3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Ezra
The following day, I’m on my hands and knees in the Master bath, laying tile, when my phone rings. “Can you get that, Coop?” I reach for a rag to wipe my hands off and glance back at the dog lying belly up, sound asleep on the threshold. He snorts but doesn’t stir.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket and answer. It’s Ron from the White Falls shipping store. A few days ago, when I’d gone to town to pick up supplies and mail, one of the packages hadn’t arrived. In a town this size, you can’t go to the local hardware store for everything. I have my online orders delivered to Ron instead of making a panel truck navigate the mountain roads to find my cabin.
“Yeah, it finally came in,” he says in the rough voice of a man who’s smoked his whole life.
“Great. I’ll be there soon.”
“Coming into town twice in one week? Must be some sorta record.”
“Don’t alert the media. This one will be under the radar.” His laugh ends in a wheezing cough that makes me cringe. I hang up with him and tuck my phone away.
The extra trip to White Falls will be worth it to pick up the new fixtures for this bathroom. I’m almost done with the tile now. Another week and the project will be finished, then I can begin patching and restoring the wood floors. Fixing up the cabin has been… therapeutic. It calms my mind and provides exercise, but it also gives me a sense of pride to see the transformation as the projects are completed. I feel better than I have in years.
How many other ex-soldiers are out there like me? Struggling to find a place in the civilian world while dealing with injuries that change them? I can think of at least two from my old team—Jude and Seth. Maybe Anson, although I’m not sure what ails him is injuries. More like a darkness of the soul he can’t escape. A prison of his own making. Would they benefit from work like this? Find a different kind of therapy that heals their spirit? The idea has merit. There are a couple of abandoned cabins around here. If I could help even one of my brothers, it would be worth all the dark times I’ve experienced these last two years. Gideon probably doesn’t know it, but he saved my life when he offered me this place. I want to do the same for the men I lived and fought with. Trouble is, I don’t have the resources to do this on my own. But that’s what a brotherhood is for.
The thought lingers as I take a quick shower, dress and feed Coop, then climb into my truck and head back to White Falls. It’s shortly after three in the afternoon, but dark clouds hang in the sky and snow is starting to fall. The weather forecast said it wouldn’t last long, but this doesn’t look like a brief snowstorm. It looks like the start of the larger storm that’s supposed to come sometime next week.
By the time I get to town, there’s a half inch of fresh snow on the ground, but the skies are lighter. I pick up the fixtures from Ron, right before he closes. Like most everyone else, he is going to that charity gala. I’m not, obviously, but it does remind me that Caleb and Everett are there right now, helping set up. Before I think better of it, I head to the old White Falls train depot where the gala’s being held.
It’s an old two-story stone building, with the charm and character of buildings from the early 1900s. Inside, marble floors and brass accents add elegance, and an arched stained glass ceiling lets the muted winter light in. Volunteers have turned the lower floor into a Christmas wonderland. There are strings of white lights, Christmas trees, poinsettias, and garland as far as the eye can see. Holiday music plays in the background as people rush to finish before the gala begins.
I find Caleb in the main room next to a long table, loading a tiered display with cupcakes. His wife is beside him, holding a tray of cookies. Harmony owns Layered Love, a bakery that specializes in decadent confections. The moment she turns to speak to a volunteer, Caleb snags one and stuffs in it his pocket.
“Ezra. Didn’t expect to see you here,” he says, surprise evident in his voice.
Harmony looks me over, nose wrinkling at my jeans and flannel. “Are you staying for the gala? You know people dress up, right?” She gestures to her pretty red dress. Even Caleb is wearing slacks and a dress shirt.
I didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. “Nah. Not this time. I just came to ask Caleb and Everett something. I’ll be gone in a few.”
“Okay, you can borrow him, but if you take longer than five minutes, you’ll have to help with set up. Those are my terms.” She winks at me to tell me she’s teasing. Mostly.
“Five minutes. Yes, ma’am.”
“She should come with a whip,” Caleb grumbles as we turn away.
“I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”
He chuckles. “Don’t know what you’re missing. I think Everett’s over here.” He leads me into the next room where Everett and his wife, Lacey, are wrapping artificial trees with strands of colored lights. There’s a tangled mass of them in a bin at his feet.
The look of relief on his face when he joins us is almost comical.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Now that I’m here, I’m second-guessing myself. Is this a stupid idea?
“What brings you?” Caleb asks.
“The cabin.” I briefly explain how it’s helped me. What I’ve been thinking when it comes to our injured brothers. “I wondered… there’s that other cabin just up the road. Not sure who owns it, or if it would be for sale, but maybe one of the others from our old team…”
“You’re thinking of Jude,” Everett says.
“Or Anson.”
Caleb’s eyebrows rise. “Anson is… yeah, I don’t know about him. Gideon’s still searching for him. He dropped off the map, same as you. But I think it’s a good idea. If there’s any way to help them…”
“We should try,” Everett finishes.
“It would give them their own space, the peace of the mountain, and support.” All things that have helped me. They’d only be alone if they wanted to be.
“I’ll call Gideon tomorrow. Talk to him and Derek. If we pool our resources, maybe we can buy a couple places,” Caleb says.
Gideon and Derek run Citadel Securities out of New Orleans. They protect high-profile clients, rescue kidnapped victims, and other hostages. All the things we did for the government in special ops, but in the civilian world. Caleb and Everett still do occasional work for them.
We come up with a few ideas and make a plan. For a moment, I’m back to being part of a tight team, knowing these men have my back. I feel lighter, hopeful this could work.
I’m about to leave when a flash of green catches the corner of my eye. I turn toward it, and my heart stops.
A dozen steps away, my angel has entered the room and removed her coat. A green sequined dress clings to every curvy inch. She’s the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever seen. Her black hair hangs down her back in loose waves, highlighting all that porcelain skin. Her lips are painted a deep red, and that goddam dress is enough to give a man a heart attack. Tiny little sleeves hang off her shoulders, just enough to graze her arms. The fabric outlines her breasts and the curve of her waist and hips, before it drops at a dramatic angle to expose an expanse of creamy thigh. Holy shit .
Forget having an angel on top of my tree. I want this one under it as a gift just for me. I want to peel off the wrapping paper and savor everything I find.
The past couple of days, as I fantasized about her, I wondered if my imagination made her prettier than she actually was. If anything, I had forgotten how blue-green her eyes were, how pink her skin could flush.
Caleb’s chuckle finally pulls my attention away, but it’s an effort.
“Sure you don’t want to stay?” He flashes a wide grin. “She’s participating.”
Participating? “In what?”
“The auction,” Everett replies. “Some of the community are going to be auctioned off. Sounds barbaric, but they’re raising money for the firefighter’s charity. Whoever bids highest gets four hours of their donated time. Have the mayor clean their house. Things like that.”
She’s talking to the woman I saw her with at the coffee shop. “Four hours?” I sound like a parrot, but all I can think of are the things I want to do to this woman for four hours.
“Nothing sexual, obviously.”
Right.
She laughs, and I’m treated to the sight of her slender neck and the rise of her breasts.
Everett moves closer and lowers his voice. “Lacey is friends with Amanda—the woman on crutches. That’s her best friend, Madison. I guess she’s some television personality from New York. She’s pretty popular, so they talked her into going on the auction block in Amanda’s place to help raise money. She’ll probably go for quite a bit.”
“Good for the charity,” I grind out. My throat feels like I swallowed rocks. I drag my gaze off her and face my friends. I should go. As tempting as it is to spend four hours with this angel, it’s not a good idea. I run a hand through my hair and touch the scar to remind myself why.
“Don’t do that, man. Don’t back away like you aren’t worthy or some shit,” Everett growls. “I’ve been there. I know what you’re thinking.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Caleb cuts in. “We’ve both been there. You see us now. We’re happier than we’ve ever been. The right woman accepts you as you are, flaws, guilt, and all.”
“She’s from New York,” I point out.
“People move all the time. Stop with the shit excuses. It’s obvious you’re attracted to her.”
I can’t help but look her way again, and this time, our gazes meet.
My angel, Madison, offers a shy smile.
My heart beats hard in response. Four hours with this beautiful woman. The thought scares the shit out of me. I should leave before I lose my mind and do something crazy, like stay and bid.