Carlos spent the next few minutes explaining the comment.
When he was finished, he turned the conversation. “So you used to be an actress, huh,” he asked as they ducked under a limb in unison.
“How have you never seen any of my movies?” she replied.
The man smiled as he answered, “These last four months represent the longest, most consecutive, amount of time I’ve spent in country, in one place, in nearly a decade. I did see a number of your mom’s flicks though.”
“You and Greg saw the world I heard. Were the two of you always together when you went out?” Heather wondered.
“Longbow’s practically an old timer by comparison. I’d only been there a handful of years. For the most part though, yeah, I was always his team leader once I arrived. When his transport got shot down, I was waiting on the tarmac. Saw the whole thing and there was nothing I could do. It took us a couple of hours to reach the wreckage. Once we were there though –,” he started to say as his voice trailed off.
After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he concluded with, “We lost a lot of good men that day,” he answered solemnly.
“Do you miss it?” she asked.
“Before all of this, it was the only family I had. My dad left when I was a baby and mom passed away some years ago. I missed that familial aspect of it until I got to know all of you. I can say without hesitation though, I definitely don’t miss being shot at on a semi-regular basis.”
“Five months of training for five minutes of sheer terror, right?”
“Exactly. What’s the transition been like for you? One minute you’re an A-list starlet living the dream in Hollywood and the next you’re the farmer’s daughter butchering cattle with a sister you didn’t know you had. That can’t have been easy.”
“Oh, that?” she answered sarcastically. “We had a rocky start, but everything dad and Papaw told me has come to fruition. Being with mom and becoming a singer and an actress was great, but something was always missing. I’ve got that now. I just wish my mother was here to see it. I never could quite have both at the same time. Having sisters has been a blast though. Katherine is running around the country side with her squad and Layla is helping treat and heal people. In some ways, it’s far more difficult to live up to the expectations as the daughter of Josh Simmons than some of the Hollywood BS.”
“How do you think your friends in California are faring? I bet you’re glad you weren’t there when it hit the fan. The reports they are hearing on the network aren’t pleasant.”
“Honestly, I’ve tried not to dwell on it. I’ve read what Uncle Dallas posts downtown. Compton and Watts exploded and took over Beverly Hills, Inglewood, and Santa Monica. The UN forces just let ‘em have those places. Those blighted areas were already so overrun with drugs and weapons that I’m sure the English lackeys didn’t want anything to do with a true gangland.”
“That and they were too busy looking for gold in San Francisco,” Carlos added.
“Yeah, that too.”
“How’s your friend, Anna? She making do over at the camp?” he asked trying to continue the conversation.
Heather glanced at him and smiled. “What’s happening here?”
He arched his eyebrows in reply, “What?”
“Either you’re doing a horrible job of flirting with me or you’re attempting to distract me and handle my emotions before I go off and become one of dad’s coastwatchers,” she answered.
Hoplite returned half a smile and sighed.
“Would I be out of line if I said a little of both?” he offered in response.
Heather laughed, “I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I know what’s comin’.” Then she leaned over and punched him in the arm. “Took you long enough to make a move.”
“Hey!” he stammered in defense. “It’s not my fault. Your dad’s been keeping me busy,” then paused before saying anything more.
When no more words came, she glanced over at him expectantly.
“And?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“You were gonna say something else, what was it?”
“It’s nothing, I was just remembering the night we showed up with our hair on fire.”
“Yeah, that was crazy for sure… what about it?”
Carlos sighed and responded, “I remember thinking you looked like an angel.”
Surprised, Heather smiled, but didn’t react to the comment. Now it was her turn to question the man and his intentions.
“How come you’re not married? I’m guessing the ‘job’ didn’t allow a lot of free time for that.”
“Oh, I had lots of first dates,” he said as he chuckled. “Unfortunately, the minute they heard I was in ROTC, or that I was active duty… The thought of being a young widow wasn’t something they could overcome.”
“Bitches,” Heather answered flatly.
Carlos laughed hard at the comment and replied, “That’s what I figured, but whatever. Military wives are cut from a different cloth I guess.”
“So is that what this is? You looking for a wife?” she asked.
“Oh, no! That’s not it at all!” he declared quickly in defense.
“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” she proclaimed. Then she flashed a warm smile and added, “Any girl would be lucky to have you. I think you’ve made it over the first hurdle though.”
“How’s that?”
“You’re already in the good graces of my father and grandfather.”
“Ah, well. Being viewed through that lens as a peer is far different than that of a daughter’s boyfriend. Rules and expectations change.”
“I’d say spending over four months resisting your natural urges coupled with your skillset might get you some leeway. Unless you’re chicken,” she retorted and started making clucking sounds.
The two continued their conversation and joked with each other for the entire ride to the first coastwatcher outpost. Throughout the journey, he caught himself admiring everything about her. The way she talked and giggled at comments. How she kept brushing her shoulder length dirty blonde hair back behind her ear. Every single thing she did or said had him hooked and entranced. The man was falling one hundred percent, head over heels, in love.
After unloading her horse at the OP, he confided, “If it’s not too forward of me, I have to admit something.”
Heather cocked a weary eyebrow at him.
“Even though this wasn’t like an official date or anything, by comparison, this is the best first date I’ve ever been on.”
“If you try and kiss me, I will deck you,” she stated sternly.
“No ma’am,” he stammered. “I wouldn’t. I –,” he began before her laughter interrupted him.
“Dude! You’ve got to relax!”
Hoplite turned red with embarrassment as she gently kissed him on the cheek. He’d been able to communicate with women just fine before today. What is the matter with me, he thought.
Not really sure what to do at this point, he slowly backed away and retrieved something from his pack. As he clumsily thrust his hand out, he said, “Here.”
“What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s an old walkie, but it’s got a built in solar charger. I saw some security lights on a house during one of my patrols. The bulbs used the charge to draw power. The place was empty so I grabbed a pair. I had Bryan rig the chargers to the radio special for me. I have its mate in my pack. This way, if you want to talk to someone, and not broadcast across the net, you can call me.”
“Look at you. What a resourceful little MacGyver you are.”
* * *
“You’re sure that’s what she said? Buried treasure?” Josh asked his friend as he watered his horse at the stream. “And some guy near Canton heard this?”
Dallas just nodded his reply as he placed the reigns atop the saddle, grabbed the bridle, and walked over as well. Gregg was fuming at the breach in protocol as he dismounted his ride. The man looked as if he
was seriously contemplating some form of medieval discipline.
“If he could hear it, there’s no telling how far that signal bounced. Do you think it’s worth my talking to her?” Josh wondered aloud as the three men walked up the bank while the horses watered.
“Not unless you want to lend any credence to her story with the people here. She said it right in front of her children and Lord knows who they’ve told in the camp. I played it cool though,” Dallas answered. “Aside from the folks involved in its burial, no one on the Board knows a thing about it.”
Josh thought about the statement for a few long moments in silence as he began aimlessly placing kindling for a fire.
Before he could formulate his thoughts into words, Gregg interceded. “I’ve heard one, maybe two, of them use the term ‘buried treasure’. At a minimum, we should have the entire platoon muster at your hay barn at 18:00 for a conversation.”
Dallas snorted at the response.
“What?”
“You’ve come a long way is all... despite the look of pure aggression on your face,” he replied.
Gregg shrugged and went to his horse to retrieve some corn bread wrapped in a cloth napkin and some beans. While he searched his bags for the can, Josh quietly lit the fire. When he returned, Gregg produced his P-51 opener and dumped the contents into a small soot coated pot.
“That the kind with the bacon in it?” Dallas finally asked.
“Yeah, you want some? There’s another in my satchel.”
Before heading over to retrieve the extra food, he added, “I’ve been meaning to ask, are we going by civilian law or military? Gregg said you were non-committal when Sam brought it up. It might be time to set up some kind of a court system. We’ve got lawyers coming out of our ears and the nasty crap is starting to pile up.”
His friend walked away and Josh sighed loudly.
“Damn it,” he groaned. “I was hoping we wouldn’t be saddled with these types of issues.”
“What did you think would happen? As far as I’m concerned, this is regular everyday societal law enforcement, but he’s got a point,” Gregg stated to the pair. “We need to hammer this stuff out because four months without law and order is long enough. I mean, Jim’s been doing a good job in town, but the dregs we’re encountering out there… that’s some shit I never thought I’d ever see in this country.”
“What do you suggest?” Josh asked inquisitively.
Before he could answer, Dallas offered, “Since we’re throwing compliments around, he’s right too. Hell, you heard what they did in Athens. We need some folks to have a ‘sit down’ and come to some sort of localized legal agreement for all manner of lawlessness.”
“Okay, say I’m open to the idea. Who would you suggest?”
“For starters, you couldn’t keep Sarkes and the General away from that meeting,” Dallas answered.
“The Sheriff either. They need to decide what we are going to do for everything from looters and thieves, to rapists, cannibals, and murderers,” Gregg interjected.
“And all the crap in between,” his friend added. “Lord knows our OPs have seen just about all there is to offer in society anymore.”
“Speaking of the junk being seen by our patrols, how’s Katherine faring out there?” her concerned father asked.
“Let me put it this way,” Gregg answered. “If circumstances hadn’t dictated that she and her sister be hidden away for a decade…,” he started to say them paused. “Ya know what, scratch that. I’m not even going to preface it. She’s is, without doubt, one of the best damn leaders I’ve ever seen.”
Filling with pride, Josh sat a little straighter on the log he was currently perched on.
“So she’s doing well then?”
“Better than well,” Dallas interrupted as he dumped the contents of his can into another pot.
“She doesn’t tell you how her patrols go?” Gregg asked.
Josh sighed, then offered, “I’m trying to not helicopter. I do know that her chief concern is always to bring everyone home unscathed, but she needed to be taught by someone other than me. Not that I couldn’t do it, mind you, it’s just that having a variety of instructors and a different perspective matters on occasion. Does any of that even make sense.”
“It does,” Gregg stated. “I can tell you this much,” he continued. “Whatever you did teach her over the years, definitely took root.”
“Have you seen how she and the other squad leaders interact?” Dallas wondered.
“Yeah, it’s uncanny.”
“How so?” her father asked.
“We set the teams up to function independently with each receiving mission orders from Hoplite, Brent, or myself. But, we’re at a disadvantage because we don’t know the area as well. Katherine recognized this and began secretly giving the briefings to us to give to the other squads.”
Josh started laughing.
“Not only that, but the individual squad leaders picked up on it and just cut leadership out of it entirely. They go directly to her, have been for weeks.”
“Seriously?” her father asked through his chuckles.
“Yeah,” Gregg replied, chuckling himself. “We’ve got four teams that we’ve trained plus two in reserve coming out of the combat engineering unit and she rotates them around. Three of the active units are in the field at a time, while one is on R&R. Then she inserts the engineers in once a month.”
Beaming with pride, Josh simply added, “That’s my girl.”
* * *
“I think that does it. I’ve checked and rechecked everything three times over. It should work this time,” Scott said confidently.
“Should we try it before we bring in Dad and the rest of them?” Katherine asked. “Maybe take it for a test drive?”
“He does hate it when I show ‘em stuff and it fails.”
“That’s only happened twice. You fixed both right away and now the park has more bow hunters than they know what to do with… and I’ve never seen a windmill get built so fast. You’re over thinking this. If he’s mad or annoyed, trust me, he’ll tell you. My biggest concern is the welding for the sidecar,” she replied as she changed the subject.
“Abelardo triple welded the arms and used some scrap quarter inch steel plate for the floor. It’ll hold, but you’re probably right about your dad. He scares me, but not in an ‘I fear for my life kind of way’… at least not anymore.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s more of a, ‘So your dating my youngest daughter, what are your intentions?’ thing.”
Katherine gave a little laugh. “You’re weird.”
“You just figuring that out, Rodin?”
“Whatever, Tink!”
The two laughed at the use of their monikers for a few seconds before Scott added, “Help me load some kindling?”
“Absolutely!”
During a routine patrol of the area, Dallas and his team were notified that an elderly man had recently passed. After the home had been inventoried by the family, they were unsure what to do with the man’s possessions. The team suggested they take part in the upcoming ‘McArthur Swap and Barter Sale’. However, as he reviewed the list of items, one item stood out, a 1973 Honda CB125 motorcycle. He knew as soon as he read the line on the inventory list that Scott could make something out of it.
Three days later, the young couple pushed the old modified bike out of the barn and slowly built a fire in the drum residing in the sidecar. Once it was lit, Katherine retrieved an arm full of peat.
“Are you sure this stuff is gonna work?”
Scott smiled at her and replied, “Awe, you’re kinda cute when you doubt me.”
As he kissed her on the forehead, he tore off a hand full, and threw it into the burning drum. It immediately caught.
When he turned back toward her, she dropped the load she was carrying on the ground and tackled him. Katherine landed on top of him and began showering him with kisses.
“You think you’re so smart,” she said in between pecks.
“Let’s see you,” more followed.
“Get out of this,” she proclaimed as she stopped her affections, flipped him over, and put him in a choke hold.
“Not again!” he wailed. “Uncle! Uncle!” he bemoaned.
“I win… again,” she declared as she released him and stood up.
“You know, one of these days,” he began as he brushed himself off, “I’m gonna beat you!” he declared and tackled her back.
Standing off in the distance, her father, Sam, and Dallas just watched the interaction.
“What do you suppose that’s all about?” Josh asked.
The other two slowly turned their heads toward him in disbelief.
His friend starting a hissing laugh through his teeth and answered, “Dude, that’s flirting… or foreplay. Or what passes for both with this generation.”
“Like hell!” he declared and started walking over.
Sam quickly grabbed his hand and slowed his walk in an effort to let the kids have their fun.
“You know, our wedding is in two weeks. Have you decided what you’re going to wear?”
“I was planning on going as myself, but a little bird tells me you’ve outlawed flannel. Given that, I was thinking a black suit or my dress uniform.”
“I’m coming in my hip waders and a fishing vest!” Dallas interjected. “I’m going for Colonel Blake… complete with a hat full of lures!”
“That’ll be fine,” she remarked not really paying attention. “I’m not marrying you.”
“Sweet! Thanks Sam!” he replied and then clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Tough luck, bro.”
“Let’s just do this the easy way. Honey, what am I wearing?”
“Oh! Oh! Do I get a vote? I wanna vote!”
Exacerbated, Samantha reacted, “Fine. What’s your vote, Dallas?”
“I say he wears the uniform. He did look rather dashing,” he declared and then made a clicking sound like he was calling a horse while he smacked Josh on the butt.
His friend just kept on walking as if nothing had happened.
By the Dawn's Early Light Page 19