When Claire looked ready to protest, Anna held up her hand. “No argument.”
Claire sighed exaggeratedly and stepped outside from Anna’s jeep.
Anna waited until Claire’s credentials were checked and she was buzzed through the doors before continuing to drive along the road toward the wounded warrior home, which was less than a half mile away.
It was close to seven-fifteen, and Neil was waiting at a small table overlooking the lake near a cafeteria window when Anna walked inside through the doorway. Neil was looking awfully good wearing jeans and a v-neck t-shirt, and Anna couldn’t help thinking how perfect that hard muscular body of his had felt against hers last night.
She paused, shaking her head dazedly. Was this really her? All she had to do was look at Neil and sex was instantly on her mind.
He stood up. “Good morning. Everything go alright last night?”
Her eyes lingered, and Neil must have noticed because a sudden smile covered his face.
She finally answered, “Claire’s doing better this morning. Did you sleep well?”
“No,” he growled.
Anna blinked, and studying his face, she grinned. “Yeah, I was thinking about you too.”
Neil had been nursing a cup of coffee, and he picked up his mug from the table and finished it off. “Let’s get our food before it begins getting busy. I heard from a good source that everyone starts swarming in at half past the hour, since the shift change happens at eight o’clock.”
“Sounds good.” Anna answered, moving toward the food line when Neil motioned her ahead.
Twenty minutes later, they were finishing up, when Phil and Nate appeared, stopping at their table.
“You sure got an early start this morning,” Phil said to Neil.
Neil answered, “I know there’re two bathrooms, but I figured I’d make it easier by getting out of your way.”
Nate answered, “Thanks for making the coffee.”
“Not a problem,” Neil said. “I saw that one of you stopped off at the store?”
“Actually, my wife sent along a bunch of food, so I wouldn’t have to do any shopping right away,” Phil answered.
“Wives can come in handy,” Anna said, grinning.
Phil grinned back. “I won’t argue with that.”
Nate gave Phil a nudge in the ribs. “Hey—we’d better get in line. It’s starting to get busy.”
“We’ll see you in a few,” Phil said, as he and Nate walked away.
“Have you had enough coffee?” Neil asked Anna.
“Yes. I went through nearly a pot this morning, because I woke up extra early.”
“Yeah, me too.” He glanced around as they both stood up from the table with their breakfast trays in hand. “Everything go alright?”
“Yes. She slept like a log last night.”
“She felt comfortable with you.” Stacking dirty dishes and coffee cups first, Neil laid their trays in the space provided nearby.
“Would you do me a favor, Neil, when we’re finished today?”
“Sure,” he answered, walking beside her down the hallway toward the conference room where they would be setting up their offices.
Anna glanced around them to make sure no one else was listening. “I think that Claire should have some kind of phone. Maybe one of those reloadable ones where you buy the minutes?”
Neil held open the door of the conference room, and Anna walked through. “Good idea. I think I might have seen some at the grocery store here in town. Of course, I’ll run and pick one up for her. I’m surprised Sarah didn’t think about that.”
“Well, apparently, Claire was only in town a few hours before Sarah got the call about testifying.”
Neil frowned. “I didn’t realize that.”
Anna studied the conference room. “You know, I feel kind of guilty being the only one who actually has an office.”
Neil shrugged. “Makes sense to me since you’ll be here year-round.”
“It suddenly occurred to me that we’re each going to have to come up with some pretty comprehensive plans, and it might be easier if everyone had their own space.”
“Eventually, everyone will, when the new facility is built.”
Anna answered, “True. But that probably won’t happen until at least next year.”
“Realistically, do you think this program will make it?” Neil asked, looking nervously at the door.
“The program is so dependent on the funding,” Anna admitted.
At that moment, Josh Loughlin came walking through the door. Looking immediately at Anna, he asked, “Everything alright? Sarah called me last night and told me what was happening.”
“No problems so far,” Anna answered.
“If you need to leave early, that’s fine. In fact, as long as everyone does the work, it doesn’t have to be here. You can even work at your cabins, if you’d like, but unfortunately, these computers have to remain here since we’re going to be rotating personnel.”
“That works for me. I’ve got my own laptop to use,” Neil answered. “Anna and I were just talking about how hard it might be to concentrate here with other people because of all the distractions.”
“You’ve got satellite internet at the cabins,” Josh said. “Most days, we’ll be having meetings in the morning here, along with a certain routine we’re going to be following. When we begin training you’ll be working a heck of a lot more than forty hours a week. That’s why you’re on salary.”
Anna nodded agreeably.
Within the next few minutes, Phil and Nate and a bunch of others filtered into the room. Apparently, there were several volunteers contributing to the project, helping with research and fundraising. Once the program became established, several of them were hoping to eventually be put on the payroll.
The group had a quick discussion about what they were looking for as far as facilities, and since many of the men and women volunteers were long established members of the community who were both young and old, their suggestions were welcome.
A bus was ready and waiting outside to transport them around the area, but Neil preferred to drive, and Anna decided to go along because he was obviously expecting her to.
Once they were following the bus in his truck, Neil gave Anna a side glance. “I figured we’d pick up a phone when we’re finished and get it to Claire right away.”
“Yeah, once I thought about it, I hated to put it off. Something about her ex always appearing has me wondering big time if she’s carrying something around with her that’s being traced.”
“Funny you should mention that. I was thinking the same thing too last night. Maybe you should pick up some standard girl stuff—like a wallet and purse.” Neil became thoughtful. “How about that one bag of luggage she was carrying? It looked like she’d been using it for a while, didn’t it?”
“It did—maybe even since she’s been married.”
“We can pick her up a bag,” Neil said.
“Or, I could give her one of mine. I’m not planning on going anywhere for a while, and I’ve got some extra bags I never use anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “Because they’re pink.”
Neil chuckled. “Alright. I guess I’ll have to remember you don’t like the color pink.”
Anna grinned. “I’ve never been a girlie girl.”
Neil gave her a side glance and waggled his brows. “Wouldn’t that be cute, you retraining weaponry tactics dressed in pink?”
“You’d be the one getting shot at,” she said dryly.
Neil laughed.
And Anna smiled. “Talking about laughter? You’ve laughed more in the last few days than I’ve ever seen you do it. Of course, I didn’t expect it on tour, but you were always so serious, even during training.”
Neil gave her a wry smile. “You make it easy, Anna.”
There was deep sincerity in his words, and Anna actually felt tears in her eyes, and quickly blinked them back. “That’s got to be one of the nicest things anyon
e’s ever said to me.”
“Get used to it,” he growled. “I promise I’ll be saying a heck of a lot more than that, if we ever get the chance to be alone again. Being with you makes me see how much of a mistake my marriage was.”
“Yeah. I can understand you not wanting to make a commitment like that again,” Anna answered, feeling her heart sink. What else could she do but go along with what he said?
Acting like he was going to say more, Neil was looking at her oddly.
“What?” she asked.
He cleared his throat. “Nothing.”
They were quiet for the last remaining miles, and Anna’s eyes went wide as they pulled into the property where construction had begun on the new facility. The living quarters for the service members had already been built, although apparently the plumbing still needed to be connected. But the mainframe of the facility had recently been marked out and some equipment and construction supplies were on hand nearby.
“This is beautiful. I wonder why someone would want to donate this property?” Anna asked.
“I was just thinking the same thing myself,” Neil answered, as he parked the truck beside the bus.
Stepping out from the truck, he went around to the other side, where Anna was already getting out on her own.
Neil grinned. “You could wait for me to open the door for you, you know.”
Looking sheepish, she answered, “I guess I’m just not used to it.”
But she suddenly became distracted by the view and rushed toward the towering overhang several yards away.
“Come over here and look,” she called out, waving at Neil. There was a steep incline with a path leading down to a river.
Neil approached, and Anna frowned, noticing he was walking with a little bit of a limp. “Is your leg bothering you?”
“Yeeesss,” Neil answered, sounding frustrated. “We never did get a chance to check out the gym last night at the inn. With all the driving I’ve been doing and being off my routine for nearly a week, I’m sure I’ll be fine once I start working out again.”
“Maybe you can get over there tonight?” Anna asked. “Even though I’d like to go along cause I’m feeling a little stiff myself, I’d probably better stick around the cabin with Claire.”
“I was going to offer to come over and keep you company, but I didn’t know if you’d think I was being overly protective.”
Anna laughed. “That’s alright. You don’t make me feel in the least bit inferior when it comes to my capabilities.”
He grinned. “That’s good to know.”
Josh approached them. “Hey, Neil. Did I just see you limping? I forgot to mention if you don’t want to go over to the Dragonfly Pointe Inn to work out, Steve, our trainer at the facility, will probably let you work out at the rehab center. All you have to do is check in with him first to make sure no one is scheduled to use the equipment.”
Neil answered, “I might just do that tonight if you think he’ll let me. I hate to be too far away since Anna is on protective detail.”
“That’s what gave me the idea. Truthfully, I’d feel better knowing Anna has backup since Phil and Nate don’t have a clue about what’s going on, even though they’re staying in the same cabin as you are.” Josh turned his attention to the property. “Pretty great spot—isn’t it?” He pointed across the ravine. “There’s the Crystal Rock Animal Shelter. That’s where I got my semi-service dog, Ralph.”
“It’s a beautiful location,” Anna answered, looking at Josh curiously. “Your semi-service dog?”
“Let’s just put it this way—he did not come highly recommended by the trainer when I was blind for over a year. But I’ve never regretted my decision to adopt him even once; although Ralph’s favorite pastime is giving me love, by jumping on me and knocking me over so he can thoroughly clean my face with his tongue.”
Neil and Anna both laughed.
And then Anna began studying the shelter. “Josh? Are we permitted to have animals at the cabins?”
Josh looked taken aback. “No one’s ever asked, but that’s usually because most of the people renting are staying temporarily. But I wouldn’t think it would be a problem since the floors are covered by heavy duty tile and the furniture was chosen mainly for durability.”
Turning away from the view, Neil grinned, looking at her face. “Are you kidding? So now you’re thinking about getting a pet?”
Anna laughed, nodding firmly. “Yes. Why not? I never had a dog or a cat growing up because our family was moving around from base to base because of my dad’s transfers. He thought it would be too difficult hauling pets around.”
“That sounds just like the colonel,” Josh said, grinning at Anna.
Neil’s look was definitely quizzical. “The colonel?”
Josh glanced at Anna first, and then at Neil. “Didn’t she ever tell you?”
Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth. “Uhm. I guess I never mentioned anything about my dad’s rank?”
Neil sighed heavily. “Nope.”
“Or my four older brothers? Two who went to the academy, one who’s a Ranger and the other who’s a Seal?”
“Anna,” Neil moaned. “Oh, no. You mean I’ll have five of them giving me the third degree? Do I need to be prepared for an inquisition?”
Josh snorted.
“Probably not.” Anna answered Neil, opening her eyes and giving him a nervous smile. “We don’t see much of each other these days. Everyone’s pretty busy.”
Rolling his eyes upward, Neil muttered, “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
Josh laughed, looking at Anna. “I think I’ll leave you two alone to work it out while I go put my foot in my mouth somewhere else.”
Anna looked anxiously at Neil. “You don’t really mind. Do you?”
Neil appeared thoughtful. “Didn’t you say that you and your dad had a falling out?”
Anna nodded yes, while staring back at the group. They were apparently ready to begin their discussion about the site. “But this probably isn’t the best time to talk about it.”
Neil nodded his agreement. “Alright, as long as you tell me about it sometime. Okay?”
“Okay. And you need to tell me more about yourself too.”
“Yes, I agree, there are things you need to know. Neither one of us is exactly an open book.” Suddenly reaching out, Neil twirled a loose strand of her hair in his fingers. The ponytail she’d gathered it into earlier today had come loose.
Anna gave him a wry smile. “Like you said yesterday—we think a lot alike.”
“Yep.” Neil was still staring into her eyes, looking thoughtful. “Are we really in accord?”
And there went those butterflies in her stomach again, gazing into his blue-gray eyes.
“We’d better get over there for the discussion.” Anna’s voice sounded breathless.
Neil heaved a sigh, answering in long syllables, “Al—right.”
* * *
The rest of the morning sped by as they discussed which facilities would best be suited for their location. Besides the offices, there’d been a unanimous vote for a basic workout gym, which would be more practical than one used by the public; particularly since one wasn’t available in town yet anyway. Since their trainees were adapting to disabilities, it would be more convenient for them as well as their instructors.
They were considering live-in facilities for the instructors but decided to forego that for now. Eventually, there would be cabins built for the rotational instructors since their jobs were short term. The wounded warriors participating in this program would be here strictly voluntarily, so assigning a group leader to handle any issues would work for now since there would only be a dozen active participants during the first quarter.
By the time everyone began piling inside the bus to return to the wounded warrior home, Anna and Neil were on their way into town in Neil’s truck.
Neil noticed the disposable phones were hanging right near the checkout lanes, and he pointed them ou
t to Anna as they walked into the grocery store. “I’ll go take a look and see what they have.”
“Alright. I’ll meet you at the checkout. I noticed there was a deli at the back of the store the other night which was only open until seven. I think I’ll pick up some food for later and drop it off at the cabin before we return to work,” Anna said, grabbing a cart and moving straight ahead down the aisle. “I’m pretty sure there was even a section where they sold t-shirts and tourist items. Maybe I can pick up a few things for Claire.”
“Sounds good,” Neil answered, walking to the left.
They were finished at the store another twenty minutes later and reached the cabin ten minutes after that. Neil waited in the truck while Anna went inside to drop off the items she’d purchased at the deli, along with a few things she’d picked up for Claire, remembering to plug in the phone that Neil had purchased to charge up the battery.
Anna pursed her lips as she stepped back into the truck. “Since I haven’t heard from Sarah yet, I should probably give her a call when we’re finished for the day.”
Neil nodded his agreement. “I imagine she’s just been busy.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing their individual programs. There was a reason Phil and Nate, as well as Anna and Neil, had been asked to be in charge of their specific classes to begin with; they all had great organizational skills. The program’s success was dependent on how well their individual plans for retraining the first dozen wounded warriors were carried through.
Anna was peeking at her watch when Neil looked over. “What time do you need to pick up Claire?”
“In about fifteen minutes.”
He nodded. “I’m going to go check with the trainer about using the facilities here temporarily.”
Anna nodded agreeably. “You’re coming over to eat with us. Right?”
He grinned. “Of course.”
Anna smiled. “Good. I’d better get moving. The first thing I’ll do when we get back to the cabin is get on my computer and activate that phone. Just come by whenever you’d like.”
“Alright.” Neil frowned. “Be careful. Maybe you shouldn’t hang around outside.”
Anna grimaced. “Yes. I was thinking about that too. I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling because of everything Claire’s been through. Something tells me there might be trouble brewing.”
Two Hearts In Accord (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Book 7) Page 8