by Debra Webb
“I hope you’re not hurt, sir,” she offered meekly.
A line creased his brow. “I thought we were past all that,” he reminded, clearly amused. “Tom,” he reminded.
“Right.” She nodded. “Habit, si—Tom.”
Tom plowed his long tanned fingers through his disheveled hair. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing out here at this time of night?”
Jane glanced from the dining cabin to the trainees’ cabin thirty meters away, then back to Tom. “I wanted to make sure the ladies didn’t raid the kitchen tonight.” She squared her shoulders. “I informed you of this morning’s contraband ice cream delivery, didn’t I?”
He smiled, and as usual, the sight played havoc with her senses.
“Yeah, you did.” He shot an amused glance at the darkened cabins. “But I don’t think you have anything to worry about tonight. After today’s workout, I’d say they’ve already given it up for the night.”
“I just want to be sure,” Jane countered, unconvinced of his assertion. “I’ve heard that the first forty-right hours of a diet are the most difficult.”
“So you’re expecting more trouble?”
“Maybe. Probably.”
“Come on, Jane, these gals are all over fifty. Don’t you think they’re a little old for those kinds of shenanigans?”
Jane let go a breath. Okay, maybe she was wrong. But she had a sneaking suspicion that something was going down tonight. Something that had Sandra Suddath’s unique brand of ingenuity behind it.
“What are you doing out at this hour?” Jane asked, turning the tables on him.
Tom shrugged. “A habit, as you put it.” He rubbed his side for emphasis.
“What kind of habit?”
“I always walk the grounds before calling it a night,” he told her. “Just to make sure that everything and everyone is secure.”
“But these aren’t kids, Tom,” Jane threw back at him. “Surely you don’t think these old ladies would be up to anything?”
Tom blew out a breath of defeat. “Okay, point taken.”
Jane grinned triumphantly. He really was a nice guy. Most men she knew would not have admitted defeat quite so easily.
“Truth is, I like a nice stroll before bed,” he continued. “Keeps me from tossing and turning. Want to make the rounds with me? I doubt there’s going to be undercover action around here tonight. Besides, everything in the kitchen is locked up tight, and only Hattie and I have a key.”
Jane’s grin left her lips. She was still mulling over the image his words evoked. The thought of Tom Caldwell in bed, naked save for a tangled sheet, flashed before her eyes. She blinked it away. “Well, I—”
“Come on, Jane,” he urged, tugging her by the arm as he moved from under the tree. “I don’t bite.”
Reluctantly, she followed. She didn’t want to spend time with him alone—especially in the moonlight. Normally she would have said no and gone on her way. But she hadn’t this time. Why was that? She clasped her hands behind her back and tried to rationalize her recent behavior. The full moon suddenly caught her attention. Relief filled her. People often acted out of character during a full moon…or so it was said. That had to be the reason she was feeling out of sorts tonight.
“Do you have family, Jane?” Tom gave her a quick sideways glance, then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts.
“My folks live in Des Moines. I have four older brothers,” Jane responded proudly, forcing a calm she didn’t feel. “Two in the Air Force, one in the Navy, and one in the Army like me. And my father is a retired military man himself.”
Tom nodded sagely. “That explains a lot.”
Jane’s step slowed. “What are you suggesting?”
His shrug was slight, the barest lifting of one wide shoulder. “I’m saying you had to get tough with four older brothers in the house.”
Jane bit her lower lip to hold back the smile, then murmured, “You think I’m tough?”
Tom chuckled good-naturedly. “Let’s just say that actions speak louder than words.”
Feeling suddenly brave, she went for broke. “So you’ve decided you don’t want to send me back for a bigger and better model?”
He hesitated, using the moment to capture her gaze. Those blue eyes twinkled with what might be amusement…or something like it. Not quite enough light to say for sure. Anticipation surged through her veins. Of what she didn’t know, and she definitely didn’t want to analyze it.
“Nope, I think I’ll keep you.”
A heat-filled moment passed. Before Jane could decipher the look in his eyes, he turned and started forward again. Feeling as light-headed as she did bewildered, she followed.
They walked without talking for a while. Jane wondered if he were struggling with that strange little stir that passed between them. Or had he even felt it? Frowning, she mentally scolded herself. She wasn’t some silly schoolgirl. She was twenty-four years old, and a professional soldier in the United States Army. She knew better than to behave in such an adolescent manner.
What on earth was wrong with her?
“I’m the oldest on my family,” Tom said, breaking the awkward silence.
“Brothers or sisters?”
“Two sisters and one brother.” He smiled. “One doctor, one lawyer, and one aerospace engineer.”
Jane wondered briefly if Tom’s siblings looked like him. All the Passerellas had dark hair and eyes except her. She had the dark eyes but she’d been blessed, or cursed according to her Aunt Sally, with more blond than brown hair. The whole clan was tall and large-framed, again except her. She was the runt of the litter. She smiled. And Tom was right, her older brothers had made her tough. Tough enough to fend for herself during those turbulent teenage dating years; and definitely tough enough to handle herself now, in or out of uniform. Well, physically anyway.
Another one of those rare breezes stirred the sultry night air. Jane lifted her face to the cool breath of nature. It was a beautiful evening. Even if she were probably making a mistake by lingering in this man’s company longer than necessary.
She stole a glance at his strong profile.
A big mistake. And there was no probably about it.
“What made you decide to become a teacher?” she found herself asking. Teaching didn’t seem nearly as exciting as the careers his siblings had chosen.
“The kids,” he responded without hesitation. “From the age of fifteen I worked in one youth program or another.” He gave another slight shrug. “I guess you could say it’s my calling.”
“No kids of your own?” Jane could have bitten her tongue off. Why in world had she asked that?
Tom shook his head. “Nope. No wife, either.”
Jane was thankful the moon was blocked by a tall stand of tall trees at the moment. Her face burned with humiliation. His marital status or number of dependents wasn’t supposed to matter to her.
“How about you? Ever been down the aisle?”
She could feel his gaze on her, so she kept hers focused straight ahead. The moon drenched them in its golden glow once more as they cleared the stand of trees. “Only as a bridesmaid,” she told him succinctly. “Remaining single is simpler in my chosen career.” It was her turn to shrug now. “Besides, I don’t have time for real romance.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” he murmured.
Silence settled over them as they covered the final stretch of camp property, bringing them full circle and back to the dining cabin.
“Do you ever get lonely, Jane?”
The question stopped her dead in her tracks and she stared at him despite her desire to avoid eye contact. “What?” she asked more sharply than she had intended.
“Do you ever feel like you’re missing something?” He seemed at a loss for words for a second or two. “You know, like you’re missing something that should matter because you’re so absorbed in your work. Too focused on everything but yourself.”
Jane opened her mouth to state an
unconditional no, but a new emotion in his gaze stopped her. Wonder…confusion, maybe. The same things she had felt recently—very recently, in fact. Starting from the moment she laid eyes on him.
“I don’t know,” he added slowly. “Something that you might wish for the rest of your life you hadn’t let slip away.” His words were soft, almost lost in the breeze.
There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes now. Or her own powerful response. Slowly, as if time had almost stopped, his hand came up to her face. She closed her eyes as his fingertips traced the outline of her jaw. Sensations exploded inside her, making her heart slam against her ribcage. She ordered herself to back away, but her body refused to obey the command—her control went utterly AWOL.
The whisper of his warm breath against her lips made her breath catch. He was going to kiss her. The organ thundering in her chest suddenly stilled, and Jane melted with the heat blazing wildly inside her.
The sound of glass breaking shattered the spell. Jane jerked back a step. So did Tom. Instinctively, she surveyed the darkness. A beam of light flashed across a window in the rear portion of the dining cabin. Metal clattered.
“Someone’s in the kitchen,” Tom said, already headed toward the dining cabin’s entrance.
Jane double-timed it to catch up. They took their time climbing the wooden steps and crossing the porch. One squeaky board could give them away.
She had known this would happen. She’d had a gut feeling all evening that something was up. Tom might be surprised, but she certainly wasn’t.
Slowly, quietly, they made their way across the dark dining room and to the double doors that entered the kitchen. Tom leaned close and whispered in her ear. She shivered in spite of herself.
“On the count of three we’ll swing the doors inward and flip on the light. The switch is on my side.”
Jane nodded her agreement, knowing that his face was close enough for him to feel the action. She shivered again. He sighed. How had she let this happen?
She had left her post and allowed herself to become distracted by a man who was technically her superior.
Tom paused in his murmured countdown as disembodied voices drifted through the closed doors.
“Oh, my God, this is good. Hmmmm…mmmmm.”
Jane recognized Sandra Suddath’s voice immediately.
“Wow, it’s like sex,” the woman moaned loudly. “Only better,” she added wickedly.
Giggles rippled through the group, which probably consisted of at least four, Jane decided.
“Hurry, Sandra!” Beulah ordered sharply. “Pass it down this way.”
“Patience, Beulah,” Sandra said between more enthusiastic sounds of pleasure. “Rank does have its privileges, after all.”
Beulah grumbled some retort Jane couldn’t make out.
“Now, Hattie,” Sandra said, then obviously paused to take another bite and moan loudly. “You must realize that you left me no alternative, dear.”
A muffled sound echoed next. Jane frowned, her concern growing. It sounded almost as if someone were trying to speak past a gag.
“Just remember, Hattie, old friend,” Sandra added knowingly. “Never, ever get between a fat girl and her next proper meal.”
More giggling.
“Three,” Tom growled in a stage whisper—his exhausted patience audible.
Jane and Tom shoved the doors inward and two seconds later bright light filled the large kitchen.
Jane’s mouth dropped open and her eyes rounded in disbelief as she stared at the scene before her. Sandra, Beulah, the redhead named Mildred, and Veronica—always the quiet one—were perched on a long stainless steel table eating chocolate ice cream from the carton. Each plump, rosy face was frozen, eyes rounded with realization that they had just been caught. Poor Hattie was sitting in a chair, bound and gagged.
Jane flicked a glance at Tom, who looked every bit as flabbergasted as she.
“Oops,” Sandra said sweetly, the first to recover. “Looks like we’re busted, girls.”
Jane stiffened her spine and glared a warning at the general’s wife. “Ladies,” she announced brusquely. “You will return to your quarters at once. And I will deal with you at oh-six-hundred hours.”
The four hopped off the table and scurried toward the door. Tom was busy freeing poor Hattie.
Veronica paused before following her partners in crime out the door. “Sergeant Jane, are we in really big trouble?”
Jane gave the woman her best drill sergeant’s glare, and Veronica wilted. “Let’s just say that you’re definitely going to regret this.”
Chapter Four
Jane heaved a sigh of satisfaction as she strode toward the showers shortly after dinner the next evening. She had accomplished a great deal today. Sandra, Mildred, and the other two from last night’s clandestine party had worked kitchen detail all day. Every square inch of the dining room and kitchen had been thoroughly scrubbed and all the stainless steel polished. Hattie had ruled over the undertaking with an iron fist.
Jane couldn’t prevent the little smile that surfaced at the memory of Sandra’s haggard expression as he woman trudged toward her own cabin thirty or so minutes earlier. Today would certainly go a long way in teaching the headstrong southern belle a lesson in self-discipline, teamwork, and, Jane hoped, humility.
The rest of the group had participated in swimming and canoeing, as well as informative class on poise and posture from Reg. He really was a nice guy, and he knew everything about “presentation”. The retreat participants weren’t the only ones listening when Reggie Travers talked. With only older brothers, Jane had learned virtually nothing about social grace. She might as well make the most of her time at Camp Serenity. Who knew when coordinating colors and accessories might come in handy?
And it had nothing at all to do with Tom Caldwell.
Jane chewed her lower lip, her step faltering. Why was he her first thought when anything remotely feminine crossed her mind? She had absolutely no intention of trying to woo him or any other man at this point in her life. She was young, she had plenty of time for romance…later. Jane cringed inwardly when last night’s near kiss flitted through her mind. Heat rushed through her so fast it made her dizzy. How had she let that happen?
She knew batter.
Jane sighed mightily. Knowing better and doing better were two different things. That’s what her father would say, and the full meaning of it had hit her squarely between the eyes last night. She knew better.
And she would definitely do better.
Definitely.
A sound caught Jane’s attention, Frowning, she stopped, then turned slowly toward the rustling in the nearby bushes. She listened intently, analyzing all she heard. Her first thought was that an animal would scurry out of its hiding place at any moment. But a muffled curse, distinctly male, obliterated that possibility.
“Who’s there?” she demanded in her sternest military tone. She readied for defending herself.
“Jane?” Tom Caldwell replied hesitantly from the thick bramble of greenery.
Her frown deepened. “What are you doing in the bushes?” She willed her heart rate to slow. The fact that its rapid beat had more to do with the sound of his voice than her being startled annoyed the fire out of her.
“I have a small problem,” he replied in a desperate whisper.
Jane moved another step closer. “What kind of problem—exactly?”
Abruptly, one long-fingered hand snaked out and grabbed her arm. Tom yanked her into the bushes without explanation. Instinct battled with the renewed heat his touch sent roaring through her.
“This sort of problem,” he murmured heatedly.
Jane blinked, breaking the strange hold his gaze always had on hers. She blinked again, then stared in outright shock at his state of…undress. With his free hand, he held one bushy branch over his…his…
“Someone stole my clothes,” he growled impatiently. “I need you to go to my cabin and bring me back something
to wear before anyone else comes along.”
Bewildered, and damned befuddled, she made herself look only at his eyes. “What were you doing with your clothes off?” There had to be an explanation. A grown man didn’t run around—even in the bushes—buck naked. At least not a responsible man like Tom.
“The main supply line to the men’s showers sprang a leak and the plumber can’t come until tomorrow. I decided to take a dip in the lake since I couldn’t shower.” Irritation furrowed his wide brow. “Someone obviously saw me and decided to play a little prank.” He released Jane and plowed his fingers through his wet, disheveled hair. “If I find out it was Reg, I swear I’m going to kill him.”
A grin curled Jane’s lips. “Don’t do that,” she protested quickly. “He’s far too valuable to the success of this, uh, mission.”
“Right,” Tom groused, as if remembering how the ladies loved Reg. He let out a disgusted sigh. “I’ll kill him in two weeks.”
The grin on her lips slipped a notch when her wandering eyes took in Tom’s utterly masculine body. Wide, wide shoulders. Well-defined, muscular chest and arms. Those dumbbells she’d seen lying around were obviously put to good use. A flat, taut abdomen. Long, muscled legs. Her breath evaporated when her mesmerized gaze roved back up to the sprinkling of golden hair on that perfect, sculpted chest. He was absolutely gorgeous…amazing…and completely naked.
Jane swallowed.
And she was staring.
She blinked again, “Clothes,” she managed hoarsely. “You need clothes.”
“That would be nice,” he said stiffly.
Jane backed up a step. “I’ll just…ah…go get them.” She looked anywhere but at him. Why did she have to be the one to walk by in his time of need?
“Hurry, Jane,” he urged. “Before someone else—”
At that precise instant the branch slipped from his grasp and Jane got a full frontal view of Tom Caldwell in the buff.
She stood, rooted to the spot, gaping for a good five seconds. Then, without looking back, she ran like hell toward the man’s cabin.
Tom was very, very wrong. Jane realized as she skidded to a halt at the steps to his door. He didn’t have a small problem at all. She licked her suddenly dry lips. He had a rather large problem, in fact.
