Nursing the Soldier's Heart

Gray skies greeted Brady as he headed to The Village, but he wouldn’t let them dampen his good mood. He parked his pickup near the administration building. When he entered the reception area, Kirsten was talking with Lovie. Kirsten turned in his direction as he drew closer. When she smiled, his heart did a little tap dance. What did his reaction say about how he was feeling about her?

He was pretty sure Kirsten’s negative opinion of him was changing, and he was glad for it. But did that mean he could convince her to go out with him?

“Hey, Lovie, Kirsten. How are you ladies doing this morning?”

“Good,” they both answered.

Kirsten stepped away from the reception desk. “Ready to go? I’ll drive.”

Brady nodded, then waved to Lovie and followed Kirsten out a side door. “I checked the size of the dress hanging in her closet while she was napping yesterday.”

“What is it?”

“Eight P. Whatever that means.”

“It means eight petite. That sounds about right.” Kirsten opened her car door.

“So you’re taking me to the closest mall?” Brady adjusted the passenger seat as he settled in the car and buckled his seat belt.

“That’s right. We should be able to find something there.”

Brady watched in silence as Kirsten maneuvered through the traffic until they came to a traffic light. “When I was a kid, Cora lived about a mile from here. You know, this road had barely anything on it then. Now it’s lined with big-box stores, strip malls and fast-food restaurants. Urban sprawl, with its traffic jams and housing developments, has created chaos and taken over this once-quiet road.”

“I take it you’re not a fan of big-city living.” Kirsten looked straight ahead as the light changed and she drove through the intersection.

Brady shook his head. “After living in North Dakota and west Texas, where you can see forever, all these trees make me feel closed in—claustrophobic.”

“So it’s not only the urban sprawl, but the landscape, too.”

“Yeah.”

“Does that mean you plan to leave after Cora gets better?”

“I don’t know what it means. A lot depends on my job search.”

“How’s that going?”

“Too early to tell. I’ve filled out a lot of applications and had one interview. I don’t know anything beyond that.”

“Has Cora told you how much she’d like you to stay?”

Brady couldn’t decipher the meaning of Kirsten’s question. Was she trying to tell him he should stay no matter what? “I don’t believe she’s thought about much beyond that wedding.”

“She’s thinking beyond the wedding. She wants to get back to her apartment.”

“And I’m going to see that she gets there. I want to be the person she can count on when she needs help.” Brady wished he’d been more attentive to Cora in the past. He was going to make up for that now. He had to find a job. He hated the thought of living here permanently, but if he was going to be there for Cora, that’s what had to be done.

“Then I guess that means you intend to stay.”

“I still have to find a job.”

“What kind of job are you looking for?” Kirsten glanced at him as she turned into the mall entrance.

Brady wasn’t sure. What would Kirsten say if she knew he had medical experience? He’d only mentioned his work on oil rigs and a fishing boat when they’d had lunch with her dad. In the army he’d been a medic, and he’d been good at it. But he’d discovered after getting out that despite his experience, the only jobs he qualified for in the medical field paid little over minimum wage. He couldn’t survive on that long-term, so he’d found employment wherever he could. Those jobs had paid well, and he had a healthy savings account. “Something that pays a decent wage.”

“Have you considered taking a temporary job until you find something better?”

“Not until it becomes clear that I can’t find a good-paying job.”

Kirsten found a parking spot near an entrance. “We’ll start with the nearest department store, and if we don’t find anything there, we’ll try the specialty shops, then move on to other places.”

Nodding, Brady noted how she’d abruptly changed the subject. Did she think he was finding excuses not to stay? “You’re in charge.”

They entered the mall through one of the anchor department stores. When they reached the area for petite women’s clothing, Kirsten headed straight for the dresses. “How fancy do you want the dress?”

Brady stared at her. What did he know about women’s dresses? For men, a suit of some kind always sufficed. “What do you think?”

“Do you want bling on the dress?”

“What?”

“Bling. Like sparkly stuff.”

Brady shrugged. “If that’s what you think.”

Kirsten forged ahead of him. He followed, thankful that he wasn’t doing this on his own. She rummaged through the racks and scooped up a half-dozen dresses and hung them over her arm.

“Would you like me to hold them?”

She glanced at him. “Sure, and I’ll look at this last rack.”

Brady held the hangers and studied the dresses. They were nice, but he didn’t think any of them suited Cora. He walked over to where Kirsten was looking. “Have you run across anything in green?”

Kirsten frowned. “Not many. Black or neutral colors seem to be the going style.”

“But with her white hair doesn’t she need some color?”

Kirsten stopped and looked at him as if he had two heads. “Are you sure you need help? You seem to know what you want.”

“Yes, I need your help.” He gave her a wry smile. “How would I have found the special-occasion dresses section without you?”

Kirsten crossed her arms. “I think you could have managed.”

“But it wouldn’t be nearly as fun doing this alone. I’m enjoying your company.” Smiling wryly, Brady held up one of the dresses. “I like this one with the lace and sparkly stuff here, but I’d like it in a bright color.”

“I’ll put those back on the rack, and we’ll move on to another store.” Sighing, Kirsten held out a hand for the dresses.

As Brady handed them to her, their fingers brushed. There was no mistaking the look that crossed her face. The touch had the same effect on her as it had on him. The attraction he was feeling wasn’t all one-sided. That was a good sign.