Flexing his shoulders to alleviate a sudden tightness, he told himself he had no reason to be jealous of the dark-haired, green-eyed guy who had an arm slung around her waist. But, dammit, he was.
“Yeah, that’s Ben. You remember, Top. He’s the supply guy who performed miracles and saved our asses several times when he helped fill our shortages,” the lieutenant informed.
And his fuzzy brain got a clue. He nodded. “Right, Sergeant Wyne.”
Wait…Wyne? Was Ben one of her four National Guard brothers? It occurred to him he didn’t really know much about the designer’s family, and what little he did know, he’d learned from Mrs. Masters.
She never mentioned anything about her brother coming down.
Did you give her a chance to?
No. He’d pretty much avoided the woman all week. The way they seemed to fall into bed lately, he figured it was better for them both if he kept some distance. Last thing either of them needed was to become dependent on each other. That was a fast track to a relationship…which they didn’t want. Or need.
“Hey, Ben, over here,” the lieutenant called out.
The guy smiled and headed over, Brandi in tow. She nodded at the others, smile sweet and unsure, until her gaze fell on him, and her warm brown eyes widened. Yeah, imagine seeing him at a Guard function. Did she think he wouldn’t find out? And what did it matter, anyway? It really was no big deal, his brain reminded.
“Hello, Brandi,” he said, rather enjoying the pink tint creeping into her face.
“You two know each other?” Her brother’s gaze bounced between them before skittering to Kade’s chest. A slow smile spread across the man’s face as he lifted his gaze and held out a hand. “You must be Kade. Nice to meet you, Sheriff. I’m Ben, Brandi’s brother. I heard so much about you.”
Now it was his turn to raise a brow. Ignoring the looks from his men, he shook hands, and knew by the grip, he was getting that watch-your-step brotherly warning. And judging by the gleam in the green eyes, the guy was somehow teasing his sister in the process.
Never one to turn down a tease, he played along. “Hopefully, it’s all good. Brandi’s a sweetheart.”
Her blush deepened, but she remained quiet. He decided to give her a break and talk shop.
“It’s nice to meet you in person, though, Sergeant,” he said, releasing the man’s hand. “Good to have this opportunity to thank you. Any supplies my men needed back then that I couldn’t get, you came through. It was much appreciated.”
Ben shrugged. “No thanks necessary, First Sergeant. It was my job. Soldiers always come first.”
“Unfortunately, not everyone has that attitude, so thank you.”
Brandi stepped closer to her brother. “Ben has always taken that attitude. And now that he’s the Battalion S4, more people will benefit.”
Kade’s brows rose again. “Battalion supply? Good for you.”
A big grin split the man’s face. He nodded and turned to his sister. “Nice try, Brandi. But you’re not going to change the subject. I’d love to hear more about you and Sergeant Dalton.” The green gaze returned to him, a serious glint present underneath the twinkle. “Why is it you didn’t ask her to come with you tonight, First Sergeant?”
Brandi’s indrawn breath echoed around them. Kade immediately liked the guy. He cocked his head. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. I’m a last minute fill in for Colonel Dwyer.”
“I see,” Ben said, still holding on to the woman gazing longingly toward the hall. “Then you won’t mind sitting at our table? I’m sure my dad would love to meet you.”
Her dad? Okay, this wasn’t so funny anymore. But, he’d made his bed. Damn. Poor choice of words.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Brandi spoke up. “I’m sure Kade…I mean, Sergeant Dalton would like to sit with his men.”
“Top sees us all the time. It’s okay.” The damn lieutenant decided to speak up. “You sit with Brandi’s family, sir.”
And before he could reply, his men walked away. Deserted him.
Bastards.
Calling on his reserve manners, he turned to the Wynes and smiled. “Looks like you’re stuck with me. Lead the way.”
“First…” Ben took Brandi’s hand and placed it on Kade’s arm. “That’s more like it. Brandi can guide you to our table up front. If you’ll excuse me, I see some more guys I wanted to say hello to.”
And with a nod, the man was gone, leaving him alone with a red-faced designer. She tried to pull her hand away, but he covered it with his free one.
“Hold on there, honey. Where are you going?”
“Look, Kade. I’m so, so sorry. And so embarrassed. You go on and sit with your unit. It’s okay. You don’t need to sit with me just because my brother said so.”
He turned to face her. “Hey, make no mistake. I’m sitting with you because I want to.”
“Oh…” Big brown eyes blinked at him. “Y-you do?” She was nearly eye level, thanks to those sexy shoes.
His insides warmed, and he rode out the tide. “Yes,” he replied, smile tugging his lips. “You look incredible tonight.”
She blinked again, pink returning to her cheeks. “I do?”
He nodded and leaned closer. “Good enough to eat.”
Her lips parted and blush deepened as she swayed into him.
“Now, that’s what I like to see. A happy expression on my daughter’s face,” an older man said as he approached, arms behind his back. His crisp stance and sharp gaze commanded attention.
“Oh, Dad.” She jumped back and pointed to him. “This is Kade Dalton. Sergeant Dalton. First Sergeant Dalton,” she corrected twice.
Her father smiled and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, son.” He covered Kade’s hand with his other and continued to shake. “Hell of a job you did over there, son. Hell of a job.”
Her father was Major Wyne? Tough but fair Major Wyne? Of course he was… Idiot. Why the hell the praise hit deep, Kade didn’t know. Fighting unexpected emotions, he pushed aside the ghosts, held himself erect and met the man’s gaze. “Thank you, sir.”
“I was prepared to come down here to talk my daughter out of her silly notion of staying in Texas, but now I’m not so sure.”
He met Brandi’s startled gaze. She no doubt had her hands full butting heads with the Major, but the woman possessed the backbone necessary to stand her ground. She could certainly be stubborn.
“Your daughter’s nothing if not tenacious, sir,” he remarked. And when she deployed that tendency during sex, damn, he was a lucky man.
And this was exactly the wrong time to have those thoughts.
“That she is, First Sergeant. That she is,” the major said, slapping Kade’s shoulder. “What do you say we all take our seats? I believe this shindig is about to get started.”
Seated between her and a corporal, Kade had just finished his appetizer when her brother looked up from his plate and stared at him from across the table. “So, Sheriff, when did you and my sister first hook up?”
“Really, Ben? Give it a rest, will you?” Brandi shook her head and stabbed at a cherry tomato which promptly flew off her salad and landed on his empty plate.
“Actually,” the major glanced at him. “I’d like to know that, too.”
Great. Tag-team interrogation.
He plucked the tomato from his plate and set it back on her salad, then glanced into her apprehensive gaze. “A few weeks back.” In the barn, on a hay bale. He kept that last part to himself, but knew she’d caught his thought by the heat entering her gaze.
“Well, I’m glad, son. It’s good to know my daughter has someone down here she can count on. That I can count on,” her father corrected with a smile, then set his attention back to his plate.
With the subject dropped and their entrées in place, Kade concentrated on his prime rib and listened as the others chatted.
That she can count on…
The words echoed in his head, bouncing back and forth like a ball i
n a pinball machine. He wasn’t the best person for her to count on. Hell, he was no longer blemish free.
And now the delicious steak tasted like dirt.
Swallowing the last mouthful with a sip of water, he set his fork down and tried to regroup. Now was not the time to give into the feelings of inadequacy suddenly tightening his chest, and her father was no doubt waiting for a response. Glancing at the man, he nodded, but didn’t offer anything more. Like a promise. That would be stupid.
“I heard some good things through the scuttlebutt about you, son.”
“Thank you, sir. I’ve heard the same about you. You have a reputation for getting the job done.” Which was true. No matter how tough, Major Wyne delivered. Some people complained, usually the slackers, because the man rode their asses and forced them to do their jobs, and others praised the ethics.
“Why thank you, First Sergeant, I appreciate that,” the man said, his direct gaze serious. “I’m sorry you had a loss. It’s tough to lose a soldier. It’s happened too many times in this damn war. From what I hear, you handled it well, kept the men going, and to borrow your phrasing, got the job done.”
Got the job done…
Well, wasn’t that just swell? An invisible vice squeezed his chest tight. Too bad he couldn’t have gotten the job done without Sergeant Nylan dying. Then it would’ve been a good job. Hell, it would’ve been fucking great. Everyone could have really sung his praises then.
Warm fingers tugged his fist open at his side and wrapped around his hand. It took him a full minute to realize Brandi had not only unclenched his fingers she’d taken over the conversation, asking questions about her brothers back home.
Her grace, her warmth…her unwavering calm seeped into him, and he slowly regained the ability to breath, and his body eventually relaxed enough to hear the exchange.
“…then he turned to me and said, Uncle Ben, when can I be Batman?”
Brandi’s laughter was sweet and genuine, and warmed the last of the chill from his bones. He even sensed a slight longing in the tone, and guessed the conversation was about her nephew. Sitting back, fingers still entwined—apparently he wasn’t the only one reluctant to let go—he listened to the banter between siblings, and couldn’t help but think of his cousins and their dinner table discussions while growing up.
The talk eventually turned to shop and he threw in his two cents when required, but his attention was drawn to the woman by his side. She began to fidget, and he thought maybe it was because she wasn’t crazy about the dessert. It wasn’t chocolate. But she ate her sorbet. So it couldn’t be the dessert. She was getting more apprehensive by the minute. Her whole body was tensing up. At first, he thought maybe he had missed something in her conversation with her brother because she seemed to be watching Ben intently. But then he realized her attention was just past him, on the band setting up in the far corner.
Why in the world was she so apprehensive about the band? Did she know someone in it?
Her fingers began to tighten around his, and they squeezed so hard his knuckles cracked. What the hell? He turned to her and placed his other hand over their entwined fingers.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She blinked and transferred her attention to him. “What?”
“I said, are you okay?”
“Oh…yeah.” She nodded, but her gaze was far too troubled for her words to be believed.
“You’ll be fine, sis,” Ben said. “It’s like riding a bike.”
What was that supposed to mean? What was like riding a bike?
Her father leaned close to pat her shoulder. “It’s time you got back to doing what you love.”
“But I am doing what I love, Dad.”
Kade wanted to ask what they were talking about, but one of the Colonels took the podium again.
“Well, tonight we’re very lucky. One of our own is going to play a few songs from her time with the Pennsylvania Philharmonic, as well as a few requests. Put your hands together for Ms. Brandi Wyne.”
One of our own? Philharmonic?
As his brain wrapped around the introduction, his mind backpedaled to keep up. Brandi had been with an orchestra? When did she find time to study design? And what did one of our own mean?
He stared at her, like a complete idiot.
Her mouth opened but only a sigh came out. Then she inhaled, squeezed his hand and leaned close. “Don’t leave. Okay? Promise me you’ll stay.”
He frowned. “I’ll be here.”
The woman he thought he knew nodded her thanks then tugged free and stood. “I can do this,” she said under her breath as she walked toward the makeshift stage area.
The major leaned close and winked. “You’re in for a real treat, son. My daughter is fantastic. It’s about time she stopped running from the things she loves. The violin was a great stress reliever when her mom was sick.”
His heart ached for the little girl and the tough childhood she must’ve had. “How old was she?”
“Eleven when her mom was first diagnosed with cancer,” the major replied. “Twelve when she died.”
So young. Too young. He’d been nearly the same age when his mom, well, left him…then died. His chest squeezed tight at the thought.
“Yeah, for a while, she was never separated from the violin,” Ben said. “She even carried it to school. The music teacher used to let her use the music room to practice during lunch and recess.”
Once again, Kade’s brain and mind played catch up. And while they were goofing off, Brandi stepped up to the microphone with a violin in her hand.
“Thank you for the invitation. It’s an honor to be here to play for you tonight,” she said. “There have been several requests sent in. We’ll try to get to them before our time is up.” She turned and introduced the other four musicians. “We’re going to start with the two hardest and get them out of the way. This first one’s called “Asturias” and goes out to my brother, Ben.”
“Sweet.” Her brother placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly as others clapped. “Nothing like jumping into the fire, sis.”
Kade had no idea what the song was, but had the impression he was not likely to ever forget it.
He watched her take a breath, place the violin under her chin then nod to the band. Good thing he was seated. With the first four notes played, the woman’s talent and love for music was obvious. Her fingers flew and bow moved so fast he couldn’t keep up. Loud, strong, passionate, the music filled the room and blew him away. He never heard music played like that before. Never felt music before, but she made him feel. Every pull of the bow, every chord, had meaning.
When the song finished, the crowd stood and clapped.
Her father turned to him and smiled. “See?”
“I sure do, sir.” He inhaled then blew out the breath. “I feel like I’ve run ten miles.”
The major laughed and slapped his shoulder. “Just wait. She’s only warming up.”
Ben nodded. “Yeah. Guarantee she’s going to make you feel the gamut of emotions, and usually more than we expect.”
“Thank you,” she said as everyone sat. “Now, we’re going to do “Adagio for Strings.” And it’s tough for other reasons.”
She took another deep breath and…shit…started to walk toward the Fallen Soldier table. A table set up at all functions symbolizing those who could no longer attend. At this Dining Out, the small table was in the front of the room with a single place setting, tapered candle, single rose in vase, inverted wine glass, chair set against the table representing missing comrades. He’d avoided that side of the room for a reason. Christ, what was she doing? Air became thick and heavy. He couldn’t stay here for this. But, damn, he’d promised her he would. Had she planned this? Son-of-a-bitch. Did she do this on purpose? His heart rocked into his ribs then thudded so fast he lost his breath.
Get out, his mind screamed, but he remained seated, legs frozen. Completely immobile.
“This is for our fallen soldier
s.”
With the first strings played, his erratic heart beats slowed and flowed, snagged with the mellow start, building, moving with emotional precision. Something within him cracked, and it was as if she saw inside and put it to music. Clued into the deep emotion, wrapped it around the bow and played his soul. All of it.
She found the pain, the grief, the guilt, the unfairness, the loss, and twisted them together, turning it all into a real thread of feeling, reaching for hope, a hope always just out of his grasp, making him feel like maybe this time he’d prevail.
When it ended, there was silence. No jumping up and clapping. There was also not a single dry eye in the place. And hell, he hadn’t even realized his face was wet until he blinked. The tight stranglehold around his heart had eased a bit, and he was able to draw in a few breaths, as did those around him. Then the clapping started and everyone rose to their feet once more, including him, since he miraculously found his legs again.
“Okay,” she said, stepping back to the microphone and swiping her face. “Phew, that was the toughest. Now, I’d like to move on to some fun selections. This one goes out to Kade.”
His head jerked back. She was playing a song for him?
“Good for you, man,” Ben said. “You must mean something to my sister for her to dedicate a song.”
He didn’t know about that, but his heart was pounding a loud, crazy-ass beat. Damned if he knew why. And the almost sexy smile she sent him ensured his pulse stayed at erratic. When she first started the rock symphony version of “Thunderstruck,” he smiled. He was not likely to forget this one either.
She was good. Once again her fingers and bow flew across the strings, spewing the perfect notes with the perfect rhythm. The woman continued to play rock, Beethoven and even Celtic.
A few songs later, the crowd went wild as she began to play “Zorba’s Dance” for her dad. The soldiers from the Pennsylvania Guard cheered loudest. He got the impression it was some kind of tradition. Her father and brother stood, took off their jackets and started to dance the traditional Greek dance. As far as he knew, they weren’t Greek, but didn’t seem to care. The faster she played, the faster they danced. Soon Kade found himself clapping and smiling with the rest of the room, cheering the Wynes on, his earlier distress forgotten as he got caught up in the lighthearted fun.
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