Basic Training (20 page)

“What?” Tess clutched at his sleeve, trying to understand what he was still piecing together himself.

Though the individual prints weren’t clear, the majority of the shapes squished into the mud pointed in the same direction. Dread knotted his stomach as Travis aligned himself with the prints and raised his flashlight to find out what else their three a.m. visitor had been watching.

He muttered a curse and thanked the fates in a silent prayer. Tess’s bedroom window was hidden from this angle. But he had a clear view of the Bartlett’s front porch and the dark window of the room where Amy slept. He wrapped an arm around Tess’s shoulders and tucked her to his side.

“Trav?” She gripped the front of his shirt in a fist that was tight enough to reveal her trembling. “Did I say this whole invisible spy thing was freaking me out?”

He hated thinking what he was thinking. After all these years…“Describe the man you said was asking about me.”

“He said he was a friend.”

“What did he look like?”

“A little shorter than you. Black hair. Blue eyes. Military.”

Damn. Double damn. Triple damn.

Travis pulled Tess into step beside him. “You said you’re freaked out, right? Can you handle it if I freak you out a bit more?”

“I don’t know. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go wake up your sister.”

“M
RS
. B,
YOU ALWAYS
could fix a dynamite cup of coffee.”

Maggie Bartlett blushed under Travis’s praise. “Thank you, dear. Are you sure all the doors and windows are locked?”

“Yes, ma’am, I checked.”

“I’ll rest easy, then.” Maggie nodded toward the family room. “Now you two run along.”

Tess kept her butt firmly glued to the kitchen chair as Travis saluted her mother with a steaming mug and then turned to follow Amy into the family room where they pulled the folding door shut behind them. She focused on the rich brown coffee she cradled between her hands. The clear, dark color reminded her of Amy’s eyes, and how they’d gone wide, then shuttered the instant Travis had mentioned that they needed to talk.
About that night.

It was as if this mystery conversation had been inevitable. They shared a secret. They’d shared a night! Her sister—the pretty one—and Tess’s lover had a history.

Suddenly, Tess felt like second choice all over again.

She’d just shared an incredible night with Travis, one that had irrevocably changed how she perceived herself as a sexual being. One that would stay in her
memory forever. She’d spent an amazing few days with him, talking and learning and dropping the self-imposed barriers she’d lived with for so long.

And now, after tonight, every moment spent with Travis would be a risk.

To her heart.

Because she loved him.

She’d always loved him. From the first time he’d tossed a ball into her yard and asked her to play, she’d known Travis Harold McCormick was someone she could care about. After that ill-timed encounter in college, she’d never aspired to anything more than the friendship she treasured.

But these last few days together—because he needed her, because she needed him—she no longer just loved him, she’d fallen
in
love.

The depth of what she felt for Travis—made abundantly clear by the twinge of jealousy she was feeling toward her own sister—made the whole idea of walking away from this affair a painful prospect.

Travis and Amy needed to talk
about that night
.

Had they been lovers before Tess had come along?

And what the hell did some creepy bastard who liked to spy on them have to do with it all?

“Should I ask about the outfit?” Maggie pulled out a chair and sat beside her, gently laying her hand over Tess’s.

For all of about two seconds, Tess considered telling her mother the truth—that she had an untapped wild side, that she’d snuck out to meet Travis, that she’d fallen in love with him, that she was going to get her heart crushed like a bug on a sidewalk when he left. But her mother had other things to worry about right now,
like the sound of Amy’s tears coming through the louvered door. Or Travis’s calm announcement moments ago that he was sure someone had been outside, casing the house and its occupants, and could they please keep everything locked up tight and follow some basic rules of personal safety until he could double-check a few things, notify the police and get the situation resolved?

Instead, Tess shared a version of the truth. “I was outside in the rain tonight, and Trav lent me some dry clothes.”

“So I shouldn’t ask why you snuck out of the house just after midnight, either?”

“Mom!”

Maggie waved aside Tess’s startled gaze. “I’ve always been able to tell when one of my girls was out after curfew. Just because you have lives of your own now doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to be a mother.”

“Curfew?”

“Oh, I know you’re only here for a couple of weeks, and that you’re grown women and I can’t tell you what to do. I just wanted you to know that I think it’s about time you
did
start sneaking out.”

“Mo-ther.”

Maggie leaned in to whisper. “I always wondered when you and Travis would get your heads around the idea that you two aren’t children anymore.”

They certainly hadn’t acted like children tonight. Tess got up and paced to the stove to top up the coffee she’d barely touched. “Travis is leaving Ashton soon, Mom. There’s nothing going on.”

“Uh-huh.” The sound of skepticism wafted across the
kitchen. “He cares about you, Tessa, and you care about him. Be bold. Forget about whatever rules you’ve set for each other or for yourself. If there’s half a chance, don’t let happiness get away.”

Tess tried and failed to form a smile. “Do I want relationship advice from my mother?”

“My dearest darling, I speak from experience.” Maggie crossed the kitchen and wrapped her up in a hug. “Loving a military man isn’t an easy thing. There are times when he’s gone for months and the loneliness just about eats you up inside. You worry whether or not he’s safe or fed or sheltered. Sometimes, he comes home and you’ve gotten so used to doing things on your own that you have to learn how to be a couple all over again. But if you love the right military man, it’s all worth it.”

Tess gave her mom a final squeeze before pulling away. “I didn’t say anything about love, Mom.”

“Uh-huh.”

Before she had to explain the subtle difference between a love affair and love, Amy burst through the study door. Her splotchy face showed signs of anger, sorrow and fear. But she didn’t allow Tess or their mother to utter a word of concern or offer a bit of comfort.

“Men are such…” Amy twirled about the kitchen, spotting her target “…buttheads.”

She grabbed the vase of roses, stormed out to the garage and dumped them into the trash. When she returned, she washed and dried her hands, then dabbed her eyes with the damp towel.

“I’m sorry.” The tears started to flow again. Tess took a step toward her, but Amy shooed her away. “I’m sorry. I’m going back to bed. If any men call me, tell them I’m
not interested. Tell them I’m not here. I don’t care what you tell them. Just keep them away from me.”

“Amy?” Travis caught her by the arm as she stalked toward the stairs. She jerked away and he put up his hands in apology. “Can I tell her?”

Oh, God. Tell her what?

For an infinite moment, Amy stared up at Travis as though his request made no sense. Then she turned and pointed to Tess. “You know that night we were talking about the other day, back when I was waitressing at The Bounty?”

The night when something had gone terribly wrong. Something that had scared Amy. Something that made marrying Barry Friesen look like a good idea. Tess braced herself to hear the story. “I remember.”

Amy’s laugh puffed out in a sob. “It’s come back to haunt me.” She reached for Travis’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You can tell her. Just don’t let him hurt her.”

“I won’t,” Travis promised. “I won’t let him hurt any of you. I didn’t then. I won’t now.”

Amy nodded without showing much belief in his vow. She said goodnight and dragged her feet up the stairs. Maggie tightened her robe and hurried to follow.

“I’m staying here tonight.” It was a statement, not a request. “To keep an eye on things.”

As Tess’s mouth rounded in protest, Maggie smiled. “Of course, you are.” She patted Travis’s arm and whispered loudly enough for her daughter to hear. “The biggest bed is in Tess’s room. You’ll be most comfortable there.”

With a thumbs-up sign, she hurried after Amy.

Tess had never felt quite as awkward with Travis as
she did alone in that kitchen at that moment. “So what’s the big secret? Did you and Amy…before you and me?”

Travis crossed the kitchen in three long strides and folded his arms around her. Tess tried to hold on to some pride, but his damp clothes only intensified how good he smelled and how much heat he generated and how close they’d gotten earlier that night. And even if he had smelled like a bucket of fish, this was Travis. And there was no place she’d rather be. Her arms snaked around his waist and she snuggled close.

Exhaling a deep breath, Travis pressed a kiss to her temple. “
You
are the only Bartlett who gets my shorts in a twist.”

“Yeah, right.”

Travis leaned back and tipped her chin to look him in the eye. “Yeah,” he emphasized. “Right.” He tucked her under his arm and headed for the stairs. “Now, you want to show me to your bedroom? Your mom gave me the okay.”

Tess planted her feet. “The secret first. And why did we have to wake Amy up in the middle of the night to make her cry?”

“That wasn’t my intention, believe me.” Travis sat in a chair and pulled Tess into his lap. “I promised Amy I would never say anything about the night she was nearly raped.”

Tess froze, then swallowed hard around the sudden lump in her throat. “Oh, my God.”

“About the night I punched a so-called friend’s lights out and helped her get to someplace safe. Amy can give you the details if she wants. But the gist of it is—she used to date a guy from my officer training unit.”

“The man with the black hair?” Tess guessed.

He nodded. “Kyle Black. He’s a good officer. A good Marine. He and I have competed for a lot of things over the years—I’m not proud of all of them. Promotions, assignments, who had the studliest reputation with the ladies.”

She could imagine who won that one. Tess absently plucked at Travis’s sleeve. “Don’t tell me Amy was a casualty of your competition.”

“She and Kyle dated for a while. He was pretty serious. More than she was.”

Tess’s fingers stilled. A sudden chill drained her of warmth from head to toe. “Wait a minute. You mean like creepy serious? Like stand out in the rain and stalk somebody serious?”

Travis’s silence gave her her answer. “He didn’t handle rejection very well.”

“Poor Amy.” Guilt replaced the jealousy she’d felt. “How did you get involved?”

“I helped her walk away. It was like lookin’ out for my sister. There was a fight. The cops came. Kyle spent the night in jail and got fined for drunk and disorderly. I drove her home. He claims I took her from him. He’s been trying to even the score ever since.”

“How awful.” Winding her arms around his neck, she hugged him tight. “You’ll keep her safe now, won’t you?” she whispered against the stubble on his neck. “Until the police catch him or he wises up and goes away on his own?”

“Tess.” He called to her in a low, rumbly voice that conveyed more meaning than a simple name. When he pushed her away to look into her eyes, his gaze was
saying something more, as well. “If Kyle wants payback with me, Amy isn’t the woman he’d try to hurt.”

S
O THIS WAS
what it felt like to have a bodyguard.

But did that mean Travis really cared? Or was he just being a good friend and creature of duty?

This afternoon at the concession stand was proving to be much busier than Monday had been. It might be due to the natural influx of tourists that increased with each day of the festival, or it might have more to do with the gorgeous six-foot-two Marine who was working behind the counter with her, serving up drinks and bagging popcorn. Maybe it was her imagination, but it certainly seemed as if she’d had a lot more female customers than in years past.

Travis had held her through the remainder of the night. He’d called the police and arranged for periodic patrols of the neighborhood. He’d called Morty Camden to shadow Amy’s activities throughout the day, which basically meant sitting in a car out in front of the house since she refused to have any interaction with males of any ilk for an indefinite length of time.

Travis had even driven Tess to the hospital that morning and gone through a session of physical therapy with her. They’d worked on weights and mobility without venturing anywhere near the massage table.

If Kyle Black tried to send more flowers and pay a visit, Travis intended to be on hand to greet him in person.

“Yo, Tess.”

Tess looked up from the tray of nachos she was prepping to find PFC Thibideux smiling through the screen at her. “Hey, there, boys.” Her greeting took in
his shorter friend at his side, Corporal Jaynes, as well. “You’re here early today.”

“It’s our last night of leave,” Thibideux complained. “So we wanted to get an early start.”

Travis stood up from behind the display rack and leaned one hip against it in a relaxed pose. “Boys.”

“Sir.”

“Sir.”

Tess rolled her eyes as the two young noncoms snapped to attention. “Travis, they’re on vacation. Give it a rest.”

“It’s called leave, T-bone. And these men are following protocol.” But he was grinning by the time he reached the counter. “At ease, gentlemen. What’ll you have?”

In the middle of placing orders and taking money, Travis’s cell phone rang. Assuring him she could handle the booth on her own for a few minutes, he took the call.

“McCormick.”

Tess tried not to eavesdrop, but Travis’s suddenly rigid posture and clipped answers were hard to ignore. She confronted his grim expression when he hung up. “Is it Kyle Black?”

“Harbor Master. They lost contact with the Helena II about an hour ago.” He pinched his thumb and fore finger together over the bridge of his nose, fighting the combination of too little sleep and too much stress. “I expected Dad to be home by now. I hope to God it’s just the radio giving him fits again.”

“You need to go,” she stated simply. “Go down to the dock. Take the Helena out if you need to. Go find him.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

Tess pointed to the line forming behind Jaynes and
Thibideux. “There’s a big crowd at the festival today—it’s not like I’ll be alone.” She reached for the tie at the back of Travis’s carpenter apron and pulled. “You’ve got one, maybe two, hours of daylight left.” She pushed him toward the door. “Go. Find your father.”

He planted his feet at the door and turned. “Kyle’s smart. He’s tricky. This isn’t any practical joke he’s trying to pull.”

“Your dad needs you, Travis.”

“Come with me.”

“I can’t. I might not be saving the planet or defending my country or even the girl next door. But I have responsibilities, too. Yours is to your dad right now.” She tried another push. No budging. “You’d better stop by the house and grab his extra bottle of pills, just in case he’s lost his. Go. Time’s wasting.”

“Jaynes. Thibideux.”