Finish the Course (The Barnes Family Book 1) (13 page)

“Is he a soldier?”

Anna nodded, “He’s a general.”

Betsy’s eyes were wet too, “He must have been in the Army a long time. My daddy said he would never get to be a general because he didn’t want to be in the Army that long. He was going to be done soon.”

Anna wished she had brought her purse up with her. She was going to need to wipe her eyes before she would be fit for company.

“Betsy?” her mother was calling her.

Betsy sat up, “I’m showing Annie my tree fort, Mom.”

Andrea stopped at the base of the tree, “Who’s Annie?”

Anna scooted forward and waved, “It’s me, Mrs. Teague.”

Andrea looked surprised, “Oh, Captain Barnes.”

Anna wondered if the woman was going to make her come down with an audience.

“Are you two having a nice visit?” Andrea looked at her daughter.

“Annie’s dad is a general,” Betsy offered. “We’re being little girls together right now.”

“Okay,” Andrea called back up, “I’ll talk to you later then.”

Anna looked at Betsy who scooted back into the fort. She followed suit.

“I have tea party things up here,” the little girl opened a box to prove her claim. “They aren’t my nice tea things, but they’re good for out here.”

Anna folded her feet under herself, “Do you think we could have a tea party up here?”

Betsy’s eyes lit up, “Do you want to? Joanie doesn’t like to anymore, and Mom won’t come up here, so we always have to do it with the fancy ones in the house.”

Anna helped spread out the ‘tablecloth’ which was just an old pillowcase, “I’d love to. My brother never played with me.”

“So you only could play with your friend, Betsy, right?”

Anna nodded, “But she couldn’t always come over, and so I had to play with my dolls.”

Betsy giggled, “I sometimes do that. Or stuffed animals.”

Anna waited for the little girl to serve the ‘tea.’

“I bet the men would be jealous if they knew we were having tea and,” she pointed to the item the child had put on her plate, “what is this treat called?”

“Pinecone cake,” the somber reply was immediate.

“And pinecone cake,” she took a pretend nibble.

“We would be jealous,” a deep voice came from below the doorway, “and a little miffed we weren’t invited.”

Betsy looked at Anna in horror of being discovered, “Hide the pinecone cake! The thieves always steal it.”

Anna obliged by shoving them all behind her.

Betsy picked up a stray and shoved it into the pillowcase.

Slater’s head came into view, “What is this I hear about pinecone cake?”

“Too late,” Betsy stuck her nose in the air. “We ate it all.”

He pulled himself into the room, “Not even one little piece left for me?”

Betsy squinted, “I’m not sure. Are you a handsome prince or a mean ogre?”

He shrugged and looked to Anna for help, “I hardly think I’m the one to say.”

Anna looked back at Betsy, “Your tree house – your decision.”

She thought a moment and then pulled out her hidden prize.

He dutifully took a bite.

“Ew!” Betsy’s eyes rounded in horror. “You’re not actually supposed to eat it, Captain Reed. Gross!”

He shook his head, “No?”

“No,” she scooted away from him as if he might ask her to taste it. “It’s pretend.”

He laughed, “So you won’t mind if I don’t finish it? Because it tastes pretty bad.”

Anna laughed with them.

“Say, Betsy,” he helped them put away the tea set when they were done, “how’d you know who I was?”

She held up three fingers.

“First,” she pointed to his name badge, “it’s right there. Second, I met you when we were training last year. You bought me an ice cream.”

Slater smiled, apparently remembering the incident.

The little girl wiggled her third finger, “Also, I have a picture of you and Daddy.”

She opened up a plastic tote and handed him a picture, “See,” she flipped it over, “it says, ‘Daddy and his friend, Lieutenant Slater Reed, in Mexico. I know you’re not a lieutenant now, though.”

Slater stared down at the picture.

Anna watched him swallow convulsively. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten the memo that it was okay to cry because he was struggling against it.

“Hey, Betsy,” she scooted to the door, “Do you think you could show me your fancy tea set?”

Betsy nodded, “I could, and you could also see my new doll.”

Anna scooted to the door and looked down, “Do you think you could go down ahead of me so you can chase away anyone who comes around?”

She nodded, “I’ll pretend I’m a hippo. They’re very dangerous.”

Anna turned to Slater and squeezed his knee, “You want a few minutes?”

He nodded, not looking at her.

She spun around and placed her feet on the rope, taking just a moment to be sure she had a firm grip before climbing down.

Slater didn’t return even after Betsy had shown Anna her tea set, her doll, and her new school dress.

Andrea came looking for her.

“Have you seen Slater?” she stood in her daughter’s bedroom door.

Anna nodded.

“Garret and Hall are getting ready to leave, and they’d like to say goodbye.”

Anna stood up, “I’ll see if I can find him. Do you happen to have an icepack?

Andrea took one from the freezer and gave it to Anna without question.

Anna left the house, grabbing her purse off the counter on her way.

Anna didn’t know if Slater would welcome the intrusion, but she did know he would want to talk to his men before they headed out.

She took her heels off again and climbed the ladder.

Slater looked up at her, and she was relieved to see he hadn’t held in his tears completely.

“You okay or do you need a little more space?”

He shook his head, “Is everybody looking for me?”

She handed him a tissue, “Not everybody. Garret and Hall are leaving soon, but they’ll wait.”

She got up on her knees and patted her lap, “Lie down.”

Slater wondered what she was planning.

She repeated the motion, so he complied.

“I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to listen good,” she pulled something out of her purse, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with grieving the loss of your friend.”

“You mean a grown man crying,” he closed his eyes.

“Exactly,” she lay a hand on his forehead, “This is cold.”

He jumped when he felt an ice pack cover his eyes.

“I don’t even mind seeing some evidence of the crying, but I have a feeling you aren’t very comfortable with the idea.”

He sighed.

She reached down and lifted his hand off his chest. She was holding his hand. Her soft delicate fingers were laced through his.

At the moment, Slater couldn’t care what anybody thought.

After a few minutes, Anna lifted the ice pack from his eyes.

“Open your eye,” she dripped something into it.

He blinked and squirmed.

She laughed, “Next.”

“You’re a sadist,” he opened his eye again.

She plunked the cold pack down again, “Just a little bit.”

“Thanks,” he reached up blindly for her hand again.

She allowed him to bring her hand down to his chest.

“I think I’m dreaming you,” the words were out before he knew he was speaking.

She bent over and kissed the top of his head, “Maybe you are.”

He chuckled, “Do I have to wake up?”

She sighed, “And soon, I’m afraid.”

He took the pack off his eyes and sat up, “I know.”

She glanced up at him, “You got your orders yesterday too, didn’t you?”

He nodded, “I leave in a week.”

She put the Visine back in her purse, “Me too.”

He glanced down at the ground, “Do you want me to go ahead of you and catch you?”

She shook her head, “Absolutely not. I am pretty aware of how much limb I am exposing.”

He smiled, “Can’t blame me for trying.”

She climbed down, and he followed quickly.

“Did your doctoring help at all?” he looked down at her as she stepped into her pumps.

“I should be asking you that.”

He blinked, “But how do I look?”

She paused, then smiled, “Like the handsome prince.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I was just saying I wanted to check the buckle before I sat down,” she whispered. “Otherwise, I’d have to rely on you to unbuckle me.”

“You know I don’t mind.”

She leaned into him, “I’m not sure I can sleep. I’m glad this is the last time I’ll be a passenger for a while.”

He leaned his cheek on her head, even knowing that every step he took to get closer to her would make losing her that much harder.

“You planning on flying the jet back to Afghanistan?” he was teasing because he knew she was not flying the transport.

She didn’t answer.

“Anna?” he whispered.

He smiled to himself and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She had fallen asleep.

Anna woke up to the feeling of Slater buckling her belt.

“I guess I needed help anyway,” she mumbled.

He brushed away the hair that has escaped her knot, “It seems my talking puts you to sleep.”

Her sleepy smile made his breath catch in his throat.

“Are they sending a car?”

He nodded, “It’ll probably be there when we arrive since we’re ten minutes late.”

Once they got back to Langley, they went their separate ways. They both had some paperwork requested of them by their respective branches regarding the episode. Assuredly, those who had made the requests would never see them since the brass at Langley would label them top secret.

Anna finished hers and lay down on the bed. She was awakened by a soft rapping on the door. The clock told her it was already past noon.

She got up and went to answer the knock, expecting Slater.

“Mom!” she threw her arms around Esther Barnes. “When did you get here?”

“I arrived last night, but I assumed you were still out of town,” she held up a plastic garment bag, “I brought you something.”

Anna dragged her into her room and closed the door, “How is Aunt Ruth?”

“She’s better now. She kept telling me to come back and see you, but I couldn’t leave her until she finished her last round of chemo.”

Anna hugged her mom, “I’m glad you didn’t, but it’s so good to see you now.”

Esther pulled away and sat down, “What have you gotten yourself into?”

“You know I can’t say, Mom,” she sighed, “but I sure would like to.”

Esther reached into her daughter’s bag and found a hairbrush, “When your father told me they were holding you at Langley, I nearly dropped what I was doing and raced home then.”

Anna didn’t complain when her mother loosened her braid, “He shouldn’t have even told you that. I’m surprised they admitted I was here.”

Esther whispered, “Your father has a meeting with General Merchan, so I sneaked in with him.”

“I’m so tired of being here,” Anna needed to whine for a bit. “I’ve played so much basketball I think I can even manage a layup.”

“You
have
been bored,” Esther’s quip didn’t stop the complaints.

“Then there are the meetings nearly every day to remind us that we are not to speak to anyone about what happened.”

“Now you’re just trying to make me curious,” Esther chided.

Anna lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

Esther smirked at her daughter, “But surely, it hasn’t all been boring.”

Anna leaned away slightly and looked back at her mother, a question in her eyes.

Esther leveled a disapproving look in her daughter’s direction, “Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Anna bit her lower lip and smiled, “I’m afraid it is probably a passing thing. He’s going back to – well, I’m not really sure where he’s going, but he’ll be overseas. I’ll be in North Carolina at Pope.”

Esther resumed brushing, “I suppose you don’t want to hear my line about God working all things for your good?”

“You sound like Slater.”

Esther’s hand paused briefly, “Really?”

“You know how you always tell me that God has a plan even in the bad things? Slater believes that God has a plan for each of us before we are even born.”

“Sounds about right.”

“What about the village that we did clean-up on last winter? I can’t believe God’s plan was for all those kids to die. There was a baby that looked like he couldn’t have been more than a day old. What was God’s purpose for him?”

“We have free will, Anna,” her mother reminded her. “Those children were killed because some men chose to exercise their free will in a wicked manner.”

“Slater is a sniper,” Anna dropped the bomb. “He kills people.”

Esther sat down and put an arm over Anna’s shoulders, “That’s a tough one, sweetheart, and I’m not even going to try to answer it.”

Anna hadn’t expected her to.

“Would it be helpful to remind you that there were times God ordered the Israelites to kill their enemies?”

Anna shook her head, “Not too much.”

“Does it affect your opinion of Slater?”

Anna had to think about that for a while, “No. I mean, it probably does a little, but he has his own struggles with it, so I know he isn’t callous about it.”

“Are you in love with him?

That was the million dollar question.

“I don’t know, and I don’t have a lot of time to figure it out.”

“I would suggest you sign up for another tour, but your father had enough trouble with the last one.”

“I probably wouldn’t be stationed at the same place as him anyway.”

Her mother stood up, “Tell me about him.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Esther pulled the plastic off the dress, “Start with the physical; it’s easier.”

“He’s about as tall as Dad – maybe a little taller. He has dark hair and brown eyes.”

“Good looking?” Esther smiled as she lay the dress out on the bed.

Anna grinned, “Very, and he has a dimple in his left cheek.”

She touched the soft fabric. “This is a beautiful dress, Mom.”

It was a sleeveless gown in royal blue. The neckline was just a slight dip from the shoulders, and the skirt would probably end just below her knees. The silky sheath had no adornments from top to bottom, a trait Anna especially loved.

“I thought you could wear it tonight.”

Anna blinked, “Tonight?”

“Your father got us tickets to a show.”

“You and me?” Anna smiled.

Esther hedged, “And others,” she hurried on, “but don’t worry about that right now. You need to finish telling me about . . .Slater?”

Anna thought for a while, “He’s really smart. He can come up with a dozen different plans in just a few minutes, and they work. He’s also really patient with those of us who can’t follow as quickly.”

Esther smiled, “A good thing in a leader.”

Anna tried not to sigh like a school girl, “He’s a great leader. He asks everyone to share their expertise and then makes decisions based on that. When we were on the ground, some of them disagreed with him, so he asked them to explain why their plan was better.”

“And with you?” Esther got to the point, “How is he with you?”

She had to stop and think about it, “He’s really gentle with me, Mom. But he doesn’t treat me like I’m helpless or beneath him. He just acts like I have different skills. He laughs at my jokes and teases me.”

Esther realized her husband was right; Anna had fallen hard.

“And he’s a gentleman,” Anna laughed softly. “One time he came in while I was just in my pajamas, and he asked me to put my sweatshirt on. He carried me when I hurt my foot, and I thought he was going to throttle the nurse who told him to wait for me outside the exam room.”

Anna stopped talking and sniffed.

Esther handed her a tissue.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without him, Mom. I realize we’ve only known each other a month, but I have never met a man I’ve liked so much.”

Anna nearly jumped from her skin when another knock sounded at the door. Esther watched as her daughter dabbed at her eyes, “Do I look okay?”

“Smile,” Esther advised in a whisper, “and nobody will notice a thing.”

Anna did as her mother instructed and opened the door.

“The strangest thing happened,” a low male voice filtered into the room, “Jorge from reception just brought me a. . .Anna, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve been crying.”

Esther’s heart warmed. If this man could see the very slight evidence of tears on her daughter’s face, he must be paying attention.

“Slater,” Anna ignored the question, “come in and meet my mom.”

He appeared around the corner, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Barnes – or do you prefer Major?”

She rose and extended her hand, “I prefer Esther, actually. It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Reed. My husband had one or two positive things to say about you.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” he explained quickly.

“It is no intrusion, Captain.”

Slater could see where Anna had gotten her hair. Esther’s was beginning to gray at the temples, and it was cut into a sleek bob, but the beautiful color was the same.

“Please, call me Slater. I see Anna must have been visited by the same clothing fairy that I was.”

Anna frowned up at him.

“Yes,” Esther agreed, “I’m afraid my husband has developed the habit of planning things without asking opinions. I hope you enjoy the theater; we have tickets for the five of us for tonight.”

Slater’s eyes popped open.

Anna looked at her mother, “Five?”

“Your brother is in town.”

Anna grinned, “Really? And he’s alone?”

Esther nodded.

“What happened to Brittany?”

Esther pressed her lips together in a disapproving expression, “It was Tiffany – not Brittany, and Judah said she simply lacked the depth he was looking for.”

Anna didn’t comment.

Instead she turned back to Slater, “What was it you got today?”

“A tux. I’ve never actually worn one.”

She winked, “I’m sure it will look very nice.”

He needed to get out of here before he said something embarrassing and in front of Anna’s mother.

“I should leave you alone,” he backed up, “What time do you want me to be ready?”

“We’ll pick you up at six, but don’t run off. We’ll go get some lunch together. I haven’t eaten lunch, and I known Anna’s hungry.”

“I don’t want to interrupt your time together. You haven’t seen each other in months.”

The older woman shook her head, “It wouldn’t be an interruption, Slater. It would be very nice.”

She took them to lunch and then left, reminding them to be ready as the general did not like to be kept waiting.

Anna walked with him back to their rooms, “Did you get any sleep?”

“No,” he resisted taking her hand, “and, considering I am going to be up tonight, I should probably go take a nap now.”

She stopped in front of her door, “I think it is so strange you can just lie down and sleep on command.”

He waggled his eyebrows, “It’s one of my many talents.”

She laughed and gave him a small shove.

He grasped her hand, “I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

She pulled her hand loose,

“See ya.”

Anna spent more time than she would ever admit getting ready. Her mother had attached a bag with sandals to the hanger, so she was easily able to complete the ensemble.

She had pulled up the sides of her hair and had not bothered straightening out the curls after her shower. Instead, she had put gel in them to make them more defined. She had also worn a little more makeup than usual. On the whole, she was pleased with the outcome.

Slater knocked on her door fifteen minutes before the appointed hour, “It’s nearly eighteen hundred,” he spoke through the door. “Are you ready?”

She opened the door, “I am.”

Slater stepped back to look at her. His movement allowed her a good view. He wore the suit well.

“You look beautiful, Anna.”

“Thank you, Slater. You look very nice yourself.”

He offered her his arm, and she smiled, “Going all out, are we?”

“I only wish I could offer you roses,” he began walking toward the reception area.

She squeezed his arm, “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not too fond of roses.”

He peered down at her, “Daisies?”

She shrugged.

General and Mrs. Barnes were early.

“Where’s Judah?” Anna only slid halfway into the backseat.

“He wants to meet us there,” her father made a noise of disgust. “He’s brought a guest.”

Anna began to shift away from Slater to give him more room, but he lay a hand on her thigh to stop her. She obeyed his subtle command.

“I hope you were able to get an extra ticket, Dad,” she glanced at the hand still on her leg. “I don’t think Mom wants to sit on your lap for the whole play.”