Page 3 of A Soldier's Pledge
After that, he’d checked to see when Tag’s sessions were and made sure he was there as often as possible, and then made a point of talking to her each time. The more he learned, the more he wanted to learn. It had taken two months, and three days before she agreed to a date. But who was counting? He had Tag to thank for it, too. Now it was a year later and they were still moving at a snail’s pace. He still couldn’t get her to move in with him, leave some clothes at his place or let him leave some at her house. God forbid he should ask her to marry him. She’d probably get him booted out of town.
Tag told him she’d changed after the death of her fiancé. He’d been killed in action in Iraq. He’d volunteered for some secret mission and had never come home. It had pretty much destroyed her. He’d found out about Ryan’s death about a month before the IED almost killed him. And once he and Mac got back stateside, she’d made it her personal missions to take care of both of them. But it was obvious to him that she wasn’t the same Anna he’d grown up with. But he’d told Ethan not to give up on her either.
“Hey. Are you awake? What did you get?” Her question brought him back to the present, and he realized he’d been staring at her instead of eating.
“Sorry. I was thinking. I got the same thing as you.”
“Couldn’t resist the call of the roast beef, could you? Thank you for doing this. It’s really great.” She took another bite of the sandwich, and he suppressed a groan as her tongue slid across her lower lip to pick up a bread crumb. Damn, didn’t she realize how sexy she was?
“Is everything okay?” Her question reminded him they didn’t have all day for him to be mooning over her. And proved she wasn’t the hard-boiled business woman she tried to be, she still had a soft gooey center.
“Yup, everything’s fine, and it’s my pleasure, baby. Any opportunity for some extra time with you is perfect. I figured it was worth the shot.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. There’s always so much to do.” Score. Win one for the Ethan man. She’d finally admitted she was working too much, at least he hoped that’s what she’d meant. Maybe he was making headway.
Watching her eat was getting to be painful. He had it bad, and he knew it. They’d been together the other night, but his body couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to pull her out of her chair and into his arms. To kiss her soft lips, feel her fingers dig into his shoulders instead of the sandwich. Ugh. He needed a cold shower. Grabbing his sweet tea, he took a long drink to try to cool his rising libido. Now was definitely not the time. But later. Oh yeah, tonight would be different.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Her big chocolate brown eyes focused on his face like she was searching for something.
“Hell yeah. Starving.” He took a big bite, and she laughed. His eyes watered from the horseradish sauce he’d forgotten about. Damn.Way to impress the lady, asshat.
“Are you okay?” She couldn’t hide the laughter in her voice.
“Funny, huh? Yeah, I’m fine, just forgot about the horseradish sauce. I even asked for extra. What was I thinking?”
“Obviously not about that.” Her giggles made him happy. She spent too much time being serious.
“Obviously. How’s yours?”
“Delicious as always. Dixie is amazing.”
“Yes, she is. I hope she never decides to retire.”
“You and me both. Willow Haven just wouldn’t be the same. Dixie’s Place has been here as long as anyone can remember.”
“So, she was one of the original residents?”
“Her family was. They opened the little sandwich shop on the beach, but over the years it grew, and her parents bought the building she’s in today.”
“Was it always called Dixie’s?”
“Yes. It was her great-great-grandmother’s name, and there has been a woman from every generation who is named after her. Our Dixie is the fifth or sixth I think.”
“Wow. That’s cool. Does everyone know the history of this town like you do?”
“Probably not. I had it drummed into my head by my parents. It makes a better realtor if you know everything there is to know about the town. I doubt most people really care about half the stuff I know.”
“Maybe, maybe not. You never know. I guess I’ll have to start asking more questions.”
“Okay, but not now. You need to eat. Time is ticking away.” It was so easy to lose track of time with her. He could listen to her voice for hours, it was like smooth satin against his ears. He needed to concentrate, and by that, he meant eat his lunch and not stare at the women in front of him.
“How long is the open house?”
“Until four. Then I’ll have to go back to the office for a bit.”
“I thought I would cook for us tonight. If you give me the keys and alarm code, I’ll bring everything over to your place and have it ready when you get home?”
“Umm, how about yours and I’ll be over as soon as I can?”
