Sergeant Darling

by Bonnie Gardner

  “Why, I do believe you’re right. It’s just you and me and the pooch.” Patsy tightened her grip on the pink leash. “Come on, Tripod. It’s time to go home.”

  Tripod wagged her stubby tail, and Ray had to laugh as he maneuvered himself onto his crutches. “All right. Let’s head back to the car.”

  Patsy couldn’t help thinking that she wished it were really a date, but then she did have the dog, and she’d have to get her home and feed her something other than pepperoni scraps for dinner. Maybe it was time to invite Ray over for that Ed Wood Film Festival. As much as she’d been eager to watch the films, she hadn’t been able to make herself sit down with them since that blind date almost a month before.

  Because of Ray’s crutches, Pasty let herself into the car and waited for Ray to seat himself. Once he did, he turned to her and said, “Do you think Tripod would mind if I kissed her mistress?”

  Chapter Five

  Patsy’s breath caught. It was broad daylight, cars were all around them in the parking lot and people were coming and going. “I—I don’t know what to say,” she stammered.

  Tripod seemed to be wagging her tail in assent. The little darling, Patsy couldn’t help thinking. Maybe now was the right time.

  “Then don’t say anything,” Ray said as he leaned toward her.

  Wisely, Patsy didn’t.

  With the dog’s tail wagging in approval, she just tipped her head up and waited for Ray to kiss her.

  Ray wasted no time in accepting her unspoken invitation.

  He kissed her, tentatively at first, then he deepened the kiss. It had been so long since Patsy had felt a man’s hard form against hers, felt the rasp of his beard against her tender skin, that it was as though she were waking from a long sleep. She might have tried to forget it, but once experienced again, it was as addictive as a drug.

  She had to have more.

  Now.

  Patsy moaned softly and parted her lips in an invitation that Ray quickly accepted. His heart beat a sensual rhythm against Patsy’s breast as he explored and Patsy savored. She wished they were anywhere but in that tiny car with a canine chaperone.

  Reluctantly, Ray broke the kiss.

  Patsy drew back, a half smile playing on her well-kissed lips. “It’s been a long time,” she said by way of explanation, her voice weak and quavering. Her hand trembled as she placed it over her heart. “Thank you.”

  Ray grinned. “Any time,” he said.

  A car horn sounded, and Patsy wondered if the passengers in that car had witnessed the entire spectacle. Was it a toot of approval or were they reminding them where they were?

  Ray turned the key in the ignition. “I guess we’d best get going,” he said as the engine caught.

  “Yes, probably so,” Patsy agreed, her voice still sounding slightly breathless.

  Tripod yipped to get her two-cents’ worth in.

  “All right, puppy,” Patsy said. “We’re going home.” She glanced toward Ray who put the car into gear and backed out of the lot.

  “You’re welcome to come to any of our games,” Ray said as he drove. “Same time, same place, every week till school’s out.”

  The dog barked as if she’d noticed that she’d been left out of the invitation.

  “And Tripod is welcome, too.”

  “We’ll take it under advisement,” Patsy said.

  She moistened her lips, and she swallowed. “You know, I still haven’t watched those Ed Wood films,” she whispered, uncertain as to how he’d respond.

  “Oh?”

  “Maybe we could get together to watch them some time,” Patsy suggested.

  Ray looked as though he wanted to cheer. “Name the time and place and I’ll be there,” Ray said. “I’ll bring the popcorn.”

  “I’ll check my calendar,” she said. “And then I’ll get back to you.”

  The ride back to the playing field was much too short and far too soon they were back at the lot.

  “Well, this is it,” Ray said, reaching to undo his seat belt.

  “No, Ray,” Patsy said, touching his arm. “I can let myself out. You’re still incapacitated.” She leaned over and pecked him quickly on his cheek. Quickly, so she wouldn’t lose her nerve. Then she let herself out the door, Tripod hopping gamely down behind her.

  “Thank you. I enjoyed it,” Patsy said, looking into the open door. Then she closed it.

  Ray seemed to wait a little too long before he started up the car. Patsy wondered if he wanted to say something else, do something else. But he didn’t make a move. After a long moment, he backed away.

  Patsy watched from her own car as Ray drove away. She looked down at Tripod. “Well, girl,” she said. “I wonder just what I’ve gotten myself into.”

  Tripod just wagged her tail.

  IT WAS ALL RAY COULD DO to keep from rolling down the window and shouting, “Hoo-ah,” at the top of his lungs for all to hear. But he was damned certain she would not like it if he kissed and told. What would he do about Danny, he wondered. His roommate would be able to tell something was up simply from the expression on his face. He’d have to think of something. Seeing Danny had been so out of sorts since going on his own mystery date after the bachelor auction, Ray knew it would be far better not to gloat, anyway.

  He shrugged and steered his car toward the base gym. Maybe a good upper body workout would help him wind down.

  He was thrilled that Patsy had liked him well enough to accept another invitation, and to issue one—albeit a vague one—of her own. Not to mention that she had let him kiss her—and had kissed him back. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she’d enjoyed it as much as he had.

  “SERGEANT DARLING?” Patsy called, her voice breathless, in spite of herself. She tried avoiding searching the waiting area for his handsome face and held the thick medical folder against her white-clad chest as if it were a shield.

  She hated being so formal, but there was no way she’d loosen up here in public at the clinic. She still had a reputation to uphold.

  She just hoped Ray would remember that.

  Ray, clad in his regulation battle dress uniform, pushed himself up to his feet with his crutches and maneuvered himself to where she stood. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  “This way.” Patsy struggled to keep her tone businesslike. “Examination room three.”

  As soon as they were alone, she allowed her expression to soften. “Are you ready to throw those things away?” she asked, indicating the crutches.

  Ray shot her a grin that could have lit up the darkest night. “Am I? Do you even need to ask?”

  Patsy smiled and shook her head. “I didn’t think so. The doctor will check you out, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be relieved of them.”

  “Hoo-ah!” Ray cheered, and Patsy grinned. “Free at last.”

  “I have to commend you for sticking with them as long as you have. Most of your teammates would probably have tossed them out and been well into physical training by now—doing permanent damage to themselves, I might add,” she said sternly.

  Ray laughed. “You don’t know how tempting that was, but I didn’t want to get on your bad side.”

  “Miss Pritchard, stop flirting with the sergeant and let’s get the man cleared for normal duty again,” Dr. Brantley said, stepping into the examination room.

  Patsy felt her cheeks grow warm, and Ray grinned. It hadn’t occurred to her that she’d been flirting, but that was exactly what she’d been doing, she supposed. She was so out of practice, she hadn’t recognized her actions for what they were. She stepped back and watched as the doctor did his job.

  “Keep your workouts light for a few days,” the doctor said, slapping Ray on the shoulder. “Then you can get back to your regular routine.”

  “I hear that!” Ray said. He reached for the crutches and handed them to Patsy. “I don’t suppose they’d let me burn them, so here,” he said, thrusting them in her direction. “Do with them what you will.”

  “We’ll recycle th
em,” Patsy said. “I’m sure one of you gung-ho guys will need them within the week.”

  “Whatever,” Ray said, shrugging and testing his weight on his injured ankle. When it seemed to hold him, he laced up his jungle boot and tried it again. Then he stood, unaided on both feet, and glanced at Patsy, a questioning look in his eyes.

  Something about his expression made Patsy go soft and gooey inside, but she waited to hear what he had to say. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

  The doctor left the room, and they were alone.

  “You had a question, Sergeant?” Patsy said, keeping her tone neutral in case anyone else came by.

  Ray glanced out the open door into the corridor. “Yes, about that film festival…?” he asked, leaving an opening Patsy didn’t hesitate to fill.

  “Saturday night. My place,” Patsy answered in a rush. She forced herself to slow down. “I’m expecting you to bring the popcorn.”

  “I will be there with alacrity,” he said.

  Patsy laughed. “Not alacrity,” she corrected. “Popcorn. You can’t watch Ed Wood without plenty of popcorn.”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ray said, with that endearing grin that made Patsy wish it weren’t still so early in the week.

  She watched Ray, favoring his ankle only slightly, stride out of the room. She was so glad he wasn’t leaving permanently.

  She’d done it.

  She’d actually asked Ray Darling out on a date. A surge of warmth and well-being flooded through her and she smiled to herself.

  Ray stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “One question,” he said.

  Patsy arched an eyebrow, and wondered whether the question was of a medical or personal nature. “Okay?”

  “Do loose lips still sink ships?” he asked, referring their discussion of the weekend before.

  Patsy wished she could say no, but she still felt awkward about this dating thing. Maybe later on, she’d feel more confident, but for now, she wanted to keep her relationship with Ray quiet. She sighed apologetically. “For now, yes,” she said.

  “Got it,” Ray said, then he hurried out, and Patsy wished he didn’t have to go.

  RAY STOOD IN the commissary in front of the popcorn display and wondered what he’d gotten himself into. Who would’ve thought that there were so many kinds to choose from? Had there always been that many choices? He pushed his glasses up on his nose and perused the shelves again. Or had he just not paid attention?

  He finally settled on a brand he remembered being advertised on television and started to reach for the package. But wait—there were other things to consider. Microwave, hot-air popped or regular? Damn, this was confusing.

  He grabbed a couple of packages of each type and hurried to the register line. Of course, it was Saturday afternoon and the line wasn’t short.

  At the rate he was going, he might get out of there in time to get home and get cleaned up. He glanced at his watch. Or he might not.

  Finally, the line inched along and he reached the register and paid for his selections. And he’d thought that bringing the popcorn would be a simple matter. He hoisted his sack into his arms and walked out just as he saw Sergeant Rich Larsen and his pretty wife and baby come in. He waved, and much to his chagrin, Rich headed his way while his wife secured the baby into the shopping cart.

  The last thing he needed was to have to explain to Rich Larsen why he was buying the entire stock of the popcorn section. He’d promised Patsy he would not tell, and tell he would not.

  At least, not until Patsy felt better about it.

  “Shopping for the bachelor pit?” Larsen asked.

  Ray shook his head. “Naw, just stocking up on snacks to watch some movies by.”

  Rich shook his head. “Yeah, I used to do that. It sure is better when you have somebody to watch them with,” he said, indicating his pretty wife and child. “Maybe you should get out more.”

  “Maybe I should,” Ray agreed.

  “You do that.” Larsen glanced over his shoulder and turned back to Ray. “See ya, Radar. Jennifer’s got the cart ready to go. I guess duty calls.”

  “See ya,” Ray said, and breathing a figurative sigh of relief, he headed out of the store.

  As he drove, he began to think about the secrecy of this date with Patsy. The more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder why she was so dead set against anyone knowing that she was dating him. Did it have something to do with him?

  And they were dating. Even she would have to admit that. The last time they were together might not have counted as a date—until they’d kissed. Then everything had changed.

  Once she’d actually invited him to her home, they were dating. Whether anyone else knew about it or not.

  One thing was sure, Ray thought as he parked in the lot outside his apartment, he was going to get to the bottom of it. He was going to find out just why Patsy Pritchard didn’t want anybody to know about them.

  TRIPOD STARTED UP a merry round of barking, and Patsy parted the blinds to see what had gotten the dog going. She should have known. Ray Darling had just pulled into the drive and parked his CRV behind her car.

  “Shush, Tripod. It’s just Radar,” Patsy said as she made a quick pass by the mirror on the wall by the entryway and checked her makeup and hair. She was as ready as she’d ever be.

  Now, she just had to let Ray in. It seemed like hours passed before he came to the front door. And it would not do for her to rush to the door and open it before he got there.

  Finally, the expected knock came, and Patsy took a deep breath, wiped her damp hands on her skirt and pasted a smile on her face. She opened the door. “Right on time,” she said, for lack of anything else to say.

  “That’s me, always-on-time Darling.” He paused as he said that so that it almost sounded as if he’d called her darling, but Patsy knew what he meant. Still, she liked the way that sounded.

  “Well, come in, come in. Before Tripod escapes.”

  Ray stepped inside and bent to pet the excited dog. “You wouldn’t run out on me, would you, girl?”

  Tripod yipped as if to agree with him. Once the door was closed, she seemed to lose interest and wandered off. That was just fine with Patsy.

  “What do you have there?” she asked, indicating the sack Ray was carrying.

  “I said I’d bring the popcorn,” Ray reminded her.

  Patsy laughed. “But you didn’t need to bring enough to feed the entire population of Fort Walton Beach. There are only two of us. Three, if you count Tripod, and she doesn’t eat that much.” She reached for the bag. “Here, let me take that from you.”

  Ray handed it over. “Who would’ve thought there were so many kinds to chose from? I just sort of bought a selection.”

  “That you did,” Patsy said wryly as she glanced into the bag. “I don’t know where to start. Do you have a preference?”

  Ray sank down onto the sofa and looked around the homey living room. “If I had a preference, do you think I’d have bought so many different kinds?”

  “I don’t know. Would you have?” Patsy called from the kitchen. He heard the sound of something being opened and, after a moment, the sound of an appliance coming on. “What do you want to drink?”

  “I don’t much care,” Ray said and wondered why he hadn’t thought about that before now. What if she had some strange taste in beverages? Should he have brought some beer or a six-pack of soda? “Whatever you’re having,” he called and hoped it wouldn’t be diet soda.

  She came in after a moment with glasses and ice and a couple of cans of soda. She also had two long-necked bottles of beer. “Take your pick.”

  Ray took a beer, and Patsy nodded in approval. “We can have the sodas later.” The microwave dinged and Patsy turned to retrieve the popcorn.

  “This won’t last long,” Patsy commented as she placed the bowl on the coffee table. “I put another one in so it would be ready when we were.”

  “Good thinking,” Ray said.
Would they ever get past all this ridiculous small talk? He definitely wished he could have found and memorized an instruction manual for this dating thing.

  He’d been out with a few women since he’d been in the air force, but most of them had been friends first. And none of them had seen his butt beforehand—not that many had seen it after. No, before Patsy Pritchard, it had never seemed as awkward and uncomfortable as this.

  Was all that discomfort a good thing? A sign of nervousness due to attraction? Or did it mean that he and Patsy weren’t going to click?

  Patsy settled down on the couch beside him and reached for the remote control. “Ready to get going?” she asked.

  “Sure thing,” Ray said, casually maneuvering his arm to rest on the back of the sofa, only inches away from Patsy’s shoulders. “Let’s get this affair started.”

  And he wasn’t sure he meant the film festival.

  THOUGH SHE’D SEEN the movie before, Patsy found herself laughing so hard that tears ran down her cheeks. How could anyone have taken these things seriously? she wondered as she wiped tears from her eyes. “Ouch!”

  Ray stopped in midchuckle and paused the video with the remote control. “What’s the matter? Did you hurt yourself?”

  “Silly me,” Patsy replied. “I forgot there was salt on my hands from the popcorn and when I rubbed my eyes, I got it in them. It stings, but it’ll be okay.”

  Patsy’s eyes burned and teared, and the one eye that had gotten the bulk of the salt had slammed shut. Patsy could see the concern on Ray’s face with the eye that hadn’t been as badly affected.

  “Here, let me look at it,” Ray said, taking her face in his two large hands. He gently pried her burning eye open and looked closely. “I guess that is one advantage to wearing glasses. You have sort of a barrier to keep irritants out.”

  “I suppose,” Patsy said. It felt strange to have someone looking at her, holding her in such an intimate way, though there was nothing sexual in Ray’s tender ministrations. But it had been so long since Patsy had experienced anyone worrying about her, trying to take care of her, that his doing so touched her. If she weren’t already tearing up because of the salt, she would have done so now with emotion. The tears continued to flow.