Tempted by the Soldier
Page 14
“That’s crazy. We don’t really know anything about him. He won’t be staying and...” She stopped suddenly.
“We may be worrying about nothing,” Eve said. “Bart might want to come home with Nick, but if he doesn’t, maybe we could add another dog.” She ran her hand over Lulu’s head. “She’s a sweet one.”
“Have you talked to Josh about this? About maybe adding a new dog?”
“We talked about Bart’s attachment to Clint.”
“It’s only been a few days,” Stephanie protested. “And we...you...really don’t know much about Clint Morgan. You know our rules about adoption. We inspect a house, make sure whoever is adopting has provided for a previous animal with proper vet care.”
Eve’s gaze settled on her, and Stephanie squirmed. “What is it about Clint that unsettles you? I thought you would be happy we might have a home for Lulu.”
“Nothing unsettles me,” Stephanie lied. “I just don’t know him well. None of us do.”
“Josh wouldn’t have offered the use of the cabin if he hadn’t checked on the man pretty thoroughly.”
“Don’t you think he might be a little...too affable?”
Eve’s eyebrows raised. “Too affable? He’s pleasant, good with kids and dogs. Funny. Josh said he paid for the materials for the dock. He’s apparently responsible and...”
“He’s too perfect,” Stephanie blurted out. “I know about too perfect. I married a ‘perfect’ man, and he...” Her voice trailed off. Although she and Eve were friends, she hadn’t said much about her marriages. She felt too much the fool in both cases. Too vulnerable. She had worked hard never to be vulnerable again. And now the recent calls had disrupted her confidence. The fact wasn’t that she didn’t trust easily. She didn’t trust at all.
Except maybe Josh because he hadn’t been perfect at all when they had first met.
He’d been as damaged as she had been years earlier. They had been kindred souls, although there had been nothing romantic between them. More a recognition.
And now she had to tell Eve some of her story because tomorrow she would be involved again in Mark’s world, and she had no idea what he would do.
“You know that I was married to a man named Mark. He was charming, too, just like your Mr. Morgan. Respected. I had a small vet practice in Pennsylvania. I worked all the time to keep it above water.
“Then I met Mark who was attending a seminar in a hotel not far from my practice. We had lunch, and he was the most charming man I’d ever met. To make a long story short, he wined and dined and courted me. He asked me to marry him and promised me the moon. I knew he was a prominent banker in Boston, and I worried I wouldn’t fit into his world. But I was in love with what I thought he was.”
Eve nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“He convinced me to sell my practice and invest the proceeds. Wasn’t much, but it was mine. And then he set about changing me. I was not good enough for him as I was. First my hair, then my clothes. Only his friends could be mine. Verbal abuse came next. Then physical. When he hit me, I left him. He promised that if I tried to divorce him, or said anything, he would make sure I never worked as a vet again. He almost succeeded. Might have if not for Dr. Langford. Mark smeared my reputation as much as it could be. Vindictive doesn’t even cover what he did.”
Eve’s face paled. “And the proceeds from your practice?”
“Disappeared in a ‘bad investment.’ You wonder why I’m not as eager to embrace Clint Morgan as you are. I don’t know him. I’m suspicious of most men, and particularly charming ones. Second, I’ve been receiving phone calls from an attorney in Boston. He’s representing Mark’s current wife. He’s doing to her what was done to me. They want my help.”
“Oh Lord, Steph, I’m sorry. What can I do?”
“There’s nothing. But if I agree to help them, I can expect retribution. I wanted you to know in advance.”
“Are you going to help?”
“My first reaction was no,” Stephanie said. “But then that may let Mark win again. I don’t know if I can do that. I’m going to listen to them. The lawyer and Mark’s wife will be here tomorrow.”
Eve touched her arm. “You have friends here, Stephanie. Josh, me, Tony Keller. He’s still police chief and a really good one. Then there’s Nate and all the people you’ve helped. You have a fortress here, my friend.”
“He’s my problem, not yours.”
“He will be, if he tries to cause trouble here.”
“But now you know why I don’t jump on the Clint Morgan bandwagon. I don’t trust charm. Even if I did, he’ll not be here long. It would be more than stupid to get involved.”
“That’s what I thought about Josh.”
“Don’t try being a matchmaker with me, Eve. I’ve had two strikes. I don’t intend on going for an out.”
“Clint’s a soldier, Steph. He’s not a banker. And Josh is a good judge of character. Clint’s exactly what he seems to be.”
“You think?” Steph shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I like my independence. I won’t risk it. I’m really happy about you and Josh. I think you two are great together. It’s just not for me.”
“Okay,” Eve said. “But that doesn’t affect my problem with Braveheart. So keep Lulu available, okay? She really seems to be a sweet dog. We need one ordinary mutt around.”
“Will do.”
“Remember, Josh and I—and Tony—are only a call away.”
Stephanie nodded. “I’ve learned to take care of myself.”
“No such thing with a sociopath. This man sounds like one. Promise you’ll keep me posted.”
“I will. What about lunch? My next appointment is at 2:00 p.m. I was going to do some paperwork, but a patty melt sounds better.”
“I was hoping you would suggest that.”
* * *
WHY IN THE HELL did he agree to teach seniors to how to use a computer?
Sure, he’d taught younger chopper pilots, but then he knew choppers inside and out. Knew every screw that went into them, and he was teaching younger guys every bit as eager to be good pilots as he had been.
Civilians? Now that was a different story. Bill Evans had lulled him into agreement after several beers and a game of poker. And Clint was feeling pretty good. No headaches in a couple of days. No weakness. He liked the guys at the center, especially Nate and Josh. So he had agreed.
His first class was at 2:00 p.m. He decided to walk to Maude’s for lunch first.
The café was crowded. Every stool at the counter was taken, along with every table.
Maude approached him. “We’re full, thank the good Lord,” she said, “but Eve and Stephanie have the back booth. Is that okay?”
“If it’s okay with them,” he replied. Life had suddenly improved.
Maude hurried to the back, then returned. “It’s okay,” she said. “Do you know what you want?”
“A burger, fries and iced tea,” he said.
“Gotcha. Medium rare?”
He nodded and headed for the back booth. Eve was moving to the end of the seat in the booth. Stephanie sat in the middle of the opposite bench. They were halfway through their meal. He quickly sensed where he was supposed to sit, and it was not beside Stephanie. It suited him. He could look at her, although she didn’t seem overjoyed to see him. She was obviously still wary of him.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said.
“Absolutely not,” Eve said. The words were not echoed by Stephanie.
“I heard you’ll be teaching Harold Stiles and Mrs. Aubry today,” Eve said.
“I don’t quite know how that happened,” he said with a grin. “I was happily drinking beer one minute and the next someone volunteered me. Don’t you have some real teachers who can teach?”
“Well, I have Mrs. Aubry at two this afternoon, and Mr. Stiles later in the evening. I explained to Bill Evans that I don’t know how long I’ll be here, and that I’ve never taught anyone other than a fellow soldier, but I would give it a try.” He turned his attention to Stephanie. Her striking blue eyes challenged him, and he felt the now familiar jolt of attraction. “Hi.” Lame. Very lame.
“I hear you’re taking care of Braveheart,” Stephanie replied, the usual tart note in her voice.
“Just until this afternoon. Eve and Nick will be picking him up then.”
“Probably around six,” Eve said. “Nick has a Scout meeting after school.”
He nodded. He’s not yours.
“How long do you plan to stay in town?” Stephanie asked.
“Not sure. At least until I get Josh’s dock built,” he said. “Eve said you taught a search-and-rescue session this past weekend. How did it go?”
“Good.” The answer was short, not inviting other questions, but her eyes were a vivid blue and very alive.
“How did you get involved in rescue work?”
For a moment, he didn’t know if she was going to answer, then she shrugged. “A woman who lives on a ranch about thirty miles north of here raises retrievers and has trained several for search and rescue. Her daughter was a certified handler, but died in a car crash. I was the vet for their dogs and the woman wanted Sherry, her daughter’s dog, to continue in rescue work. I’d always been interested in it. So I said yes. Sherry was already trained, and I already had a lot of the required skills, so it was a good match.”
She flushed when she stopped speaking. It was obvious she didn’t like talking about herself, and after hearing her explanation, he felt an enormous guilt that he’d been reluctant to spend a couple of hours teaching several elder citizens how to use the computer.
“I would like to go with you some time,” he said.
She blinked. “Why?”
“I was in that business myself for a number of years. Search and rescue.”
“And kill,” she said.
“That, too,” he said mildly. “But it was the other part I liked about my job.”
Regret immediately crossed her face. “I was rude,” she said. “And wrong. I’m sorry. God knows I respect what you all do out there.”
“An apology isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is. I just had some bad news and I’m taking it out on you.”
“Good.”
“Why is it good?”
“Being irritated at me will take some edge out of the news.” He wanted to ask what it was, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get an answer.
“No, it won’t. I’ll just feel more guilt.” This time there was a hint of a smile.
He was aware then that not only Eve was watching with avid interest, but so were those diners within hearing distance.
His food arrived.
“I have to go,” Stephanie said. “Patients.” She put money on the table and stood. She nodded to both of them, then took off at a fast walk.
“Something I said?” he asked Eve.
“No. She’s just backlogged from this weekend.” Eve ate a French fry. “Thanks for agreeing to teach today.”
“I don’t know how good I’ll be at it.”
“You’ll be good. You have an easy manner about you.”
“Stephanie doesn’t think so.”
Eve frowned. “She does, and that’s the problem.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, truly confused. There was a mutual attraction between them. They had kissed at the corral! Why was she fighting it so hard?
Eve shrugged. “She’ll work it out. Now eat that burger before it gets cold.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to say more. He took a bite and it was as good as the steak had been yesterday.
* * *
MRS. AUBRY APPEARED in the computer room on the dot of 2:00 p.m.
Clint had had time to walk to the cabin and bring Bart back with him. He didn’t want to leave him alone all afternoon, not when he had to give him up later in the day. And no one he’d met thus far had objected to his presence.
The community center had twenty computers, ranging in age from ancient to ten new desktops with printers.
Before the arrival of his first student, Clint had taken several minutes to look at the computers. Basic. He played with one for a few minutes before Mrs. Aubry appeared in the door with a hesitant look on her face.
She had dressed for the occasion. She had to be in her late seventies, and didn’t make any attempt to hide it. Her hair was gray and pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. She wore what might be her Sunday best: a pink cotton dress with sleeves.
“Mrs. Aubry,” he said as he stood and went over to where she waited at the door. “I’m Clint Morgan. This is Bart beside me. I hope you don’t mind I invited him along, too. He gets lonely by himself.”
Some of the hesitation in her face eased. “That’s just fine, young man. I like animals.” She didn’t move. “I’m not very good at fancy electronic things,” she said with a tremor in her voice.
Clint knew what he shouldn’t say. He shouldn’t say it was easy, because that would make her even more afraid that she couldn’t master something “easy.” Instead, he pulled out a chair in front of one of the new computers. “Why don’t you take this seat, ma’am, and we’ll just play on the computer for a while?”
She sat, and he took the seat next to her. “How much do you know about computers?” he asked.
“Nothing. My daughter ordered one for me so I could email her and my grandchildren. They’re in Florida. But there were no directions so it’s been sitting in my dining room.”
“If you like, I’ll come over to your house tomorrow and set it up for you,” Clint said.
She looked hopeful, but then the worry lines on her face returned. “It’s too much trouble.”
“No, it isn’t,” he said. “And to tell the truth, you would be doing me a favor. I’m getting mighty tired of my own company in that cabin. And if you like, I’ll bring someone with me.”
“No need, young man. Eve vouches for you. That’s good enough for me.”
He spent the next hour showing her how to set up an email account and trade photos. Then he showed her all the possibilities of the internet and discovering information. “What do you like to do?” he asked.
“Gardening?”
“What about cooking?”
“I don’t cook much for myself any more. It’s just one person.”
“Okay, let’s look at meals for one person. See that line? Type in ‘meals for one person,’ or ‘quick meals for one.’” He watched as she hunted for the correct keys to type in the words, then beamed when a number of selections came up.
“You can use any combination of words to search for information,” he explained. “For gardening,” he said, “just type ‘plants, Colorado, shade.’ Or ‘sun.’ You can find anything in the world on this machine. You can play bridge or poker, though I wouldn’t recommend the latter,” he added with a grin. “You can go to a faraway place, or you can read many different newspapers for free.”
The hour was up far quicker than he had imagined. “Where do you live, ma’am?”
“On Oak Street. Two twenty-five.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want to impose.”
“Mrs. Aubry, it isn’t an imposition.” And it wasn’t. He liked her, and her pleasure was contagious.
“Eve was right. She said you were a very nice young man.”
He knew his face was coloring. “And you are a very nice lady,” he said. “The computer will take you to a lot of places.”
“Well, then if you’re...sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Thank you,” she said a little shyly. “I was really afraid I couldn’t figure this out, and everyone would see that. I’m not good at technical things. It seemed easier not to try. I wasn’t sure about coming today. I almost didn’t.” She looked like she was ready to cry. “Thank you,” she said again.
“Thank you,” he said and meant it. He felt useful. It was a gift.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
STEPHANIE FINISHED WITH her appointments early. Her 5:00 p.m. appointment was canceled. She decided to go over to Eve’s ranch and ride Shadow. Riding always helped her to think. Always gave her a sense of peace, and she desperately needed that now.
She had been unforgivably churlish at lunch today. She’d always supported the troops. She respected the hard job they did, and she was aware of the consequences of doing that job. How could she have said what she did?
It was something that could have come from Mark. But she’d resented Clint breaking in on her conversation with Eve, even if it had been Maude’s doing. She resented him looking so damned irresistible. She resented the frisson of heat that ran down her spine when he had looked across the table at her. She resented how her heart beat just a little faster when his lips turned into his wry smile.
She didn’t call Eve before arriving. The barn was always open, the horses free to roam the pasture whenever they wished. She had a bargain with Eve and Josh. They boarded her horse, and she provided vet services to their animals. The arrangement worked out splendidly for both.