A Time for Home: A Snowberry Creek Novel (12 page)

He stopped walking as soon as he spotted Callie’s car, probably not wanting to worry her. On second thought, maybe that wasn’t it at all. He was leaning heavily on a cane, and the lines bracketing his mouth spoke to the amount of pain he was in. She turned off the engine and hurried to greet him.

When she got within a few feet of him, she took note of the way his uniform hung loosely on his frame, as if he’d recently lost weight, and saw that his tan had a sickly gray undertone. When she coupled that with his leg injury, she was positive that she was about to meet Spence’s other best buddy, Leif Brevik.

“Leif? I’m Spence’s friend Callie.”

His smile became more genuine. “Right on the first guess. What gave me away? No, don’t tell me. I can only imagine what all Spence told you about me—well, besides my dazzling good looks and obvious charm.”

She grinned and stuck out her hand. “Let’s go with that and that he threw in a mention of your humility for good measure.”

Leif shook her hand, his laughter sounding a bit rusty. “I’d tell you not to believe anything he or Nick told you about the three of us, but unfortunately I’m guessing most of it was true.”

“Don’t worry. Your secrets are safe with me. Spence made me pinky-swear that I’d keep anything he told me to myself. Something about all of it being classified, although why bar brawls would be top secret is a bit of a puzzle.”

Leif winked at her. “Only because what our superiors didn’t find out about couldn’t hurt us.”

“Ah, now, that makes sense.”

She looked past him toward the path. “Did Nick send you over to say hi?”

“He wasn’t expecting me to get here so quickly, but I hit it lucky and caught a flight just a couple of hours after he called me to come. He wasn’t home next door, and I was hoping you might know where he is. I tried his cell, but it went to voice mail.”

A bit of her earlier worry returned. What was Nick up to that he wasn’t taking calls from one of his best friends?

“I haven’t seen him or Mooch today, but I’ve been gone. Why don’t we go in the house so I can put my groceries away, and then I’ll try calling him again. If he doesn’t answer, at least we can wait inside, where it’s more comfortable.”

Besides, the way Leif was looking right now, if he didn’t sit down soon, she might be picking him up off the ground. He glanced past her toward the house.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d just as soon wait out here on that swing. I just flew in from D.C., where it was hotter than blazes. It will feel really good to spend some time outside in the fresh air.”

“Make yourself comfortable. As soon as I get the perishables put away, I’ll bring you out a sandwich and a cold drink. Pop or beer?”

He was already hobbling in the direction of the swing. “Pop, but you don’t have to wait on me, Callie. That’s Nick’s job. He’s the one who invited me.”

Thank goodness Leif had his back to her. She wouldn’t have wanted him to see how that last bit shocked her. Nick had sent for Leif without telling her? Granted, she’d given him free run of the house next door, but she hadn’t expected that meant he could invite all his friends. Not that she minded Leif being there, particularly. She was more interested in what was going on in Nick’s head right now.

Did the invitation mean he intended to stay longer? And why would he ask Leif to fly all the way out to Seattle from Washington, D.C., especially when it was obvious Leif shouldn’t really be traveling at all?

Oh, yes, they were definitely going to be having a talk—and soon. She grabbed the bags out of the car and headed up the back steps. Before making Leif’s sandwich, she dialed Nick’s number. Just as Leif said, it went right to voice mail. Fine, she’d take Nick up on his invitation to leave a message.

“Nick, this is Callie. Your buddy Leif is at my house. Imagine my surprise to find out we were expecting a guest. Anything else going on I should know about? And where in the heck are you, anyway? I’m really worried—”

She caught herself before she blurted out that it was him she was concerned about. “That is, I’m worried about Leif. He looks like a stiff breeze might blow him over.”

After disconnecting the call, she slipped the phone in her pocket. She threw together a couple of sandwiches, added some chips, and then grabbed a couple of cold drinks.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the tension before rejoining her unexpected guest. Even if Nick deserved the sharp side of her tongue, Leif didn’t. Sooner or later, Nick would show up, and then she’d deal with him.

Outside, it looked as if it was going to be sooner. Before she’d reached the bottom step, Mooch came bolting out of the woods, heading straight for Leif. If the dog was here, Nick couldn’t be far behind.

Okay, let the games begin.

“M
ooch, damn it, get back here!”

Too late. The dog had feinted toward the porch and then veered away to haul ass toward Callie’s house. Granted, the pesky animal had spent most of the day cooped up in Nick’s truck and needed a good romp, but not yet.

And not right toward Callie.

He’d meant to call her, but after he’d already left the house he’d discovered that he’d left his cell on the kitchen table. If he’d known how long it was going to take to round up all the supplies and equipment he’d need to build the gazebo, he would’ve gone back for the damn thing.

Had Callie been over to the house looking for him? After the way they’d parted last night, maybe not, and he wouldn’t blame her. Right now, he was more worried that he had missed calls from Leif. Nick ran inside and grabbed the phone off the table and then took off running after the mutt. If Callie wasn’t home, the dog would have circled back by now.

No doubt she was over there waiting for him to show up for that talk he’d promised. In between stops on his supply run, he’d played out various scenarios in his head, trying to come up with a comprehensive battle plan. Yeah, that probably wasn’t the right way to approach the situation, but he was a soldier after all. Or at least he had been one.

As soon as he cleared the trees, he knew he was well and truly screwed. Out of the three pairs of eyes now turned in his direction, none seemed particularly happy to see him. Mooch was too damn excited about Leif’s unexpected reappearance in his life to care much about Nick being there. Fine, he could understand that.

Leif, for his part, glanced up from petting Mooch long enough to give Nick a “WTF?” look. Nick sent one rocketing right back at him.
Yeah, same to you, buddy. How the hell did you get here this quickly?

Nick reined in his temper, though, after he got a good look at his friend. The man looked like hell, like death warmed over, and generally like shit. Obviously Leif wasn’t nearly as far down the road toward recovery as he’d led Nick to believe. Something else he’d kick Leif’s ass for as soon as the man could stand up long enough for Nick to take aim.

“You’re back.”

Callie put enough chill into those two words to shrivel a man’s pride and joy. Damn, this wasn’t going well at all. Nick had always found that admitting to a screw-up sometimes bought more mercy from those higher up the food chain. He wasn’t sure it worked that way in civilian life, but short of hunting down a sword and throwing himself on it, he didn’t know what else to do.

“My bad, Callie.” He held up his hands to signal his surrender. “I should’ve called you this morning. I didn’t know my errands would take this long, and I left my cell phone on the kitchen table.”

She jerked her head in Leif’s direction and arched an eyebrow. Okay, then. Evidently he wasn’t done groveling.

“I asked Leif if he could come give me a hand with a project I want to finish before I leave, something I was going to surprise you with. But I didn’t know he was going to get here this soon.”

He shot his friend a hard look. “He was supposed to call and let me know if the army docs would even let him travel this far. Obviously, he forgot that part of our conversation.”

Leif didn’t look at all apologetic. He was taking pleasure in watching Nick scramble to make things right with Callie.

“I didn’t have time to call because I would’ve missed my flight. I hitched a ride on a cargo plane flying into McChord. As it was, they were already starting to close the door when I got there. Five more minutes and I would still be sitting on my ass back in D.C.”

“Yeah, well, I’d say you barely made it anyway. You look like hell.”

Callie gasped. “Nick, could you be more of a jerk right now?”

Yeah, he could, but he was also smart enough not to say so. Leif knew it, too. He smirked in Nick’s direction when he was sure Callie wouldn’t notice.

“Don’t worry, Callie. The idiot knows how I feel about him.”

It was true. War brought out either the best in men or the worst. The friendships forged in that hellfire maintained their strength and integrity through the worst life could throw at them. And God knows, the two of them had been through their own special hell recently.

Callie divided her attention between him and Leif for several seconds. Evidently whatever she saw convinced her he’d told her the truth, because some of her tension eased.

She held up her paper plate. “I left the sandwich makings out on the counter. Help yourself if you’re hungry.”

Nick was hungry all right, but not for bologna and cheese. Another thing he kept to himself. “I’m fine. After Leif finishes eating, we’ll head next door. It’s time for our afternoon nap.”

Once again Callie gave him an incredulous look, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Really? A nap?”

Leif backed his play. Sort of. “Well, not all us big, tough army types need naps to get through the day, but Sarge here is delicate. You don’t want to be around him if he doesn’t get his afternoon snooze followed by a snack of milk and cookies, preferably some homemade chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin.”

Callie giggled at the hopeful smile that accompanied that last part. She gathered up their empty plates and drinks. “Right. Well, you two toddle off. Be back at six, and I might even feed you a real meal.”

“I’ll take you up on that. The only meal Nick ever fixed for me was an MRE, and I’m not talking about when we were in Afghanistan.”

Leif held up his hand as if taking a solemn oath. “Seriously, we were at his apartment in Ohio, and he hands me one of those foil packages. I tossed it back at him and ordered pizza.”

She gave Leif a sorrowful look. “Oh, dear, I thought you guys loved those things, and I stocked up on them at the local surplus store this morning. Certainly Nick hasn’t complained about eating them every day. Guess I’ll have to come up with a better idea for dinner tonight.”

Leif looked suitably horrified. Nick struggled to keep a straight face but couldn’t hold it for long. When he cracked up, Leif looked both a little pissed and a whole lot relieved.

Nick held up his hands again. “Sorry, Leif, but the look on your face was priceless. Come on over next door, and I’ll make it up to you with a cold beer and a comfortable bed.”

“At least that’s a start.” Leif turned his attention back to Callie. “Thanks for putting up with me until Sarge got back. I’m glad to finally meet you in person.”

“Me, too, Leif.”

Nick stood back while his friend hoisted himself up out of the swing. He was worried Callie wouldn’t be able to resist leaping forward to help him, which would only embarrass Leif. Instead, she planted her feet to steady the swing to give him a firmer surface to push off against.

As Leif started the long walk back to Spence’s, Nick hung back long enough to mouth “Thank you,” and then added, “Can we have that talk later?”

She stared after Leif, watching him as he hobbled along, each step clearly an agony. “That will be fine.”

Nick called Mooch to his side. “Thanks, Callie.”

As he walked away, she called his name. “Nick? Is it okay if I bring dinner over there? It would be nice to get out for a while after being shut up over here all day.”

Smart woman. If she brought the food to Spence’s house, Leif wouldn’t have to make another trip to Callie’s house. And knowing his friend, he’d insist on doing exactly that rather than allowing Nick to drive him next door. Pride made a guy do foolish things.

Like building a gazebo for a woman whose heart might belong to another man. Swallowing the sour guilt and pain that cost him, Nick sent a silent apology winging skyward to Spence’s memory. For now, he needed to concentrate on getting Leif settled in.

“Thanks, Callie, if you’re sure it’s not too much of a hassle. I was going to ask you to come over anyway. I have something to show you, and it will be easier over there.”

“What is it?”

He winked at her. “It’s a surprise.”

One he really hoped she’d like. “Come on, Mooch. We don’t want to wear out our welcome.”

Breaking into a jog to catch up with Leif, he called back, “See you at six, Callie.”

W
atching Leif struggle up the few steps to the front porch left Nick wanting to punch something. Better yet, he wanted to hunt down the bastard who’d planted that fucking IED in the first place. Granted, Leif was lucky not to have lost his foot in the explosion, but damn.

Right now it was all Nick could do not to toss Leif over his shoulder and carry him up to the porch fireman-style. The only thing stopping him was knowing Leif would rather hurt than ask for help. Pride was something they both understood.

The hard part would be fixing up a place for Leif to sleep. The bedrooms were all on the second and third floors, and right now Nick couldn’t imagine his friend being able to haul his ass up all those steps. Of course, stubborn bastard that he was, Leif might just insist on trying it anyway.

Leif was breathing hard by the time he made it up onto the porch, his face covered with a thin sheen of sweat. He sagged against one of the pillars as Nick stepped around him to unlock the door. Mooch bolted inside, nearly tripping both men in the process.

“Damn it, dog, be careful.”

After Leif shuffled into the house, Nick picked up his friend’s duffel and carried it inside. At least Leif let him do that much for him.

“Have a seat in the living room, and then I’ll grab us a couple of cold ones.”

Leif slowly lowered himself into an easy chair. Nick pushed an ottoman over so Leif could prop up his injured leg. When he was finally settled, he let out a long sigh. “Better make mine nonalcoholic, Sarge. I’m overdue for my pain meds, which don’t mix well with anything stronger than pop. They already knock me on my ass.”

Nick grabbed two cans of root beer, a bag of tortilla chips, and a tub of salsa. After putting them in easy reach for Leif, he flopped down on the couch. Time to ask the hard questions. He studied the boot on Leif’s foot. The bulky contraption was made out of some kind of heavy-duty plastic with Velcro straps. It looked like something the Stormtroopers in
Star Wars
would have worn.

“So how bad is it? And don’t bother lying about it, soldier. I want the truth.”

Leif focused on opening a bottle of pills he’d pulled out of his pants pocket. “Bad enough. Not as bad as it could’ve been. Getting better. Some, anyway.”

After downing a couple of tablets with a swig of root beer, Leif laid his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. “The docs weren’t sure at first they’d be able to save it, but that particular crisis is past as long as I’m careful with it.”

Seriously? “And bouncing around in a cargo plane for twenty-eight hundred miles fits your definition of being careful?”

The jerk actually smiled. “Yeah, maybe it wasn’t my most shining moment. At least I’m here and in one piece. More or less, anyway.”

He opened one eye briefly. “So tell me, what’s going on between you and Callie? And don’t bother lying about it. I want the truth.”

Having his own words thrown back at him didn’t help Nick’s mood one bit. “Nothing is going on. I came here hoping she’d offer our boy Mooch here a permanent home, something neither one of us can give him.”

Leif managed to look both disappointed and disgusted at the same time. “All of that could have been accomplished by e-mail. Even if you felt as if you had to do it person, that doesn’t account for why you’re still here.”

The man was just like Mooch, growling as he worked hard to get every bit of meat off a new bone. Nick waved his hand around to indicate their surroundings. “Spence left Callie his family home. She’s thinking about turning this place into a bed-and-breakfast but knows squat about the remodeling business. I don’t have anywhere to be right now, so I’ve been doing some of the grunt work in cleaning up the yard. I also promised to go through the house with her to give her an idea of what all needs to be done.”

That eye was open again. “Fine. That makes sense but doesn’t account for why you needed me to come out or how all of that translates into a burning need to build something for her.”

The pills must be fast acting, because Leif’s color had improved; he was also breathing easier. Good. Maybe now he could get some rest.

Leif’s smile had taken on a slightly dopey look. “And don’t think I haven’t already texted the rest of the squad to tell them our fearless leader has a burning desire to build a gazebo.”

He snickered, shaking his head as he did. “Seriously, Sarge? A gazebo.”

Great. Nick would be getting grief about this from every corner of the world once the word got out.

“Yeah, well, payback is a bitch, Corporal. Wait until I post pictures of you swinging a hammer on said gazebo.”

Leif rattled his pill bottle. “I can always claim it was the drugs. What’s your excuse?”

Nick shocked them both by giving an honest answer. “Spence grew up in this house. Maybe I think fixing it up will help preserve his memory or maybe I want to leave a little piece of myself here when I leave, something that you and I have built to leave a permanent mark on the place. Hell, Leif, maybe I just need to help Callie any way I can. You know, for Spence.”

It was the first time since he’d returned to the States that he could admit some of what he was feeling. His parents meant well, but they’d never met Spence. To them, he was a familiar name, but nothing more. They were sorry about his death, but they had no real understanding of how profoundly it had affected Nick.

Not that he wanted them to know. It was enough that he carried the burden of guilt over Spence’s death. They didn’t need to share in his pain. No one did, not even Leif, although he clearly did. He hadn’t said so, not in so many words, but it was there in the way Leif flinched at the mention of Spence’s name.

Focusing on the faded wallpaper on the wall that surrounded the fireplace, Nick did his best to reassure his friend. “You do know that none of this is your fault, Leif. You’re not the one who left Spence behind. That was all me.”

No response. Nick braced himself to face the well-deserved recriminations, only to discover that Leif had drifted off to sleep. Or maybe simply passed out from the potent combination of drugs and exhaustion. Good. A few hours of rest would do him a world of good.

Leif’s body needed time to heal. Hopefully, his mind would follow suit. Before he’d been transferred first to the hospital in Germany and then on to an army hospital stateside, Leif had broken down, pleading with God to explain why Spence had to die in Leif’s place. What a screwed-up way of looking at what had happened, but, then, who was Nick to talk?

Spence died because Nick had left him lying defenseless in the street. Leif might always walk with a limp because Nick had managed to get them separated from the rest of their patrol. He’d been trying to lead everyone away from a withering barrage of fire, but the insurgents blew up a wall that blocked the way for the vehicles behind them. No one could have predicted that, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. The bottom line was his faulty judgment had cost his friends and their loved ones dearly.

Leif stirred briefly, his face contorted in pain. Nick couldn’t sit there and watch his friend hurt, so he headed back outside. Mooch could stand guard while Nick vented some of his frustration on the overgrown bushes and weeds in the backyard.

•   •   •

After two hours of sweating in the sun, Nick gave up and went back inside. Although he had a pile of debris big enough to fill the yard wastebin twice over, Nick’s mood hadn’t improved at all. After using his T-shirt to wipe the river of sweat off his face, he poked his head in the living room to check on Leif.

Mooch wagged his tail slowly and whined softly. Leif hadn’t moved at all in the time Nick had been outside. He’d wait to wake him up after he took his shower. Callie would be coming over with dinner in a little over an hour. Leif might want time to clean up and change out of his uniform before they ate.

Nick headed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. After stripping off his clothes, he ducked into the shower and cranked it up to full. The stinging blast felt great. He was tempted to linger but kicked it into high gear to make sure there was enough hot water for Leif. At least the downstairs bathroom had a small shower stall in it, forestalling any need for him to climb the stairs.

After toweling off, Nick put on some cargo shorts and a clean shirt. Slipping on his flip-flops, he headed back down to the living room. Leif was awake and talking to Mooch.

“Well, dog, you seem to be adjusting to life in the States. I think you’ve even put on a couple of pounds.”

Nick joined the conversation. “Considering how much chow that mutt packs away every day, I’m surprised he’s not the size of a small horse by now. Probably would be if I didn’t take him running most mornings.”

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Nick grimaced. There would be no running for Leif for the foreseeable future. The trouble with sharing close quarters with someone for months at a time was that they learned how to read each other’s thoughts.

“Don’t sweat it, Nick. You can’t watch every word you say around me.”

Leif lifted his foot down off the ottoman, biting his lip as he did so. “Is there a bathroom down here or do I need to go upstairs?”

“There’s one in the utility room off the kitchen. Let me bring your duffel over to you. Once you’ve picked out what you need, we’ll get you headed in the right direction.”

After dragging the duffel over by the chair, Nick perched on the ottoman while Leif rooted through his things for his shaving kit and some clean clothes.

“Can you get that boot wet?”

“No, but I’ve gotten good at keeping it dry by covering it with a plastic bag and taping it closed. I brought a couple with me, but I’ll need to pick up some more if I’m going to be here any length of time.”

“Add whatever you need to my shopping list on the fridge.”

Once Leif had laid out the stuff he needed for his shower, he scooted to the front edge of the chair and braced himself to stand up. It was damn hard to sit by and watch his friend struggle, but Nick had to trust that Leif would let him know if he needed help. That’s what he would have wanted if the situation were reversed.

It crossed his mind that there was one thing he could do to help. He hustled to the kitchen to dump the odds and ends he’d brought back from the hardware store out onto the counter. Then he took the empty plastic bag back to the living room and loaded all of Leif’s gear in it.

“Here, that should make it easier to carry everything.”

Leif accepted the bag without comment. “Which way?”

“Through there,” Nick said, pointing toward the kitchen. After his friend got up a good head of steam, Nick followed along behind.

“Don’t hover, Nick. I’ve been taking showers by myself since I was five.”

Okay, then. “Promise me you’ll holler if you need me, and I’ll back off.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Leif kept shuffling forward. “The nurses made the same offer, and they were a lot better looking. I’ll tell you the same thing I told them. Every inch I give is one I won’t get back. So short of falling flat on my ass, let me muddle through on my own.”

Nick had to laugh. “Okay, so we’ve established the ground rules. If you’re flat on your ass, I’ll scrape you up, but only so I don’t trip over you. Besides, Callie will be coming over. Wouldn’t want to damage her eyes by letting her see your nakedness in all its questionable glory.”

Leif’s answering laugh sounded more like a wheeze. “Sarge, if my hands weren’t full at the moment, I’d be offering you a one-fingered salute.”

“Fine, I’ll consider myself well and truly flipped off if that makes you happy.”

“It does.”

Satisfied that Leif would eventually make it to the utility room on his own, Nick settled in at the kitchen table and spread out the gazebo plans. Right now, they mostly provided him with an excuse to remain within shouting distance of Leif without being obvious about it.

As he studied the instructions, he could hear Leif muttering to himself and occasionally cutting loose with a colorful string of curse words. Nick figured any soldier with enough energy to be that creative was a soldier on the mend.

Feeling better than he had in hours, he grabbed a pencil and started making notes.

•   •   •

Juggling a large pan of lasagna, a tossed salad, a loaf of bread fresh from the bakery, and a double batch of cookies wasn’t easy. Callie made two trips to stash it all safely in her car. She could’ve called Nick to come give her a hand transporting it all through the woods, but it was just as easy to put it in the backseat of the car and drive over.

She closed the passenger door and then slid into the driver’s seat. It was a matter of being practical and not at all because she was skittish about being alone with Nick right now. She didn’t really want to think of Leif as a chaperone, but he would provide a buffer between the two of them.

“Yeah, right, Callie,” she muttered as she started the engine. “Let’s not lie about the situation.”

She had good reason to avoid being alone with Nick. The trouble with being honest about her feelings on the subject was that she’d have to admit he’d scared her last night. Watching him patrol the entire yard, looking for who knows what among the shadows and trees, had left her restless for hours afterward. Partly because her own imagination kept wanting to kick in with images of bad guys lurking in the woods, but also out of worry over the demons that were clearly plaguing the man.