Page 49 of Soldier Cowboy
“Ahoy, Captain Sparrow!” She saluted him and walked inside.
This time she caught the glimmer of a smile in his eyes. Thank goodness he wasn’t angry with her. If she had to elicit any emotion out of him, let it be lighthearted humor even if at her expense. She could work with that.
“Sit down, wench.” He pointed to the couch nearby and continued with the pirate references. “I’ll make you something to eat.”
“You really are going above and beyond in taking care of me. I think pretty soon it will be my turn. Just give me a chance.”
“I’ll consider it.” He threw off his hat and it landed on the couch neatly beside her.
While she wickedly considered all the many and varied ways she could “take care of him” he was innocently making her lunch in the kitchen. Poor man didn’t recognize when a woman was deliciously attracted to him. If she wasn’t so drunk, she’d take him to bed right now. Rip off his clothes and have her way with him. She could be persuasive when she wanted to be, which admittedly wasn’t often.
When he set the plate in front of her, it wasn’t just a sandwich. This thing was a work of art. Cut in four perfect triangles, he’d added a sliced tomato decorated with a sprig of green.
“Egg salad,” he said. “I had some hard-boiled eggs.”
“Yummy. It’s so pretty.”
He shrugged and settled beside her, turning on the ancient TV and adjusting the bunny ears.
“I tried that,” Jennifer said. “It doesn’t help.”
Colton eventually flipped to the celebrity entertainment “news” show that seemed to be the only thing they could get around here practically twenty-four-seven. That, and old black-and- white movies. They sat quietly while she tried to eat, and he watched TV.
“I should probably look into getting satellite. Delores didn’t watch much TV and she was definitely a penny pincher.”
Just as he said the words, the reporters began to chat about the return ofKavanaugh’s Wayand the imminent marriage of its star, Bonnie Lee Wheeler, to her teenage sweetheart, Sean Henderson.
Colton sat up straighter and turned up the volume. “Jesus. Whatnow?”
“Ratings of the return of Kavanaugh’s Way exceeded anyone’s expectations,” the male anchor said.
“All thanks to Bonnie Lee Wheeler reprising her portrayal of the youngest sister of the Irish mafia family, now heading up the crime syndicate. It’s about time we get older actors portraying strong and powerful female characters, wouldn’t you say?” the woman seated next to him said. “But the best thing about all this is her upcoming marriage as a result of Mr. Cowboy. Roger, did you watch the show?”
“I can’t say that I did,” Roger joked. “But looks like I missed out.”
They flashed a posed photo of Sean and Bonnie Lee clearly taken after the wedding proposal.
“Oh, they look so happy,” Jennifer said because she’d never seen two people look quite so content to be together.
And after listening to Bonnie talk about Sean today, practically with hearts in her eyes, it was the real thing.
Colton clicked the TV off and ran a hand through his hair. “Listen, I don’t want you to worry.”
“Why wouldIworry?”
“Sean assures me anyone who gets on this property will be fully vetted.”
The pinched and worried gaze in his dark eyes left no doubt he was talking about her stalker.
“I don’t see how anyone could possibly make the connection between me and the show.” She attempted to assure Colton. “And as long as the photographers only take photos of Sean and Bonnie, we’re golden.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t worry about this, either.” He hung his arms between his long legs and clasped his hands together. “But if I’d known this wedding was such a big deal, maybe I wouldn’t have allowed you to come along. This is too dangerous, too filled with the unknown.”
Her father would have assigned her a snooty bodyguard despite her protests, and she’d have been forced to either live in her father’s military complex like home or stayed in the condo under lock and key.
“You let me come along because my father said ‘please.’”
It was the moment Colton had relented and she’d seen it with her own eyes. Right then and there she should have recognized the kindness and compassion still streaming through this stoic soldier. He was better adjusted than many of the vets she’d met. Far better than Joe had been, thank God.
