Loved by a Soldier: A Military Romance Collection

by Alison Mello

  “You have a great setup down here,” she tells him with more enthusiasm.

  “Thanks. I don’t use them as often as I used to, but with you here I have every intention of getting back to my old routine. I don’t expect you to be able to keep up with everything that I do. Plus, for the next few days you will be sore, so don’t be surprised tomorrow when you wake up.”

  “Good to know. Something else to look forward to,” she replies with a touch of sarcasm.

  He ignores her remark. “You can start easy, walking on the treadmill and work up to a decent run.”

  As she starts, she tries to get into a more positive attitude because she knows the mentality of exercise is important, but she finds it hard to do. Trying to think of encouraging things isn’t working and she thinks about Derrick. The more she thinks about him the angrier she gets, and her anger pushes her harder. She increases the speed on the belt of the treadmill; before she knows it she runs over four miles and is drenched in sweat.

  “Good job on your first run,” Gates tells her, obviously impressed.

  Wiping her face with a towel, she mumbles, “Thanks.”

  “You feel like continuing?”

  “Sure. I think I’ll try the machines if you’ll show me what to do.”

  “Okay, but don’t over-do it.”

  He takes his time and explains the importance of starting out light, and how many reps and sets she needs to do. He carefully observes her expressions which imply she’s angry at something or someone.

  Once they’re finished in the basement, what she now not-so-affectionately calls “the sweat lodge,” she jumps in the shower. The high-pressure water feels wonderful as it hits her tired body. That’s the first time she has worked out in years. She knows she went overboard, but at the time it felt great working out some of her hidden pain.

  Gates is right about tomorrow, though. She knows she’ll regret it when she rolls out of bed, but she won’t stay sore. Hopefully the kinks will work themselves out within a week. He still hasn’t explained why he has this plan; last night he didn’t go into much detail. She wants to ask him about it today.

  She dresses comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt and returns to the living room but Gates is not around. She sees a note on the table; he says he has some important business to tend to and will be back in a couple of hours. Instead of relaxing on the sofa, she takes the opportunity to walk around the cabin, study the details, and learn how he was living before she interrupted his life. From what she’s seen, Gates’ place is almost as beautiful as some of the pictures in magazines. She wonders where he gets the money to afford a place like this. He said he does side work as a handyman, but does he make that much money? Maybe he also gets paid by the government from being in the Seals.

  The entire place is kept clean, almost spotless. The kitchen counters are a dark marble and all of the appliances are top grade. A chef could have a ball in there.

  Trinity walks through the living room, observing the beams that travel along the ceiling and all sides of the room. Fancy is what comes to mind, especially with the oak tables and leather furniture. She strolls around the room and looks at the pictures hanging on the walls. There aren’t a lot, but enough to show he isn’t a hermit. When she sees one of him standing at attention in his dress blues, she’s impressed.

  “Very handsome,” she whispers, and stands there for a moment staring at him. She wonders what the occasion was. She doesn’t know a lot about the military, but she knows they only wear the dress uniforms on special occasions. I will have to remember to ask him about it.

  She doesn’t want to explore too much and feel intrusive. There isn’t much else to see except his bedroom, and she has no intention of entering his personal space.

  She feels a little confined, and doesn’t like it. She wants to talk about any actual rules for her. She senses she isn’t supposed to do anything other than what he says and that is hardly going to work. She just got away from being controlled, and she refuses to be controlled now.

  Trinity wants to get out and see the outdoors and experience some culture. With all the nature surrounding her and the lake nearby, there’s plenty of photographic material. She misses having a camera. She knows she will be here for a while, and thinks she should try to find a job.

  She wants to be able to come and go as she pleases; having a car to drive would be nice.

  She’s tired and can feel the ache from the morning workout in her muscles. She turns the television on and finds an old black and white movie she hasn’t seen in years, and stretches out on the sofa. Within minutes, the movie is the last thing she sees as her eyelids close and she falls into a well-earned sleep.

  ***

  Trinity is woken by a wet tongue rapidly licking her face. She jerks awake and cries out in surprise. It certainly isn’t something she expected since she thought she was alone, but when she raises her head she is staring directly into the eyes of a German shepherd puppy, tail wagging. Trinity blinks and sits up, wiping the dog’s saliva from her face.

  “Where did you come from, little one?” she asks the puppy and looks for Gates. She thinks he’s pulling a joke on her and he’s probably hiding somewhere, but there is no sign of him. She reaches down and scratches the puppy on its head, and it reacts with pure joy. A moment later she hears the kitchen door open and footsteps come her way.

  “Oh, I see you two have met.”

  “You could say that,” she giggles. “He, or she, woke me from a nap by licking me to death.”

  He laughs. “It’s a she, and I could use a little help naming her, if you don’t mind. I thought of a few names, but I don’t think they fit her.”

  “Oh, come on it can’t be that hard,” Trinity replies, continuing to love on the dog. Having the puppy here brings more excitement than she would have thought. “As a little girl I used to have a dog that I loved. Her name was Sheeba. What do you think of that name?”

  Sitting across from them, he wears an expression of thought and a smile at the same time. “I like it. Sheeba it is.”

  Trinity gets up from the sofa and Sheeba follows her as if she was her momma.

  “Come on girl, let’s go outside. Does she have any food?” she asks on her way through the kitchen.

  “Of course not. I got her with no intention of feeding her,” Gates jokes.

  “Well, excuuuse me,” she says and rolls her eyes.

  “I actually fed her already. I want her on a schedule so she doesn’t grow up to be fat.”

  “Of course. If you don’t mind I’m taking her out to play.”

  ***

  Gates

  “Go right ahead,” he tells her and smiles.

  He had hoped Trinity would like having a puppy around. He wanted to surprise her and his plan worked. He knew having a dog would be very therapeutic for them both. That’s the biggest reason he left earlier. Even though he intended to get a dog anyway, he didn’t plan on it so soon; with Trinity here it’s probably a good thing.

  He stands on the back porch watching them play. Trinity is running slowly as the puppy chases after her. The sound of her laughter is music to his ears. He is surprised—he didn’t realize how much he missed a woman’s laughter. Sitting down, he thinks about what they have talked about so far. He doesn’t normally open up to a stranger, let alone anyone in particular, but he is comfortable with Trinity. He finds that a little odd, but accepts it for what it is. He watches her pick the puppy up, Sheeba licks her face, and Gates sees the biggest grin so far.

  “Oh, yeah. This is definitely the right thing,” he quietly says to himself.

  ***

  Trinity

  Sheeba lies on the floor chewing on a double knotted rope Gates bought. Trinity grins as she watches the puppy enjoy herself. It’s a good time to talk to Gates about what is on her mind, what she was thinking earlier while he was out. She studies him as he scans through some bills, and almost chickens out because she doesn’t want to be rude. She’s never been good ab
out being the one to bring things up with a man, especially one she isn’t yet comfortable with. She sits back and tries to think of a good way to start off when he seems to pick up on her nervousness.

  “I get the feeling you want to talk about something.”

  Surprised, Trinity asks, “What makes you think that?”

  “Just a feeling I guess, plus you keep moving around in your chair like you have ants in your pants. What’s on your mind?”

  She takes a deep breath and looks at her entwined fingers.

  “Okay, hold on a second,” he states. “I want to tell you something.”

  She looks back up at him. “Okay…”

  “You’ve only been here two days, so it’s normal for us to be a little shy with opening up and being ourselves. That takes time for everyone, but I want you to know that you are living here now, at least until you are able to either get a place of your own or whatever else you choose to do. So, until then I think you should know that you have no reason to not be yourself. You have no reason to be nervous around me. I won’t hurt, judge, or bite you. So, spit it out. What do you want to talk to me about?”

  She stares at him, a little dumbfounded, then collects herself. “You make it sound so easy.” He sits back in his chair, puts down the papers he’s holding, and focuses on her.

  “It’ll get easier if you let it. I know you have been hurt by men and your trust level is most likely pretty low right now. I get that, but you are sitting in a situation that will help you and hopefully you will grasp that with open arms and take advantage of it.”

  Nodding in agreement she responds, “You’re right.”

  “So, talk to me,” he tells her in a softer tone.

  “Well, when I got out of the shower today and you were gone to do whatever you had to do, obviously one of those things was getting a dog, I had a little time to think about a couple of things that are important to me.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  She tries not to be, but she can’t help it—she’s nervous. She tries looking into his eyes; it’s hard for her but she lifts her gaze and meets his, only to feel her heart beat faster.

  “What exactly is going to happen with me here?” she manages to blurt out. “I mean, I know you have a workout plan and that’s all good and everything, but am I stuck here in the house all the time? Will I get to leave at all? We haven’t really talked about it, but I would like to think I will be able to get out and see the trees, the hills, go to some stores. I hope to be able to get another camera and start taking pictures. That’s my passion and I miss it. I have money, but can’t touch it so working would be good and I know I don’t have a car, but I do know how to drive.”

  Gates watches her as she speaks openly to him. He nods his head in acknowledgement of her feelings. He rubs his eyes before setting his elbows on the edge of the table and looking at her. “You have every right to feel that way, and of course to want and need to get out of here. I’m sorry you feel stuck. I can’t say that I can relate, but I do understand. In no way are you restricted here or held captive, but let me try to make you understand something. I have been in this situation once before, helping someone. For a week or so I think it’s best to lay low. Only for a week or so.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  “Because neither of us fully know what might happen. From what you told me I get the gut feeling that your boyfriend won’t give up so easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to find you. For now, I think it’s a good idea to wait and see if anything happens. If nothing happens by the time you are here for, let’s go ahead and say two weeks, then you can go out and do some sightseeing. Even after two weeks there’s still a chance he will want to find you. You just never know about guys like him. Don’t get me wrong; there will be a lot of times I will go somewhere and you can go with me. We’ll get out and do something fun, too, if you want.”

  Trinity isn’t happy about staying cooped up for two weeks, even if she can go with him sometimes, but he does make sense. And, thinking about it, two weeks isn’t really that long. She sulks and twiddles her fingers and waits to see if he has anything else to add. Sheeba begins nudging Trinity’s leg, letting her know it’s time to pay her some attention. She reaches down and rubs Sheeba’s head, cooing at her.

  ***

  Gates

  Gates smiles at the two of them and struggles with his feelings. He knows it’s good that things are getting out in the open between him and Trinity, and he agrees with what she brought to the table. In a way, he feels sorry for her. He would hate to be in her shoes and feel that helpless at any time in his life. He will probably feel the same way when he gets old, if he makes it that far. He needs to get her out of the house for a while; they will need to figure something out for dinner soon.

  “Are you getting close to being hungry?” he asks her.

  “Not really, surprisingly enough. Why, are you? We have plenty of lasagna left over.”

  “Actually, I was thinking it would be a good idea to get you out for a few hours. I know a good place we can go and enjoy some dinner and a few drinks if you want.”

  Her smile immediately brightens the room more than the overhead light, or maybe it’s just his heart telling him that. I have to control myself, no matter how beautiful she is.

  “I would love that, thank you. I’ll go get ready.”

  He watches her walk away, and of course Sheeba follows. He snickers at this. Sheeba connects with her, not him. She’s obviously going to be more her dog than his.

  ***

  Trinity

  At the Lakeside Bar and Grill, Gates orders a beer and Trinity asks for a Long Island Iced Tea.

  “I’m not much of a drinker. I don’t like the way I feel when I’m drunk, but the main reason is I struggle to reconcile drinking alcohol with my faith,” she says.

  “So, you see yourself as a Christian?” Gates asks.

  “Well, I haven’t been to church in a while because Derrick didn’t like me going. Every time I wanted to go he would get angry about it. The last time I asked him if I could go, he hit me and knocked me to the floor.”

  He scoffs and shakes his head in disbelief. “That’s a shame, in my opinion. I don’t think it’s right for anyone to control someone. Especially if they say they care about you, and to hit you for it pisses me off, to be honest. In my opinion a man who beats on a woman is nothing more than a bully, and most bullies are cowards.”

  She can hear his tone rise when he speaks, and for some odd reason it comforts her. “I agree, thank you.”

  “Do you want to get back into church?”

  She nods. “When I was at Howard and Mattie’s house I felt a little weird about it all. But then I thought, why would I feel weird about any of it? I guess it was because God was pulling on me and I felt guilt about not going, I don’t know, but yeah, I want too. My momma raised me to believe in God, but when I moved out on my own, life got busy and I left church and God behind. Probably a big reason why so much went wrong.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Life happens. All you can do now is move forward and if you feel you need to get back in church and live the way you believe, then do it.”

  She lowers her eyes and thinks. She knows he’s right, and she can feel God tugging on her heart. She knows she isn’t a bad person, but she also knows being good isn’t enough. There’s a lot more to being a Christian than that.

  “I have some thinking to do I guess,” she responds. “I have so much on my plate right now and I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

  The waitress brings their drinks and says she’ll be back in a few minutes to take their dinner order. They sip at their drinks without saying anything. She feels good inside knowing she has his support. He surprises her with his next words.

  “If you want to go to church Sunday, I’ll let you use the car so you can go.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I only ask that you promise me you won’t go anywhere else without me, like we talked a
bout earlier. I only say that because I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I promise, if I go. I don’t know yet.”

  She can’t believe it. He is actually trusting her with one of his cars. Her heart beats faster than before and she suddenly feels guilty about drinking. She pushes it from her, wishing she hadn’t ordered it.

  “You okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just don’t want it after all. I think I’ll get a Sprite or something else instead.”

  Trinity has no intention of letting guilt or her decision not to drink ruin her evening. She will enjoy a great meal with great company. When their waitress returns, she asks for a steak, cooked medium-well, with a baked potato. Gates orders a steak, well-done. As they eat, they watch a few couples enjoying the small dance floor. She thinks about how nice it would be if Gates asked her to dance, but doesn’t think he will. She thinks maybe one day something with someone will happen, but it won’t be any time soon.

  Chapter 6

  Derrick

  Derrick sits in his apartment alone as the darkness envelopes him. The feelings that flow through him are eating him from the inside out, and the only way he can deal with them is by drinking. It isn’t the best way, but he’s at a loss and the wracking pain is too much to bear otherwise. He thinks about selling the drugs he stashed away, but he knows the risks and consequences, and the idea of becoming his own best customer isn’t appealing.

  He considers hiring a private detective to find Trinity. He needs to either have her with him or let her know she’s making a huge mistake by leaving him; she won’t like the way he’ll tell her that. In his hand is the phone number for someone named David Tremper, a recommendation from a friend. He’s local, and the biography on his website makes him look good. Derrick will call him tomorrow. Calling him when he’s drunk isn’t a good idea; he wants to be clear-headed when he talks to this David Tremper.