Army of Two (23 page)

Growing up? Maybe it was more like
waking
up. From the whirl of thoughts and emotions that crowded her head, one thing was perfectly clear. Her love of a place could never compare to the love she felt for one proud, stubborn, flesh-and-blood man.

Yes, love. The realization hadn’t come in a blinding flash. It had been working its way into her consciousness for days. Of course, she loved Mitch. He’d seen right through her attempts to deny it. Those feelings she’d had for him had never gone away. They’d just been waiting for the right time to bloom again.

That didn’t mean the prospect of love was any less frightening. It was true, the habits of a lifetime couldn’t be changed in three days. Mitch had been hurt by love, too. She could only hope when he woke up he would still be willing to give their relationship a chance.

“You should come and stay with us when we get back to Bethel Corners,” Tyra said. “Don’t go home to an empty apartment. You need time for the shock to wear off.”

Chantal kissed her cheek. “Thank you for caring, Tyra. You’re a good friend to worry about me after what you and your family have been through.”

“That’s why I’m worried. I have my family. We don’t want you to go through this alone.”

“I don’t intend to,” she said. She kissed her again and pulled out of her embrace. The helicopter’s main rotor was already beginning to whirl. She ran for the door before they could close it. Mitch had said she was brave. It was time to prove him right.

She could live without the Aerie, but she couldn’t conceive of a life without Mitch.

The intensive care ward of Bethel Corners Memorial Hospital was quiet this afternoon. Chantal hurried down the corridor, but she could see no sign of the men she’d shared a vigil with the night before. Eagle Squadron was gone.

Chantal wasn’t alarmed by their absence. Not yet. When she’d called earlier, the doctor had told her Mitch had been awake and fully alert, so the men were probably in his room. Or they could be in the cafeteria, getting lunch. She would prefer it if they were. As much as she understood and admired their protectiveness, she was impatient for the chance to talk to Mitch alone.

He had briefly regained consciousness just before dawn, then had lapsed into a normal sleep. It was what he needed. According to the doctor, he would make a full recovery from both the concussion and the wound in his back. His ankle might take a while longer, though. It had been more serious than a sprain—there had been a hairline fracture in one of the bones.

Naturally, he hadn’t complained. He wouldn’t have let on how much pain he’d been in. No, not tough-as-nails Mitch. His men were just as bad. When she’d left for her apartment, they’d been swapping stories about injuries they’d seen that had made the chunk of wood that had been in Mitch’s back sound like a toothpick.

She pressed her hand over her stomach. She felt the familiar butterflies at the prospect of seeing him again. That would likely never change.

“Miss Leduc?”

She turned, smiling at the woman in the white lab coat who was walking toward her. “Dr. Gazley. I’m here to see—”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I tried calling you back. I was hoping to catch you before you left. I could have saved you the trip.”

“I don’t understand. You said Major Redinger was awake.” She stepped toward her quickly. “Has he had a relapse?”

“Oh, no. Quite the contrary. He’s already gone.”

“What?”

“It was against medical advice. He should have had at least two more days of bed rest.”

“He…left?”

“They all did. I can’t say I’m sorry to see those soldiers go, though. They were a distraction.” She winked. “Maybe now the nurses will stop finding excuses to be in ICU.”

Chantal grabbed the doctor’s arm. “Where did he go?”

“Miss Leduc—”

“Please, I have to know. Was it Fort Bragg?”

“I think I heard someone mention that name.”

“Damn them!” she said, turning on her heel. “They knew I wanted to talk to him.”

It had been almost seventeen years since Chantal had set foot on a military base. When she’d eloped with Daryl, she’d promised herself that she’d never return to one. She didn’t give a second thought to the prospect of doing so now. Whatever it took, she would find Mitch.

The taxi that had brought her to the hospital was just pulling out when she reached the front entrance. She ran after it to flag it down, then chafed at the driver’s sedate pace. If she’d still had her pickup truck, she could have covered the distance to her apartment in half the time. She slammed her front door and wrenched open the closet beside it. She had just dragged out her suitcase when the back of her neck tingled. Somehow, she knew she wasn’t alone.

“Going somewhere, Chantal?”

She pivoted. “Mitch!”

He was standing beside her living room window. There was a metal brace on his left foot and a white sling around his left arm. Someone must have loaned him clean clothes—his blood-soaked Patriots shirt and cargo pants had been replaced by a set of fatigues. Someone must have loaned him a razor, too. His cheeks gleamed from a fresh shave.

On some level, the details of his appearance registered, but all she really saw was his smile. She pushed aside her suitcase and crossed the floor. “Mitch, what are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.” He held out his right arm. “Where have you been?”

She laughed as she stepped into his lopsided embrace. “Trying to find you.”

“We must have just missed each other.”

She rubbed her nose against the hollow at the base of his neck. He’d evidently taken the time to shower, too, as she had. Yet beneath the scent of soap, he still smelled like Mitch. “That’s my fault. I knew I should have stayed at the hospital, but I’d wanted the chance to clean up before you saw me again.”

“Me too.”

“You didn’t have to.”

He kissed her ear. “Neither did you. You’ll always be beautiful to me, whatever you look like.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Sure, it does.”

In a way, it did. Regardless of what he looked like on the outside, it was the man on the inside whom she loved. She closed her eyes, absorbing the familiar feel of him. “How did you get in here, anyway? How did you even know where I lived?”

“Not a problem. I’m from Special Ops, remember?”

“Where are your men?”

“On their way home.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry about the Aerie, Chantal.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I know how important it was to you. I’m going to contact some friends I have in Homeland Security. They’ll find a way to get you compensation. That should help you rebuild.”

“Homeland Security?”

“According to Intel, they intercepted the missiles as well as Knox’s customer. They owe you.”

She lifted her face. “Let’s discuss that later.”

His eyes darkened as he looked at her mouth. Instead of giving her the kiss she craved, though, he tugged her toward her couch and sat down. “No, we really do have to talk. There’s something I need to explain, Chantal.”

He sounded so serious, she felt a tickle of misgiving. “Mitch—”

“It’s about this,” he said, lifting his arm that was in the sling.

She curled her feet onto the couch, twisting to face him. “I’m sorry you got hurt. I know it was my fault. I went a bit crazy when I heard about the bombs. I wasn’t thinking.”

“My injuries are nothing. That’s not what I meant.” He touched his right hand to his left where it stuck out of the sling. He rubbed his index finger across his wedding band. “I’m talking about my ring.”

She moistened her lips. She’d been prepared for this, she reminded herself. “I apologize about that, too, Mitch,” she said. “I understand there’s no timetable when it comes to grief. I had no right to mention your scars, because God knows I’ve got enough of them myself.”

“But that’s the point I want to make. This isn’t a scar, Chantal.” He turned the ring around on his finger a few times, then slowly worked it off. “It’s a tribute.”

She looked from the ring to his face. “A…”

“Tribute,” he repeated. “That’s the only way I know how to describe it. I loved my wife. It hurt to lose her, but I will always treasure the love we had. I’m a better man for it.”

“Oh, Mitch.”

“I’ve worn this ring to remind myself of how good love can be. I’m glad I did. It’s worth holding out for the real thing.”

He was talking about his love for another woman. Chantal couldn’t understand why it was making her fall even more in love with him. She put her hand on his thigh. “You were lucky.”

“More than I could have dreamed.” He pressed the ring to his lips, then buttoned it carefully into the breast pocket of his shirt. “I’d been convinced love only happens once in a lifetime, but I was wrong. Our capacity to love doesn’t die. We carry it in here,” he said, tapping his fingers over his heart. “I’ve probably loved you in one way or another for almost half your life.”

She couldn’t speak. She hardly dared to breathe. This was beyond what she could have hoped for.

“Remember how I told you that I thought there was a connection between us?”

She nodded. Her lips trembled.

“I’d made myself ignore it because I hadn’t allowed myself to think of you as a woman. But I never forgot you. That’s the real reason I accepted Graham’s invitation to the Aerie. I’d known you’d be there, and I was, ah, curious.”

“Curious,” she repeated.

“Naturally, I also wanted some input on that signal-dampening device his company is developing,” he added quickly.

She smiled. It was incredible. It seemed as if everything he said made her love him more. “Naturally. That’s the kind of man you are.”

“About that, I need to tell you up front, I’m an army man, so I hope you can see past your aversion to it.”

She knew this was important to him, so she took time to form her response. “I respect your job, Mitch. You’re a born leader, and I can’t imagine you doing anything that suits you better. I would never expect you to change. I love you exactly as you are.”

“Your parents weren’t a good example of what marriage with a military man involves. Your mother probably would have had the same problems whatever career your father had chosen. I hope you’ll come to see that—” He stopped suddenly. “Did you just say that you love me?”

“Did you just mention marriage?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “I was wrong yesterday when I said I wasn’t expecting a commitment. I don’t want to risk losing you, Chantal. We do make a good team, and between the two of us, I’m certain we’ll find a way to merge our lives. I realize this might be too fast, but—”

“Fast?” Laughing, she shifted to her knees and cradled his face in her palms. “I love you, Mitchell Redinger. I have since the moment I first saw you.”

His smile was dazzling. “That’s exactly what you said before.”

Yes, it was. She’d known he would remember. The last time she’d said those words, she hadn’t been ready for him.

She was now.

Oh, was she ever.

She touched her thumbs to the corners of his mouth.
Mitch, for heaven’s sake. Stop talking already and kiss me!

His smile changed. In spite of his injuries, he had no trouble easing her back on the couch and stretching out on top of her.

Chantal wrapped her arms around Mitch, holding on to the young man who had always held her heart.

And welcoming the warrior who had won it all over again.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-6477-3

ARMY OF TWO

Copyright © 2010 by Ingrid Caris

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Eagle Squadron

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Payback

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Eagle Squadron: Countdown