Page 3 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“How about six? It’ll give me a little time to get cleaned up after my rehab session.”

“I’ll see you then,” she answered, smiling widely as she left the room.

Suddenly, Jeff felt like crying. Even though he’d kind of realized months ago that they probably wouldn’t have a future together because they’d grown apart, yet again, it was another loss of something familiar. They’d begun dating in their senior year of high school, and somehow they’d survived through years of separation while he was training as an officer and deployed on multiple tours.

* * *

Another month later, Jeff decided to join his fellow patients in the lounge, where they were waiting for a Brewers game to start on the big screen.

Settling in with his wheelchair at the back of the room after grabbing some bottled water from the fridge, Jeff felt a sudden tug at his heart when he saw who was singing the national anthem.

“Wren Matthews,” one of the guys said while dramatically thumping at his heart. “Damn, she’s hot.”

One of the female airmen snorted. “I’ll admit that I love her voice. But there’s a lot you can do with hair extensions and makeup these days. No one’s that perfect.”

He couldn’t have chosen a better moment to put the men and women at ease, Jeff decided as his eyes searched the room. Everyone had immediately gone silent when he’d entered the lounge, and the comment about the celebrity vocalist had been the first words uttered out of anyone’s mouth.

When Jeff cleared his throat, everyone turned to stare. “She seemed pretty much perfect to me when I met her a few years ago.”

It seemed like everyone’s eyes went wide as they turned to stare.

“Really, Lieutenant?” someone asked in awe. “What’s she like?”

“Well, I’m not so sure about her taste in men since she chose me out of the audience to dance with her onstage when she was performing for the troops in Germany, but she didn’t bat an eye when I kept stepping on her feet.”

At least half the people in the room snickered.

He cleared his throat again. “Of course, that could have had something to do with the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes off her face, because she was drop dead gorgeous. My mom owns the local beauty salon, and I happen to have three sisters. I don’t think I would have had that reaction if she was wearing a ton of makeup.”

“Did she talk to you much while she had you onstage?” One of the guys who was sitting across the room asked.

“Yeah, she did. She asked my name and where I was from. I remember answering all her questions in a very hoarse voice. She probably thought I had stage fright because of the way I kept stepping on her feet. But I think I was just starstruck.”

It’s funny, but Jeff hadn’t thought about that moment for a while. It had been the first time that he’d ever been captivated by a woman other than Aimee. Which probably had something to do with his sudden recognition that he and Aimee were growing too far apart to have a future together.

Opening up seemed to put everyone at ease, so by the time the ball game started, Jeff was having normal conversations with almost everyone hanging out inside the lounge.

When the ball game ended, most of his fellow wounded warriors started back to their rooms. When Jeff hung back just a little bit longer to finish thejuice he’d been drinking, one of the guys, also in a wheelchair, rolled closer to Jeff.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Sir?”

Jeff snorted. “That just depends on what it is. Go ahead, Sergeant.”

He grinned. “My name is Tanner, Sir. Marc Tanner. There’s a rumor floating around that you’re related to Kelly Callahan, the model. I was just curious. Is it true?”

Jeff grimaced. “It’s not only true, but we’re twins. You wouldn’t believe how many men have asked to be introduced.”

The Sergeant started laughing. “I wouldn’t mind an introduction, myself.”

“I’m not so sure that her husband or my nephew would approve of that,” Jeff answered dryly.

Sergeant Tanner sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. I suppose she married some great-looking famous guy.”

Jeff blinked, and then started laughing.

Sergeant Tanner cocked his head. “No?”

“She actually married one ofus, Marc. Luke was one of the very first patients here at the wounded warrior home. My grandfather was his foster dad, so we grew up together.”

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