by Debra Webb
~*~
Jane awoke just as the sun peeked over the treetops. Gold and rust streaked across the morning sky. She stretched in her bedroll and admired nature’s glory. She allowed herself a few peaceful moments of relaxation before rising. She thought of how it would feel to snuggle up to Tom on a morning like this. How his arms would feel around her, his lips on hers. Tom, the man with the big heart who loved kids and dogs. The man who now owned major property in her heart. Jane blinked away the too-vivid fantasy and sat up.
Those were things that took permanence and roots. Jane didn’t have either. Couldn’t have either in her chosen career. Sure, lots of soldiers were married, but it presented difficulties more often than not.
Jane frowned when she noticed Sandra asleep sitting up, a bundle of sticks and branches clutched in her arms. Coals that should have gone cold hours ago still glowed red in the fire ring. Jane’s frown eased into a smile. Sandra had obviously kept the fire red most of the night to keep the coyotes away.
Jane shook her head and got to her feet. Maybe she shouldn’t have teased the women about the coyotes. Jane hoped Sandra had gotten at least some sleep last night. She would need it before this day was over. A twinge of sympathy niggled at Jane, but she quickly pushed it aside. She had to be tough. Sandra, more than the rest, desperately needed to learn the definition of self-discipline, and the importance of teamwork.
Jane’s shoulders sagged when she considered how little self-discipline she had displayed where Tom was concerned. She blew out a disgusted breath. Who was she to point fingers at anyone else? The general’s words about this assignment being close to his heart still rang in Jane’s ears.
She hurried into the cover of the surrounding woods to take care of personal business before she awakened the dozen sleeping beauties.
“Rise and shine, ladies, you’re wasting daylight,” Jane announced loudly when she returned.
Startled, Sandra jerked to attention. She looked around at the others, then quickly tossed her bundle of limbs next to the now cold fire ring. Once on her feet, she dusted her hands and gave Jane a feigned smile.
“Good morning, Sergeant Jane,” she offered in her most sugary southern belle tone.
“Good morning, Sandra. I hope you slept well,” Jane returned just as sweetly.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve had my morning coffee,” she replied with a smile and a rapid batting of her long false lashes.
Jane rocked back on her heels. She was going to enjoy this. “Unless you brought a magic wand with you in that knapsack, there won’t be any coffee this morning.” The whole weak had been worth the look on Sandra’s indignant face at that moment.
“However, there is a squeeze packet orange juice included in your rations,” Jane added with infinite pleasure. She knew her glee at the woman’s expense was naughty, but she just couldn’t help herself.
Sandra scowled. “God, I hate the wilderness,” she muttered as she turned her back on Jane. “No cell service, no coffee, nothing.”
“Take care of any personal business, have your breakfast, and pack up. We leave in fifteen minutes,” Jane informed the still-sleepy group.
The ladies grumbled and wandered around aimlessly for a couple of minutes, but before Jane had to remind them of the shortness of time, they were falling into a routine of sorts. Jane moved around the group, ensuring that everyone was properly prepared for the long walk ahead of them. She listened intently as she neared the troubling threesome that included Sandra, Mildred and Beulah.
“I’ll give you fifty dollars,” Sandra offered in a hushed whisper that was still loud enough for Jane to hear and understand.
“No way,” Beulah muttered, shaking her head. “Mildred’s already offered seventy-five.”
Sandra gave Mildred an evil look. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Milly,” she threatened.
Mildred returned her icy glare. “You say one word to Vince and I’ll tell George about the ice cream.”
Jane bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud. She eased another step closer.
Sandra turned her determined attention back to Beulah. “A hundred and that’s my final offer, Beulah. So don’t try to gouge me for more.”
“Sold.” Beulah said as she exchanged lunch rations with Sandra.
Once Sandra had the lunch packet in her hands she quickly shoved it into her knapsack. “Thank you, Beulah,” Sandra said in that honeyed tone of hers. “I’ll remember your loyalty.”
When Sandra had gathered her things and sauntered away, Beulah looked at Mildred and giggled as quietly as she could. “What a sucker,” she hissed, then quickly looked left to right. “She could have had Crystal’s brownie for free. Crystal’s allergic to chocolate.”
Mildred doubled over with the effort to hold back her laughter. “You’d better not tell Sandra you knew that,” she choked out.
“Get your butts in gear, ladies,” Jane barked, breaking up their little tête-à-tête.
“Yes, Sergeant Jane.” Mildred scrambled to her feet and hustled after Sandra.
Beulah swiped her eyes and stood, still smirking over her little coup.
“Beulah.” Jane leaned close to the strapping older woman. “If I find out you took that money from Sandra, I’ll tell Colonel Jackson about Mr. Caldwell’s stolen clothes. I’m sure he won’t find it amusing.”
“What clothes?” Beulah demanded, her gaze narrowed suspiciously.
Jane smiled her triumph. “The ones I found under your mattress.”
Beulah’s expression wilted. “Oh, all right,” she griped. “I won’t take her money.” Beulah snatched up her knapsack, then grinned. “That boy’s got the cutest rear end I believe I ever did see.”
Flabbergasted, Jane watched Beulah stride away. No point in arguing with the truth, Jane decided. There were a great number of things about Tom Caldwell that were cute…gorgeous, in fact. She frowned. But she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him right now. Forcing Tom’s naked image from her mind, Jane gathered up her own belongings and set to the task at hand.
She had all day in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but her wits to entertain twelve spoiled ladies. Nothing in all her military training had prepared her for this.
Jane surveyed the good-for-nothing group standing before her. Well, she’d manage them somehow. It was a perfectly beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the forest around them was breathtaking.
At that precise moment the sky darkened and thunder boomed in the distance.
~*~
The downpour lasted just long enough to get everyone and everything good and wet. A great deal of the trail was now muddy and slippery. They were supposed to arrive back at Camp Serenity by 1400 hours, but Jane was pretty sure at this point that they wouldn’t make it in on time—if they made it at all.
Sandra Suddath and her friends were a pain in the butt under optimum circumstances. But wet and miserable, they were unbearable. Every step they took was accompanied by endless complaints. They were sore; they were tired; they were hungry. They needed a bathroom. They wanted to stop.
Jane wanted to stop.
“Break time, ladies,” she called out to her grumpy troops.
“It’s about time,” Beulah complained as she sat down on her bedroll. She began unlacing her shoes. “My dogs are killing me,” she muttered.
“Don’t take your shoes off,” Jane warned. “Your feet will swell and you’ll never get them back on if you do.”
Beulah groaned her acquiescence.
Jane scanned the others to make sure no one else had gotten that bright idea. “Drink some water, please. You don’t want to get dehydrated.” Jane took her own advice and swallowed a long pull from her canteen.
“What are we going to do about food?” Veronica whined.
Jane resisted the urge to remind them that they’d had lunch just over an hour ago. “We’ll be back to camp in plenty of time for dinner,” she said instead. “Maybe H
attie will have whipped us up another of her delicious chocolate cakes.”
A symphony of groans sounded at that suggestion.
Mildred stood and turned slowly around. “We’re not lost, are we, Sergeant Jane? None of this looks familiar to me. I don’t remember seeing any of this yesterday.”
Jane felt like wringing Mildred’s neck for that remark. Panic rumbled through the rest of them.
“No, we’re not lost. We’re simply taking a different trail back down the mountain, that’s all.” The ladies weren’t convinced. “I thought it would make things more interesting.”
“I’m sure Sergeant Jane knows exactly where she’s going,” Crystal stated above the suspicious chatter.
“Oh, Crystal, I’ll bet you were always the teacher’s pet in school,” Sandra complained churlishly.
Crystal braced her hands on her hips and glared at Sandra. “I was not!”
Sandra stood and matched her stance. “I am in no mood for your perkiness,” she snapped. Her face flushed a darker red as her irritation obviously mushroomed. “I am wet. I am muddy. My thighs are chafed. My feet are swollen and tender. And I’m damned hungry. So stop being do frigging optimistic!”
Jane scrubbed a hand over her face. She considered all that Sandra had said and decided that the woman had left out a few things like smeared makeup, a loose false eyelash, and mussed hair.
All hell broke loose then. The women were evenly divided, with half defending Crystal, and half taking up Sandra’s cause. Well, Jane mused, this little outing had certainly proven effective in teaching self-discipline and teamwork.
“Ladies,” Jane called loudly.
The battle continued, growing louder by the minute.
“Ladies!” Jane bellowed in her loudest, deepest drill sergeant’s tone.
Dead silence fell over the group. They all froze in place. Only their gazes moved, seeking out Jane.
“When you’ve resolved your differences, you may catch up with me.” Jane adjusted the straps of her knapsack. “Otherwise, I wish you luck in finding your way back to camp.” She turned sharply and marched away.
Several seconds of shocked disbelief passed before Jane heard the group scrambling down the trail after her. She shook her head in frustration. It would almost be funny if this mission weren’t so important to Jane. She laughed softly. Who was she kidding? It was damned funny and she knew it. These girls could star in their own reality show.
“Wait, Sergeant Jane, wait,” Sandra wailed. “We’re coming!”
Jane paused. She turned just in time to see Sandra sliding down a particularly slippery incline. Jane sprinted toward her. Barely a second before Sandra went down, Jane was there, grabbing her arm and slowing her fall. When she had Sandra back on her feet, she breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close for comfort.
“I’m okay,” Sandra assured her breathlessly.
Jane’s heart was pounding so hard that she felt certain it would burst at any moment. “Good,” she managed past the lump of pure fear lodged on her throat.
Sandra adjusted her clothing and started down the trail once more. Jane waited to make sure that each of the ladies made it past the slippery incline before starting after them. She blew out the breath she’d been holding. If Sandra or one of the others had been hurt, it would have been Jane’s fault. The idea of one of them really suffering because of something she did was scary. Success wasn’t worth one of them getting injured. Jane would just have to make sure that didn’t happen. She double-timed it back to the front of the line. She intended to be the first to encounter anymore risky areas. And this time she would be paying attention.
As Jane reached the front of the line and fell into a slower gait, the toe of her boot sagged on an exposed root. Before she could catch herself, she tumbled sideways and down the wooded slope to the right of the trail. Jane curled into a ball to protect herself as best she could. Moments later, a tree trunk stopped her rolling, tumbling journey.
Jane sat up and straightened her leg. The sharp stab of resulting pain wrenched a groan from her. Her shin had taken the brunt of the impact, and she’d twisted her ankle but good on the way down. She shrugged out of her gear and slowly struggled to her feet.
“Sergeant Jane! Are you all right?” someone shouted from the trail above.
Jane looked up to find the disgusted dozen clambering down the slope in her direction, their panicked voices echoing through the woods.
“I’m okay,” Jane said halfheartedly. She tested her weight on her injured ankle. A flash of pain knifed through the joint and then upward. No way would she make the rest of the walk out of here. Nothing felt broken, but there was too big a chance that she might do worse damage. Jane swore under her breath.
Crystal was the first one to reach her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Her frantic gaze swept over Jane, then locked with hers. “Oh, God, you’re not. I can see the pain in your eyes.” Crystal’s face paled. Eleven more faces looked at Jane, and all talked at once.
Jane held up her hands to quiet the senseless hysteria. “I’m okay, but I’m not going to be able to walk out of here.”
Gasps punctuated her announcement.
Jane shook her head. She clenched her teeth for a moment until the fresh wave of pain subsided a bit. “It’s no big deal, ladies. You just follow the trail and it’ll take you back to the camp. There’s no way you can get lost. So don’t panic.”
“And what about you?” Beulah, elbowing her way to the front, demanded.
“You can send Mr. Caldwell and Reg back to get me. I’ll be fine until they get here.” I’m sure as hell not going anywhere.
More worried chatter bounced back and forth.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Veronica said with a shake of her head. “What if something happened to you before we could get help?”
Jane heaved a frustrated sigh. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m perfectly safe.”
Sandra’s eyes suddenly rounded in horror. “What if the men can’t get back to you before dark? What about the coyotes? You don’t have a fire!”
Somehow Jane had known that would come back to haunt her. “If you leave now, and hurry, they can be back here before dark,” she said, effectively skirting the issue.
Crystal shook her head. “But we don’t know how to tell them where you are.” She shrugged nervously. “I don’t know north from south.”
Jane rubbed her eyes with heels of her hands, then settled them firmly on her hips. “Look, just stay on the trail. Tell Tom I’m on the alternate trail. He’ll know the one you mean. Tell him I’m about two hours walking distance west of Camp Serenity.”
“Spread out, ladies,” Sandra demanded as she shoved Beulah aside and came toe-to-toe with Jane. She glared down at Jane with lead in her gaze and her hands planted on her ample hips. “Sergeant Jane and I need a few minutes alone.”
Nobody moved. “Now,” Sandra bellowed.
Uncertain, but unprepared to defy the queen bee, the ladies scrambled back up the hillside.
Jane let go a weary breath and leveled her gaze on Sandra’s. “Okay, Mrs. Suddath, what gives?”
“You know what you’ve got, Sergeant Passerella?”
“No, but I’m quite certain you’re going to fill me in.” This was it, the showdown. The general’s wife was about to have her say, and most likely inform Jane of just what she intended to tattle about to her husband.
“Spunk and attitude.” Sandra plopped down on the ground directly across from Jane and blew out a tired breath. “That’s why the general chose you for this assignment. He wanted to be sure my friends and I would not only be taken care of but motivated into action. He knows how I can be.” She smiled with true southern charm. “After all, we’ve been married for twenty-five years.”
You could have knocked Jane over with a feather. “I appreciate you being straight with me.”
Sandra sighed. “Oh, I know I’ve given you a hard time, but that’s just me. It’s nothing perso
nal.”
Jane grinned. “I never thought it was.”
“It’s not often that I meet my match,” Sandra admitted with a slight nod of approval.
“It’s not often,” Jane countered, “that I’m challenged to utilize my full potential.”
Sandra’s gaze grew somber then. “The bottom line is this. I respect you, Sergeant Jane. You’ve worked hard for us. And if you think for one minute we’re going to walk out of here without you, then you’re a card shy of a full deck.” She stood. “So, suck it up, soldier, and let’s be on our way.”
“Sandra, I can’t walk out of here.” Jane gave her an imploring look she hoped would convey the truth of her words. “Trust me, if I could, I would.”
Sandra shrugged one shoulder and made a dismissive face. “Who said anything about you walking?”
Chapter Nine
Tom looked at his watch for the dozenth time in the last hour. Jane and the ladies should have been back long before now. Something had to be wrong. If only he knew which trail they had taken, he would head out after them. But he had no way of knowing. Jane hadn’t been sure which route they would return by. She wanted to make that decision based on several factors, she had said. Tom raked his fingers through his hair and dropped onto the porch steps outside his office. Maybe the rain had slowed them down, he reasoned. That had to be it.
“They’re not back yet?”
Tom shook his head as Reg sat down next to him. Though he tried not to show it, Tom knew Reg was almost as worried as he was. The only difference was that Reg wasn’t in love with Jane.
Tom definitely was.
Sometime between seeing them off yesterday afternoon and waking up this morning, Tom had realized that he had fallen for her, head over heels. He wasn’t sure what it would take to make the little soldier his, but he intended to give it his best shot. None of his past relationships had ever come close to what he had with Jane. She was all he thought about anymore.