Grump on Base (Hearts on Base #5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

RAFE

“It’s all in the status report, Short.” On his way out, Devlin’s expression changed ever so slightly that someone without my experience may have missed.

The sarge’s lightning-fast quirk of his lips told me everything I needed.

And he, along with everyone else in the unit, had relished using the nickname since I’d announced my retirement a couple of months ago.

The next three weeks couldn’t pass quickly enough as far as I was concerned.

After the sergeant left, I also called it a day. At loose ends since my announcement, I needed to figure out how I was going to fill my days. I couldn’t wait to load up my beat-up workhorse of a Suburban, and move north with Duchess to work with my cousin West.

Since I took over the security forces on Ridgeway a decade ago, I’d never worked directly with the K-9s, although I had plenty of contact with them and their handlers. I may be partial, but they were the best in the Air Force.

Ridgeway may not be one of the larger AF bases in the country but with the addition of drone tech development in recent years, plus the elite rescue squadrons and more on site, it meant we were far from immune to threats from abroad attempting to gather intel.

It had been rewarding work, sometimes intense and randomly exciting, but I was done.

Done filling out reports, done with the repetition and rigidity of the military.

Although I didn’t know exactly what my life would look like once I moved, as there were still some minor details needing to be ironed out, I guess it made sense why I felt unsettled.

Probably would until after I arrived in Idaho.

And for the first time in a damn long time, I’d be nothing more than a team member. No longer in charge of hundreds of men and women. And that felt…well, the word relief came to mind.

Just me and Duchess.

Typically, my conversations with my cousin involved plenty of good-natured razzing but seeing as how he’s blood, retired from the Army and running a veteran’s sanctuary in Idaho, he’s the only person who could get away with calling out my bullshit.

West and I were related on my mother’s side, and he’s the closest thing to a brother I ever had. We hadn’t seen each other in person for forever, but we had plenty in common besides our military duty and shared Celtic ancestry so the long breaks didn’t matter.

However, the one thing my cousin recently discovered still baffled me.

He found a woman who managed to tame him, and now they have a child together.

West would spend half our conversations either telling a toddler to get something out of their mouth or extolling the virtues of matrimony and fatherhood.

The one thing I liked about him was that he never pried too deep into why I’d never married or had kids because he got it.

Had been of the same mind that he didn’t need a wife or kids.

But that had all changed when he’d met Lauren during a rainstorm on his mountain, where he ended up rescuing her.

He said he knew instantly she was the one.

I had my doubts but looked forward to meeting the woman who’d tamed him.

And then there were the men who served under me on Ridgeway. They thought just because I had less than three weeks left before my retirement that the rules didn’t apply any longer to our interactions.

I’d endured more nosy questions about my personal life and what I’d be doing once I left the Air Force than in all my twenty-four years, eleven months and nine days of active duty combined. Every other interaction centered on me finding a wife now that I’d no longer be married to my job.

Yeah, not going to happen. My parents' marriage had been the first and last relationship I’d witnessed that had actually lasted. I’d seen too many failed relationships and drama from infidelity, which cemented my stance on signing a piece of paper tying me legally to a woman.

The military was lousy with failed marriages. Not. For. Me.

Fortunately, the only one who’d kept his nose out of my business was Caleb over at Pine Valley Outfitters, unless I offered anything, which I usually didn’t.

He also served in and retired from the Air Force and opened up his store almost twenty years ago.

Caleb and I had an understanding. We discussed time spent overseas, my dog or the latest camping and rock climbing equipment I should try and little else.

He’d been the closest thing I’d allowed to a friendship since I began at Ridgeway.

But soon even those interactions would end.

I had a plan for my retirement that I hadn’t shared with anyone in Colorado.

Not even the base’s commander. And until today, the Lt.

Colonel hadn’t a clue what my so-called dream retirement looked like.