Simple fact was he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Smart. Independent. A tender heart under that acerbic cloak. And pretty. Make that attractive. Very, very attractive.
He wished he knew more about her. No wedding ring. Had she been married before? Something had made her wary of men. Or maybe it was just him. He intended to find out.
Maybe he could pry some information from Josh.
As if summoned by the thought, the crunch of tires sounded on the gravel outside. Josh’s Jeep approached with Amos sitting in the front seat. “You have to stay here this time,” he told Bart. “I don’t think he meant to take you to lunch, although you’re a very good dining partner.”
He herded a reluctant Bart inside and walked out to meet Josh. Amos jumped into the backseat and Clint took the front seat. “I see you started on the holes,” Josh observed as he drove out onto Lake Road. “By the way, I have a canoe I bought when I first came here. It’s yours to use anytime. And fishing equipment. There’s a lot of fish in that water.”
“I’ve seen fishermen out there and envied them.”
“Done much fishing?”
“Not much opportunity, but a little.”
“Me, neither,” Josh confided. “Always seemed too sedentary to me, but I’m beginning to appreciate the art involved. And now a little quiet time is good.” He glanced at Clint. “How’s Bart doing? Eve told me you shortened his name. She likes it. So does Nick. So it’s kind of official.”
Clint didn’t reply. It wasn’t his decision. Nothing about Bart was his decision. And yet keeping the name made him feel more connected to the dog. Not good.
He envied Josh for his ability to drive. When would he be able to drive again without endangering other drivers? If he were the only one at risk, he would say what the hell, but he wasn’t going to risk others. He’d almost killed the truck driver on that Texas road.
“Going stir-crazy?” Josh asked.
“Maybe a little. I had enough rest in the hospital.”
“How long were you there?”
“Three months, two weeks of them in an induced coma,” Clint said. “Then rehab while they tried to figure out why I continued to have headaches and blackouts. They’re not quite as frequent now, but still bad enough to keep me from driving and maybe killing someone.”
“No family? And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I sure as hell didn’t when I first arrived.”
“No problem. There’s not one I want to claim.”
Josh nodded. “Got it. I had one of those, too. You’re invited to our twice-a-month get-together for vets. It’s not a meeting, just an informal gathering. Some from Vietnam. One from the Korean War. Most are from the Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“I met Bill Evans in the park,” Clint said. “He told me about them. Sounds good.”
“They’re good for all of us, no matter when we served. Time to vent, or relax, or both.”
“I’ll be there,” Clint said.
“Bill is one of the regulars. As you probably know, a lot of vets live in this town. There’s not many job opportunities, and the wide world sounds pretty good to young guys without a future here, so they join the military. Then they get back and they can’t talk about it to friends and relatives.” Josh’s jaw tightened. “It’s worse for lifers like us. After years of training and war, you don’t think you’re fit for anything else. It’s not easy to become a civilian after all those years.”
“You did it.”
“It never really leaves me. It’s always somewhere inside my head. I never feel I deserve this. Not when others are dead. And I still have night sweats.”
“You were wounded over there. I wasn’t. I don’t...”
“Hell, I know what chopper pilots did, the chances you took to save our asses. I don’t give a damn how you were injured. You guys are heroes to the grunts. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for a chopper pilot.”
Josh’s words hit home and, for the first time since the car accident, some of Clint’s guilt slipped away. “I figured I would put in my twenty years, then try to find a job as a chopper pilot here in the United States. That’s out of the question now. At least until these damn blackouts end.” He changed the subject. “You mentioned you were starting a construction business.”
“Contracting, but to make it work we have to bring people into the town. Right now, we’re set to remodel the one remaining motel in town. It’s in rough shape. Then we’re going to try to bring in tourists, some new businesses. We really need a clothing store. The last one left eight years ago. Maybe with new businesses we can keep some of the younger residents here.”
They arrived in the business area and Josh parked the Jeep in front of Maude’s. They headed inside, Amos at Josh’s heels. Maude’s, Clint noted, was like those cafés in other small towns across America. Mismatched tables and chairs. Worn wood floors. A counter with seats. Cheerful yellow curtains. Flowers in a jar on every table. Worn paper menus. It was about half-full.
Maude hurried over to them.
“That cake was quite the best I’ve ever had,” Clint said.
She beamed. “First meal is on the house,” she said.
“I don’t think you did that for me,” Josh grumbled.
“Actually, I think I threw in a steak for Amos at one time or another,” she countered.
“That was for Amos, not me.”
“I appreciate it,” Clint broke in with a wide smile.
“Two steaks?” Maude asked. “Medium rare, right? And a hamburger for Amos?”
“Right,” they both said at the same time and grinned at each other.
“Flatterer,” Josh whispered after she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Well, it was a great cake.” Clint pointed at Amos. “And how do you get him in here?”
“Maude considers him a service dog.” Josh didn’t have time to say anything else. One by one, or two by two, diners strolled over to say hello and introduce themselves. Clint tried to remember as many names as possible. He’d perfected that skill long ago. It was a skill that put him in good stead with most people.
The steaks were as promised. As soon as they finished, Josh paid the bill for his steak and they started for the hardware store. In another fifteen minutes, they had ordered all the materials for the dock.
“The treated lumber should be here Friday afternoon,” Calvin Wilson said. “I’ll come help Saturday and bring a couple of men. My son can manage the store.”
“I’ll take care of the bill,” Clint said. “What’s the total?”
Calvin looked at Josh, who nodded.
Clint was grateful. Josh knew where he was coming from. What he needed to do. He didn’t want a free ride. Never had. The cabin was a godsend, a sanctuary where he could come to terms with what happened and what should happen now.
They walked back to Josh’s Jeep, passing Stephanie’s office. Clint glanced in and saw her talking to what must be a client. She wore a white coat, and her curly red hair was tied back. Then she turned, and he saw the recognition in her face and maybe, just maybe, her glance remained on him a second longer than necessary. She took a step forward, then turned away from the window.
“Any other stops?” Josh asked.
Clint shook his head. “I imagine you have other things to do.”
“Everything’s taken care of for the day. The morning’s meeting was to finalize financing for the motel. My partner, Nate, is finishing specifications. Like I said earlier, the building is in rough shape. It’s deteriorating and is mostly a by-the-hour business now. It’s just outside the city limits and an eyesore and trouble spot.”
“Why did you get into contracting?”
“Well, I inherited the cabin. It needed rehabbing badly. I discovered I liked building and fixing things more than blo
wing them up. Another vet here helped me replace the flooring. He’d been a building foreman before his company went bust. With a new city council ready to promote growth, it all seemed to fit. Speaking of the town, do you want to see our claim to fame?”
“Sounds good. I must admit to a certain curiosity when Covenant Falls didn’t seem to have a falls,” Clint said. He sure as hell didn’t have anything better to do.
“It’s about twenty minutes away.”
Clint waited until they were driving out of town. “Tell me more about Stephanie.”
Josh chuckled. “Stephanie is hard to explain. She’s a damn good vet. As you know, she’s very involved in search-and-rescue activities and she’s on the volunteer firefighters team. The guys in it give her high marks. She can do anything they can, and she never complains. She has friends, more than she knows, but I think Eve is the only person with whom she’s really close. I do know I like her tremendously. She was the only person in town who tolerated me when I first came here.”
Clint laughed. “When she picked me up in Pueblo, she told me you were going to meet me at the cabin to give me the keys and probably tell me the best way to piss off the town. She said you did a great job of doing that when you first arrived.”
Josh grinned. “I did. I was really messed up when I first came here.” He glanced at Clint. “But since you asked, I’ve never seen her so...flustered as when you’re around. You certainly have some kind of effect on her.”
“I don’t know what that means exactly. In a good way, or bad?”
Josh shrugged. “Don’t ask me to explain women.”
They didn’t talk again until he turned off on a dirt road and drove up its winding path. They reached a parking area. “There’s a path to the waterfall.”
“The ‘falls’ in Covenant Falls?”
Josh nodded. “The falls is a hidden jewel. Not many tourists know about it. The so-called first family, descendants of the man who founded Covenant Falls, wanted the town to stay small. The problem is when there’s no growth, there’s no jobs, and when there’s no jobs the young people leave and the old ones die. Most of the people here are descendants of the original settlers.
“Eve wants to change that,” Josh added. “Much to my surprise, I discovered I do, too. So does the majority of town, which is why they reelected Eve mayor. They’re tired of watching their kids move half away across the country or go into the service.”
Clint heard the rushing of water and he looked down into a canyon and at the river roaring through it.
“This way,” Josh said and guided him along a path that wound around a stand of trees. It ended in a parklike setting with picnic tables. Beyond that was the waterfall. The falls were spectacular, tumbling and rushing into the river below.
“I see what you mean,” Clint said. “It would make one hell of a tourist attraction. I can’t believe no one comes here.”
“It’s off the beaten track, but it’s perfect to anchor a wilderness expedition business. Camping, climbing, fishing, hunting. We even have abandoned gold mines. But we need accommodations first. The town has a great story to tell and we can take tourists on some of the early trading trails up to an abandoned mining camp. There’s great fishing in the streams running off the river.
“Problem is Covenant Falls is well off the main highways and after one brief effort to bring summer tourists here, the town gave up.”
“What happened?”
“Some summer cabins were built here and bought by a group of people in Denver. My cabin was one of them. But then the recession came, and home prices plummeted. There was some vandalism and a drowning. The cabins and cottages around the lake were sold at bargain prices and mostly bought by people who already lived here. The town just got smaller until Eve was elected mayor on a pro-growth platform. She was stymied by a non-growth council that blocked nearly everything she wanted to do. The chairman of the council has since resigned, Eve was reelected and now she has a council that also wants growth.”
It made sense to Clint. “The view’s great. And I like the idea of an adventure company.”
Josh sighed. “I don’t know if it will work, but it was a dream my buddy and I had. He owned the cabin.”
Clint remembered that Stephanie had said Josh had inherited the cabin.
It brought his mind back to the woman who occupied his mind all weekend. “The search-and-rescue work. It’s all volunteer, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, and it costs the members a lot of money for equipment and the necessary training. It really is a labor of love.” Clint stared out over the canyon. “Stephanie is trying to convince Amos and me to join, but right now is not a good time. She’s also looking for a handler to train Stryker.”
Working with Stephanie certainly had an appeal, but he knew she would never go for it. No reason she should. He had no experience with dogs. It was just that he and Bart happened to hit it off. No reason to think that extended to other dogs.
“I don’t think Bart is necessarily a good indication,” Clint said. “I’ve never had much to do with dogs, and I don’t plan to stay here long. As you said, jobs are rare, and if I can’t fly choppers, I have to find something else. I keep thinking about finishing that degree in computer engineering, but to tell you the truth, I don’t like the idea of being inside every day.”
“I understand. I feel the same way. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“You already have. God knows I felt alone the day I was released from the hospital. I hate to admit it, but I needed someone to kick my ass.”
Josh smiled. “Eve kicked mine.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to get back.”
Clint nodded. “Thanks for bringing me. I’ve been wondering about the falls part of Covenant Falls.”
“You should get Stephanie to tell you something about the history.”
“I’m not sure she would want to do that.”
Josh shrugged. “Worth a try.”
Clint looked at Josh suspiciously.
Josh blinked, obviously trying to appear innocent.
They reached the Jeep. “I think Stryker is staying with us another night so if you could keep Brave— Bart tonight...”
“I can do that.”
“Good. Oh, and you can bring Bart to the veterans’ get-together, if you can coax him out. I think he’ll be okay if you’re with him. I always bring Amos. He belongs there, being a retired military guy.”
“Would the other guys mind?”
“Hell no. You should see the way they fawn over Amos.”
“Maybe I’ll do that.”
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the cabin. After Josh drove away, Clint opened the front door. Bart stood, wagging his tail tentatively as if not quite sure he should.
Clint dropped to his knees. “Hey, guy,” he said. “Let’s go inside and get you dinner. We have an engagement tonight.”
Bart wagged his stubby tail and looked up hopefully at him.
Clint rubbed his ears. He knew he shouldn’t. It wasn’t good for either of them to get so attached. But one look at those anxious, worried eyes caused him to increase his efforts until Bart moaned with dog ecstasy.
Damn!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STRYKER DASHED INTO Stephanie’s office and covered her with kisses, then inspected Lulu who stood bravely and tentatively wagging her tail. Stryker inspected her, then licked her. Acceptance.
Eve smiled guiltily. “Beth said I could come on in.”
“Welcome to my chaos,” she said.
Eve knelt next to Lulu. “So this is the new orphan.”
“Cute little thing, isn’t she?” And Lulu was cute, after her bath. She was a mixture of white and tan and several different shades of brown. Her hair was short and bristly. She was the ultimate mixture of many
breeds, and her eyes were bright and curious.
“How old is she?”
“I would say about four months. And I know four things about her. She’s a survivor. She’s never climbed stairs. She gets along with other dogs. She knows the difference between inside and outside. In other words, she’s either extremely smart or has already been housebroken. But there’s no chip, no collar. I’m sending out emails to vets in the area in case someone’s looking for her, but I’m not hopeful. If I don’t hear anything back in ten days, I’ll put her up for adoption.”
“Hold off on that,” Eve said.
“Why?”
“We might have a problem with Bart.”
“Who’s Bart?”
“Braveheart,” Eve said.
“Sorry, but I’m a bit confused.”
“Well, he seems to have attached himself to Clint Morgan.”
“He loves Nick.”
“Yes, he does, but he’s never given his heart to Nick.”
“Don’t tell me he’s given it to...Mr. Morgan. And what about ‘Bart’?”
“It seems Clint shortened the name. We all approved, Nick included.”
“I’ve been away for two days and the world has gone mad.”
“No, just realistic. You saw it that night at our house when Bart hovered around Clint. I’m taking Nick to the cabin this afternoon and it will be up to Bart as to whether he wants to come back with us.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Nick and I agree Bart gets to choose. But Josh, who has had a crash course in dog, said Clint took Bart to the vets’ meeting last night, and he wouldn’t stir from his side. Not even for Josh.”
“Isn’t it going to be very hard on Nick if he decides on Clint?”
Eve frowned. “He loves Bart, but he wants him to be happy, and he realizes Bart is one of five at our house. He knows all our dogs are fosters and we keep them until we can find a good home. We just never have, and they all became ours. But it may turn out that Bart is one of those one-man dogs, and he has found his one.”
Tempted by the Soldier Page 13