settling back in his seat to wait.
As Travis stood on the sidewalk, taking in his surroundings, he was impressed with the location. The neighborhood was an upscale one, and be somewhere he could eventually see himself living, he thought. He was just steps away from Neiman Marcus, the Urban Market Grocery and Café and the Main Street entertainment district, and he was in walking distance to the Arts District and Victory Park.
Inside the building he was greeted warmly by the building’s concierge.
“Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?”
Travis nodded with a quick flick of his head. A faint smile pulled at his mouth. “I’m here to see Miss Tierra Braddy, please. My name is Travis Stallion.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll let her know you’re here,” the man said as he reached for the telephone resting atop the marbled desk.
After a brief exchange, he pointed Travis to the elevators. Before the soldier could step inside, the man called out to him. “Excuse me, sir, I just wanted to say thank you.” He gave Travis a quick wave of his hand. “We really appreciate the armed forces and what you men are doing for us over there.”
Nodding his gratitude, Travis allowed the doors to close shut between them. Seconds later the conveyor stopped on the twenty-second floor. Heading down the carpeted hallway, he made his way to the young woman who stood waiting in her doorway, intrigue painting her expression as she watched him approach.
“Hi,” Tierra said excitedly, extending her hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Staff Sergeant Stallion. Damien has told me so much about you.”
And Damien had, extolling the man’s many virtues in every conversation the two had ever had. Her fiancé had been in awe of his thirty-one-year-old platoon leader, holding the man in high esteem. His descriptions, though, didn’t do the handsome man justice. Tierra was surprised by the smoldering stare that was eyeing her so intently. His pale, almond-shaped eyes seemed to draw her in like a moth to a flame. Tierra was slightly surprised by their intensity, and her reaction. She tried to shake the sensation from her thoughts.
Taken aback by the vibrant smile washing over him, Travis was briefly stunned himself. He hadn’t expected the woman to be so extraordinarily beautiful. But beautiful she was, with her deep brown eyes, caramel candy complexion and a full luscious pout a man could imagine himself kissing. Tierra Braddy was probably the most exquisite creature he had ever laid his eyes upon. A flood of electric energy surged through his spirit.
Travis was suddenly aware of her small hands clasping tightly to his own large appendage. His gaze fell to the perfectly manicured fingers that warmly caressed the back of his own hand, then rose back to the woman’s smiling face. The moment was strangely surreal, feeling as though it were playing out in slow motion. His tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth, words caught deep in his chest.
So focused on her own rising anxiety, Tierra didn’t seem to notice Travis’s sudden discomfort. Fighting to stay focused, she eagerly pulled him inside, closing the door tightly behind them as she chatted nonstop.
“This is such a surprise. Damien didn’t tell me you were coming stateside. Where is he? Did you two travel back together? I’m so excited to meet you!”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Ms. Braddy,” he finally managed to mutter, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. “Please, call me Travis.”
She repeated her questions.
“No, ma’am, we didn’t. That’s why I’m here. Private First Class Porter asked me to personally deliver this to you,” he said, reaching inside his breast pocket for the letter that had traveled home with him.
Travis forced himself to continue. “He stressed that it was very important you receive it as soon as possible.”
The look of fear that crossed the woman’s face suddenly tore at his heartstrings as she took the envelope from his fingers, her own hand shaking ever so slightly. Her confused stare met his.
“There’s nothing wrong with him, is there?” she asked, a rise of distress spilling into her tone. “Damien’s okay, isn’t he?”
Travis nodded. “When I last saw him he was doing just fine.”
Tierra exhaled a deep sigh of relief, pulling the letter to her chest. “You scared me,” she said, her voice dropping a few octaves.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Travis responded. He took a step toward her, the move unconscious as he suddenly wanted to pull her into his arms to ease the nervous edge that had gripped her spirit. “I really didn’t mean to upset you.”
Tierra giggled softly, mildly embarrassed. “I’m fine,” she said, brushing her palm against his forearm. “I’m also very rude. I haven’t even offered you anything to drink. Can I get you something, Travis?”
“No, but thank you for offering. Unfortunately, I really have to be going,” the man said, moving back in the direction of the door. “My taxi is waiting for me downstairs.”
“But you’ll come back? Right?” Tierra asked, the words slipping past her full lips before she could stop them. She stammered ever so slightly. “I…I mean, when Damien gets here tomorrow. You’ll come back and have dinner with us, and you’ll come to the wedding, I hope?”
That brilliant smile washed over him a second time. Travis suddenly felt like a match had ignited him on fire. He would have given anything for a cool wave of air to still the heat that had rushed from his head to his feet. “Certainly,” he muttered softly, trying to ignore an obvious wave of jealousy that was washing over him. “I look forward to it,” he said, the polite fib rolling like butter off his tongue.
“Thank you for stopping by,” Tierra said. “I know Damien really appreciates everything you’ve done for him. And this—” She gestured with the sealed mailer. “This was truly above and beyond your call of duty.”
Nodding his head, Travis excused himself, then stepped into the hallway. As the door closed behind him, he suddenly couldn’t help but wonder what had been secured inside the envelope he’d just delivered.
Locking the door behind her unexpected guest, Tierra moved from her foyer to the large windows that looked out to the lighted ball atop Reunion Tower and the neighboring Bank of America building. The stunning views had been a key selling point when she had searched for her first home. But Damien hadn’t been impressed.
Damien hadn’t wanted her to invest any of the money she’d inherited from her late grandfather into a home. The man had had a million get-rich-quick schemes that he thought would be more fruitful. But Tierra had erred on the side of caution, seeking out her grandmother’s advice and advice from the attorney who’d been hired to oversee the small fortune she and her brother had been blessed with. The security of real estate had proven to be exactly what she’d needed, despite Damien not wanting to support her decision.
Sliding a manicured nail beneath the sealed flap, Tierra tore open the envelope, anxious to read what was inside. She smiled to herself, hoping the sweet words Damien had written to pave his way home would endear him to their friends and family.
Pulling the neatly printed note from inside, she read it once, twice and then a third time. An hour later she was still reading it over and over again, the first of many tears streaming over the curve of
