Hero By Night (Independence Falls 3)

“If you care about her, don’t let her go.”

“She’s already walked away from me once,” Chad said.

“Then go after her. You might be flying a helicopter like Dad dreamed about doing, but you’re not living his life. If you want her, go get her.”

“You’re right,” Chad said with a heavy sigh. “And I wish it were that simple. But I know her, Josh. She needs space. Too many ­people in her life have made demands and set expectations that she couldn’t meet.”

“You can’t just give up. Life’s too short. Trust me, it could all slip away and you wouldn’t remember it tomorrow.” Josh sounded a helluva lot wiser than a twenty-­seven-­year-­old should when it came to escaping death. “Isn’t there something you could do?”

Chad stared at his brother’s notebook. “I need to borrow that.”

“I’ll hide it under my pillow. No one will ever know about our little chat.”

“And you’ll forget about it.” Chad held out his hand.

Josh gave in, handing it over. Flipping to a blank page in the back, Chad started writing.

“You’re writing her a love letter?”

“Something like that.”

“What the hell? Have you spent the past week drowning your broken heart in ice cream and romantic comedies?”

Chad ignored his brother and focused on the words. Getting it to her might prove challenging. She hadn’t left a forwarding address. But he could enlist his sister’s help. After reading through the note, he tore out the page, followed by the ones with Josh’s notes about his love life, and handed it back to his brother.

“Thanks, bro.” Chad turned to the door. “And have fun at bingo tonight.”

“Yeah, it will be a blast,” Josh said, not bothering to mask his sarcasm. “Hey, Chad?”

He paused in the doorway. “Yeah?”

“You’re still looking, right?” His little brother’s voice trembled slightly as if he was afraid to ask. “For a doctor who can fix me?”

“Yeah, we’re on it. Brody’s determined to find the right doctor. You and I both know he’s never let us down. If Brody says he’s going to find help, he will. And if he even thinks about giving up, I’ll kick his ass. I’m not going to let you down.”

Chapter 21

LENA MADE IT eight days, working, sleeping, and bingeing on chocolate, before Georgia found her in the Independence Falls grocery store, trying to decide between a Hershey’s bar and bread. She couldn’t afford both and still have enough for the rent on her new studio apartment.

Her parents had sent her a check along with the Silver Star they’d accepted on her behalf, and a note apologizing for failing her. After reading their heartfelt words, she’d swallowed her foolish pride and cashed the check. But it had barely covered the security deposit on her new place. She still needed to come up with the rental payments each month, which right now meant making hard choices—­bread or chocolate.

“I need you to come over.” Georgia tossed the chocolate bar into her cart filled with juice boxes,

Cheerios, and bacon. “I’m finalizing a date, a venue, and shoes.”

“What happened to the backyard wedding?” Lena placed the bread in her basket.

“Eric and I agreed that we didn’t need to rush on account of his company’s logging schedule. Liam can take over for him while we’re getting married and away on our honeymoon. Plus we couldn’t take a honeymoon over Christmas. Nate would be heartbroken. And the dress I found last weekend in Portland? They need a ­couple of months to order it. We’re looking at an early spring date again.”

Of course, it all came down to a dress, even for a woman who’d worn the same uniform day after day in a war zone. Or maybe especially for someone like Georgia, who’d missed fashion while serving halfway around the world.

“Katie plans to leave work a little early and come over. And Eric is taking Nate for a boys’ adventure, a little early birthday celebration before his party on Saturday. We could sit on the patio and open a bottle of wine.” Georgia held up the Hershey’s bar. “Maybe some chocolate.”

“I’m in,” Lena said, following Georgia to the checkout with Hero at her side. “I’ll follow you in my truck.”

A half hour later, Lena settled into a lounge chair beside an outdoor heating tower. In her hands, she held the promised chocolate. Hero curled up at her feet. Not long ago, when she’d first moved to Independence Falls and the weather had been warmer, she’d sat here with Katie talking about boys. Now Katie was planning to build a home with the man she loved, Georgia was getting married—­and Lena had walked away from the first man who’d made her believe that she was ready to open her heart and her life again.

“I booked Willamette Views Vineyard for the first weekend in April,” Georgia announced, setting three shoe boxes on the patio. “Katie helped me pick out a dress. Now I need shoes. I’m thinking blue heels.”