Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (Cactus Creek #3)(52)

“You sure you don’t want me to take a little off the top with my dog clippers?” she teased, ruffling his hair. “For where we’re going today, I guarantee you’ll be the shaggiest one of the bunch otherwise.”

Now he was just curious as hell as to what she was planning.

He got dressed quickly and packed up his campsite.

A half hour later, they were chasing the sunrise back towards Yuma.

When he saw the landscape become even more deserted and heard all the familiar sounds he hadn’t realized he missed until now, he looked over at Lia in wonder.

“The Yuma Proving Ground?” he asked incredulously, damn near reverently. The thirteen hundred square mile facility the U.S. Army had tucked away in Arizona to test nearly every ground combat weapon system at their disposal.

As well as some not yet at their disposal.

“Yep. I figured you’d recognize it. How many times have you been here for training?”

“Three times, but the last was over five years ago.”

At the entry gate, Lia used her civilian base badge to gain them entrance.

More surprises. “I thought you only handled the private sector.”

“I do. But sometimes, we need access to the facilities and the Spencer’s organization has been working with the folks here for years.” She smiled. “But I mostly come out just to visit. One of the guys here is basically like an uncle; he’s Jack’s oldest friend.”

She parked his jeep and threw him back his keys. “See, we got here in one piece. Now that wasn’t so painful was it?”

It actually was. He adored Lia to no end, but for good lord, the woman couldn’t drive a stick to save her life. He’d definitely have to recalibrate his clutch later…or ask Lia’s mechanic friend to do it, since she was so fond of tinkering with his vehicle and all.

They headed over to the main office, where Lia ran up to hug the officer awaiting their arrival. Hudson just barely tamped down the compulsion to salute. But he of course addressed him properly.

“Colonel,” Hudson extended his hand formally.

Lia made quick introductions. “Hudson, this is Jefferson Walters, one of the Spencer’s closest family friends. Uncle Jeff, this is Hudson Reyes,” she flicked her eyes at Hudson, “my boyfriend.”

He felt a huge thump in his chest and grinned like an idiot. Damn if that didn’t feel like she’d just called him the high commanding emperor of the moon.

“Good to meet you, Sergeant Reyes. I’ve heard a lot of good things.”

“Please, call me Hudson. Thanks for having us over today.”

“Little Lia hasn’t ever introduced one of her young men to me before so it’s my pleasure entirely. And after talking with your former commanding officer, I hear you were quite the valued asset for us.”

The past tense verb use of that stung.

And apparently, he wasn’t hiding his reaction well.

Lia’s eyebrows dipped down in concern and after a swift mental kick to his own ass, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss to clear the clouds he’d caused. “It’s actually a very cool experience to come here as a civilian,” he murmured honestly with a smile when Lieutenant Colonel Walters called over one of his men to give him directions for today’s visit.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would make you sad,” Lia whispered back, worried.

Shit, he felt like the biggest ass in the world.

“It didn’t honey. Honest. This is an amazing surprise. I love it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” And he meant it. “You setting up this day for me—” Hudson’s words grinded to a complete, astonished halt when a new Stryker armored combat vehicle unlike any he’d ever seen before, wheeled into vision.

No. Effing. Way.

“Is that what I think it is?” he asked in an awed voice, sounding even to his own ears like a kid who’d just discovered a mythical new superhero truly existed.

“Yep,” said Lia with a beaming grin. “And they’re going to let you play with it today.”



*



DREW SWITCHED ON his Bluetooth and answered his ringing cell phone, just as he was pulling out of his friend’s apartment complex. “Hello?”

“Hey Drew, it’s Lia. Are you busy?”

“Nope. Just heading out to run some errands. I’m actually back in Arizona for a few days, staying at a friend’s house before I start my internship with the DOD.”

He was pretty sure he could hear her smiling.

“So you did get it! Hudson had mentioned you were being considered. I am so crazy proud of you. You know that, don’t you?”

He did know. Mostly because Lia had made a point of telling him so as often as she could for the last eight years. “I wouldn’t have gotten it if it hadn’t been for Hudson.”

At the slight hitch in her breathing, Drew immediately pulled his rental car over. “Is everything okay with you two?”

“What? Yes, of course. Everything’s great.”

Drew frowned. Lia had never been a good liar.

“Okay, well, there is something...” she admitted seconds later.

Just as he thought.

She took a deep breath and asked hesitantly, “Do you think you could look into something for me?”