Redeeming Justice

by Suzanne Halliday

  Alex felt peeved as the two women began debating the many uses of organic mint as they fell into conversation like they were old friends. He had to admit Carmen’s lemonade was in fact, to die for, but that didn’t stop him from wanting his housekeeper gone so he could have all of Meghan’s attention again. Jesus. When did he turn into such a pussy?

  “Oh God, yes!” He heard her laugh in a throaty chuckle that set his nerves on edge. “In Boston, it’s all about the sweet tea. My mom makes gallons of the stuff in the summer.”

  “Maybe you can show me how to make a big batch?” Carmen asked. “The crew at the compound would love it. I can pass the recipe on to Ria, who does all the cooking around here.”

  Oh, for fuck’s sake, he groaned inwardly. Really? Zero to exchanging recipes in less than five minutes? He would never understand women and how their minds worked. When Carmen turned her attention back to him he caught the smug grin again and made a lame attempt to stare her down. She knew him too well.

  “I’ll let you two have your visit. Let me know if you need anything. Ria will be here soon with lunch. Nice try, Meeester Alex,” she whispered so only he would hear, touching his arm as she turned from them.

  Alex lowered into a chair alongside his guest and watched her as she sipped the tall glass of lemonade. His eyes took in a thousand tiny details. The way condensation on the outside of the ice filled glass dripped onto the table. How her lips opened as she lifted the drink to her mouth. When she brushed a mass of curls over her shoulder he spied simple pearl earrings and noted her nails were painted with a soft shade of polish. She wore no rings but had a delicate gold chain around her wrist with a small heart-shaped charm. The pretty necklace she wore, another delicate chain hung with a tiny half-moon, was just long enough to kiss the top of her cleavage. And speaking of cleavage. Holy God, hers really was magnificent.

  Meghan wasn’t sure where to look. Her senses were inundated with so much input that she was having a hard time keeping up. The beauty and charm of the Spanish hacienda had affected her deeply. It was old worldly elegant and homey at the same time. A little like the Major himself. She’d expected a curmudgeon of a man, some caricature of how she supposed a commanding officer should be, not a sexy, slightly patrician Don of an old Spanish family. Why had she envisioned someone all buttoned up tight with a military buzz cut in the first place?

  He was nothing like she expected. Nothing. First of all, the man was friggin’ huge. Like football player huge. No one should have a chest that broad, she thought. It invited all sorts of thoughts like how wonderful it must feel to snuggle into it. Oh good lord, she silently groaned.

  And secondly, this was no boy she was looking at. The thought made tingling sparks of awareness shoot along her nerve endings. Used to younger guys, they all seemed like men-in-waiting compared to him.

  Dressed in a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled back that stretched perfectly across his shoulders and molded to his massive chest, it disappeared into a pair of charcoal grey trousers that made his trim waist, flat stomach, and muscled thighs gloriously obvious.

  As if a body that would make a supermodel swoon wasn’t enough, he had a face that horny teenage girls dreamed of. Rugged looking and hot as hell, Alex Marquez had brown eyes sparkling with a devilish glint of wickedness in a face covered with a beard that wasn’t sure if it was a week without shaving or actual facial hair that was there to stay. The hair on his head was longish and adorably messy, like he’d just run his hands through it a moment before he opened the door. She wanted to lean into his massive body and run her fingers through his tousled hair. Uh oh.

  Ordinarily, it pissed her off when guys stared at her breasts. She’d developed a mocking leer for those who had the gall to ogle her publicly. But there was something spine tingling about the Major’s bold gaze that made her panties damp. He certainly wasn’t making any effort to hide his appreciation of her ample bosom. Shockingly, Meghan felt her nipples harden as she fought back a telltale groan.

  Luckily, the lemonade his housekeeper made was super yummy and just what her parched throat and idle hands needed. After a couple of good slugs of the icy treat, she put her glass down and tried to pull her wayward thoughts back in line. She was here to check off an item of closure on her to-do list, not get all moony-eyed and giggly over a hot guy.

  “Thanks again for agreeing to see me, Alex.” Crap. Could she sound any lamer? She was a teacher, goddammit! Nothing scared her, not a gym full of teenage testosterone or a Latin Hercules. Get your act together, she chided silently. Stop acting like a twit.

  The devilish twinkle in his eyes wrecked her brain when he smiled. “It’s been a long time coming, wouldn’t you say?”

  Did he just ask if she took a long time coming? Wait. No, that’s not at all what he said. Oh my God. She was losing it. Meghan sat back in the chair and crossed her legs earning her bare limbs an appreciative glance from the man who was scattering her thoughts.

  And then the dynamic shifted. The reminder of how they knew each other and the long years between their initial contact and this beautiful sunny day settled around them. Meghan could feel the anguish rolling off him the minute he remembered. She didn’t feel the torment quite like she used to. But then again, she hadn’t been there that day when a bomb-carrying civilian had killed so many and sent others, Alex included, to the hospital. That’s why she was here. Time to put things in perspective and finally leave the past where it belonged. The past.

  She hadn’t planned what to say preferring to let the moment unfold as it was meant to. All she hoped to bring was the authenticity of her feelings.

  “Your letter saved me, y’know. Really. It did,” she added when she saw his jaw clench and the twinkle disappear from his eyes. “David’s parents were distraught and I didn’t know what to do to ease their suffering. You see, he was an only child. Not only was he not coming home but the family they prayed he’d have waiting for him would never be. I think that was the hardest part for them. They already treated me like a daughter. Knowing all their hopes and dreams were crushed tore me up.”

  “What about you?” he asked somberly. “What about your hopes and dreams? Losing the man you were going to marry must have been devastating.”

  She saw vulnerability and something else she couldn’t identify flash across his expression. How could she explain that all was not how it seemed? Should she even tell him that part? Lifting her shoulders in an awkward half-shrug, she sighed, watching the clouds drift slowly by overhead.

  “I was so young and despite the engagement, we hadn’t started planning a future together. David proposed on the spur of the moment while he was home on a leave. Who knows how the future would have unfolded if things were different.”

  She hoped her voice didn’t give too much away. Even after all these years she struggled to keep the spirit of David’s memory intact. Honoring his sacrifice was more important than her feelings. There would be no closure for her on that score.

  “I still have it—the first letter you sent.” He seemed shocked to hear that from her. Didn’t he know how important the words he shared with her were?

  “That makes you uncomfortable. I’m sorry,” she added quietly.

  It was his turn to down a healthy guzzle of lemonade. When he was finished and set his glass down he looked at her. “Writing those letters was damn hard. I can’t imagine why you’d keep something like that.”

  By force of habit, Meghan reached for the tiny crescent moon dangling from the chain around her neck. Absently sliding it on the chain as her thoughts reached into the past, she remembered that autumn day, months after David’s military funeral, when a big white envelope arrived postmarked from Germany with the letter his commanding officer had personally written.

  She wasn’t surprised to learn of the high regard in which her young fiancé was held. The boy she knew all her life had grown into an honorable man who took serving their country seriously. To this day she didn’t really know what he did when
he was off playing with the Special Forces. David had one of those high level clearances that suggested he was more involved with gathering intelligence than being boots on the ground.

  Meghan had wept over that letter. Hearing praise of his bravery and courage and David’s devotion to the canines he worked with had gone a long way to calming her heart.

  “I kept it because what you wrote were things I needed to hear. Not just then, but for a long time after. So…thank you.”

  He didn’t say anything for long moments. When he did respond, she was surprised by what he said.

  “I have your letters too.”

  She turned wide, surprised eyes on him, shocked to hear that what she’d written during his long months of rehab had been any more than something to distract him from his injured body.

  “Why?” she asked dumbfounded. “They were so—” She searched for the right word to describe what she knew were the inane ramblings of an overworked grad student. “God. I don’t know. So, dumb and boring!”

  He chuckled and some of the building tension eased off. “Well, I’ll give you that!” he teased. “But dumb and boring was just what I needed.”

  She nodded, understanding what he meant. He’d kept her up-to-date on his condition with blunt assessments of his progress or lack thereof. Meghan knew all about the endless round of surgeries that pieced him back together and the exhausting, painful physical therapy that had followed. They’d written to each other for months, and then briefly for a time after he’d been moved back to the states.

  She didn’t know what he was thinking but it was probably the same as her. Learning that she’d had as much an impact on him that he’d had on her was quite a surprise. Everything got quiet again after that.

  Carmen chose the perfect moment, right before the silence got uncomfortable, to reappear on the patio pushing a cart laden with dishes and an impressive bouquet of fresh flowers stuffed in an over-sized mason jar.

  “Lunch has arrived,” she chortled with glee as she eyed them upon her approach. “I hope everyone’s hungry,” she said with a good-natured huff. “Ria got crazy with the fruit again.”

  Crazy was an understatement Meghan thought when Carmen plunked an enormous stoneware platter on the table overflowing with every fruit imaginable. The presentation was impressive. Mounds of strawberries and slices of kiwi were piled high alongside melon slices, bananas, apples, berries of every color, orange sections, and loads of pineapple spears. A second platter was piled with small sandwiches and assorted tapas that also looked beyond delicious.

  “I hope you like it,” Carmen offered as she set out plates and utensils for their use.

  “Are you kidding?” Meghan laughed. “I love it! Especially the part where someone else prepared and put it ready-to-eat on a platter. Does not get any better than this!” The two women roared with laughter.

  She sat side-by-side with the Major for the next hour, picking away at her lunch, chatting amiably about everything and nothing. With each moment that passed, she found herself wishing the visit wouldn’t have to end. Alex Marquez was not only one seriously good-looking guy; he had a quick mind and a pleasant sense of humor. Meghan couldn’t remember ever being so instantly drawn to another person as she was to him. The realization put a fluttery feeling in her belly that extended deeper into that place inside which was wholly female and undeniably turned on.

  Eventually he asked how long she’d be touring the area and what her plans were.

  “Here’s the thing,” she told him with a grin. “I’m not on any kind of a schedule, which I know sounds odd, but that’s the way it is.”

  He seemed intrigued by her answer and asked for clarification. Ah. Time to ‘fess up. This should be fun.

  She sat up straight and pushed her hair over her shoulders. “Okay. Reader’s Digest version in the interest of time. You already know I’m a teacher. A gym teacher at that!” she chuckled. “Hold the lesbian jokes, please.”

  He nearly choked to death when she made the statement. Judging by the quick leer her boobs got she highly doubted he fancied for even a second that she played for the home team.

  “Loved my career. Loved the school I taught at. Loved everything about it. Then one day last year, me and five colleagues hit a mega lottery jackpot.”

  His stupefied expression was funny and exactly how she felt when she first learned of the lottery windfall.

  “I certainly never wanted to quit teaching, but with the job market so brutal for educators, it was the only thing I could do. Even though working is about way more than the salary, I couldn’t hog a coveted position when I didn’t need the money.”

  He nodded. Not working or putting her skills to good use was something she still hadn’t come to terms with. It’s true what they say about money not making happiness. Sure, life got comfortable and secure but the rest was still an open book with many pages left to fill.

  “In April, I started off on an epic road trip that I wouldn’t have missed for the world. This is an amazing country. Watching it go by under my wheels rather than from the window of an airplane has been amazing. Anyway, made it to the Pacific then traveled down the coast to L.A. My mom flew out for a ladies’ spa retreat that was to die for! And now here I am, traipsing around the desert, checking out every world’s largest tin foil ball and award winning tamale I can find!

  “So you’re….what? Wandering aimlessly?”

  “You could say that, I suppose. The teacher in me treats every day like an extended field trip. Thank God for the internet. I’m learning so much. Besides the Grand Canyon of course, I hope to stick around Sedona long enough for the annual Cowboy Festival.”

  “You mean the one at the end of July?” he asked. “I remember from when I was a kid. Loads of gun slinging fun.”

  She blushed and studied her feet. If only he knew. Cowboys were a special passion from her childhood. Having brothers meant there was always some kind of boy fun happening. She’d spent many a fantasy filled afternoon joining in, pretending to be Annie Oakley or a fierce pioneer woman. In her mind, a man in jeans with a cowboy hat was all kinds of sexy. Especially if there was a horse involved. Squee!

  “So, I take it this means you plan on staying for awhile?”

  “Well, there’s no reason to run off so I guess the simple answer to that is yes.”

  Alex watched his next words form in a speech bubble that surprised him as much as it did her. “I’d be more than happy to be your guide, Meghan. You could stay at the Villa. It’s a busy time so there’s tons of stuff going on right here, plus all the things to see and do around Sedona.”

  He wasn’t at all sure what made him say it except that he was enjoying her company. More than he could remember enjoying anyone else’s. It was an odd place to be. He knew her. But then again, not really. Maybe that was why he put it out there. He wanted to get to know her. A whole lot better.

  When the thought popped in his head, so did the thousand reasons why he shouldn’t be thinking shit like that. Especially not about her. Fuck. What did it say about him that he couldn’t keep his dick under control around a woman who had every right to hate his guts? After all, if it weren’t for him, she’d probably be married now with a kid, a dog, and a mini-van parked in the driveway.

  Still, she was just so damn beautiful. He knew caution was in order but a raging case of desire was driving him at the moment, complicating the shit out of things.

  She was squirming in her seat making the hem on her dress creep further up her thighs. Pretending that a fully loaded question wasn’t hovering in the air, Alex watched her fuss with the masses of curls falling about her shoulders as she chewed on her bottom lip and looked everywhere but at him. In his mind’s eye he grabbed her around the waist to pull her decadent backside onto his lap. He bet she’d fit perfectly against him.

  “Major,” she squeaked then corrected herself when he frowned. “I mean, Alex. Really. I don’t know what to say. You’re so sweet to ask me to stay but I don’t think tha
t’s what you had in mind when I invited myself to lunch.”

  Well, that was certainly true but once the door opened and he saw her standing there, all sense flew out the window. “Honestly Meghan. I didn’t have much of anything in mind. Meeting you was enough and now that I have, well…” he shrugged.

  “I want to say yes. I mean, look at this place! Who wouldn’t want to stay? But I can’t ask you to drop everything and be my tour guide. Are you just being nice? I don’t understand.”

  Alex learned a lot about her just then. She spoke her mind and didn’t beat around the bush. She was also completely unaware of her effect on him.

  “I’d like it if you’d stay for awhile.” That’s all he said. Frankly, he didn’t understand either.

  “Alex,” she growled.

  “Meghan,” he answered right back. “C’mon. It’ll be fun. Think of it like summer camp for grown-ups! Do you ride?” he asked. “We‘ve got horses and electric carts and ATVs and even Segways. You haven’t really lived until you experience a campfire cook-out, and I can hook you up with one of those knock your socks off helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon.”

  “Aaargh!” she growled even louder this time. “You’re making it impossible to say no.”

  “Well good! It’s settled then.” He turned toward the house and yelled for Carmen who appeared before her name completely left his mouth. He shook his head knowing she’d probably been eavesdropping on the entire conversation. The housekeeper’s look of complete innocence struck him as mildly funny.

  Getting her back for earlier he murmured so only she could hear, “Nice try, lady.” She grinned at him and chuckled.

  “Uh, Carmen,” he boomed so there’d be no mistaking that he was taking control of the situation. “Miss O’Brien will be staying with us for a while.”

  “Alex!” Meghan cut in.

  He stopped any further words with a look. This was one battle he was going to win.