Sheltered By The Soldier. Lisa Harris

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СКАЧАТЬ me more about the letters,” he said.

      “After he died, there were things I never went through in his locker. I just...couldn’t. I was four months pregnant, then suddenly a widow... I was overwhelmed. A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to go through his things. I found several letters Will never had a chance to send. Someone must have added them to his personal belongings. In them, his tone had changed. He was looking for proof that someone was defrauding the government.”

      “Contractors.”

      She nodded.

      “Who have you spoken to?”

      “I contacted several officers he worked under, hoping they might have answers.”

      “But there was nothing specific in what he wrote? No names?”

      She shook her head. “I’ll let you read through the letters, but the only name mentioned was Casada. Someone he seemed to trust. Will thought the man might have answers for some reason.”

      “James Casada. He was a contracted worker.”

      “I guess I was hoping since you were there you’d have some answers, too.”

      He walked toward the window and stared outside. The snow was picking up, making her doubly thankful she and Mia weren’t still out there.

      “I’d like to look at the letters if that’s okay, but I don’t have answers. I know that things have been hard since Will died.” He turned back around to face her. “Losing Will was a horrible tragedy that neither of us will ever be able to forget.”

      “It was horrible, but what better way to silence someone? No one would ask questions. It would simply be another unfortunate loss that happens far too often.”

      “I also know how easy it is to keep searching for an explanation when someone dies.”

      Gabby felt a ball of anger begin to bubble inside her gut. Hadn’t she spent the last year and a half trying to combat those feelings? Weekly counseling sessions with her pastor, dozens of books on grief, along with advice from half the people she ran into while she tried to work full-time and raise Mia.

      “I’m not just looking for answers.” She bit the edge of her tongue. Healing was raw and personal. She knew that. Knew how easy it was to snap back a response that she’d later regret. But you couldn’t just throw out grief with the trash and expect everything to simply switch back to normal. Healing was a process and losing Will had changed her forever.

      “I’m sorry.” He stepped in front of her and rubbed the back of his neck. “All I meant was that nothing can change the fact that he’s gone. We know how he died and digging for answers is just going to hurt more.”

      “Maybe. But then why did someone ransack my house and follow me here? This all has to be related.”

      “All I know for certain is that Will died in an ambush. We all knew our jobs were a risk, but it was a choice he made every day in order to serve his country.”

      “I understand that, but what if there was more involved? Because I believe there was.”

      She’d been around Liam enough to know he was far more methodical than impulsive. His questions weren’t a dismissal of what she believed, but rather his way of working through a problem.

      “Do you have his letters with you?” he asked.

      “I’m not really sure why, but I’ve been carrying them around in my car. Now I’m glad I did.”

      “Do you think that’s what the intruder was after?”

      “It makes sense. The only problem is I don’t know what they think is in them.” She blew out a slow breath. “I thought maybe you’d see something I didn’t.”

      Liam pulled out one of the chairs and sat down in it. “Will seemed distracted before he died. But to be honest, I thought it was because he was ready to get back home. It just seems odd he never mentioned something like this was going on.”

      She caught the fatigue in his eyes, making her second-guess her impulsive decision to come here. He had enough of a burden to carry without her adding to it. He might not have died in the explosion, but he carried the physical scars as reminders. Months of therapy had healed most of them, but she understood all too well that it was often what couldn’t be seen that hurt the most.

      “You know, I’m sorry,” she said, taking a step back. “I shouldn’t have come. I just thought maybe you’d spoken to him and that you might have some of the answers. But you don’t know anything, so—”

      “Gabby, no.” He stood up and bridged the distance between them. “You did the right thing. Of course, I’ll help. I’ll do anything I can, but in the meantime, I want to get you somewhere safe. I’ll take you up to the ranch. I’ve been staying there the past few weeks while waiting to get approved for active duty. You’ll be safe there, and it will give us a safe place to figure things out.”

      She caught the sincerity in his voice, but that didn’t sway her response. “I couldn’t impose. I’ll just stay at the hotel here in town. I can’t just drop everything, either. I’ve got my job—”

      “Forget it. My mother would never forgive me if I don’t insist you come. And in fact...” Liam turned toward the woman who’d just stepped into the doorway of the room, wearing a flowered scrub top and matching pants. “You remember my mother.”

      “Of course. It’s good to see you again, Mrs. O’Callaghan.”

      “Please call me Marci.”

      “Alright, but I’m sorry you had to come down here. I’m fine. Really.”

      The older woman set a small padded medical bag onto the table. “Even at low speeds, there can be issues with whiplash and back injuries after a car accident. It’s not something you should play around with.”

      Liam shot Gabby a smile. “If I were you, I wouldn’t argue with my mom.”

      Mia started fussing in the car seat.

      “I’m sorry, but I’ve forgotten your baby’s name,” Marci said.

      “Mia.”

      “That’s a beautiful name. Liam...why don’t you entertain Mia while I look at her mama. I’ll check her over next.”

      Gabby glanced at Liam. “You don’t mind?”

      “Of course not.”

      She handed Liam Mia, her stuffed giraffe and a small tub of Cheerios.

      “We’ll just wait for your mama in the hallway, won’t we, Mia?”

      Gabby turned back to Liam’s mother while he stepped out of the room.

      “You said you didn’t have any complaints?” Marci asked.

      “Besides being chilled to the bone, I feel fine. It could have been so much worse.”

      “Any bruises СКАЧАТЬ