When the noise of the pounding rain had finally subsided, it was replaced by the heavy sound of panting and breathless moaning as Courtney and Darien slowly rode the intense waves of pleasure together. They pushed away their release until they could no longer hold it back, crying out like wild animals as they finally climaxed as one.
***
Darien had no idea she’d fallen asleep when she awoke in the darkness. The sky was full of twinkling white stars, and the space next to her in the bed was cool when she ran her hand over the sheet. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as her mind replayed the events of entire day. She had no idea what had changed Courtney’s attitude after she’d clearly been angered by something earlier in the day. Finishing the story of her time in the military had nearly torn her to pieces one layer at a time as she remembered some of the details that she’d finally forgotten, but it had made her feel like a little bit of the weight she had been carrying was lifted from her shoulders. Telling the entire story had also reminded her of how much she truly loved being a Marine.
She rolled her head to the side in the direction of the table where the letter from the Marine Corps was lying. She’d never faced a decision that she couldn’t make, but she was truly torn between the Marines and Courtney. She loved them both but could only have one. Mixing the two would be impossible. She sighed and squeezed her eyes closed. Images of Courtney’s naked, wet body filled her thoughts, making Darien want her all over again. That shameless desire was a need she’d never known before, and it was starting to feel really good. She tried to picture spending the rest of her life on the farm when she finally drifted back to sleep.
***
The next morning, Darien walked outside, sipping a cup of coffee as the sun was coming up over the rolling hills. She opened the tailgate of her truck and sat down. The orange and yellow mixture of colors was breathtaking. She had seen thousands of sunrises and sunsets all over the world, and she was amazed at how they managed to look different every single time.
“It’s mesmerizing, isn’t it?” Courtney murmured from a few feet away.
Darien jumped with fright, silently cursing her dark peripheral vision because she hadn’t seen the woman walking towards her. She grinned at the beautiful woman standing next to her and slid over, patting the open spot. Courtney smiled and sat down.
“I’m sorry for startling you. I need to remember to walk a little heavier around you,” Courtney muttered.
“It’s okay. I used to have ears like a dog, but my hearing seems to have failed me ever since I arrived,” Darien replied as she sipped her coffee.
Courtney grabbed her free hand and squeezed it. “Do you have nightmares often?” she asked softly.
Darien stiffened.
“It’s okay,” Courtney murmured.
“It’s gotten a little better since I’ve been here, actually.”
“The peaceful country air is pretty soothing. I know it’s helped me with painful times in my life.”
Darien nodded, sipping the last of her coffee before setting the mug down next to her.
“Your tattoo is amazing, at least what I saw of it in the dim light.”
“Thanks,” Darien smiled.
“What is written on the dog tag?”
Darien took a deep breath, which she let out slowly before answering. “Cpl. Davidson, Cpl. Smith, Cpl. Leonard is on one of them, and Bravo One 0313 is on the other.”
“What does it mean?”
“Bravo Section, First Squad, LAV Crewman,” Darien replied. “The names are the Marines that I couldn’t save,” she sighed as she hopped off the tailgate and headed into the barn to get the tools to start her day.
Courtney watched her walk away, knowing the pain of losing someone was hard enough. Not being able to save someone had to be the most difficult pain imaginable. She had a feeling the agony of this incredible loss and the burden of remorse were the reasons why Darien tossed and turned and awoke screaming with nightmares.
“Are you working today?” Darien smiled, stepping out of the barn with a shovel and a hoe. Her demeanor had completely changed.
Courtney grinned and pushed off the tailgate. “I need to go make Beverly’s breakfast first. Would you like anything?”
“Are you on the menu?” Darien teased.
Courtney shook her head and laughed. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
***
“You seem to have a little more pep in your step this morning.” Beverly grinned.
Courtney hadn’t even noticed her when she walked inside and headed to the kitchen to open the blinds before she started preparing breakfast.
Beverly looked through the glass. “I wonder if it has anything to do with that strapping young woman who is shoveling dirt in the back field.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Courtney replied, moving away from the window. The last thing she’d wanted to do was discuss her sex life with the mother of her deceased wife.
“Uh-huh. Well, try not to burn my omelet,” Beverly teased.
Chapter 19
Later that same week, Courtney had just gotten Beverly back upstairs after her lunch when Jason’s truck pulled into the driveway. She had no idea what he wanted, and she wasn’t in the mood for another confrontation. Thankfully, Darien was out in the field.
“We need to talk,” Jason said, walking into the house.
“Okay. What’s going on?” she asked, shooing him out the front door so he wouldn’t disturb his mother.
“I found this the other day,” he replied, handing her an opened envelope.
Courtney realized it was a letter from the Valerie person that Darien exchanged mail with in California. “We can’t read this!”
“It came to this address so we have every right. I knew she was hiding something. Go on, read it.”
“Did you open this? It’s against the law!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Whoever this Val person is, she’s wants Darien to come home, and she says something about not telling this family the truth.”
“What?”
“I tried to tell you and mom this woman was trouble, but neither of you would listen to me.” He shook his head. “You’re screwing her, aren’t you?”
“Jason, my private life is none of your business!”
“I knew it!” he growled. “Read the letter and tell me letting her into your bed wasn’t a mistake!”
Courtney reluctantly pulled the paper from the envelope and unfolded it.
Darien,
Ever since you came home from the war, you haven’t been yourself and going to see that family was a bad idea. You’ve been there over three months and you still haven’t told them the truth. That should tell you something. Come home and forget all about it.
I’m worried about you. Your life is here. I really think you should forget about why you’re there and move on. You have your life back and that should be all that matters. I know you’ve always had this reckless appetite for succeeding at everything you try, but when is enough going to be enough?
And after everything you went through, do you really think going back into the service is the best thing? I know you love the Marines, but your family almost lost you. Just think about it, for me...okay? I love you and I will stand behind whatever decision you make. I won’t tell your parents, like you asked, but you need to talk to them first. Whether or not you go back into the Marines, you belong in California.
We all miss you and love you!
Val
Courtney stared blankly at her hands as she folded the paper up and slid it back inside the envelope. She had a confused expression on her face when she handed it back to him.
“We need to get to the bottom of this. I want to know what she’s not telling us and I want her gone!”
“Calm down. I want to know too, but there’s no reason to be irrational,” she sighed as she turned around and headed out to the field. Jason followed without saying anything else.
***
“Here comes trouble,” Darien murmured to herself when she saw Courtney and Jason heading towards her. “Good morning,” she said when they neared.
“Why are you really here?” Courtney asked.
Darien looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“You’re hiding something from us and we want to know what it is,” Jason added with a slightly aggressive tone.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’m an employee here, doing my job,” Darien replied.
“We know you’re lying!” Jason yelled as he tossed the envelope at her.
Darien looked at the opened letter from her cousin and shook her head.
“Opening mail that isn’t addressed to you is a federal offense,” she sneered.
“Who the fuck is Val and why is she telling you not to tell us the truth? Answer me, damn it!” he shouted.
“My family is none of your concern and frankly, the contents of this letter is none of your business!” she yelled back. “So, if you don’t want to go to jail, you’ll get out of my face!”
“Go home, Jason!” Courtney hollered. When he looked sideways at her, she shook her head. “Just go.”
Darien loosened the grip on the shovel she was holding. She hadn’t even realized she’d gone into self-defense mode and was ready to run the shovel blade right through his midsection.
“Why would you lie to me?” Courtney said softly.
“I never lied to you. I don’t even know what is in that letter, so how can I defend myself? I can’t believe you would steal my mail and read it,” she growled.
“Jason did that, but I did read it after he told me what was in it first.”
“I didn’t come here to hurt anyone. I went through a huge ordeal and I needed a change of scenery. It led me to you and your family,” she said honestly. “I live a very private life. I thought you respected that.”
“I do, but you know everything about me and my family for that matter. I know nothing about you!”
“You know a lot more than you’re letting on.” Darien shook her head. “I’m not stupid. I hear you run down the stairs just about every time I finish a story with Beverly. Those stories are supposed to be private.”
“I—”
“I’m done talking about this. It’s no one’s business but my own. Now, if I’m still employed here, I have a job to do.”
Courtney nodded and walked away. She had no idea what to think or even say. The woman in bed with her, the woman in the letter, and the woman standing in the field were three completely different people.
Chapter 20
The next morning, Darien had just opened the barn doors when she heard the crunch of tires on the gravel driveway. She shook her head when she stepped outside to see who it was.
“I know who you are,” he growled as he climbed out. “I spent most of last night reading about Staff Sergeant Darien Hollister, the decorated war veteran.” He shook his head. “Ha! Some big war hero you are. What a fucking joke.”
Darien threw her arms up. “There you go,” she sighed. “You know my secret.”
“Oh, there’s more. How are you able to see when you are blind?”
Darien balled up her fists at her sides.
“Where did you get your new eyes from? It’s mighty strange how my sister dies and you show up not long after,” he spat as he reached out to snatch off her sunglasses.
Darien grabbed his arm and spun him so that his arm twisted behind his back. “Don’t ever try to touch me again, you pencil dick piece of shit. You have no idea who or what I am.”
When she let go, Jason swung at her face, but she moved too quickly and caught him with a right hook, busting his lips.
“You crazy bitch!” he screamed as he lunged for her.
Darien anticipated his move and threw him to the ground. He got up swinging at her like a maniac, and Darien moved from defense mode to attack. Only one or two of Jason’s swings connected, bloodying Darien’s lip as she went toe to toe, hitting him square in the face a few times, before he tackled her to the ground.
“Knock it off!” Courtney screamed from the doorway as she ran towards them. “Stop!” she screeched at the top of her lungs.
Darien pushed Jason away from her as the gravel dust settled. She had a thin line trail of blood running down her chin and a metallic taste in her mouth, which caused her to spit a small puddle of bloody saliva on the ground. Jason’s eye was starting to swell, there was blood pouring from his nose, his lip was split, and he was holding his side.
“What in the fuck is going on?” Courtney yelled.
“I’m done.” Darien shook her head as she reached for her broken sunglasses. “I’m sorry, I can’t give you notice, but I quit,” Darien said before running up the stairs.
“What the hell happened, Jason?” Courtney asked.
“Looks like he poked a stick at the wrong bear,” Beverly said from the doorway. “Come get an ice pack.”
“Make her tell you,” he grimaced as he walked towards the house.
Darien rushed back down the stairs and handed Courtney a piece of paper. “This is the title to the truck. Keep it, sell it, whatever. You can pick it up at the airport in Cedar Rapids.”
“Don’t go,” Courtney murmured. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I should’ve never come here. I’m sorry…for everything. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“Darien—”
“Tell Beverly she helped me more than she ever could’ve imagined and I’ll never forget that.” She tossed her back into the truck and turned back around.
Courtney stood a few feet away with a shocked expression on her face. Darien kissed her lips softly and whispered, “Please don’t hate me. I never meant to hurt you.”
Then, she got into the truck and drove away as Ernie was pulling into the driveway.
“Take the day off, Ernie,” Courtney said without taking her eyes off the blue truck moving further and further in the distance. “With pay,” she added.
“Did she tell you?” Jason asked, stepping up next to her with one icepack on his ribs and another on the side of his face. He watched Ernie turn around in the driveway and wave as he left.
Courtney shook her head.
“Coward,” he muttered.
“What I do know is she was a Marine and she was in combat. I also know three of her people died and she tried to save them.” Courtney turned and gave him the once over. “I don’t think she lied about any of that.”
Jason sneered.
“Care to tell me what all of this was about?” Courtney stared at him.
“She’s not in the Marines anymore because her unit or convoy or whatever was attacked. A couple of the men in her command died and she was severely injured and lost her sight.”
“Okay?” Courtney shrugged heavily.
“Courtney, she had an eye transplant.” He watched the color drain from her face. “All of this happened around the time Janice died.”
“No.” She shook her head.
“It’s true.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s all over the internet. I went to the library in town when I left here yesterday because I knew she was hiding something. She has all of these medals and a lot of the stories are about her service and the attack, but then I found a lot of articles about the transplant.” He tossed one of the ice packs down and placed his cold hand on her arm. “I saw her eyes. They were brown before the surgery.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I knew she was here for a reason.”
Courtney pulled away from him as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “Don’t say anything to your mom. This would devastate her,” she said before walking inside the house.
“Is everything okay?” Beverly asked.
“Darien’s gone.”
“What has that boy done?” she shook her head.
“No, Beverly. This wasn’t his fault. Not this time.”
Chapter 21
Darien
walked out of the airport with her suitcase in her hand. She’d changed out of her dirty, bloody clothes in Cedar Rapids before boarding her flight, so she at least looked presentable.
“Dare!” Val screeched as she ran up to her. “I can’t believe you’re home!”
Darien smiled and Val saw the crusted blood at the corner of her lip and scratch under her right eye.
“What happened to you?” she asked as they walked towards her car.
“Nothing. You should see the other guy.” Darien grinned.
Val laughed as she drove towards Darien’s house. “Are you back because you reenlisted?” she questioned cautiously.
“No. You were right. I didn’t belong there.” Darien shifted in her seat. “Although, I am reenlisting. I called from the airport and made an appointment for tomorrow morning.”
“I can’t say I understand why, because I don’t, but I knew you’d find a way to get back into that uniform.”
Darien nodded.
As soon as they arrived at her house, Darien tossed her suitcase on her bed and took a quick shower to wash the grime from the gravel off her body. Then, she changed into a clean t-shirt and pair of shorts from her dresser before donning her flip-flops. She searched around for a new pair of sunglasses since hers had been broken in the scuffle and finally found an old pair in a duffle bag in her closet.
“Want to go down to the beach?” Darien asked, walking out into the living room.
“You look a lot better. You need a haircut though.”
Darien laughed. “Yeah, it’s hard to find someone that knows how to cut high and tight in a little country town. I had to just tell them to trim it, then keep saying shorter, and shorter, until it would suffice.”
Val smiled and shook her head.
“Come on, I need some sand and salt air on my skin.” Darien grabbed her keys from the table and pushed the button to open her garage. “Did you drive this while I was gone?”
Second Chance Page 10