Shoulda Been a Cowboy (Rough Riders #7)(74)

Okay, maybe it was mean to call it that, but Domini couldn’t sleep without the damn thing on. The white noise from an oscillating fan calmed her. Which wouldn’t have bothered him, except she had to have the air blowing directly on her. Which meant it blew on him. All night. He’d woken up freezing on more than one occasion.


When he’d tried to joke, “Luke. I am your father,” into the fan in his best Darth Vader imitation, Domini hadn’t laughed. Maybe their senses of humor didn’t mesh.


Maybe nothing about this situation meshed.


Cam expected adjustments. He expected changes. He thought he’d done fairly well, considering the double whammy of a taking on a wife and a young kid all at once.


Honestly, his relationship with Domini wasn’t causing friction. When they were locked in their bedroom, locked body to body, everything was perfect.


But that’s not realistic. Your lives can’t revolve around the few hours you spend in bed.


Yeah? Her life shouldn’t revolve around Anton, either.


Talk about a stalemate.


He finished the first beer. Maybe he should’ve crashed in Anton’s room. At least he could’ve watched TV. That was just another thing he and Domini disagreed on. Cam didn’t think the kid needed a damn TV in his room. Domini claimed Anton needed his own space, his own things, and not a bunch more drastic changes in his life right away.


So Cam had given in. Sucked up his resentment. How did people do this parenting shit without going bonkers?


Most parents started out with a baby, not a surly seven-year-old. Maybe things would be different when he and Domini started having kids of their own. Right. If she stuck around that long. She’d already been making contingency plans to adopt Anton on her own and that sucked ass.



Just by happenstance, Cam discovered Domini had hired Ginger to start Anton’s preliminary adoption process paperwork. He’d been waiting in her office and noticed the bill on Domini’s desk. He hadn’t brought it up with her because he hadn’t known what to say. And part of him wanted Domini to explain, of her own volition, not because he forced the issue. Might be a long damn wait.


Cam sighed and closed his eyes. Allowing himself to drift off. Just for a minute.


The sound of approaching helicopters echoed in the distance. Extraction was here. His two young charges, still green as far as live fire ops went, popped up out of their hiding places. He motioned for them to stay put. But the lead guy misread the hand signal and started across the open field. Keeping low, like he’d been trained, yet Cam was horrified. The kid wasn’t supposed to cross an open field. Ever. Too much shit could go wrong.


Frantically, he made the “stay” signal again. Which the rear guy also misread and he followed his buddy through the exposed field.


Cam wanted to shout and drag those dumb little f*ckers out of danger by their ears. But he could only watch helplessly, concealed in his own hiding place, sweating pure fear, praying they got lucky and cleared the field without incident.


The landmine shook the ground and took out the first guy. The second guy ran pell-mell through the smoke and dust, screeching for his partner and setting off another landmine.


The words, your fault, it was all your fault, screaming in his head.


Wait. The screaming sound was outside his head too.


He looked to the sky as the whistling noise of a surface to air missile hit the helicopter. The explosion distorted reality, creating a ball of orange fire that knocked Cam flat on his ass. Parts rained down on him like metal raindrops. But when he saw the broken helicopter blade flipping end over end toward him like a deadly boomerang, he broke his silence and screamed.


And kept screaming.


“Cam?”


He jackknifed, not knowing where he was. He attempted to roll away and run from danger.


“Cam!” Hands slapped his cheeks. Legs pinned him down. “Wake up.”


He blinked in the near darkness until the face belonging to the voice swam into view.


Domini.


“Domini? What are you doing in…” Shit. He wasn’t in Afghanistan. The force of the old nightmare hit him anew and the shakes started. Sickness roiled in his belly. “Oh f*ck.”


“Ssh. It’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”


“I can’t—”


“I know. Lay back.”


“I—don’t, no—”


“Ssh. I’m here.” Domini cupped his face in her hands. “Look at me. Let me help you.”


“Okay,” he whispered. “Don’t go.”


“I’m right here, Cam. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I’m right here.”


She turned him on his side and covered him with the quilt after pressing her body tightly to his. Domini settled her right palm on his chest directly over his heart. She placed her left arm behind his head on the pillow and tenderly stroked his clammy forehead with her cool fingers. She murmured in his ear. He couldn’t tell if her words were Ukrainian or English.


It didn’t matter. Cam closed his eyes and focused on her voice. It soothed him. Her gentle touches, her sporadic sweet kisses, her presence was a healing balm to his soul.