Letters to Her Soldier (5 page)

“Because I’m proving
to her she’s wanted.
 
I made a bet that
at least four men would bid on her. ”

He growled and
reached for his sister, stopping her.
 
“Why did you do that? I want her.
 
You know how I feel about her. ”

“She doesn’t.
 
It’s taken you forever to come home.
 
When you do, you take over, expecting her to
follow you and fall at your feet and say yes.
 
I love you to pieces, Caleb, but you’re not
her only option. ”

“What do you
mean?”

Greta took a
step back out of his hold.
 
“She has a
man sniffing around her.
 
He’s a doctor, one
of the children’s doctors at the hospital. ”

His brain went
into overdrive, planning everything he had to do to make sure she didn’t choose
him.
 
“She never mentioned him
. ”

“Of course she
didn’t, and for many reasons, one being it’s still very new with the doctor.
 
It’s taken her forever to catch on he likes
her. She’s clueless when men flirt with her.
 
The only reason I know about him is I was at
the hospital with her the last couple of times, and there when he asked for her
number.
 
She put that down to him wanting
to tell her what patients he had that week so she would bring the right treats.
”

His sister
rolled her eyes.
 
“And when he asked her
out for coffee, she said he was just being nice.
 
He was grateful she treated his patients so
good.
 
So see, I told you she sucks with
picking up when men want her.
 
I sent you
that letter as a warning.
 
Bianca wasn’t
going to wait for you forever.
 
Bianca
tells herself she hasn’t been waiting for you, but I know the truth, and I
think she’s starting to see it too.
 
That’s why she started writing to you less.
 
Bianca was weaning herself off you, probably
so she could move on. ”

Greta started
walking away, and he watched her for a moment, realizing everything she said
was true.
 

“Look, you have
to spell it out with Bianca.
 
Get a
banner that says, I lov—”

They both
stopped walking and Greta stopped talking as they came upon Bianca.
 
She stood frozen as she stared at both of them.
 
Caleb debated what to do for a moment.
 
Her face was white and her body seemed to be
trembling.
 
He glanced at his sister, hoping
she might know what to do.

Greta walked to
Bianca, and he watched as she backed away holding her hands out.
 

“No, give me a
moment or two.
 
I need…” She shook her
head and shot a look at him.
 
“I came
back to apologize for running.
 
You
blindsided me.
 
A lot has happened in the
last twenty-four hours.
 
And I heard some
things…” She took a couple more steps back.
 
“I don’t know what to say now
. ”

A tear slid down
her cheek, and Caleb couldn’t stay where he was.
 
He needed to go to her.
 
She didn’t have time to back up enough before
he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.
 

His sister
nodded and walked past him.
 

They held each
other for a couple of minutes before she pushed on his chest and said, “She’s
right, you know.
 
Well, about most of
what I heard. ”

“What part did
you hear?”

“About me not
telling you about the men in the letters and that they might be interested
. ”

“Why didn’t you
tell me about them? I thought you told me almost everything in those letters, but
I learned you only tell me some of what you do.
 
There are so many things I want to know about
you. Why don’t you say no to my mother? You know she’ll bowl you over if you
let her. ”

“I like helping
your Mum
. ”
Bianca stared up at him.
 
“This sounds silly, but you are kinda a
fantasy for me.
 
Not real.
 
I know I used to follow you around when I was
little, before you went to the Army, but to the grown-up me, you’re a dream.
 
Something that I thought would be always out
of reach. ” She held his hand and started walking toward the cars.
 
“It just hit me when Greta said it.
 
I haven’t been writing to you as much because
I’ve been weaning myself off you.
 
I’ve
been preparing to put my big girl panties on and go out and find my Mr.
 
Right.
”

They’d reached
his car, and he caged her against it.
 
“Don’t.
 
I’m him.
 
I’m your Mr.
 
Right.
” He tilted
her head up and brushed his lips to hers.
 
“Your letters kept me sane.
 
They let me into your world.
 
I fell in love with the woman who sent me
those letters. ” He cupped her face.
 
“I
love the woman who sent those letters.
 
I
want to learn and get to know you better and keep falling for you each day a
little bit more. ”

He traced her
lips with his tongue before seeking entry and meeting hers.
 
His hands traveled down her body until he
lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around him.
 

“Give us a
chance? Let me get to know you, and you me.
 
I’ll ask you again in a couple of weeks if
you’ll be my wife. ”

Bianca bit her
lip and nodded. He grinned.
 

“One more thing.
For this to work
best, you have to live with me. ”He waited, hoping he hadn’t pushed her too far.

She studied his
face before she mumbled, “Okay.
 
A couple of weeks.
”

He smiled and
captured her mouth in a no-holds-barred kiss. They split as a car honked.
 
Her cheeks turned a pretty pink, and she
opened his car and got straight in.
 
He
walked around to the driver’s side, sat down, shut the car door, and started
the engine.

****

They’d stopped
by her apartment, and she’d packed clothes, underwear, shoes and anything she
would need for the next couple of weeks. By the time they got back to the base
and unpacked her things, it was late, and Bianca had to get up early for work
the next day.
 

The week flew by.
 
Bianca left for work at four thirty in
the morning and came home mid-afternoon.
 
Caleb spent the first two days relaxing and
unpacking.
 
On Wednesday, as soon as she
got home, they went out furniture shopping.
 
They did the same on Thursday and stayed out
late thanks to it being late-night shopping.

At first, she’d
been reluctant to choose anything for the house.
 
She didn’t want to intrude or get his hopes up.
 
But once she saw his tastes and the
things he kept picking, she couldn’t hold back.
 
By the end of Thursday night, she’d well and
truly taken over.
 

Caleb didn’t
seem the least worried.
 
He smiled at the
salesmen and said, “Whatever my girl wants, I’m happy with
. ”
Then he’d kissed her no matter where they’d been.

Friday night had
been chaotic.
 
She had a Delta Club
meeting, and she’d called Mathew to see what patients he had at the hospital so
Saturday she could bake and bring the treats to the hospital before Caleb’s
party.

Caleb hadn’t
wanted her to go to the Delta Club meeting.
 
“Come on, beautiful, I’m sure my mother would
understand if you missed the meeting.
 
I
want to spend time with you.
 
We can go
out to dinner or a movie or even do both?” Caleb pulled her to him and tried to
convince her.
 
He almost did, but the big
fund-raiser ball was next week, and she knew his mum was counting on her.

“I wish I could.
 
You’re so tempting.
 
But I promised your mother I would
help,
and the ball’s next week. ”

Caleb hadn’t
been happy.
 
She left the meeting early, but
Caleb wasn’t home when she returned.
 
A
note on the table told her he’d gone out with his mates.
 
Bianca waited up for Caleb because he’d wanted
her to stay and have time with him.
 
She
felt so bad for leaving him.
 

Bianca watched
TV for half an hour and, after a while, got bored.
 
So she washed clothes, ironed, and folded
Caleb’s uniforms while she waited for him.
 
As she went into their room to put away his
items, she paused at his underwear drawer and stared at her letters, all of
them in a neat bunch.
 
Sitting on top was
the worn picture of her lying on the hood of her car in her white bikini.
 

“Oh, God
. ”
It looked like he’d kept them all.
 
Carefully, she lifted the three neat stacks of
letters and sat on the bed.
 
Slowly she
sifted through them.
 
They were in order
of the date she’d sent them, and she was sure not one was missing. There were
photos of her in the middle of letters, ones that Greta must have sent.

She opened the
first one and read.

Dear Caleb,

I don’t know how to start
this letter.
 
I’ve written it a million
times in so many different ways.
 
I
started off one with “how are you?” and then I reread it and thought, Idiot.
 
I said to myself, he’s away at war.
 
He’s probably not going to answer that or
he’ll think I’m silly.

Next, I started it with “I
hope everything’s all right
. ”
I only wrote that one
once, as I figured that’s worse than how are you.
 
Of course everything’s not all right.
 
If it was, you wouldn’t be where you are.
 
Greta wouldn’t have asked me to write you a
letter because you’re getting down.

So then I started the
letter with how well school’s going and that I seem to be doing okay with the
workload and the other girls at school aren’t picking on me anymore.
 
But that didn’t sound right either, no matter
how I worded it.
 

Now I’m going to try
something simple.
 
I’m really sorry to
hear you’re down, but I thank you for your service, and if there is anything I
can do to make you feel better, I will happily do it.

Stay safe, and know that no
matter where you are and what you do, you are loved by many.

Lo—

Regards,

Bianca

Bianca ran her
finger over the crossed out word "love
. "
"Regards" had been a better choice even if love had been the truth.
 
The letter was in bad condition, the ends
tattered, and it looked like it had been folded many times, and opened, again
and again.

She remembered
his response to this letter, had kept it.
 
She’d read it a thousand times.
 

Dear Bianca,

None of your questions were
silly.
 
I’m doing better a lot better
since I got your letter, and the fighting has died down.
 
I’m basically keeping the peace now.

Nothing much happens here.
 
So getting your letter was a nice surprise.
 

I’m so glad the nasty girls
at school are treating you better, and I stick by my words that I said before I
left, they are just jealous of how gorgeous you are.
 

I would love to hear more
about what you are up to.
 
I eagerly
await your next letter.

Love, Caleb

Bianca knew the
letter by heart before she replied.
 
That
was how it all started.
 
She couldn’t
believe he’d kept them all.
 

She read them
and came to one that had given Caleb the idea for the lookout.

Dear Caleb,

All men are assholes.
 
Either that, or there is something wrong with
me.

A couple of letters ago I
mentioned I never got to go to the lookout and make-out like everyone else said
they’d done. And how all the girls said how wonderful and magical it was. Well,
I finally got to go to the lookout, and I have no idea what all the fuss is
about.
 
I hated it, and if I never have anything
like that happen to me again, I will be happy.