The Captain's Baby Bargain

by Merline Lovelace

  That presented Suze with another dilemma. She hadn’t packed anything suitable for a re-wedding, and she didn’t think her folks would appreciate the irony of her sparkly, one-of-a-kind Warrior Mom T-shirt. So, after she and Gabe got back to the house, she jumped in her T-bird and made a quick excursion to Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City.

  The mall catered to the wealthy, oil-money suburbs that surrounded it and included plenty of high-end stores. With time so short, however, Suze zipped into Dillards and took the escalator to the second floor. Luckily, she spotted the perfect dress on an end cap right as she got off the escalator. A soft, summery chiffon in misty blue, it featured a wide belt in supple, cream-colored leather. The matching floppy-brimmed hat trimmed with white roses was an added bonus. She grabbed the hat, found the dress in her size and darted into a dressing room. Her purchases in hand, she hit the shoe department and scored a pair of Donald Pilner sling-backs in the same creamy leather as the belt.

  She kept to the speed limit on the way back to Cedar Creek and got home with just enough time to shower, blow-dry her hair and slap on some lip gloss. Wearing her wedding finery, she went downstairs to find Gabe waiting for her. He’d gone with a dark suit, a gray shirt with a satiny sheen and an amber tie that made his hazel eyes look more gold than green.

  As they drove to the church, Suze couldn’t help thinking that the contrast between this occasion and their first wedding. She and her mom and her best friend had spent months planning and organizing that one.

  It took place the day after she and Gabe graduated from OU and been commissioned as second lieutenants in the Air Force. So, so proud of their bright, shiny lieutenant’s bars, Suze had chosen to wear her formal mess dress uniform instead of a wedding gown. The starched, pleated white blouse. The midnight-blue jacket with its silver officer’s braid banding the cuff. The matching long skirt slit up to her knee. Gabe had worn his uniform, too. And their friends from OU’s Reserve Officer Commissioning Program had raised their sabers to form an arch when the bride and groom exited the church.

  No uniforms this time around. No arch. But the church was the same. Still small, still painted a blistering white, its steeple standing proud against a bright, searing sky. The congregation was minuscule compared to that of Oklahoma’s huge cathedrals, Suze knew. Only about two hundred worshipers, most of whom knew or were related to each other. And the pastor’s sermons often took a tilt to the left...surprising considering how deep they were in the Bible Belt.

  Roses had filled every niche and cranny of the sanctuary for their first wedding. Friends and family had crammed the pews. Her bridesmaids wore shimmering lilac silk, and Gabe’s groomsmen had formed solid phalanx. Their flower girl had tripped, Suze recalled with a smile, and spilled her basket of rose petals. The four-year-old’s heartbroken wails had brought Gabe from his post at the altar, and his teary-eyed niece was still clinging to his hand when Suze floated down the aisle.

  She didn’t float this time. Her footsteps dragging, she approached the church door with a touch of dread. The thought of standing at the same altar, repeating the vows they’d already broken once, suddenly struck her as tempting fate just a little too much.

  “Why did I let my mom talk us into this?” she muttered.

  “Because you love her, and she loves you.”

  She pulled him to a stop. “There’s still time, Gabe. We could delay this. Head for Vegas.”

  “We could. Or we could share this moment with our families, like we’ve shared every other significant event in our lives.”

  She made a face. “Have I ever told you that you really piss me off sometimes?”

  “Yeah, babe,” he answered, laughing. “You have. So are we going to do this or not?”

  “I guess so.”

  Still grinning, he opened the door. Suze took one step inside and stopped cold.

  The small sanctuary wasn’t crammed. Flowers didn’t burst from dozens of vases. No lilac-robed maids of honor or uniformed groomsmen waited for them at the altar. But family and their closest friends filled at least half the pews. Gabe’s sister Penny waited at the door to hand her a small bouquet of white roses. And little Tildy gave a delighted yelp.

  “Uncle Gabe!”

  The girl wiggled off her mom’s lap, snatched up a wicker basket and promptly spilled its contents. When she scooped up a handful of petals and threw them at the new arrivals with the force of a future left fielder, Kathy sent her once and future sister-in-law a droll glance. “Déjà vu all over again.”

  The perfect theme for the occasion, Suze thought with a wry grin.

  She and Gabe. Second time around. Firmly suppressing her last flickers of guilt and doubt, she re-joined her life to his.

  It all seemed so surreal until she slid his ring on his finger—again. He’d taken it off after the divorce but kept it. She’d kept hers, too. The wide band of etched white gold was in her safety deposit box back in Phoenix. To her surprise, Gabe had somehow found the time to purchase a circlet of channel-cut diamonds set in the same white gold.

  “You can wear it above your original ring,” he said as he slipped the circlet over her knuckle. “Seems pretty appropriate for a twice-married bride.”

  A moment later it was done. They were husband and wife.

  Again.

  Suze should’ve been lost in the sweeping joy of the moment. Instead, she found herself folding her left hand into a fist and making a fierce, silent vow. Despite the uncertainties and challenges ahead, this ring wasn’t going into any safety deposit box.

  Chapter Eight

  Their first honeymoon had been a week at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, a gift from their collective family members. Their second consisted of a celebratory supper at Ruby’s with family and friends, followed by a quick trip to move Suze’s things from her parents’ house to Gabe’s.

  Their second wedding night, however, more than matched that of the first. They were older, wiser and much more appreciative of what they’d let slip through their fingers. The loving was slow, sweet, each kiss a reminder, each touch a promise.

  Stars winked above the skylights when they were done, but it was still early enough for Gabe to take Doofus for the run he so desperately wanted and Suze to indulge in an extended soak in the modern version of a claw-foot tub that dominated the master bath. With its slightly inclined back and extra-long length, it fit her perfectly.

  After her soak, she pulled on a pair of shorts and her Warrior Mom T-shirt, then stretched out on one of the patio loungers while she waited for Gabe to return. Bullfrogs bellowed their love songs from the creek, and the distant boom and pop of firecrackers signaled that folks were getting a head start on the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

  Gabe and Doofus joined her on the patio, both sweaty from their run. He was chugging from a bottle of water and took time to splash water into the hound’s outdoor bowl before plopping down in the lounger next to Suze’s.

  “Damned idiots,” he muttered as a starburst of red, white and blue exploded above the tree line. “We’ve banned firecrackers inside town limits. Outside, though, there’s plenty of open space to shoot off Roman candles and spinners. And plenty of idiots who’ll end up at the ER when the things explode in their faces.”

  “C’mon,” Suze teased. “How many bottle rockets did you and your pals shoot off when you were kids?”

  “Too many. It was pure dumb luck that none of us lost fingers or an eye. But they were legal back then.”

  He frowned as another boom carried through the trees. Seconds later a rocket trailing green stars arced across the night sky.

  “The problem is, it’s been so dry lately. We were close to record low precipitation for the month of June. Half the county is a tinderbox just waiting for a spark. The chief’s got all of his full-time and most of us volunteer firefighters on standby.”

  “You’re one of the volunteers?”

  “I signed on when I moved back home. The training was brutal,” he admitted. “Proba
bly not as bad as what you combat engineers go through, but I must have sweated off a good ten pounds in that turnout gear.”

  Firefighters in Air Force units were integral members of the Civil Engineering Squadron. Suze had participated in enough training exercises and emergency responses with them to appreciate the grit and determination it took to qualify, even as a volunteer.

  When another starburst lit the sky, Gabe swore again. “I wish our state legislators had the balls to outlaw sale of fireworks to individuals. God knows I’ve harangued enough of them about it.”

  “Maybe you should’ve run for state senator instead of mayor,” she joked.

  “I thought about it. Might still do it someday.”

  The answer didn’t surprise her. She knew Gabe was passionate about politics on the national level. They both were. But their military duties precluded any kind of active participation in political campaigns or issues.

  So when her mom relayed the news that he’d been elected mayor, Suze had realized she should’ve expected Gabe to get involved. He was too smart, too active, to channel all his energy into teaching and coaching. Especially, she thought on an inner grimace, with no wife or kids to otherwise distract him.

  He made a good mayor. Everyone said so. He’d make a good state senator. And maybe, in time, lieutenant governor or governor. The thought that he was shelving the idea took some of the sparkle from their starlit wedding night.

  He put it back in after he abandoned the evening to the bullfrogs, adjourned to the shower and joined her in bed. Suze would never again take for granted the simple joy of having her husband lean over her, his shoulders blocking the moon’s glow and his eyes dark pools as he stroked her tummy.

  “Guess we need to start thinking about names,” he murmured between strokes.

  “Mmm. Better leave it to me. You’re not exactly a wizard in the name department.”

  “Hey. Jill liked Matilda when I suggested it.”

  “Right. Jilly and Tildy. Obviously, Jill didn’t think that one all the way through. And Doofus?”

  The dog’s ears shot up at the sound of his name. Once again, he’d been banished from the bed but was only waiting for anything that sounded even remotely like an invitation to reclaim his half of the mattress.

  He remained banished, however, and no grass or roof fires erupted during the night to launch Cedar Creek’s volunteer fire department into action.

  * * *

  Suze and Gabe used the next couple of days to inventory the house and sort out what would stay, what would go into storage and what would go with them. They were ready to start packing the boxes stacked in various rooms but had decided to hold off until after the Fourth of July celebrations. Gabe had too much to do to get ready for the parade, their family picnic afterward and the fireworks display that night to focus on packing.

  The call came just as he and Suze were finishing breakfast. She was still in the oversize T-shirt she used as a sleepshirt. Gabe was in sweats and getting ready to take Doofus for his morning run. He answered, listened for a moment, then told the caller he’d be right there.

  “What’s happening?” she asked when he disconnected with a smothered oath.

  “The crew setting up the reviewing stand for the parade somehow managed to puncture the K-6.”

  It had been a while since she’d submitted a study of central Oklahoma’s water treatment and distribution systems as part of her hydraulics engineering course. She remembered enough, however, to know Cedar Creek’s K-6 was one of two major arteries leading from the primary pumping station to a network of secondary mains. With the K-6 shut down, half the town wouldn’t be able to wash their breakfast dishes or water their lawns. Or, she thought grimly, raise enough water pressure to respond to fires at the far ends of the branch.

  “I did that hydraulics study in college,” she reminded Gabe. “It’s probably way out of date now, but...do you want me to come check out the break with you?”

  “Yes! No,” he amended in the next breath. “My guys alerted the county water management board. Their emergency response crew is on the way. Much as I could use your expertise, one of us needs to be here for the walk-through with Alicia.”

  “Riiight.”

  Gabe had already grabbed his keys and green ballcap with Mayor embroidered across the crown.

  “She’s the best Realtor in the area, Suze, and she’s heading out of town this afternoon to spend the rest of the weekend at some posh resort with Dave Forrester. If we’re going to get the house listed for rent before we head to Arizona, we need to get the walk-through done this morning.”

  Like Little Miss Priss needed a walk-through, Suze thought snidely. She probably already knew everything from the alarm system code to which side of the bed the owner slept on. Smothering the nasty thought, she flapped a hand.

  “No problem. I’ve got it covered. Go!”

  Still, it left a funny taste in her mouth when Gabe rushed off to handle an emergency that fell smack into her area of expertise. She hadn’t just studied water distribution systems in college. Air Force Prime BEEF teams dug wells, repaired pipes and, in their humanitarian response role, had to handle all kinds of disasters. Suze remembered all too clearly jumping into a sewage-filled trench in earthquake-ravaged Ecuador to help her grunting, straining troops wrestle a new section of pipe into place. It had taken them days to scrub the stink from their boots and uniforms.

  No stink for her today, she decided. No baggy uniform, either. By the time Alicia rang the bell an hour later and catapulted Doofus into a frenzy, Suze had washed and dried her hair, liberally applied the few cosmetics she’d brought with her and wiggled into jeans that clung to a butt that was still pretty damned trim, if she did say so herself. Her yellow 56th Fighter Wing T-shirt was a little faded from wear but, she thought smugly, sent an unmistakable signal.

  Alicia had pulled out all the stops, too. How someone so diminutive could manage to look so damned sophisticated escaped Suze. It might’ve been the three-inch wedge sandals that tied around her ankles. Or the linen sundress that swirled flame red at the hem, transitioned to flamingo pink at the waist, and ended in black and white polka dots at the bodice. The oversize white Jackie O sunglasses added another, undeniably chic touch.

  Fending off the ecstatic Doofus with one hand, Alicia slid the sunglasses down her nose with the other. Since her eyes were pretty much level with Suze’s boobs, they couldn’t miss the red unit patch.

  “Is that your unit?”

  “The 56th Fighter Wing,” Suze confirmed.

  With some effort, she managed to refrain from shooting the traitor now slavishly twining himself around the other woman’s legs an evil glance.

  “It dates back to 1947, when it was part of SAC and provided defense of our northern tier. Now we’re part of Air Education and Training Command and are the initial training base for F-35 aircrews.”

  “I have no clue what any of that means,” Alicia admitted with one of her tinkling laughs, “but it sounds pretty impressive to a small-town Oklahoma girl. Oh, I meant to this small-town Oklahoma girl.”

  Your choice, Suze wanted to say. Nobly, she refrained. “Would you like something to drink? I can make a fresh pot of coffee. Or there’s water and iced tea in the fridge.”

  “Iced tea would be good.”

  Once in the kitchen, the Realtor plopped her Kate Spade bag and leather briefcase on the counter. She accepted the tea and helped herself to a packet of sweetener before trying to bridge the gap between personal and professional.

  “Look, I know this is as awkward for you as it is for me...”

  “Not quite,” Suze drawled.

  She was tempted, really tempted, to flash her new diamond band but surprised both herself and her guest with an apology.

  “Sorry, Alicia. I didn’t mean to sound so catty.”

  “Well...”

  “And while we’re at it, I guess I should say I’m sorry we never clicked in school.”

  Alicia’s delic
ately feathered brows soared. After a startled moment, she acknowledged their long-standing rift with a rueful smile.

  “Me, too, although we both know the reason why. I fell for Gabe, like, two days after my family moved to Cedar Creek. He was such a hottie and so sweet to the new girl in school. I guess I wasn’t exactly subtle about it.”

  “Subtle, no. Persistent, yes.”

  “Lot of good it did me.” She folded her elbows on the briefcase and propped her chin in her hands. “I won’t lie to you, Suzanne. When you and Gabe divorced, I went after him with every weapon in my arsenal. Almost succeeded in nailing him, too.”

  “I know. He told me.”

  “He should’ve been such easy pickings. He was so lonely when you two separated.”

  He wasn’t the only one. Suze cringed inside, wondering if Gabe had told Alicia that his wife had turned to another man for comfort.

  No. He wouldn’t do that. The hurt would’ve been too deep, too personal. Still, she had to take a quick swallow as Alicia surveyed the kitchen with a proprietary eye.

  “Did he tell you I started my campaign by helping him with the renovations?”

  “He seems to have neglected to mention that.”

  “You may be the construction engineer, but my degree’s in interior design. I suggested these smooth-planed planks for the floor and the river stone for the fireplace. Gabe liked the idea of incorporating the key elements of Cedar Creek’s environment.”

  Since Suze was once again wearing his ring, she could afford to be generous. “I like it, too, Alicia. I especially love all the windows and skylights. They bring the outside in. You did an amazing job.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Looking smug, the Realtor unclipped her briefcase. “You’ll have to tell Dave Forrester next time you see him. I’ve been pestering him to turn me loose in that mausoleum he built out in Stony Brook Estates.”

  “I didn’t know he’d built out there.”

  “Six-thousand square feet’s worth. I’m going to meet him there at noon, so we’d better get to work.”