Where the hell was she?
After she’d left Afghanistan, he’d spent hours on the phone and online, persuading her to move to North Carolina and into his beach cottage. It made no sense for the house to sit empty when she could use it, he’d argued. There was a spare bedroom if she didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in his bed. She could use the time to get her web-design business up and running, and if she wanted to find her own place after he returned, he wouldn’t argue. She’d be doing him a favor by looking after the place for him.
In the end, she’d relented and he’d known a fierce sense of satisfaction in picturing her there, in his house. Sitting on his porch. Using his shower. Maybe even sleeping in his bed.
Walking down the hallway, he pushed open the door to his bedroom, and gave a huff of disappointed laughter. Definitely not sleeping in his bed. Not yet, anyway. His room was as Spartan as it had been when he had left it more than a year ago. There were no traces of Kate here.
Closing the door, he continued down the hall to the next room. What had been a sparsely furnished storage and guest room was now a distinctly feminine bedroom. Gone were his Texas Rangers bedspread and the stash of spare army gear he’d kept piled in one corner. The bed now boasted a downy comforter in a floral pattern, and at least a half dozen pillows. More cut flowers stood on the nightstand and dresser, and feminine underclothes lay strewn across the bed and on a nearby chair. A dozen framed photos adorned the walls and he stepped closer to inspect them, seeing they were pictures of Kate and her sister, and even one of a very young Willa Dean holding an infant.
A work table had been set up against one wall as a makeshift desk. A pile of books and papers surrounded Kate’s laptop, which sat open and blinking. Curious, he tapped the keyboard and the monitor flared into life. He could see she was in the middle of designing a website, and he bent down for a closer look, impressed when he saw her client was a top model.
Leaving her room, he went into the backyard. Flower beds had been planted near the house, and a new set of outdoor furniture sat beneath a bright patio umbrella. Kate had left a plate and a half-empty glass of lemonade on the table. Chase was getting ready to carry them into the house when he heard the crunch of gravel in the driveway.
He paused, listening. He heard one car door slam, and then another, followed by the loud barking of an excited dog. Setting the dishes back on the table, he rounded the side of the house to the front yard. He didn’t recognize the gray sedan parked in the driveway, and for a minute he didn’t see anyone. But another excited bark drew his attention to the front porch. A woman stood with her arms around two bags of groceries, while a dog on a leash nearly pulled her off balance. Setting the bags down, she bent to try and quiet the animal, who leaped up and gave her face a happy lick.
Kate. And she had Charity with her.
His heart began to pound fast in his chest, and his first instinct was to bound up the stairs and grab her. Instead, he rubbed his palms against his thighs and walked to the bottom of the steps.
“Kate.”
She whirled around, but before she could respond, Charity gave a yelp and lunged forward, leaping off the porch and yanking Kate with her. Chase reacted quickly, grabbing the dog and the leash, and extending an arm to catch Kate as she pitched down the steps, the bags of groceries falling out of her arms and spilling across the walkway. She clutched at his shoulders, laughing, as Charity squirmed with delight and tried to lick him anywhere she could reach.
Keeping an arm around Kate, he crouched down to greet the dog, rubbing her head and ears, and murmuring words of affection to her. When she rolled onto her back, he scratched her belly and then, with a final pat, stood up and pulled Kate into his arms. She gazed up at him, her coffee-dark eyes filled with welcome and an enticing shyness.
“You’re even more beautiful than I remembered,” he said, his voice husky.
She flushed and looked down, and then determinedly lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Thank you. I was hoping to have dinner ready for you before you arrived.”
He trailed the backs of his fingers along her cheekbone. “You think I’m hungry for food?” he growled softly, teasing her. But it took all of his self-restraint not to pick her up and carry her bodily into his bedroom. For six months he’d fantasized about this moment, but he wasn’t going to ruin it by moving too fast.
Crouching, he scooped pasta and bread and fresh vegetables back into the bags. “How did you manage to bring Charity back?” he asked, reaching out to rub the dog’s ears. He felt an unfamiliar tightening in his throat as he patted the animal. He’d thought he’d never see her again. “I left her with the K-9 unit three months ago, when I had to leave for a mission. When I came back, she was just gone. I was told her owner had come back to claim her.”
Kate smiled and bent down to retrieve a tomato that had rolled into the grass. “I’m so sorry. I asked them not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you when you came home. Actually, it was Tenley who arranged it all,” she said, on eye level with him. “She heard through Doug that one of the women from the USO was coming back to the States on a commercial flight. Tenley asked if she would be willing to escort Charity, and she said she would. We weren’t sure if we’d have another opportunity like that one, so we just grabbed it.”
Chase gave a disbelieving laugh. “Wow. That’s amazing. So Tenley and Doug are still together?”
“They’re married, for keeps this time. He came home about a month ago. She’s taking some time off from touring, and so far they seem to be doing great.”
“And you and Tenley …?”
“Also doing great,” Kate assured him, rising to her feet. “In fact, it’s amazing how our relationship has changed, now that I’m not trying to run her life. I finally have the sister I always wanted.”
“And you and me …?” Chase stood up and threaded his fingers through her silky hair, studying the strands. “How are we doing?”
Kate stepped closer to him, her hands going to the front of his uniform, where she rubbed her fingers over his embroidered name tag. “Much better, now that you’re home.”
Home.
He couldn’t believe how much promise that single word held. Cupping her face in his hands, Chase bent down and kissed her, putting everything he had into it and letting Kate know how he felt. When he finally raised his head, her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “I’ve missed you so much, Chase. I still can’t believe this is real.”
Chase smiled and tipped his forehead to hers. “What can’t you believe?”
“All of this. You … being here … finally doing all the things I want to do.”
“Oh, it’s real,” he assured her. “Let me show you.”
Without giving her a chance to protest, he swept her into his arms and took the steps to his house two at a time, with Charity following close on his heels. Kate threw her arms around his neck and hung on tight, but he could feel her smiling against his neck. He didn’t pause until he reached his bedroom, where he stopped in the doorway and looked down at the dog. She stared at him with hopeful eyes, her tail wagging.
“Sorry, girl,” he said, leaving her in the hallway, “but this mission is all mine.”
Turning toward the bed, he kicked the door closed behind him.