Page 6 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

Having nearly knocked her down, he felt the need to prove he wasn’t an ass. “You doing some research?” He gestured at the notebook, wanting to draw the conversation out a little because he wasn’t ready to see her walk away yet.

“Yes. For a final paper.” She held out a hand. “I’m Summer, by the way.”

“Adam.” They shook. Her hand felt so delicate in his. Soft and smooth and feminine. He cocked his head to the side and released her, already intrigued. She looked a few years younger than him. “What are you studying?”

“Political science and foreign relations, with some history mixed in there. I’m graduating next month.” She eyed him with those big eyes. “What about you, are you here for research too?”

“No. Just in town for a language course and thought I’d come take a look.”

“Oh, what language?”

“Pashto.”

She studied him a moment. “Are you in the military?”

“Army.”

She nodded, still assessing him with that sharp green gaze that told him she was picking up far more than the average person would. “My grandfather served in the Army.”

“Mine too. Vietnam era?”

Another smile. “Yes. That’s what my paper’s on. He died a few years back so I can’t call him up and ask him the things I want to know. But he sent letters to my grandmother and she kept all of them with his medals. I kind of feel like a history detective, tracking down answers to fill in the holes,” she added, tucking a bright lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. “So, what do you do in the Army?”

“Whatever my commanding officer tells me to,” he answered in a teasing tone.

She laughed softly. “Not gonna tell me? Well that tells me quite a bit, actually.”

Yep, she was a quick one all right. Charmed, he shoved his hands into his pockets and studied her a moment. “Hmmm. I might be willing to tell you more if you sat down and had a coffee with me.”

She blinked then gave him an impressed look and nodded. “Okay, that’s not bad. Not the worst pick-up line I’ve heard, either. But how do you feel about helping me figure out the last clues to this mystery first? As a soldier, I could use your opinion and insight on a few things to steer me in the right direction. If you’re willing. I want to get it right.”

A slow smile curved his mouth. If he was willing? He was alone here, had the entire afternoon to himself and getting to spend more time with her was the best thing that had happened to him in over nine months. “That sounds good to me.”

While she explained what she was working on he followed her through the rest of the exhibit, already fascinated at the way her mind worked. It was clear that her interest in this topic was genuine, and wasn’t all because this was her final paper and she simply wanted a good grade. No, this was personal and she was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery she was trying to solve.

At one display they stopped to check something and she talked about the South Vietnamese soldier who’d saved her grandfather’s life over there. In addition to finding out what she needed to know for her final paper, she was on a mission to find out who he was. Her passion was contagious and within ten minutes he found himself caught up in the story.

As she finished explaining she trailed off and paused a moment to look at him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. “Am I boring you, by the way?” Her expression turned rueful. “I didn’t come here today with the intent of basically hijacking someone in the middle of the Smithsonian.”

He smothered a laugh. “No, not at all. I’m already hooked.”

A relieved smile was all the reward he needed. “Well, I’ve probably taken up too much of your time already. You still want to grab that coffee?”

Hell yes. “That sounds good.”

They made their way out of the exhibit and down the street to a coffee shop. At a table for two in the corner, she sipped her iced drink and gazed speculatively at him. “So. Are you going to tell me about you now? I mean, you know where I’m going to school, what my major is, and more about my extended family than you probably ever wanted to know, yet I know next to nothing about you.”

“I’m from Kansas, born and raised there. My parents are still back there, and so are my three younger brothers.”

Her eyes widened. “Four boys? Wow.”

“Yeah. We kept our mom and dad busy.” He took a sip of his coffee, savoring the taste of the hot, strong drink. Light-years better than what he’d had during his recent deployment.

“I’ll bet you did. And are your brothers in the military too?”

“One is.” His baby brother, Jamie. “The others are in the family construction business.”

She leaned forward to fold her arms on the table, her full attention focused on him. He liked the way she did that, and the way she seemed genuinely interested in him. “And why did you want to serve your country that way?”

---