For Love or Duty

by Beth Rhodes

  “Oh, gotta go. Someone’s at my door.”

  Valerie growled as she tossed the phone onto her desk.

  He loved himself. Exactly like a man-soldier. Once, just once, she’d like to meet one who didn’t exude arrogance…and, and bigness.

  Of course, there had been Spencer.

  Spencer, with his white hair, warm brown eyes, and beard like Santa’s, had stolen her heart when she’d turned seven. Dragged to work by her father or running errands with her mother, Valerie had quickly learned to find him wherever she went. And he’d be there, too. On the bench outside the admin building or smoking at the picnic table in front of the PX.

  No one had lived up to her expectations since.

  Which was fine.

  If it hadn’t been for Spencer, and her father, she probably would have left this town years ago. She’d have gotten her degree, found a suitable mate and settled down.

  Now, she was three credits away from her degree, avoiding the opposite sex like the plague, and working a dead-end job.

  A knock at the door interrupted the flow of words to her notebook, a contrast and comparison of juvenile delinquency and mental instability from her work with the school district last semester.

  “I know you’re in there, Valerie.” Cheryl, thank goodness. Maybe she could use a little break. Cheryl was the friend to give her one.

  Closing her book and heading to the front of the house, she reached the door, and Cheryl knocked again.

  “Hey there,” Valerie greeted as she swung the door open. To Kevin.

  With a suspicious blush on her cheeks, Cheryl peeked out from behind the large mass of man and wiggled her fingers.

  “He forced me to bring him.” Cheryl breezed through the door and placed a loving pat on Valerie’s arm. “Jeez, Valerie. I didn’t even know you knew each other. We won’t stay long, I promise.”

  Valerie rolled her eyes. Cheryl always stayed long.

  She waited. And waited. “Well, are you coming in or not?”

  “Sure,” Kevin finally said, his gorgeous eyes piercing her with accusation. “Thanks.”

  She couldn’t possibly figure out what had offended him.

  “What’s with the scowl?” He pointed to her forehead.

  “I’m not scowling.” But she could feel the line between her brows deepen as he crowded her. With barely a touch, he traced a line down her nose. She swatted his hand away. “Stop that.” Her heart beat hard, the traitorous organ. “I know your kind, mister. And you’d better cut it out with all that touching.”

  A spark lit his eyes. Oh, damn. She’d broken a cardinal rule in dating, …er not dating the self-assured male: never, for any reason, present a challenge.

  Keven stepped into her space and ran the back of his finger down her cheek, studying her with narrowed eyes. He tapped a finger against her chin as if coming to some kind of conclusion. “For what it’s worth, Cheryl means the world to me. If you hurt her—”

  “What?” She hadn’t expected his hard words. “Why would I hurt her? I like her.”

  Kevin leaned in with a whisper. “Yeah, well. She acts tough, but she’s soft underneath.”

  “I’m not going to—”

  “Hey, it’s none of my business, but I saw that look. And you rolled your eyes.”

  “Of all the…” Valerie said, sputtering. “I was rolling my eyes at you, you jerk.”

  “Hey, Val! How about I order a pizza?”

  Valerie stomped her way to the kitchen. Childish as it was, it felt good. She entered the kitchen and found Cheryl already on the phone, wagging her eyebrows.

  “What do you want?” she mouthed.

  “Bacon—” Val whispered, stopped by Kevin’s response echoing her own from behind her.

  Cheryl grinned. “We’ll have bacon and pineapple.”

  “No.” Again, they spoke together, and Valerie turned to him. “Stop doing that.”

  “What am I doing?”

  “Saying everything I say at the same time I’m saying it.”

  His laugh rang out. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

  “I do not think so.” But she had to bite her lip to keep the corner from twitching into a smile.

  “Well, we’ll see.” He pulled a wallet from the back pocket of his slacks and gave Cheryl a twenty.

  Cheryl snatched it, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

  “I knew you two would get along,” she sang as she shimmied into the living room and curled up in the far corner of the too-large couch.

  Valerie grabbed a can of Coke and one Diet before following her friend. “Well, I can only be thankful Blue—” She coughed, horrified by her slip. “Kevin was there to help me that night.”

  Kevin came through the doorway with a bottle of the good beer she saved for her dad. He sat in the rocking chair next to the sliding door of the balcony. “Good beer,” he announced.

  He made the already small room seem even smaller. He crossed his legs and shifted in the chair, the movements both awkward and amusing.

  Valerie couldn’t help but grin. “That was my grandmother’s chair.”

  “It’s beautiful, Valerie. You’re lucky to have an heirloom like that.” Cheryl sipped her soda, and stretched out her legs in front of her. “We moved around so much, nobody bothered giving us the cool stuff.”

  “Nobody bothered giving you stuff because you would throw it back in their faces.” Kevin teased, surprising Valerie.

  Cheryl laughed, revealing a camaraderie between the two Valerie had never experienced with a guy friend. Determined to relax, she sat cross-legged on the floor opposite the couch and leaned against the wall. “I heard from the police today. Did you have any trouble with your commanding officer over the robbery, Kevin?”

  He rocked, and the chair squeaked beneath him. “Nah. I filed a report, gave a verbal account.”

  “You need a new job,” Cheryl commented to Valerie.

  She shrugged. “One more semester before I start an internship at the Family Center. I’d like to do a year there. Then, see what happens.”

  “You’re going to be a secretary?” The twinkle in his eye brought a blush to her cheeks.

  A secretary, yeah. Ha. That’s why she’d been working her ass off for the last six years. “Yes, well, if I don’t get my thesis finished, those dreams of tall file cabinets and coffee-making will be washed away.”

  “She’s going to be a doctor, you idiot.” Cheryl shoved at his shoulder. “She’s doing a study,” she explained, her bracelets jangling as she took another sip. “A study of the effects of multiple victimization on the minimum-waged laborer.”

  “Ha, ha.” Valerie leaned forward to pick at the shag carpet. “I get to make my own hours there and work through the school year. Besides, it’s honest work.”

  Kevin narrowed his eyes at her.

  “What?”

  “What?” He mimicked, eyes wide.

  She scowled. She didn’t owe him an explanation. If she hadn’t let anyone else sway her, she certainly wasn’t going to let Blue Eyes. “Oh, never mind.”

  The doorbell rang. She got up and grabbed her purse from the end table.

  When Cheryl waved Kevin’s money from the couch, Kevin took it and passed it to her. A jolt ran up her arm when his fingers brushed hers. Her gaze flew to his face.

  He was grinning.

  Valerie blushed, grabbing the cash and hurrying from the room before she made a complete fool of herself.

  ~*~*~

  She was surprised to enjoy the company, as well as the pizza. Yet, even enjoying herself, she couldn’t help but hold on to her reserve. Life as an officer’s daughter had taught her that much, at least. No. Life as the daughter of Priscilla Vanderwal-Standish had taught her that much. People came, people left, and usually they did so with as much fanfare as possible.

  Gathering the few empty bottles and cans, Valerie stopped in the kitchen before walking her visitors to the door. Maybe Cheryl had a subduing effect
on Kevin. That would explain the crazy urge to give in to his even crazier proposition that they enjoy each other for the time being.

  She waved as Cheryl climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. Her friend’s petite stature created the illusion of a vehicle of gargantuan proportions. Valerie chuckled.

  “Thanks for the beer.” Kevin’s voice floated to her from his open window and bounced from the neighbor’s garage wall. When the diesel engine fired up, the vibration rumbled through the ground and shook her to the bones. She hadn’t heard that pull in to the driveway earlier? She should probably get her ears checked.

  The truck slowly rolled back then jerked to a stop. The driver’s side door popped open.

  “What now?” she mumbled, wanting him to return yet knowing she should want him to be gone.

  He exited the truck with a bounce and ran to the porch with a grin on his face.

  Jeez. She stumbled back over the threshold, every instinct screaming at her to run. Not from fear but from the sheer enthusiasm he radiated. He grabbed her shoulders to stop her from falling, apparently the shock plain on her face.

  “You are really beautiful. I didn’t say that on Monday night. I should have.” He ran a finger across her cheek and down the side of her neck. “We’ll make a great pair.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  As he ran back to his truck, she couldn’t help but laugh because it occurred to her…

  He was being intentionally outrageous.

  Chapter Five

  Kevin donned his Class As, strapped his watch onto his wrist and stepped into his shiny dress shoes before standing in front of the full-length mirror.

  He looked good. It wasn’t often he was honored with an invitation to such a big event and was able to attend. Preferably, he’d turn on the grill out back and cook a steak while enjoying a beer or two. Alone or with friends, didn’t really matter.

  But the winter gala was nothing to sneeze about. People still talked about how the President showed up several years ago. Last-minute because the first lady had gotten wind of the affair and thought it would be a great way to open the spring season.

  This year, finally not deployed and equally as lucky not to be tied up in some strung-out relationship, he would go and take advantage of any opportunity to brush elbows with his superiors and higher-ranking officers. In particular, General Standish.

  Time to move his career in the direction he wanted to go, on track for Major before the end of the year. Though his performance ratings were key, hob-knobbing and a little politics didn’t hurt, either.

  He bought a chocolate shake through the drive-thru on his way to base. A weakness that would curb the hunger pains while he rubbed elbows for the first hour. He pushed the cringe working its way into his good mood from his mind. He’d used a buffer on previous occasions to ease the torture of such a formal setting.

  Namely, women. Sometimes Cheryl, because she was familiar with military expectations. But with the exception of Cheryl, he’d grown tired of keeping up with the women’s hopes that…

  Actually, he didn’t even know what they were thinking half the time, but when he didn’t act like Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor and take them to some old airplane cemetery to look at the stars, they were sorely disappointed. They wanted something that didn’t exist for him—romance and love.

  Tonight would be different. He was sick of the indecisive grouch who’d taken over his life. If he was discontent, he could fix it.

  Joining the Army had been his first fix all those years ago. Confidence was not a problem, and he used it to get what he wanted.

  The line of vehicles at the front of the old historic library slowly diminished in front of him. When it was his turn, he handed his keys to the valet and took a ticket. “Thanks.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shaking his uniform out with a roll of his shoulders, he climbed the stone steps to the sweeping porch. Big stone pots held the first signs of spring, with recently planted ferns and colorful tulips. The air was cool still, and most of the people in line were dressed for it with wraps and furs, scarves and gloves.

  Another few weeks, and the heat would be on them. Southern humidity he could take or leave, but he did love the luscious greens that would cover the entire state and the hills that reminded him of his Kentucky home.

  “Hello, Captain Morgan,” Ryan Davis called out from behind him. The young 2nd Lieutenant took the stairs two at a time to catch up with him. His eagerness made him all the more likeable.

  “Ryan. No wife tonight?”

  The young man grinned, a blush rising on his face. “She’s a little under the weather.”

  “And you’re happy about this?”

  “We found out today—” Ryan leaned in— “She’s pregnant.”

  Why the announcement stopped him, he couldn’t figure, but it did. Kevin could see this man, his pretty wife and a baby, one this year and maybe another one in a couple more years. “Congratulations. She’s really okay?”

  Ryan shrugged, that happy glow still beaming. “Yeah, the doctor said it was only morning sickness.”

  The man paused, thank God. Even the idea of hearing the details of what the young man’s wife could eat, couldn’t eat, and whether it would stay down or not made Kevin a little queasy.

  “She’s fine.”

  Kevin gave him a pat on the back as they reached the lobby and the reception line. Introductions were short and sweet, but he looked everyone in the eye, greeting them by name and smiling at the wives.

  He was guided into the ballroom of the east wing, where gilt framed mirrors covered the walls from floor to ceiling and elegant chandeliers hung from ornate plaster medallions. It was like walking into another time.

  If he listened long enough, he’d hear the voices of Generals and Colonels from years gone by as they discussed Army movements along the Potomac. Then there’d be the twitter of women, comparing gowns and pie recipes.

  He’d keep that thought to himself, though.

  “That’s quite a mischievous grin on your face, Captain Morgan.”

  He cleared his throat and bowed to the elegantly dressed woman in front of him, then wondered if he’d gone a bit mad. Though his mother had taught him how to be a southern gentleman, bowing was definitely an oddity.

  “Would you like to dance, Mrs. Henry?” he asked the kind woman, wife of the Lieutenant General of Fort Bragg. They’d met on a few occasions in the past but could hardly be called friends, or even acquaintances. The fact that she knew his name was his first surprise.

  The orchestra played a waltz first and he thanked his mother silently for all those seemingly useless, torturous lessons as a boy.

  “Are you here by yourself this evening?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” But by God, he knew having a smart, beautiful woman on his arm would be smiled upon. He should have made an effort to at least pretend…what? Maturity? Isn’t that what this woman would go back to her husband and relate to him? How that not-so-young Captain had yet to find a wife. Then they’d speculate that he’d rather make a jump from one woman to the next than make a commitment. Damn it. It wasn’t about the commitment. “Loose ends this evening and a trip out of town for training. There’s always next time, right?”

  She patted his shoulder with a little hum, and the music ended. “I’ve heard you were a good dancer. Now I’ve experienced it, too. Thank you.”

  Her smile brightened when her gaze locked on a target over his shoulder.

  “My husband,” she confirmed and reached a hand for the man who approached. “Frank, have you met Captain Morgan?”

  “It’s good to see you, Captain.”

  Kevin shook his hand. “Sir.”

  With an understanding nod, the man studied him. “You’ve had a busy year.”

  “No—” A vision in midnight blue waltzed past the corner of his eye. He forced his attention back, clearing his throat as a cover. “No more or less busy than the next soldier.”

  Mrs. Henry’s ha
nd came to rest on her husband’s arm. They shared a look before the general gave him a nod. “I’ve heard good things, young man. Keep it up. And enjoy yourself this evening.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  They returned to the dance floor, moving in sync, effortless and practiced. They’d been together a long time.

  Kevin scanned the growing crowd for another glance of that midnight blue. His obstructed and unfocused previous glimpse had been unreliable, at best. But instincts were instincts, and he did tend to have good ones. They’d steered him in the right direction more than once before.

  The vision in silk had disappeared, though. The tall woman with blond hair falling down her back. Had Valerie’s hair been that long and thick? And shiny. Jeez, it had been like seeing a haloed angel.

  With the refreshment table lining the north wall to his left, he took a southern route past the tall lead glass windows and around to the tables filled with pastries and punch. Nothing. Frustrated by his own disappointment, he mingled for the next thirty minutes. He knew he needed to stay for a good hour or two, but boredom was getting the better of him. When one of his buddies suggested an early getaway and a trip to Pierro’s for a nice hot pizza and a beer, he was sorely tempted.

  He had one more contact to make, though.

  General Standish. It would be remiss of him to hightail it out of there without a how-do-you-do. He respected the man and admired the way he understood what his soldiers needed.

  That’s when he saw her, floating on the dance floor in the arms of an older man. Valerie. She was here. Only God knew how she’d gotten an invitation, but he wasn’t going to complain.

  Anticipation flooded through him. Fate dealt him another good hand and he didn’t even care who she’d come with, or why. Tonight he wanted her, wanted to talk to her, and wanted to dance with her like they had at Joe’s.

  The need to know her pressed on him. Everything, her likes and dislikes, her needs and fears. What made her happy. She’d gotten under his skin.

  He maneuvered his way over the dance floor, the music ending as he reached her.

  She turned in her partner’s arms. General Standish? Something twisted inside him. The older man leaned in to place a kiss on Valerie’s lips then whispered into her ear.