Course of Action: Out of Harm's WayAny Time, Any Place

by Lindsay McKenna

  Carter frowned. “You’re dismissed, Petty Officer.”

  Madison tensed. “Are you leaving?” she asked him, feeling panicked.

  “Please give us a moment, ma’am.” Travis held Carter’s dark gaze.

  Carter looked hard at him. She was an officer. He was enlisted. He was supposed to follow her order. But one look in the SEAL’s eyes and, no doubt, she knew she’d lost the battle. “All right,” she snapped, harried. “Make it fast!” And she huffed out of the room.

  Travis made sure the door was locked after the officer left. As he turned, he noticed how pale Madison looked.

  “Hey,” he murmured, losing his hardness. “It’s going to be okay.” He put the M-4 barrel down on his left shoulder and reached out, grazing her cheek. “You’re in charge here, darlin’. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  Her eyes changed, grew less anxious as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. God knew, he wanted to do so much more. If he could, he’d protect Madison, get her to the hospital E.R. for an examination and then hustle her off to someplace quiet, away from the snooping reporters. But Travis couldn’t.

  “I—I didn’t expect this,” Madison whispered, reaching out, resting her hand on his forearm. And her heart was tearing open because she knew he was leaving. She didn’t want Travis to go. Her emotions were wild. The pressure from the Navy officer made it worse.

  “Hey,” he rasped, sliding his arm around her, bringing her gently against him, “when that Navy officer comes back in, stand your ground. Tell her to take you to the hospital. And tell her you’re not going to speak to any reporters.” He gazed down at her upturned face. Tears were in her eyes and he could feel her vulnerability. Travis kept his anger hidden. He needed to help Madison up and over this stressful time. And stress it was. All she wanted was to go home. To feel safe. To be with her parents and have some sort of continuity to her life once again. Leaning down, he kissed her wrinkled brow. “Got it?”

  Madison leaned into him, pressing her face against his chest. “Yes, I got it.” Her skin tingled where he’d placed a chaste kiss on her brow. Looking up, she melted beneath his warm green gaze, that half smile hooking one corner of his mouth. A mouth she’d kissed. A mouth she wanted to kiss again. “You promise to come see me when you get stateside?”

  “I will.” His grin widened and he cupped her cheek. “You look like you don’t believe me.”

  His hand was rough and cherishing against her cheek. She pressed her cheek into his palm, closing her eyes for a moment, not wanting to tell him goodbye. “I’m afraid I’ll never see you again, Travis.” Her voice was unsteady as she lifted her head. The power, the sense of protection, his demeanor all spoke of a confident warrior who wasn’t afraid of anything. Or anyone. Not even an officer.

  “SEALs are good for any promise they make,” he assured her. He had to leave or he’d kiss her senseless. And Travis knew that Navy officer was probably popping rivets right outside that door about now. “I’ll show up, darlin’. You just get your big girl panties on and take charge of your life with that Navy officer. She has to obey you. Not the other way around. Okay?”

  “I will.” She wiped her eyes. “Thank you...thank you for everything you did. You put your life on the line for me.”

  He felt his heart lurch in his chest, wanting to have one more minute with her, knowing it was impossible. “You’re welcome. I need to go. That Chinook is waiting for me. I’m expected back at Bravo.” He leaned down and gave her a swift, hard kiss. Madison leaned up, her lips hungry, wanting him as much as he wanted her. Another time. He had to leave. Breaking the kiss, his mouth tingling with the softness of her lips, he drilled a look into Madison’s wide, moist blue eyes. “I’ll see you in two months. Take care of yourself.”

  * * *

  The August heat was rising, even at seven in the morning. Travis had just driven into the Skyline stud farm and met with the manager, Tom Baker. He’d introduced himself and asked if Madison was around. Dressed in a red polo shirt, jeans and cowboy boots, Baker seemed wary about a stranger showing up at this time of the morning. He had no appointment and the owners were out of town. Travis told him that he’d been part of the team that had rescued Madison, and that made all the difference in the world. Tom had pumped his hand, thanking him enthusiastically. Travis nodded and took the man’s sincerity for what it was. SEALs liked to keep a low profile and didn’t need civilian adulation, and he took the man’s gratitude in stride.

  Tom had taken him out of the office of the two-hundred-acre farm and pointed to a group of pipe corrals about a quarter of a mile from the office. He said Madison was working there with Odin, the Trakehner stallion. Travis thanked him and climbed into his black Chevy pickup and drove slowly down the gravel road toward a huge area where there were all kinds of corrals, a tack house and a wash station.

  He parked by the tack house, a white one-story building with a wooden porch and two rockers. Closing the door quietly, he spotted Madison in the largest oval ring. He pulled his black baseball cap from the seat and settled it on his head.

  There was fog lying in the cup-shaped area between the four small, round hills surrounding the training arenas. He didn’t want Madison to see him yet and walked just close enough to watch her. She was dealing with a tall stallion, a blood bay, his reddish-brown coat gleaming in the sun’s rays as they crested the hill. The stallion, he guessed, was Odin, the Trakehner breeding stud. His mane and tail were black, as were all four legs from the knees down. The stallion had a large white blaze on his face.

  Travis’s heart began a slow pound as he angled enough to watch Madison work the stud on a longe line. He smiled a little. She was wearing canary-yellow riding breeches, a short-sleeved cotton blouse and black leather boots that almost reached her knees. She sure had long, beautiful legs.

  Her gold hair was caught up in a long braid between her shoulder blades. He felt himself go hard with need of her. His gaze focused on Madison’s face. Her expression was one of intensity as the stallion, who was more than a little frisky, bounced, leaped and bucked around in a large circle on the longe line in the sandy arena.

  The stallion dwarfed her, which worried Travis. That was thirteen hundred pounds of animal testosterone on four legs and she weighed, what? A hundred thirty or forty pounds? He moved closer, concerned. Studs could be mean. They could turn on a person in a heartbeat. They liked to bite and get their way.

  Travis crossed his arms, watching Madison handle that fiery stallion. Her voice was firm and calm, coaxing the horse to trot around in the circle. Odin continued to snort and toss his head. Travis’s respect for her grew over the next fifteen minutes as she handled the seventeen-hand stud like a pro. Any concern he had for her vanished. Now he was getting to see Madison for the first time. In her world. Her environment. The look on her face one of rapture because she loved what she was doing.

  Even better, he realized she had full use of her arms again, and that was good news. Unable to help himself, he stripped her with his gaze. He appreciated her curviness, knew how good she would feel between his exploring hands.

  Some of his desire ebbed as he wondered if Madison would be glad to see him or not. Two months was a long time. And he hadn’t contacted her at all, even though, during the time away, she was never far from his mind or his heart.

  Travis watched as the stallion wound down. Madison had let him trot and canter, blowing off most of his steam so that he settled down and listened to her. The animal was magnificent, lean as a Thoroughbred, but taller, well muscled with a long, arched neck and a delicate, well-defined head. Odin’s small ears constantly flicked, listening to Madison’s husky voice, watching her facial expressions and body language. Yeah, it was a living dance between woman and stallion and damned if it wasn’t breathtaking.

  His mind moved back to those days with her in Afghanistan, the shock that had made Madison emotional and not her real self. The woman he saw out in that arena was in charge. Her confidence was
impressive.

  Rubbing his chin, having shaved his beard off as soon as he’d arrived stateside, he smiled a little. Yeah, this was going to get interesting now. Was the “old” Madison, the one who was in shock, who had been so drawn to him, still there? He was about to find out.

  * * *

  Madison was starting to pick up the slack on the longe line, getting ready to put the stallion out into his pasture for the day when Odin jerked his head up and looked toward the gate to the arena. His nostrils flared wide and he whuffed. It was a snort of challenge toward an intruder. What was that all about? Madison turned and glanced in the direction the stallion was intently watching.

  A gasp broke from her. Travis! Every cell in her body tingled with shock and then rampant excitement. He was wearing jeans, a polo shirt, the black baseball cap drawn low over his eyes. His walk was loose and casual, hands at his sides as he came down the slope toward the arena.

  He’d come! He’d promised he would. Her pulse leaped. As he drew close enough for her to see, his chiseled mouth curved into a lazy grin of hello. She couldn’t stop staring. Travis looked so different! The civilian clothes instead of his military gear. Even more breathtaking, he was clean-shaven, revealing just how handsome he really was.

  “Hey, you,” Travis called, standing at the gate, resting his arms on the pipe rail.

  Madison didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run to his arms. When he pushed that cap up to reveal his face, her chest tightened with so many emotions. His green eyes blazed with warmth. Her body went hot, hungry need coursing through her.

  “Travis...” she whispered, her attention on the stallion who was glaring at him like he was an unwanted suitor and intruder.

  “Better watch that stud,” Travis warned her, hooking his chin toward the blood bay stallion. “I don’t think he’s too happy to have another male in competition with him.” He smiled.

  “Oh...yes,” Madison muttered, swinging her full attention to Odin.

  “Were you taking him out of the arena?” Travis asked, straightening.

  “Yes. I’m going to take him over to his pasture. Would you open the gate?”

  Nodding, Travis walked over and pulled the long, wide aluminum gate open. “Nice animal. A handful, though.”

  She felt shaky with excitement. Odin sensed it, lifting his tail and prancing as she shortened the lead on him. “He sure is,” she agreed. Travis was standing five feet away from her, looking so damn good. The red polo shirt was like a second skin, revealing his powerful chest and broad shoulders. But it was the warmth in his eyes that made her knees go weak.

  Travis closed the gate after they’d walked out of the arena. The stallion was dancing around, eyeing him, snorting. Yeah, he was competition and the horse knew it. Maybe. Madison appeared happy to see him, but that didn’t mean much. He caught up with her and walked at her side.

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  “Okay.”

  “Your shoulders?”

  “Fine. Good as new. How about you, Travis?”

  He pulled the cap a little lower to shade his eyes as they halted at another gate to a small, green pasture. “I’m good.” He opened the gate for her. Standing aside, he watched Madison lead the stallion into the pasture. With just her firm voice, she made him stand still as she unhooked the longe line. Once free, the stud leaped away, galloping down the pipe fence, whinnying to his mares, who were in another pasture.

  Travis grinned. “He’s full of himself. Is he always like that?”

  Madison looped the longe line into her left hand and walked out of the gate. “He’s being nice this morning.”

  “Is it because he’s hot-blooded?” Travis asked as he shut and locked the gate. The sun glinted on her blond hair. He remembered holding that thick, shining mass in his hands. When she turned and faced him, his throat tightened. He wanted her so damn badly on every level. Maybe in two months she’d met another man? A hundred different rejections came to mind. He shoved his hands in his pockets and fell into step with her as they headed to the tack room.

  “He’s always like that,” Madison said. “Male testosterone unleashed.”

  “You handled him well.” She could handle him well, too.

  She smiled at him. “Unlike me in the cave, when I was falling apart?” His mouth drew into a slight smile and it sent heat streaking down through her. She’d kissed that mouth of his. Wanted to kiss him again.

  Shrugging, Travis opened the door to the tack room for her. “You were in shock.” And he could sure as hell tell the difference between then and now. Now Madison was confident, knew her mind, wasn’t at all shy or retiring. He liked that fierce warrior look in her blue eyes. She knew her power, knew herself. And damn, that made him want her twice as much as before.

  Sunlight shafted through the large window into the tack room. The wonderful odor of leather and leather soap encircled him. He watched her hang the longe line on a hook on one of the walls. She had the sweetest-looking body, tall, willowy and luscious. He leaned against the door, his arms across his chest, absorbing her into his body, into his heart.

  “Yeah,” Madison said with a laugh. “I was a mess back then, wasn’t I?” She turned, her heart in her throat. The sunlight backlit Travis and he looked powerful, even at ease.

  Travis nodded as she walked to within a foot of him. “Now you know what shock does to a person. Unless you actually see it or experience it yourself, you really don’t know how it can devastate a person.” He saw the reflective look in her blue eyes, gold dappling their depths. How he wanted to kiss her. Something told him to wait. He was a sniper with infinite patience, and she would be worth the wait.

  “You’re right,” Madison said. She turned and said, “I usually go to breakfast at this time. I get all the training done in the early morning because of the heat. Would you like to tag along?”

  “Yes. Let me buy you breakfast.”

  * * *

  Travis sat opposite Madison in the red leather booth at Tex’s Diner. It was filled with patrons and they’d been lucky enough to grab the booth from two departing customers. He sat there, his long legs spread out beneath the Formica table, white coffee mug between his long, spare fingers. Madison wore no makeup, and soft golden tendrils of hair curled around her temples. He smiled to himself, wanting to always remember her just like this.

  Madison sipped her coffee, happiness thrumming through her. She still couldn’t believe Travis was here. With her. Across the table from her. She wondered if anyone in the diner would ever guess he was a SEAL. Travis blended in, but then, he was a Texas boy and dressed pretty much like everyone else. No cowboy boots or hat, however. He’d taken off his black baseball cap earlier and set it at his elbow. When the waitress, a middle-aged woman with dyed red hair, came over to take their order, she had eyes for Travis. And who wouldn’t? The man could pose for the cover of GQ.

  “Has life settled down since I last saw you?” Travis asked.

  Madison nodded and set her cup down, her slender hands moving around it. “After you left me at Bagram I had to get mean with that Navy lieutenant. She about had an aneurysm when I told her I wanted to go to the hospital and not talk to the reporters.”

  Grinning, Travis said, “Got those big girl panties on.”

  She laughed and nodded. “Sure did.” Becoming serious, she leaned forward, her voice lower and said, “My God, I didn’t realize how popular SEALs were until my mother and father started fielding calls from all the big news television shows. They wanted to interview me.”

  “Did you?” Travis wouldn’t know. He wasn’t anywhere near a television set.

  “Heck, no. I guess I’m shy, Travis. I don’t like people looking at me or wanting a piece of me.”

  So, there was the reticence. He sipped his coffee watching her over his cup. Madison stood out like a buttercup in a dry desert compared to the packed diner full of people. She looked so fresh and natural, and her cheeks were flushed pink. “Good for you.”

>   “I still get calls,” she muttered, frowning. “It’s none of anyone’s business.”

  “SEALs are naturally gun-shy of news organizations with good reason.”

  She studied him, drinking in his relaxed face. It was no longer the hard, game face she’d seen in Afghanistan. She lifted her hand and touched his right forearm. “This is new,” she said, grazing a five-inch-long pink scar on the outside of his arm. “What happened?”

  Her touch was electric. Instantly, his muscles contracted. “Bullet grazed me,” he said, seeing real concern in her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It’s something, Travis. It isn’t that old.”

  “Three weeks.”

  Giving him a worried look, she said, “Are you in pain?”

  Yeah, he was, but not there. “No.” He wanted to change subjects. “Where’s the nicest restaurant here at College Station?”

  “Oh, that’s The Republic. Very fancy. Why?”

  “I’d like to take you to dinner tonight.”

  Madison’s eyes shone with surprise. “Really?”

  “It wasn’t like I could exactly ask you out over in Afghanistan,” he teased her dryly.

  She grinned. “Point taken. Did you want to take me out then?”

  “Absolutely.” Travis held her glistening blue eyes that stole his heart. She was so damned authentic. “Will you?”

  “Love to. What time?”

  “When do you get off from working at the stud farm?”

  “Around six.”

  “I’ll pick you up at say, seven?”

  “Could you make it seven-thirty?” She caught her long, thick braid and brought it over her shoulder. “After a day of working sand arenas, my hair needs to be washed.”

  “Want me to wash and braid it for you?” he teased, smiling. He’d never forgotten that night. Didn’t ever want to.

  “Not this time.” She raised her arm. “I got full range of motion now.”