Page 13 of No Man Left Behind

She brushed over difficulties and had an optimistic attitude. At Piper’s request for help with the logo, she’d immediately agreed.

The woman was enticing on many levels, and Marcus looked forward to getting to know her better. He had at least three days at his disposal, and he hoped she’d be willing to stick around longer. If she’d been looking for them, that implied she wanted to spend time with them. He hoped.

Garrett stood first and held out his hand for Kimi. “The animals get up early, so we’re going to head out.”

They came around and hugged Elina. Kimi smiled. “It’s been great to meet you. You’ll have to come out and see what we have going on at the property. There’s lots to see and do.”

Garrett nodded. “And we won’t let Snoops bite you.” But he grinned when he said it. The old donkey put on a miserable front for visitors, but Marcus suspected he enjoyed the attention.

The others stood as well. Elina was pulled into hug after hug. She didn’t look uncomfortable with the touches but she did look overwhelmed. He wondered how lonely her life had been.

Sean and Branna waved everyone off and moved to the bar to start on the nightly cleanup. Marcus leaned closer to Elina. “You okay?”

She smiled. “You keep asking me that. I must look as overwhelmed as I feel.”

He laughed. “You’ve handled everything well, but a lot has been thrown at you today. Between finding Phail, and then all of us, then Nina discovering your secret identity, I bet you’re pretty wiped out.”

At his words, she tried to stifle a yawn but didn’t manage it. The yawn ended in a laugh. “A little bit.”

“Give me a minute, and I’ll walk you back to the B&B.”

She smiled and shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can find the way.”

He paused halfway out of his chair and raised an eyebrow at her. “Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Her smile widened, and she nodded this time.

At the bar, he paid Branna for the evening and left a generous tip. “Thanks for making that a perfect first night in town for Elina.”

Branna grinned. “You’re welcome, but I suspect it would have been a perfect night without the rest of us, too. The two of you can’t keep your eyes off each other. She’s absolutely lovely, and you look good together. Now, go make sure she gets safely to the B&B.”

Marcus chuckled as he pocketed his wallet and turned back to find Elina rising. “I just need to pay for my share, then I’ll be ready.”

He put his hand on hers to stop her searching through her bag. “It’s already covered. First night in town is on the house.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Which means you paid for me.”

He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for ambushing you with the entire team at once.”

“It wasn’t an ambush, and it was wonderful. Thank you. I’ll return the favor next time.”

He liked the sound of a next time.

Marcus placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked out. The simple touch was like an electric prod to his system.

As they walked, Elina smiled at him. “Thank you for calling in the rest of your team. It was great to see everyone and to know they’re all doing so well. I was worried about you all. It’s a relief to see everyone thriving.”

He frowned. “I could say the same about you. I wondered about you often over the years but I didn’t know your name. It took me a long while to heal and adjust to life with the prosthesis and the new job. It was a while before I was able to get my head out of my own ass.”

Elina burst into laughter and leaned in to bump his shoulder with hers. “I think dealing with a prosthesis and a new career cuts you a break. I’m pretty sure you weren’t a self-absorbed ass, and if you were, you were entitled.”

He laughed. “Not so sure about that. Took me a while to find my footing again. Pun totally intended.”

She chuckled again. “You landed in a great place, and now you’re surrounded by your friends and their lady friends. I really liked them. They’re all so different, but they make a wonderful group.”

The wistfulness in her tone had him wondering again about how lonely she’d been. Elina was friendly, but she was private. She’d probably learned to be that way overseas if it wasn’t natural to her personality. She’d grown up in one country, one tough situation at a time. Living like that likely ensured she had walls around her heart to protect it.

Moving so frequently would have made it difficult to make friends. There had also been cultural and language barriers to consider. The fact that she was as friendly and open as she was proved she was a strong, spectacular human. But he’d already known that.

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