The Corporal and the Choir Girl

“I wrote him a letter over a month ago, and he never responded,” said Beth. “I suppose this is why.”

Reegan opened her mouth to refute the conclusion of that statement, then closed her lips. She was too weary to dispute what she believed, what she knew.

“You know military mail can be delayed,” Reegan said instead. “We both have gotten letters from him dated weeks in the past. Once I got one over a month old.”

Beth pulled away, wiping at her face. “I hope he got the letter before … It was a confession.”

Reegan didn’t need to ask what kind of confession. Beth had been in love with Reece since she understood what the word meant. For his part, Reece was entirely oblivious.

He’d once promised to marry Beth so that they could all be real brothers and sisters. He'd been six when he'd made that promise. Reegan suspected Beth had never forgotten. She was sure their friend had been holding out hope that he’d make good on that promise someday soon.

But when Reece had chosen a military career instead of the call to the pulpit, Beth had had a wake-up call. She'd only started dating after Reece's first tour, and she realized they'd never be together. Reegan suspected that didn't change how her friend felt in her heart. It was evident in the redness of her eyes.

“I told Reece I loved him, that I always had. When he didn’t respond, I took it as a sign to say yes to start dating Walter. And now Walter’s asked me to marry him."

“Oh, Beth,” Reegan sighed.

“I’m going to say yes.” Beth sniffled as she spoke about her impending marriage. It wasn’t a good sign when a bride to be was in tears over the proposal, especially not when she was crying over another man. “Walter is a good man. I can make him happy. Especially if I’m never going to be with the man I truly love.”

Reegan wasn’t sure what to say. Part of her wanted to tell Beth to wait, that Reece wasn’t truly gone. But another part of her wanted her friend to move on. It was clear that Reece didn’t feel the same way about her as she did about him. But Reegan couldn’t lie, not to her oldest friend.

"I just don't believe Reece’s gone,” Reegan said. “I still feel him in my heart."

“I hope to God you're right." Beth took a deep breath. “But if you are, I’ve still got my answer from him. It was never going to be us. I need to accept that and move on.”

Reegan knew she should feel relief at Beth’s statement, but she didn’t. She wanted her friend to marry for love, not to settle for anything less. And she wanted Reece to be there when Beth did walk down the aisle. He would insist that whatever man won his best friend’s hand had also won her heart.

Reegan just needed to get someone to believe her and go back and look for her brother. The sun shifted in the afternoon sky and her gaze flicked over the hill. There a man appeared.

He rose up as though he were walking out of the sun. Corporal Brandon Lucas walked toward them like he was the answer to her prayers.

At that moment, Reegan knew what she needed to do. She needed to make Brandon Lucas see the light. She needed to make him believe so that he would help her recover her brother.

Chapter Nine

Brandon looked down at the pick in one hand and shovel in the other. He'd held heavy artillery. He knew how to put together a rifle and take it apart in the dark. His skills with a firearm were deadly accurate.

And yet here he was reduced to a gardener. Sent off to battle weeds. Enlisted to sow seeds of string beans.

He didn't have time for this. He definitely didn’t have any patience for it. He’d come to the ranch to relax and recuperate, not to tend and till.

He’d figured he'd at least get to ride the horses. He could see Chase and Ortega in the distance trotting on horseback with a few of the other soldiers in residence. And yet here he was walking away from that excitement to commune with nature.

Wasn't the whole point of this to get him out of his head? Not to leave him alone with his thoughts. He was near to tossing the tools down in the cursed dirt when he spotted a red flame up ahead.

It was her. Reegan. She held the same tools in her hands that he possessed. Her tools were buried in the earth. The flowers around her stretched their wiry limbs up for her attention. But she wasn’t looking at the blossoms. Her blue gaze was latched on him.

Her gaze wasn’t friendly. Those long lashes swept low as she narrowed her eyes. Her nostrils flared. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her shoulders squared off in determination.

She reminded Brandon of a disgruntled kitten. Part of him wanted to toss her a ball of yarn and watch her play. The other part of him recognized the lioness hidden inside that ball of fur.

For the first time in his life, Brandon contemplated running away from a battle line. Because make no mistake, there was a line drawn in the fertile ground. It ended where the weeds were wilting away, losing a battle to Reegan Cartwright’s pruning.

He felt her fingers plucking at him. Sifting the soil of his being to get to the root of him. He held still for her, as though she’d taken one of those gardening sticks used to prop up a vine that couldn’t hold its own weight.

Brandon stood tall, the tallest thing in the entire field. The sun’s rays touched the top of his head first. But he wasn’t interested in the star’s light. He felt warmed through just being in Reegan’s presence. Even though he knew that he was about to get burned, his feet kept moving closer to the heat source.

"Hello, Ms. Cartwright."