Strangers When We Meet

by Rebecca Winters

  The memories of Nick chasing her around their old apartment making ridiculous hooting sounds like a gorilla were so real she found herself giggling out of fear and excitement.

  “Sweetheart?”

  “Nick!” she screamed laughingly in automatic response, whirling around.

  Too late she realized her error. Zach had stopped dead in his tracks, the bag of food in one hand, a video in the other.

  Like an automaton, he put the things on the coffee table, then straightened, his expression grim.

  “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

  Remember. To get in touch with your feelings, you have to be honest. Always tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts.

  She gazed into his eyes without flinching. “I was reliving a memory of life with Nick before he went to war. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I’m sorry if it hurt you. I love you, Zach. I think you know that.”

  The muscles twitched along the side of his jaw. “Has this been happening a lot?”

  “No,” she answered with conviction because it was true. “In fact tonight is truly the first time I’ve entertained any intimate thoughts of him.”

  “How intimate?” he fired back.

  She couldn’t sustain his glance and looked away. “Intimate,” she whispered.

  She could tell he was struggling for breath. “I swore I wasn’t going to ask you this question—”

  “I haven’t slept with him!” She cut him off before he could say another word.

  “But you want to.”

  At all times be honest, no matter how much you think it might hurt. In time you’ll begin to understand yourself. When that day arrives, you’ll know what to do.

  “I—I don’t honestly know.”

  “Rosie!”

  “Zach,” she cried, “make love to me tonight. It’s long past time for us to create our own intimate memories. That’s what’s wrong here. All this time I’ve asked you to wait. I’ve asked too much of you, of myself. I made a mistake!” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Forgive me. I’ve loved you so long. Let me show you how much.”

  “You think I don’t want that?” His voice shook.

  “I know you do. Come on, darling.” She lifted her hand, willing him to take it.

  “If I make love to you tonight, Rosie, there’s no going back.”

  “No going back.”

  “Be sure, my love.”

  I’m going through with the divorce, Rosie. It’s only a piece of paper, but it represents freedom for both of us. A chance for all concerned to start fresh.

  “I’m sure.”

  Finally he took her hand and she led him through the house to the guest room, where he’d taken some of his clothes and personal articles.

  When they entered, she grasped his other hand and held on to both as she looked up at him. “I’d take you to my room. But that’s the bed Nick and I slept in.”

  His features tautened. “Nick won’t be in this one,” he vowed fiercely.

  Relinquishing her hands, he unclasped the chain around her neck. Within seconds, the ring was back on her finger.

  “The first thing I want to do, Mrs. Wilde-about-you,” he murmured with a half smile playing around his mouth, “is take a shower with you. Since the day we met, I’ve had this fantasy of shampooing your hair and rubbing soap into your skin and…”

  The world tilted as he lifted her in his arms. With his mouth fastened to hers, he carried her out of the bedroom to the bathroom across the hall.

  “Yoo-hoo, Rosie!” a familiar voice called from the front foyer. “It’s Grandpa and Grandma. Are you here? Rosie? Cody?”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “JUST A MINUTE!”

  Rosie was absolutely horrified. “Darling…” Her eyes darted to Zach’s.

  “Go!” he whispered against her lips. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  She fairly leapt out of his arms and tore off her robe on the way to her room. Once there, she pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she ran through the house to greet her in-laws, totally out of breath. “I didn’t know you were coming!” She gave both of them a hug.

  Janet patted her hair in the hall mirror. “We called and left a message.”

  Rosie urged them into the living room, where they sat down. “Zach and I just got back from Heber. Nick and Cody wanted to show me where he plans to live.”

  Her in-laws would have seen Zach’s car in the driveway, so she didn’t dare lie about it.

  Might as well take the bull by the horns.

  When nothing was forthcoming, she continued, “Cody and Nick are camping out on the property tonight. They’ll be back early because Cody has to go to school in the morning. Zach and I were just about ready to eat some Chinese food. I think he bought enough to feed an army.” She walked to the doorway and called to him.

  “Zach, bring plates and cutlery for four, will you?”

  “What’s that ring on your finger, Rosie?” Janet demanded.

  Oh, no!

  “Rosie and I are officially engaged, Mrs. Armstrong.” The announcement came from Zach, who entered the living room loaded down with dishes and containers of food. “We’re going to be married as soon as the divorce is final.”

  Nick’s father sat there attempting to pacify his wife. He kept clearing his throat.

  “We heard you’d become engaged on the cruise, but we thought of course you’d call it off now that Nicky’s back home.” Janet’s voice had grown cold and stiff.

  Rosie’s hands shook as she dished the food onto four plates. “I returned Zach’s ring and told Nick I’d like to try to make our marriage work again. But he said no, Mom. He’s filed for divorce. I received the complaint yesterday. He wants to get on with his life.

  “In a few weeks he’ll own a ranch in Heber. He’s doing everything possible to carve out a new future.”

  Janet’s eyes glittered a hostile blue. “He’s only doing this because you think you’re in love with Zach. It isn’t what he wants to do. I can assure you of that!”

  This time Nick’s mother was too angry for tears. She turned her venom on Zach. “How does it feel to move into another man’s house and steal another man’s wife, Mr. Wilde?”

  Rosie shook her head at Zach to indicate that he shouldn’t respond. This confrontation had been coming for some time. With Cody out of the house, tonight was as good a time as any to set Nick’s parents straight.

  “Mom, I know you’re hurting terribly. I know you are too, Dad. But we can’t change what’s happened. We’ve all got to move forward. Nick’s doing better than any of us. This evening he and Zach met and shook hands. They’re both behaving like civilized human beings because they know what it means to Cody.”

  Now that she’d started, she couldn’t stop. “I wish this decision didn’t have to cause you and Dad so much pain. You know how much I love you, how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me over the years. I want your love and friendship to continue forever. But the fact remains that Nick has made his choice.”

  “And you can’t even wait until the divorce is final to put that man’s ring back on?” Janet lashed out.

  “I’m in love with Rosie, Mrs. Armstrong,” Zach inserted in a calm tone. “She’s in love with me. We’ve known each other two years, and we’re ready to have a life together.”

  “What kind of life can it be when she—Nicky’s wife—took an oath before God to love him through the good times and bad, in sickness and health, to comfort and keep him until…until death…?”

  Zach’s lips had thinned, a ready sign that he was barely containing his rage. Rosie was feeling really frightened and tried to hold him back, but it was like trying to single-handedly change the course of a rushing river.

  “Your son was presumed dead for more than six years, Mrs. Armstrong. Did you expect your daughter-in-law to stay in mourning for the rest of her life? Do those vows reach beyond the grave?” he asked furiously.

  Janet got to her feet. “
There was no grave, Mr. Wilde. My son is very much alive. He fought for his country. Did you? I don’t see any hands or eyes missing on you.” She drove the point home.

  Rosie flinched, sick to her stomach. “Mom…don’t say another word!”

  But Janet was too far gone to listen. “He spent six and a half years in a prison underground where they tortured him, beat him up repeatedly, day in and day out. They put a gun to his head every morning, threatening to kill his wife and child if he didn’t talk. Every time they pulled the trigger, he didn’t know if he’d be dead or not.” She broke down sobbing hysterically.

  “They did that?” Rosie weaved and would have fallen if Zach hadn’t been there to hold her. I can’t bear it. I can’t bear it. She clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her pain.

  “They did that and more. But they didn’t destroy him. We all know who did that, don’t we, Mr. Wilde? I’ve heard of kicking a man while he’s down, but I never dreamed you could stoop that low.”

  Rosie couldn’t look at Zach. “Stop it!” she shouted, half sobbing. “Zach doesn’t deserve any of this. If you’re going to start placing blame, then blame me.” She pounded her chest. “I’m the one who didn’t believe Nick was still alive. I’m the one who let Zach think he had a chance. It’s not his fault! I want you to apologize to him. If you don’t, you’re not welcome in this house anymore.”

  “Rosie…” Zach whispered with compassion.

  “I mean it, Mom.”

  When he could see that his wife wasn’t about to speak, George got tiredly to his feet. “We’ll go, Rosie. Janet and I will stay over at the University Plaza Hotel tonight. Then we can meet up with Nick tomorrow.”

  “Dad?” She swung around. “Surely you don’t blame Zach for this.”

  He stood there and shook his head. Tears ran down his pale cheeks. “No. War is an evil thing. It’s the handiwork of the devil.”

  Rosie watched them leave. Even when the front door closed, she stayed frozen to the spot.

  Zach didn’t say a word. He simply picked her up in his arms and carried her to the couch. She burrowed her face in his neck and sobbed.

  “WERE YOUR BUNKERS ever bombed, Dad?”

  Nick took a deep breath and turned on his side to face his son. He’d thought the time would come when he’d want to talk about the past, but thoughts of Rosie alone with Zach were tearing him apart.

  “Several times, near the beginning of our captivity.”

  “What did it feel like?”

  “Well…I can remember one night. I knew it was night because they’d just transferred us from one bunker to another. It was cold. No sun. Even blindfolded, you knew it had to be night. Anyway, they’d just shoved us inside when the air-raid sirens went off. Suddenly I heard the front end of a low-altitude fighter coming in.

  “It’s easy to determine when a fighter’s pointed at you. There’s this very distinct sound, kind of a crackling noise, then there’s the concussion of the bunker.

  “I can’t describe it very well, but you kind of feel like you’re floating in air while the bunker’s being hit. It’s an unbelievably strange feeling. The bunker vibrates and there’s this popping in your ears, but it’s more than a pop. You wonder if you’re dead or alive. And then you hear the second fighter, so you know you’re not dead yet and you wait for a third then a fourth.

  “Since most formations fly in fours, that wait for the fourth one seems extra-long. By now the whole bunker’s in chaos. Everyone’s shouting and yelling. The Iraqi guards scream at each other, at us.

  “That one time I kept thinking if R.T. and I could run out the doors, we’d get transportation by hijacking a local bus, and we’d steal some weapons and find somebody who spoke English.

  “But then the fighters stopped coming and we were shoved in a cell, and any chance for escape was gone.”

  “Whoa! Dad!” Cody audibly gulped back sobs.

  “Whoa is right.”

  “I don’t see how you lived through all that.” After his tears were spent, he said, “Dad…”

  Here it comes. “Yes?”

  “I wish Mom were here.”

  “So do I,” Nick said softly.

  “I wish Zach would die.”

  “Don’t ever say that again, Cody!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Nick put his arm around his son and hugged him close. “Even if he was dead, your mother would still love him. Death wouldn’t change a thing. You kept loving me, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Go to sleep, son. We’ve got to be up early in the morning. Listen—just in case I have a nightmare, I’m going to move my bag a couple of yards away from yours. Sometimes I fling around. I’d never hurt you, but if you try to touch me, I might hit you thinking I’m trying to protect myself from one of the guards. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah.”

  Nick was tempted to tell Cody about his mother’s bruise, but thought the better of it for fear Cody might read more into that night than was there. Hell. Nick sighed. If only he’d been aware of Rosie’s arms around him….

  “Are you scared, bud? If so, you can sleep in the car.”

  “I’m kind of nervous. But I figure if you survived all that torture, I ought to be able to survive one of your bad dreams.”

  “Like father, like son, eh? You know what? Your mother not only raised a wonderful boy, she raised an honest one. You’re terrific, Cody.”

  “You’re the best!”

  “Tell me that in the morning and I’ll believe you.”

  “I love you, Dad.”

  “Love you, too. Good night.”

  Fortunately for Cody, Nick couldn’t sleep, not when his thoughts were filled with visions of Rosie in Zach’s arms.

  As soon as Nick knew his son had fallen off, he got out of his bag and walked around for hours, making plans for his ranch, thinking about the innovations he and R.T. could make. Together they would be successful. He was determined about that.

  Whatever the future held, he wanted to build something solid for his son. Right now he couldn’t imagine marrying again, having more children. He supposed it was possible. One day he’d try dating, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath that anything would come of it.

  Thanks to his father, who’d watched over an investment of Nick’s no one else knew about, he had enough income to keep him going until he made the ranch profitable.

  As early as his senior year in high school, Nick’s business teacher had taught the students how to make money through rollovers on stock options. It was risky, but if you knew how to play it right, your success could be impressive. Nick had applied the theory and begun seeing results.

  That led to his working for a brokerage, which in turn led to his making some good money, which he kept putting into investments. With the army paying for his education, he didn’t have to touch them. He had no doubt that in today’s market, he could make a lot of money in very little time if he wanted to.

  However, all those years in prison had taught him that other things were more important. Family topped the list. Helping those less fortunate came a close second. The next time he went for his therapy, he wanted to talk to the sixteen-year-old foot amputee who was also getting fitted for a prosthesis and having a hard go of it.

  By the time the sun’s rays were sending pink and gold shafts slanting across the valley, Nick realized he should begin making breakfast. Cody’s school would be starting in a little over an hour. They’d have to hustle to arrive on time.

  It was no news that Cody wasn’t a morning person, especially after their late night. He ate with his eyes closed and had no idea what he was doing when he helped Nick load the Rover. The minute they were off, he fell asleep and was out for the count during the forty-minute drive down the canyon to his school.

  Nick pulled the car up in front and had to practically shove his son out the door. Cody muttered something incoherent but managed to give his dad a hug before he disappeared into
the building with the other kids. Nick watched the scene with pure pleasure. This was the stuff of life, what he’d missed out on. Never again.

  Eager to clean up, Nick headed to the hotel. The temptation to drive by Rosie’s and see if the Passat was there was overpowering. But Nick figured that, if he was reduced to spying on the enemy, he’d lost more than his hand in this war.

  The minute he entered his hotel room, he saw the light flashing on the phone. Someone was trying to reach him. He wanted the message to be from Rosie, but it was probably R.T. To his surprise, the desk informed him that his parents were staying at the hotel.

  Though pleased that they’d driven up from St. George to see him, he wondered why they hadn’t slept at Rosie’s. When he called their room, his father answered. Apparently his mother was still asleep, but George would be over in a few minutes. He had something serious to discuss with Nick.

  The somber tone of his voice didn’t bode well. Nick felt a sense of dread as he showered and dressed. His worries that something was wrong were borne out when his father appeared at the door looking pale and drawn. Nick had the distinct impression Rosie was involved in some way.

  Nick drew his father into the room, then ushered him to the small dining table, where they could sit down.

  “Nicky—” George leaned forward with his hands on his knees “—I hardly know where to begin. It’s about your mother…”

  Nick was sitting back in the other chair, his long legs extended in front of him, ankles crossed. “I’m aware that Mom hasn’t been herself. She probably needs some counseling, Dad.”

  His father nodded his head sadly. “If you’d seen her in action last night, you wouldn’t have recognized her.”

  “This has to do with Rosie, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes. Your mom hurt her deeply. Maybe irrevocably.”

  A jolt like a current of electricity passed through Nick. “Tell me what happened.”

  Listening to his father relate the incident of the previous night, Nick felt as if his insides had exploded. He couldn’t sit still any longer. The thing he’d been dreading had happened. He’d lost Rosie, finally and completely, and now his family was reacting.