Resisting Her Commander Hero

by Lucy Ryder

  She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I was attached, so what’s the big deal? You think I should have just let you go over?”

  “No, that’s not—”

  “Well, let me tell you something, Com-man-der.” She jabbed her fork in the air with each syllable. “Maybe you’ve forgotten how things work around here. We look out for each other, we catch each other when we fall, we—”

  “Thank you.”

  Frankie was silent a moment as anger and frustration drained away, leaving her exhausted.

  “You’re welcome,” she said quietly, and sucked in a shaky breath. “Now, if that’s all, I’m tired. I didn’t get much sleep.”

  “Have you taken your medication?”

  Frankie frowned and looked around the kitchen, trying to remember what she’d done with the prescription Paige had given her. “I went straight to bed… I haven’t got it filled yet. I’ll do it later,” she said, trailing him when he turned and disappeared out of the kitchen. She found him in the hallway, emptying her purse onto the entrance table.

  She rushed forward to stop him. “Hey! That’s my purse. What do you think you’re doing?”

  He found what he was looking for and with her prescription in hand opened the front door and stepped onto the porch. “I’ll see you get this,” he said, and trotted down the stairs, heading for his shiny new toy.

  “You’re not the boss of me, Commander Big Shot,” she yelled at his retreating back, furious that she allowed him to get under her skin. Why couldn’t she behave like the sophisticated professional she was? “And next time don’t expect me to save you. In fact, next time I’ll help you off a ledge myself.”

  *

  Nate couldn’t stop the sigh or the wry grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth because dealing with Frankie was always like handling primed explosives.

  Folding her prescription, he thrust it into his pocket and slid his aviators over his eyes. After the storm of yesterday, the sky was a clear cerulean blue so bright and clean that it hurt just to look at it.

  During the past ten years he’d lost count of the times he’d dreamed of Washington skies after a wild storm. In the hot, dry climes of the Middle East, where every breath seemed to suck the moisture right out of you, he’d often found himself missing the cool humidity of his home town as much as he’d missed the people and his family. Missed Frankie.

  But if he’d missed Frankie Bryce, it was because she’d been like a kid sister, he told himself. He’d grown up looking out for her, saving her from herself, and now that Jack was gone, Nate was left with a promise that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

  Pulling open the driver’s door, Nate looked across the roof of his truck at the wild woman glaring at him from her porch and sighed. He could feel the waves of irritation and frustration reaching across to him.

  “Get some sleep, Francis,” he said, knowing the name would irritate her. “You look like hell.”

  And before she could fling any more insults his way, Nate slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine and shoved the truck into gear.

  Besides, irritation was better than the cool indifference she’d treated him to since his return, even if he’d deserved it. It meant the old Frankie was still in there somewhere. The Frankie he hadn’t realized he’d missed until he’d seen her again and discovered a poised, aloof woman with cool green eyes and a soft unsmiling mouth. A woman he didn’t know quite how to deal with because she was nothing like the vibrant, feisty young girl he’d known.

  That young girl he’d had no problem treating like a kid sister. The woman she’d become…well, not so much.

  Besides, he had a debt to pay Jack and his family. They’d been there when Tom Oliver, Nate’s father, had skipped town, leaving a devastated family to cope with a one-hundred-thousand-dollar debt on a high-school teacher’s salary. They’d given an overwhelmed kid a place where he could be himself, had treated him as one of the family and showered him with the same love and attention they’d given to their son.

  Love and affection they should have shown their daughter—but hadn’t. Maybe Frankie’s dad hadn’t known what to do with a wild little girl, but he’d had no problem stepping in as the father figure Nate had needed, teaching him alongside his own son how to be a man—how to catch a ball, how to bait a hook and pilot a fishing trawler. Stuff his own father hadn’t stuck around for.

  Maybe it was guilt about that—or the fact that Jack was gone and it felt wrong somehow to think of Frankie as a woman—that had kept him away from her.

  Besides, what did he have to offer a woman, anyway? He had too many responsibilities as it was, helping his mother pay off the huge debt his father had left behind, and helping take care of Terri.

  In the past he’d felt suffocated by all the responsibility. It was the reason he’d left Port St. John’s in the first place. To live his own life, get a couple of degrees and still be able to take care of his family. It was what a man was supposed to do. Not bail at the first sign of hard times.

  Nate had always been determined to prove to everyone that he wasn’t his father. Prove that he wasn’t a womanizer who shirked his responsibilities or deliberately broke promises. And if that meant he’d have to avoid one feisty redhead…then that was exactly what he would do.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  EVEN THOUGH IT had been nearly twenty-four hours since he’d returned to Frankie’s and dropped off her medicine, Nate still found his mind wandering back to her and to that kiss.

  The only thing that was going to distract him was focusing on the other, less frustrating, women in his life so he offered to take his sister to her physical therapy session on his day off.

  Terri had been as wild as Frankie and the inactivity of being a paraplegic drove her insane. She was doing an online degree in conservation because she wanted to be a forest ranger. If anyone could overcome a spinal injury, it was his sister.

  After the grueling session that left her covered in sweat and snarling like a caged leopard, Nate steered them toward the Gelato Grotto on the boardwalk, hoping to put her in a better mood. But Terri knew exactly what he was doing.

  “You know that I’m not a kid anymore, don’t you?” she drawled dryly, after they’d left the shop with their purchases and headed for the harbor. The picturesque walkway was always filled with tourists and gave them a clear view of the strait. It was a sight Nate had missed more than he’d thought he would and it never failed to put his sister in a better mood. “Because ice cream doesn’t fix a broken back.”

  “According to Paige, it fixes everything,” he said absently, performing a few wheelies with her wheelchair and feeling his heart lift when she laughed. “Besides, I’m really enjoying your sunny disposition and was hoping to spend a pleasant afternoon in your company.”

  “Liar,” she snorted, not in the least offended by his sarcasm. “You can’t schmooze me like all your women, Nate. I’m too smart and I know you too well. You’re giving Mom a break.”

  “Of course I am…and I’m spending time with my best girl.”

  Terri nearly snorted ice cream out of her nose. “If that’s true then you need to get laid,” she observed smartly. “Clearly you need more excitement in your life.”

  “I have enough excitement, thanks,” Nate sighed, thinking of the confrontations he’d had with Frankie the last few times their paths had crossed. He knew it was mostly his fault but the woman was ornery enough to put a badger to shame.

  Terri made a mocking sound in her throat. “That’s for sure.”

  Nate frowned down at her in a way that usually made strong men pause. “What’s that supposed to mean?” But she ignored his look and licked a dollop of ice cream.

  “It’s all over social media, you know.”

  That wasn’t an answer that Nate had expected.

  “What is?” he demanded curiously.

  Terri made a scoffing sound. “Oh, come now, Commander Coastie. Surely you’ve seen it? The man with all the advanced engineering
degrees?”

  Nate stared at her in confusion, wondering if she was on a sugar overload.

  She rolled her eyes. “One of which is in computers?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Yeesh,” she huffed out impatiently. “I’m talking about last night, dummy.”

  At the mention of last night Nate froze, his mind instantly going back to that kiss on Frankie’s porch in the early hours. Had someone seen them? Was his biggest mistake since coming home out there for everyone to see?

  Frankie was going to kill him.

  But showing any kind of weakness to his sister would be like putting out a welcoming mat for an invading army of Huns.

  Instead he asked casually, “Last night?”

  “Frankly, I think you should tell Mom before someone else does,” she said shortly. “Before she freaks out.”

  Freaks out? Nate thought, feeling a little insulted on Frankie’s behalf. He’d thought his mother liked Frankie. She was always talking about her. Francis this, Francis that. Now she was going to freak out because he’d kissed her?

  Or maybe she’d be mad Nate had taken advantage of an old family friend.

  “Just because I kissed Frankie doesn’t mean—” She made a choking sound and he whipped her around, cursing when he saw her expression. “We are talking about that, aren’t we?”

  His sister was smirking as though she’d just tricked him into revealing state secrets. “You kissed Frankie?” She appeared delighted—and more than a little gleeful. “Well, it’s about time.”

  “No, it’s not,” he said curtly. “Frankie’s like a sister to me, you know that. Besides, she’s nuttier than Mom’s fruitcake.”

  Terri’s expression was a mix of disgust and pity. “You’re an idiot. Frankie’s fun, not crazy. But in the spirit of full disclosure I’m talking about the way the woman-who’s-like-a-sister dived off that ledge to save you.”

  “What?”

  Terri rolled her eyes. “Oh, puh-leez. I’m talking about the fact that you nearly died last night and I had to learn about it online in a video shot by one of the guys on the chopper.” She reached out to poke him. “I’m talking about Frankie saving your ass and nearly dying too… And all you can say is—” her voice dropped an octave “‘—she’s like a sister to me.’ Are you insane?”

  Nate shoved impatient fingers through his hair. “She was injured saving my ass, as you so elegantly put it, and I… I lost my head a little.”

  Terri paused with a frown. “She’s okay, isn’t she?”

  Nate sighed and said more gently, “Of course she’s okay. You know Frankie. She’s like a cat with multiple lives.”

  “Nine lives, you mean.”

  He snorted. “She used up fifteen lives before she was ten.”

  “Well, she isn’t a kid anymore,” Terri pointed out unnecessarily. As if he could forget that after last night…and this morning. “I think you should buy her a ton of ice cream to say thank you.”

  “I took her breakfast.”

  “How about dinner and dancing…or maybe a sail along the coast with a picnic lunch? She’d like that.”

  Nate sent her a sideways frown. “Are you by any chance matchmaking, miss nosy?”

  Her snort told him exactly what she thought about his suggestion. “Heck, no,” she told him. “You’re the last person I’d sic on Frankie. I like her.”

  He blew out an exasperated breath. “Why, what’s wrong with me?”

  She arched her brow and laughed. “Other than you have a hero complex and she hates heroes? A lot, believe me.”

  That surprised him. “She hates heroes?” He shook his head as if to clear it because Frankie was always trying to show she was the bravest and the most daring. “You know… Never mind. Why is this even relevant?”

  Her expression became unreadable. “It isn’t, I’m just saying.” She shrugged. “I lived with you for thirteen years before you went off to become a hero. And for six months when you came back. I’m glad you moved into your own place. You’re annoying. You eat all the good stuff, hog the remote and leave wet towels all over the place.”

  “No, that’s you.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She grinned and licked her cone. “My bad. So. Wanna see it?”

  “See what?”

  She gave a huge eye-roll that suggested he was a moron and pulled out her phone. “The video. It’s pretty awesome now that I know you’re safe.”

  While she was accessing whatever site she was looking for, Nate threw the last of his cone in the trash. He was wiping his hands when his phone rang.

  “Hey, Paige, how’s things?”

  “Did you hear? Have you seen her?” She sounded out of breath.

  He frowned at the odd note of anxiety in her voice. “Hear what? And if you’re talking about your best friend, yes, I did. I took her breakfast, which she ate because I waited. Just as you ordered.”

  “That’s great,” Paige said impatiently. “But not what I’m talking about.”

  “What are you—”

  “A call’s just come in. There’s been a fire and Fr—”

  His blood went cold. “I’ll be right there.” He was already on the move when he remembered Terri. He grabbed her wheelchair and began speeding along the boardwalk. “I’ve got to get you home.”

  “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Frankie?”

  “Yes. No… I don’t know,” he said, battling frustration, irritation and outright terror. “Paige just said something about a fire.”

  “A fire? Well, go, you idiot,” she yelled, slapping at his hands on the wheelchair handles. “I can take care of myself.”

  “No—”

  “I can get to the rehab center myself, Nate.” She paused and then with extreme reluctance promised, “I’ll call Mom, I promise.”

  After wrestling with his conscience for a couple of beats, Nate caved. “All right. But don’t do anything stupid and don’t talk to charming strangers.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Terri said impatiently. “Go.” She held up her phone. “See? Already calling Mom.”

  Nate paused only a moment before taking off. He didn’t trust his sister to call their mom so he put Ty on speed dial the instant he got back to his truck.

  “I heard,” Ty said the moment he picked up. “Is she okay?”

  “Terri’s fine but I wonder—”

  “I was talking about Frankie. Did something happen to Terri?”

  “No, I was just—Never mind.” He shook his head to clear it of the panic that had taken root. “Can you pick her up? Terri, I mean. I took her for ice cream and a walk on the boardwalk after her therapy session and—”

  “Already on my way,” Ty interrupted, and Nate could hear the sound of keys and the slam of a door. “Get to our girl. I hear she got there before the fire guys and had to go in.”

  “Got there? Got where?” He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “I thought—Look, never mind. I’m nearly at her house.”

  “Let me know how—”

  “I will,” Nate said, and disconnected before he had an accident because he was taking corners on two wheels.

  Fortunately, it was the middle of the afternoon and the roads were relatively quiet. He made good time getting from the harbor to Frankie’s neighborhood and took a moment to thank the government for the advanced driver training he’d received as part of SEAL training.

  As it was, all he really had to do was follow the signs of destruction. Or in this case the sound of sirens and the cloud of black smoke rising into the air.

  That was Frankie, he thought with his heart in his throat. Always needing to show that she was ready to wade into the fray at a moment’s notice. His gut clenching, Nate gunned the engine, barely missing taking out a couple of trash cans left on the curb.

  His dread eased only slightly when he arrived at the scene and discovered her house still intact. Emergency vehicles blocked the road and a crowd had gathered but it seemed like
all the excitement was over because a couple of firemen were already rolling up their hoses.

  He didn’t see Frankie anywhere.

  Nate parked his truck and headed toward a couple of EMTs. He had to push his way through the onlookers and caught snippets of conversation as he went.

  “It’s a good thing she was home… I’ve never seen anything like it… She just waded into all that smoke and flames… I’d just put the baby down when I heard yelling… It was an age before she emerged with Mrs. Wallace… I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like something from a movie… Barely stopped before running right back inside for Mr. Wallace… I heard the EMTs say she suffered burns along with smoke inhalation…”

  Nate sucked in a sharp breath and his heart clenched in his chest. Even if they hadn’t mentioned her name, he knew they were talking about Frankie. All he could think of were the words she suffered burns.

  Cursing himself for not keeping a closer eye on her, Nate approached the EMTs, only to find that Frankie had already been taken to the medical center, homeowner Mr. Wallace was in a bad way, and the worst of the damage was in the back of the house. The latter they’d told him in low voices because Mrs. Wallace was being prepped a short distance away for transport to the ER and they didn’t want her to hear.

  Nate thanked them and ran back to his truck, breaking the speed limit in his haste to get to the hospital. Offensive driving was one thing when you were dodging bullets and IEDs but another thing entirely when you were negotiating suburban residential streets.

  He found parking and headed straight for the ER.

  “Francis Bryce,” he began, pausing when the duty nurse’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

  “Omigosh, it’s…it’s… Nancy, it’s him,” she squeaked, as though Nate wasn’t standing right in front of her. “Come quickly…it’s him. The…the guy.”

  Nate felt his forehead tighten.

  “I’m sure you have me confused with someone else,” he began, only to be interrupted.

  “Oh, no,” the nurse said emphatically. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one Frankie saved last night.” Ignoring the reference to the previous night, Nate continued, “I heard she was brought in. Can I see her?”