The Marine and Me

by Cathie Linz

  She reassuringly rubbed her hand along his arm. She didn’t know what to say to make him feel better.

  “I’ve just been sitting here thinking, willing Tom to live, not to give up. But that’s what I did. With you. I gave up without a fight.”

  Her hand stilled. “I don’t understand.”

  “This situation with my brother is a sharp reminder that life isn’t open-ended and that we shouldn’t waste time. We should grab onto today, because there are no guarantees that there will be a tomorrow. Instead of being afraid of that, we need to embrace it, to embrace life.” Steve reached out to trail his fingers down her cheek, his eyes intense with emotion. “I thought you needed someone to give you security and stability. But maybe what you need even more is someone who will love you for the rest of his days, however many days that may be. And maybe you’ll decide that you do need more than that, but I’ll never know for sure if I don’t say anything.” He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “I’m in love with you. There was just something about you that very first night I met you. My older brothers teased me about that, warning me that I was falling for you. But I was cocky and I assured them that I wasn’t about to jump back into the romantic fire again. Not after Gina.”

  Steve paused a moment and looked down at their joined hands. “But I was just blowing smoke in their faces. They weren’t buying it.” His gaze returned to hers. “And each time I kissed you, I tried to tell myself that we were just teammates. That we were just having fun. But I knew that it was more than that. And when we almost hit those electrical wires…I snapped.”

  “You pushed me away.”

  He nodded. “Because I was being noble, because I was scared. Because I thought you deserved someone better than me. Because I thought we didn’t have enough in common. But we have the most important thing. I love you and I think there’s a good chance you may love me, too. You’re the one for me, the one I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with.”

  Marry?! His proposal caught Chloe totally unprepared. She hadn’t seen this coming at all.

  She was afraid to believe it was true. She could tell how devastated he was by the news of his twin’s injury. Stress made people do strange things, things they later regretted. She didn’t want Steve saying anything he wished he hadn’t later. “I know you’re upset right now.”

  “Affirmative. But I’m also thinking more clearly than I have in a long time. What?” He questioned the doubt he must have seen on her face. “You still don’t believe that I mean what I say and I say what I mean?”

  “I believe you’re got to be terribly concerned about your brother and that you’re in the middle of a family crisis—”

  The sound of Chloe’s cell phone interrupted them. Chloe answered and then quickly handed the phone over to Steve. “It’s your grandmother.”

  She could tell by his replies that Wanda needed him to return immediately.

  “You need to be with your family now,” she said the moment he disconnected the call.

  Steve nodded his agreement. “Our conversation isn’t over. We need to talk.”

  She nodded.

  Steve drove behind her all the way home, as if looking after her. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but a part of her was touched by his chivalry even in the face of his own personal crisis. But that was Steve.

  His grandmother and his parents were all waiting in the drive when they pulled up.

  Chloe would have left them alone but Steve took hold of her hand as she got out of her car and didn’t let go. The words flowed around her, details about a charter flight Striker had arranged to depart from Midway Airport for Germany within the hour. Then they were leaving.

  Steve stood apart from his family for a moment to be with her. This time she was the one who raised her hand to cup his cheek. “You go see your brother. I’ll be waiting here when you get back and we’ll talk then.”

  “Count on it,” Steve said gruffly before kissing her with a passion that said so much.

  It was only after Steve had gone that Chloe realized she hadn’t told him she loved him.

  “Another day, another dollar,” Lynn noted with a grin as she met Chloe at the staff entrance to the library two days later. They were the first ones in this morning. “Have you heard from your Marine yet?” Lynn asked while moving through the library to turn on lights.

  Chloe shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “How long has he been gone now?”

  “Fifty-two hours and—” Chloe checked her watch “—forty minutes, but who’s counting?”

  “Right. You miss him. Did he leave a number where he could be reached?”

  Chloe nodded. “Several of them, including his cell number. But I don’t want to bother him. Not with all he’s got to handle. I did get an e-mail from Wanda saying that Tom’s condition was stable now, so that’s a good thing.”

  Chloe had called Lynn the night Steve had left for Germany, and had told her what had happened. They’d spent over an hour on the phone.

  “Have you thought about his proposal?” Lynn asked.

  “I haven’t thought about much else.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t know. He may have changed his mind about things by now.”

  The arrival of Martin, the library branch manager prevented any further personal discussion. A staff meeting took up a good part of Chloe’s morning.

  She spent the next few hours on the reference desk, answering phone questions and patron requests. The latest one came from a beaming woman in her early fifties. “My daughter just got engaged and she wanted me to get some books on planning a big wedding. I was starting to think she’d never get married.”

  After checking the subject heading on her computer, Chloe led the excited woman over to the area where the books on weddings were shelved. “I had a big wedding and I just loved it. How about you?”

  “I’m single.”

  “Well when you do get married, would you like a big wedding?”

  Chloe hadn’t really thought about it before. But now that she did, she realized that she didn’t want a huge wedding. Quite the opposite in fact. Something small but meaningful. Maybe even adventurous. She smiled. That was the effect that Steve had on her. One of the effects anyway. To live her life more adventurously.

  She loved him. She had no doubt of that. Even though they may not have known each other for a long period of time, she felt she’d always known him in some ways.

  But she didn’t know if he’d feel the same way when he returned from Germany. She certainly wasn’t going to hold him to statements made during an incredibly stressful time for him.

  Returning to the reference desk, Chloe concentrated on completing a departmental report on the computer. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone standing in front of the desk.

  “I’ll be right with you,” she said, her gaze remaining on the computer screen as she saved her file. “I was so involved I didn’t realize…” Her voice trailed off as she turned to find Steve standing there, in his United States Marine dress-blues uniform. He was a very impressive and totally unexpected jaw-dropping sight.

  Chloe was too stunned to speak for a second. Then she said, “Wha-at…what are you doing here? Are you okay?”

  “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

  She could scarcely put together complete sentences. “Your brother?”

  “I saw him.” A shadow passed over his face. “His leg is in pretty bad shape, but at least he still has it. He’ll need a lot of medical care, but his life is no longer in danger. Things could have been much worse. Anyway, he ordered me to get my butt back here.”

  “Why did he do that?”

  “Because he’s smart.

  “He’s really going to be okay?”

  Steve nodded. “It may be rough going for some time, but we Kozlowskis are a tough bunch.”

  “Sure you are.” She blinked away the threat of tears. “You’re Marines.”


  “And you’re a librarian. Which means you’re good at answering questions.”

  She figured he wanted information on his brother’s medical condition. Or something along those lines. She’d do whatever she could to help him. “If we don’t know the answer, we know where to find it.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Because I’m here to ask you a very important question.”

  “You are?”

  He nodded solemnly before stepping over to the opening next to her desk. She moved her office chair a bit to give him more room.

  Keeping his eyes on hers, Steve took hold of her hand and slowly went down on one knee. “Chloe Johnson, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” He opened the ring box he held in his other hand.

  It was the first time Chloe had ever shrieked in a library in her entire life. It wasn’t a loud shriek, but it was definitely a shriek.

  She immediately pressed her trembling fingers to her mouth as if to prevent further outbursts. The hand he held was shaking, but his hold was firm and solid.

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Are you sure?”

  Steve nodded. “I’m not only sure, I’m positive. Without any doubt whatsoever.”

  “Then yes, I love you, too! And yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He stood and took her in his arms, lifting her and swinging her around, right off her feet. “When?” he demanded. “Now?”

  “What?” As he set her back on the ground, she lifted her hands to adjust her glasses, which had slid down her nose. “What do you mean now?”

  “Let’s elope right now. The King Oil jet is standing by to take us to Las Vegas. Just say the word.”

  It was all happening so fast!

  “Come on, Chloe. Take this leap of faith with me. You won’t regret it,” he promised her.

  And here it was. Her turning point. She had the choice to play it safe and plan for a long engagement or to trust her heart and take the chance. To live an adventurous life. To take a risk. A leap of faith.

  The old Chloe would never have dared such a thing. But the new Chloe realized with a sudden insight that while Steve was the catalyst for the recent changes in her life—the newfound confidence and renewed determination to live life—those changes came from within Chloe. They had been within her all the time. Steve had been the key to unlocking them, but they were her strengths.

  That knowledge gave her courage.

  But enough courage to elope?

  Lynn appeared out of nowhere. She must have heard what was going on because she said, “If you’re worried about Sweetie, I’ll kitten sit for you while you’re gone.”

  “What do you want?” Steve asked Chloe.

  Her voice shook as she admitted, “I want it all. The Marine, the kitten, the bungalow.”

  “You can have it all. You just have to believe.”

  And just like that, she knew. Her smile came slowly before turning into a full-blown grin as she tugged his head down to hers. “I do believe. And yes, I will elope with you.”

  Steve kissed her, then swept her up in his arms. Their audience, patrons and staff, applauded his romantic gesture and called out their good wishes as he carried her out of the library and out to his Harley.

  Six hours later…

  “I was told that this is the best wedding chapel in Las Vegas,” Steve told Chloe as their limo came to a stop. They’d already visited one of the city’s exclusive shops and gotten Chloe the gorgeous dress she was wearing. The white georgette strapless gown had a tea-length A-line skirt. The ankle-strap white shoes were also brand new, and the sequins along their edge made her feel rather sassy. Her bouquet of a dozen hand-tied blush roses was simple and elegant.

  The car door opened, but it wasn’t their uniformed limo driver who greeted them. Instead Striker poked his head inside. “What took you so long?” he asked with a grin.

  “What are you doing here?” Steve demanded.

  “You don’t think we’d let you get married alone, do you?” Striker said. “No way.”

  “But we used the King Oil jet.”

  “Right. Did I fail to mention that we have more than one?”

  “Yeah, you did.”

  They got out of the limo to find a small crowd waiting for them. Not only Striker, but his wife Kate and their small son, Sean. Rad was there along with his wife, bookseller Serena. And Wanda!

  Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes. “But I thought you were still in Germany.”

  “No, I flew back with Steve. Tom has his brother Ben and his parents with him. He didn’t need me right now. Steve does.” She hugged him and then Chloe. “I’m so pleased for the two of you. I told you that you’d like her,” she added with a jab at Steve.

  “How did you know we’d be at this wedding chapel?” Chloe asked.

  “I was the one who did the research on the Internet for Steve about wedding chapels,” Wanda confessed.

  “Enough talking,” Striker proclaimed. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Steve pulled Chloe aside. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into here?”

  “I’m not only sure, I’m positive. Without any doubt whatsoever.”

  Chloe deliberately repeated his earlier words. “And I can’t wait,” she assured him before kissing him.

  He framed her face with both hands. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

  “I’m counting on you to show me as soon as we start our honeymoon.”

  “Count on it.” He straightened her glasses for her. “But it may take me a few decades to really convince you how much I love you.”

  “Are you insinuating that I’m a slow learner?”

  “Not at all.” Steve grinned. “For a librarian, you catch on fast.”

  “Oh yeah?” She shot him a saucy smile. “Well, for a Marine you…”

  “Yes?”

  “…are a keeper.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-5488-9

  THE MARINE AND ME

  Copyright © 2005 by Cathie L. Baumgardner

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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  †Three Weddings and a Gift

  *Men of Honor