Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (30 page)

W
h
a
t
e
ver
they
were
he
did
n
’t
s
eem
the
ty
pe
t
o
d
is
cl
o
s
e
h
i
s
p
r
i
v
a
t
e
though
t
s.

Af
t
er
prepa
r
i
n
g
the
t
ea,
she
p
icked
up
the
novel
sh
e
’
d been
readi
n
g
f
rom
the
coun
t
er
and
headed
t
o
her
bedroo
m
.
B
ut
get
t
i
n
g
ready
for
bed,
she
fought
back
t
ea
r
s
that
f
i
na
l
ly s
t
a
r
t
ed
t
o
s
p
il
l.
Di
sapp
o
intment
f
il
led
he
r
.
“
H
on
e
stl
y
,
w
h
y would
a
man
l
i
ke
that
w
ant
t
o
s
t
a
y
and
ta
l
k
t
o
a
bo
r
i
n
g
ho
u
s
e
w
ife
l
i
ke
me?
K
ee
p
i
n
g
me
compa
n
y
would
be
the
l
ast
thi
n
g on
h
i
s
mind.
A
nd
b
es
id
e
s,
y
ou
’
re
ta
l
k
i
n
g
t
o
y
ou
r
s
elf
.
”

C
r
a
wli
n
g
in
t
o
bed,
she
opened
the
book
and
forced he
r
s
elf
t
o
concent
r
a
t
e
on
the
s
t
o
r
ylin
e
.
B
ut
an
hour
l
at
e
r
, a
r
e
stl
es
s
J
or
d
an
f
i
na
l
ly
g
o
t
out
of
bed
and
strode
over
t
o the
bureau,
ret
r
i
e
ved
a
box
f
rom
the
dr
a
we
r
.
On
nigh
t
s
l
i
ke
t
onight when
she
w
as
m
iss
i
n
g
Sc
o
t
t and
un
a
ble
t
o
slee
p
,
it helped
t
o
read
h
i
s
l
ast
let
t
e
r
s
f
rom
I
raq.
Readi
n
g
h
i
s
wor
d
s,
k
no
w
i
n
g
h
i
s
though
t
s,
hea
r
i
n
g
h
i
s
v
o
ice
in
s
ide
her
head,
ta
l
k
i
n
g
a
bout
h
i
s
dreams
for
the
bed
and
brea
k
fast
s
omehow ins
p
ired
her
enough
t
o
keep
g
o
i
n
g
.
W
hen
sh
e
’
d
s
ettled
back in
bed,
she
opened
the
box
and
s
t
a
r
t
ed
readi
n
g
the
let
t
e
r
s,
as if
they
brought
her
comfo
r
t
,
she
s
oon
fe
l
l
aslee
p
.

In spite of the constant wind whipping sand across the bumpy road, the heat was brutal inside the Humvee. The faces of the soldiers and any other exposed areas were covered with a mixture of grit and sweat. They bitched good-naturedly about their circumstances. Riding side by side, Nick and Scott had gotten past the complaining and were deep in conversation as they talked about their lives back home.

“I miss Jordan. And I wish I could hold Hutton, you know. I couldn’t be there when she was born. I can’t wait to see her for the first time. I didn’t exactly plan on Jordan having to go through childbirth without me.”

“How does it feel to be a dad?”

“Great, I think. It’s hard to feel like a father when I’m so far away and can’t rock her to sleep or put her on my shoulder like I’ve seen other dads do. I was hoping to get to do that before she gets too old. Jordan e-mails me plenty of pics, but pictures aren’t the same thing. You ever thought of having kids of your own, Nick?”

“No. Nor do I want to get married. I don’t like the idea of being tied down. I’m glad you’re happy, Scott, but marriage isn’t for everyone.”

“If you ever found a woman like Jordan, you’d think differently.”

Nick heard artillery fire right before a rocket exploded. Someone yelled, “Look out, incoming.”

Nick heard another explosion and saw a flash of fire.

“Promise me, Nick…”

N
ick
came
out
of
the
dream
as
if
h
e
’
d
been
back
on
that lit
t
ered
road
near
B
a
gh
d
ad
t
a
l
k
i
n
g
t
o
Sc
o
t
t
.
D
r
ip
p
i
n
g
wet
w
ith
s
wea
t
,
he
threw
back
the
shee
t
.
H
e
r
ubbed
a
hand
over the
s
ca
r
s
on
h
i
s
ch
e
st
and
g
l
anced
at
h
i
s
w
a
t
ch.
On
e
-thi
r
t
y
.
H
e
needed
f
r
e
sh
ai
r
.
C
r
a
wli
n
g
out
of
bed,
he
made
h
i
s
w
a
y
t
o
one
of
the
w
indo
w
s
and
slid
the
g
l
a
s
s
higher
t
o
let
in
more of
the
cool
night
ai
r
.
G
ul
p
i
n
g
the
m
oi
st
ma
r
ine
breeze
had him
figh
t
i
n
g
the
urge
t
o
g
ive
in
and
t
ake
one
of
the
slee
p
i
n
g
pil
l
s
the
do
c
t
o
r
s
had
pr
e
s
c
r
ibed.
H
e
had
a
b
a
gf
ul.
B
ut
h
e
’
d
t
aken
enough
pil
l
s,
s
een
enough
do
c
t
o
r
s
and
h
o
s
p
i
t
al
rooms
t
o
l
ast
a
life
t
im
e
.

H
e
backtracked
t
o
the
nights
t
and
and
t
urned
on
the
l
am
p
.
H
e
found
h
i
s
jeans,
slipped
them
on
w
ithout
but
t
oni
n
g them,
before
headi
n
g
outside
t
o
the
l
andi
n
g
.
H
e
s
t
ared
up
at
th
e
nigh
t
s
k
y
.
S
t
a
r
s
glit
t
ere
d
do
wn
a
t
hi
m.

S
uddenly
s
quinti
n
g
acr
o
ss
the
shadowy
cou
r
t
y
ard
he spo
tt
ed
Sco
t
t
,
or
at
least
his
im
a
ge,
this
time
lifelike,
headi
n
g his
w
a
y
.
H
e
could
t
ell
it
w
as
Sco
t
t
by
the
w
a
y
he
w
a
l
k
ed.
A
nd h
e
’
d
k
now
the
g
uy
’
s
w
a
lk
a
n
y
wher
e
.
W
hen
Sco
t
t
’
s
im
a
ge finally
looked
up
at
N
ic
k
,
he
smiled
and
lif
t
e
d
a
han
d
i
n
a
w
a
ve
as
lifelike
and
real
as
if
h
e
’
d
just
w
a
l
k
ed
out
of
the
main hous
e
.
The
g
e
s
t
ure
s
o
famil
i
a
r
,
just
like
N
ick
had
s
een
him
do
s
i
x
dozen
times
in
I
raq.
A
s
if
real,
Sco
t
t
spread
his
arms
out
w
ide
and
y
elled
u
p
,
“
T
ook
y
ou
lo
n
g
enough,
y
ou
fi
na
l
l
y
g
ot her
e
.
W
elcome
t
o
The
C
ove,
N
ic
k
.
H
ow
do
y
ou
like
it
s
o
far?”

N
ick
considered
the
fa
c
t
he
might
p
o
ssibly
be
goi
n
g insane,
slowl
y
,
delibera
t
el
y
,
off-his-rocker
-
cr
a
z
y
.
W
h
at
w
as he
supp
os
ed
t
o
d
o
,
answer
a
gh
o
s
t
,
t
a
lk
t
o
one?
H
ow
could
h
e
h
a
v
e
though
t
comi
n
g
her
e
t
o
s
e
e
Sc
o
tt
’
s
w
i
f
e
woul
d
make
a
n
y
thi
n
g
bet
t
er?
H
e
s
c
r
ubbed
a
hand
over
his
fac
e
.
“
H
o
w
’
s that
wor
k
i
n
g
out
for
y
ou,
H
ar
r
i
s
?”