Diamond Lake Series: Complete Series (Bks 1-7) Boxset

by T. K. Chapin

  Inspecting the blade closer, I saw an inscription.

  Serve to Protect, Serve for God, Serve for Love

  My eyes connected with Hunter’s. He gently took the blade back into his hand. He paused for a moment as if he were caught up in some memory in his head. Then he made his way back over to the mantle, putting the blade back in its place on the stand. “My family fights for this country. Not for the recognition, not for the medals, and not so cute girls will dance with us down at the Spark on Friday nights. No, we fought for the rights and freedom of people.” His tone became rigid as it cut to a stop. He turned around, slightly facing the wall that faced the neighbor. “So people like that guy.” His eyes darted to me. “And everyone else who lives in this country can keep having an opinion.” Rubbing his chin, he shook his head. “I screwed up. There was no reason I should have been having that conversation with my buddy. You know. I just . . .” He sighed. “This world just gets so frustrating sometimes.” I wasn’t a therapist, but he was opening up like I was one. Imagining for a moment, I kind of liked it. His voice was smooth, and I could listen to him drum on for hours if he’d have me. Realizing he was doing nothing but yapping, he caught himself and redirected.

  “So was work good today?” he asked, brow raised as he sat back down on the couch beside me.

  “It was okay.”

  He brought his hands together and nodded. “Is serving the end goal? Like you enjoy it and want to do that forever?” His tone wasn’t demeaning, it was genuine. Hunter seemed to honestly be curious about my goals.

  Shaking my head, I looked down. “I hate it. I’d love to work with children someday. Maybe a preschool teacher or something like that.”

  “Why haven’t you?” he asked.

  Shrugging a shoulder, I was honest. “I don’t know. There’s money, for one thing.” Air caught in my throat. I was saying too much. My financial struggles were just that—mine.

  “I understand.” In a moment I wasn’t prepared for, I caught his eyes tracing me, invading me. We were merely strangers having a cup of tea. What was he doing? Or thinking? I couldn’t tell if I was upset about catching him check me out so blatantly or if I liked it. He raised his chin a little and bluntly clarified his interest. “What’s your boyfriend going to say about you being at my house?”

  I wanted to laugh. The last time I’d dated someone for any considerable amount of time was Brody. He was a kind guy and a cop, so he made me feel safe, but there were issues. Like every relationship I seemed to find myself in post-graduation of high school. Brody and I didn’t work out because of . . . Well, because of me, me being the type of person who leaned toward what my previous boyfriends referred to as obsessive. I called it wanting to spend time with who I care about. I always made who I was with a priority. Guys found the dedication, obsession or whatever term one would call it unappealing, to say the least. “No boyfriend,” I admitted.

  Hunter kept looking at me in that same way as before. I became increasingly nervous by our obvious attraction to each other. I just came over to say hello and to learn about him a bit more. I didn’t want to jump into anything in the first hour of getting to know him. Rising to my feet, I said, “On that note, I better get going.” He got up and gave me a hug. His smell tortured me in the best possible way. It was sharp, clean. The feeling of his steel-ripped muscles against my body as we embraced sent me colliding with the fast-paced relationship a part of me wanted, but I resisted. He grabbed his crutches and followed me over to the door to send me off. Grabbing onto the door as I stepped outside, he said, “Have a good night, Miley.”

  “You too.” The cool air was exactly what I needed on the walk back to my car at the diner. The desires, the emotions, the hormones were cranking up to unprecedented temperatures I wasn’t comfortable with, at least not with a stranger.

  CHAPTER 3

  After an early short-shift in the morning the next day, I went to Spokane to meet my sister, Abigail, for lunch down on 118th and Francis at a new bistro sandwich shop that just opened a few months ago. Snow was falling on the drive into the city, making the roads slick and a bit unbearable for someone like me, who hated driving in snow even though I had done it forever. The windshield wipers did their best to keep up with the snow coming down, whooshing and sliding the flakes of iced water across my field of vision. Traffic slowed down the closer I got to the city, and soon, we were at a crawl as whiteout conditions hindered the visibility.

  My thoughts drifted to Hunter, to last night. The way he looked at me made me feel beautiful, yet as if my privacy were slightly invaded. He was different than the men I was used to being around. He was aggressive, not passive. Exciting, not predictable. There was a part of me that wasn’t sure if being unpredictable was a good thing, like the crazy look in his eyes that first day, but another part of me, the more dominant part, didn’t care. I liked what I saw, and I liked the way he made me feel.

  When I made it to the parking lot of Ella Moore’s Bistro, I saw my sister in her black pea coat through the large bay windows that lined the front entrance. She looked her usual self—perfect posture and with that top button of her jacket fastened tightly, perhaps too tight.

  After I had shut off the car, I gripped the steering wheel and bowed my head. My prayer was for lunch to go well. My sister and I butted heads almost every time we met, which was probably why we didn’t meet very often. This occasion, much like the rest, was the monthly meet-up we agreed to, to appease our father on his death bed earlier in the year. Oh, the things we promise to those on their last legs of life. Our father was adamant with this arrangement, he made our mother promise to keep an eye on us and verify we were meeting.

  Finishing up my prayer, I got out and went inside. Stepping through the doorway, the bell above my head chimed, and the door shut behind me. I saw Abigail. She waved me over to the table as she took a drink of her water. She looked happy as I approached. This wasn’t usual for her. Her face tended to carry a tight and uniformed look. Not today. Something was different. I could see it in her cheeks, rosy red.

  “Miley,” she said with an uptick tone. Rising to her feet, she leaned in and we hugged. My mind swirled in confusion. We didn’t touch—ever.

  “Abigail?” My reply laced in confusion, wrapped in doubt. “What’s going on with you?” Our hug broke. I noticed her eyes. She was looking me head on. She said, “I met someone.”

  Three words nobody wants to hear, especially not an older sister who is still single. It was one of those moments where I couldn’t control my thoughts, couldn’t contain my emotions. For crying out loud, I’m older, and I should have been the one to marry first. Not Miss Uppity who buttons her top button of her pea coat and only drinks bottled water, never from the faucet. It was supposed to be me. I could feel my breaths shallow as I loathed her in the moment. I kept my composure, kept my thoughts hidden away. “Oh, did you?”

  “Yes!” She grabbed my hand and shook it like she was some sort of crazy person who had just been injected with a high dose of energy. I hated it. Unfortunately, Abigail wasn’t crazy, she was just happy. I felt bad for how much I hated her moment of joy.

  “Let me get some food ordered, and you can tell me all about it, Abigail.” My reply included a cheeky grin until I turned my shoulder, then I let it fall off immediately.

  There in the line, I stood. Glancing over at the table and my sister Abigail, I saw her smiling. Not at me in particular, but just smiling. She was happy. Having found someone for herself after all these years of being picky, she had finally arrived. Found a man. I know women aren’t supposed to be so reliant on being with a man, and the world tries to convince itself and everyone else that strong, independent women don’t need a man, but we all know the truth. We want to be loved. And if we’re truly honest with ourselves, a man of God who loves you is like no other love in the world.

  Feet shuffled forward, bringing me to the counter. After I had ordered a Philly cheese steak and a Coke, non-diet and knowing full-well Abiga
il would hate it, I took my food over to the table and sat down. Abigail beamed with another smile, ignoring the Coke. She sat waiting. She wanted me to ask about the mysterious guy. I really didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t say that though. It wouldn’t be right. Our eyes met as I brought my sandwich up to my lips.

  Pausing before I took a bite, I said, “Go ahead and tell me about him.” My mouth found the steaming hot cheese and steak between two halves of a sub roll. She started telling me about how he works at a bank and enjoys meeting his friends for beers at the country club. She gabbed on for nearly an hour about how amazing this Jared guy has turned out to be. Then, at the end of the ramblings, she said something that struck me as oddly unlike what she typically went for in a guy. It’s almost as if she’d decided to settle for less than she’s always wanted.

  “He has a child. Eight, I think.” Her hands found her cup of water and her fingers wrapped around it tightly. Her breaths were shallow. She looked upset.

  “Abigail.” My tone drawn and forehead dipped slightly. I knew she was disappointed in herself, so I was tormenting her.

  Her hand found her forehead as she rested her elbow on the table. Her voice quieted as her tone dripped remorse. “I know. I know.”

  Reaching over, I shoved her hand and knocked her off balance. “Stop being so . . . So you. You were just happy a moment ago. Children are a blessing. It’s not necessarily a bad thing he has one.”

  She raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Kids are messy. I don’t do messy. You know that.”

  My phone rang in my purse, putting the brakes on our conversation. I checked the screen to see it was Serenah. What’s she want? I wondered. She’s probably just reminding me about the Feed the Hungry event that’s tomorrow. Looking up from my phone as I let it slide back into my purse, I saw Abigail’s eyes. A hint of fear mingled with her newfound joy. Reaching across the table, I grasped my fingers around her hand and gave her a squeeze.

  “You’ll be okay. Just know that mother spent years with us—us, the worst of the worst kids and she still managed to come out the other end okay.” My laugh that followed caught my sister, and she began to laugh with me. We spent another half hour talking about life. Actually talking, something we didn’t do. I told her about Hunter, about the way he made me feel last night. She called me a lunatic for ever going back to the house after being frightened, and then insane for having any kind of attraction to him.

  “You walked by his house on purpose to see if you might see him outside? You know how insane that is?”

  “I know.” Pressing a hand against my forehead, I shook my head as I smiled at her.

  “You do this, you know.” Abigail adjusted in her seat, sitting up a little straighter but oddly leaning in at the same time. “You obsess over a guy if he shows the least bit of interest in you.”

  “Oh, whatever.”

  Her phone rang and she picked it up, peeking at the screen as she did. “I have to take this. It’s the mechanic shop. I’m hoping they have my car ready, but it was nice to visit with you.”

  “It was pretty decent, huh?” We both stood up, hugged, and parted ways.

  Calling Serenah back, I learned that her sickness had gone away. She did also want to remind me of the Feed the Hungry event again. It was tomorrow morning. I insisted I wouldn’t forget and scolded her for so many reminders. She apologized and then went on to ask about how I was doing with Wendy and work. After I had told her about the encounter with Hunter, she warned me about him. Told me according to Charlie, Hunter had been in some trouble, it was back before he enlisted a decade ago, but trouble none-the-less.

  Arriving back in Newport around four, it was already beginning to get dark and I decided to drive by Hunter’s house. He had been on my mind all day, and I figured why not drive by on the way home. As I turned the corner, I saw a guy walking a dog and he stopped at Hunter’s house, opened the gate, and went up the walkway. Who’s that? I wondered as I slowed down. The snow was still falling, but much lighter than earlier on the way into town. Hunter’s porch light was on and snowflakes illuminated in its glow as the man walked up the steps to his house. Pulling over to the curb, I parked and watched. Debate on whether I should go knock tossed around in my head as I saw the man enter Hunter’s house. No. This was too much. As I was about to pull away and drive, a knock on my window startled me. Looking over, I saw Hunter.

  A blush grew across my face as I rolled down my window.

  “Hey. I was just at the diner to see if you were working.” The faint feeling of a flutter stirred in the depths of my soul. He went to the diner looking for me. Maybe I wasn’t as crazy as I felt I was for pursuing him, or maybe we were both a little crazy. “You want to come in? My buddy, Luke, should be just getting back. You can meet him.”

  “Luke? You want me to meet a friend of yours?” Raising an eyebrow, I was skeptical at the speed in which we seemed to be moving, but I couldn’t help but feel partially flattered.

  “He’s a friend. He’s way cool. I served with his older brother, Alex, over in Afghanistan.” Lifting up a bag of food from Dixie’s, he said, “I have more tacos than he and I can eat if you want to join us.”

  “Okay. I’d like that.” That fluttering stirred more inside me. Turning my car off, I got out and went inside.

  Luke stood up as he saw me enter behind Hunter. Hunter said, “This is my friend, Miley, I told you about.”

  Hunter worked his way into the kitchen as Luke made his way up to me with an extended hand. “It’s nice to put a face to the name.” He beamed.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Luke.” My eyes bounced over to the kitchen doorway and then back to Luke. “So your brother served with Hunter?”

  A somber expression eclipsed the smile on his face. His chin dipped. “Yes, ma’am.” Raising his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder for a moment toward the kitchen, then back to me. “Hunter’s been like a second brother to me for as long as I can remember. We go way back.”

  Hunter returned to the living room with sodas in each of his pockets so he could use his crutches. He added to what Luke said, “Remember that volcano science project that exploded?”

  Luke went red in embarrassment and laughed. “Yeah, How could I forget? My mother grounded me for a month for the mess in the kitchen.”

  Hunter laughed as he nodded and handed a soda to Luke. Grabbing the other soda from his front pocket, he gave it to me. It was a Coke.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He went around the coffee table to the couch and sat down. Luke plopped on a recliner and kicked his feet up, I joined Hunter over on the sofa.

  “So do you live around here, Luke?” I asked, looking over at him.

  He shook his head. “No . . . I’m just staying with my grandma.”

  “Ah . . .” I replied, opening my soda.

  Hunter said, “Don’t be modest, Luke.” He turned to me. “He’s out here taking care of his grandma for just over a month now. It was supposed to be for a week or two.”

  Luke piped up. “She’s struggling pretty hard. Can’t hardly walk, talk or even function normally. It’s sad.”

  Hunter nodded. “She’s the reason we even knew we were both out here. We ran into each other at the pharmacy about, what, three weeks ago?”

  “Yeah.” Luke smiled.

  “That’s awesome,” I said.

  Hunter was about to get up and go grab the food by the door, but I saw what he was doing.

  “I’ll get it.” Standing up, I went and grabbed the food.

  “Sweet. Thank you.”

  Throughout the rest of the evening we ate, talked about growing older and they exchanged stories of them growing up and Alex, the friend and brother that they had lost. At about nine, we decided to put on a movie. By that time, the lights were all off and Hunter’s body was close enough that I could feel his warmth on me, but we weren’t quite touching. A cool breeze came through the room suddenly, sending a shiver down my spine. He noticed and go
t up with his crutches and grabbed a blanket from another room. On his way, back he put on a pot of water for tea. It reminded me of the way Charlie was taking care of Serenah when I was over there, and that brought a comfort to me. Handing me the blanket, he sat back down and asked if I liked romantic comedies as he began browsing movies in the Xbox store.

  “That’s my cue,” Luke said with a laugh and stood up. Coming over to me, he shook my hand. “It was nice meeting you, Miley.”

  “You likewise.”

  “Eleven tomorrow? Right?” Luke asked on his way over to the door.

  “Yep.”

  “Cool.” Luke left, shutting the door behind him.

  “What’s tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I’m getting the prosthetic a few days early. They called me this afternoon to let me know they got the new strap and finished the final adjustment. It should fit perfectly now.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  He smiled.

  He finally found a movie, and before he started it, he went to the kitchen to make us tea.

  “I got a thing of sugar at the store today,” he said, leaning in through the doorway with a look of pride on his face. “Did you want any?”

  Standing up, I went into the kitchen and saw him opening the package. Shaking my head, I touched him with my hand and let it slide down the curve of his back. “I’ll be okay without it.”

  He smiled over at me. “I thought you liked sugar?”

  I shrugged. “It was pretty good without it yesterday.”

  He nodded, and we went back into the living room. Sitting down together, I set our tea down as he grabbed the remote and hit Play. As the movie played, I found the gap between us lessening every few minutes. It was like this game between us that was unspoken, but it was real in a very tangible way. Then, he brought an arm up around my shoulders and pulled me in. Warmth radiated through me at his touch. His scent filled my nose and his touch invigorated my comfort. I felt safe. No words, just warmth covered me from head to toe. There were a few spots in the movie where we both laughed, but then toward the end when I laughed, he didn’t. Glancing up from his chest, I saw he had fallen asleep. It made me feel welcomed. It made me feel cozy. Before I knew it, my eyes grew heavy and I fell asleep.