The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(48)

“I’ll help you clean up in a bit, Mom. I want to take Noah down to the dock to watch the sunset.”

“I’ll take care of it. You two run along.”

Harper hoped Noah had missed her mom’s not-so-subtle wink.

Once she and Noah were out of sight of the house, she notched herself into his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and matched her pace. They headed not to the beach but to the waterway to the west. The quiet serenity appealed to her more than the touristy beach side.

“Where did you find the book?” she asked.

“A used bookshop in San Diego. I always look for To Kill a Mockingbird because I like to see your name.”

Her insides turned warm and melty. “That’s really sweet. And, in my mom’s eyes, you are officially the favorite of all my boyfriends. Although it’s not like the competition was steep. Not being a public nose picker put you in the lead.”

He laughed as was her intent, but then his voice turned serious. “Good, because I plan to hang around for a good long time.”

They reached the old wooden dock and sat at the end. She took his hand in both of hers. New calluses and tendons had to be mapped into her memory. “I was afraid you’d decide it was all a mistake.”

“Mistake? What are you talking about?”

“Me. You. Mistake. We only had a week together. Am I how you remember me?”

He wrapped the hand she didn’t have a death clutch on around her nape and brought their foreheads together. “You’re better. Prettier. Funnier. Sweeter. Don’t you know?”

She didn’t, but she wanted to believe him. Words beyond her, she shook her head.

“The boys on base say I’m whipped, and all I can do is grin and agree. I don’t care that we’re young and on opposite sides of the country. All I know is that I’m falling for you.”

She’d needed him to say it first, but once he had, she surrendered to her own feelings. “Me too.”

She tilted her face to brush her lips against his. It might be cold out, but his arms were warm around her as the kiss deepened and took on a meaning far beyond simple pleasure. It felt like a promise. A promise she intended to keep forever.





Chapter 13


Present Day

Harper stared out the front window, squinting to try to extend her gaze.

“This man has sure got you stirred up.”

Harper startled. Her mom stood not two feet behind her, holding two martini glasses. Harper hadn’t even heard her walk up. She accepted the one with double olives and took a too-big gulp. Warmth spread fast and furious.

“I’m not stirred up because of Bennett Caldwell.” Harper faced the window before her mother caught sight of the half-lie. “This business will be a big undertaking. The work, the risk—it will change our lives, Mom, and I’m not sure for the better.”

Her mom planted her butt on the window sash and stirred the olive around the bottom of her glass. “This is the first time I’ve seen you this nervous and excited about anything since Noah died. Whatever sacrifices we need to make, we will.”

“What about Ben?”

“Better for him to see you working hard and passionate about your job than mopey and sad.”

“I’m not mopey.”

“Not anymore. Not since you had an idea for a business.” Her mom’s voice dropped to suggestive levels. “And not since Bennett Caldwell strolled into the picture.”

Deciding to ignore her mom’s teasing, Harper leaned against the sash, hip to hip with her. “I hate to burden you with more babysitting time. It might cut into your painting.” She nudged her mother with her shoulder.

“My foray into nude portraiture can wait.” Taking a more serious tone, she said, “I love spending time with Ben. You know that. And I love seeing my daughter reaching for a dream.”

“I might fail. Spectacularly.”

He mother shrugged and popped an olive in her mouth. “People fail all the time. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying.”

To cover her watery eyes, Harper killed the rest of her martini. If she couldn’t locate the real thing, she’d take courage of the liquid variety.

A knock on the front door made her jump up and slide her empty glass on the coffee table. Before she made it to the hallway, Ben’s voice echoed in the two-story foyer. “Wow! That’s the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. Will he eat me?”

Bennett’s rusty-sounding laugh echoed, and she stopped in the doorway of the den to surreptitiously watch her son and his namesake. “He won’t eat you. His name is Jack London, and he’s a perfect gentleman.”

“He named his dog Jack London? I like him already,” her mom whispered in Harper’s ear.

Stepping forward before her mom could embarrass her, Harper put her hand on Ben’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Ben, this is Mr. Caldwell. He and your daddy served together.”

“You knew my daddy?” Ben’s face tipped up with an awestruck grin.

Bennett was leaning toward Jack, his hand clasped in the dog’s fur, as if he sought support. “I sure did. He was my best friend.” Emotions too complicated for Ben to pick up on roughed Bennett’s voice. But Harper understood. No doubt, Bennett could see the best pieces of Noah in her son.