Soldier's Rescue

by Betina Krahn

He gained steadily on the truck and was soon close enough to see that the driver was not much bigger than the boy. But whoever he was, he knew how to handle that truck. Twice the driver skidded into a turn and almost managed to lose him.

  In fact, he did lose Nick shortly afterward, with the help of a 150,000-ton locomotive and a railroad crossing. The beater managed to floor it and make it across the tracks just as the barrier arms came down to block the road. Nick slammed on his brakes and flicked off the siren as he tried to glimpse the escaping truck between the passing train cars.

  As soon as the train was clear and Nick could no longer see the truck, he doused the lights, turned and headed back to the shelter.

  The field beside Harbor had a few open parking spots when he returned. He paused a moment at the edge of the festivities to catch his breath and realized his arms were stinging.

  It had been a while since he had to run down a suspect on foot. He’d gotten some wicked scratches in the palmettos, but it could have been worse. Thank God for khakis and boots.

  Ben was waiting with his grandma, Kate and Kate’s grandmother.

  “Did you catch him, Dad?” Ben ran to meet him, his eyes alight with the excitement of watching his father in hot pursuit.

  Nick shook his head, put one arm about Ben’s shoulders and held out an empty hand with the other. “Fast little devil, I’ll give him that.” He took a deep breath and registered the way Kate’s gaze was running over him. “Somebody was waiting for him in an old truck out on the road. I caught up with him, but we got separated by a train headed north.” He realized Kate’s eyes were shining, and he couldn’t help smiling at the thought that she’d been watching, too.

  And she liked what she saw.

  “We were just talking,” Nance said. “This is the third batch of schnauzers that have been dropped off recently. We think that means—”

  “Puppy mill,” Kate said, and looked straight into his gaze.

  He sank unexpectedly into those vivid blue eyes. Overheated and still moving fast mentally, all he could think about was touching her—reaching for her skin—stroking her silky hair and tucking it back behind her ear. Her words took a few seconds to register.

  “And this batch is without a mother.” Her face filled with a becoming color. “Which probably means she died during or after the birth.”

  “If we could only figure out where to start looking,” Nance said, shaking her head thoughtfully—reminding him how many other people were present.

  “We have laws and law enforcement, and volunteers who are willing to help us clear those places out,” Nance was saying. “What we don’t have is the location of the mill that’s breeding these little guys.” She picked up one of the pups and handed it to Ben, who nuzzled it with his freshly painted dog nose and then cradled it expertly against his heart. Nick felt his chest tighten at the sight—his son and the little pup, both so young and so innocent—and had to stop himself from taking a step back.

  “They’re going to have to be fed by hand for a while,” Kate said, reaching for one herself. Nick watched her hands go over the whimpering pup and could see her cataloging its condition before she placed it against her chest. He had phantom sensations of being held against her just like that...

  His mom’s touch startled him. “You got scratched up, Nick.” He found her examining the patchwork of scratches he had just earned. “You probably ought to put something on those.”

  Kate looked at his arms and seemed a little embarrassed that she hadn’t noticed. “I have some salve in the surgery that should work.” She handed off the puppy to his mom. “You know the way, Trooper Stanton.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “HOP UP.” SHE PATTED her farmhouse kitchen table, indicating where he should sit, and then turned away to gather cotton, hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment. From the corner of her eye, she watched him grab the edge of the table and boost himself up. Lord have mercy. She could see his muscles flex through his shirt.

  “Here we are again, patching up another patient together,” Kate said, her mouth going dry as she dragged antiseptic-soaked cotton down the scratches on his hands and forearms. His smooth, tanned flesh was just a few damp fibers away from contact with her fingers.

  “We do seem to end up playing doctor a lot.”

  She looked up to find a dangerous amusement in his eyes.

  “No playing about it,” she said, realizing that her voice sounded deeper, more intimate. What was she saying? “I am a doctor.”

  “So you are.” His short, husky laugh made her fingers tingle. “And a puppy whisperer. A boy whisperer. Are you a trooper whisperer, too?”

  “I don’t know.” She searched his gaze, the intensity there turning his eyes to glowing bronze. She could practically feel her pupils dilating in response. “I’ve never whispered to one.”

  “Let’s find out,” he said, lowering his ear toward her and tapping it. “Whisper to me.”

  It was an invitation that slid under her skin and along her nerves, raising goose bumps across her shoulders. It was now or never. Could she make a move that might lead someplace...unpredictable?

  He was so close, so warm, so—For once in your careful, overplanned life, take a chance!

  “Trooper Stanton,” she whispered, wondering if he felt the vibrations the way she did when he spoke, “you are going to have to apply this ointment twice a day, every day. No forgetting, no complaining. And I want to see you back in a week. Right here. Think you can remember all that, or should I write it down?”

  “Right now,” he said, moving nothing but his lips, “all I can remember is how good that feels. More. I need more ointment.” He paused for a moment, eyes flicking down to her lips, then produced the magic word: “Please.”

  It almost dropped her to her knees. She put a hand on the table to steady herself. And still he didn’t move. Not a muscle. Not even a tic.

  More ointment. Definitely.

  She glanced down to find herself holding his hand and feeling warmth spreading up her arm from the contact. She squeezed a dollop of the antibiotic onto her finger and rubbed it into the scratches, using it as an excuse to explore the sleek, purposeful architecture of his hands and arms.

  “Yes,” he said after a moment of watching her.

  “Yes, what?” She paused, feeling the strength of his gaze.

  “You are a trooper whisperer.”

  “Dad! Gran Everly says we can come out to her farm.” Ben burst into the kitchen, causing Kate to reel back and Nick to straighten abruptly. Beneath his canine face paint, his boy glowed with excitement as he hurried over to them. “To see Goldie and Soldier, Dad. Today. Now!” Then he realized his dad was being treated and came to lean against the table by his father’s knees. “Can I help?”

  “Why not?” Kate surrendered the tube of ointment with an odd mixture of disappointment and relief. She showed him how to clean the scratches with peroxide and then apply medicine.

  “Whoa. I don’t need that much.” Nick winced.

  “He needs the practice.” Kate leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “Keep going, Ben. You’re doing great a job.”

  “Does he get bandages?” Ben asked when he had slathered his father’s hands and arms with ointment.

  “I doubt they’d stick,” she said, gesturing to Nick’s gooey skin. “Unless he wants them. How about it, Dad? Want some bandages?”

  “I’ll manage without,” he responded, narrowing his eyes at her.

  “Okay, then can we go to Gran Everly’s farm? Nana says she’d like to go. She’s never seen an ostrich up close.”

  Nick regarded his son and took his time deciding.

  “Daaaaad!” Ben jumped up and down. “Puleeeze.”

  “You going?” he asked Kate.

  “Absolutely.” She gra
bbed some paper towels for him and chuckled as he wiped the excess salve from his hands and arms. “I need to check on Goldie and see what other critters Gran has concerns about. I make a house call at the farm about once a week.”

  * * *

  NANCE EVERLY’S FARM was Old Florida all the way. A sprawling, white single-story house with wraparound porches and a steep metal roof sat in the middle of 160 acres, two ponds and several whitewashed outbuildings. Untouched woodland bordered the property and merged with another forested area that bore signs declaring it to be a state preserve. Half of the once-tilled land had been reclaimed by scrub growth and young pines, and the rest was pasture dotted with old orange trees. After plentiful summer rains, the grazing was lush and the landscape was dotted with sundry sheep, goats, and the occasional horse and donkey.

  As their caravan of cars crawled up a driveway lined with venerable live oaks, Nick spotted high fencing around certain areas attached to outbuildings, and his eyes widened when he saw what looked like ostriches stalking around one of those well-fenced paddocks. Ben pressed his nose against the cruiser’s window, pointing out animals with ever-increasing excitement.

  Ducks, geese and chickens strolled around the gravel yard in between the barns, and a noisy peacock sat on top of a porch roof. As Nick parked next to Kate’s Jeep, he could hear barking, squawking, cawing and all manner of other animal vocalizations. A couple of horses, a donkey and several goats ran to the fence near the cars to greet them.

  Nance, in full earth-mother mode, threw open her arms with a grin. “Welcome to Everly’s!” She waved them to the largest barn. “This way!”

  “Ostriches, llamas and bears...oh, my!” Nick muttered as he fell in beside Kate for the tour. She looked up and found him smiling.

  “No bears.” Kate gave a wry grin. “You’ll have to make do.”

  Nance distributed carrots from a bushel basket just inside the barn doors, and they were soon meeting cows, barn cats, a miniature horse a couple of charming potbellied pigs and a number of pushy goats who were happy to settle for goat-chow nuggets when the carrots ran out. A smaller barn—the one with the high fence—housed the ostriches, and Nick enjoyed how much his mother was taken with them. Ben was a little scared at first, but he managed to pet one before they moved on to the llamas.

  They behaved just as Kate had said they would: no spitting, no displays of flatulence and no untoward nibbling of the humans. The llamas were downright mannerly, though they might have been influenced by the walking stick Nance carried into their paddock.

  The tour ended at the kennel, a small structure with half a dozen roomy runs filled with dogs lucky enough to have been found or adopted by Nance. Goldie and Soldier called this place home for the time being. They would stay in the kennel when Nance couldn’t be with them, until they learned the farm’s boundaries and got used to the other animals.

  “Goldie!” Ben rushed to give her a hug as she came out of the pen, and before long, he was grinning from ear to ear. The dogs wagged tails and sniffed everyone in the party, pausing longest over Kate, who was a smorgasbord of scent and habitually carried dog treats in her pockets. Soldier was soon drawn to Nick and sat down before him, alert and attentive, as if expecting to be given commands. Kate chuckled and said he looked like he was saluting. She went to a nearby bin of toys and grabbed a couple of balls and Kongs, then thrust one at Nick.

  “Have mercy on him and throw a ball so he can get some exercise.”

  That was how they spilled into a well-grazed field out the rear of the kennel—man throwing, dog running and kid chasing everything on four legs. Goldie tried to keep up at first, but then sat down to catch her breath and rest her leg. Ben dropped behind to stay with her, leaving Kate and Nick to ramble across the rolling field toward an outcropping.

  “Snakes?” he asked, looking around them.

  “Not here—too many animals tromping and grazing this area. Just stay out of the brush.”

  * * *

  KATE SAT ON an outcropping, watching Nick shed his inhibitions bit by bit as he played with Soldier. He laughed, ran, dodged, grabbed handfuls of air and uttered a few choice words in appreciation of the dog’s evasion skills. Again and again, he threw the ball and a newfound stick or two, clearly relishing the freedom of the chase and way the dog’s pleasure in the game matched his.

  His full, rich laughter sent a delicious shiver through her. The caution and containment he usually carried about him melted away; this was the man inside that formidable presence. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold that man close to her heart. Despite her determination to slow down her runaway feelings...this felt real and good and healthy.

  When Nick paused for breath, Soldier carried the stick to the rock where she sat and dropped it on the ground near her feet.

  “You really know how to get what you want, don’t you?” Kate slid from her perch, grabbed the stick and ran.

  “Hey, that’s mine!” Nick called, hands on his waist, tone indignant at this egregious flaunting of the “keep-away” rules...at being cut out of the game.

  The dog was a bullet, racing her around shrubs and small trees and across hummocks of grassy scrub. Fortunately, she was pretty quick herself and knew the lay of the land. She was able to outfox her pursuer until Nick had joined the chase. He caught her first and reeled her—laughing and protesting—into his arms while Soldier barked and danced around them.

  Body to body, defenses down, they were both breathing hard when he relieved her of the stick and threw it over his shoulder for Soldier to chase. He didn’t release her right away and they stood for a moment, face-to-face, recovering, until she looked up into his hot-bronze eyes. He lowered his head.

  His lips were firm and soft at the same time, and the contact sent tingles through her own lips and out through her cheeks. She couldn’t recall ever feeling such a thing before, certainly not with Jared.

  This kiss was the most natural thing in the world, soft, searching and a prelude to...whatever was interrupted by an unruly beast of a dog pouncing on them.

  Staggering, they broke apart and laughed, and she felt pleasure lingering in every nerve. It had been a long time coming but was entirely worth the wait.

  Blushing and uncertain what came next, she retreated to her perch on the rock and was surprised to find that he followed. Settled side by side, they let their breathing return to normal as Nick threw the stick for Soldier and the dog returned it several times.

  “You’re a natural.” She was fascinated by the way he rubbed his hands up and down his muscular thighs, and had to force her gaze away. “With dogs.”

  “Oh. I kind of hoped you were talking about kissing.”

  Surprised by his forthright comment, she laughed. “Well, you’re pretty darned good at that, too.”

  “If you ever want to try it again, just say the word.” He glanced at her with a sideways grin that made her heart skip a beat.

  “I’ll bear that in mind.” Seconds later, before she could stop herself, she said, “How about now?”

  With a chuckle, he ran a finger down her cheek and used it to turn her face toward his. This time it was like falling down a well. Every fixed point in her universe dropped away and the whole focus of her existence became that deliciously firm contact with his lips. Moments later, his lips softened and moved differently against hers, and she realized he was speaking. She swayed, off balance, until her brain rebooted and she made sense of what he’d said.

  “Kid at two o’clock.”

  Ben came charging into view with Goldie not far behind. “Hey! Where did you guys go?”

  Nick maintained awareness of his surroundings even while engaged in something as distracting as kissing—clearly another aspect of his character honed by his time in the military. He slid off the rock, helped her down, and soon they were walking with Ben through the pasture
and around the old orange trees.

  The boy talked nonstop about all of the animals he had just seen and how he wanted to help other animals that needed homes. Kate managed to get in a little conservation education, starting with the origins of the farm.

  Her great-great-grandfather had moved to Florida as a boy and worked on the Plant railroad to save money to buy some land. He had planted orange trees during the thirties and forties and become a prosperous citrus farmer. In time, his son, Gran’s father, expanded the holdings to include a sizable forest near the homestead and raised a family and beef cattle side by side. Each successive generation had studied the ecology of native plants and animals and became devoted to preserving the nature around them. When a state park was proposed nearby, they agreed to donate some of their precious forested land to augment it.

  After her husband died in Vietnam and her only daughter joined the military, Nance Everly had moved home to help her aging parents and began to take in animals of all kinds. Then came the day when she took in her daughter’s children...Kate and her older brother, Jace. Their father insisted Jace be sent to a military academy for the school year, but Kate was left with Nance full-time.

  As Ben and Soldier ran ahead to investigate a miniature donkey grazing nearby, Nick looked around at the idyllic setting.

  “What was it like, growing up here?” he asked, studying her as if trying to picture it.

  She laughed. “See that tree?” She pointed to an old, widely spread oak in the distance. “I used to climb that daily and sit for hours trying to imitate the birds I heard. But there was a tall cypress in a swampy area at the back that I never managed to conquer. It taught me my limits, again and again.”

  “I met a few trees and a rock face or two like that, back in my scouting days,” he said, gazing at her tree, nodding.

  She looked fondly around the remains of the old grove with its aged, twisted surviving trees.

  “There were nights when Gran would have to keep watch over a cow or horse giving birth. She let me spend the night in the barn with her. She’d put a couple of blankets down on hay bales for me and I’d lay my head in her lap. Gran always woke me up in time to see the birth. I remember the quiet and the smell of the barn and the way she stroked my hair...”