Jump Start (Texas Hotzone 1)

A flicker of light jerked his attention to the road. A car. The instant he was sure it was Jennifer, he started to stand, but thought better of it. Her tardiness said she’d hesitated to come here. He’d overwhelmed her or underwhelmed her, he had no idea which. He needed to take things slow, tread cautiously.

She pulled her car next to his truck and killed the lights. Long seconds passed and Bobby barely contained the urge to go after her. Finally, when he was about out of restraint, the door shoved open.

She walked to him, dressed in black jeans and a T-shirt that blended with the night. She stopped at the edge of the trees for just an instant, as if stunned by the romantic setup he’d prepared. He hoped he’d pleased her.

At the edge of the blanket, she towered over him, her hands crossed in front of her. “Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi,” he said, aching to pull her into his arms. “I thought you weren’t going to show up.”

“I thought I wasn’t going to show up,” she said.

“But you did.”

“Yes.”

He patted the blanket. “Will you sit down with me?”

She shook her head. “No. I…I don’t think I should stay. Bobby, all of this…it’s great. You were always great. Always romantic. But…”

“I left,” he said. “I know.” It was all he could do to keep from reaching for her. “The other night when I went silent on you in the car, I wasn’t shutting you out. I didn’t know what I was feeling to put it into words. But I would have if you would have given me a little more time. I wanted nothing more than to hold you and figure out how to save us that night. I was beating myself up with what-ifs. But I would have talked to you. I will tonight. If you let me.” He offered her his hand. “Sit down with me.”

He could see her throat bob, her expression softening in the flickering lantern light. Slowly, she slid her hand to his and went down on the blanket to sit down facing him, her knees, like his, propped in front of her.

He reached out and touched her cheek. “After that night,” he said, “seeing how easily you felt I was pulling away, I knew I had to do more than tell you I was serious about us. I knew I had to show you. And I knew you deserved to know what I was going to be, and do, when I got out of the Army. So I got to work. The first thing I did was fly back to base and sign my exit paperwork. I still have to go back for a week, but I’m done, out.”

“You’ve been a soldier for seven years,” she said. “I saw you save lives at the Hotzone. Don’t get out for me, Bobby. It’s not an either-or. It’s not about that.”

“I’d be gone all the time,” he said. “It’s no way to have a relationship.”

“It’s not about you being gone,” she said. “Not for duty. It would be hard, but I would never make you choose.”

“I know,” he said. “But I’m choosing. I’m tired of death. I’m tired of not having a place to call home. I don’t want to be gone all the time. So…” He reached to the side of the blanket and held up a set of keys.

“What’s that?”

“I had money saved and I put it to use,” he said. “I—we, I hope, are now co-owners of the Hotzone. Rocky was going to sell. I convinced him to bring on a partner instead. I’m hoping to convince the guys you met—Ryan and Caleb—to join us one day.”

Her hand was on his leg now, her voice lifting, a hint of excitement. “You did this already? You invested?”

He nodded. “I did. And I called an Austin Realtor and asked her to send me over some lakeside properties for us to look through.” He handed her a folder. “That dream house we wanted so many years ago, Jen.”

She took the folder, her hand shaking as she thumbed through the pages, and then glanced up at him, her eyes glassy. “Bobby, I—”

“Wait,” he said, kissing her hand and setting the folder on the blanket. “One more thing.”

He pulled her to her feet and discreetly reached in his pocket before going down on his knee and taking her hand. He held up the ring he’d picked out only a few days before, a single stone as big as he could afford—simple and elegant, like her.

“Oh, wow,” she whispered and started to cry.

“Jennifer. I love you. Make me a happy man and give me the chance to show you that, every day, for the rest of our lives. Please tell me I’ve convinced you I’m not going anywhere without you. Marry me, Jen. Be my wife.”