Forever's Promises (Forever In Luck Series Book 1) (16 page)

Pulling
back, she looked at him and whispered, “I really did miss you today. I heard
the news, and about what happened after. You doing alright?”

Nodding,
he answered her, “I’m better now that you’re here.”

“Good,
I’m glad, but do you think we could go inside? It’s cold out here.”

Giving
her fanny a playful squeeze, he whispered, “No worries, love, I promise to warm
you up. Let’s get something to drink.” Turning, he carried her inside.

Things
were really picking up in the bar. Apparently, Tuesday nights were dart league
night, and there was a friendly competition starting between some men and
women. Nate carried Linnie over to an open table, and set her on her feet.
“I’ll get us something to drink. What would you like?”

Thinking
about it while taking off her jacket, she answered, “I think I’d like to try
something with rum.”

Staring
at her from top to bottom, he noticed her hair and makeup were done to
perfection, and that her top was cut way too low for her comfort, so she’d put
on another one beneath it. She was wearing form fitting jeans, with those black
boots she’d worn at the cabin, and that got him going. She’d left plenty for
the imagination in her bid for modesty, and he found it exceedingly sexy that
she didn’t feel the need to have everything out on display. “Any particular
kind of rum?”

“Ahhh,
I’m not sure, how about the spicy kind. I’ve heard it’s good. Just get me
whatever, and I’ll try it, see if I like it,” she answered.

Nate’s
body reacted at the thought of how she’d taste…sweet, spicy, and hot. Hell, he
already knew how she’d respond. Oh boy, he had to slow his roll, or they’d
never make it to dinner. Heading to the bar, he waited for service.

“What
can I get you?” the young bartender asked.

“Pitcher
of beer, and a rum and coke, spiced rum please,” Nate answered, while looking out
over the crowd. The bartender stood filling his order. “Busy night for a
Tuesday.”

“Yeah,
gotta love it when it gets cold. We offer drink specials for the ladies, which
naturally draws in the guys, so it’s like ladies night every night. Have had my
sights on one for several weeks now. Evasive little thing, the kind you bring
home to mama, but I see she’s here, and by the end of the night, she’ll know
I’m into her.”

Nate
had to laugh a little, “So you're going to lay on the charm, are you?”

The
bartender nodded, “You got it, and then some. Hopefully, I’ll have a bingo.”

Grabbing
the pitcher and Linnie’s drink, Nate responded, “Thanks for the drinks. Good
luck, hope it works out for you.”

“Hey,
thanks man,” the bartender said, putting the tip in a jar. “I’ll need it with
this one.”

Returning
to the table, Nate found his mom and dad had arrived, as had Linnie’s dad, but
she was gone. “Where’d Linnie go?” he asked.

“Oh,
Wendy’s here,” his mom explained. “They were short for one of the girl’s teams,
so Linnie’s filling in. Jake and the boys are racking up, and waiting for you
at the pool table. I’m going to get some popcorn, so I can take Linnie her
drink.”

“Thanks,”
he said, as he handed it over. Grabbing his glass and pitcher, he headed across
the room in the opposite direction.

Several
beers, burgers, and billiards later, Wendy came over. “Ahhh, guys, I think
Linnie may need some help. That guy, the one that was hitting on her at the
pool, has her cornered in back beyond the popcorn machine.”

CHAPTER 14

Dropping
their sticks, they were across the bar in a flash, knocking into people, and
spilling drinks in the process. Looking to the back of the room, Nate about had
a stroke when he saw that Mr. Bartender had Linnie cornered against a wall,
with his arms and body blocking her exit. Leaning in towards her, he was saying
something in her ear, while Linnie had her head turned from him, and was
actively leaning away while pushing him back with her hands.

Nate
bellowed as the four of them barreled towards the back of the bar, the ladies
team flittering out of the way like loose paper napkins. At the sound, Mr.
Bartender looked over his shoulder and jumped away from Linnie, trying to make
his way behind the relative safety of the bar. His quick movements, and red
shirt, attracting Nate like a bull in a ring. Unable to reach the bar in time,
the bartender grabbed a bat from the sports paraphernalia hanging on the wall, and
prepared to defend himself. At the sight of the weapon, and the ruckus at hand,
the bar inhabitants stepped back and away, widening the space in play. Linnie’s
brothers slowed their pace, fanning out, as the bartender swung the bat to hold
them off. The maneuver didn’t deter Nate though, he kept right on going, ever
present and on the offensive, plowing forward, taking charge.

Unable
to get the bat back into swing position, the bartender went on the defensive.
Grasping an end of the bat in each hand, he brought it up in an effort to
deflect any blows coming his way. Nate singlehandedly grabbed the bat, twisting
it up and around, while he hooked the bartenders legs with one of his own, taking
him down with a lift and a flip. Spinning the guy onto his stomach, Nate took
hold of his wrists with one hand, and grabbed his collar with the other, then using
his raw power, he quickly picked the guy up and tossed him against the back
wall with an umphhh, pinning him there, all within a matter of moments. He
heard a collective gasp from the bar’s patrons.

“You
will not look at her, you will not talk to her, and you will never, ever touch
her, or I’ll pull your arms from their sockets and use them as swizzle sticks,”
Nate said with a deadly air for all to hear. “Do I make myself clear?” The
bartender nodded, and Nate stepped back. “Get behind the bar and stay there,
before I have your ass fired.” Nate commanded with authority, while pointing
the bat in that direction.

As
the guy slithered away, Nate stopped and took a few deep breaths, feeling the
huge surge of adrenalin in his system, and hating it. People had just received
a sneak peek at his ability to harm others. Angered beyond recognition, and
unable to face the crowd, he walked over to the wall and gently hung the bat in
place. His Army training had kicked in and taken over. He could have killed
that guy with a snap, if he hadn’t been able to get control.

“Nate…”
Linnie said softly.

“This
never would have happened if we were married,” he barked loudly, reflecting on
his conversation with the bartender. As soon as he said it, he knew it’d been the
wrong thing to have said and done. Her face went from quiet reassurance, to confused
contemplation.

“Just
so I’m sure I understand,” she said tentatively. “You think, just because we’d
be married, that men wouldn’t look at me, or talk to me, or come on to me? Nate,
I deal with men all the time in my job, when I’m…”

Whoa,
wait a minute, the scene with the bartender flashed in his mind. It’d never
occurred to him. He’d never thought of her as a nurse in the sense that she’d
be exposed to all kinds of men, some of them dangerous and aggressive, and in
all likelihood, she’d be alone with them as they dealt with delicate, personal,
and intimate situations, that could put her in the same kind of danger as she’d
been in tonight, or worse.

Alarmed,
he quickly responded by cutting her off. “I don’t want you being a nurse.” Holy
hell, that didn’t just come out of his mouth, did it? Oh man, this was going be
bad, he knew it. He was doing it again, not listening, cutting her off, telling
her what to do.

He
watched, as she stopped what she was saying and looked at the crowd, then to
the floor. Her chin quivered, and he wanted to die. He’d shamed and embarrassed
her in front of the whole damn town. “Linnie, I—“
 
He stopped when she looked at him with a
lethal glare. She. Was. Pissed. No doubt about it. He knew that look. He’d seen
it before, and he hated to admit it, but he was becoming an expert at
recognizing it.

“Let’s
get some things straight, Nate Sanders,” she said with a definite edge to her
voice, while pointing a finger at him.

He
knew where she got that from, and Nate just realized for the first time she was
a lot like her father.

“YOU
were the one who left me, just up and walked away. If we’re not married right
now, that’s your problem, not mine. Second, no ceremony, or piece of paper, will
stop men from looking at me, or talking to me, so you’d better get used to it
quick. Third, I’m done listening to what you want, or don’t want. I don’t speak
that language, so you’d best find a new one. Fourth, the day you think you’re going
to start telling me what to do, or not to do, is the day you will have lost
your mind, because it ain’t happening. And fifth, all of this, everything that’s
going on, is about trust. It’s about you having lost trust, in me, and in
everything, and everyone around you.”

Finished,
she turned to leave, and Nate went after her. “Linnie, I—”

Turning
on him, she started poking a finger in his chest, pushing him back into the
crowd with her words. “No! No talking to me, no following me, nothing. I am so
angry right now, I’m liable to say things I’ll regret.” Then grabbing her purse
from a nearby table, she turned and walked out.

Stunned,
Nate just stood there in silence. He heard Nik say something about the party being
over, and then the crowd started milling about. “Jake, tell me what just
happened, didn’t really happen,” he said, waiting...hoping.

Silence.

Closing
his eyes, he dropped his head. Jake took him by the shoulder, and steered him
over to their table. Handing him his jacket, Jake told him to put it on, and
that he’d drive him home.

“Well,”
Nate said, still in shock, “she’s definitely found her voice, and her
confidence.”

“Yep,
she sure has. You did want her to tell you how she was feeling, so there you
go. Something tells me, she’s able to handle her own.”

“Yeah,
thanks. I already feel like horseshit, and you’re not making me feel any better.”

“Just
keeping it real, Nate, just keeping it real.”

“Great,
you’re a real gem.”

“I
know. You can thank me later. Let’s hit the road.”

**********

Linnie
had had it by the time she’d walked out of the Bon Ton. She loved Nate beyond
belief, but she was done letting him behave as he was. She could appreciate
what he was going through, but they needed to get help if they were going to
make it. Pulling out her car keys, she saw Nancy and Bob Barnes getting out of
their car. Remembering, the photo scanning project they’d worked on together, and
that their son had suffered with PTSD, she headed their way.

“Hi
Nancy, Bob.”

“Oh
hi, Linnie, how are you?” Nancy asked, smiling.

“Ahhh,
not so good right now. I’m wondering if you two might be willing to talk with
me. It’s about Nate, and his behavior since coming back.”

The
two of them looked at each other, then Nancy turned back and said, “Get in,
we’ll go back to the house, we can talk there.”

Staying
long into the night, Linnie looked at pictures and listened to Nancy and Bob’s
story, learned about their son, Billy, and his struggle with PTSD. She talked about
Nate, and what they were going through. It wasn’t until the early morning hours
that they were done talking, and sat eating the breakfast Bob had made.

“I
really appreciate your sharing with me everything you’ve gone through,” Linnie
said. “I’ve been so worried, and I need to find a way to get Nate and me into
treatment. When I’ve tried to open the door to a discussion regarding what he’s
experiencing, he becomes evasive and tight lipped.”

“Start
by taking care of you first,” Nancy said. “Caring for someone who’s gone
through what Nate has, while suffering from PTSD, can be exhausting. Set up a
support system for yourself, go to meetings, talk to a counselor, they’ll all
help you, help Nate. Bob and I are here if you ever need to talk, Nate too.”

“Thank
you, I really appreciate that, you too, Bob. Can I help clean up?”

“No,
you must be tired and this can all wait,” Nancy said. “I’ll drive you back to
get your car.”

“That’s
okay,” Linnie answered. “I kind of feel like walking. I need some time to think.”

“Are
you sure? It’s not a problem,” Nancy assured her.

Linnie
nodded her head as she put on her coat. “I’m sure.” Hugging them both, she said
her goodbye and left. Walking outside, she knew she wasn’t ready to see Nate. She’d
spent the night looking at things from his perspective, and now, it was time to
look at things from hers. Instead of heading to the Bon Ton, she headed to
Nate’s parent’s house. Light was just starting to break on the horizon, and she
knew his dad would have left the house by now, and Bev had planned a day in the
cities, so the house would be empty. They’d always told her their house, was
her house, so she quickly moved that way. Finding the house dark, she knocked.

Going
to the side door, she found the hidden key and let herself in. Heading straight
for Nate’s room, she found one of his shirts and went to the bathroom, readying
herself for bed. Back in his room, she crawled under the covers and turned to
his pillow. She could smell him on the linens, and missed him already. Settling
in, she asked herself, how much of all this are you willing to take?

**********

Frantic
with worry, Nate was beside himself. This was, by far, the worst torment he’d
ever been through, and he’d been through a hell of a lot. Not knowing what
happened to her, had him in an utter state of panic. It was like she’d just
disappeared off the face of the planet. Her car was still at the Bon Ton, but
she was nowhere to be found, and no one knew where she was, or where she’d gone.
Feeling totally and completely helpless, he struggled to cope. Why hadn’t he
controlled his temper? Why had he yelled at her again? Everything was so out of
control. Maybe he needed to leave, maybe they weren’t meant to be together. He
was afraid, really afraid of losing her. Where was she? He’d been sending her
text message, after text message, with no response. Did she still love him? He
sure couldn’t blame her if she decided to wash her hands of him.

Working
to calm himself, he thought of all she’d done for him, seeking reassurance from
her actions. He thought of how she’d cared for him, how she’d made love to him,
how she’d believed in him, how she’d opened her heart to Mikey, and everything
else. She’d done so much for him, for them, and all he’d done was buy her a few
flowers she knew nothing about, and paid for her day at the spa, also something
she knew nothing about. The truth was, all he’d really done was make an untold
number of demands of her.

He
was going to lose her. He needed to change, or he’d lose her. She was right, he
had trust issues. He needed to deal with it, with all of it. His life was in a
tailspin, and he was about to lose his anchor. He needed to get help. He hated
to think about the Army, wanted to be done with it, but he had to. He needed to
go back into the system and get help. The thought repulsed him, but after
everything she’d done for him, he’d do it for her, for them. He’d call the VA
tomorrow and make an appointment. There was a knock on their bedroom door.

“Yeah,
come in,” he said, his voice raspy and weak.

Jake
walked in.

“What
time is it?”

“Early
evening. We just found out she spent the night with Bob and Nancy Barnes. She
left their house early this morning, before the sun was up.”

“What?
Why was she with the Barnes?”

Jake
shrugged. “Not sure.”

Reaching
for his phone, Nate scrolled through his contacts till he came to Bob and Nancy’s
number, hitting the call button, he waited.

“Nancy,
this is Nate Sanders. Jake’s telling me Linnie was with you last night, is that
correct?”

“Why,
yes, yes it is.”

 
Breathing a sigh of relief, he continued, “We’re
trying to find her, knowing she was with you helps a lot, because we know she
was okay as of this morning. Nancy, would you be willing to tell me what she
said, or did, while at your house, or if she shared with you where she was
headed? Did anything seem off to you?”

Pausing,
Nancy hesitated, “Well, ahh, she wanted to talk to us…about our son.”

“What?”
Nate asked, surprised. “What do you mean she wanted to talk about your son?
What son?”

He
heard Nancy sigh. “It’s not what you’re thinking, Nate.” Stopping, he heard her
swallow and take a deep breath. “It was a long time ago. Our son was in Viet
Nam, and when he came back, he suffered. He…had PTSD, and after several
attempts, committed suicide. Linnie’s worried about you, and wanted to talk
about things. She loves you very, very much.”