Page 54 of The Soldier and the Cowboy

“You too, Sul. Make your way to DC sometime, stop in for a visit.”

“Might have to jog my way there to work off your pretty girl’s cooking,” he said, pressing his palm to his ridiculously flat stomach. “Goodbye, Maggie,” he called through the door.

Maggie stepped out and gave him a hug. “It was so nice to see you again, Sully. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Same goes for you. There’s always room for more in Texas,” Sully replied.

“Someday, maybe,” Cam said, slipping his arm around his wife.

They waved Sully away and then Cam and Bailey went to go change. Meanwhile Jinx arrived. Together he and Cam carried Cal to his room and tucked him into the big bed. A few minutes later, Cam and Bailey met back on the porch.

“About the plan,” Cam began. “I think we’re going to need something extra.”

“What did you have in mind?” Bailey asked.

He checked his watch. “Your dad is sending us something from Lackland.”

Her lip curled. “What could we possibly need from the air force?”

“A delivery vehicle,” he said as a van made its way up the long lane. They watched as it stopped, the doors opened, and four men piled out, dressed in full gear and ready to go.

“This where you’re from LT?” one of the men asked. “No wonder you’re cranky. It’s so hot the inside of my nose is sweating.”

“Nice, Jones,” Cam said. “Way to make a good impression. Beside him are Ethan, Shimmer, and Frog.”

“Ugh, a jarhead,” Jones said, surveying Bailey in her camo fatigues.

“That’s Major Jarhead to you, sergeant,” she replied.

“How can you tell I’m a sergeant when I’m not in uniform?” he asked.

She crooked her finger at him. He stepped closer, and she leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I can smell the inferior rank on you, princess.”

He thumped his hand over his heart. “Hear that, boys?That’s the sound of me in love.”

“You’re going to have to get in line behind my brother,” Cam said.

“Where we at here, LT?” Shimmer asked.

“This is the Major’s operation,” Cam said, and the men’s attention shifted to her.

Bless the military,she thought. It was the one place rank counted more than gender.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. Let me tell you what’s going on.” She summarized the situation and laid out their mission.

“Major, if I may interrupt,” Cam said near the end. “I’d like to suggest adding a sniper for additional cover.”

“That’s an excellent suggestion, Lieutenant, but it leaves us a man short on the ground, unless you have a miracle up your sleeve,” she replied.

“More like on the other side of the door. Maggie, you can come out.”

Maggie stepped onto the porch with a sheepish smile. “I was only half eavesdropping, I promise. Stupid dishwasher kept drowning you out.”

“I’m sorry, Maggie,” Bailey apologized. “I didn’t realize you’d be taking part in the operation or I would have invited you. I also didn’t realize you’d served. What branch were you in?”

“The public library,” Maggie said.

“She’s a librarian. You’ll get used to it,” Cam promised as Bailey resisted the urge to stare. Maggie was so soft, so gentle, so feminine. She began to have more sympathetic understanding for people who couldn’t believe she was lethal either.

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