They lay there silent, hands locked. He was rocked by what had just happened. He’d bedded women before. Now he knew he’d never made love to one.
“Wow,” she said simply.
He kissed her nose. “I echo that inelegant but quite accurate interjection.”
“Good,” she said. “Let’s do it again.”
“Damn, but you’re voracious,” he said. He wondered whether he would ever stop being startled by her. Just as he had the day they met.
“Honest,” she corrected him. “Some say to a fault.”
* * *
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, they took a shower together.
Eve had never showered with Russ.
She loved it. The intimacy. Soaping his body and studying him while she did. The way he soaped hers and kissed her as he did. She could have stayed there for a very long time. But the water cooled, and steaks were waiting.
She had never felt quite as free to do or say exactly what she wanted. Her mother was a traditionalist. Very proper. Then as a young wife married to a high school coach, she’d learned to curb her tongue. As city clerk and mayor, that was even more necessary.
Only with her father had she felt free of rules and “standards.” And now tonight.
Once dressed, she looked at her watch. It was nine. She should leave by eleven. She went into the main room, saw the back door was open. Josh was lighting charcoal in the pit.
She went back inside, topped up their wine and went outside. She studied the neat pile of charcoal and hardwood. Flame was beginning to flicker.
He held out his hand. She took it and stood close to him, silently. Words could ruin the magic.
Eve leaned against him, felt his strength. Warmth. She didn’t know how long they stayed that way, watching the flames flare up in the evening light. The moon was bright above them, as were the millions of stars that had come out. A slight breeze had taken the heat from the day. It was a perfect Colorado night.
When the fire was ready, she went inside to get the two large porterhouses that were sitting on a platter on the counter. Next to it were two new plates, two steak knives and forks. She took the salad from the fridge and could count the other items inside on one hand.
She found equally bare cupboards when she looked for salad bowls.
No sign of permanence here. Her heart sank. Why had she thought he was changing his mind about leaving? He certainly hadn’t lied to her. He’d made it clear he was a loner and a wanderer.
And if she’d known he might be leaving soon, would she still have slept with him?
Yes. She’d known there were no guarantees.
She took the steaks outside. Josh tossed them on the grill.
“We need to talk,” he said suddenly.
She didn’t want to talk. She feared what he was going to say, that this had been nice but he would be gone next week. Or the next.
But she looked into his eyes and nodded.
“You know very little about me,” he said. “You’ve taken everything on blind trust.”
“I know a lot about you,” she contradicted him. “I think maybe even more than you do.”
“You might be right about that,” he said with a wry twist of his lips, “but you should know what you’re getting into. I’ve never been part of a family. Never really lived in a house until now. My life has been army barracks and deployments. When I was a kid, my mother was a drug addict and we moved from one rented room to another. Half the time I slept in the street or on a bus. She died of an overdose the day I turned seventeen.”
She took his hand and held it tight. She realized he felt that his words were an indictment against him. She wanted to tell him none of it was his fault, but she didn’t think it would help. Not now. “What then?” she whispered.
“I stayed out of sight when she died, hoping no one would care enough to check on an addict’s son. If the authorities did, I knew I would be sent to a foster home, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was finally attending a high school I liked. The coach saw me running one day and recruited me for track. I lived on buses and stayed with other members of the track team, bummed food from them. Then the coach realized I was homeless. He let me stay in a basement room of his house. He suggested the army, and the day I graduated, I joined. It was my home, my family, for the next seventeen years until the leg injuries took me out. You can’t be a Ranger if you can’t move fast.”
“How did you meet David?”
“We were both sergeants when we went to Ranger school and we were paired. It’s pure hell. No sleep. Not much food. One endurance test after another. We pulled each other through and were assigned to the same outfit. The Rangers kept us together until he decided he wanted to be a dog handler and convinced our captain that our unit needed one. God, he loved that dog.”
She knew the rest of the story. About the last engagement.
He took the steaks off the grill and walked inside. She stayed where she was for a moment. The emptiness in his voice told her far more than outward emotion would have.
He was back in a minute with a pail of water he poured on the ashes.
Then he put an arm around her shoulders and they walked inside together.
She wasn’t hungry, but she set the table and poured both of them more wine.
He looked at her directly. “There’s something else. I have PTSD,” he said bluntly. “It comes at night, although I had episodes during the day in the hospital. I have nightmares and wake up yelling, and the bed is soaking wet. I think I’m back in Afghanistan. I could hurt you, or Nick. I can’t do that to either of you.”
“I don’t think you would ever hurt anyone you care about, even unconsciously.” She hesitated. “I love you.”
He went still, and she saw a muscle work in his jaw. Those brilliant green eyes swam with emotion.
“I didn’t believe it could happen so fast,” she said. “I didn’t believe the movies or the books or friends’ tales. But I think I fell in love the minute I saw your scowl that day we met. And the first time I saw your smile, I was a goner.”
“But—”
She ignored his interruption. “My husband died much too young and too suddenly. We had grown up together, and I thought that’s how love worked. Slow and easy. Nick was traumatized when Russ died, and then again when my father was killed. I said I would never put him through anything like that again. No love, no pain. I was wrong. Love is worth the pain.”
She tried to smile. “That’s my little lecture. I think we should eat the steaks before they’re ice-cold. You’ll need your strength tomorrow on the roof.” She gulped nearly the whole glass of wine.
He watched her with a bemused expression, then stood. Took the few steps to her. He leaned down.
The kiss was so tender, so achingly tender, she wondered why she didn’t melt down to her toes.
One step at a time. A giant step.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
IT WAS NEARING eleven when Josh took Eve home. After the kiss, they’d engaged mostly in small talk as they finished dinner. But the air had been electrified with emotion.
He insisted on taking her to the door but did not go in. Nor did he kiss her, although that took all his willpower. He’d probably already damaged her reputation, and he’d discovered this night that when they started a blaze, it was damned near impossible to pull back.
But he continued to hear her words. Over and over again. I love you. Words he hadn’t heard before. Words that had power. Words that terrified him far more than the enemy ever had.
It was obvious that when she loved, she loved completely, without reservation. He didn’t know if he could do that in return.
Amos whined when Josh opened the door. Josh knelt on his good leg and put his arms around Amos, just as Dave used to do. He received
a big lick on his face.
Maybe he was catching on to this loving business.
He took Amos for his walk, passing by June Byars’s cottage. Her light was still on. The rest of the cottages and cabins were dark.
The sky was midnight blue, and the moon gave enough light that he could see the buildings in the park across the lake. This was Eve’s town, her heart and soul. Could he be happy here? Nearly everything in his life had been marked by action. He’d thrived on challenge and adrenaline. He’d been good at war, at violence.
But he’d also liked books. Learning. He’d chalked up a number of hours of university credit during off time. History. Economics. Literature.
His superiors had wanted him to get a degree and join the officer corps, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He’d just wanted to learn things.
He thought about Dave. He’d planned to drive to Pueblo to see Mabry, the attorney, but now he felt more of an urgency, although he couldn’t say why. A call would have to do.
He turned back. It was well after one o’clock now, already Saturday, and in a few hours he would see Eve again.
His steps quickened.
* * *
AFTER JOSH LEFT, Eve closed the door but lingered against it, trying to steady herself. Her emotions were running wild. Her body still tingled from their lovemaking, and tears had dried on her cheeks from his careful words about his past.
He’d confided in her. She knew from his voice how painful it was. He was a quiet man who’d learned to keep everything inside himself. Especially pain. She wondered if anyone else knew all of it. Maybe David Hannity had.
His words had torn into her heart. But they also told her that he cared for her. It had been evident in his touch, in his halting confidences...
The dogs gave her an ecstatic welcome, and she gave each of them a small treat. They promptly forgave her for not bringing Nick home. She then checked on the horses. With whinnies and head butts, they made plain their dismay at not being ridden more often. “Sunday,” she promised and gave them each a half carrot.
Those duties done, she retreated to the house and turned on her stereo. She could think better with music, and she had a lot of thinking to do.
Tonight had been full of ups—spectacular ups—and downs. He had never said the word love, and she’d blurted it out. Three weeks—less than three weeks—and she’d thrown aside all her reservations. How could she have done that? How could she offer her full heart when he wasn’t ready to do the same?
She would worry about that tomorrow. She needed to go to bed, but she doubted sleep would come.
* * *
JOSH CAUGHT ONLY a few hours’ sleep before waking at 6:00 a.m. He dressed in his most comfortable jeans and one of his paint-stained T-shirts. He wore his combat boots. He figured the thick ridges would help on the roof.
He arrived at the roofing site at a little after 7:00 a.m. after taking Amos to the animal clinic. Amos hadn’t been that happy about the outing until he saw Sherry. Then tails started wagging. Amos didn’t seem a bit sad to see him go.
He hadn’t bothered to eat. “Don’t worry about coffee or breakfast,” Nate had told him. “There will be plenty of food.”
Although he arrived only a few minutes after seven, the street was already packed with cars, trucks and people. He had to find a parking place nearly a block and a half away.
The roofing party was at a modest ranch that needed painting as well as a new roof. The yard contained several struggling yellow rose bushes, and the grass was almost gone, although what was there was neatly mowed. A large metal bin had already been placed in the driveway for discarded shingles.
Two men were untying the cover on the back of a truck containing new shingles. A nearby pickup truck was being emptied of its cargo of ladders, nails and tools. Roof boards had been piled next to a ladder that leaned against the house. One man was walking up and down the roof as if it was no more than a sidewalk.
Josh looked around for Eve, but didn’t see either her or her pickup, Miss Mollie.
Nate, who was unloading a ladder, raised a hand in greeting. “Hey, glad to see you.”
Josh helped Nate position the ladder against the roof. “What’s first?” Josh asked.
“Coffee, I think, and introductions. And something to eat. You have to try the cinnamon rolls. The best cooks in town try to outdo each other every time we have one of these.
“A new group of women will come in with lunch and still a third will bring supper,” he added. “My mom’s one of the latter. She makes a mean chili.”
“What if the roof is finished?”
Nate laughed. “The guys will slow up to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Is there a boss here?”
“Craig Stokes. He’s the one up there now. He used to do it for a living in Denver. When the market crashed, he decided to retire back here. He’s a native. And an army vet, too, by the way. Put in his twenty.”
Nate introduced him to the other volunteers. He immediately recognized the veterans by the way they greeted him with a “Hey, bro.” He stopped counting after a while.
In the next-door neighbor’s yard, three women tended a commercial-size coffee urn. He headed toward June Byars.
“Mr. Manning,” she said in a delighted voice. “I’m so glad to see you here.”
He grinned at her. “Those rolls look like they’re worth a lot more than a few hours of my time,” he said.
She beamed at him. Disconcerted, he grabbed a cup of coffee and a roll and took a big bite. They were still warm and so good he grabbed a second. He began to understand why so many people had volunteered. “Wow,” he said.
Mrs. Byars’s smile grew even broader. “There’s plenty left,” she said. The woman next to her was not to be outdone. “You’ll have to try my honey buns, too,” she said, “and welcome to Covenant Falls.”
He nodded. “I’ll do that next break, ma’am,” he said and followed Nate back to the work site. Nate introduced him to Stokes, who had climbed down from the roof.
“Glad to have you here,” Stokes said. “I saw you limp. Are you going to be steady on the ladder and roof? We need workers down here, collecting the shingles, getting tools and materials. It’s just as important.”
Josh didn’t take offense. It was the guy’s job to be careful. “I’ve been on a ladder rehabbing the cabin,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could handle it.”
“Okay. Ever tear off shingles before?”
“A few. I’m pretty good with tools.”
“Okay. Nate will get you a tool belt with everything you need.” He paused, then added, “If that leg starts bothering you, let him know, okay?”
“Sure thing,” Josh replied.
“Thanks for coming.”
Stokes turned back to the other volunteers, who were gathering around him.
“The shingles that are there are warped and damaged, and they all have to be removed. Probably need to replace a lot of roof boards, as well.” A collective groan came from the crowd.
Stokes continued. “For those who haven’t worked a roof before, it’s hard, exhausting, dirty work. Since we have more volunteers than usual, we’ll swap off every hour and a half. So those who don’t go up on the roof now can run the magnetic rollers to pick up the nails and go up in the next shift.” His gaze turned to Eve, who was approaching.
“Sorry to be late, guys,” she said. “One of the horses kicked up a fuss this morning.”
“That’s okay, Mayor, you’re here now.”
“Someone else is coming behind me,” she said. Josh didn’t like the forced sound in her voice.
“Yeah?” Stokes said.
“Sam Clark.”
Josh felt a shock, heard a murmuring around him. Others were surprised, t
oo. “I’ll be damned,” someone behind him said. “That’s a first. Sam doing something for someone.”
Josh saw worry on Eve’s face. She took Stokes aside for a moment. He saw her say something to him, but the voices were too low for anyone to hear. He saw Stokes nod, then return to the volunteers. “We have some new people here,” he said. “I’m going to put them between two roofing veterans. Mr. Manning...”
“Josh,” he corrected.
“Josh, you go between Nate and the mayor. They’re both expert.” He called out two more people to help another first timer. The rest, Josh assumed, were roofing veterans. “Those who don’t have a tool belt, grab one.”
Stokes went up to the deputy, who had arrived just after Eve. “Ever work on a roof, Sam?” he asked within Josh’s hearing.
“No,” Sam said and nodded toward Josh, “but if he can do it, I can.”
“I have enough volunteers for the first wave,” Stokes said. “You can help clean up the shingles and debris until the second shift. There’s coffee, donuts and cinnamon rolls next door.”
Clark scowled, started to protest then after looking at the faces around him, nodded and walked toward the coffee.
What in the hell was Clark doing here? He was glad that Clark wouldn’t be up on the roof with him.
Eve came to his side. “Good morning,” she said shyly.
She looked more appealing than ever in jeans and a T-shirt with a dark blue cotton shirt over it. She wore a Colorado Rockies baseball cap that pulled her hair back, and well-worn tennis shoes.
For a moment he forgot about Clark, forgot about everything except last night. “Good morning,” he replied, and felt like a schoolboy. Then he noticed that several other guys were looking at them. He forced himself to glance away, but Lord, he wanted to reach over....
“I’ll go first,” Nate said with a bemused look on his face. “You can watch while I take off the first few shingles, then you’re on your own. I think you’ll easily recognize any rotten or damaged boards. A red marker is in your tool belt. Okay?”
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