Scorched

by Melody Anne

  Rachel hadn’t wanted to be pregnant, had been devastated when she found out she was going to be a single mother and that her best-laid plans for her future had to be altered. But over the last couple of months, she’d had time to come to terms with her condition, and now she felt an unbelievable urge to protect her child, to ensure it had a healthy arrival into this world.

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  From the looks on the medical staff’s faces, something wasn’t right. Her throat closed up on her as she tried to ask what was wrong. She needed to speak to them, but she couldn’t get any sound out.

  Adriane looked up and must have noticed her distress because he bent down to her. “Are you all right?”

  Finally her voice came back to her. “What’s wrong with my baby?”

  Adriane grabbed her hand and squeezed with a look both of wonder and of shock on his face. He turned back to the monitor while he tried to figure out how to say the words.

  In Rachel’s panic, she gripped his hand tightly and leaned on him for comfort, though he had been the one to cause so much of her stress lately. It didn’t matter at this moment. Right now, all that mattered was that their baby be OK. Just for now, they needed to present a united front.

  “Sorry about worrying you, Ms. Palazzo. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure,” the doctor said, speaking in English again as he turned and looked at her with a reassuring smile.

  That didn’t drive away her worries.

  “It seems you are carrying twins. ”

  Adriane’s face broke out into a huge grin, and he looked down at her with such pride and…love in his expression that it took her breath away. Rachel had to remind herself it was love for the babies she carried, not for her.

  Still, she was floored.

  Twins.

  Not one baby but two rested within her womb.

  What was she going to do now?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  RIFLE SHOTS SOUNDED in the quiet cemetery. Seven rifles, fired in three volleys.

  It was supposed to be for honor.

  It was supposed to signify respect.

  Yes, it did that, but saluting one who had fallen while serving his country didn’t take away the pain of losing him.

  River Delzado was gone forever. He would never serve with his team again.

  Shane hung his head. An endless silence surrounded him before taps began playing. Then, the only sound that could be heard above the bugle was the quiet sobs of River’s wife and young daughter.

  Time didn’t matter. Though he had stood amongst his team, listening to the minister speak of what a good and honorable man River had been, Shane heard none of it — heard nothing but the pounding of his own heart.

  He’d lost men before, men who’d been his friends. But River was different. He was a true friend, and he was now gone. There would be no more nights on the field together, nights of playing cards, laughing over something River’s daughter had done, of River pestering him to settle down.

  His brother-in-arms would never be there again.

  They all knew that the risks were high when they were on a mission. They all knew they or their comrades could die. They were trained for this. But none of that helped. No amount of training could really prepare them for the worst.

  Shane didn’t know whether he could continue to do this.

  It was just one more loss in a million other losses. The difference now was that Shane had people he truly cared about at home.

  Lia.

  He’d hurt her so much in the last few years. And he’d never wanted to hurt her, which was why he’d felt justified in keeping this part of his life separate from her.

  But still, he’d managed to lose her trust, to make her heart ache. The two of them — they were something he’d never intended to happen. But now it seemed that he couldn’t live without her.

  She might seem tough to the world, as if she had it all together, but Shane knew the insecurities she dealt with. Yes, she’d grown up in a loving family, but somehow Lia had been the one to get forgotten about most.

  She’d been the middle child. Her younger sister got a lot of attention because she was the baby; her older brother got a lot of attention just because of who he was. Then there was Lia. She had been painfully shy for years.

  He’d never known that — never knew she had been afraid to talk to people, afraid to make friends, not until many years later when she’d confided in him. It had been difficult for her to make changes, but when she’d decided to break free of her shell, she’d done so with a vengeance.

  Despite the solemnity of this occasion, the thought almost made Shane smile.

  Almost — but not quite.

  Shane’s eyes moved back toward River’s casket as he and his men placed their hands on the flag covering it, and all other thoughts disappeared.

  His friend was about to be laid to eternal rest. Yes, it could happen to any one of them at any time. But why River?

  His widow was handed the traditionally folded flag, and to the slow, measured music from the bugler, his wooden casket was lowered into the ground. Day is done, gone the sun.

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  For the first time since he was a small child, Shane felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Surprised, he blinked away the emotion, then stood at full attention to honor his friend and colleague.

  People began clearing out from the cemetery, their moods as gloomy as the overcast sky. Many sobbed quietly as they held on to one another.

  Shane stood tall, watching as the staff began disassembling the protective tents they’d put up in case the sky decided to pour down its own sorrow.

  His men stood wordless by his side and behind him, none of them leaving until he began to walk away. They were close, and they’d been lucky, until now, not to lose one of the team.

  “Grayson!”

  Shane turned to see his commander approaching. The man was only about fifteen years older than Shane, but he’d seen a lot in his years in the military, more than Shane ever cared to see. There was a hardness to the man’s voice and tone that bespoke authority and grim experience.

  The men followed him, always with no questions asked.

  “Yes, sir?” Irritated at the quietness of his own voice, Shane stood even taller and squared his shoulders more fully. It wasn’t OK for him to show weakness in front of his commander — even weakness caused by the loss of a teammate.

  “Your team did well. The girl has been safely returned to her family, and the diplomat is extremely pleased. I know you’re all having a difficult time with this loss. I am truly sorry. River was a good man. ”

  “Thank you, sir. We’ll feel better if we can just get back to work,” Shane said, desperate to go into battle, to shoot something or someone. He needed to vent his rage, his frustration and the feeling of free-falling that had been running through him for too long now.

  “That’s a negative, Grayson. Your team is on leave as of right now. No one is cleared for duty until the doc gives his OK. ”

  Shane’s gaze narrowed just the slightest, and his commander narrowed his own in turn, making Shane back down immediately. Never once had he shown disrespect to a superior.

  “Sir, I don’t think that’s necessary. We know the risks we take in the field. We know it could be any one of us at any time. This call-in was supposed to last a month,” Shane said, keeping his tone neutral. He was skirting the line here.

  “Well, the call has been suspended, Grayson — for all of you. You’re to see the doc next week. Follow me over here. I want to speak to you privately for a moment,” he said, and Shane walked away from his men. He stood at attention and waited. “Grayson, I’ve thought of you as more than a soldier for a lot of years now. I respect you. Like you. I don’t say that to a lot of men. May I be frank with you?”

  Shane couldn’t imagine what the man wanted to say. “
Of course, sir. ”

  “You’ve been finished with this life for a long time, Shane,” he said, using his first name for the first time that Shane could ever recall. “You do know that if you decide to retire, you do so with honor. You have a life outside of the military, which is something a lot of us can’t say. Maybe it’s time you embrace that, get out of this before it destroys you the way it does so many. ”

  The commander didn’t give him time to respond before turning and walking away, leaving Shane standing there unsure of what had just happened. His commander was right: he was finished with military life — he just didn’t know how to make the final break.

  Slowly, Shane walked back over to his men, who had waited for him, and he looked each of them in the eyes before he gave an attempt at a smile.

  “You all heard the commander; you’re dismissed,” Shane said. Each man clapped him on the shoulder before taking his leave. They didn’t ask what the commander had spoken to him about. They knew he didn’t want to talk and they respected him for it. They most likely felt the same way.

  Rage and sorrow tore at his heart as Shane cast a long last glance at the open grave. The casket had been lowered, River laid to rest.

  He’d been so young, had so much life ahead of him.

  Now, he had a widow and a child left behind with only memories.

  Lifting a loose clump of dirt in his hand, Shane watched as it sifted through his fingers before he tossed it on top of the casket, looking so final as it sat six feet below the surface of the earth.

  “Goodbye, River. ”

  Shane clenched his jaw and turned away. It was time to go home — time to decide the rest of his life. He couldn’t do that without speaking to Lia.

  She was his life.

  All the rest of it was meaningless if she weren’t with him.

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  It was time to claim his bride.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “IT’S BEEN A week. I know we were all for allowing Rachel time to figure this relationship out with Adriane, but I’m starting to worry. If she truly wants to be there, wants to work things out with this guy, then why hasn’t she called anyone?”

  Ari and Rosabella watched Lia walk slowly about the room while voicing her alarm. All three of them were uneasy with their role in this matter. Each one of them had spoken to Rafe, had talked him into giving Adriane a week to win Rachel’s heart.

  “I agree, darling. I think it’s time we go and see her,” Rosabella said, a worried frown settling between her eyebrows.

  “I just hope she doesn’t hate us for talking Rafe out of flying in and bringing her back,” Ari said. “What if things have been really bad for her?”

  The women fell silent as they thought for a moment about Rachel and her circumstances.

  “So what do we do now?” Lia seemed so lost, so downtrodden, which was the opposite of how the normally confident woman always appeared.

  “We go over there. If her entire family descends on the palace and she’s being held against her will, then he either hands her over or we begin a war. ”

  Both Lia and Ari looked at Rosabella with their mouths agape. She was such a small woman, always quiet and respectful. They’d never imagined something like the word war would come from her mouth.

  “I’m with you, Mom,” Lia said, a small grin making an appearance on her face.

  “Where did this fire come from?” Ari asked, unable to help herself.

  “I usually have no reason to get riled up, Ari darling. But, when I can’t speak to my child, I will willingly go into battle. I wasn’t always just a mother. Did you know I once served in a volunteer organization that traveled the world doing service work and teaching young women self-defense? We went to many countries and the places I saw opened my eyes to the tragedies people encounter. It was why I was so insistent with your father that you children be taught humility. Just because we were always blessed with money didn’t mean that’s how the rest of the world is. Too many wealthy children have no idea of how many kids go to sleep at night with a hungry belly. ”

  “I didn’t know that, Mom,” Lia said as she looked through new eyes at the woman who’d raised her. For her mother to leave the comfort of her home for an extended period of time to help others was impressive. Lia felt selfish as she sat with her mom and waited for her to continue.

  “Yes. My family was well off and I thought I would go with this group and save lives while also seeing the world. I was humbled pretty quickly. It wasn’t all glory, all sitting ensconced in a nice, safe hotel room. We stayed in the impoverished areas with these families, lived in the conditions they lived in, learned why and how they were there. Sometimes, it was as simple as they’d been born into it, and sometimes it was because life had just been hard, but no one chooses to sleep in the streets. They do it because they have nowhere else to go. I will never judge the world again in the way I did when I was a young teen. ”

  “Where did you go?” Ari asked, mesmerized by this new information.

  “My favorite place was America. That was a culture shock for me back then. Before that time, all I’d known was our small village. Your grandparents had a beautiful garden that we ate from all summer long, that we appreciated and we used it all. In America, I was shocked by the abundance of everything, but shocked more by how so many still went without in the midst of plenty. ”

  “Were you safe?”

  “Oh, yes. We never were alone and learned where we could and couldn’t go. It was a time of learning for me and I grew much stronger, but I was always safe. By the time I left the group, a full year had passed. I was almost sad to see that time end. I grew stronger, more independent, and learned to never take my own life and its privileges for granted again. I also learned to fight for what I wanted and what I believed in. ”

  “I’m so proud of you, Mom. Why didn’t you suggest that Rachel, Rafe or I do something like this?”

  “The world is different now. Yes, there are some great programs to expand the horizons of young people, but with the wealth that your father had accumulated, we worried someone might try to kidnap you for ransom. That’s why we volunteered through local programs instead,” Rosabella said.

  “I guess I understand that,” Lia said, though her mother’s tale had showed her how much she’d missed.

  “Remember that summer we all built a home with Habitat for Humanity. Shane fell off the roof while he was showing off in front of the girls who were there,” Rosabella said with a laugh.

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  “Yeah, Shane is always showing off or taking off,” Lia muttered.

  “I think you are too hard on Shane. He’s a good man, Lia. ”

  “He’s lied to me over and over again. I never even knew he was a part of the military,” Lia defended herself.

  “Don’t hold it against Shane that he cares about others’ safety,” Rosabella told her.

  “You knew?” Lia asked. Was she the last to know everything?

  “Of course I knew, darling, but it wasn’t my information to give out. Shane keeps his secrets because it’s his way of protecting himself. You need to understand that and forgive him for not always sharing. The life he led before meeting Rafe wasn’t a pleasant one. ”

  “I know. I met his mother,” Lia said, feeling a little shame at what he’d gone through. She’d been so mad at him, but if she’d grown up the way he had, wouldn’t she be leery of showing vulnerability to others? Maybe she’d judged him too harshly.

  “The first time he met our family, he had quite a chip on his shoulder; his anger at everyone and everything was really weighing him down. He and your brother had become close friends before they ever entered college, but Shane was still very suspicious of strangers’ motives. When he came to our home and saw the kind of money Rafe had grown up with, he became even more suspicious. He automatically assumed that your father and I wouldn�
��t want Rafe associating with him. He was wrong. I loved him from that first day. It took him a while to let us in, but when he did, we learned what a truly big heart he had. He wants to share it, Lia. He’s just afraid that his gift of love will be thrown back in his face. After all, it has been, many times, and by people who should love him more than any other. ”

  Lia felt like squirming beneath her mother’s knowing gaze. Is that what she’d done? Had she thrown Shane’s gift away? But he’d lied to her, she tried to reason.

  Hadn’t she protected herself, too, quickly judging him so she could be the first to run when the relationship didn’t work out? This was a man she’d wanted for so long she couldn’t remember a time of not yearning for his touch. Yet at the first sign of rejection, or of seeing him threatening to pull away from her, she’d rushed to pull away first.

  She had a lot to think about.

  “I’m afraid,” she admitted, not knowing what to do now.

  “If you aren’t scared, then you probably don’t have true feelings for him, Lia. You are a passionate girl, and that will carry over into every aspect of your life. Just don’t be so afraid that you pass up a good thing. Nothing truly worth having comes to us easily. ”

  Lia thought over her mother’s words as the three women had afternoon tea and waited to hear from Rafe. Soon, they would go see Rachel and one worry would be alleviated. Then Lia needed to focus on how she felt about Shane and what she was going to do about their relationship.

  The afternoon passed, and still no answers came to Lia. This wasn’t easy — not easy at all. But if it were easy, would she want it? She’d always been up for a challenge, always wanted what she was told she couldn’t have. Was that her problem? Now that Shane wanted her, was she losing interest?

  She ruled that out with a definite no.

  She could never lose interest in him.

  That left her with the challenge of trying to figure out what her next move would be. As of now, she still didn’t know.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  RACHEL HAD BEEN a little sad to leave the safe haven of Adriane’s castle on his private island. She’d hated the place at first, felt trapped and left with no choices, but then the castle had grown on her. She’d enjoyed the peacefulness there.