Her Blue-Eyed Corporal (Soldiers 0f Swing Book 2)

by Linda Ellen

  The two exchanged looks, possibly thinking they didn’t want to get on the bad side of a first sergeant by riling his brother, so they mumbled quietly, “Sure, Mack.”

  Steve smiled in satisfaction, and asked a few pertinent questions about the location of the cabin and how much further they would have had to walk to find help. The MP’s answer caused him to send up another prayer of thanks for whoever’s decision it had been so long ago to leave the little cabin where it stood.

  Minutes later, the door to the little log haven opened and Mary June stepped out, taking the time to make sure the door was latched. The three men gazed at her admiringly as she approached. In that short span of time, Steve took note that she had not only managed to re-do her Victory Rolls, but she’d changed back into her blouse, slipped her high heels back on, tied the red bandana back on her hair, and she’d even applied a coat of bright red lipstick. She was folding her sweater over her arm as she reached them.

  “I’m so thankful you men showed up this morning. I was dreading another long walk in these high heels.” Of their own volition, three sets of male eyes dropped to the ground in masculine appreciation of said heels beneath a pair of lovely ankles and calves.

  “Glad to be of assistance, Miss,” Jenkins replied, and then both men held out a hand to help her into the backseat of the jeep in a sudden burst of chivalry. “Here, let me help you, Miss,” they spoke over top of one another.

  A spark of possessive jealousy struck Steve as he watched the two overzealous helpers.

  Mary June aimed a measured look at the two, then one at Steve, and teasingly raised a hand to press a finger against her cheek as if she were trying to choose. Then she purred, “Thank you, boys, but Corporal Wheeler has done a wonderful job thus far of being my Sir Galahad. I think I’d prefer that he continue his…assignment.”

  Her bold delivery of those words pleased Steve to no end and he grinned at her profile as he leaned close, fighting the urge to sweep her into his arms and kiss her—but not in front of the two MP’s. He’d save that for later.

  However, as he assisted her as she climbed into the conveyance, he couldn’t resist shooting the other two men a cocky grin.

  As soon as the soldiers had burst into the little cabin and jolted Mary June half out of her skin, it had all come flooding back – the storm, their evening alone together, “playing house” and tidying up like a married couple, the kisses…the declarations of love…the hours she and her corporal had spent “pillow-talking”, and how tired and sleepy they had been when they finally decided to conserve heat and snuggle together on the one small mattress, under the old patchwork quilt.

  Having bolted up with her heart jack hammering in her chest, Mary June had simply stared at the intruders as she clung to Steve for dear life. Talk about a wake-up call! For an instant, she had thought they would shoot first and ask questions later.

  Then, the one named Jenkins had thought Steve was Gene and that he was cheating on Viv – with her! How humiliating.

  Ahh, but Steve, her knight in shining armor, had taken charge and come to her defense. While she had been in the cabin quickly changing and putting Victory Rolls back up, in record time, she had overheard a few of Steve’s words as he explained what happened and who she was; his tone of voice as he defended her character warmed her from her head to her toes. It had also made her feel emboldened enough to answer them with a bit of sass.

  Now, as they bumped along in the backseat of the jeep, she settled against him as much for stability in the fast moving vehicle as for wishing to keep the connection going that they had forged the evening before.

  Turning her head enough to peer at his profile, she allowed her eyes to caress his face as her hands wished they could again—and couldn’t suppress a soft smile at his morning shadow. He had mentioned to her during their long chat that he would be a wooly bear if he didn’t shave, and now she saw the evidence of it. Goodness, it would be a thick carpet if he didn’t.

  At the moment, he seemed much more army-like than she’d ever seen him. His body seemed to be coiled in preparedness as he scanned the territory, just as the others were doing while they rode along. It gave her a feeling of security.

  In seemingly no time at all, the jeep rounded a curve and they could see a break in the trees and the gravel road up ahead. Steve gave the driver direction, and the man steered the jeep onto the road and turned right. It didn’t take long to reach Steve’s Ford.

  As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, Steve hopped out and performed a cursory inspection. “Good. Last night, I was afraid the wind might blow Old Nelly over.”

  The MP’s made short work of pouring gasoline into the tank using a funnel one of them found under the seat of the jeep. Steve climbed in and pumped the pedal a few times, and Old Nelly started right up.

  He flashed them a grin and said, “Thanks, boys. I owe ya one.”

  “No problem, Wheeler,” Jenkins answered.

  “Have a good day, Miss,” Stengler added as both soldiers touched the edge of their helmets in farewell. Then they climbed into the jeep and reversed up to the tracks to continue on their inspection assignment.

  Mary June climbed in and shut her door, very glad they had thought to roll the windows up before they left the car, and then turned her head and met Steve’s eyes. He smiled and reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss.

  Those sky-blue eyes were sparkling like a summer day and making her tingle all over as he murmured, “You know, a wise old fellow told me something the other day, and this morning, I know exactly what he meant.” At her questioning rise of one brow, he added, “An old man I met at the plant a few days ago…he said attitude is everything. It’s all how we look at things. For instance, the last time we were sitting here, I’d let circumstances get to me. Only saw the bad. But now…even though I did a stupid thing and got us stranded, we found a haven in the storm, had a good meal, realized we have feelings for each other, and were rescued by the cavalry the next morning. I’d say the day’s startin’ out pretty good.”

  Giving him a nod of agreement, she couldn’t help smiling. “As you army types say—copy that.”

  Chuckling as he put the Ford in gear, he made a quick u-turn to go back the other way. The MP’s had given Steve a head’s up on where they were in the vast acreage of the base and the quickest way to get to the main entrance of Knox. Now, he let her in on his plans that from there, he aimed to locate his brother, beg some gas ration coupons off of him, and request permission to use the telephone to call headquarters at the plant, because as of start of shift about an hour ago, he was officially AWOL.

  Steve glanced at her as he negotiated a turn. “Wonder what everyone thought when we didn’t show up yesterday…and you didn’t make it home last night…”

  She clamped her teeth on her lip. “I’ve been pushing that thought away since before we played checkers,” she admitted. Meeting his eyes, she added softly, “And my folks. No matter what we say, they’re going to think the worst…no one will believe all we did was kiss, and hold each other, and talk…”

  Steve smiled lovingly at her and drew their linked hands against his chest. “Yeah. I’m kind of amazed at that myself, ’cause woman, your kisses set me on fire.”

  She smiled back, just as lovingly. “Steve, I…I want to thank you for being such a gentleman. I don’t take it lightly that I was marooned in a cabin all night with a man who could have taken advantage of me, but stopped the instant I said stop. I know that many men would have…well…” she gave a little shrug, not needing to elaborate.

  “They don’t call me Sir Galahad for nothin’.” She giggled as he winked and raised her hand to his lips again and gave it a gentle kiss.

  They rode along in easy silence for a few minutes, each reliving parts of their momentous night together—and pondering where they would go from there. She wondered, for about the hundredth time, if Steve was thinking of proposing. Several times during their long evening and into the ni
ght she’d thought he was about to – especially after they had confessed their love—but he hadn’t.

  She thought about the moment when she had told him about the drunken sailor at the club the night after their date on the steamboat and how Steve’s eyes had flared in anger that a man had scared and hurt her in such a way. He’d held her sweetly and told her he wished he’d been there to protect her and keep the man away, but she had diffused his anger by jokingly telling him that Gene had stood in for him. She had thought he might ask her to marry him then, but he had not.

  Worriedly, she pushed back the thought that Steve wasn’t exactly the marrying kind. Most men are the marrying kind if they find the right woman. Was she the right woman? Maybe he’s waiting for a special occasion like Gene did. Gene told Viv it was Steve’s idea for him to propose up at the Iroquois Overlook…Yeah, that’s it. He’s waiting for the right moment…

  With that settled in her mind and thinking of the future, and what she wanted…and needed in a mate, Mary June studied his profile and asked gently, “Steve…do you believe in God?”

  She watched his countenance take on a thoughtful expression for a moment, and then he met her gaze. “I didn’t use to. I was, I guess you’d say mad at Him, for how my childhood turned out. Kinda had a chip on my shoulder. But…since I found out about my brothers, and Gene and I have been killin’ time together…he’s got a real solid faith in God and I guess he’s been rubbing off on me. It’s made a difference. I see things differently now. Take last night for instance—somehow, I know God had a hand in that. He protected us. He provided for us. And…I really meant it when we prayed over our meal and thanked Him. So yeah…I can say in all honesty, I believe in God.”

  The pressure she had been feeling when she’d asked him that important question released into effervescent bubbles and floated away as she smiled back at him. If he’d said no, he didn’t believe in God, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. Thank God, she hadn’t had to find out.

  A rush of love washed over her so powerfully that she spontaneously leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek, but then laughed when she pulled back and saw the bright red lip-shaped imprint she’d left behind. He flashed her a grin, knowing what she was laughing about, and she giggled as she pulled a handkerchief out of her purse and wiped the telltale mark off his cheek.

  Several minutes later, Steve pulled the car to a stop at the small brick building at Knox’s main entrance.

  The guard walked out and did a double take when he saw Steve’s face. “B…but, Sergeant Banks, I just talked to you on the phone…how did you…you Houdini or something?”

  Steve grinned and dropped his head, shaking it back and forth, then cast his companion a sideways glance, whispering, “Here we go again.”

  Mary June leaned to get a look at the soldier’s face. Noticing his bright red hair under his Garrison, she giggled when she recognized him. “That’s Red, the hoofer in Gene’s unit that could dance a girl’s socks off – until he broke his leg,” she whispered back.

  Looking back up, he read the private’s name plate and began, “Private Ackerman, I’m not Sergeant Banks…I’m his brother. But don’t worry—you’re not the first to get us mixed up today.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Little Flock Community Church

  One Week Later

  “How’d you get to be a sergeant first class if you can’t even tie your own tie?” Steve teased as he turned Gene toward him and brushed his brother’s hands away. He couldn’t resist needling him…just a bit.

  “Danged if I know,” Gene rasped, clearing his throat as he fidgeted under Steve’s ministrations.

  “Hold still, bro.”

  Gene stilled for a moment, trying to glance toward the mirror on the wall in the Pastor’s study as he continued preparing himself for the big day.

  “I don’t know what you’re so nervous about. You’re marryin’ Viv, the woman of your dreams, right? You’re acting like you’re having second thoughts or something.”

  “It should be her that’s havin’ second thoughts,” Gene’s younger brother Jack teasingly chimed in from a chair across the large room.

  Gene sent him a playful snarl. “Don’t start, Jackson, or you’ll find yourself with two broken legs.”

  He turned back at Steve’s rebuke of, “Eyes front, soldier. Ten-hut!”

  Jack just laughed and shook his head as he adjusted the thigh-to-ankle cast on his right leg, which was propped on an adjacent chair.

  Their dad, John, laughed and shook his head as he finished shaping and cleaning the billed cap of Gene’s dress uniform.

  “It’s just weddin’ day jitters. All grooms get ’em. I had the shakes so bad I dropped the ring before I could get it on her finger,” he chuckled at the memory. Then he cast a glance at his handsome first sergeant son, who was having a hard time standing still as his duplicate brother was attempting to finish knotting his tie. “But I wasn’t having second thoughts. If somebody woulda tried to take her away from me that day, I’d ’a fought ’em like a grizzly bear. I was just…nervous I’d foul somethin’ up, I guess. You know… trip climbin’ the steps to the altar, say the wrong thing, forget to zip my trousers,” he joked, trying to make his son laugh.

  It worked, and Gene found himself chuckling. John met Steve’s eyes and sent him a wink, which Steve returned.

  Aiming to get his brother’s mind off his nervousness, Steve said, “Hey Geno, you remember that guy you saved Mary June from that night at the USO when I was stuck out at the plant?”

  “Yeah…what was his name…Ains…Ainsworth?”

  “Yep. Well, I’ve been meaning to tell you, the F.B.I. did some investigating on him since he was second cousin or something to Ralph Crawford—the third would-be saboteur—and you won’t believe what they uncovered.”

  The other men in the room turned their full attention on him as he continued, “For one thing, he’s not playing with a full deck. He was already on the authorities’ watch list because he’d been accused of shadowing girls before—one was even an accusation of attempted rape—but they’d never been able to pin anything on him. He drank a lot and got in fights, a general troublemaker, and he’d been given a warning that if he messed up one more time, they’d kick him out of the Guard for good. I think he’d been in ten years or so. It was a gravy job and it seems he’d intended to make a career of it. Anyway—after his no-good cousin fell in with the other two idiots and their names were splashed all over the headlines, it seems that Ainsworth’s Life Station mates gave him grief about it. He put three guys in the hospital that day and ran off on a drinking binge. Then that night, he’d found himself back downtown near the wharf and his ‘home’, but was hiding from his CO, so he slipped on board the Idlewild.”

  Steve hesitated as he finished tying the tie and patted it in place, shaking his head with disgust that a loose cannon like this Ainsworth jerk had been roaming the streets of Louisville, and his girl had borne the brunt of it. “He saw Mary June and must’ve decided he wanted her…seemed all of the girls he’d gone after had the same basic looks—dark hair, pretty, built like her. He must’ve asked around and found out she was a USO hostess, and waited out front for her to show up the next night. Thank God it was there and he hadn’t found out where she lived.”

  Steve met Gene’s eyes and ground his teeth together, imagining Ainsworth accosting the woman he loved—and later, manhandling her to the point of leaving bruises on her arms! That night in the cabin, when she had told him about the altercation, it had galled him that he’d not been there to watch over and protect her. He was just glad his brother had been there to step in.

  “So, I owe you one, Bro. Anything you want, you got it.”

  The two men shared a look that spoke volumes.

  The atmosphere in the room had taken on a slightly heavy feel, and always the jokester, Jack piped up from the corner, “Hey, I know Geno! You could always let Steve take your place today if you’re scared or need help. No
body would suspect.”

  That brought a raucous laugh from Steve and a growl from Gene, who swung a half-hearted glare to the man in the corner.

  “I assure you, little brother, I won’t be needing anyone’s help in the wedding…or marriage. And I know for a fact that, despite others mistaking us for one another, my bride would know the difference.” Then with a sparkle in his eyes and flashing his grin, he intoned, “She loves me.”

  Steve couldn’t resist—his brother had just left the door wide open. With as straight a face as he could manage, he quipped, “Then, what about that time she asked me to kiss her?”

  Gene immediately brought up a hand and pointed a finger in Steve’s face. “You better be glad you didn’t, brother of mine. You might have found yourself on the receiving end of a knuckle sandwich and be missing some teeth—then the identical thing would be out the window.”

  After struggling to hold a stern expression, both of the brothers dissolved into laughter, thankful that the incident that nearly broke up the sweethearts had been explained and smoothed out – and in the bargain – they had each gained not one, but two siblings and expanded their family by twofold.

  John laughed with them and then spoke up, “Hey, speaking of identicals, I thought Gary and Mr. Tucker were supposed to be here—and isn’t Gary supposed to be in the wedding?”

  Immediately thoughtful, Gene nodded. “He is. They got in town yesterday and are staying at the Brown again.” He pushed back his sleeve and eyeballed his watch. “They should have been here by n—”

  His comment was interrupted by the whirlwind also known as Jeff, Gene’s thirteen-year-old brother, as he burst into the room to announce, “Hey Gene, your other brother Gary and Mr. Tucker are here! They just pulled up in a big black limousine! You oughtta see it, it’s the killer-diller!”