Page 99 of Sergeant's Christmas Siege

Instead of heading back to his cabin to sit in silence and further contemplate his life choices, Templeton had decided to do a little cash-out instead. He pushed his body until his muscles couldn’t take it anymore, and he nearly crushed his own foot with his kettlebell. Only then did he drop down to the floor himself. And then lie there, waiting for his heart rate to get back under control and his breathing to even out.

And to see if the clarity he’d gotten would fade.

But it didn’t.

He lifted his head and looked around, but it was stillonly Isaac sprawled on the floor a small distance away from him. And Horatio, Isaac’s entirely too smart border collie, who was never too far away from his master.

“I’m going to need some time,” Templeton said.

Isaac lifted his head. “To recover from your workout? I know you’re only an army man, but I expected better, Templeton.”

Templeton grinned. And then gave his best friend and superior officer a one-fingered salute.

“I need some vacation.”

Isaac laughed and rolled up to his feet. “Didn’t she blow you off?”

Templeton took his time rising. He stretched. Then he went and rubbed Horatio’s ears, because he knew exactly how to do it to make the canny dog roll and kick like a silly little puppy. It was their little secret.

“I didn’t ask you for your commentary on my romantic life,” he told Isaac. Genially enough. “I’m informing you that I’m going to take some of the time I have coming. I know you want to assign me to that extraction thing, but I’m going to have to pass.”

“That’s a lot of pushback,” Isaac pointed out. “Especially when I’m the one person—the only person—around here who hasn’t been all over you about that I-saved-myself thing.”

“We both know that’s not out of the goodness of your heart. It’s because you don’t want to hear what I have to say in reply.”

The nameCaradinehung there in the air, the way it often did. Templeton thought it was further evidence of his sainthood that he didn’t say it out loud. And a few choice other things while he was at it.

“It doesn’t matter why,” Isaac said loftily. Also not saying her name. “I’m pointing out what an excellent friend I am. And how maybe I don’t deserve you talking to me like I’m a redheaded stepchild.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” Templeton said,grinning. He did not apologize for his tone. “As long as it takes, I guess.”

He gave Isaac a real salute then and headed for the door of the gym.

“She seemed pretty definitive,” Isaac said from behind him. “That’s all I’m saying.”

Templeton looked over his shoulder and grinned even wider.

“Isaac. Buddy. I know you’re only a marine, so this probably won’t make any sense to you. But I’m an Army Ranger. We get what we want, or it can’t get got.”

He headed to Juneau first.

But when he got to Kate’s building, he found her apartment open, empty, and undergoing an intense cleaning.

“The last tenant moved out,” the woman cleaning the place told him. “The day after Christmas.”

She didn’t know where to. Or care.

It took Templeton one call to figure out that Kate was probably headed back to Anchorage, her usual base of operations. And a second call to get himself on the next plane. But once he landed in Anchorage, it took a little doing to figure out her whereabouts.

Because his trooper liked to live in throwaway furnished apartments that she could trade in at a moment’s notice. Which meant he had to wait until she showed up at her office, then trail her home. It was old-school but effective.

When he finally made it to her door, it was New Year’s Eve.

She swung open the door before he knocked on it and stood there, her arms crossed over her chest. Those pissed-off, go-to-hell eyes on his like a pair of daggers. And a welcoming scowl on her face.

Oh yeah, Templeton thought. He was head over freaking heels for this one.

“I knew that was you.” Her voice was just the way he liked it. Calm, unimpressed, and 100percent his favoriteAlaska State Trooper. “You might want to reconsider a career as a covert operative when you insist on renting the flashiest, highest-tech SUV you can find everywhere you go.”

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