A Soldier's Devotion

“To check on the lady’s aunt. I feel bad now for what I said.”

“Rain’s in the forecast. I’d feel better if you didn’t ride your old bike. Le’me drive you.”

“Sure you don’t mind?”

“Nah. Be glad to. Haven’t had lunch, anyway. We’ll grab some grub after we go see about the young lady.”

“Correction. Her aunt.”

Chance jangled his car keys and grinned. “Right.”

Vince cradled his helmet in the crook of his elbow and hawkeyed Chance. “Don’t make more out of this than it is, Garrison.”

Chance’s dimples deepened but he pressed the palms of his hands gently in the air. “’Course not.”

“I mean it.”

Chance laughed as they stepped into the sunshine. He eyed Vince and coughed out a couple more laughs.

Irritation dogged Vince. “Mind telling me what’s so funny?”

“She’s got your mind all twisted up.”

“Does not.”

Chance paused, snorting. He dipped his head toward Vince’s arm. “Then why do you still have the helmet? My driving’s not that bad.”

Vince pressed his lips together to form a worthy excuse or a solvent retort, but nothing came to mind.

Instead, he felt his own sudden grin give way to an out-loud laugh. His earlobes heated.

Chance stopped. “Wow. Dude. This is a first.”

Vince scowled. “What?”

Chance leaned in with focus. “I think you’re actually blushing. Wow. The abominable Vince has feelings.”

“So what? Everyone gets embarrassed sometimes.”

“Really? You’ve been embarrassed?”

He laughed. “Once.”

“When?”

When was the last time he’d been embarrassed? “Eighth grade when snooty girls in class teased me for wearing the same sets of outdated clothes every week, that’s when.”

“Ah, dude. Kids can be so mean.”

“Yeah, well, when there was not enough money for food, new clothes weren’t even on the radar.” Not on Vince’s lawn-mowing and paper-route salaries.

One of the snooty schoolgirls’ dads owned a law firm in town, too. Figured.

Sympathy showed in Chance’s normally serene eyes. “Sorry, man. I had a good upbringing and loving parents. I can’t imagine how hard your childhood was.”

The pity in his friend and fellow teammate’s voice caused Vince’s stomach to ball up into a cringe. “Look, whatever. I’m just…distracted these days.” Vince set his helmet on the floorboard of Chance’s red Cherokee.

Same shade as Miss Distraction’s glimmery lipstick today.

Not that he’d noticed.

Chance tossed his head back and laughed. Good to hear it. Honestly, the guy was so quiet normally it took a vocal excavator to get anything out of his mouth.

The youngest PJ on the team at twenty-five, Chance was painfully shy, but for some reason, not so much around Vince. The two of them plus Brockton, who was a year younger than Vince’s twenty-seven, were the only three remaining single guys on the team, so they tended to band together and hang out more these days.

“You know you really shouldn’t have thrown that cute little bear.”

“Cute?” Vince pulled a face. “You know I’m not into cutesy things.”

“Not even the woman?” Chance navigated the Jeep from the DZ lot.

“Not even.” Besides, not that he’d admit it to Garrison yet, but the woman was beyond the realm of cute. Make-a-man-gawk gorgeous was more like it. Intelligent eyes. Soothing voice. Authoritative demeanor.

Transparent faith, something he secretly respected in anyone, even if he didn’t share it. Bold, heartfelt prayers. She’d talked to God like Joel and Aaron and the rest of the Christians on his team did right before missions. Like God was their friend or something.

Yeah. Miss Distraction was all that. And probably more.

And suddenly, Vince wanted to know the “more.”

But, remembering the hurt and humiliation in her vulnerable eyes back at the DZ, he’d likely bombed the foundation of any amicable bridge with her.

And if she were anything like his sister, she’d never cross it on her own. He’d have to make the first move.

Never ever had he such a strong desire to risk those shaky first steps.

“Never ever,” Val seethed on the way to her car. Never again would she subject herself to this. She blinked back angry tears.

She’d only seen the man down. The lethal creature storming from the back room looked nothing like the vulnerable one on the road that day in the rain. He’d been intimidating enough that she’d taken two steps back for every step he’d taken toward her.

The man who’d said he was Sarah’s fiancé had shaken his head at Vince. Subtle, yet Vince stopped in his tracks. But the look in his eyes said he was none too happy about her being there.

Never would she look back.

Trust Me.

“How? When he can’t even stand to look at me?” She flung her rental-car door open and threw herself in the seat. Her hand twisted the key when a knock caused her heart to jump. She removed her hand from her throat and rolled down the window.

Sarah’s husband-to-be leaned in. “Miss, I apologize on behalf of Vince.”