Heart At Risk

He headed for a booth, and could feel Gertie’s eyes on him as he walked over, sat down and reached for the menu.

Surprise! Corned beef and cabbage was the special.

Gertie sauntered over to the booth and put down a glass of ice water, then pulled a pad and pencil out of her pocket.

“So what’s it gonna be, good looking?”

He closed the menu. “How’re you doing, Gertie?”

She did a double take. “Kurt Bolen! I don’t believe it! Where have you been for the past ten years? Hope it wasn’t in the slammer.”

“No. I’ve been seeing the world, compliments of the U.S. Navy.” It was a half-truth. He didn’t mention the CIA. That was one job you didn’t advertise.

“You back to stay?”

“Just passing through. What have you been up to? I never figured you’d hang around Vandergriff after graduation.”

“I’ve been married and divorced a couple times.”

“What about children?”

“Hell, honey, you know I’m too smart to let that happen. Besides, I’d be the mother from hell. What about you? Don’t see no ring on your finger.”

“Same as you, Gertie. I tried marriage, but it didn’t work out. Fortunately there were no kids to get hurt by it.”

Gertie patted his hand. “Guess we’re just not the marrying types. But you sure don’t look any worse the wear for it. Matter of fact, you look great.” She reached out and squeezed his bicep. “Wow! I don’t remember all that muscle.”

Same old Gertie. Totally shameless. But he couldn’t help liking her. He always had. She had a good sense of humor, and in school she’d never put on airs or tried to be anything other than honest about herself.

“So what’s it gonna be, honey?”

For an instant he weighed whether she meant sex or food. He settled for the safer choice.

“Burger with the works and some fries, Gertie.”

“Same old Kurt. I see your taste in food hasn’t changed.” She giggled throatily and leaned over. Her uniform was cut low enough to whet his appetite. “What about women?”

This time her message came through loud and clear. If the cleavage was the appetizer, his groin had begun to ratchet up for the main course.

He dragged his gaze away from her breasts and looked up and grinned. “Women all taste good to me, Gertie.”

By the time Kurt finished reading the newspaper his food arrived. His training kicked in and he automatically checked out whoever came in as the diner began to fill up.

He was finishing up the burger when a young woman entered. The male in him—more than the CIA agent—assessed her as she approached a booth by the window where an older woman and young boy were seated.

She sure was hot. Damn hot! Late twenties with a hundred fifteen or twenty pounds curved lusciously on about five feet seven inches. Soft curls of auburn hair feathered her forehead and nape. His mom used to call it a feather cut, but there was probably some fancy French name for it now. Whatever—his fingers itched to dig into it.

But what really grabbed his attention were her green eyes. They were slightly slanted—that Ava Gardner look that turned a man on with a single glance.

She looked vaguely familiar to him and he figured they’d probably been schoolmates. But the only redhead he remembered from school was Joey Bennett’s sister, Mandy or Mattie, or something like that. And she’d been lanky, wore geeky glasses, and had long kinky red hair.

“Hey, Maddie, you’re not going to believe this,” Gertie yelled out to the new arrival. “Kurt Bolen’s back in town.”

The woman jerked her head around and looked at him. Maddie Bennett. So she was Joey’s sister. Boy, had she changed!

Those jade eyes were wide with shock and she was looking at him as if she’d seen a ghost.

Kurt was too flabbergasted to speak. He smiled and waved. Maddie nodded slightly and then turned her head away.

He ordered a slice of pie and coffee, and as he ate, he couldn’t keep his mind off Maddie Bennett. He’d never rally paid too much attention to Joey’s sister, but still he couldn’t believe the change in her. Some past memory flitted on the edge of his brain, but he couldn’t nail it. What in hell difference did it make? He was out of there.

Kurt polished off the rest of his coffee, threw some bills on the table, and got up to leave. His curiosity got the better of him and he stopped at her booth on his way out.

“How have you been, Maddie?”

“Fine,” she said. Despite her attempt at casualness he could tell she was uptight. “What about you?”

“No complaints. How’s Joey? Is he still living in Vandergriff?”

“Joey’s dead. He joined the marines after graduation and was killed in Afghanistan.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. We had some good times together.”

The older woman extended her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Bennett, Maddie’s Aunt Beth. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Kurt Bolen,” he said, shaking her hand.

Elizabeth Bennett smiled warmly. He was struck by the beauty of the gray-haired woman. Unlike her niece—who at the moment appeared to be so tense she looked ready to pop—Elizabeth Bennett had a serenity that enhanced her loveliness. But regardless, both women were knockouts. The family must have one hell of a gene pool!

“Kurt graduated with Joey and me, Aunt Beth,” Maddie said.

Elizabeth Bennett frowned in concentration. “Bolen? Of course! Was your father Charles Bolen?”

“Yes he was. Did you know him?”

Here it comes: Kurt Bolen, the no good kid from Stoneville, whose father was the town drunk.

“I’m a retired nurse, Kurt. I was on duty the night they brought your father into the hospital,” she said sadly. “Such a tragic accident.”

Changing the subject quickly, she smiled and slipped her arm around the young boy’s shoulders. “And this handsome lad is Maddie’s son Scotty.”

He reached out a hand. “Hi, pal.”

The boy hesitated momentarily, as if he didn’t know what to do. Then, as if pleased with the manly gesture, the boy grinned and shook his hand.

Kurt glanced at Maddie: Uptight and Gorgeous looked like she was holding her breath. And he discovered Elizabeth Bennett was studying him intently. What was with these two women? He had to fight the urge to reach down and check if his fly was open.

“After all these years what brought you back to Vandergriff, Kurt?” Elizabeth Bennett asked.