The Long Road Home (2 page)

Chapter 2

"I can't believe running into you after all this time."

Her pretty brown eyes brightened as a friendly smile remained on her face. Good. Much better than the sadness and despair he'd found moments earlier, which nearly broke his heart.

A classical oval face with a light dusting of makeup that stood out amongst the crowd, youthful and full of beauty, she could make the cover of any fashion magazine. Except for the vividly colorful, oversized Christmas sweatshirt, complete with Santa, his sleigh, and reindeer as he entered a chimney. Cute. Not sexy like her jeans, which molded to her delectable rear. Long chestnut locks hung in a loose ponytail, drawing his attention to her backside, the first part of her anatomy he had noticed.
I'm a butt man, so sue me.
Now that he knew who she was, he recalled she had always had a perfect rear. That's the reason he chose her as a dance partner all those years ago.

"It's so good to see you again." Her gaze raked over him from top to bottom. Appreciation flashed in her eyes, which bolstered his ego.

Gwen had been shy as a freshman but full of spunk and exuberance. Always smiling, she'd made the class more fun than he imagined it would be. After all, he only took dance because he needed a physical education credit to graduate and the timing of the class fit into his busy schedule. Not that he lived to dance. Quite the contrary. He possessed two left feet. Together with Gwen's two right feet, they managed to get through with some practice, laughs, and a bit of sheer luck.

He readjusted his bag. "Going home for the holidays?"

Her smile instantly faded. "No. They cancelled my flight due to weather."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." His heart went out to her, knowing full well how hard it was to be away from family on Christmas. Hell, he'd spent more holidays abroad than he had at home. All part of the military life.

"How about you? Did you get to come home for Christmas?" Her gaze appraised his body as if sizing him up or figuring out some puzzle. "From overseas?"

"Good guess. Yeah, I finished my tour. Got some downtime now." Finished with all tours. Forever. Thanks to his injury, compliments of one son of a bitch terrorist. For the hundredth time, he cussed his poor luck and inability to perform in the job he loved.

"That's wonderful that you get to come home to be with your family. My brother is in his first tour of Afghanistan with the Army. The 101st Airborne."

"Good group. I spent some time there myself. Now with the Seventy-fifth Ranger Regiment." Or was. A sharp pain shot through him at the thought.

Bending down, she picked up her suitcase. "I guess I better be going. No sense in spending the night here when there's no flight home. I'm glad I ran into you, though. Brightened my day."

"The ice is really coming down out there. You live close by?"

She shook her head. "Bethesda. I made the four hour drive to La Guardia. Parked in the long-term lot. Maybe I'll try the roads in a little bit. Give the highway department a chance to work on them." She walked a few steps only to stop and turn around. "Thank you."

Logan cocked his head. "For what?"

"For your service. I don't think you guys hear it near enough how much we really appreciate you and what you do."

He nodded, watching as she started to leave again. Something inside clamored at him to stop her. To bring her back. A voice in his head demanded he lasso her now or forever miss out on a golden opportunity. His gut had never been wrong before.

"Gwen?"

She paused. He hurried over, limping slightly on his left leg, the prosthesis. "Have you eaten dinner?"

"No…"

"Let me buy you a sandwich and coffee. The airport restaurant isn't horrible, and it'll warm you up."

A genuine smile crossed her face. "Okay."

With a return grin and a sigh of relief, he offered his arm and led her down the long hall.

Chapter 3

Sitting down at the halfway empty cafeteria, Logan watched Gwen sip her coffee, noting the way her delicate hands cupped the mug, as if soaking in the warmth. "So tell me about yourself. What have you been doing the past few years?" He took a hearty bite from his roast beef sandwich and waited patiently.

"Not much to tell." She shrugged. "Finished college, majored in biochemistry. Ended up taking a job in Bethesda, which is where I live now."

"What kind of job?"

Color blossomed across her cheeks. "Quality assurance in a large manufacturing plant."

One corner of his mouth hitched up. "Which in real terms means…?"

She glanced at him before staring down at her sandwich. "Condom tester." The words whispered out.

His mouth gaped open before a wide smile took over. "Condom tester, huh? I've never met one of those."

She rolled her eyes but lifted her gaze. "It's a legitimate occupation."

"Oh, I agree completely." He fought back chuckles, unable to quite match the demure beauty in front of him with her choice of careers. She'd always exuded innocence, making it hard to see her as a woman who played with condoms all day. He decided he liked the contrast and hoped to find a few more interesting surprises along the way.

Along the way? What am I thinking? He hadn't seen her in years, just bumped into her at the airport. Not the first step to undying love. Hell, if he could come away with her phone number, he would be making major headway. Besides, she might already have a boyfriend, although the ring-less finger indicated she remained unmarried.

"Your limp. I'm afraid to ask." Her brown eyes met his, filled with sympathy and concern.

Twisting in his seat, he grabbed his pant leg, lifting it to reveal an artificial leg. His thick boot contained the fake foot portion, allowing for more stability and a natural feel compared to other devices. Not to mention the work boots provided added traction in the messy weather while he still worked to adjust to the new equipment.

"Titanium. The longest lasting, most durable appendage available right now."

She looked at his hardware for a long moment, then returned to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry. It must be hard."

He shrugged. "Others have it worse. With more rehab and practice, I can learn to move almost as well as before." A familiar boiling in his gut began as he spoke about his injury. He couldn't change anything, that didn't mean he had shed all his anger and resentment regarding the permanent injury.

He willed himself to calmness. Raised to be a mannerly gentleman, he wasn't about to lose his cool in front of a lady, especially one as sweet as Gwen. Call him old-fashioned, but he still opened doors for women and treated them with gentleness and kindness. Besides, she didn't need to hear him bellyache about his lot in life.

Complaining didn't do any good anyway, just made him feel all the worse. Same with ranting, throwing things, shouting out his fury. Nothing would change his situation. He'd accepted that fact a while ago. Even come to terms with his amputation. It was the ramifications of such an injury that still gnawed at his gut. His career, his chance at finding a woman who wouldn't snarl her nose in disgust upon laying eyes on his stump for the first time or look at him with pity clearly written on her face. None of those things he could stand. He was a Ranger, after all.

"Oh, like the Para-Olympic athletes. Many of them had similar injuries, yet were participating in sports at such a high level. Such an inspiration. It was beautiful to watch."

Still sensitive about his injury, he didn't feel ashamed or lacking with Gwen. The quiet kindness written on her face soothed his tattered emotions rather than inflamed them. Pity he couldn't take, but she only provided him with compassion. A big plus for her.

"I'm sure." He took a long drink of his coffee, wincing at the quickly cooling liquid.

"You never told me, is your family waiting for you tonight?" She chewed on the final bite of her turkey sandwich.

"Not tonight. My parents are snowbirds. They head to Florida each winter. I was going to fly down to see them in a few days. We'll see how that works out."

"That's sad. After your long trip, there's no one here to meet you." She looked up at him with such rapt attention as if the sun rose and set with him.

He found the appraisal stimulating and flattering. His manhood certainly sat up and paid attention. "No biggie. I'll be home for a while now. I'm sure I'll see plenty of them. Maybe get to the point where they cramp my style."

Her eyebrow shot up. "Your style, huh?"

He grinned, happy to be back on a teasing note, so reminiscent of their past. "Yeah."

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." He chuckled as she giggled.

"Attention all passengers, all flights have now been cancelled due to the ice storm. Flights will resume as soon as possible, but it will be several hours before the decision will be made. If you need accommodations, please see the ticket counter for information." The loudspeaker clicked off.

"Well, that's that." Gwen sighed heavily.

Logan's heartstrings tugged at her morose state. The little damsel in distress called to him, pricked his protective instincts, prodded him to take care of her even if it was only a simple meal or shelter for a night or two.

"Maybe this is forward, but… I live close by. Surely, close enough for a taxi. A decent walk if they aren't running. I'd be glad for the company, if you'd like to come over."

Her gaze locked with his. For a long moment, she remained silent, obviously pondering his offer.
Please, say yes. Just give me a chance
.

"I'm not sure." She worried her bottom lip, indecision clearly on her face.

"You can have my bed. I'll take my parents' room." He hurriedly tried to reassure her. "Or, even better. My sister lives in the adjacent apartment. She's out of town with her husband. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you used her apartment for however long you need." He paused a beat. "Anything is better than spending the night at the airport, sleeping on the floor, right?"

"Well…"

"Lord, I suck at this." Logan ran a hand over his cropped hair. "No strings attached. I give my word. As a Ranger."

Gwen's serious expression eased at once. "As old friends?"

"Yes, as old friends. So neither of us have to be alone for Christmas."

A bright smile covered her face. "I'm willing to give it a try."

The corners of his mouth turned up while relief surged through him. "Me, too."

Chapter 4

"Brrrr. It's freezing out there." Gwen entered through the door he opened, shivering from the one block trek in the frigid ice storm. "I'm not sure I'll thaw until New Year's."

Logan readily agreed. He'd been through worse, survived harsher conditions, but none of it proved to be fun. Give him sun and sand any day.

Opting for the safe route, they'd waited a good ten minutes for a taxi. When none showed, Gwen had dug out her car keys, and together they'd headed to her car parked in the long-term lot. Slowly but surely, she had navigated the slippery roads until he pointed out a small parking garage behind an old brick building. While close to the apartments, he explained they still had a good distance to go on foot before they would finally reach their destination.

He had to give her credit, never once did she complain, or accept his offer to carry her bag. Instead, she'd trudged along like a little trooper, one foot after another, until they finally entered his apartment building, seemingly more than happy to reach their warm destination. If she was concerned about his ability to walk and keep up with the slick surface and his prosthetic leg along the way, she never asked. Patiently, she walked up each stair by his side, never hurrying or bemoaning as he worked to half hop, half lift his missing appendage up each step, a skill he hadn't mastered yet.

"I haven't been home in a while. Can't promise there's not huge dust bunnies lying about." He tried to joke, to ease the tension he sensed coming from her.

Gwen set her bag down, rubbing her mitten-covered hands together. "No worries. I can handle dust bunnies. I happen to know their secret arch enemies."

"Oh, really?" He shut the door, laying his duffel bag down inside the living room.

"Yep. Dusting spray and vacuums." She flashed him a contagious grin.

Already he felt better, her spirit bolstering his own. Despite her nervous fidgeting, he knew they'd made the right choice. "If my sister didn't clean up for me like she normally does, I might have to dig out those things to make this place presentable."

"The one that lives next door, right?"

"Yep. Maria."

"Sad that she's not home to greet you, either."

He shrugged. Let Maria have time with her in-laws. He'd be home for a while. More than enough time to catch up as he continued his rehab and decided where life would take him next.

"She'll be home in a week or so."

Gwen turned around, apparently appraising the family room with adjoining kitchen, the two separated by an island cabinet which he used as a dining table if he wasn't eating on the couch.