Returning to Eden (Acts of Valor, Book 1): Christian Military Romantic Suspense

by Rebecca Hartt

  His confusion cleared in an instant. “Oh, of course. How is she?” he immediately asked. “She’s not—” He faltered before admitting with chagrin, “She’s not answering my calls right now.”

  Nina grimaced. “I know. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to see you for myself.”

  Jonah’s expression turned quizzical. He stepped back and opened the door wider. “You want to come in?”

  “Oh.” She plumbed the sunlit interior for signs of Santiago. “Are you alone?”

  Jonah’s eyebrows flexed at her hesitation. “My master chief’s taking a swim, but he should be back soon.”

  Realizing she was dying to see the inside of Santiago’s house, she said, “Sure, I’ll come in,” and brushed past Jonah into the open-concept living room. Her eyes rounded at the mismatched furniture, then darted toward the outdated kitchen. If not for the heart-of-pine floors, the soaring cedar ceiling, and the spiral staircase leading to more rooms upstairs, the place might resemble a bachelor pad.

  Jonah wandered past her into the kitchen.

  “Coffee?” he asked, making a beeline for the coffee pot.

  “No, thank you.”

  With his back to her, Jonah poured himself a mug of fresh coffee then turned and eyed her through the steam.

  “Why, exactly, did you want to see me?” he prompted lightly.

  Already, in merely the few minutes they’d been face to face, Nina’s question had been answered.

  “I wanted to know if you were really as different as Eden said you were.”

  At the point of sipping his coffee, Jonah lowered his mug, not with surprise but with something akin to chagrin.

  “I sure hope I’m different,” he said fervently.

  An incredulous laugh escaped her. “You really are,” she marveled.

  Gone was the overly confident, highly judgmental man she’d met on numerous occasions. This Jonah seemed completely human and humble.

  “That’s a good thing, right?” he asked, taking his first sip.

  “A very good thing.” She turned serious, recalling the true purpose of her visit. “Eden really loves you.”

  Her words had him staring into his coffee, hiding how strongly they affected him.

  “I wish she would answer my phone calls,” he finally said, lifting his eyes.

  Nina pitied him. “That’s between you two. All I know is she’s afraid of being hurt again.”

  “Again?” he asked, making her regret letting the word slip out.

  Ignoring the question, she countered, “She’s hoping you’ll keep your appointment with your psychiatrist. She wants you to be well.”

  A bitter smile twisted Jonah’s mouth. He shook his head and thought for a moment. Nina could feel the powerful emotions rolling off him, though he held them firmly in check.

  “I am well,” he finally told her, in a voice so filled with determination and certainty she wondered for a moment if Jonah’s paranoid beliefs might possibly be true. His smile turned grim.

  “Since Eden won’t take my calls, would you convey this message for me?”

  “Yes.” Guilt for undermining his and Eden’s reunion these past two weeks pricked her conscience. The least she could do was be a go-between.

  He started to talk, only to pause and clear his throat before trying again. “Tell her everything is going to be okay.” His voice roughened. “I told her I’d be back, and I meant it.”

  Nina nodded. His determination roused her respect. “I will,” she promised.

  All at once the sliding glass door between the living room and balcony slid open. Santiago Rivera, wearing nothing but skin-tight swim-trunks and a towel slung around his neck, stepped inside.

  Catching sight of Nina, he froze in astonished delight. “Hello.”

  “Hi.” Giddiness spread through her, threatening her poise. She caught herself wanting to grin at him. Seeing him in the flesh, so virile and vigorous, she realized the real reason she’d come over hadn’t solely been about Jonah. She’d wanted to see Santiago again. The idea of going on a date with him had morphed into a powerful desire to have his baby. The vision was so persistent she’d been driven to act on it, albeit subconsciously.

  Moving past Jonah, she approached Santiago, fighting all the while to keep her eyes on his face and not let them drift toward his splendid chest and the six-pack abs he sported.

  “Turns out I’m free this evening, after all, if you’d still like to go on that picnic.” She was proud of how nonchalant she sounded when, in fact, her heart was trotting.

  His eyes blazed with triumph. “Excellent. I’ll pick you up at six if you’ll tell me where you live.”

  She hesitated. “Pick me up at my studio,” she suggested.

  “As you wish.” His smile of anticipation carved dimples into his lean cheeks.

  All I want is a baby, she reminded herself. A baby with dimples just like his.

  “I’ll see you tonight then,” she said. Tossing her long black hair over her shoulders, she looked back at Jonah. “Good to see you again,” she said, surprised she actually meant it. Jonah wasn’t at all the man he used to be. On her way to work, she would call Eden and apologize for not believing her on that score.

  As she started for the door, Santiago rushed past her to draw it open. Military courtesy, Nina reminded herself. It didn’t mean he would always be chivalrous.

  “Until tonight,” he said, his dark eyes warm with passion.

  Not trusting her voice, Nina sent him a prim smile and stepped outside. The sun painted a spectacular strip of gold across the sea. A flock of pelicans flew parallel to the shore, completing the idyllic scene.

  Don’t be a romantic imbecile, she warned herself and headed for her car. With four new and surprisingly affordable sparkplugs powering her engine, she drove away, determined to keep her attraction from clouding her judgment.

  She wanted Santiago Rivera for one reason only. Convincing him to give her a baby without any strings attached was her objective. Falling in love with him was not.

  Miriam regarded her reflection in the bathroom mirror through critical eyes. The dye was coming out of her hair turning it silver instead of purple. Her nose was too big for her face and dusted with freckles. Her mouth was too wide. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection.

  Maybe she should dye her hair a different color or force studs through the closed holes in her ear. Her mother would have a cow if she did that. She’d be so upset she’d probably even call Jonah, with whom she’d refused to communicate, even though he called her all the time.

  Miriam had watched with plummeting optimism as her mother ignored call after call from him. He’d called Miriam, too, but only once because she’d gotten emotional and asked him when he was coming back.

  I shouldn’t have done that.

  Reaching for the jewelry box on the counter, she fished out the four sterling studs her mother had made her remove from her right ear. Were the holes completely closed up or was there hope of getting them back in there?

  She tried pushing a stud into the first hole.

  “Ow, ow, ow.” The pain took her mind off Jonah’s absence.

  Silence seemed to echo in the rest of the house. Miriam felt most alone during the long hours her mother was away for work. Yesterday, she had sought refuge in the outdoors, hoping to distract herself. Unfortunately, every father in America was spending the last week of summer with his kids. All throughout Sandbridge, families frolicked in the sand and surf and shopped for souvenirs. Looking at them hurt.

  I will never have a normal family. The thought ripped through her heart in the same instant the stud impaled the tender cartilage. The pain felt oddly satisfying. Ignoring the little rivulet of blood sliding toward her earlobe, Miriam picked up the second stud and moved to the next hole.

  She had been so sure everything would work out with Jonah coming back into their lives. The fact he’d been alive when everyone thought him dead proved his marriage to her mother was meant to be. His bei
ng interested in Miriam and nice to her was an unexpected bonus. Truth be told, though, she’d have taken him back exactly the way he was. A distant dad was better than no dad.

  The best thing of all was Mom had started liking him, too.

  During their visit to Annapolis, Miriam had seen them look at each other with love in their eyes. Her hopes had soared. She’d been so certain her mother would forget her plan to separate from Jonah once he got his memory back. Having fallen in love with him, she would never leave him. Then Miriam would be just like the happy kids at school who had two parents.

  That pipe dream had lasted right up to when Jonah thought some old man was following them back home.

  The look on her mother’s face lately said it all. Something wasn’t right with Jonah. His year of captivity had left him thinking someone wanted him dead, the same person who’d tried to kill him a year ago. That story made no sense. He’d gone missing due to an accident. The enemy lived in a whole different country, which meant Jonah’s fears were all in his head.

  Anyway, that was what his psychiatrist believed, according to her mother.

  Holding her ear still, Miriam gritted her molars to counteract the pain as she jammed the second stud through the resisting hole. It yielded with a stabbing pain, making tears spring to her eyes. She didn’t have the guts to try the next two studs. Putting them back in the jewelry box, she raised a defiant gaze to the mirror and regarded her handiwork.

  Two extra studs in her right ear didn’t make her any prettier, she decided with a grimace.

  The doorbell rang, startling her from her bleak thoughts. Who could that be? Ian wasn’t allowed to come over while her Mom was out, and Eden wasn’t due back from her Saturday afternoon grocery shopping for at least another hour.

  With Sabrina emitting evenly spaced barks, Miriam wiped the blood off her earlobe with a tissue and left the bathroom to investigate.

  Peeking through the narrow window by the door, her stomach lurched to see the same uniformed policeman who’d nearly arrested her earlier that week. Panic doubled the beat of her heart. The rule was never to answer the door while you’re home alone, but this was a policeman, not a stranger. What’s more, he’d seen her peeking out at him.

  Assuring herself she’d done nothing wrong lately, other than re-pierce her own ears without permission, she turned the deadbolt, grabbed the dog’s collar, and pulled the door open.

  “Hello, again,” said the officer whose square face she’d wished never to see again.

  “Hi.”

  Glancing at the dog and dismissing her as a potential threat, Officer Hammond lifted his sunglasses from his pale eyes and peered over her shoulder into the house.

  “Is your father here?”

  Miriam’s heart wrenched at the word father. “Not at the moment.”

  Lowering his sunglasses onto his nose he looked back at her.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,” he said in a low voice, “and I don’t want you to be alarmed, but your mother was in a car accident.”

  The blood drained so abruptly from Miriam’s head her cheeks went cold and spots burst before her eyes. She clutched the doorknob for support.

  “She’s been taken to Sentara Hospital, and she’s asking for you. Would you like a ride?” he asked, watching her carefully.

  Miriam locked her knees to keep them from folding. “Yes.” She looked down at the dog, whom she had yet to walk. “I’ll walk you when I get back,” she promised, patting Sabrina on the head.

  “Better lock the handle behind you,” the officer suggested as she slipped outside.

  “I should get my cell phone,” she said, hesitating. She’d left it on the bathroom sink.

  “There’s no time,” said the officer.

  The words turned her blood to ice water. “H-how hurt is she?” she stammered, chasing him down the steps to the undercover cop car he apparently drove.

  Officer Hammond didn’t answer. Instead, he opened the rear door for her.

  “Hop in.”

  She didn’t give a second thought to slipping into the back until she realized it was used for transporting criminals. Bullet-proof glass separated her from the front seats. Finding a seatbelt, she buckled herself in automatically. Shock slipped over her, numbing her thoughts and her emotions.

  A single, horrifying prospect lodged itself in her mind. Not only did she not have a father but, if her mother didn’t survive the accident, she wouldn’t have a mother, either.

  Santiago abhorred the dress Nina Aydin was wearing. Unrelentingly black, it hung from her shoulders all the way to her ankles. Sitting in the passenger seat of his Ford Falcon, she resembled a nun cloistered in a habit, except that her slim, strong arms were bare. He supposed he ought to be grateful for that small consolation.

  At the moment, however, those lovely arms were folded across her torso like a shield, which he did not take to be a good sign.

  She wore her long hair in a ponytail. Silver earrings shimmered on her earlobes and five assorted silver bracelets jangled on her left wrist. Slim black sandals failed to disguise the scarlet toenail polish on her elegant little toes. Over all, she looked more ready to attend a formal cocktail party than to sit on the sand enjoying a picnic.

  His blue Bermuda shirt and cream-colored shorts were far more fitting for the occasion. Fortunately for them, it was a gorgeous evening, just cool enough to hint of the fall weather to come but warm enough to sit on the beach while the sun set behind them.

  When he pulled into Back Bay Wildlife Refuge, Nina cut him a curious glance but said nothing.

  He had chosen their destination for a reason. The refuge was unknown to most tourists. Its goal was to offer a sanctuary to sea grasses, wild ponies, and rare birds, not to take in revenue from visitors. In fact, the only other car in the parking lot was a Park Services Range Rover.

  He pulled into the parking space closest to the beach path, cut the engine, and hopped out of the car to perform his gentlemanly duties, but Nina had already opened her door and was stepping out.

  Accessing the trunk, he retrieved their picnic paraphernalia. While packing it, he’d anticipated the favorable result of their time spent together. She would realize they were destined to be a couple. They would marry and have two children within the next five years. Considering how resistant she was to a single date, he knew convincing her to share the visions in his head would be challenging—but then any good thing usually was.

  She took the blanket out of his arms without being asked.

  “I can carry it,” he protested, hefting only the basket.

  “Don’t be a chauvinist.” She angled her chin at him.

  Strike one, Santiago thought, closing the trunk gently. Eden had warned him about Nina’s mistrust. He would need to tread carefully if he didn’t want to lose her before he even got off the ground.

  “This way.” Indicating with a smile the direction they should take, he escorted her down a sandy path toward the beach. The wind molded Nina’s ridiculous dress to her body making it less of a sackcloth than it had first seemed.

  He forced himself to avert his gaze. Seducing her wasn’t his intention. He’d brought her here for one reason only—so she could get to know him better. Surely, once she realized he was nothing like her abusive ex-husband, she would give him a chance.

  They came upon the ocean suddenly. The expansive view was everything Santiago wanted it to be, though he wished the waves weren’t pummeling the shore with quite so much vigor.

  “Let’s try up here,” he suggested, indicating a spot sheltered by the dunes. Putting down the basket, he took the blanket from Nina’s hands and shook it out over the bowl of pristine sand, creating a surface as soft as a bed when he kneeled on it.

  Kicking off his shoes, he watched Nina settle herself primly on their quilted nest. He was pleased to see she looked rather intrigued when he placed the basket between them and lifted the lid.

  Drawing out the bottle of wine first, still grat
ifyingly chilled, he then reached for the corkscrew and glasses—not plastic cups, mind, but crystal goblets inherited from his grandmother, both carefully wrapped in a towel.

  He unwrapped them and handed one to Nina. Her interested look was more bemused now, and touched with suspicion.

  “Russian River Valley Chardonnay,” he informed her as he popped the cork from the bottle then filled their glasses to the rim. “Have you ever tried it?”

  “I don’t think so. Do you drink often?”

  The pointed question surprised him. “Only on weekends.” Was she testing him?

  Fortunately, his answer seemed to relieve her. He could only assume her ex had been a drinker.

  Balancing his goblet on the sand, he pulled two containers from the basket and laid them out—cut veggies and dip in one; cheese and crackers in the other.

  “Help yourself,” he invited, waiting for her as she took a stick of celery before he selected a wedge of gouda and a cracker.

  Crunch. Biting into the celery with her small white teeth, Nina chewed and crunched again, saying nothing.

  Santiago cast about for something to talk about. The night they’d danced together at the brewery, there’d been no shortage of conversation. She seemed far more reserved tonight.

  “Are you shy?” he asked as she reached next for a carrot.

  She looked him in the eye then glanced away.

  “No,” she said self-consciously. “Not usually.”

  He sent her a crooked smile. “You don’t have to be shy with me. Ask me anything. I’m an open book.”

  She swirled the carrot in the dip. “Have you ever been married?”

  Satisfaction curled through him. She wasn’t wasting his time with superficial questions.

  “No. I didn’t think it would be fair to have a wife and then leave her all the time. My job has kept me overseas much of my life. But since I’m planning to retire soon, that’s no longer an issue.”

  Her wide-eyed stare assured him she was listening to every word he said.

  “Then you plan to get married one day,” she interpreted.

  “If God wills it,” he answered with a shrug.