Letters from Home (Love Beyond Reason #1)(20)

Cat took the pile of cards from her hand and stuffed them into the outgoing mail slot. She hooked an arm through Lena’s, and they started to leave, but out of the corner of her eye, Lena caught a glimpse of a man behind the counter. She slowed, crooking her head. “Hey.”

Mark Teller. “That’s the new guy,” Lena whispered to Cat, who immediately turned around to stare through the glass doors and into the customer service area.

Mark had acted as if he knew her that night at the Winter Carnival. But he was friends with Zack. She wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the a-friend-of-yours-is-a-friend-of-mine phenomenon. Maybe they’d talked about her a time or two. Still, she didn’t believe in coincidence.

An odd tingling sensation started just below her heart. What if…?

What if Maria’s flippant remark was correct? What if Zack’s attention this week was more than just him scratching an itch, testing the waters? Her heart pounding and knees weak, Lena stopped on the steps. She gripped the rail with barely steady hands and pressed her lips together, fighting a grin, fighting a joy that might be unfounded.

“You okay? Looks like you have a panic attack coming on.”

Lena blew out a lungful of air and pressed her fingers against her eyes. “I know. I feel crazy. Those letters made me crazy. Then Zack made me fall in love with him.” She turned to her sister. “That guy in there is friends with Zack. He works at the Post Office.”

Cat lifted a brow.

“Cat! He knows who the letter writer is!”

But Cat didn’t drum up the same enthusiasm. Instead, she took Lena’s shoulders in her hands. “You have less than twenty-four hours to wait. You’re not going to go in there and ruin it, are you?”

Lena laughed. “Don’t you see?” Hope, planted on her first morning here, grew inside of her.

I think the connection you feel through the letters was already there…

“I have to call Zack.” She stood and pulled her phone from her back pocket. She called his number and got his voice mail.

“Text him.” Her sister egged her on.

“I will. I will. Gee, when did you get so bossy?”

Cat grinned. “I learned from the best.”

Lena snorted, her fingers moving over the screen.

Need to talk. Can you meet me at the gazebo?

“Let’s walk.”

Lena followed her little sister. “I asked him to meet me at the gazebo.”

“What?” Cat shook her head. “You’re crazy. That’s like sacred ground until after your rendezvous. You shouldn’t go there. It might be bad luck.”

Lena couldn’t help but laugh. “No.” The more she thought about her need to see Zack, the more sure she was— Zack was her mystery man.

Sorry, babe. 4got to tell you. Spending day with dad. We drove to Sacramento for Mass. Be home mid-afternoon.

You okay?

He was a good man—honest, compassionate, loyal—and out of town. Her heart plummeted, and she chewed on her lower lip, pouting.

Fine. Just wanted to see you.

“What? What is it?” Cat stopped on the sidewalk and leaned against the parking meter.

“He took his dad to church.”

Cat started laughing. “You’re such a softy, Lena. I don’t know how you survive in the big, bad military world.”

Her phone buzzed again.

After-hours business Christmas party 2nite. Wanna go?

Her hands were trembling. She forced a calm back into her senses by blowing out a breath and stretching the muscles of her neck.

Sure

She turned to Cat. “He asked me to the after-hours business affair tonight. I need a dress.”

“I know just the place.”

…

Zack straightened his tie in the mirror of the front hall. The doorbell rang. He checked his watch. Eighteen hundred hours. He didn’t have time for carolers or, heaven forbid, a door-to-door salesman. He yanked the door open and froze.

“Lena.”

He couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. She looked incredible. The soft, black dress hugged her like a second skin, draped over her well-toned shoulders, slim waist, and hips that promised heaven. The deep cut of the v-neck exposed smooth skin and made his entire body tense with need. With her hair twisted up at the back of her head, the black stones that hung from her neck and ears sparkled in the soft glow of the porch light. And she wore heels—holy moly…heels—at least three inches tall.

“Hello.” Her mellow voice drummed against his sensual haze.

He swallowed. “I could have picked you up.”

When she laughed, her head tilted back, exposing the line of her neck. Her eyes shone with good humor and a spark of something else, something challenging. She leaned in, her smile an invitation he would have no problem accepting. “I live four houses down.”

“But it would be proper.” Zack felt an undeniable need to loosen the tie around his neck. “Why don’t you come in? We don’t need to leave for another fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks.” She swept through the doorway, the scent of her wafting in and surrounding him. Good God, if he wasn’t careful they would never get out of this house. Not that he wanted to… Every day closer to the end of her leave was another strike against him.

What more could he do?