The Soldier's Newfound Family

I’m glad one of us did.

The statement hadn’t made sense. She was Rob’s wife. Of course she knew him. Savannah’s reaction—and her abrupt departure—didn’t quite match up with the woman Rob had described. A woman with a sweet smile, a sense of humor and a strong faith.

Carter understood how grief could do a number on someone, but wouldn’t she want to talk to someone who’d spent time with Rob?

Been with him at the end?

His gaze shifted to the kitchen, where Savannah was hiding out. If he could outlast a sniper for ten hours, he could certainly wait out a pretty green-eyed waitress.

“I’ll take a piece of pie and a cup of coffee.”

Libby followed the direction of his eyes and grinned. “Coming right up.”

A half hour ticked by and the dining room emptied as the lunch crowd dwindled. Carter finished off the pie and started on his third cup of coffee but there was still no sign of Savannah.

“Excuse me?” He motioned to Libby as she emerged from the kitchen, armed with two coffee pots. She changed direction, navigating through the maze of tables until she reached his side.

“Do you need a warm up on that coffee?”

He needed to talk to Savannah. “No, thanks. Just the bill.” Carter reached for his wallet. “Is Savannah busy?” he tossed out casually.

“No.” The smile dimmed. “She left a little while ago.”

“Left?”

“She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

Savannah had slipped past him. Admiration and frustration battled for dominance. Frustration won.

Carter released a slow breath. “Will she be back tomorrow?”

“She’s not scheduled to work again until Tuesday.”

Great. Before she’d left, Maddie made him promise he would drive to Grasslands to meet the rest of the “family” as soon as possible.

“Would you mind giving me her home address?”

Libby looked uneasy with the request. “I don’t know—”

“Her husband and I served together in Afghanistan. He introduced us.” It was the truth. Sort of. He and Savannah might not have met until today, but Carter felt as if he knew her. He knew that she hummed when she was nervous and that her favorite color was blue. She liked yellow roses and coffee-flavored ice cream and black-and-white movies.

And she was more beautiful in person than she was in the photograph Rob had given him.

Carter set that thought firmly to the side.

“I didn’t know Savannah was married to a soldier,” Libby breathed. “She never talks about him.”

“He talked about her.” Twenty-four seven. “And he asked me to deliver a message.”

“That’s so romantic.”

Only in the movies, Carter wanted to say. The reality hadn’t been quite so warm and fuzzy.

He and Rob had been shoulder to shoulder in a shallow ditch, caught in the middle of a firefight. Under attack from both the ground and the air.

If anything happens to me, promise that you’ll find Savannah and make sure she’s okay. Tell her that I loved her.

But Rob hadn’t told him that Savannah might not want to be found.

Or that she was pregnant.

* * *

“Going somewhere?”

Savannah whirled around at the sound of a deep male voice.

It was him. Carter Wallace. The soldier who’d shown up at the diner that morning. He filled the doorway, arms folded across his chest in a casually deceptive stance. The set of his jaw warned Savannah that she wouldn’t evade him as easily this time.

She didn’t bother to ask how he’d found out where she lived. He must have sweet-talked Libby after she’d left the diner.

“Your landlady let me in.” Those intense blue eyes scanned the living room and narrowed on the hedge of cardboard boxes that separated them.

“Look, Sergeant Wallace.” Savannah heard a catch in her voice. “I don’t know what you want—”

“That’s because you didn’t wait around long enough to find out.” The corners of his lips kicked up in a rueful smile. “I’m sorry if I upset you when I showed up at the diner today. Rob told me where you worked but not your address.”

Rob told him.

Savannah’s throat tightened. She couldn’t deal with this right now. Not when she’d spent the past few hours packing up her things, each box she taped shut one more reminder that she was closing the door on the past with no idea what the future would bring.

“Do you mind if I come in?”

Yes, she did.

“I’m really busy.” To prove it, Savannah bent down and snatched up one of the boxes. A muscle in her lower back protested the suddenness of the movement and she winced in pain.

“Hey—take it easy.” Carter Wallace was at her side in an instant and he plucked the box from her hands. “Should you be lifting stuff?”

Color flooded Savannah’s cheeks when she saw his gaze drop to her rounded stomach, something that even a loose-fitting sweatshirt couldn’t hide.

“I’m not an invalid.” She was just...tired. And not prepared for unexpected company. Especially a handsome, blue-eyed soldier who’d claimed to be friends with her late husband.

“Where do you want this?” Carter stared her down.

Good job, Savannah. Instead of convincing him to leave, she’d unwittingly given him a reason to stay.

“Really, you don’t have to—” She saw his eyebrows dip together and realized there was no point in arguing. “By the door.”