Danny's War (Rolling Thunder Series Book 3)

by Pj Fiala

  “Of course I’m good with that. My offer stands though; I can go home if you want time alone with them.”

  Tucking her hair behind her ear, Danny kissed the tip of her nose. “You are home and I don’t want you anywhere else.”

  “Good morning.”

  Lex walked into the kitchen wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He was slim, not muscular like Danny, more like slim from not eating a proper diet. His hair was damp from the shower and he was clean shaven. He approached the table as Danny stood and pointed to the chair across from him and Tammy.

  “Still take your coffee black?”

  Lex smirked and nodded. Pulling the chair away from the table he sat gingerly, not like ‘one of the guys,’ more calculated and measured. Tammy felt intensely sorry for him, clearly he was suffering.

  “Did you sleep good, Lex?” Keeping her voice soft and looking him in the eye, she noticed he fidgeted a bit.

  “Ah, yeah, I did. It’s quiet here.”

  Danny brought Lex’s coffee to the table and sat in his chair, leaning back and draping his arm across the back of Tammy’s chair.

  “This is a great neighborhood. It’s one of the things I fell in love with when I first saw this house. What’s it like where you live in Kentucky?”

  Sipping his coffee, Lex closed his eyes as the hot liquid slid down his throat. Opening his eyes, he looked at Danny and said. “It’s quiet. You know, we live on a farm, so we don’t have neighbors that close to us, but when the ranch hands start pulling in in the morning, it can get busy.”

  Tammy set her coffee on the table, her eyes large and round as she said, “Ranch hands? How big is your farm?”

  Lex’s lips formed a straight line; he fidgeted as his lazy haunted gaze shifted from Danny to hers. He cleared his throat, seemingly nervous and hunched his shoulders then stretched them back.

  “We have a large horse ranch north of Lexington. My dad’s into breeding some of the finest race horses around. He grew up there and so did I. The ranch has been in his family for generations.”

  Tammy’s brows rose. “Wow. That’s amazing.”

  Lex’s soft smile formed slowly. “Yeah,” was all he could say.

  “Morning, all.” Charles strode into the kitchen, dressed casually in khakis and a light blue button-up shirt. He focused his attention on Lex as he entered the kitchen and then not wanting to seem rude, he looked over to his hosts and nodded. “Coffee smells wonderful, do you mind if I help myself?”

  “Not at all, but I’m happy to get it for you.” Tammy smiled.

  “No need, darlin’, I’m a grown man. At home my wife isn’t an early riser and I’m used to taking care of myself in the morning. She makes up for it the remainder of the day by cooking, cleaning, and preparing fabulous feasts for us though, so you’ll never hear me complain. Right, Charlie?”

  At hearing Lex’s given name, Danny’s head snapped back as he shot his gaze to Lex. The movement didn’t go unnoticed as Lex smirked. “Not used to hearing my name, Schaefer?”

  “Not at all. I forgot you had any other name than Lex.”

  “Why do you guys all call each other by your last names or nicknames anyway?” Tammy asked.

  Both Danny and Lex shrugged. “Just do, sweetheart. I think it starts in Boot Camp. Drill Sergeant will call you something and it sticks. I’m Lex because there was another Charles in our unit. He was from Boise and that didn’t stick, so the DS called me Lex from day one.”

  Growing quiet, the room suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable. Tammy grabbed her phone off the top of the table and looked at the time. Standing she smoothed her soft gray dress and centered her wide coral belt. “I’ve got to run to work, there’s plenty for me to get done before my bosses come in next week.”

  Danny stood as well, “I hope you aren’t talking about Mr. Moneybags. I hate that guy and I haven’t even met him yet.”

  Tammy smirked, “No, our parent company is coming in next week to see how things are going. If the offer is accepted with Hamilton Enterprises, I suppose inventories and a plethora of other duties will be handed down, so I want my desk cleaned up before all of that happens.”

  At the mention of Hamilton Enterprises Charles turned around but didn’t say anything. He looked over at Lex whose mouth pinched together and his eyes squinted, just a bit.

  “I’ll see you all later then, have a great day.” She leaned forward and kissed Danny’s lips before turning and walking toward the garage. Once the door closed Danny sat back down and Charles took up a spot at the end of the table.

  “Hamilton Enterprises as in Zeke Hamilton and company?” Charles slowly drawled.

  Danny’s face registered surprise. “Yes, as in.”

  Charles nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. “What’s going on there?”

  CHAPTER 31

  TAMMY FLIPPED ON the lights in her office and strode across the room to her desk. Flipping her computer on at the same time, she bent and opened her bottom drawer and deposited her purse, then she pulled her chair away from the desk without even fully standing. She had practiced this routine for years now and it didn’t require thought.

  As she typed in her user name and password she watched as her computer woke up. Mentally cataloging her day, she knew she needed to find some time to investigate some of the builders on the City’s list. There had to be something there she was missing. Clicking open her email account she scrolled through a few emails that could wait; she had one from Molly, which she would read right away and then one from Zeke. Stifling a groan, she opened the email from Molly and read with delight. She missed Molly; they’d both been so busy with their new men that they were losing touch with each other. Tammy tapped out a message back to Molly and took a deep breath as she opened her email from Zeke.

  From: Zeke Hamilton

  To: Tammy Davis

  November 13, 2014 8:34 a.m.

  Subject: Opportunity made just for you

  Dear Ms. Davis,

  I hope this email finds you quite well. Isaiah has Sally firmly under his wing and indoctrinating her in all she needs to know to help Hamilton Enterprises with its nursing homes. She has plenty of experience and proves to be a quick study, so she should be on her own before long.

  This brings me to you. Isaiah and I have been talking about the passion you showed toward Stateside and the cause of Veterans in general. After our dinner we came to agree that you would be the perfect fit for a position here in Seattle at Hamilton Enterprises where we would put your passion, business acumen, and strengths to good use. I extend this offer immediately and will telephone you later today after you have had some time to think about it to discuss it in further detail. I apologize for the email, I simply cannot get away until early next week to fly back and extend the offer in person.

  Zeke Hamilton

  CEO, Hamilton Enterprises

  Tammy sat back in her chair. Seattle? Well, no way. She nervously tapped her fingers on the top of her desk. If she left here, there would be no one to ensure this home stayed intact. He was probably trying to get her out of here so there was one less hurdle. Forget it, not interested!

  She didn’t bother to respond, he said he would call later and he could simply wait. Irritated at his email, she jumped up out of her chair and decided to stroll through the building and visit with the men and women who called this place home.

  ***

  “Tammy? Mr. Hamilton is on line one,” the disembodied voice of Lana, Stateside’s receptionist, cooed through the phone.

  Tammy shook her head. Shit, even Lana was enamored by Zeke. Crazy women were all nuts.

  Taking a deep breath and sitting up in her chair Tammy picked up her receiver and tapped the flashing button. “Hello.”

  “Ms. Davis, I hope this call finds you well.”

  Tammy rolled her eyes. “Yes, very well. How may I help you?” she purposely didn’t offer the same platitude to him.

  She heard the humor in his voice as he responded. “Since you
received my email this morning, I believe you know how you can help me. I’ve called to discuss the position we're creating for you here at Hamilton Enterprises.”

  Pursing her lips, Tammy scowled before replying. He could simply fire her once he owned the place, so she really had nothing to lose in telling him her thoughts.

  “I’m not interested Mr. Hamilton. I don’t want to move to Seattle. I don’t want to leave my family. I don’t want to leave my boyfriend.”

  “Ah, yes, the boyfriend.” Tammy’s brows rose at the acid that rolled off his tongue with the word ‘boyfriend’.

  Continuing on, “I haven’t even fully told you about the job here. What if it's your every dream come true?”

  “I have the job I've always dreamed of. Here. At Stateside. There's nothing more I could want.”

  “You haven’t even listened to my offer.”

  Quickly becoming irritated with his tone and his complete disregard for her wants and desires, she tersely told him, “I’ve already said, I have my perfect job, here. I live close to my family, who are very important to me and I have a boyfriend, whom I love very much. I’m happy here, in Wisconsin.”

  Sensing her closed mind on the subject, Zeke changed the conversation. “Very well, it sounds as if you're not interested in discussing it at this time. Then, allow me to forewarn you that I'll be returning to Wisconsin early next week and intend to discuss this with you again, in person.”

  Tammy chose to stay silent, lest she make a total mess of things. But, she wasn’t interested in anything Zeke had to say and she had absolutely no desire to move to Seattle. She wasn’t Sally.

  “I really do have quite a lot of work to finish up before I leave today, Mr. Hamilton, so if there’s nothing else, I really do need to get back to it.”

  She heard his smile through the phone as he said, “Right, then, I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll see you next week, Ms. Davis.”

  Tammy hung up, irritated again at his pompous tone. Really? Creating a job and thinking she'd simper off like Sally did. Did the man ever hear the damn word ‘No’? Tammy shut down her computer and prepared to go home and meet Dirks and Coop. As her heels clipped along the highly polished tile floor of Stateside, she heard the dreaded notification on her phone again. Barely missing a step, she continued towards her car without looking. Her mom was right, she should get rid of the damn notifications altogether. She was just torturing herself watching for it all the time, but something perverse in her needed to know what was going on with it.

  Sliding the key in the ignition she heard the notification tone again. Once more before she merged into traffic and again as she pulled into the driveway at Danny’s. She blinked back the threatening tears, took a deep breath and told herself to be a brave girl and ignore it. She would call her mom later to see what Attorney Gratz had to say. Locking in her resolve, she nodded and opened her car door. Taking deep breaths as she walked across the garage to the kitchen door soothed her nerves, almost completely.

  She opened the door to the kitchen and heard a strange voice say, “We can leave while you talk to her about it if you like, Schaefer. She should know.”

  Tammy’s stomach rolled and flopped. What did he have to tell her? Did they see the video? He said he didn’t want to. Panic slammed itself into Tammy’s body full force, nausea swept through her stomach and she turned to run outside and in the fresh air when Danny called to her.

  CHAPTER 32

  “HEY, THERE YOU ARE. I’m glad you’re home.” Danny kissed her softly on the lips and stood back to look at her pale face. “Babe?”

  Tammy shook her head to stave off questions. Placing her hand over her stomach to quell the nausea, she looked up at Danny’s concerned face. His brows furrowed and his eyes bored into hers. When she looked down, he gently tucked his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to meet his gaze. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

  Licking her lips, she whispered, “The video's getting a lot of hits today. I heard what someone said when I walked in. You guys didn’t watch it, did you?”

  Danny’s posture became rigid. The muscles in his chest bunching under the tension. “No, babe, I told you I didn’t want to see it and I haven’t. I would never do that to you. I have other news for you.”

  Never looking away from his beautiful dark eyes, Tammy’s lips quivered into a smile as she let out the breath she'd been holding. She blinked rapidly to stave off the tears that threatened as Danny’s arms wrapped around her and held her close to his body. There was nothing more soothing than being held by him. Laying her cheek against his chest and listening to his strong heartbeat brought home what was important and real in her life. The nerves in her body, strung tightly, began to loosen as she breathed in the scents she associated with Danny. Strong, solid, refreshing and comforting. She began shaking as the tension left her body. She heard him whisper into her hair, “Baby, I’m here and it’s going to be alright. I promise.”

  Squeezing him tighter, she hung on for long moments until Lex’s southern drawl was heard saying, “They’re probably making out in there.”

  Danny chuckled and Tammy found herself chuckling with him. He stepped back and looked down at her, “You okay?”

  Nodding she replied, “Yeah. Sorry. Tough day.”

  Shaking his head no, he helped her with her coat and grabbed her hand and walked her into the living room. “Dirks, Coop, meet Tammy.”

  Shaking each of their hands and giving her brightest smile, she greeted each of them. Danny sat in his recliner and pulled her down on his lap as the others were seated on the sofa and the other chair in the room.

  Tammy looked at each of these friends who meant so much to Danny. Coop was a tall lanky man with the brightest red hair she'd ever seen. His deep brown eyes coupled with this hair was very striking. When he smiled at her the dimples in his cheeks created quite a picture.

  Dirks was shorter, around five foot eight and a bit stocky. His close-cropped blonde hair gave him the appearance of being bald until the light shown on his hair. He had the most appealing blue eyes she'd ever seen, besides Gunnar and Molly’s. Dirks’ eyes were a deeper blue. He was the prankster if she remembered correctly. Danny had told her he was the one always rubber-cementing their equipment to tables and chairs or throwing popcorn kernels into their shoes and drawers.

  She noticed that Lex looked a bit more at ease this evening and Charles seemed to relax as the men all talked and renewed their friendship.

  Finally, Coop said, “Tell her, Schaefer.”

  Tammy turned to look at Danny. His full lips parted into a perfect smile. “Charles knows a bit about Zeke Hamilton and is going to help us dig into his fascination with Stateside.”

  Tammy’s brows raised as she looked over at Charles, who'd leaned forward in his chair, his forearms resting on his knees. “Yes ma’am. I called home this morning and have some of my associates digging up some dirt for us as we speak.”

  Bewildered Tammy looked into his clear blue eyes as she noticed his lips tighten. “That’s fantastic, but, why? How do you know about him?”

  Lex snorted in disgust as Charles sipped his drink. “Hamilton Enterprises, Zeke in particular, came sweeping into Lexington several years back trying to buy up some of the horse ranches in our area. Some of the other ranchers had done some digging and found out he wanted to commercialize our area. We live in the most beautiful part of Lexington, North, and our land is pristine, our horses highly sought after race horses. When I look out my windows, any window in my home, I see beautiful green rolling hills, a lake on one side of our home, our horses grazing or training and nothing more. Nor do I ever want to see anything more. The thought of him coming in and cutting up our ranches, building malls and commercial businesses, sickened us. We banded together and vowed to never sell to him. Once he realized we were sticking together and not selling, no matter the price, he eventually left. But, I have a bad taste in my mouth for Mr. Hamilton, he’s a sneaky bastard and I don’t trust him in the least.�
�

  Tammy’s lips turned down into a frown. “I’m afraid that’s what he’s going to do to Stateside. The men and women who live there can’t afford to go to a traditional nursing facility. Our home was subsidized since the beginning by the government. With budget cuts, we’ve lost our funding and I don’t know where those folks would go. Their only options are substandard housing where the care is inadequate. I just can’t let that happen.” Tammy’s eyes grew bright with unshed tears as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She swallowed a few times before she spoke again. “Thank you for all of your help, Charles, I appreciate it so damn much.”

  Charles smiled at her and slightly nodded, “You’re welcome, darlin’. We’d do anything for Dan and that extends to you. I should know more in a day or two.”

  Danny squeezed Tammy’s waist and she turned her head to look at him. “It’s going to be okay, babe. It’s all going to be okay. We’ll figure it all out.”

  Tammy nodded as she laid her head on Danny’s shoulder. Maybe things would be alright after all. The perfect moment for the doorbell to ring.

  CHAPTER 32

  DIRKS STOOD AND STRETCHED a bit, “I’ll get it.”

  Danny raised his voice, pushed the footrest down on the recliner and set Tammy on her feet, “No, Dirks, I’ve got this.”

  Dirks blew him off with a wave and quickly made it to the door as he was pulling out his wallet. Opening the door to the pizza delivery man, Dirks smiled broadly and promptly handed him a fifty dollar bill. He took the three pizza boxes from the man and nodded as he stepped back. As the man started to stammer about change, Dirks smirked at him and said, “Go have a drink after work, Bud, this job must suck.” With his free hand he closed the door and walked the pizzas back to the living room and set them on the coffee table, careful not to knock over their beer bottles.

  Still standing Tammy said, “Oh, I feel so bad, you guys, I’m happy to make something besides pizza. It seems so rude to order pizza and then have you pay on top of it. You’re our guests.”