Whispering Springs

She looked as if she wanted to flee, but instead she held her ground. Her head came up, and Dylan watched in fascination as her expression shifted.

“Why did you lie to me earlier when we spoke on the terrace? Working for a private security firm is hardly being at loose ends.” Her tone was more curious than reproachful.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you the real reason I’m here, but I didn’t lie. There are times when I do still feel at loose ends.”

“You don’t like your job?”

“It has nothing to do with the job.” He hesitated, uncertain how much he wanted to reveal about his current frame of mind. “It’s hard to explain, but when you come back from combat deployment, there’s a feeling of disassociation. Maybe displacement is a better word. Like you don’t really belong here anymore. Like you don’t belong anywhere. It doesn’t go away overnight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You asked and I’m trying to explain, but I’m not complaining. I’m lucky I made it back at all. But it takes a while to feel normal again. No one tells you how to get your old life back.”

No one tells you that even little things like sleeping in a real bed and eating meals at regular hours require an adjustment. You become so accustomed to operating on hyperalert that boredom can easily set in even in the middle of a task. You find yourself restless and anxious at the most inopportune times. And then when you think you’ve finally reintegrated, the nightmares return and you wake up thinking about the friends you lost and the ones who are still over there, the ones who won’t ever come home. You hear about a suicide and then another and before you know it, you’re back in a very dark place.

“Dylan?”

He pulled himself away from the edge. “Yeah?”

Her voice softened. “Why do I get the feeling you’re still not telling me the whole story?”

“I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“As if you ever could.”

He felt sucker punched by her smile. “Give it time.”

Her expression sobered. “I’m glad you’re home. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks.”

She looked around as if searching for a graceful exit. “I really should get going.”

He caught her arm as she started for the door. The action surprised him as much as it seemed to surprise her. She lifted her head, searching his face, but she didn’t try to pull away.

“Really. Thank you.”

Her eyes deepened as she gazed up at him. “For what?”

“For caring, I guess.”

“This may come as a surprise, but I never really stopped.”

* * *

AVA FLED TO HER ROOM, flinging herself on the bed for a moment before rising to splash cold water on her face. She ruined her makeup and had to reapply, but it gave her something to focus on besides Dylan Burkhart. Besides her pounding heart.

What had she been thinking, going to his room alone, putting herself through a second confrontation when it would be so much easier for her peace of mind if she simply avoided him? Whispering Springs was a big place. She could get through the next few days without another one-on-one. The last thing she needed was to succumb to old memories, and even worse, to become ensnared in another of Blair’s intrigues. Ava had her own problems. Let Dylan handle the Reddings. This trip was supposed to be all about rest and relaxation. A reset, so to speak, so that she could go back to Houston and get on with her work.