Man of Honor, A

by Tina Leonard

  "That could mean trouble if he is suspicious of us."

  "No," Salvador said softly.

  "That's good. It means he will keep her here where we can keep an eye on her just like he does."

  Chapter Four

  Cord felt as if the rug had been jerked out from under him for the second time that day when he walked inside his house and saw Tessa.

  She was beautiful. Like a model, only better, because she was real and standing in his den.

  Location was a problem. He wanted to carry her to his bedroom and pull her jeans off so fast the zipper would split. Her sunshiny hair was pulled up into an elegant fall of curls that curtained her shoulders in gold. It was a stunning hairdo, but it made him think about removing whatever was holding her hair so he could run his fingers through it to his heart's content. That was not a possibility.

  The squirming black-and-white puppy in her arms was actually a surprising relief. It gave him something to focus on besides Tessa.

  "Is that a stray?"

  "No." She looked down at the puppy, patting it with adoration. The puppy licked her chin, enthusiastically returning the affection.

  "Nan decided I needed a dog. And a new do. She said a dog and a new do would..."

  She hesitated and Cord waited. But he already knew what Nan was trying to do. In her kind way, she meant to comfort Tessa for the perceived lack of husband in her life, the lack of a father for her child. Nan didn't know that Hunt might return if he could. If something hadn't

  gone terribly wrong. Cord made himself smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

  "Make a new woman out of you. I know. She's always trying to make a new man out of me."

  Her eyes watched him as she considered his words.

  "When did she take it upon herself to become your guardian?"

  That jolted him. He'd never thought of his elderly neighbor in that way - he was the one who did the guarding.

  "Nan and Mom were friends. They swapped newspapers in the morning, shared a cup of coffee, talked about the things two ranch girls have in common. When Mom died. Nan continued the paper swap with me."

  "It must be hard to lose a friend," Tessa said softly.

  "Perhaps she feels that to break the routine would be to say goodbye for good."

  "I can understand that."

  He reached out a hand to cover the pup's soft back, feeling the delighted wriggle of loose puppy skin. "She still has a key, so sometimes on Sunday nights I come home to a loaf of

  banana bread baking or a stew in the Crock-Pot. Always warms me up."

  He suddenly met Tessa's gaze over the puppy, and she hugged the dog closer to her protectively.

  "I got a lot of dead ends today," he admitted.

  "We knew it wouldn't be easy to find out anything." Her blue eyes widened with soft inquiry. "Would you please take me home?"

  His heart dropped into his stomach. "I will if that's what you want."

  "I think it's for the best." She swallowed, snuggling the dog to her chin. "I have my furry friend here for companionship. So... I'll be fine."

  He knew that. Tessa would be fine no matter what. She was a survivor.

  "What did you name it?"

  "Her name should be Spoiled Rotten. But I've decided to call her Eleanor."

  "Eleanor?" He choked back his startled laugh of surprise.

  She peered at him narrowly.

  "Are you laughing at Eleanor and me?"

  "Absolutely not. Wouldn't dream of laughing at two such beautiful ladies."

  She glanced down at Eleanor.

  "Don't say that," she whispered.

  "Why not?" He lifted her chin with two fingers and a thumb. "You are."

  "Cord" - she pulled away and stepped back a pace " - I know you're sincere, and there's nothing a woman would rather hear more than she's beautiful. But I don't want to complicate matters. The worst thing in the world that could happen to me at this point is if I found myself in love with you. And I could, I think, fall for you," she added, her voice soft and haunted.

  "I'm afraid of what would happen if did. I would never know if I was so vulnerable I jumped at what you're offering. So please, don't tell me I'm beautiful because I'm having a real tough time right now."

  Her eyes filled with sparkling tears. Cord's heart seemed to shatter.

  "I understand" was all he said.

  "Do you?"

  "More than you can probably believe." He closed his eyes. "But stay another night, Tessa, until I've got a better idea whether the coast is clear or not. The morning might bring some word of Hunt."

  "Do you really want it to?"

  "Yes," he told her definitively. "My feelings for you won't change, but I'd have my brother back, and that's more than I've got right now."

  She stared into his eyes.

  "You're a good man, Cord Greer. You put everybody else first. "

  "Not always," he countered. "Not always. Tonight, I'm putting myself first. Stay," he asked

  again, his voice husky.

  She nodded once, almost in slow motion, as if she wanted to change her mind even before she agreed to his request.

  "If you promise to get some sleep tonight."

  "Deal. But you have to make me some more toast in the morning."

  "You didn't eat it." She refused to smile at him.

  "That's why I need a second chance." He really needed a first chance with her, but fate apparently didn't mean for that to happen.

  "Okay," she agreed shyly. "But I can't rely upon your charity for much longer."

  "Tessa, the last thing I regard you as is charity."

  "It is if you're eating my cooking with a smile on your face."

  He laughed, taking Eleanor from her hands.

  "Eleanor, eh? All right. Ellie." Come on, you crazy dog, with your big brown eyes and sweet temperament. You managed to get into her life a whole lot quicker than I ever did, you lucky pooch. "Let's see how strong you are when you're confronted with cold snow."

  Tessa followed behind, watching the pup skid on the icy patches. It kept her from focusing on the tall man in front of her, his back turned so she could stare at the broadness of his shoulders, the dark, well trimmed hair just showing under the cowboy hat. Hunt was every bit as handsome, just not as filled out with corded muscle from working cattle and riding every day. She forced her mind to stop the comparison. It would do no good to start dwelling on how sexy this cowboy looked.

  "Nan mentioned that she likes to walk in the woods out here. I suppose that's safe for her to do? " Tessa didn't think she'd go very far in the densely grown forest of black and gray bare trunks and branches reaching up into the winter-white sky with gnarly fingers.

  Shorter skirts of pine trees fringed the taller, naked trees, obstructing the view.

  It somehow seemed lonely beyond the open field, the woods an overgrown encroachment.

  "Safe enough. Nan's a big fan of stargazing, and she likes to do some bird-watching."

  "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find my way out. Or that I'd step on a snake."

  He chuckled, shooting her a wry glance.

  "I'm sure there are snakes, but they're more afraid of you than you are of them."

  "I don't think so!"

  He grinned now.

  "Poison ivy in season would be more likely to get you. But you'd find your way out of there soon enough. Hunt and I used to play in the woods all the time, so Dad marked the trees well. Dad even built us a tree house where we used to bring our knapsacks of lunch. Mom used to call us home by banging on the triangle." A soft reminiscent laugh escaped him.

  "One night, we insisted we had to sleep in the tree house, and we carried out sleeping bags and a lantern. Hunt and I spent the whole time telling each other ghost stories, each one more fantastic and scary than the last. In the middle of the night. Dad came out, silently climbed the ladder, then jumped onto our sleeping bags roaring like a mad bear. You never heard two boys yell so loud."

  His thoug
hts were far away now, dwelling on a tree house only he could remember, and Tessa felt a sharp twinge of sadness for the happy memories that might be all he had left of his brother. She had known Hunt as a lover in their adult years and as a schoolmate in their

  younger years, but Hunt and Cord shared a special, deep bond of brotherhood. They were very close, despite the fact that they'd chosen very different life paths. "Did you stay outside the rest of the night?" She tilted her head to look up into his eyes.

  "Heck, yeah."

  She raised one eyebrow. "Very brave of you boys."

  "Not really. We made Dad sleep with us for the rest of the night. At the crack of dawn, Mom brought us biscuits to eat and our fishing poles. She said she could hear our banshee yelling clear to the next county, and if Dad was going to scare the pants off her boys, he could darn well take us fishing to make up for it."

  Tessa loved the story. It was everything about family she dreamed of but lacked. "Take me out to the tree house, Cord. "

  He looked at her.

  "Maybe someday."

  She sensed his reluctance but wasn't sure of the cause. Just the same, she didn't push. They were uncomfortable enough with their situation as it was.

  "You'll want to keep an eye on Ellie, though. I wouldn't go too far into the woods where an owl might mistake your pup for a snack."

  "Cord! Are you teasing me?"

  He smiled but shook his head quite seriously. "No. There are lots of owls. They've been known to grab a bite during the day, so you'd best keep an eye on her."

  "I'm getting her a leash! We can start leash training today! No owl is carrying off my dog. "

  Cord nodded.

  "That might be the best idea."

  Ellie didn't seem inclined to do much walking in the snow. Mainly she hovered by their feet, sniffing.

  "The last thing I need is a dog," Tessa murmured. "But once I held her, I knew my heart was lost."

  Cord tightened his jaw, his eyes on Tessa.

  Suddenly, Ellie looked toward the woods. She gave a sharp, interested bark. It wasn't very loud, but it was enough to make Tessa smile with joy.

  "Gosh! That's the first time she's made a peep!" Tessa gazed proudly at the puppy. "I didn't even know what she sounded like."

  In the next instant, Ellie was off toward the wooded acreage, her paws scrambling to keep up with where her head wanted to go.

  "Ellie!" Tessa ran after her.

  Cord hollered, "Ellie!" overtaking Tessa, but he was no match for the puppy as it disappeared into the trees. Night was falling, shrouding the thicket in shadows. It was impossible to see the black-and-white puppy anymore. They could barely hear her tiny barks.

  "I'll go get her," Cord said. "Stay here."

  "No. I'll go with you."

  "You don't know your way around, Tessa. You'll definitely get lost, and that'll be two of you I'll have to search for."

  She stared at him stubbornly.

  "Cord Greer, it's my dog. Nobody appointed you my guardian, and my dog isn't a duty you raised your hand for. Either you take me with you, or"

  " Or what? "

  "Or... I go in looking for her as soon as you're out of sight." She raised her chin. "She'd come to me quicker than you. She barely knows you. I'm not sure she would trust you."

  "Trust isn't what she's thinking about right now. She smelled a squirrel or a skunk and she's gone investigating. But that's no reason for you to be out in the cold, Tessa. Her curiosity

  will be over soon enough. Stay here. "

  His tone brooked no argument. Tessa knew that all of Cord's arguments made sense, far more sense than her running into a forest where she could easily lose her way.

  "All right. But I still think you need me to help you search."

  "One little puppy doesn't need a search-and-rescue team. I can handle it. Trust me."

  "I do," she said softly. "I'll wait right here."

  He nodded.

  "If I don't come back in ten minutes, go home and get warm. Put on a kettle of tea."

  She pulled her jacket collar more closely to her neck and tucked her hands into her cuffs so her hands joined beneath the fabric, warming each other.

  "Don't be stubborn. Go get warm."

  "I will," she promised.

  "If she comes back to the house, ring the triangle."

  "Okay. Hurry and find her before an owl"

  He touched a finger to her lips. "I'll be right back."

  A second later, he had disappeared into the gloomy, leafless woods.

  Tessa held her breath, biting her lower lip, and told herself that Cord had tramped through the trees many times.

  Even Nan was accustomed to walking in the woods.

  It was safe for a man and a lost puppy.

  The pup gave a little yip when its scruff was grasped securely. She was airborne, her paws scrambling helplessly before she was tucked inside a jacket, zipped securely against a warm chest. The smell of the man was not one she was used to, so she struggled, but there was no

  hope of escaping.

  "Why did you do that?" Salvador demanded. "We do not need a damn dog."

  "He's cute," Rossi answered.

  "And warm. He is not hurting anything. I'll let him go when we are finished here." With one finger, he rubbed the soft muzzle poking out of his jacket.

  "Shh!" Salvador listened intently. From somewhere, a man's voice called urgently, followed by a whistle meant to entice a dog to return.

  "Senor Vaquero."

  "Guess he is looking for you." Rossi touched the tip of the dog's cold nose. "But you are not going anywhere."

  The crackling of leaves under heavy boots silenced Rossi and Salvador.

  Beneath the tree house, they could hear the big man's steps halt.

  Salvador winked at Rossi, picking up a large rock that he used to jab his cigarettes out against. But Rossi shook his head, frowning.

  Salvador shrugged, letting his hand relax though he still held the rock. Rossi tended to think his actions through, while Salvador could be impulsive, sometimes to his detriment. He felt very impulsive right now. His hand twitched. Rossi ever so slightly shook his head

  again.

  The footsteps moved on. The cowboy headed south, calling for the puppy.

  When they could no longer hear him, Salvador put the rock down.

  "Why not? It would have made me happy."

  "Because the girl is waiting. She will send for help if he doesn't return soon, and we will never be able to snatch her and get away before the police come."

  Salvador nodded reluctantly.

  "On the other hand, we have got her little friend. And you," he said, giving the puppy a tickle around its ears, "are the reason she will come looking for you herself tomorrow. When you don't go home."

  In the distance, a triangle was rung vigorously.

  "Coming!" the cowboy shouted from not too far away.

  Salvador and Rossi looked at each other, slight smiles on their faces.

  "As usual, you are the levelheaded one."

  Rossi kissed the puppy. "This dog doesn't smell like a dog. Smell him. "

  "No."

  "Smell him," Rossi urged.

  "It is not a him. Do you not know the difference between a girl and a boy?"

  "Smell her, then." Rossi shoved the puppy under his nose.

  Salvador took an unwilling sniff, then inhaled deeply.

  "Perfume. Woman's perfume."

  "Her perfume." Rossi tucked his treasure back inside his jacket.

  "Tomorrow, you get close enough to smell it on the code breaker's woman."

  Soon the hunt would be over. The revenge could begin.

  Chapter Five

  Cord's relief at hearing the triangle was short-lived when he saw the man standing inside his doorway. Far from letting him know Ellie had found her way back, Tessa was announcing the arrival of a visitor.

  "This is Cord Greer, Hunt's brother," Tessa said. "Cord, Col. John West."

&
nbsp; Cord heard the quiver in Tessa's voice. Her dismay was transmitted to him though he remained impassive as he extended his hand.

  "We've met. Once."

  The man shook his hand.

  "Good to see you again. Got a message you'd been at the base."

  Now Cord knew the situation merited more than a phone call. It didn't make him feel any better.

  "Care to have a seat?"

  "No, thanks. I can only stay a minute."

  Tessa's eyes met Cord's. He sensed her rising dismay, but there was nothing he could do. The helpless feeling was hateful to him, and strange.

  "What can you tell me about my brother?"

  "Not much, I'm afraid."

  "Can't tell us because you don't know where he is?"

  "We have communicated with your brother."

  Tessa gasped, her face pale. Cord reached out and took her hand tightly in his, offering his strength to her.

  "So he's alive?"

  John looked at Cord oddly.

  "We have no reason to believe otherwise."

  "I see." Cord nodded, his expression grim. "We had reason to believe otherwise the other night."

  "Oh?"

  "Two men came to my door claiming to be military personnel. They informed me of my brother's heroic death and asked for his fiancee's address so they might inform her. "

  John hesitated.

  "I don't have to tell you that this is worrisome." He glanced from Tessa to Cord. That someone would go to those lengths. is an unanticipated complication. "

  "I would think so," Cord said dryly.

  "Can you tell us what cat-and-mouse game we're involved in? Is there any information the military would care to divulge since it appears my brother's fiancee may be in danger?"

  His voice was stern, but Cord didn't care. Helpless anger boiled through him - at the military, at the situation, at the men who'd come to his door in disguise.

  "I'm afraid all I can do is reassure you that we have no information indicating your brother is dead. I was hoping a personal visit would be less risky than a phone call, but what you've just told me makes me guess your house could be under surveillance."