One of the Boys

by Merline Lovelace

  “How…how long?” he managed to get out around the tube.

  “Two days now. I’m not sure how much you remember. There was an accident, a cable broke and hit a vehicle.”

  Mac nodded. He remembered everything. Including the screams of the man trapped under the burning vehicle.

  “Three men were hurt. They’re still not sure if the one you pulled out will make it. They were all taken to the burn center in San Antonio.”

  He lifted one singed brow in query and nodded at his arms, still under their light gauzy tents.

  “You’ve got second-degree burns on both arms and on one side of your face. The doctors were afraid you’d seriously damaged your lungs, but it’s not as bad as they first thought. They’ll give you the details now that you’re awake.”

  She turned to alert the nurse of Mac’s consciousness. A swarm of medical specialists soon surrounded him, and Maggie retreated to the waiting room. Alone in the dim light, she huddled in one corner of the couch. She drew up her legs, rested her folded arms on her knees and gave way to the tears she’d held back all those terrifying hours.

  When she finally went back in to see Mac, he was asleep again. She looked at the tube taped to his mouth and wished with all her heart it was gone, so that she could hear her mountain rumbling in her ear again.

  CHAPTER 12

  A week later, Maggie almost wished the tube was back in Mac’s mouth. He’d turned out to be a terrible patient, one of those men who were never sick and didn’t believe anyone who tried to tell him his body needed time to heal. He responded gruffly to the nurses’ orders and was extremely vocal in his opinion of the food they served. He told the doctors not to order any drugs or painkillers after just two days. If his burns pained him, he wouldn’t admit it. As Maggie came up for her afternoon visit, she could hear his deep gravelly voice halfway down the hall.

  “I don’t care what the doctor says—I want up! I refuse to use that blasted bedpan again.”

  “Colonel, you can’t, ah, do anything for yourself with those bandaged hands. This is better for you until—”

  “I’ll manage, dammit!”

  Maggie shook her head at his clenched jaw and angry blue eyes as she strode into the room. Two young nurses turned to her with palpable relief. The ward staff had learned quickly she was the only one who could control their patient. The two nurses gave her a thankful glance and left.

  “For heaven’s sake, Mac, act your age. You’ve got to stop terrorizing those lieutenants. They’re just trying to do their jobs.”

  Mac watched her toss down a pile of magazines and stand at the foot of his bed, hands on her hips. The sight of her pile of curls tied up with a blue silk scarf and matching soft silk shirt made his frustration level rise dangerously.

  “They can damn well go ply their trade on someone else,” he grumbled. “And take their bedpan with them.”

  “You know you can’t do anything for yourself with those bandaged hands,” Maggie tried patiently.

  “Oh, yeah?” His grumpy look was replaced by a decided leer. “Wanna bet? These bandages are the only things that stand between you and being kissed senseless. I think I can manage at least a demure peck or two, even with them on. Come here.”

  “No way! The last time I got close, you ended up showing your buns to the general’s wife when you tried to wrestle me onto the bed just as she came in. Nice conduct for a senior officer!”

  “Maggie, come here.”

  She eyed him for a long moment, then gave in to the soft command. Better the bed than his trying to chase her around the room.

  He sighed as she settled gingerly next to him in the wide hospital bed. “I’ve been waiting for you all afternoon,” he said, nuzzling the golden head beside his on the pillow.

  Maggie sighed. She relaxed contentedly and let the scent and feel and warmth that was Mac surround her.

  “By the way,” he added with seeming casualness, “Dad was here again this morning. He wants to know what we want for a wedding present. Does he know something I don’t?”

  Maggie looked up into his face in dismay. It was her own fault, she told herself. She should have said something sooner.

  She’d been trying to bring up the subject of their future ever since Mac had regained consciousness. She wanted desperately to tell him that all her wanderlust was gone, burned up in the flames that almost took him, as well. To her dismay, she’d discovered that taking a man up on a marriage offer he hadn’t renewed was a little tricky. She and Mac had had precious few moments alone since he’d been moved out of intensive care to a private room. It seemed the man knew half the people on the darn base. Someone was always there, even late in the evenings.

  Well, it looked like her future father-in-law had made the first move for her. As long as they had a few moments alone now, she might as well follow up.

  “Your father seemed to know about your rash offer, or rather, order, of marriage. If the order still stands, Colonel, I want very much to marry you,” Maggie told him softly.

  “Dammit, woman, you picked a fine time for this!” he roared.

  “What?”

  Maggie bounced off the bed. She’d have whacked the jerk with his own bedpan for startling her so if she wasn’t so confused by his response.

  “Hell, woman, I’ve been aching for you ever since I regained consciousness and found you stroking my thigh. Do you have any idea what that does to a man who’s numb everywhere but one particular unburned spot? The nurses are going to have to build another little tent pretty soon to cover the evidence of my frustration.”

  Dumfounded, Maggie gaped at him.

  “And then you have the nerve to bring up marriage when I can’t even take you in my arms and kiss you and…do all the other things a man should do when the woman he loves says she’ll marry him.”

  “You idiot,” Maggie shouted. “First you order me to marry you, now you won’t even take yes for an answer when I give it. Well, I’ve got news for you, Alastair Duggan MacRae—yes, your father filled me in on the Duggan—we’re going to be married and that’s that. The boys are already planning the ceremony.”

  Maggie took devilish satisfaction in Mac’s surprised look. “They’re part of this, too,” she went on. “They’ve got a great idea for a guitarist for the reception. Someone with a safety pin in his ear, I think.” She ignored his low groan.

  “And Kate is already designing the cake. She’s got visions of a pile of sweet gooey frosting five layers high.”

  This time she grinned at Mac’s long moan. She was beginning to enjoy herself.

  “Your dad is making reservations for the honeymoon. It’s a toss-up between Disney World and fishing in Michigan. The boys are torn, but I think the vote is going to be for Disney World. Kate’s never been there, you see.”

  Maggie’s green eyes sparkled in pure mischief. She imagined there wouldn’t be many times she’d have her mountain lying helpless. She enjoyed the rare sensation of having the upper hand.

  Mac gave her a long-suffering look.

  “And if you don’t behave yourself and follow the doctor’s orders we may line up Woof to stand in for the groom. He’s about the same size, but has a much better disposition.”

  The corners of Mac’s mouth turned up in his slow, lazy, incredibly sexy smile. Maggie thought she might drown in the flow of emotion that washed over her. Lord, she loved that smile. Not to mention the hunk of male that went with it.

  “Well, you may think you have all the details covered. But I’ve got news for you, too. I’m going to pick out the wedding dress.”

  And he did. It was a loose, baggy creation with yards of netting that somehow managed to hang on Maggie’s every curve.

  Behind the Scenes from Eglin Air Force Base:

  A Day in the Life of Merline Lovelace

  Serving as the wing commander at Eglin Air Force Base was the highlight of my military career. It was comparable to being the mayor of a city. The more than 3,000 men and women I commanded
provided essential medical, law enforcement, communications, engineering, transportation, supply, housing and morale/welfare/recreational support to everyone who lived or worked on base.

  Every day brought new adventures—some fun, some not so much. During my tenure, a C-141 crashed in the swamp, killing all aboard, a tornado caused more than $10M worth of damage and we mobilized for the first Iraqi war. Each of those events reinforced my tremendous respect for the highly trained, incredibly dedicated civilian and military personnel who serve their country.

  I thought you might enjoy a glimpse at my typical schedule during those busy, wonderful years at Eglin. I’ve also included a dictionary of useful acronyms and favorite expressions. I’ve cleaned those up considerably for public consumption. Hope you find both Sierra Hotel!

  A Day in the Life of a Base Commander

  0245

  Call from command post, Hurricane Bertha forming in Caribbean

  0433

  Call from command post confirming Bertha’s projected trajectory

  0530

  Reveille

  0630

  Breakfast at airman’s dining hall with first sergeants

  0720

  General’s morning stand-up with senior commanders

  0800

  Ground-breaking ceremony for new communications center

  0930

  Briefing by Hospital/CC re: Medical Accreditation Inspection

  1000

  Visit mobility center, review schedule of troop deployments

  1130

  Guest speaker, NW Florida Mayors’ Conference

  1330

  Review hurricane preparation/response plan with key staff

  1430

  Update by OSI on counterterrorist activities

  1500

  Present diplomas at kindergarten graduation

  1630

  Throw out first ball at base softball tournament

  1800

  Dinner with Junior Officers’ Council reps

  1900

  Accompany security police on marijuana bust

  2200

  Quiet time in office to plow through paperwork

  2330

  Return to quarters, snuggle in with hubby

  2357

  Call from command post—Bertha heading up Gulf Order recall of key staff and activation of hurricane plan

  Merline’s Abridged Dictionary of Military Acronyms & Slang

  The military have their own unique language—they even have an alphabet used exclusively by them. Read on to discover more.

  Auger In—Not a favorite expression with pilots, it means to dig a hole with an aircraft while still at the controls.

  Black Hat—An army drill instructor or other creature of a similar nasty nature.

  Bravo Zulu—Letters from the international civil aviation alphabet (see below) meaning a job well-done.

  BDU—Battle Dress Uniform, either desert tan or forest-green/black/brown. Although why anyone would designate these baggy pants and loose shirts as a “dress” uniform remains a mystery to all.

  Butter Bar—Second lieutenant (ensign in the navy), one of nature’s most pathetic life forms.

  Ground Pounders—An aviator’s term for everyone without wings.

  Hangar Queen—Either an aircraft that’s always down for maintenance or one of President Clinton’s Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell recruits.

  Lost On Post—Where you say you’ll be when you have to run errands.

  MRE—Meals Ready To Eat: a packaged meal that includes snacks, main course, sweets, drink, heating element and a sanitary pack with utensils, napkins and dental floss. No excuse for gum disease in today’s military!

  NCO—Noncommissioned Officers, generally known as sergeants. Top-ranking NCOs are usually called Chief or Top.

  PCS—Permanent Change of Station, where you pack up kids, pets and grandmother’s quilt for a move to another base.

  Ranger Pudding—Made from sugar, a packet of powdered coffee creamer and cocoa mix in the MRE. Mix with a little water from your canteen and heat. Yummy!

  Roger That—Air force-ese for yes. Why use one word when two will do?

  Sierra Hotel—An expression of approval, also from the international alphabet. The cleaned-up translation is Super Hot.

  SNAFU—A holdover from WWII. The polite version is Situation Normal, All Fouled Up.

  TDY—Temporary Duty at a location other than your home base.

  The Old Man—The commander of a squadron, base or wing, unless he happens to be a she, in which case the correct appellation is simply The Boss or CO, for commanding officer. Similar to the Skipper in U.S. Navy talk.

  Trash Hauler—Any cargo aircraft or the crew thereof.

  And just in case you’ve always wondered, here’s the International Alphabet used by U.S. military personnel and just about everyone you talk to when making hotel or airline reservations these days….

  A—Alpha

  B—Bravo

  C—Charlie

  D—Delta

  E—Echo

  F—Foxtrot

  G—Golf

  H—Hotel

  I—India

  J—Juliet

  K—Kilo

  L—Lima

  M—Mike

  N—November

  O—Oscar

  P—Papa

  Q—Quebec

  R—Rome

  S—Sierra

  T—Tango

  U—Uniform

  V—Victor

  W—Whiskey

  X—X-ray

  Y—Yankee

  Z—Zulu

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-6833-7

  ONE OF THE BOYS

  Copyright © 2005 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:

  BITS AND PIECES

  Copyright © 1993 by Merline Lovelace.

  Revised text copyright © 2005 by Merline Lovelace.

  MAGGIE AND HER COLONEL

  Copyright © 1994 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  BITS AND PIECES was first published by Meteor Publishing Corporation in 1993.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.eHarlequin.com