Tempted by the Soldier

She regretted letting herself be talked into the dinner. She wasn’t in the mood to be sociable. Especially not after reading the email about Mark.

But she had promised Eve.

She changed into a clean shirt but left on the blue jeans she’d worn all day. Darn if she was going to dress up for Clint Morgan. She did add a touch of lipstick. Just a bit. She brushed her hair and braided it back into a long plait. Ready to go.

Or not.

She almost wished for an emergency, and she felt guilty as hell about that. No! It was just that damned email about Mark. It reminded her of her own helplessness, her own sorry judgment. She hated the reminder.

Stephanie tried to look on the bright side. She would see her horse, Shadow, that she boarded at Eve’s ranch, and Nick and the other two people she liked most in Covenant Falls.

“Stay,” she told the two dogs as she grabbed her car keys.

Sherry whined, sensing she was ready to go. Styrker sat and held out his paw in entreaty. “Sorry, guys,” she said. “You haven’t been invited. There will be enough commotion without you.”

At least she hadn’t been asked to drive Clint to Eve’s house.

Her cell rang. Her heart dropped. She knew. She just knew.

She looked at the name of the caller. Eve.

The phone continued to ring. She could ignore it, but Eve knew she always answered the phone in case it was an emergency. If she didn’t answer, Eve would know why.

She answered. “I’m on the way.”

“Can you run by the cabin and pick up Clint? Josh is anointing steaks with his usual care, and my budget meeting ran late.”

Stephanie sighed. There was no out. Not without making an idiot out of herself. “Okay. I’m leaving now.”

She clicked off and went to the back of the clinic where she kept the van. She pulled up in front of Josh’s cabin several minutes later.

Clint was on the swing on the front porch. He stood when he saw the van and ambled down the steps to the passenger side with only the slightest of limps, though she knew his foot must still hurt. She tried to deny the flutter in her stomach as he approached. He gave her a slow easy smile that would be devastating if she didn’t know better. “Hi,” he said. “I wouldn’t be presumptuous in thinking you’re my ride...?”

“Nope. Afraid not.” Then she realized how that sounded. “Not presumptuous, I mean,” she added halfheartedly.

His smile widened as he opened the door. “I’m happy to see you again, too.”

She had no comeback for that.

“Josh said his house was chaos,” he continued. It was more question than a statement.

“It is,” she said more cheerfully. “It will probably drive you crazy.” She hoped.

“After two wars, nothing drives me crazy.”

“Watch out for the beagle. She’s a kleptomaniac.”

“I have nothing I wouldn’t willingly surrender to a beagle.”

“Don’t sit on Fancy.”

“I appreciate the lesson in etiquette, but who is Fancy and why would I sit on her?”

“Fancy is a small dog, and she sometimes sneaks up on the sofa just when someone is sitting down.”

“I’ll try to sit in a chair.” He looked thoroughly amused. She wanted to slap him.

She decided to take another tack. “You’re not limping.” She realized the moment she said it that it was almost an accusation.

“Well, I still hurt if that’s what you’re wondering. Like the doc said...a couple of days.” He shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

She was being petty. Ridiculous. He was just a man passing through town. A wounded man. A soldier like Josh. She owed him. The town owed him for his military service. It was the email; it had hit her like a sledgehammer.

She surrendered and described what would confront him at the Manning household. “Braveheart is a shy pit bull. He’ll probably hide from you. Miss Marple is the larcenous beagle. Fancy is the homeliest dog you will ever see, but she thinks she’s beautiful, and Captain Hook is a crotchety three-legged chihuahua who just might take a bite out of your leg.”

“I think I was safer in Afghanistan,” Clint said wryly.

“There’s more,” she said, unable to hide the slightest of smiles. “There’s Josh’s dog, Amos, who’s a very disciplined ex-military dog unless he thinks someone is threatening Josh. There’s also Dizzy, a cat with balance problems. And lord of the house is ten-year-old Nick.”

“Tell me about Nick.”

“He’s a perfectly normal ten-year-old boy.”

“You’re not telling me something.”

“Nothing more to tell.” She would let him learn about Nick’s endless curiosity himself.

He nodded, and she couldn’t tell what he was really thinking. But a house full of animals probably didn’t hold much fear for a guy who had been involved in wars for a number of years.

“How is the cabin?” she asked, struggling to be more sociable. For Eve and Josh.

“It’s great. I had a visitor today.”

“Who?”

“A Mrs. Byars, I think.”

“Brownies?”

“How did you know?”

“She’s famous for them. Her son died in Vietnam. She has a special place in her heart for veterans.”

She turned into a driveway that led to a sprawling ranch house with a big porch. A barn stood next to it, and three horses grazed in a pasture. As they drove up to the door, a tow-headed boy ran out of the house followed by a troop of dogs. Only one remained at the door.

“I’m Nick,” the boy said as he reached the van and Clint stepped out. “Josh told me to bring you inside. He’s at the grill.”

“I’m delighted to meet you, Nick,” he said formally. “And your friends.”

“I knew you would,” Nick said. “Mom suggested I leave them inside, but they wanted to meet you, too.”

“I’m very glad they did,” he said solemnly.

Nick beamed.

Stephanie followed man and boy inside and watched Clint charm the shoes off Nick, which wasn’t hard to do. Nick already worshiped his new stepfather and that was going to carry over to anyone who served in the military. To her chagrin, Clint sounded totally sincere as he talked to Nick and then bent down to let the dogs sniff his hand. Only Braveheart stood back.

It was hard to fool children and dogs. Mark had never even pretended to like dogs. That should have been a very loud warning bell, but when she’d asked him whether he had pets, he’d said he’d been too busy and it wouldn’t be fair to an animal. That had sounded logical and even animal-friendly. Get him out of your head.

Eve met them at the door, a broad smile on her face. “Welcome,” she said as the dogs sidled in alongside Clint. “I see you’ve met my motley crew.”

“I have, and I’ve had a warning about the larcenous one.”

“Just don’t take off a shoe,” Eve warned. “Would you like something to drink? A beer? Or something else.”

“A beer sounds great.”

Eve’s smile grew broader. “I’ve been anxious to meet you since Josh told me about your ‘encounter of a bovine kind’ with one of Steph’s patients. I decided then and there that I was going to like you. What do you think about the cabin?”

“It’s terrific. Far more than I expected. Your husband did a great job.”

Eve beamed, and Stephanie sighed. No ally there.

“You sit here and get off that foot,” Eve said. “Stephanie will bring you a beer. Nick, you go out and help Josh.”

Clint did as instructed, and Stephanie gritted her teeth as she followed Eve to the kitchen. It was going to be a very long evening.

CHAPTER SEVEN

CLINT WAS BEMUSED. It was chaos here, but a comfortable kind of chaos. He enjoyed Stephanie’s discomfort, as well. He was attracted to her. No question about that. His body alerted him to the fact every time he saw her.

Instinctively, he knew she felt the attraction, too, and was fighting it with everything in her. He didn’t know why, but then, he had his own reasons to avoid any romantic entanglements. Last night’s headache reminded him of his limitations. No blackout, but it had been a near thing. A month from now, he might still have them. Maybe a year, or forever, and what kind of job can you get when you can’t drive or might pass out at any time?

For now, he would enjoy jousting with Stephanie and watching the fire in her pretty eyes.

She arrived with a bottle of ice-cold beer and handed it to him. “I’m helping Eve in the kitchen,” she said. “Why don’t you get acquainted with the dogs?”

He sat on the couch and three of the four dogs surrounded him. He suspected Stephanie thought it would unhinge him. He held out his hand to the dogs. The beagle came to him immediately, followed by the one called Fancy. In two more minutes, the Chihuahua hopped up into his lap. Only Braveheart sat at a distance, eyeing him as if he were an ax murderer. Maybe he channeled Stephanie.

The pit bull had scars, and one ear was half torn off. “Hey, Braveheart,” he said softly. He held out his hand again. Miss Marple, the beagle, licked it. The Mexican Hairless nibbled at it. Braveheart looked unmoved.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “I’m a stranger, and strangers are scary. I must be scary, but I like you. We both have some scars.” Braveheart didn’t move. Neither did he. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

Miss Marple rolled onto her back, and he rubbed her stomach. Then, to his surprise, Braveheart took a step toward him. Then another. Hesitantly. Very hesitantly. He was close enough to touch. Clint reached out to him. Braveheart shied away, came back still obviously poised to escape. Clint slowly leaned toward him and as gently as he could, rubbed the dog’s ears. Braveheart inched closer. “Good boy,” Clint said in a low, reassuring voice.

“I don’t believe it,” Eve’s voice floated into the room.

He looked up and saw Eve and Stephanie, their mouths open, in the doorway to the kitchen.

Braveheart sat in front of him.

“Looks like you have the Braveheart seal of approval,” Eve said. “That’s a real distinction.”

“Wow,” said Nick, sliding in between them. “I just knew he would like you and you would like him.”

“Josh thought you might like to join him outside,” Eve said. “That’s if you can stand on that foot.”

“I can.” He stood. “Nick, lead the way.”

He took the beer and limped outside where Josh was putting steaks on the grill. Nick started to go with him, but Eve called him back.

Amos sat next to Josh, his eyes watching every movement he made.

“I like your wife,” Clint said.

Josh smiled. “It’s hard not to. Believe me, I know. I did my damnedest to chase her off, but nothing worked. She’s the most determined woman I’ve ever met. And the kindest. Just try to say no to that combination.”

“And Stephanie?”

“Like I said. She’s Eve’s best friend, which means she’s good people, but she doesn’t let many people get close to her. She’s great with animals. I understand Braveheart here was a basket case when Eve found him beaten and nearly dead. For a long time, only she and Stephanie could approach him. Stephanie has magic with animals, not so much with people. She doesn’t trust easily.”

“So it’s not just me?”

Josh chuckled. “It might be. Don’t know anyone else who got kicked by a cow when they were with her.”

“Stomped, not kicked.”

“A valid distinction.”

“I think so.” Clint cleared his throat. “She said she’s been here five years. Where was she before?”

“Back East. She doesn’t talk about it much.”

He was intruding. It was none of his business. He would be angry if Josh went around giving out information about him. “Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Josh raised an eyebrow. “Still interested in her?”

“I’m not in a position to be interested, and if I was, I don’t think she is.”

Josh didn’t comment.

“Anyway, thanks for use of the cabin. I’ve been studying plans for a dock. You want a floating or fixed dock?”

“Going stir-crazy, already?”

“Just like paying my way.”

“I got that.” Josh flipped the steaks and seared the other side.

“As for the dock, whatever you think. Just let me know what you need and I’ll have it delivered.”

“That’s a lot of trust.”

Josh shrugged. “You were a chopper pilot, right?”

Clint nodded.

“That’s a close bunch of guys. So were we Rangers. That was the worse part. Leaving my brothers behind.” He paused, then added, “But they’ll always be a part of me. I imagine it’s the same for you.”

He moved the steaks around, putting two farther from the hot coals. “Eve pulled me kicking and yelling back to life. There’s a lot of strength in this town. It certainly has its own personality. No one minds their own business, and it drove me nuts. Still does. But it’s because everyone—or most everyone—cares about everyone else. I’m proud to say that much of it is because of Eve. And Stephanie. Eve’s in front because she’s mayor, but Steph is right there with her. And that’s probably the longest speech you’ll ever hear from me.”

Clint didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. They understood each other.

Josh removed the four huge steaks from the grill and piled them onto a plate. They were still sizzling.

“I’ll take your beer inside,” Clint said. He was salivating now. “The steaks smell great.” He headed for the door and found that Nick had it wide open, waiting for them. “Good timing, Nick,” he said.

The boy grinned.

Clint dodged around the beagle and Fancy and took the bottles into the kitchen.

Eve was finishing a salad while Stephanie placed baked potatoes on a platter. Clint put the two empty beer bottles on the counter.

“Can you open a bottle of wine?” Eve asked him.

“Sure.”

“It’s in the fridge. The wine opener is in the drawer.”

Clint found both and deftly opened the wine and followed Eve’s directions to a table, followed now by four dogs. This was mayhem, but a happy kind of mayhem with everyone contributing, including the guests. Belonging. Intended or not, he was no longer a guest or a visitor; he belonged. At least for tonight.

He’d once known how it felt to be part of a family. But that was a long time ago. Even then, it wasn’t like this relaxed gathering where everyone pitched in, and kids and dogs were welcomed. The dinners at his house had been stilted formal affairs, even when his mother was alive. When his father remarried, he hadn’t been welcome at all.

“Clint?”

He shook his head. “Sorry.”

Nick pointed him to a seat on the far side of the table. “You can sit with me.”

“Sounds good.” He stood at the appointed chair, not wanting to sit until the others came in. Josh appeared carrying two plates, each containing a steak and baked potato. He put one on the table at Clint’s chair and another across from him. “We have the rare ones,” Josh said. “The ladies and Nick share the two medium ones.”

He disappeared again and returned with a plate and bowl heaped with salad. Stephanie and Eve were right behind him with three more plates, each filled with a huge baked potato and steak.

Dinner was great. The steaks were perfect, as were the baked potatoes and salad. Eve kept the conversation going, telling the story of how Nick was bit by a rattlesnake bite and was saved by Amos who, in turn, was bitten. How Nick had been very still while Josh picked up the snake with a stick and threw it.

“And Mom shot it to pieces,” Nick said.

“I’m impressed,” Clint said. “Particularly that you stood so still. Maybe I should have been a Boy Scout.”

“Why weren’t you?” Nick said.

“My school didn’t have a troop.”

“But...”

“Not so unusual,” Josh interrupted.

Eve changed the subject. She turned to Clint. “But do be careful,” she said. “Josh thinks the snake had been wounded by a hawk or something and crawled under the porch for safety, but we do have snakes and other varmints around here.”

She switched her attention to Stephanie who had been quiet. “How is Stryker doing with the rescue training?”

“He’s finished the tracking program. We still have air-scent training to go. Then I have to find the right handler for him. Not easy to do.”

“It won’t be easy to let him go.”

“No,” she said. “But we need more search teams.”

Eve turned to Clint. “I don’t know if Stephanie told you, but she and Sherry are a search-and-rescue team. So far, they’ve found nine lost people, four of them kids.”

“I’m impressed,” he said. “I’ve seen handlers and dogs work. It’s amazing.”

Stephanie looked startled, then shrugged it off. “I’m just one of many.”

“How long does it take to train a dog?” Clint pressed.

“Not as long as training the handler,” Stephanie replied. “It took me more than two years.”

Clint was truly interested. His unit had been borrowed at times to help in international disasters. He knew the training, and often heartbreak, that a team experienced.

“What made you get involved?” he asked.

“Sherry was already a rescue dog when I adopted her. Her owner was killed in an accident, and her mother wanted Sherry to go to someone who would continue to work her in rescue. It was a challenge. You said you joined the army because you wanted to fly. Why did you stay?”

Their gazes were locked, as if they were the only two people in the room. The intensity quieted the others. Her blue eyes were challenging. “I was good at it,” he finally said.

“That’s why I do search and rescue.”

“I suspect you are very good at it.”

“She is,” Eve said. “She’s also a volunteer firefighter with our fire department.”

“A lady of many talents,” Clint said.

“Not really,” Stephanie said. “If you can do one, it’s not that difficult to do the other. A lot of the skills are the same. Mapping, communications, first aid. Finding time for the training is the most difficult part.”

“Do you have many fires?”

It was Eve who answered. “Maybe three or four a year in town, and our department also helps fight forest fires. Unfortunately, we’ve had a long drought, and the forest is like a tinder box. A careless camp fire or heat lightning, and we lose thousands of acres. Fortunately, we haven’t had any near here, but our department has been called in on fires in other areas in the state.”

“I’m impressed,” he said.

Stephanie squirmed in her seat, and Clint was conscious of gazes on him. Speculative on the part of his host and hostess.

He took a sip of wine.

“Josh, did you know Braveheart let Clint pet him?” Nick broke the tension by asking the question.

“Nope. Now I am impressed,” Josh said. “Sure took me longer.”

“Can we have dessert now?” Nick said, skipping to yet another subject. “We’re having Grandma’s strawberry pie for dessert.” He glanced shyly at Clint. “I hope you come over often, Mr. Morgan.”

The comment made Clint grin. There’s nothing like a ten-year-old boy to bring things into perspective.

Nick’s face fell as he realized exactly how his words sounded, that he wanted Clint to return because he would get pie, not to see him.

“Yes, we can have dessert now,” Eve said. “But I think we’ll serve it outside so Clint can see our sunset.” She turned to him. “Do you ride?”

“Horses?”

“Yes.”

“Never had the opportunity, but it’s on my bucket list.”

“Good. We have two horses that are always in need of riding. We’ll make a rider of you. Stephanie, why don’t you take Clint out and introduce him to the horses? Nick can help me clean up the dishes and make coffee. When you get back, we’ll have dessert.”

“Nick can take him,” Stephanie said. “I’ll help with the dishes.”

“Yeah, Mom,” Nick said.

Eve shook her head. “It’s one of Nick’s chores.”

Stephanie sighed. “Maybe Josh?”

“He has to make sure there’s no embers left in the grill.”

She stood. “Okay,” she said with resignation. “I’ll need a couple of apples.”

Nick picked up several empty plates and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned with two apples and a knife that he handed to Clint. “We only have two apples. You’ll have to split them. Beauty is my horse,” he said.

“Should I give her extra, then?”

“Naw, it would hurt the others’ feelings.”

“I wouldn’t want to do that.” He followed Stephanie out the door. “Nice kid.”

“He’s a great kid.”

“We agree on something.”

“I don’t know about that. You said ‘nice.’ I said ‘great.’” But a shadow of a smile crossed her face.

She walked with him to the fence and whistled. Three horses ambled to them, the gray going straight for Stephanie, the other two eyeing the apples in Clint’s hand.

“Mine is Shadow, the gray horse,” Stephanie said, rubbing the animal’s neck. “The pintos are Beauty and Beast. Beast is spirited. Beauty is the gentlest horse alive. Thus their names. Russ, Eve’s late husband, bought them at a rodeo horse auction just before he died.”

“When was that?

“Nearly five years now. Healthiest man in town, or so we thought. He was a football coach. Was in great physical shape, then he just dropped dead while running around the track with his team. A heart defect no one knew about.”

“You knew him, then?”

She nodded. “I liked him. Everyone liked him.”

She was talking more to him than she had. Maybe it was the excellent meal, or the wine, or the evening that was now cool. Maybe it was a sky that looked on fire.

He didn’t ask any more questions. He wanted to, but he sensed her wariness.

He divided the apples. Her horse nuzzled her. He fed the other two horses more apple, keeping enough for her horse. “Should I feed Shadow, too, or do you want to?”

“You have the apple.”

He cut several pieces from the second apple and fed them to Shadow, enjoying the feel of the soft muzzle and mouth. The horse nickered softly and nudged him for more.

When he glanced up, he was close to Stephanie. Too close. He could feel the heat from her body, or maybe it was from his own. Or maybe the combination of both. Mutual combustion.

Her eyes widened and her body stiffened. Her tongue ran over her lips, and it was such a sensual yet unconscious gesture that the heat inside him spread like wildfire through his body. He wanted to touch her. Hold her. Most of all, he wanted her wariness to fade away.

He shouldn’t feel any of that. He was the temporary beneficiary of someone else’s largesse. As long as he still had the symptoms from the brain trauma, he had little future. Besides, she didn’t seem to like him much. And yet he was drawn to her in a deeper way than he’d ever been drawn to a woman before.

“Stephanie?” He didn’t know what he was asking. He put a finger on her face and lightly traced a path from the thick eyelashes down the high cheekbones. She stood absolutely still, her blue eyes fathomless as she looked at him.

Currents. They flowed between them. Strong and hot and compelling. He experienced a deep yearning he’d never known before, a connection that had always eluded him. He’d known attraction. Infatuation, certainly. But never anything this strong. It was almost as if they were linked by some invisible chain.

She shook her head. “No.” It was a whisper, but enough to tell him she felt the link, too, and wasn’t a bit happy about it. Well, he wasn’t, either. He didn’t need more complications in his life. But he still couldn’t move away.

It didn’t make sense. He didn’t make sense. Confusion filled her eyes, too, and for a second she rested her head against his hand. He leaned down and his lips touched hers. Lightly. Then he stepped back. “I wanted to do that since I met you,” he said.

“Why?” Her eyes were so blue, so direct.

“Damned if I know.”

“We should ignore it.”

“Yes.” But neither of them moved.

“We have to get back,” she said. “Eve will wonder...”

“And Nick wants his pie,” he said.