Page 11 of Trapped with the Covert Ops Soldier

“This one,” he said angling a thumb at Smitty. “He’s dangerous.”

“To me or you?”

“Yep.” With that JD stumbled away.

Smitty watched him leave. “He’s nuts.”

“Yep.” Abby smiled. “JD is JD. Some days it feels like he’s always been here.” She thought about it a bit more. “He’s a Vietnam vet.”

“He’s in pretty good shape then,” Smitty said. “They’re all getting a little long in the tooth.”

Abby wobbled her hand up and down. “He’s got a ton of family in town, and they take care of him the best they can, but he hates being stuck indoors. Spent a couple of years as a prisoner of war living in a pit. He told me once that he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he’d seen the sun during those two years.”

“So, he takes off whenever it gets too much for him.”

“Yeah.”

She walked into the clinic with Smitty on her heels. After shutting the door, she waited for him to start talking. Nothing.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?”

“We’re going to need some time,” he said looking around with interest. “Over lunch?”

“If all you wanted to do was book some time for lunch, why are you here first thing in the morning?”

“I didn’t want to miss you.” His smile was one she recognized as the charming one he used when he was trying to get something he wasn’t supposed to have. Like information or the last piece of cake.

“Fine, I’ll see you later.”

Instead of leaving, he turned up the wattage on his grin. “Can I have a tour of your office?”

“Tour?” she shook her head. “It’s a doctor’s office. There’s nothing special about it.”

“Oh.” His gaze bounced around, as if searching for something interesting. “Still—”

He was acting strange. “Are you planning on following me around all day?”

“Pretty much.” Again with theaw shucksgrin.

The careful casualness of his voice and expression triggered alarm bells in her head. He was up to something. “Why?”

“I want to hang out with my friend.”

“You want to hang out... with me?” Was he serious?

She poked his chest with one finger. “This is the first time you’ve come to see me since we got back from Syria. Why now?”

“It took me a little while to arrange for leave. And, well...” He winced and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Okay, I’m just going to tell you, but I want you to remember this was not my idea. I was asked.”

This didn’t sound good. She grabbed hold of her patience and hung onto it with both hands. “You were asked to do what?”

It took him a moment to meet her eyes. “Keep you out of trouble.”

Patience slithered out of her grasp, replaced by anger and indignation. “Excuse me?”

“The town of Bandit Creek has hired me to keep you out of trouble.” He put air quotes aroundkeep you out of trouble.

“The town hired you to babysit me?” she asked, every word pitched a little higher than the last.

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