by Cheryl Wyatt
“Kate, there’s no one remotely dressed like a bandit here. I took photos of each and every person in their costumes for Mitch and Lauren’s memory-book gift.”
Kate shrugged. “I know. He had to be a stranger.” Kate left out the part where knowing he was a stranger made him easy to talk to. It would hurt her best friend’s feelings to be told Kate found it easier to pour her heart out to someone she didn’t know. “Probably a wedding crasher who heard about the masquerade theme, since he knew enough to show up in costume. Whatever his reasons for being here, he did manage to show up at exactly the right time, when I needed someone to listen to me unload about my family fracturing apart.”
Bri nibbled her lip. Kate flinched at what she’d said and the painful memories she might have stirred. If anyone knew what fractured family felt like, Bri Landis did. Her father had been the first to drop out of her life—he’d walked out on the family when Bri was a child. Now he sat incapacitated in a nursing home with all hope of reconciliation gone. Her mom had passed away recently, leaving Bri to tend a run-down family lodge alone. Her brother, Caleb, the only family she had left, was deployed overseas, dedicated to building his military career.
Kate sighed. “I’m sorry, Bri. I shouldn’t be melodramatic, in light of all you’ve been through.”
Bri shook her head. “Nonsense. Things are looking up for me. While I desperately miss my geeky gun-toting army-medic brother, I’m freakishly in love and freshly engaged to Eagle Point’s most gorgeous anesthesiologist.” Bri wiggled her ring-embellished finger, reminding Kate how much there was to be happy about. Yet a twinge of sadness hit Kate instead. Mom, Dad...
“I’m also fulfilled being a mother figure to Tia. Though she’s only five, you and I both know Ian’s daughter is an amazing gift and constant source of joy. And of course her daddy and our wedding plans are equally bright on my horizon.”
Bright horizon. Kate recalled the bandit’s admonition that darkness never defeats the dawn, as the confidence that usually carried and defined Kate ebbed back. Grandpa could still get better. And her parents’ divorce wasn’t finalized yet—maybe things could still be fixed. If not, as Bri had reminded her, there was still so much to be thankful for.
Like a moonlit kiss from a handsome stranger.
Kate brushed the thought aside. She’d probably never see the bandit again. He was just someone God sent her way to give comfort she needed at her lowest moment. She’d weathered it, and was ready now to be strong on her own again—as always.
“Speaking of that handsome fiancé of yours, let’s go back in before he wonders where you are.” Kate rose to her feet.
Bri stood, as well. “Sure you’re all right to go back in?”
“Of course.” Kate flashed Bri the grin that used to win her the tiara back in her beauty-pageant days. “I’m always all right.”
For a second, Bri looked as though she wanted to argue, but with a shrug she let it go, leading the way back into the reception hall. Kate followed her with a quick, confident stride.
And if she paused for a moment before stepping through the door to look back at the spot where she’d last seen her bandit...well then, that was no one’s concern but hers.
* * *
Bzzzt! Army medic Caleb Landis snatched his phone before it vibrated off the sun-bleached windowsill. Stumbling out of his sleeping bag, he tripped over his bandit costume before finally settling on his feet and checking the phone’s display.
Sergeant Asher Stone. Not surprising. Their unit chaplain would be the first to check on Caleb’s well-being. The pair had received unexpected temporary leave of duty for exemplary service after extended back-to-back deployments and had left Afghanistan the same day.
“H’lo.” Caleb shouldered his phone to his ear as he rolled up the sleeping bag and checked out the window. No sign of anyone outside. Good—that meant his sister hadn’t yet noticed that he’d crashed in cabin seven of the family’s lodge the previous night without letting her know he was there. He couldn’t resist the temptation to surprise her.
“Hey, Landis. Calling to make sure you made it safely in.”
“Yeah, after a two-day flight delay back into the States.”
Asher whistled. “Wow. Seriously? Did you make it in time for Mitch’s wedding?”
“Nope.” Caleb turned a bucket upside down and sat on it. “Missed the whole ceremony and the first half of the reception. I didn’t even get a chance to congratulate the bride and groom before—” Caleb cleared his throat, blaming early morning fuzzy-headedness for what he’d nearly let slip. “So, um, how was your flight home?”
“Hold up, Landis. Before what?”
“I...ah...ran into someone before I could go into the reception. We talked for a while. And then I...left.”
“Left?” Asher repeated. “Without even going in? Must have been some talk. Wait a second, was it Kate you talked with?”
Caleb frowned. Asher knew him way too well. “Who said anything about Kate?”
“You did, Romeo, for hours at a time after your last stretch visiting Eagle Point. Come on, it’s not like you were subtle. Everyone in the unit knew about your insane attraction to Kate, who scarcely knows you exist. But hey, if she talked to you she must know you exist now, right?” Asher chuckled disbelievingly on the other end of the line.
“Well...sort of.” Before the previous night, he’d seen the beautiful nurse on only a few occasions. While Kate knew of him through her friendship with Bri, he’d bulked up since his last visit and he was certain she hadn’t recognized him at the point of the kiss. To complete the costume, he’d worn black contacts, disguising his gunmetal-gray eyes. And he...hadn’t been like himself. Yes, he was always spontaneous, so that was nothing new, but he wasn’t usually that smooth, that suave. He’d seemed to know exactly what to do to put her at ease, and that was a bizarre and unfamiliar situation for him when it came to a pretty woman. Especially that pretty woman.
Kate was Kevlar-strong to the core in a way that demanded respect. She and her family had earned enormous admiration among the military community, and she herself was a living legend. It had thrown him for a loop to see her so brokenhearted. Caleb had only wanted to alleviate the pain that put the tears in her pretty, sapphire-blue eyes.
“Do I want to know?”
“Doubtful. I screwed up last night. Didn’t handle the Kate thing well. It wasn’t my brightest moment.”
He didn’t—couldn’t—regret the kiss. But he also couldn’t help feeling he’d taken advantage of her vulnerability to steal a kiss Kate wouldn’t have given him under any other circumstances.
Putting aside the fact that he was pretty sure she really didn’t know he was alive, except as Bri’s little brother, he also knew from his sister that Kate was only looking for romance with non-military men. She was done with the danger of that lifestyle, and wanted a stable man she could count on to be around. Army medics like Caleb need not apply—especially considering his efforts to get accepted into the rangers.
“Anyway, I didn’t even get a chance to let my sis know I’m in town for four months. Hopefully she won’t be too mad. Maybe she’ll forgive me once I tell her I plan to renovate her bunkhouses before I leave and take that load of stress off her.”
“Then Bri’s wedding before you go back.”
Caleb chuckled. “Sure, remind me. I leave a brother-in-arms stateside to watch over my sister and he finagles her into marrying him and adopting his daughter.” He liked Ian, though. He treated Bri well and brightened her outlook after losing Mom.
“Hey, you’ll have a little niece to spoil.” Asher laughed.
“Yeah. I’m gonna buy Tia all the noisy toys.” Caleb smiled upon hearing Asher’s son, Levi, chatter in the background. It put an empty twinge in Caleb’s chest. He’d always wanted a son. But it wasn’t like he could pursue a family wh
ile training for ranger school. “Levi’s glad you’re home, I bet.”
Asher’s silence alerted Caleb this conversation was hard. Asher, an explosives expert as well as the unofficial unit chaplain due to his strong faith and natural, charisma-laden leadership, wasn’t easily rattled. Caleb sobered, remembering Asher’s recent abandonment by his wife. “He cries over his mom every night,” Asher finally said. “His tears are the toughest hurt I’ve ever had to take.”
“Sorry, man. You’ve got faith, though. You’ll get through.” Caleb knew what being left by a parent felt like. Not good. Poor little Levi. At least Asher drew strength from God and prayed. Caleb was still too ticked over Mom’s death to try.
“So how is Kate, anyway?” Asher’s voice held a serious note.
Caleb recalled the agony in Kate’s voice when she’d spilled about her parents splitting up. If anyone knew how to pray for Kate, Asher would. “Kate was a mess when I got to her. She’d been crying. Not hard, but hard enough for Kate. She’s by far the toughest woman I know, inside and out.”
“What was wrong?”
Caleb was confident Asher would do nothing with the sensitive information except pray, but he still wasn’t willing to share details. Kate had trusted him with those, and he’d keep them private. “Family stuff. Twisted me up to see her hurting.” In fact he’d almost caved and pulled his mask off when he’d spotted the tears reflected in the moonlight. But something took over and he’d just listened. Then he’d held her, then kissed her and she never once resisted. Proof that what made her cry had her insides turned upside down.
In truth, Kate Dalton scared him to death. It had nada to do with her third-degree black belt or her prior work as a hand-to-hand combat instructor for special ops personnel.
What scared him about Kate was that she made him think about things like home and family. Things he wanted, yes, but not yet. He had a plan, a goal—and something about Kate made him want to throw it all aside. Caleb shook his head, reminding himself to keep focused. He had to stay on track. He had to achieve his goals. He had to prove himself, once and for all. There’d be time for love and romance only when he was done.
Besides, he knew he wasn’t what she was looking for, either, and the last thing either of them needed was another hurdle or heartbreak. Clearly, they weren’t compatible as a couple—their dreams weren’t conducive to that. Still, the thought of the pain in her eyes the previous night made him ache. No, romance wasn’t on the table, but they could be friends during his time home, couldn’t they? She’d looked like she needed a friend.
“She needed a shoulder to cry on—and my shoulder happened to be handy. It was nothing more than that.”
That Asher grew silent on the line again gave Caleb pause. “Levi’s suspiciously quiet. I better go investigate.”
“Keep in touch, all right?” Caleb really looked up to Asher, particularly for his unabashed reliance on God. Not that he’d admit it. Yet.
“Gotta keep up with the Kate saga. Later, man.”
Caleb ended the call, chuckling. Not once had Asher preached. Just listened like a friend. Maybe Caleb could be that for Kate—a friend in time of need. Sure, he’d have to battle some attraction, but Caleb was used to overcoming obstacles. Her appeal would fade and they’d enjoy an uncomplicated friendship while he was in town.
Caleb set his phone on the sink. He caught sight of the bag harboring his disguise—and Kate’s mask. He picked it up. He hadn’t meant to take it with him. He just...hadn’t wanted to let it go. He ran a thumb over the silken edge. It reminded him of the feel of Kate’s lips. Elation vied for shame at the underhanded way he’d stolen a kiss when Kate had been too vulnerable to push him away.
Guilt prodded Caleb. The diamonds dusting the edge of the mask’s cat eye looked real. It was probably valuable. He needed to give her stuff back.
Now he had a new dilemma. How to let Bri know he was here without cluing Kate in to his arrival. He couldn’t let her make the connection between his arrival and the bandit’s. Not yet, anyway. If she knew what he’d done, she’d be furious with him for not unmasking himself the night before.
Later, when she’d had some time and distance from that night, he’d tell her the truth. She’d understand that he hadn’t meant to trick her. He’d only wanted to be there for her—as a friend. Nothing less.
Nothing more.
Chapter Two
Like anesthesia, it had worn off.
For the first day after the reception, the memory of her bandit and his words about darkness and dawn had been enough to keep Kate’s head held high. She’d been certain everything would somehow work out with her parents, and her grandfather’s health, and the whole mess her family had become.
But now, the following day, some of that certainty had started slipping away. “I always thought my family was stable, you know?” Kate jogged around ruts with Bri on their favorite outdoor running trail. “Of course, that’s not to say there were never any problems....”
“Like when you came here?” Bri suggested as she caught up with Kate. To their left, scenic Eagle Point Lake scrolled by. To their right, lush emerald foliage scented the air.
“Exactly. Dad and Grandpa weren’t happy I ended my military service, against their wishes. But look where their careers got them. One disabled, one about to get divorced. If Dad had ever stepped back from his career and focused on his marriage—made home and family a priority the way I wanted to when I left the service—then maybe he wouldn’t be getting a divorce today. And Grandpa’s surgery wouldn’t be nearly so risky if his service hadn’t ruined his lungs. Why can’t they see that I was right to leave it behind when I did?”
Bri’s countenance reflected compassion. “You were a terrific military nurse, Kate, but you’re doing great work here, too. No one has the right to blame you for wanting to go where you could be happy and have the life you want.”
“Yes, the civilian life. Thanks for understanding.” Lifting her face, Kate inhaled fresh air and absorbed the breathtaking scenery. “I love Eagle Point. It’s serene and quiet and quaint—everything that I want out of life.”
Sunlight glittered off the lake, highlighting impressive Southern Illinois bluffs and hiking trails. “In all my military moves, it’s the first time I’ve felt truly at home. I never want to leave it.”
“Especially since I’m here,” Bri teased.
Kate laughed. “One more lap around the lake?”
Bri groaned. “You just enjoy punishing my leg muscles.”
In truth, running and the scenery calmed Kate, took her mind off things and caused her heart to reach and yearn for its creator. Maybe He’d help save her parents’ marriage.
“Ah, well. We’re working off the massive amounts of cake we consumed at Lauren and Mitch’s wedding,” Bri conceded with a laugh.
“You’re next.” Kate winked and refocused her breathing.
Bri smiled brightly. “Three months. I feel bad my wedding plans are interfering with us hanging out.”
“It’s okay. It’s a season. I’ll adjust. Things will go back to normal soon.” Yet even as Kate said it, she had the horrible sensation things never would. Not as far as her family went. But the last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on Bri’s joy. “I’ve got a few new things to keep me busy. Keep my mind off my parents’ junk.” Kate kept her tone light and expression upbeat.
“Like what? Finding a certain bandit?” Bri winked.
Kate laughed. “Well, if he tracked me down again, I wouldn’t say no.... But seriously, I know I’m not likely to see him again. No, I’ve got some other projects lined up that should keep my summer pretty busy.”
Bri’s cheeks flushed with exertion so Kate slowed the pace as she continued to explain. “Mitch hit me up to be on the fund-raising committee for Eagle Point Trauma Center expansion projects. First
item on our agenda is Lauren’s grandpa’s first annual storybook ball.”
“I heard Lem was considering that but didn’t know it was a go yet.” Bri slowed as they neared the end of the run.
“Yep.” Kate glanced to the side. “You realize proceeds from the ball go to your bunkhouses, right?”
As Kate knew she would, Bri balked. “That’s not necessary.”
“Quit being tough on yourself when people reach out to help. Everyone knows you and Caleb almost lost the lodge, and everyone wants to see you make a success of it, instead. It benefits the community. Plus, you’re remodeling two bunkhouses for family members of trauma victims, which will be a terrific boon for our trauma center.” Kate swigged from her monkey-themed water bottle.
Bri nibbled her lip and sighed. “I guess it will be helpful for the town overall. Housing and hotel options are virtually nonexistent in Eagle Point.”
“Precisely why I’m glad you’re letting me move into the first of your cabins that passes inspection.” Kate paced her breathing. “Mitch has been merciful about the distance I live from EPTC, but the fact is, when I’m on call and we get a bad case, I need to be less than fifteen minutes away. My apartment is twenty.”
“The cabins should all pass inspection next month.”
“Great. Because crashing in EPTC’s nurse call room is not conducive to rest.” Kate sighed as her phone buzzed on one hip, her beeper on the other. “Ian.” She grimaced at Bri. “Since your fiancé is blowing up my phone instead of yours, I’m assuming we have an incoming trauma.” Kate hit the answer key.
Ian came on the line. “Kate? All is well here, but you have a rather interesting delivery at the nurses’ station.”
“My favorite Chicago-style pizza with anchovies?”
“Hardly. You should probably just come get it.”
Kate didn’t miss the probing curiosity in Dr. Ian Shupe’s voice. Head anesthesiologist on their trauma team, he was like a protective older brother to Kate.