long for her to see Mac wasn’t that type of man. He had followed up their date with a number of phone calls. Her ability to rope a calf didn’t bother him and he’d even said he liked how she looked in a pair of jeans. He’d told her that although he wasn’t an expert on a horse like she was, he could ride and enjoyed riding because his grandparents owned a horse ranch.
Then there was the night he’d surprised her and shown up at one of her rodeos in Montana. She had won her competition that night and had felt good about it. After the rodeo she had seen him waiting on her, dressed as a cowboy with a Stetson on his head. She had found herself even more attracted to him and had offered no resistance when he’d taken her hand to lead her over to the SUV he’d rented.
“Where are we going?” she asked him when he opened the vehicle’s door.
“I’m taking you somewhere to celebrate your win. You looked fantastic out there and you did an awesome job.”
His words had made her feel good. Pretty darn special and she felt even more special in his company.
They’d had a lively discussion on their way to the restaurant for dinner. He’d told her more about both his grandfathers and how their time in the military had made him desire a military life of his own. She knew when his maternal grandfather had retired he and Mac’s grandmother had purchased a ranch in Florida.
“I’ve never been to Florida.”
He glanced over at her strangely when he brought the car to a stop in the restaurant’s parking lot. “You haven’t?”
“No. I heard the beaches there are beautiful.”
He nodded. “They are, but then, Texas has beautiful beaches. I remember spending the weekend in Galveston one year.”
She’d been tempted to inquire who he’d spent the weekend with but hadn’t. Instead she said, “I bet you had a lot of fun.”
“I did,” he said, grinning over at her.
During the walk to the restaurant’s door he told her more about himself and the more she got to know about him, the more she liked him. That night had pretty much established how things would be between them. She had accepted that he’d opted for a career as a navy SEAL and she knew any woman in his life would have to live with that choice. Since she’d been seriously considering selling her ranch, the idea of having a life with him, which would include traveling around the world, intrigued her.
When he invited her to Barcelona, she’d said yes right away, and those two weeks had been a game changer. She’d seen just what life with Mac would be like. As he showed her around Spain, she’d fallen in love with him. She had been a virgin and the night they’d made love for the first time was something she would never forget. He had made it special for her.
They had talked a lot, as well. Mac had told about his parents’ interracial marriage and how dedicated they’d been to making it successful, remaining partners in all things. That was the kind of marriage he wanted for himself. One filled with love and commitment. She’d known that was the kind of marriage she wanted for herself, too, one where divorce would never be an option. The kind she was raised to believe her own parents had found, and the kind she knew her grandparents had shared.
Those had been the best two weeks of her life and before she left to return to the United States, he’d asked her to marry him.
Not seeing any reason to have a long engagement, they’d gotten married a month later and she had no regrets.
* * *
Teri brought her thoughts back to the present. Lawton and LaDorria had gotten married a year after Mac and Teri and they were still together, living in New Mexico with their two kids. Lawton had gotten out of the military and had gone to work for the FBI. LaDorria had expanded her love of photography and opened her own shop. Teri and Mac heard from them from time to time, and she always looked forward to the Christmas photo card they sent each year. They always looked so happy. So perfect. She didn’t want to think about how things weren’t so photo perfect with her and Mac.
Placing the coffee cup aside, she moved toward the bedroom. It was time to get dressed for her daily morning ride on Amsterdam.
* * *
“I’m sorry, Mr. McRoy, but your name is not on the registration. Until Mrs. McRoy gives her permission for you to be added, we can’t give you a key to her cabin.”
Mac forced back his anger, trying to understand the man’s position. He knew the rules were due to security measures, which he should appreciate. After all, for all the staff knew, he could very well be an ex-husband intent on doing bodily harm to his wife. That wasn’t the case, although he would admit his anger had only grown on the flight here. It had been his fifth flight in less than twenty-four hours. His fifth flight since his commanding officer had told the team they were free to go home and, unless there was some type of international crisis that required their SEAL team to go into action, they had the next six months on leave.
It was six months all of them needed after their last operation. Because of the success of their mission, Americans would be able to sleep safe at night, and to him and his teammates, that was what truly mattered. But for him the battle wasn’t over whenever he returned home. Those were the times he had to fight to reconnect with Teri. “That’s fine,” he finally said, seeing the man’s features relax. He knew the clerk had expected an argument and a part of Mac was raring to give him one, but what would have been the use? “Do you have any idea where she is so she can give me permission?”
“We tried calling the cabin and she’s not answering, so we can only assume she’s out riding. I believe she does that every morning.”
“Does she come here for breakfast?”
“No. She’s in one of the cabins farthest away, one with a stocked kitchen.” And then, as if realizing he might have provided too much information, he added, “That’s all I can tell you. I left Ms. McRoy a voice-mail message. If you’d like to sit over there and wait, I’m sure she will be returning my call shortly.”
“I’d rather wait outside. That way I can walk around a bit to stretch my legs. Can I leave my gear here while I do?”
“Yes, sir, you can.”
Mac handed his duffel bag to the man before turning to walk out the door. He stepped out on the porch and drew in a deep breath, appreciating the moment of breathing in good American air. He’d been in Libya too long and was glad to be home. Only thing, he wasn’t home. It wasn’t even close enough to home to suit him. Getting on another plane within a few hours after getting off one hadn’t made his day or his night, which he was yet to have. He hadn’t slept in over thirty hours.
Glancing around, he saw the changes that had been made since the last time he’d been here on his honeymoon. There was a spanking new barn that was a lot bigger than the last one had been. Even the main ranch house had gotten a face-lift. It was three times the size it was before. He’d noticed the sign that read Under New Management the moment he’d walked into the place.
He was about to step off the porch when his cell phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone, he pulled the phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and clicked on. “Yeah, Bane?”
“You know the routine, Mac. You didn’t touch base with any of us to let us know you’d gotten home.”
He
