Page 5 of A Soldier's Pledge
The garage door was unlocked since Ethan was waiting for her. She pushed it open and stepped inside the mudroom. A mouthwatering aroma stopped her in her tracks. She inhaled again as she tried to figure out what he’d made. Until today, she hadn’t even realized he could do much more than steaks or burgers on the grill. But the fantastic array of scents proved otherwise.
“Oh my God, Ethan, it smells amazing…” she said stepping through the kitchen doorway and stopping short as she saw him holding his phone to his ear.
As soon as he saw her, his face lit with a huge smile and held up a finger. Nodding, she pointed toward the bedroom. She might as well change out of her work clothes and let him finish his call. She hoped he wasn’t being called in for work. It hadn’t happened often, but it had happened. As much as she fought against their relationship, if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she couldn’t imagine him not in her life, even if she wasn’t ready to tell him or move on to the next level. She was sure once he found out she cared for him, he wouldn’t let up until she agreed to either move in with him or let him move in with her. And she wasn’t ready for that. It was too close to how things had gone with Ryan. He’d moved in when he was home on leave, and then never returned. Nope, she definitely wasn’t ready for another man to move in, but maybe she’d let him stay the night this time. That was progress, right?
***
“God dammit. Another one? Do you need me to come in?” Ethan asked his lieutenant as he heard the garage door open. Anna was finally home. He’d been waiting for her to call him all afternoon expecting her to cancel, after their little “thing” over lunch. When he hadn’t heard from her, he was glad. But now after getting this call, he couldn’t be happier to know she was finally home and safe.
For most of the time, he’d been on the job in Willow Haven it had been nice and quiet, exactly what he’d wanted and needed after his five years in the Air Force. But over the last two months, there had been a rash of burglaries. All the homes had been empty, and most were for sale with the owners either away or already moved out, except one where the couple had returned early from vacation in time to see a panel van pull out of the driveway. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to identify anyone or even know if there was more than one person. Whoever was behind this been careful not to leave any evidence behind.
He and his partner, Steele Brennan, had caught the first case, and at the time thought it was a simple B&E, or maybe the neighborhood kids getting some kicks. But they’d discovered soon enough that the robberies were well-planned—not a group of bored teenagers looking for trouble. After that first one, there had been another one every weekend just like clockwork. Two months and eight, err now nine, burglaries later, and they were no closer to solving them. They had to catch a break soon. Ethan was a firm believer that everyone fucked up eventually, and they’d be there to catch them. He just hoped no one got hurt before they did.
They’d been lucky the press hadn’t made a big deal of the break-ins, and he would bet fifty bucks it was because there was nothing exciting about the robberies. It did make it easier for him to keep from discussing it with Anna.
She had plenty to handle without worrying about her staff getting robbed or worse. It was part of the reason he’d made sure to stop by the open house earlier. Not that he wanted her to think he was checking on her. Oh, fuck no. An avalanche of crap would have rained down on his head if he even implied she couldn’t take care of herself. Since He and Steele hadn’t figured out the timeframe for the break-ins, they were worried one of them would happen when someone was home. The only thing they had so far that even slightly resembled a lead was that all the houses were up for sale.
It’s what bugged the shit out of him. How did they always know which house to hit and when? Steele thought someone was casing different neighborhoods in Willow Haven looking for vacant properties. Ethan had a feeling there was more to it, but he’d be damned if he’d been able to figure it out yet.
The crime scene called to him, it was like a puzzle he hadn’t been able to figure out, and for him, that was damn frustrating. He should be there, but the LT said CSU and two other detectives, Davis and Harris had it covered. There weren’t any witnesses other than the neighbor who’d seen lights on in the empty house and called it in. It was his case, and he should be there, but it was one of the biggest things in Willow Haven, so Ethan figured the LT wanted to give everyone a shot. But his gut twisted into a huge knot when he found out the address of the latest robbery—3232 Seashell Lane—the location of Anna’s open house.
“What’s wrong?” The case had him so deep in thought, he hadn’t heard Anna come in.
“Nothing, babe. The LT called about one of my cases.”
“Do you need to go? Can we eat first? I have to tell you though, whatever you made smells amazing. As soon as I opened the door, my mouth started watering. If I wasn’t hungry before I’m starving now.” She sounded surprised that he’d actually made something edible that didn’t involve the grill, but he’d never told her it’s what he did to relax. Cooking was therapy and the first thing he did when he was stressed. But usually, he’d donate the meals to the town homeless shelter instead of eating them; the preparation was what he enjoyed. Eating gourmet meals alone? Not so much. This was the first time he’d cooked for a date unless he counted the barbequing he’d done. He didn’t, grilling was easy, coming up with complex sauces and layering of flavors was the challenge. Hopefully, he’d impress this woman who’d had chefs prepare her meals for a lot of her life.
“Nope. I don’t need to go. Dinner is chicken in a white wine reduction with shallots and served on a bed of mushroom and garlic risotto. I have a fresh spinach salad with crumbled bacon, red onions, grape tomatoes, and blue cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette. I also picked up some rolls at Dixie’s when I grabbed lunch. I knew I wouldn’t have time to bake.”
“You made all of this by yourself? Wait, you bake bread?” The stunned look on her face made him laugh and helped to shove the case into the dark recesses of his mind. He’d take it out and examine it later when she was sleeping. Overnight was when he did most of his thinking when the world was quiet, and his memories couldn’t hurt anyone.
“Yup, I learned from my grandmother when I was really young. Over the years, I’ve taken a few cooking classes. But you know, you don’t have to act so surprised. I’m not a Neanderthal.” When her cheeks tinged with pink, he felt bad. He hadn’t meant to embarrass her only tease her a little.
“I know you’re not. I’ve never met anyone who could make bread from scratch, well, except for Dixie. But no one ‘regular.’ My mother can barely boil water. Tag and I would probably have starved if there hadn’t been a cook when we were growing up. It wasn’t on my mother’s list of important life skills.”
“Gran and Mom did all the cooking. I don’t remember a time when she didn’t live with us. After she passed away while I was in high school, it was never the same at home. I think she helped keep the family together.”
“I’m so sorry.” Anna put her hand on his lower arm and squeezed, sympathy evident in her eyes. He hadn’t thought about his family in a long time. They were all gone now. The only one who he’d really cared about was his grandmother anyway.
“It’s okay. I haven’t thought about her in a while. Anyway, I’m glad you’re hungry. Want to grab the wine and meet me at the table?” he said as he pointed to the wine bottle he’d opened earlier to let it breathe.
“Sure, anything to get the food to the table faster. Can I help with anything else?”
“As a matter of fact, there is something you can do.” Before she had a chance to ask what, he’d wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her against his chest. Then he tilted her chin so he could gaze into her hazel-brown eyes; they were more green than brown at that moment. “You can kiss me. I’m suffering from Anna withdrawal.”
“Oh yeah?” She batted her eyes and grinned. “I think I might be able to help with that.”
The first touch of her lips set him aflame. It was always the same—spontaneous combustion—and it never ceased to surprise him. That she wouldn’t admit the spark between did, though, and it bugged the crap out of him. No other woman had even come close. From the first time, they’d kissed he’d known she was special. When they’d finally made love, it sealed the deal for him. She was it, there would never be another woman for him. His fate had been written.
Her arms slid around his neck as he deepened the kiss and she melted into his embrace. Forgotten was dinner, the break-ins, everything but the amazing woman in his arms. Soft, hot, but firm in all the right places. There would never be a time when he’d have his fill of kissing her. He was about to lift her up and carry her to the bedroom and say, ‘fuck dinner’ when she pulled back. His disappointment had to show on his face.
“I really am starving, and the food smells too good to waste. Let’s eat and then we can have dessert.” Her smile and wink softened the rejection he’d felt when she broke their kiss. She was right, they were adults, weren’t they? But a little spontaneity never hurt anyone, but would he ever be able to convince her of that?
With another quick kiss to her forehead, he pusher her toward the dining room, while he went to get the food from the kitchen. He already had the table set, so it was just a matter of serving her. He’d even remember to get a bouquet of lilacs and orange blossoms—her favorite flowers. The final touch were the candles he’d found in her cabinets. The look of wonder on her face assured him that he’d nailed it. Romance might not be his middle name, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t pull it off when he wanted. The appreciation on her face was all the encouragement he needed.
“Oh, Ethan, you really went for it. The table is beautiful. I can’t believe you even bought flowers. I don’t know what to say.”
“Baby, this is just me showing you that you mean the world to me. You’re the first woman I’ve cooked for besides my mother and grandmother. Hopefully, that tells you something.”
