“Ah...sweet,” the lieutenant grinned as he walked in some time later, his intense, gray gaze moving over the cookware lustily. His long, dark hair dripped water over his impressive shoulders. “Hey, Corporal, why don’t you sit down. I’ll cook tonight. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon and I’m going to make—”
“Oh sweet Jesus save us all,” Rick blurted out in horror as he joined them. “Ed, please. Not this again.”
“What?” the lieutenant protested hotly. He grabbed a clean apron and put it on. “You’re just bitching because the last time the meat came out a little overdone.”
“Overdone? Overdone,” Rick cried. He pulled three beers from Morty’s stash at the back of the generator-powered refrigerator and passed them around. He opened Paige’s before handing it to her then sat down on one of the chairs she’d set up next to Morty’s serving table. Rick cocked an eyebrow at her. “We had to requisition a new cooking tent because he set fire to the last one.”
“Not true,” the lieutenant protested firmly. He took a drink of his beer then set the can down. “Only half of it caught fire.” He shrugged.
Laughing, Paige poured the contents of her can into a glass and took a sip. She set a plate of prosciutto-wrapped melon in front of the three place settings she’d put out. At her request, Morty had specifically ordered the ham the last time he’d requested food supplies. He might be sensitive about her superior training but he was always open to new recipes.
“What’s that?” the lieutenant asked suspiciously. He picked up a skewer and sniffed it.
“An appetizer. Try it,” Paige said coolly, picked one up and bit into it.
Rick followed her lead and she could have kissed him when a look of deep pleasure came over his face. “We’re definitely keeping you, Corporal. When Zach gets back from that course he’s on, I’ll teach him auto mechanics. Or something.” Rick reached for his beer then another appetizer.
“I think I saw something like this. Season two,” the lieutenant said and took a tentative bite.
Paige felt her brow furrow and she looked up from slicing her blanched asparagus spears for the second pizza.
“Ed here got his hands on some old recordings of television shows,” Rick explained. “Cooking shows mostly. Now he thinks he’s a chef,” he added with a snort of disdain.
She set the second pizza in the oven then picked up Morty’s whisk. Paige started beating her yogurt-based salad dressing before drizzling it over the romaine lettuce and strawberries she’d plated earlier. “Maybe we can make a deal, Lieutenant,” she offered. “You let me cook and, after you retire, I’ll introduce you to my older sister. She’s head chef in my family’s restaurant. She’s a good teacher.”
The lieutenant’s face fell. “Your family owns a restaurant,” he repeated dumbly.
“Uh huh,” Paige said, checked on her first pizza then sat down to eat her salad. “Poppa’s executive chef now. He taught us everything he knows. Of course, I only studied long enough to qualify as a sous chef. I’m nowhere near as good as my sister.” She made a quiet sound of pleasure when she tasted her salad then forked up another mouthful.
“How come you didn’t stick with it?” the lieutenant demanded in dismay.
Paige shrugged. “I joined the Army.”
Rick laughed and knocked the lieutenant’s shoulder with his. “She’s got you there, Ed.”
“Oh funny. Should have known Zach would spring a ringer on me.” He took a second bite of his melon appetizer and his eyes widened in grudging approval.
“Don’t take it too bad, Ed. After all, other than shooting, cooking and patching people up, the Corporal here is pretty much useless. Isn’t that right, Paige?”
She returned his grin. “Absolutely,” she agreed then stood up when a timer dinged. “Now, tell me what you think of the first one. None of the local dairy farmers make provolone but one of them makes a goat-milk cheese that’s just terrific.”
After dinner, they sat around eating fresh ice cream. It was strawberry, like the salad. The duplication wouldn’t have been her first choice but strawberries were just coming into season. The men didn’t seem to mind as they scraped their bowls clean then looked around hopefully. The LT grinned ear to ear when he spotted the ice-cream churn, refilled his and Rick’s bowls to overflowing, and made quiet, embarrassing sounds of pleasure as he worked his way through his second serving.
Later, when the kitchen was clean and the lieutenant had finished his daily report, Rick lit a fire and they sat around it. It was him and the lieutenant swapping stories mostly, with Paige listening. Sometimes she paid more attention to the flames than their conversation. It was a good night. A relaxing night. And after she excused herself and went to bed, she fell asleep right away, and slept right through until her alarm woke her up for a new day.
Three weeks and a day after Edenton had officially been accepted for reclamation, a short convoy of Army Jeeps drove into town, along with a massive, mobile medical clinic. It was discreetly but heavily armored. The kind of vehicle Paige was used to working in. Captain Harold Tuck, the new squadron commander of the Army’s Third Reclamation Division stepped out. He returned the lieutenant’s salute and, along with the heads of every department in his division, walked with Lieutenant Pembroke and Sergeant Miles around the town’s main square. The lieutenant briefed him on what projects had been started and which ones were completed. He confirmed that water-quality tests had been carried out, and impressed the captain by advising that contaminated wells had already been filled in.
Paige, as attending medic, was invited to attend the town council’s first official meeting with the commanding officers of their new reclamation division. Sam and Flint Keane were quick to take seats on either side of her and Rick spent much of the meeting scowling at the attentive brothers.
The head of the division’s medical department, Doctor Major Fred Stern, was impressed when Paige briefed him on her inoculation initiative and was able to catalog the communicable diseases in the community and in neighboring ones. She’d worked in a reclamation division for over three years and although she’d never met the doctor, she’d trained under men like him. She knew they wanted their medics to be proactive and get the population healthy as soon as possible.
The lieutenant and the town council outlined their plans for the first weeks, confirming that the Army was there to provide tools, technical expertise, health care and security only. All improvements would be the exclusive results of the town’s labor. The new captain was obviously impressed by how much work the council and Eaglebird Recon had done. Usually, during hours of discussion, the walls of a meeting room would be covered with oversized pieces of paper, showing a detailed schedule of work as it was mapped out. Things like how many people would be required at each job site and what, if any, special skills would be required. Lieutenant Pembroke had that all prepared in advance and the council had copies of the plans ready to distribute.
As a result, the meeting broke up earlier than expected. Sam and Flint asked Paige if she could get off work for the afternoon. Maybe come to their house for dinner. The sergeant was quick to remind them they’d taken on responsibilities as members of the town council. He did that while strategically placing his massive body between them and Paige and glaring down at them with what looked like his most deliberate, knee-quaking stare.
Intervening with as much tact as possible, Paige asked for a rain check. She left the town’s freshly cleaned administrative building and headed to the mobile medical clinic.
On the way out, she passed an Army Jeep that was just pulling up to the municipal building. She thought she recognized the tall, blonde woman stepping out of the passenger door. The woman had a perfect complexion, clear, blue eyes and held an infant in one arm. Beside her was a toddler with pale gray eyes, and black hair tied back neatly with a ribbon. Paige smiled and walked up to the woman.
“Excuse me,” she asked, “are you by any chance Missus Pembroke?”
“Yes,” the woman replied. She was curious but not startled. Then she looked at Paige closely, especially her eyes. “Are you Winnie, er, Corporal Wynn?” When Paige nodded the woman rushed up to her, let go of her eldest-daughter’s hand and hugged Paige fiercely.
Paige laughed softly and returned the woman’s embrace. “It’s nice to meet you too. Your photo doesn’t do you justice.”
“I’m going to start blubbering if I don’t get a grip.” Selena Pembroke laughed at herself then released Paige.
Paige got a sense of why the lieutenant had married her. Selena projected a confidence that was centering. Paige knew she was at least five years older than her husband and was so lovely any man would fall for her.
“Ed asked me to bring the children. This is Dominique. And the baby is Elaine.” She introduced her daughters proudly. “The unit will be here for the better part of a week and he likes us to come and stay with him while they’re on base,” Selena explained. She looked at Paige with unguarded warmth.
“They’re beautiful,” Paige replied, stroking the baby’s head. She smiled apologetically. “Unfortunately, I have to excuse myself and report to the clinic. The lieutenant is in that building.” Paige pointed. “First meeting room on your left. They’re breaking up now and I won’t keep you.”
“Of course, Corporal,” Selena Pembroke said graciously then smiled again. “I’d like to talk to you over the next few days. Get to know you. I—we—have a lot to thank you for.”
“I’d like to get to know you too.” With a nod, Paige stepped aside then resumed walking to the clinic. Halfway across the street she heard the lieutenant’s voice. He sounded happier than he ever had. She turned and watched him run down the building’s steps, pick up his eldest daughter and hug his wife passionately. For the first time since she’d met him, the hard, cold core in his eyes wasn’t visible.
Rick stopped a few steps behind them and watched fondly before accepting a quick kiss on the cheek from the lieutenant’s wife. Paige turned and continued on her way.
She spent the rest of the day at the mobile medical clinic, and part of the next morning transferring her patient records. In between jobs, she introduced the rest of the medics to the patients waiting for treatment. She worked with the staff dentist and gave him the names of people she believed needed his attention first. By 0900, the clinic was in full swing and she glanced up when Rick walked in.
She looked him over critically and only when she saw he wasn’t hurt did she realize she’d been holding her breath. “What brings you here, Sergeant?” she said with false brightness.
“The head of their medical division, Doctor Stern, spoke to the lieutenant. He said you’ve done impressive work, Corporal,” Rick said proudly, “and wanted to know how many hours a day you’ve been putting in.” He deliberately ignored the annoyed look she shot him. Instead, he focused on the purple smudges beneath her eyes, the papery skin at their corners he’d seen developing days earlier but hadn’t been able to do anything about. “You’re to stand down from active duty for twenty-four hours.”
When Paige opened her mouth to protest he shot her down with an arch look.
“Don’t make it forty-eight,” he ordered sternly then tipped his head back. “Grab your things, Corporal. The lieutenant wants me to drive you back to base. Now,” Rick added firmly when she glanced around the crowded waiting area.
Her mouth thinned but she packed up her medical kit as ordered, took off her stethoscope and stowed it inside. She didn’t even protest when he shouldered the pack and carried it outside for her.
Their departure was delayed when she was stopped by the people queuing outside, wanting to chat with her. She picked up small children and commented on how they were growing and asked about the older ones’ lessons. They all knew her. They all liked her and it finally took Rick’s strong hand on her arm to make them understand she was needed elsewhere.
He opened the passenger side door of the unit’s four-by-four for her and held her elbow while she climbed in. She didn’t need the help. Far from it. But he’d take any excuse he could to touch her. For weeks now, Rick had held himself at arm’s length. At least he told himself he had. When they ran, he was always at her side with his shoulder brushing hers or him running backward, in front of her when he was trying to make a point in their conversation. He always had her spot him when they hit the weights. Or he spotted her and tried not to let anyone see him ogling her long, toned body.
Even now, as he settled into the driver’s seat beside her and hit the ignition switch, he couldn’t imagine her looking sexier than she did now—dressed in fatigue pants and a medical smock over her regulation, tan t-shirt.
They showed their IDs to the sentry just outside the reclamation division’s new base. Everything inside was completely mobile and the entire base, housing over three-hundred fifty soldiers, had sprung up in just twenty-four hours. It came complete with mess hall, administrative offices, barracks, clinic, recreational facilities, electricity and plumbing.
He parked in front of the barracks Eaglebird Recon had been assigned and carried Paige’s med kit in for her. The barracks were deserted this time of day. Everyone else was in town, finishing up their projects. When they were complete, the unit would stand down, and have a week off before pulling out for their next assignment.
Paige set her cap down on the table in the middle of the central gathering room. Her earthenware bowl of condoms had been moved there and placed prominently. She picked up the hand-lettered sign someone had propped up against it.
‘Winnie,’ it read, ‘thought you said this bubble gum wouldn’t taste like crap.’
She laughed quietly and handed the note to Rick when he came out of his office just off the gathering room. Sergeants were allotted more space than the other members of the unit. They got an office with a desk and behind that, private quarters which consisted of a bed, closet, and a private head. Although they had to use the same showers as the rest of the unit.
The lieutenant and his family were stationed in married officer quarters.
The rest of the barracks were standard. They were divided into male and female sleeping quarters, male and female heads and showers, and small, private sleeping quarters for the unit’s medic. In addition to being responsible for the health of their unit, medics had duty shifts in the clinic and their hours were erratic. Giving them their own room kept them from bothering the others while they were sleeping. And visa versa.
The barracks were a luxury Paige had taken for granted when she worked in reclamation. But never again and she thought about the wonderful sleep she’d had last night, in a real bed with real sheets and a floor underfoot that wasn’t raised plywood.
“You look happy.” Rick smiled at her and replaced the sign.
She noticed he’d dropped her med kit on his office desk, along with his cap. “I used to think these places were spartan. Now they seem like a slice of heaven.” She sighed happily. “You have no idea how deep and profound my emotional attachment to indoor plumbing is.”
Rick laughed and smoothed an errant lock of her hair back before catching himself and stepping away from her. “I should...um...” He looked around pointlessly.
“Did the lieutenant relieve you of duty this afternoon too?” Paige asked quietly.
“Um...yes.” Rick grinned wryly. “Seems I got an outstanding report too. All of us did. The lieutenant’s going to stand the whole unit down effective 1700 this afternoon. Any duties undertaken after that will be completely discretionary and on a volunteer basis.” He recited by rote then shut his mouth slowly, very much aware of the fact he was alone with Paige. With a closed door between them and the rest of the largely deserted base, and almost an entire day in front of them with nothing to do.
Chapter Six
When she slid her soft hand in his, he actually trembled. When she tugged and led him further into the barracks, he followed without hesitation.
“So you stretched the truth when you threatened m
e with forty-eight hours off duty when I wouldn’t leave the clinic fast enough?” she teased.
“Um...yes,” Rick repeated blankly. That pretty much described his mental state at the moment. His will had deserted him and he was aware of little more than the warmth of Paige’s hand, the way her vibrant hair was shining, and her body—only a step ahead of his.
She led him into the women’s shower room and closed the door behind them. Weeks ago, Paige remembered, he’d told her he wanted her to come at him. To take this decision out of his hands. Then he’d refused to let her while they were working, while the mission was on-going. That mission was now over. They might not have a future together, they might not have more than a few hours together but Paige was going to grab those few hours and make them last.
This man stirred her like no one ever had. The Keanes had shown her that. Anyone else was just a substitute. She also knew Rick wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Paige let go of Rick’s hand, lifted her smock over her head and tossed it onto a bench. Then she set her foot on the bench and undid her laces before pulling off her jump boots and socks.
Rick’s throat dried as he watched her. Paige wanted him. Why hadn’t he let himself see that? Because he couldn’t. Admitting their mutual attraction would compromise their working relationship. It would interfere with their relationships within the platoon in ways he couldn’t imagine. A romantic connection in a recon unit was beyond foolish. He’d never even heard of such a thing. But then, he knew of only one other active, female, recon operative. And she was an officer. Still, he couldn’t...
Whatever arguments Rick was chasing around in his head died when Paige unbuttoned her fatigue pants and stepped out of them gracefully. His eyes fixed on the scant triangle of silvery blue satin-and-lace that served as her underwear. Definitely not regulation. And definitely hot.
Gwen Campbell - [Love from the Ashes 02] Page 12