Page 50 of A Soldier's Return

“I’m sure Dr. Sanderson has other things to do right now,” Melissa said.

“Like what?” Skye asked.

“Skye. It’s rude to expect him to drop everything and come with us.”

He ought to let the girl down gently and tell her he had other plans. But suddenly he wanted to fly a kite more than he had wanted to do anything else in a long time...except, perhaps, to kiss her mother.

“Thank you for inviting me,” he said instead. “I would very much enjoy helping you fly this beautiful kite.”

It definitely wasn’t a good idea to spend more time with Melissa or with her daughter, not when he was having a hard time resisting both of them, but he told himself he could handle it. He only had to keep things in perspective, remind himself he was leaving in a few weeks.

He couldn’t tell how Melissa felt about the prospect of him coming along, but her daughter made her delight clear. She beamed at him, the gap in her front teeth more pronounced. “Yay! Can Max come with us?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not.”

“I’ll hold his leash, if you want.”

“Thanks,” he said, trying to keep the dryness out of his tone. “That’s very nice of you.”

He picked up his sunglasses from the hall table where he’d left them and walked outside into a lovely Oregon afternoon. The rain of the evening before was nowhere in evidence, though he knew the forecast called for possible heavy waves and wind later in the week.

“Let me take that,” he said to Melissa, reaching for the colorful kite she carried.

“It’s a kite. It’s not exactly heavy.”

“If it were heavy, it wouldn’t fly,” Skye pointed out with irrefutable logic.

“It’s big and bulky, though. I don’t mind.”

She held it out for him. “Here you go. Knock yourself out.”

He reached for it and though he didn’t plan to and, in fact, actively tried to avoid it, his hands brushed hers.

Heat seemed to race along his nerve endings and his stomach muscles clenched.

So much for keeping control around her. If he could have that kind of reaction from a little accidental slide of skin on skin, he was in big trouble.

As they took the closest beach access, a narrow trail between two houses, Skye hurried ahead of them with Max, leaving Eli to walk alone with Melissa.

“You really didn’t have to come with us,” she said after a moment. “Skye is right, we’re not the greatest at getting the kite up in the air, but trying is half the fun.”

Her cheeks were pink, but he couldn’t tell if that was from embarrassment or from the breeze.

“I meant what I said. I’m looking forward to it. What better way to spend a windy April afternoon?”

When they reached the beach, she gave him a sidelong look.

“All morning, I’ve been thinking about how awkward it would be to face you again,” she admitted, confirming his suspicion about the source of that rosy glow. “I’m kind of glad we got that out of the way now, instead of tomorrow morning in the office when you’re seeing a patient.”

Her words were a blunt reminder that she worked for his father. He had a strong suspicion that wasn’t accidental, as if she needed both of them to remember their respective roles.

“You have nothing to feel awkward or embarrassed about,” he assured her.

She snorted. “Sure. I only drank too much, which I never do, fell asleep in your car and then practically dragged you into my house and insisted on feeding you.” She glanced at her daughter and then back at him. “And it’s my fault we kissed again, when we both made it clear the first time that it shouldn’t happen again.”

Was she sorry it had happened? He couldn’t tell from her response. He wasn’t sure he regretted it. He should, he knew, but her kiss had been as warm and nurturing as the rest of her.

He wanted to kiss her again. Right now, right here. Instead, he gripped the kite more tightly and continued walking beside her while the April breeze that smelled of sand and sea danced around them. “It was a strange night. We’re going to chalk it all up to that, right?”

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