The Soldier's Newfound Family. Kathryn Springer

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      Libby followed the direction of his eyes and grinned. “Coming right up.”

      A half hour ticked by and the dining room emptied as the lunch crowd dwindled. Carter finished off the pie and started on his third cup of coffee but there was still no sign of Savannah.

      “Excuse me?” He motioned to Libby as she emerged from the kitchen, armed with two coffee pots. She changed direction, navigating through the maze of tables until she reached his side.

      “Do you need a warm up on that coffee?”

      He needed to talk to Savannah. “No, thanks. Just the bill.” Carter reached for his wallet. “Is Savannah busy?” he tossed out casually.

      “No.” The smile dimmed. “She left a little while ago.”

      “Left?”

      “She said she wasn’t feeling well.”

      Savannah had slipped past him. Admiration and frustration battled for dominance. Frustration won.

      Carter released a slow breath. “Will she be back tomorrow?”

      “She’s not scheduled to work again until Tuesday.”

      Great. Before she’d left, Maddie made him promise he would drive to Grasslands to meet the rest of the “family” as soon as possible.

      “Would you mind giving me her home address?”

      Libby looked uneasy with the request. “I don’t know—”

      “Her husband and I served together in Afghanistan. He introduced us.” It was the truth. Sort of. He and Savannah might not have met until today, but Carter felt as if he knew her. He knew that she hummed when she was nervous and that her favorite color was blue. She liked yellow roses and coffee-flavored ice cream and black-and-white movies.

      And she was more beautiful in person than she was in the photograph Rob had given him.

      Carter set that thought firmly to the side.

      “I didn’t know Savannah was married to a soldier,” Libby breathed. “She never talks about him.”

      “He talked about her.” Twenty-four seven. “And he asked me to deliver a message.”

      “That’s so romantic.”

      Only in the movies, Carter wanted to say. The reality hadn’t been quite so warm and fuzzy.

      He and Rob had been shoulder to shoulder in a shallow ditch, caught in the middle of a firefight. Under attack from both the ground and the air.

      If anything happens to me, promise that you’ll find Savannah and make sure she’s okay. Tell her that I loved her.

      But Rob hadn’t told him that Savannah might not want to be found.

      Or that she was pregnant.

      * * *

      “Going somewhere?”

      Savannah whirled around at the sound of a deep male voice.

      It was him. Carter Wallace. The soldier who’d shown up at the diner that morning. He filled the doorway, arms folded across his chest in a casually deceptive stance. The set of his jaw warned Savannah that she wouldn’t evade him as easily this time.

      She didn’t bother to ask how he’d found out where she lived. He must have sweet-talked Libby after she’d left the diner.

      “Your landlady let me in.” Those intense blue eyes scanned the living room and narrowed on the hedge of cardboard boxes that separated them.

      “Look, Sergeant Wallace.” Savannah heard a catch in her voice. “I don’t know what you want—”

      “That’s because you didn’t wait around long enough to find out.” The corners of his lips kicked up in a rueful smile. “I’m sorry if I upset you when I showed up at the diner today. Rob told me where you worked but not your address.”

      Rob told him.

      Savannah’s throat tightened. She couldn’t deal with this right now. Not when she’d spent the past few hours packing up her things, each box she taped shut one more reminder that she was closing the door on the past with no idea what the future would bring.

      “Do you mind if I come in?”

      Yes, she did.

      “I’m really busy.” To prove it, Savannah bent down and snatched up one of the boxes. A muscle in her lower back protested the suddenness of the movement and she winced in pain.

      “Hey—take it easy.” Carter Wallace was at her side in an instant and he plucked the box from her hands. “Should you be lifting stuff?”

      Color flooded Savannah’s cheeks when she saw his gaze drop to her rounded stomach, something that even a loose-fitting sweatshirt couldn’t hide.

      “I’m not an invalid.” She was just...tired. And not prepared for unexpected company. Especially a handsome, blue-eyed soldier who’d claimed to be friends with her late husband.

      “Where do you want this?” Carter stared her down.

      Good job, Savannah. Instead of convincing him to leave, she’d unwittingly given him a reason to stay.

      “Really, you don’t have to—” She saw his eyebrows dip together and realized there was no point in arguing. “By the door.”

      Without a word, Carter strode across the room and deposited it near the entryway. And then proceeded to do the same with the rest of the boxes.

      As he set the last one down, Savannah didn’t miss his swift but thorough assessment of the cramped upstairs apartment she’d briefly shared with Rob after their wedding.

      “Thank you.” Savannah glanced at her watch, hoping Carter would take the hint.

      He did.

      “I’ll only take up a few minutes of your time,” he said quietly. “It’s important.”

      Savannah sighed. Maybe the best thing was to get this over with as quickly as possible and send Sergeant Wallace on his way.

      “All right.” She motioned toward a chair and sent up a swift, silent prayer for strength as Carter sat down. The flimsy wood creaked under the weight of his solid frame, the floral slipcover an almost comical backdrop for a guy who looked as if he could bench press the sofa.

      It didn’t matter that Carter Wallace wasn’t in full uniform. His faded, loose-fitting jeans and a gray T-shirt with the marine insignia that stretched across his muscular chest proved to be just as intimidating. He looked as if he were born to be a soldier.

      Savannah perched on the edge of the sofa and waited. But now that he had her attention, Carter didn’t seem to know what to say.

      “You СКАЧАТЬ