True Honor (37 page)

“Amy will be my maid of honor.”

“Wolf’s my best man.”

She giggled. “The decisions are made. Let’s elope.”

“My mom will insist on pictures—lots of them.”

She leaned back. “Set me down.”

“You’re lighter than the gear I haul around.”

“Samuel—”

He reluctantly let her feet touch the sand again.

“We’ll call people tonight,” she decided.

“Probably a good idea.”

She tugged him back the way they had come. “We’ll start with telling your boss.”

He laughed and tugged her back. “And end our privacy for the night? We don’t need to tell the guys yet.” He tucked her under his arm. “Come on, Dar. Let’s go find the perfect place to watch the sunset instead. I don’t want to share you.”

Thirty

* * *

SEPTEMBER 7

Saturday, 11:09 a.m.

Shelton, North Dakota

It was good to be home. Darcy leaned against the triple-rail fence she had painted the day before and watched as Sam and Tom tried to figure out what to do with the evergreen that threatened to collapse onto her garage. She was glad it was them and not her.

She turned the engagement ring on her finger.
Lord, thanks for Psalm 55. The verse this morning was right on target. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
A year ago she never would have imagined this much change in her life—a hard-fought victory, a wartime romance, a best friend and a lovely future, a chance to live her dreams. She watched Sam and Tom wrestle with the tree. Life was so good.

The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She reached for the sheepskin jacket and tugged out the phone. “Hello.”

“Dar, I’m looking at a clean desk and I already miss you.”

She rested her forearms against the railing, relaxing at the pleasure of hearing from Gabe. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re missing me too. You got some mail in.”

“Do I really want to read it?”

“You got a postcard from Sergey. It’s postmarked from the British Virgin Islands.”

“Read it.”

“It’s typical Sergey, short and to the point: ‘Darcy, surprised by message. The answer is yes.’ Is something going on?”

“I invited him to my wedding,” Darcy replied.

“I thought you weren’t going to mix business and your personal life?”

“Business is inevitably personal.” She watched the tree sway and heard a sharp crack as wood gave way. The tree came down on the garage roof. There were only so many miracles two SEALs could work. Cutting out a tall dead evergreen safely apparently wasn’t one of them.

“Gabe, let me call you back in about ten minutes, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” She hung up the phone and headed over to join the guys.

She stopped beside Sam and folded her arms across her chest to match the way he stood just looking at the tree. She tilted her head, studying the way the tree had crashed. They had done a great job. The crown line of the roof had been broken.

“We decided that you needed a new garage,” Sam remarked.

“That’s a good idea because as it turns out I do.”

He traced a finger down her cheek and smiled. “We’ll fix this. I’m thinking something with more than one garage door and a high ceiling, so we can park something taller and wider than a breadbox.”

“Good idea.”

“Since we’ve figured out how to take out a building, if you want that shed to go as well just let us know. We can topple another tree.”

She leaned against him, sharing his quiet amusement. She loved this man. “Suck it in, sailor, and get back to work.”

“Your nose is turning red in the cold.”

“I hope it gets so cold we have snow. I want to have a snowball fight with you since I know I’d win.”

“Oh really?” He leaned hard against her so that she lost her balance.

She gestured toward the tree. “Now what?”

“We play loggers.”

Tom reappeared from the damaged garage carrying an ax and a handsaw. “Want to make our own version of Old Misery?”

“A legendary telephone pole at the SEALs’ BUD/S course,” Sam explained. “It weighs an awful lot.”

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Tom added.

Sam accepted the ax. “Let’s leave an Old Misery–size log and I’ll make a bench for the porch.”

“Don’t you think a chainsaw would be faster?” Darcy asked.

“But not nearly so much fun,” Sam pointed out as he stripped off his jacket.

She accepted the jacket and folded it across her arm. “You’re going to show off.”

Sam stepped over to the tree and buried the ax in the trunk. “Just a little.”

She settled down near the flower beds and watched them work. They were a good team: Tom clearing off branches while Sam attacked the trunk. She would enjoy being part of the special club of women who called a SEAL
husband.

I’m so glad this has come full circle, Lord, that You brought me back here safely and introduced me to a man who will make this place truly a home. Sam’s a wonderful man. I couldn’t have envisioned something this special a year ago. He enjoys life, and I need that in my life.

The sound of a car coming up the drive interrupted her prayer. Her sister got out. Amy hadn’t changed much in the last year. She wore an Old West sheriff’s badge, a gift from Sam, as a badge of honor.

“It looks like you had a bit of trouble here.”

“They decided I needed a new garage.”

“So I see.” Amy settled on the ground beside her. “Now this is a sight worth watching.”

Darcy just smiled.

Amy handed her a folded piece of paper. “This came for you; I figured special delivery was the fastest route.”

The page was red-striped on the edges; it had come from the sheriff’s office secure fax.

423 million now seized. Awarded second Intelligence Star for Valor. Congratulations. Gabriel.

Darcy folded the document and slipped it into her pocket. She didn’t deserve it, but the CIA rarely asked the recipient.

“Congratulations,” Amy said softly.

“I’ve already got my reward, Amy. I’m home.” She didn’t need to go back East and be honored for something that was already a memory. She wanted to return to Hawaii and work more on her tan, learn to dive with Sam, come back here and make them a home for their future. The next season of her life was going to be perfect.

“Will you meet his family this weekend?”

“After we drop Tom off at the airport, we’re driving over for lunch with Sam’s family.”

“You’ll enjoy meeting Hannah.”

“From what you’ve said, I know I will.”

Sam and Tom began stacking the wood they had cut. “You can deliver a load of that to my place if you like,” Amy called out. “Evergreens smell so wonderful in a fire.”

“We’d be glad to.” Sam walked over to join them. “Hi, Amy.”

She got to her feet. “I came over to invite you guys to lunch so I can feed you and tug stories out about what Darcy has been up to these past several months.”

“We accept,” Tom said promptly.

Amy laughed and tipped back her white Stetson. “Good, because I don’t have company as often as I’d like. I cooked up a storm.”

Sam offered her a hand up. Darcy laced her fingers with his. This was what she wanted more of for her future—family, friends, and the man she loved.

They followed Amy and Tom down the road to her place.

“What?”

She glanced at Sam. “I’m just happy.”

“We’ll have many more days like this one. That’s a promise.”

She put her arm around his waist, his sweaty shirt not deterring her from the hug. “I would love to tell Amy today that we’re going to get married here in Shelton next month. You think that would work for your family and your SEAL buddies?” They’d talked about several dates, but she’d hesitated to choose one until now, until she got back here and had a better feel of what was happening in Amy’s life.

“It would.”

“And I’d like to see Coronado on the way back to Hawaii. I want to see where you trained to become a SEAL.”

“We could do that too.”

Darcy leaned back to see his face. “If I asked for the moon right now you’d say sure.”

“I’ve got what I want. You.” Sam hugged her. “Since you’re now ready to make decisions, I’ll point out you still need to decide on where we go for our honeymoon.”

“I’m pretty partial to somewhere with a beach.”

“We could make it a long honeymoon and try a few different beaches to compare which is the best.”

“Yes, please. As long as you teach me to surf,” Darcy said. Life with Sam was going to be such an adventure.

“I’ll also teach you to snorkel and dive. Probably dunk you a few times, just in case you were wondering.”

She tried to push him off-balance but there was no way to budge him. “You’re as solid as a tree.”

“I think that was a compliment.” He picked her up. “I love you, Dar.”

“I love you more.”

Sam laughed. “We’ll debate that for a few years.” He kissed her to seal the promise.

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

During the writing of this book, September 11 happened. The event changed my life, as it did for many in America. The result is a book I wrote more for myself than someone who might later read it. This was the story I wanted to tell as I worked through the months of September through December. More than once during those months I came close to stopping and telling my publisher I didn’t want to write a military story—let’s do something else. Fans were sending their spouses and loved ones to war. Friends in the military were leaving for overseas. As I write this, many are still there.

Max Lucado’s book
Traveling Light
talks about the journey we take with God through life as captured by Psalm 23. Releasing burdens and trusting God even in the midst of tragedy is part of His plan for how we cope when life rips apart. God has a way of pulling together even the tough days of our lives into part of a beautiful tapestry.

Despite the external pressures going on through these months, I really enjoyed writing Sam and Darcy’s story. They were part of my own recovery of a sense of hope. Darcy is a warrior as much as Sam. Darcy was the endurance. She put her head down, accomplished the next objective, and kept going until the job was done. Sam is the trust. He waded into the fight confident he’d win, trusting God for the outcome. Together they were the right kind of team.

There are many like Darcy and Sam working today. This is my tribute and thanks to them. They are indeed heroes.

As always, I love to hear from my readers. Feel free to write me at:

Dee Henderson

c/o Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

351 Executive Drive

Carol Stream, IL 60188

E-mail: [email protected]

or online at www.deehenderson.com

Thanks again for letting me share Sam and Darcy’s story.

Sincerely,

Books by Dee Henderson

The O’Malley Series

Danger in the Shadows (Prequel)

The Negotiator

The Guardian

The Truth Seeker

The Protector

The Healer

The Rescuer

Uncommon Heroes Series

True Devotion

True Valor

True Honor

Kidnapped

The Witness

Before I Wake