A Change of Heart (27 page)

“Speaking of lack of sleep, the coffee should be ready by now.” Paige rose from her chair. “The baby keeps me up at night too. I’m supposed to limit my caffeine intake, but I really need it in the morning. I’m going to get a cup. Do you want some?”

“I can get it.” Cory gestured for Paige to sit back down.

“Moving around is good for me.” Paige rubbed her baby bump. “Otherwise, this baby boy likes to use my bladder as his own personal soccer ball. You stay. I’ll be right back. Do you take anything in yours?”

“A couple spoonfuls of sugar. Thanks.” Once she had the office to herself, Cory took her cell phone out of her purse and hit speed dial. It had been weeks and weeks since she’d done anything with her hair, and she wanted to look good when she went to the rodeo with Ted. Just because her head wasn’t screwed on right didn’t mean she should slip back into neglecting her appearance.

“This better be important,” Brenda muttered as she answered on the fourth ring. “I’m not up yet.”

“It is. I need a haircut and my highlights need to be touched up.” Cory glanced at the door. “Before next weekend, if possible.”

“What’s happening next weekend?” Brenda sounded more awake.

“I’m going to a rodeo.”

“With Ted?”

“With a group of people from work.” Not totally a lie, but she didn’t want to get into it with Brenda right now. “Next weekend doesn’t really have anything to do with it.” Another little white lie to add to her collection. “I haven’t had a haircut since you forced me into it at my mom’s, and it’s time.”

“True. You were due a few weeks ago. I’m free tonight, and you haven’t been to my apartment yet. Come over after work. I’ll do your hair, and we can order pizza.”

“Perfect. Text me your address. I’ll see you around six.”

“Will do. See you later.” Brenda ended the call.

Paige returned with their coffee and settled into the projects she had going. Cory spent the rest of the morning assembling a list of insurance providers and updating L&L’s website with the newest photos. The morning went by quickly, and despite the lack of sleep, she managed to get a lot done.

At lunchtime, Ryan, Ted and Noah appeared at their door. “We’re going to have to take two vehicles to Carrabba’s,” Ted said.

Paige rose from her desk. “You can follow us. We’ll take Noah, since we have a few things to discuss regarding what we want in the way of product for our new retail space. Can you take Cory, John and Kyle?”

“Sure.” Ted’s mouth quirked up. “Lead the way.”

Cory settled into the backseat of Ted’s truck, glad that he
hadn’t driven the Mustang today. The plush comfort of his extended cab, coupled with the air conditioning, held much more appeal than the convertible with the top down. The temperature had already climbed into the nineties, and the hazy air was downright damp. Kyle rode shotgun, and John sat beside her.

“I hear you’re going to rebuild an old Ford Ranger, Ted.” John leaned forward as they rolled down the alley. “That true?”

“Yeah. I haven’t started yet. It’s sitting in the machine shed right now.”

“You bought another truck?” she asked.

“Sure did. I told you I’d find another old rust bucket to putz with.” He grinned at her in the rearview mirror.

“When do you plan to pull the engine?” Kyle turned up the fan, sending cold air circulating through the cab.

“Not sure.” Ted shrugged. “I’m still gathering parts.”

“My brother-in-law owns a body shop, and I worked for him before hiring on at L&L.” John’s tone held a spark of interest. “I have an old Dodge Charger that needs some engine work. I’d be willing to swap bodywork for mechanical help on my street rod.”

“I’d love to get my hands on a Charger.” Ted glanced back at John. “Deal. How about you, Kyle?”

“I’m there, bro.” Kyle nodded. “In fact, I’ll start looking around for a project of my own to add. How much room do you have in that machine shed?”

“Plenty.” Ted’s grin lit his face.

Cory listened as the three men went on and on about engines, rust and custom paint jobs. Not once did either of the guys in the truck call Ted kid. In fact, no one had called him kid since her conversation with Ryan. As if he sensed her thoughts centering around him, Ted caught her eye in the rearview mirror. She sent him a huge smile, and his eyes widened.

“How are you doing back there, Cory?” He fumbled with the air conditioning vents, aiming them toward the backseat. “Are you comfortable?”

“I’m fine.” Seeing him connect with Kyle and John sent a happy thrill through her, and a bubble of satisfaction expanded in her chest. She’d played a small part in the shift, and that lifted her spirits more than a good night’s sleep ever could.

Cory scanned Brenda’s street for a parking spot large enough for her to attempt parallel parking. She caught a glimpse of a man walking his yellow lab along the sidewalk. He wore cammies and a tan T-shirt, and his hair was military short. Unable to turn away, she stared, falling into a memory she hadn’t even realized she’d held onto.

Clutching a large plastic bottle of water, Cory rocked along in the cargo truck traveling at a snail’s pace across the desert. The road was barely discernible from the rest of the barren landscape. She rode shotgun with the supply unit heading for an FOB that had lost its satellite equipment in a raid. The scent of diesel fuel filled her nose, and sweat trickled down her temples and the front of her T-shirt. The unit followed the slow progress of a handler and his TEDD, a tactical explosive detection dog.

She watched the yellow lab’s tail wag happily as he worked. His nose to the ground, the dog wove his way from one side of the road to the other. He wore a nylon harness around his rib cage with a long retractable leash attached to the back. The harness had pockets on either side. Even dogs had to haul their own gear.

The dog’s motions became frantic. He’d caught a scent, and his handler let out more leash and signaled to the driver to halt. The lab’s tail went ballistic now, and he came to an abrupt halt.
He turned around and sat, his tail brushing across the dirt. The ground beneath him swelled for a fraction of a second, then exploded in a fiery flash. Cory slid down as far as she could in her seat and covered her head.

“Shit, no!” the handler yelled, dropping to the ground. In an instant, the dog was gone. Shock waves from the explosion rocked the truck. Rocks and clods of dirt rained down against the hood and roof with a spattering sound like hail. The handler stood up and flung what was left of the retractable leash far out into the desert. Fisting his hands on his hips, he paced back and forth in front of the truck, so close Cory could see the tears pooling in his eyes.

Her heart slammed around inside her rib cage, and the water bottle she’d been holding collapsed in her grip. All she could do was stare at the rip in the desert where flames and black smoke still smoldered. If it hadn’t been for the dog, their truck would’ve set off the IED, and—

“What are you doing?” Brenda climbed into the passenger seat.

A whoosh of air left her as she came back to herself. When had she put her truck into neutral? She had no recollection, but she’d stopped in the middle of the road with the engine still running. Unable to speak, she swiped at the sweat salting her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

“Jeez, you look like you just saw a ghost.” Brenda rested a hand on Cory’s shoulder. “You’re trembling.”

“Flashback,” she croaked.

“Right here in the middle of the road?”

“It’s not like I could put it off until I parked. It just happened, and there wasn’t anything I could do.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, scrubbing both hands over her face. “I…this is a first. Usually I have nightmares, but…”

Brenda ran her hand over Cory’s shoulder in a soothing motion. “There’s a small lot behind my building where you can park. Let’s get you inside. You’re going to have to go around the block. I don’t do stick shifts. Can you drive?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She slid the truck into gear. “The flashback wasn’t about Sergeant Dickhead. This was different.”

“What was it about?”

She described that day and what had happened. “The handler told us the dog sat on the trigger of the IED he’d located. I guess it happens sometimes. I haven’t thought about that day for a long time.”

She gripped the steering wheel to stop her hands from shaking. “We all know there’s a chance we’ll be wounded or worse when we enlist. But dogs don’t have that awareness. They just want to please their handlers. I know military working dogs save a lot of lives, and I know how important they are. They’re soldiers too, but they don’t go into it knowing like we do.”

Cory sent a sidelong glance Brenda’s way. “That dog was so happy. His tail was going a mile a minute because he’d done what his master wanted him to do. He knew he had a treat and praise coming, and instead, he got blown to smithereens.” She blinked against the sting in her eyes. “His handler was a wreck after it happened. It’s got to be hard losing your partner like that.”

She turned into the drive next to Brenda’s building. “The bond between the handlers and their dogs is incredible, especially because the troops who work with military dogs don’t move around with a squadron or a unit. They get sent out all over on their own. It’s a lonely job, and it carries a huge risk.”

More memories poured through her, like when the lab had laid its head on the soldier’s lap when they stopped for a lunch
break. The way the soldier took care of his four-legged partner, making sure he had enough water and breaks in the shade to stay healthy in the desert heat. The big yellow dog had even nosed her hand to get Cory to pet him while she chatted with his handler. “Dogs are so trusting, and they love unconditionally.”

“So, you see using dogs to sniff out explosives as a kind of betrayal of all that trust and unconditional love?”

“No. What they do is crucial to any mission. They’re soldiers too.” Adrenaline flooded her system. “And yes…part of me does see it as a betrayal. It’s like…” Her lips compressed into a tight line.

“Like how you were betrayed by your commanding officer?”

She pulled into a spot and cut the engine, yanking on the parking brake harder than necessary. “I’m not a dog, Brenda. I never trusted that asshole.”

“I know, but you should’ve been able to. That’s the point.”

Was that why this particular scene had come back to her? Or had it been triggered because she’d seen a dog resembling the one that gave his life that day? Lately she’d been having dreams that had nothing to do with being assaulted, dreams where she’d been in one camp or another while they were under fire. Fear had been a constant, and she’d seen plenty of wounded troops, witnessed too many gruesome fatalities.

“OK, so you had a flashback about the dog. What do you think it means?” Brenda climbed out of the truck.

“I think it means I’m even more messed up than I thought.” She followed Brenda to the back door of her old brick apartment building. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Brenda opened her mouth to say something and shut it again, studying her for a moment. “Sure. You wanna hear about me and Kyle?”

“I’m all ears.” Her heart rate had returned to normal, and
talking about anything other than her issues would be a welcome relief. “How are things going between the two of you, anyway?”

“He’s so hot I can hardly keep my hands off of him,” Brenda gushed. “He’s smart, ambitious and funny. I really like him. It’s kind of scary.”

“Scary? Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to settle down and start a family?”

“Yes, but he has PTSD too. He’s on anxiety meds, and he meets with Noah Langford’s group. I’ve watched a few documentaries and read some stuff. What if he has a flashback in the middle of the night, and I wake up with his hands around my neck or something?”

“I think it depends on what a soldier did when they were deployed. Kyle was a medic. He wouldn’t have engaged in heavy combat. Kyle’s more likely to have flashbacks about troops he couldn’t save.”

“Oh. Right.” Brenda opened her apartment door. “So I might wake up to find him giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I like the sound of that scenario a lot better.”

“I’m sure.” Cory laughed as she walked through the door and looked around. Brenda’s apartment reflected her personality—splashes of color on the walls and ultramodern, equally colorful furniture filled the living room.

“You want to head to the outlet mall Sunday?” Brenda dropped her keys on the kitchen counter.

“Sure. That would be great.” Gratitude filled her as Brenda’s presence grounded her even more in the here and now.