By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

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       4

      KATE TRIED NOT TO LET Chase Rawlins see how completely horrified she was by the sleeping quarters he’d secured for her. Clearly, he belonged in this kind of Spartan, militaristic environment. He probably thrived on danger. He certainly looked as if he did.

      Casting a dubious eye around the tent, she wondered how many spiders or other multilegged critters waited in the shadows.

      Two soldiers lounged on their cots, chatting idly. Neither of them seemed concerned about eight-legged bunkmates, and Kate decided that if they could sleep in this tent, so could she. Pulling her small handbag out of her tote, she determinedly joined her chaperone outside the tent.

      “So, can I call you Chase, or is there some kind of military protocol that demands you be addressed by your title?” she asked as they began walking across the base to the dining facility. “I’m sorry. I peeked at the mail on your desk. That is your name, isn’t it?”

      He slanted her an amused look. “It is. I have no objection to you calling me Chase, unless there are uniforms nearby, and then I would prefer you address me as Major Rawlins.”

      “Well, you can call me Kate even if there are other people around,” she said, unable to resist the urge to tease him just a little. He was much too serious. “I prefer it, actually. I feel old when you call me Miss Fitzgerald.”

      Chase swept her with an all-encompassing look that missed nothing and caused heat to bloom low in her abdomen.

      “I find that hard to believe,” he finally said, “considering you’re like … what, twenty-five?”

      “Ha!” Kate gave a bark of laughter. “Thank you, but now I know you’re trying to flatter me. I just turned thirty-one.”

      She could see by his expression that she’d surprised him.

      “Really? I didn’t think you were much older than your client. Maybe it’s the freckles.”

      Kate couldn’t suppress the pleasure she felt at knowing he had thought she was younger than she actually was. Unless he figured she was immature? He’d already implied she was nuts for having come over here by herself, when clearly no other celebrity representatives had felt the need to do so. But what he didn’t know was that her relationship with Tenley went beyond business. Tenley was more than just a client, more than just a sister. Tenley was like her own child, and she’d do whatever she needed to do to ensure her comfort and safety.

      “I used to hate my freckles for that exact reason,” she said ruefully. “People always thought I was younger than I am.”

      “I don’t know,” he said, studying her face. “I like them.”

      To her dismay, Kate felt herself blushing. “That’s because you’ve never had them or been teased about them. Just how old are you?”

      He grinned. “I’ll turn thirty-one next month.”

      So they were essentially the same age. Kate felt a wave of relief, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she had any interest in Chase Rawlins, regardless of his age. But a little voice whispered that she was a liar.

      “When do the dining facilities open in the morning?” Kate asked, in an effort to move the subject to safer ground. She so did not need to be thinking about him in a romantic way. “Please don’t tell me I have to be up at some ungodly hour or risk going without breakfast.”

      “For the most part, the peak hours are during the traditional meal times. But we also have a midnight chow, and then the dining facilities open for the day at 4:00 a.m.” He slanted her a quick grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t go hungry.”

      Kate felt her pulse leap at his smile, and wondered how he would react if she told him she wasn’t hungry for food, but for him. Shocked by her own thoughts, she focused her attention on her surroundings. As they walked between the rows of tents and housing units, Kate’s feet kicked up dust and despite the fact the sun was dropping lower on the horizon, the intense heat hadn’t yet begun to abate.

      “How do you tolerate the climate?” she murmured, passing a hand over her eyes. “I’ve never felt so hot.”

      “Believe it or not, you do get used to it. In fact, it gets surprisingly cold at night.”

      Kate cast an appraising eye toward the mountains, where the sun was just touching the peaks. She’d СКАЧАТЬ