enough to do her job as a soldier.
‘I think you’ll find I know what I’m doing.’ But reality was sinking in fast. This was nothing like practising back home, however seriously the officers had taken every manoeuvre in which they partook. If she did freak out at the sight of smoke again she might not get away with it. But as long as the camp commander didn’t see fit to lock her up in a padded cell she’d be all right.
‘You’d better.’ His worry might be abating but he was still studying her with the intensity of a microbiologist looking down a microscope.
Which rattled her nearly as much as the dust had. Her vulnerability was rearing up again, pushing out from the corner she worked hard at keeping it tucked into. Sam—or anyone on base—must not find her lacking. Neither could he learn how insecure she could be.
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ he asked in a less autocratic tone.
‘How long have you served on the Peninsula?’ Suddenly her time here stretched before her, filled with uncertainties. Would she be strong enough to lead troops outside the camp? There’d be no respect from them if she turned into a blithering idiot because of dust. Or smoke.
‘Twelve months, give or take a day.’
She’d do less. Thank goodness for something. ‘Have you enjoyed your tour here?’ Anything to avoid the chasm she was looking into right now.
His nod was sharp. ‘This has been one of the better ones.’
‘So there’ve been others.’ Others that hadn’t been as comfortable, the edgy tone of his voice suggested.
‘Yes.’
‘Guess I’ve a lot to learn.’
‘Definitely, but we all have to deal with things we’re not at ease with when we first arrive. You’ll be fine.’ The grin was back, a little forced, but she’d accept it as it made her relax a teeny bit more. For now the danger of falling into that compelling look was far less risky than exposing the vulnerability that haunted her. This was Sam Lowe, a man she could relate to because they came from the same city, had been to the same school, and right now someone familiar was like balm on feverish skin.
Bet he’s a fantastic doctor. And a good soldier. He’d always done well at everything he did. Yes, she remembered that much about him. The pounding behind her eyes intensified. There was too much to deal with right now. ‘I need to settle into my room.’ She needed to look forward and not back, something she couldn’t manage while in Sam’s presence.
‘I’ll see you later in the medical centre.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be there as soon as possible.’ And get started on her new job, even if she only got to meet her colleagues and learn the layout of the unit.
Sam turned away, spun back as though trying to catch her out. The intensity in his gaze had not backed off. Whatever he was looking for, she doubted he found it because finally he shrugged, said almost kindly, ‘Welcome to the Peninsula, Maddy.’ This time he strode away without a backward glance.
He remembered her friends called her Maddy? Or was it a natural abbreviation of Madison? That was more likely. He wouldn’t remember much about her. Why should he? They hadn’t mixed in the same crowd or been in the same classes. But... A sigh escaped her lips. The way her name sounded in his gravelly voice was something to hold onto. It warmed her when she was already hot, flattened the goose bumps that dust had raised, gave her hope. Hope for what? No idea, but it was so rare she’d hold onto it anyway.
The pack still weighed her down, pulling so her spine curved backwards, but it was the head stuff that kept her rooted to the spot. That and the man whose long legs were eating up the parade ground as he put distance between them. She felt as though she had too many balls in the air and wasn’t about to catch any of them.
Trudging towards her barracks, she tried to drag up memories of Sam. He’d been head boy in their last year, captain of his sports teams, a natural leader if the devotion from others wasn’t a figment of her imagination. Officer material for sure. Which said he’d want to be in charge here in the medical unit. Probably was anyway, given he’d been here for a year.
Too much to think about right now. Exhaustion gnawed at her. Her body ached and her head was full of wool. The heat pelted her from every direction. She was in way over her depth and had no idea how to get out. But she would find a way: after a shower and a full night’s sleep in a bed, and after time to reflect on how she could move forward without blotting her copybook.
Now, there was a first.
Could be quite exciting really.
‘MADISON HUNTER SURE grew up beautiful,’ Sam muttered. But, then, she’d had a good start, had always been cute and pretty, and had kept the guys on the lookout for her around the school grounds.
Slamming the outside door behind him, he cut off the heat—and the sight of Captain Hunter. He recalled the pert nose, the sweet mouth, and the thick, dark blonde hair that had swished back and forth across her back whenever she’d worn it free of the ties that the school had insisted on most of the time. That mouth wasn’t so sweet any more; tightened quickly as a lightning flash at times. But not in a sulky, spoilt manner. More as if something had hurt her in the past and she was desperate to hold herself together. There’d been a load of fear in her eyes, her face, her stance. What had that been about? Something horrendous that had changed her for ever? That’d be an explanation he could understand all too well. As for the short bob—who’d known how curly her hair was? Must’ve been the weight of it all that had kept it nearly straight back then.
‘What had I been thinking when I rushed out to welcome her on base?’ Had he wanted a taste of home? From someone who knew next to nothing about him? They were virtually strangers, had barely acknowledged each other eighteen years ago, mainly because they’d had nothing in common. These days his cocky confidence had been replaced with caution and a blinding awareness of how life could implode in an instant. Drawing everyone close to him no longer happened. Instead, he used the guilt he carried to keep everyone distant. How could he be happy when other people weren’t able to be because of him?
Drawn to the window like a lad to the candy shop, he stared out at Madison dragging herself towards the officers’ quarters. Tall, slim and, from the muscles tightening under his palms when he’d caught her, very fit. Enough to make a man put his heart on the line. If he had a heart. Which meant she was safe from him. He’d put that particular organ in lockdown two years ago to protect anyone from being hurt by him.
But he couldn’t deny the blood in his veins. It was heating him, hardening him, reminding him how long it had been since he’d been with a woman. Too long. An oath ripped out of his mouth as the truth slam-dunked him. Unbelievable. He wanted Madison. Minutes after saying hello to someone he barely knew and he was reacting with none of the usual hesitations that instantly sprang up to protect him, and her. Unbelievable.
He was going to have to pull tight on those bands around the pit that held all his emotions. In a very short time Madison was proving to be a challenge to everything he held close and accepted as his way of life now. He’d have to dig deep to keep her off limits. But he’d had plenty of practice over the last two years, so what was one week of hardship? An impossibility? No. Definitely doable.
The
