“Nothing. Leave me out of it.”
“Relax, Trapper. You don’t have anything to worry about. The Major stipulated that his family is off limits. I was doing that”—she motioned toward the laptop—“strictly for background.”
“Why didn’t you just ask me what you wanted to know?”
“Because you wouldn’t tell me.”
“Depends on what you ask. Give it a shot.”
“All right. Tell me about your mother.”
“Name, Debra Jane. Date of birth—”
“I already know all that. Tell me what she was like.”
“Didn’t The Major cover that with you?”
“Some. Enough so that I got a sense of her personality. Is there anything you can contribute without getting your back up and looking for ulterior motives beyond my curiosity?”
He thought it over, then said, “She was a great lady. She didn’t sign on to be a celebrity’s wife, but when the role was thrust on her, she accepted it. Growing up, I was a handful and—”
“I can imagine.”
“—her husband was deployed twice overseas. One year in Kuwait during the Gulf War. When his tour was over and he retired from the army, she was grateful to have him home and out of military life. And then the Pegasus happened.”
He shrugged, but Kerra wasn’t convinced of the indifference it was meant to convey.
He said, “I suppose being an army wife had prepared her for being left alone a lot of the time to handle house and home and me by herself.”
“That’s almost word for word what The Major said about her.”
“God help me if I start sounding like him.”
“No chance of that. The Major doesn’t bite my head off when I ask a question he doesn’t like. He courteously told me ahead of time the topics I’m to avoid.”
“Me and what else?”
“Hunting.”
“Hunting?”
“I asked if he would consider removing the mounted trophies from his walls before the interview, and he said, ‘Hell, no.’ There are several subjects on which he and I have agreed to disagree.”
Sardonically, he repeated, “Me and what else?”
“Actually he and I are in total agreement about you. You’re sarcastic, defensive, and hostile.”
“You left out wicked.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to ca
ll you wicked.”
“Somebody already did.”
“Who?”
“A cute redhead.”