’ll save myself a lot of time and start hating her now.”

Brian tossed another rock at the fence. “That’s the way I felt.” He looked down at the ring, still clutched in his hand. “But at the end of the day, as they say, she didn’t want to marry me. I don’t know how I got things so wrong, how I misread the signals. I never did find out who the other guy was, and now I don’t think I want to know. Anyway, I couldn’t bring myself to go back and face my grandmother and tell her I’d been rejected, so I put the ring in my pocket, went to the airbase, and left for Edmonton.”

“And you’ve been carrying the ring around with you ever since.”

“Yup.” He tucked the ring back in his pocket and patted it.

Karen had to know. “Do you still love her?”

Brian gave a derisive laugh. “Are you kidding?” He lowered his voice. “No, I don’t love her but I have to admit that I was thrown for a loop. That’s why I’ve been cooling it. Not only is this a lousy place for relationships, but I want to make sure I’m free of all negative thoughts before I start dating again.” He looked into her eyes. “And I could tell you were still hurting about that guy in Nanaimo.”

Karen sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

Brian gave a nervous laugh and tossed away the rest of the stones. “And that brings me to something else.”

“There’s more?” She pulled back. What other surprises was he going to spring on her?

“I’d like your permission to start dating you when we get home.”

She couldn’t hold back a delighted laugh. “My permission?”

“Well, yes. I mean, if you’re not interested, I won’t bother you, but I kind of thought...” his voice trailed off.

She slid down from the cement form. “Brian Calder, you big goof, of course I’d like to see you when we get home.” She took a few steps toward him and he reached out and grabbed her around the waist. “I’d like that very much,” she whispered.

He studied her face in the glow from the overhead lights. “So it’s a deal?” he said, drawing her closer.

“Uh huh.” Her senses were spinning.

“Good.” He tilted his head and his lips closed over hers. It was a sweet kiss and she leaned into him, revelling in the sensation of being held. But before she was ready, he pulled back. “Sorry, kiddo, I couldn’t resist.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “I’m not.” And she wasn’t, not really. The kiss hadn’t curled her toes, the way she thought it would. But after all, they were in the middle of a war, where all bets were off.

He held her away. “I know we just agreed to wait until we get home, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my hands off you for the next few months.”

Karen looked into the eyes she’d come to know so well. A few months would help her figure out how she really felt about him. “You were right when you said this is a terrible place for a relationship.” She laid the palm of her hand against his cheek and held it there, looking into his eyes. “You’re probably the most decent man I’ve ever met, Brian Calder, but this is as far as we go for now. Agreed?”

He groaned. “Okay, but it’ll be hard.”

She gave him a reproachful look.

He grinned. “Poor choice of words. Come on, let’s go for coffee before I get into more trouble.”

And so it had started, almost four months ago.

End of excerpt

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