Page 41 of A Soldier's Return

“Do you want to borrow Max for the night? I’m sure he would be happy to have a sleepover.”

She leaned back in the leather seat. “Maybe.” She closed her eyes. “He’s so cute. He can sleep on the floor by my bed and warn me if any bad guys come around.”

He had to smile a little at that and hope he didn’t fall into that category. “He can be pretty fierce.”

“That’s what I need. A fierce dog like Max to protect me.”

The idea of telling her he thought she needed a worn-out army doctor sounded ridiculous so he said nothing. “I’ll stop at my dad’s place and grab Max for you, and I can swing by in the morning to pick him up. Does that work?”

“You are the best boss ever. I mean it. The best!”

He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. For some reason, she gazed at him, an arrested expression on her features.

“I wish you would do that more often,” she said.

“What?” The word seemed to hang between them, shimmering on the air.

“Laugh. I like it so much.”

He caught his breath, aware of a strange tug, a softness lodged somewhere under his breastbone. This was dangerous territory, indeed. This woman threatened him in ways he wasn’t at all prepared to handle.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmured.

She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning against the leather seat back. A few moments later she was asleep, her hands tucked under her cheek like a child’s.

At a stoplight, he looked over, captivated by her. In some ways, she resembled the sweet-faced cheerleader he’d had a thing for back in the day, but he could see now that was an illusion. She was so much more. She had grown into a woman of character and substance, her world changed and shaped by life.

At his father’s house, he paused in the driveway for a moment, wondering if it was a stupid idea to loan her Max for the night. She would be fine without him and might find the dog more trouble than he was worth. But Eli had promised. If she would find some solace and comfort from having another creature in the house, Eli wasn’t about to stand in the way.

As for Max, the dog would probably treat the whole thing as a fun adventure. He’d been at loose ends with Wendell in the rehab center and would probably enjoy being needed again.

Max trotted up to him as soon as Eli walked inside, making it an easy matter to scoop up the schnauzer, his food and water bowls, his leash and his favorite blanket. He carried all of it back to his dad’s vehicle.

Melissa was still asleep, her breathing soft and measured. After another moment’s hesitation, he set the dog and all his comfort supplies on the back seat, then reversed out of the driveway to head the short distance up the hill to Brambleberry House.

If anything, Melissa seemed to have fallen more deeply asleep, snuggling into the leather of the seat. He turned off the engine, reluctant to wake her. He could see Max was snoring away in the back seat, too. Apparently, Eli’s company wasn’t very scintillating to anyone.

He smiled ruefully and sat for a moment in the stillness of the vehicle. The rest of the world seemed far away right now, as if the two of them and Max were alone here in this quiet, cozy little haven.

Outside the windows, he could see the glitter of stars overhead and the lights of Arch Cape to the south, twinkling against the darkness. A strange, unexpected sense of peace seemed to settle over him like a light, warm mist.

The night was lovely, the sound of waves soothing and familiar. Little by little, he could feel the tension in his shoulders and spine begin to ease.

This...

This was the calm he had been yearning to find since he returned to town. How odd, that he would discover it here in his father’s vehicle with a snoring dog in the back seat and a beautiful sleeping woman in the front.

He wasn’t going to argue with it. He was just going to soak it in while he had the chance.

Eli closed his eyes, feeling more tension trickle away. He hadn’t even realized how tightly wound he had been, yet he found something unbelievably comforting about being here with her. He couldn’t have explained it; he only knew she soothed something inside him that had been restless and angry for months and allowed him to set down the twin burdens of guilt and grief for a moment.

Like Max and Melissa, there was a chance he may have fallen asleep, too. He didn’t intend to, but the day had been a long one and he felt so very relaxed here beside her.

He awoke sometime later, disoriented and stiff from the uncomfortable position.

Something was different. He opened his eyes and realized with some degree of wonder that she was in his arms.

How had that happened? He hadn’t moved, was still behind the wheel, but now he held a woman against him. Her arms were around him, her head resting in the crook of his elbow, and he cradled her against him like a child.

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