by April Hunt
This man had neither a fancy camera nor tripod. No art supplies either. He was dressed like a tourist but wasn’t. Fit beneath the t-shirt and jeans; wearing work boots, not sneakers or loafers. Plus, the way the man stood kept the wall at his back and all approaches in easy view.
Definitely not the usual person out to enjoy the sights and shopping.
“David!” Sophie’s voice erupted about a block down the street as she and Lyn emerged from a restaurant.
His person of interest didn’t flinch. Despite remaining in his relaxed position leaning against the wall, the man’s balance shifted easily to a more ready-for-action position. Interesting.
“Didn’t you hear us?” Sophie arrived at his side and gave him a friendly punch in the arm.
“I heard you. Entire street did, too.” Cruz tore his gaze from the other man to focus on Sophie and Lyn before Sophie made a bigger scene. “It’s never good to reinforce bad behavior.”
Sophie gasped in mock outrage and Lyn choked on a laugh.
“You two just finished lunch?” He’d might as well chat with them and make sure all was well.
“Oh, actually, I think I forgot something at the shop down the street.” Sophie made a big show of fishing through her shopping bags. “I better go try to find it.”
Obvious. So incredibly, painfully obvious.
Lyn leaned over to look in the bags, too. “I’ll…”
“No, no.” Sophie waved a hand. “Stay here and chat with David. I’ll only be a minute.”
Before Lyn could say anything else, Sophie was walking at a fast clip down the street expertly dodging other shoppers on the sidewalk.
Damn. He was pretty sure a grenade had just fallen into his foxhole. If he stayed, it was likely to be a mess. If he made a run for it, Sophie would shoot him down in his tracks.
Lyn cursed under her breath.
He studied her. “You don’t have to wait with me if you don’t want to.”
What? He didn’t see any reason to pretend politeness if either of them was uncomfortable.
She looked up at him with wide eyes, her lips parted in surprise. Her very kissable…Shit. He should go.
“I don’t mind waiting with you.” The words came out quick, with a weird note of panic.
Oh, even better. Creepy might not be a strong enough word for the reaction he was inciting in her.
He did not want to be the cause of it. “It really is okay. It’s your day off. You should get to relax.”
He took a step away, then suddenly stopped. Because her hand had shot out to snag his wrist.
“I really don’t mind.” Her grip on his wrist was firm, not hesitant.
Interesting. He turned his wrist in her hold until she released him and he caught her hand in his instead. “No?”
Her fair skin turned a pale pink over her cheeks. He wondered if other parts of her flushed when she was embarrassed.
She left her hand in his, relaxed and warm. “Feels weird being out and about instead of working with you and Atlas.”
“It’s been an intense week.” So was this…moment. Or whatever it was. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, enjoying the softness of her skin. Hanging around was becoming a better and better idea.
She nodded. “He’s coming along very well. And I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn from you.”
Very well was an understatement. Atlas’s transformation over the last several days was continuing. His responses to commands had become quicker, more enthusiastic. The dog was starting to actually pay attention to his surroundings and listen for commands. His desire to work was coming back. And that drive was key in a military working dog.
“There’s a lot more to this concept of balance you’ve been talking about than I’d initially given credit to.” Cruz had been skeptical at first. The whole dog-whisperer technique of head shrinking a dog had been tough to keep an open mind to at the beginning. Most of his training had to do with understanding the natural drivers of a dog and making sure training coincided with those instinctive impulses. “It’s good to see him engaged.”
Of course, Cruz had some reservations. The rehabilitation they were doing with Atlas was good now. But in the future, the question would be whether Atlas had become too attached to a single handler again. They’d have to cross that bridge when they came to it.
Lyn, though, had lit up thinking about Atlas. “Seeing him in action is exhilarating. I knew the military service dogs could do amazing things, but seeing it in person is a whole new level of wow.”
She’d said “wow” several times through the week. And every time, Cruz had pondered how he could make her say it in bed. Completely inappropriate, but hell, as long as the thoughts stayed locked inside his brain they couldn’t hurt. And they were definitely entertaining.
Cruz grinned. “Atlas is capable of more. Maybe we should take you out and rig you up for some of the more adventurous training exercises. A little rappelling, maybe even take you to one of the bases and arrange for a jump out of a helicopter.”
Could be a lot of fun. Though it’d depend on how she faced the challenge. Atlas had done it plenty of times, but back then his handler had been practiced in the action first. If Lyn was nervous or afraid when she tried, Atlas would react to her anxiety.
“Really?” Lyn’s eager expression and her genuine smile made Cruz rethink. She’d come through some crazy shit already. A little hop out of a helicopter wasn’t likely to daunt her.
“We’d need to get you trained first.” He wanted to take her out on those new experiences himself. Savored the idea. And if he imagined a few other naughty experiences, too, who could blame him? Adrenaline was a great aphrodisiac.
She probably looked fantastic in rappelling gear. All those nifty straps.
Probably unaware of his line of thought, Lyn shrugged. “Training is usually for the human half of the pair anyway. The canine just needs clear leadership.”
He snorted. Once in a while—okay, more than sometimes—she sounded like a textbook waiting to be written. If it’d been anyone else, Cruz would’ve probably rolled his eyes. But from her, he’d kind of gotten to enjoy listening. It wasn’t as if she was wrong.
Occasionally. But not always.
A movement at the edge of his peripheral vision drew his attention. “Why don’t we talk about it more after you get back to the kennels? You and Sophie must have more shopping planned.”
As much as he hated to cut this conversation short, there was something not right out here.
Lyn’s smile faded a fraction. “Oh. Yeah.”
On one hand, he hated to dim her happiness even a little bit. On the other, if she was somewhat disappointed to have him suggest she go do other things—especially after a week of working side by side with him from dawn to dusk—maybe she’d reconsider her decision to keep things just professional between them.
Something to file away for later. For now, he wanted to send her and Sophie safely on their way so he could satisfy curiosity.
“I’m glad I ran into you today, though.” He made sure to catch her gaze and hold it until the blush came back into her cheeks. He might be pushing his luck but hopefully it didn’t harm his chances to let her know he was still interested.
“I am too.” She ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip.
Instant hard-on. Even more because it’d been a self-conscious reaction on her part and not a purposeful invitation. Lyn didn’t do coy as far as he could tell.
He watched her head on down the street and disappear into the same store Sophie had gone back into. He’d bet money Sophie had been in there watching them the whole time. Childhood friend of Forte’s or not, she’d become a little sister to all of them. Complete with the nosy tendencies.
With both of them occupied, he started his own easy walk down the street toward his car.
His friend, the tourist who was not a tourist, finally left his perch by the wall and meandered off on his own. Only the man’s path took him towa
rd the stores.
Cruz let a group of passing tourists obscure his line of sight for a minute and cut down one of the small alleys. Two minutes later he was back on the main street a couple of blocks up from where he’d been with a clear view of the stores where Sophie and Lyn were shopping.
The other man’s target might not be anyone Cruz knew. But he was too close to the ladies.
A minute later, Cruz was on another one of those little side streets coming up behind his not-a-tourist leaning against the wall pretending to wait for someone inside a store.
Cruz advanced at a leisurely pace so his footsteps wouldn’t cue his target in and deliberately shoulder-bumped the guy as he passed.
“Oh, sorry.” He turned to face the guy, looking him straight in the eye.
The man stood straight, balanced forward over his toes, definitely ready for action. “No worries, man.”
Cruz studied him. “You sure about that?”
A pause. The man’s eyes narrowed. “Just out for a little sightseeing.”
“This small town is good for that.” Cruz was absolutely sure the guy couldn’t care less about small-town atmosphere and historic points of interest.
The man smiled, the kind that left a greasy sort of residue impressed in the mind. “Ex-military, right? You’ve got the look. What service?”
Yeah, the other man had the look, too, despite the unkempt facial hair and generally sloppy way he dressed. Far away, he’d appeared fine, but up close his t-shirt was stained and left partially untucked. His jeans were torn in places no fashion designer would’ve planned.
“Air Force.” Cruz left it at that.
“Navy SEAL.” The other man jabbed his own chest with a thumb.
Well, said a lot about a man when he felt the need to specify Special Forces. Cruz was willing to bet the other man wasn’t active duty anymore. Wouldn’t be hard to find out.
Either way, even a man who could reach the level of skill to be Special Forces could decline, lose his edge. Combat shaped soldiers in a variety of ways and as much as people wanted to think it was for the good, sometimes men got twisted. Or they already were and service had brought out the jagged edges in them. This man was not a shining example of a military hero by anyone’s definition.
“What brings you to New Hope?” Cruz genuinely wondered.
“Ah, let’s be real. I’m following your girl.” The other man shrugged. “You’d already figured it out or you wouldn’t have dropped by for this…discussion.”
He’d guessed. Had been hoping not. Cruz was glad they weren’t going to pretend coincidence. But then again, the guy being forthright was its own kind of message.
“Why?” Cruz was getting tired of the chitchat.
“She’s working with a dog and that dog is carrying a whole lot of trouble along with it.” The man spat on the sidewalk without ever taking his gaze off Cruz. “Anyone with a brain should stay far away from that shit.”
Charming. Message received.
“What’s it got to do with you?”
The man tilted his head. “Look, I’m just keeping an eye on things here, making sure no one gets too nosey. It’s what guys like us do, right? Guys like you and me, we keep an eye out for trouble to ourselves and our own. Nothing wrong with that.”
He paused.
“You understand, don’t you? You’d have a brother’s back, wouldn’t you?”
Cruz considered. There was a whole lot of meaning in those questions. Overseas, deployed out in the middle of nowhere, a serviceman had to rely on his fellows to keep him safe. No man could survive in the middle of that chaos alone for an extended period of time without someone to watch his back.
Normally, it went unspoken. If someone had to ask the question, it was a threat.
From then on, the soldier had to wonder if the people around him really had his back. Or if they’d let him take a bullet and become just another casualty of war.
“Look, I’m just watching.” The other man held up his hands. “I won’t bother you, you don’t get in my way. Agreed?”
“Look but don’t touch.” Cruz kept his tone pleasant. “Always happy to meet another serviceman.”
The guy smiled again. “I owe you a drink sometime. You have a nice day.”
Cruz turned on his heel and walked away.
Pulling out his phone, he texted Sophie.
Shopping trip is over. Need you two to head back to the kennels. STAT.
In less than a minute, Sophie responded.
???
Irritated, he typed faster.
There’s something wrong here. I need you to go home now. I need to know you are both safe.
Sophie was strong-willed but she also knew when to listen.
Headed to the car.
That taken care of, Cruz circled around yet again. He wanted to know if his newfound friend had a partner in town. It shouldn’t have been as easy as it was to sneak up on this guy. If he was a Navy SEAL, he wasn’t the best of the best. Cruz had worked with a few teams in his time deployed and guys like this one made it into the Special Forces teams but they didn’t last. If Cruz could figure out who this guy was—and he intended to—he was willing to bet the man had a dishonorable discharge. There were bad apples even in the most elite parts of the service. Sad reality. And obviously, the man had either thought Cruz wasn’t worth the effort of even trying to mislead or he’d been sent to give Cruz the threat in addition to keeping an eye on Lyn.
Finding a good vantage point, Cruz pulled out his phone.
“Yeah.”
“Beckhorn, you know if there are any parties particularly interested in Atlas’s case?” Cruz asked the question quietly. The line could be tapped but he doubted it. At least not yet. This would let Beckhorn know that there were indeed interested parties.
“Can’t imagine why,” Beckhorn responded in an uninterested drawl.
“He’s been in the papers and all.” Cruz watched Sophie and Lyn emerge from another store, chattering as normal as you please. They headed straight for the parking lot and got in Sophie’s car.
A small amount of tension unwound as they headed home toward safety.
“I get the occasional inquiry about him. Nothing outside the standard check-in.” Beckhorn snorted. “Come to think of it, you owe me a progress report.”
Perfect opening.
“I’ll get it to you this afternoon.” And Cruz would send along a couple of encrypted pictures of his new friend, too.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Yup.” Cruz ended the call.
Now all he had to do was be prepared for Sophie and Lyn when they caught up with him later. They’d be expecting answers once he got back.
Chapter Eight
I’m glad I ran into you today.
Every time she remembered those words—and the look in David’s steel blue eyes when he’d uttered them—Lyn’s cheeks burned and other parts of her did things she didn’t ever talk about to anyone.
Maybe she should feel uncomfortable. Or intimidated.
Nope. What she wanted to do was rewind back to the day she’d asked him for professional space and take back what she’d said. Or better yet, go back to the moment he’d almost kissed her and take things into her own hands.
Because every day she got to know David Cruz, she wanted him more.
If he’d been the least bit bitter or defensive or even indignant about her turning him down, she could dismiss her attraction to him and convince herself he was just another guy. Instead, he’d not only honored her request for professionalism but he’d gone on without any of the distance any normal person would create after the rejection. He’d made it easy for her to continue working with him. And she’d learned so much about him because of it.
And now she was pacing in the cabin again—his cabin—because he’d been concerned for her safety. For Sophie, too.
Sophie hadn’t argued, only driven straight back to the kennels. When they’d returned and Sophie had expla
ined to the guys, Brandon had insisted on seeing Sophie home—in a different car. All Sophie had told Lyn was that the men of Hope’s Crossing Kennels didn’t make requests like that unless there was a real issue.
Great. So now what? She’d have to wait until David returned to find out.
’Course, considering his military background and habits and…everything, he’d probably only tell her what he thought she needed to know. Which was next to nothing. As generous as her thoughts had been toward him a second ago, now she was thinking about him from this perspective and everything about David Cruz shouted military for all that he was honorably discharged.
Military equaled distance. Military meant you were never equals. Military meant you were forever shut out of a part of his life.
She’d spent her childhood watching her mom wait for her stepfather to come home. And when he was home, he wasn’t. Not really.
Gah. Frustrating. So much of what she respected about David had roots in the deeply ingrained military honor he embodied. He wasn’t just a man who used to wear a uniform. He was a man who made a uniform what it was. She couldn’t help admiring the qualities. And she couldn’t help being wary of what it’d mean to get involved with a man like that.
She’d hated it in a stepfather and sure as hell wasn’t looking for it in a relationship of her own.
Her phone rang and she rushed to answer it without even checking the caller ID, hoping it was David. Impulse now. Logic later. “Hello?”
“Miss Evelyn Jones?” An unfamiliar voice was on the other end of the line.
Her heart dropped into the bottom of her belly. Why was she so disappointed? “Yes?”
“I’m Officer Hanley.” The man cleared his voice. “I was responsible for taking your report from the night of the attack.”
“Ah.” She vaguely remembered the man. Sandy blue hair. Light-colored eyes. It’d been a difficult night, one she’d been actively trying not to dwell on. “Hello, Officer.”
It wasn’t her intention to sound flat. All the warmth got sucked out of her voice. Her mouth had gone dry. Maybe he needed to ask her a few more questions about the night at the hotel.