Chapter Seventeen
“All right. I think today’s effort calls for everyone’s favorite lasagna.” Pulling open the freezer door, Alice Sweet pulled out a foil covered aluminum pan almost as big as she was.
“Here,” Josh jumped up from his seat and reached his friend’s mother before the weight of the pan toppled her over, “I’ve got this.”
She smiled up at him, an unusual glint in her eyes. “Thank you.”
When she continued to grin at him without moving or closing the freezer door, he had to ask. “What? Do I still have dirt on my face?”
“You’re not careful anymore.” As if that explained everything, she bumped the freezer closed and maneuvered around him. “Set that on the stove and I’ll see what else I can rustle up.”
The back door blew open and in stomped Preston and Sara Sue with Carson and Jessica right behind them.
“Just so you know,” Sara Sue dropped her purse on an empty chair, “Katherine Miller is planning on supplying Raider and Brady with steaks for the rest of their lives. Luke is not only home and happy, he’s decided Raider is his new best friend.”
“They deserve it.” Alice returned to the freezer.
“I’ll second that.” Katie reached over and scratched Raider’s ear. At her feet, the dog swished his tail once then twice before dozing off again.
Moving to sit beside Katie before someone else took the spot, he sat.
Stretching his arm out, he snatched her hand in his, delighted when their fingers laced together.
For the next few moments, he had no idea what anyone else had said.
The adrenaline from the day was still rushing through his system, topped off by Katie’s declaration, and he didn’t think he’d ever come off the mountaintop high. Katie Lawford loved him.
While more family members arrived, making the din of conversation rise with each new addition around the massive table, Josh’s phone sounded.
For one long moment he was tempted to let the call go to voicemail, but reluctantly letting go of Katie’s hand, he pushed to his feet, and phone to his ear, made his way outside. “Hello.”
“I heard you and the dogs are heroes.”
“How far does the Honeysuckle grapevine go?”
Kade barked a sharp laugh. “At least to the base. I’ve been getting updates from pretty much everyone in the family all day, including my aunts Liz and Vicki.”
“I’ll remember that if I ever want to keep a secret.” Which right about now he was pretty sure would be damn near impossible anywhere within a hundred mile radius of the Sweet Ranch.
“As long as we’re talking updates, Mom tells me your vertigo is gone.”
“Why would she say that?” His mind drifted back to her comment by the freezer, he wasn’t careful anymore.
“Is she wrong?”
Was she? He’d been able to nod and shake his head for a while now, and as he thought on it, he realized, he really had stopped being careful. He actually could not remember the last time he had to steady himself against a wall, or extend his arms to catch his balance. “I don’t know.”
He could almost hear Kade rolling his eyes through the phone connection. “Of course you do.”
Yeah, maybe he did. “I’ve got a checkup with the doc in a couple of days, I’ll report back.”
“So, if you get a clean bill of health, does that mean you’ll be back on base driving the soldiers crazy?”
Did it? Would he? “I guess.”
Silence hung for several long seconds. “You guess?”
“Truth?”
“Always.”
“I’m not sure. There have been some other changes.”
“Katie?”
“How did you know?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Kade heaved a sigh. “It was pretty obvious when I was home that there was a little chemistry bouncing off the walls whenever y’all were in the same room, and according to Cassie—”
“Ah,” he cut Kade off, “your inside man.”
Again, Kade laughed out loud. “Something like that.”
“Not to cut you short, but any updates on Kent or Boglioli?”
“Coming along. Boglioli should be released from rehab any day now.”
“That’s what he said when I spoke to him earlier this week. He mentioned needing more PT.”
“Yeah. He can walk now, but with the limp, he wouldn’t be able to carry a pack or pass a physical for duty. He’ll need intensive therapy to correct that.”
“I see.”
“I hear the wheels turning.”
Josh laughed, so maybe his buddy wasn’t as good a mind reader as he gave him credit for. “Let me look into a few things and I’ll get back to you.”
“Fair enough.” In the background a sharp dog bark could be heard, followed by the muffled sound of voices as Kade must have placed his hand over the phone. “Listen. Sorry to call and run, but we got a situation here. Take care of yourself and let me know what the doc says.”
“Will do.” The call disconnected and staring out into the dark distance, he asked himself the same question that Kade had. Today, after everything, he knew he could go back in the military if he wanted to. The question at hand now though wasn’t if he could, but did he want to?
Lightly tapping her nails on the tabletop, Katie kept one eye on Josh outside while recapping for the umpteenth time about finding the mine, the cave in, and the happy ending for little Luke.
When the conversation shifted to the smell of fresh baked bread that Alice had taken from freezer to oven, noticing that Josh had placed his phone back into his pocket with no sign of coming back inside, she opted to join him outside. “Hey, there.”
His back to her, Josh turned at the sound of her voice. A sweet smile on his face. “Hi there.” He extended his arm to her.
Accepting his hand, she was almost surprised when he tugged her in close, nestling her against him.
Looping his arms around her waist, the smile slipped and heat seemed to fuel the intensity of his gaze. “I hope you don’t mind.”
She shook her head.
“Good.” Pulling her even closer, his lips touched hers. Softly at first, then harder and sweeter until she was pretty sure her toes had curled in her shoes.
Was it crazy for her to wish she could stay here just like this, on the back porch, in his arms, with a blanket of stars shining down on them forever? A scratching noise followed by the squeaking hinges of the screen door had her easing away.
Instead of one of the family, Raider had pushed his way onto the porch with them.
“You trying to cut into my action?” Josh teased the dog now seated between them.
“Seems more like a chaperone to me.”
The fingers of Josh’s hand once again entwined with hers, he tugged her around the dog and over to his side so they were both leaning against the railing. “This is nice.”
“Having a chaperone?” She smiled.
“Us. Here. Together. If I didn’t make myself clear earlier, I love you. And not like a sister or my best friend’s little sister, I am card carrying in love with you, Katie Lawford.”
These words from any other man might have scared her half to death.
An only child raised by a single mom, she didn’t do relationships well.
Not long term ones. But now, here, with this man, the guy who had gotten under her skin from almost day one.
She didn’t have a doubt in the world how she felt for him.
“I can assure you, I do not love you like a brother.”
That had them both laughing.
Lifting her hand so they were in both of his, he softly caressed her hand with his thumb. “I’ve been thinking.”
Her heart sputtered to a stop, unsure if the next words were going to be gloriously good, or devastatingly dismal.
“I could stay in the army, but I’ve already done my twenty. I don’t have to stay. Not anymore.”
Now her heart had kick-started itself and was pounding rapidly against her ribs. “I thought you loved your life in the military?”
“I do. Did. But nothing I do for Uncle Sam compares to being with you. I don’t want to lose you. Us.”
She shook her head. “Neither do I.”
His gaze dropped down to Raider. “Though I think we’re a package deal.”
“Absolutely.” She smiled down at the dog. “I’m not sure if we’re going to adopt him, or if he’s already adopted us.”
“Us.” Josh leaned in and kissed her temple. “I really really like the sound of that.”
“You know,” she tried not to be lost in the sensation of tender lips against her skin, “I could leave my job if you’d rather stay in the army.”
“But you like your job.”
“I do. But it’s a job. Not my life.”
“You’d do that for me?” Now he kissed the tip of her nose.
Eyes closed, she slowly bobbed her chin.
“I think we have more to discuss, don’t we?”
She nodded again. “But for tonight, it’s enough to know I’m more important than Uncle Sam.”
“Let’s agree on one thing.” He shifted to stand in front of her, his fingers gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Whatever we do next, from now on, we do it together.”
“Mm, together.”
“After all, we do make a good team.”
“That we do.” Raising her arms to drape around his neck, she leaned in for another soul stealing kiss, then sighed. “A very good team.”