Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) (6 page)

After all, if she were to survive the
next year with him, he may as well witness what she looked like on a normal
day.

But bearing the sight of her crawling off
the treadmill, covered in three coats of sweat after her first workout since
high school gym class was a lot to ask of a guy.

The hot water pummeled her body and Bess
grinned, feeling strangely satisfied with herself after a half hour of
self-imposed torture on the treadmill.

She was going to have to do that again.

She had totally gone overboard, she
thought as she unloaded a huge plastic storage bin filled with fried chicken, a
plate of lemon squares, fruit salad, and a bowl of curry chicken and grapes casserole.

It would have been more picturesque to
pack a wicker picnic basket, but she didn’t have one, so had to improvise.

There was enough food to feed an army
which, seeing as they were sitting smack dab in the center of an Army base,
could only work to her advantage.

Until today, the Naval Academy had been
the only military installation she had ever stepped foot upon. Maeve and Jack’s
invitations to visit in Little Creek had to wait for another day, since Abby
always seemed to get carsick after as little as an hour on the road.

Fort Meade, where Tyler worked, was
completely different from the Naval Academy. Sprawling and filled with
construction, Tyler had once called it an Army base that had forgotten it was
Army, and she could see why. The mammoth base housed everything from the
Defense Information Systems Agency to the Asymmetric Warfare Group, and even the
NSA. Just making it to the parade field where the festivities were, Bess was
surprised Tyler hadn’t gotten lost.

Arriving an hour early to eat their
picnic dinner, there was already a crowd. Tyler spotted a few people he knew
sitting toward the front, and they managed to squeeze a little extra room
beside them. He spread out the picnic blanket on the grass, and introduced Bess
to his friends just as Abby got lassoed into a game of tag with two children.

Seeing the families with dads around
them, Bess wondered if it would be good for Abby to be in this atmosphere. She
had just reached that age when she started noticing that other children had
dads—not just a bunch of honorary uncles like she had. How long before
she started asking questions?

Even in the midst of conversation,
Tyler’s eyes never left Abby. Bess loved that about him. She could actually
relax a little, knowing that someone else was keeping an eye out, making sure
her little girl didn’t wander off.

“So do you two live on base?” one of the
wives asked Bess. Clarissa, Bess repeated her name silently in her head, trying
to keep everyone’s name straight.

“No. We’re down in Annapolis.”

Clarissa laughed. “Seriously? He’s
probably the only Army guy in that Navy town. He must really love you to let
you live there, especially around game day.”

The game day Clarissa referred to, Bess
already knew, was Army versus Navy, one of the longest and most firmly
entrenched college football rivalries out there.

“Oh no,” Bess quickly corrected. “We’re
housemates. Just friends.”

Ethan, Clarissa’s husband who was holding
one of Bess’s fried drumsticks, piped in, “Well, in that case, can I trade in
Clarissa for you? She doesn’t fry chicken like this.” The comment was met with
a swift, but good-natured thump on the arm from his wife.

Bess grinned. “Any more comments like
that, and I’m cutting off your chicken supply.”

“Any more comments like that and I’ll be
cutting off something much more important to him than chicken,” Clarissa added,
firing a deadly glare at her husband.

“So, ready to be a Captain, yet?” Ethan
asked Tyler.

Tyler smiled. “No, but I’m ready for the
pay raise that comes with it.”

Retrieving the container of chicken, Bess
eyed Tyler. “You’re getting promoted?”

Tyler nodded, nonchalant, as always.

She handed Tyler another drumstick. “Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“No big deal. I’ve known for months. It’s
just the natural course of things in the Army.”

Ethan laughed. “Yeah, except he’s getting
promoted before me. I’ll have to salute this guy for about six months till I
get my own Captain’s bars pinned on me. That’s a damn nuisance.”

Clarissa shot her husband a look. “Watch
the language. There are kids around.”

“Sorry,” he answered her, giving his best
shamed-face. “You gotta convince this guy to throw a party or something. He’s
being way too low-key about it. When I get promoted, I’m renting out the
ballroom at the Four Seasons.”

Clarissa raised an eyebrow at her
husband. “And cashing out our TSP to do it, I imagine. Over my dead body. Backyard
barbeque is all you’ll get,
Lieutenant
.”

Bess called Abby back over to them as the
emcee announced the beginning of the program and they settled into their seats
on the blanket. “Why don’t we throw a party at the house, Tyler?”

“No. It’s too much trouble. It’s not like
I’m making General, Bess. I was bound to make Captain one day. I’m not even
having my mom or sister come down for it. Too long of a drive for them. I don’t
like making a big deal out of stuff like this.”

“Yeah, but you worked hard for it. You
should celebrate.”

“I worked hard so I could get into Ranger
Battalion. Not to get a couple bars pinned to my uniform.”

“But—” Her argument was cut off by
the National Anthem. Trying to get Abby to stand up for the entire length of
the song proved impossible, and Bess finally lifted her little girl into her
arms while she stood.

As the soprano sang, joined in by a few
others in the audience, Bess glanced around. The words seemed to have more
meaning to this audience than others she had seen. Tyler stood at perfect
attention, and Bess felt a sense of pride at just being with him.

Promotion coming up? Didn’t surprise her
in the least. But if he thought she’d let him get away without having a
celebration at the house afterward, then he had another thing coming to him.

After a rousing round of applause, the first
part of the performance began, filled with plenty of patriotic tunes and a
surprising number of classic rock songs that had Abby and the other children
migrating to the front of the crowd to dance. Then a military pageant began,
using Soldiers in period dress to act out scenes of war from the Revolution all
the way through to the present. Muskets and cannons fired, making Abby jump and
clap with glee at every earth-shaking explosion.

Just as the sun touched the horizon, the
Army Drill Team marched toward them for their part of the performance. Bess’s
jaw dropped at their precision as they twirled and tossed M14s, real bayonets
affixed. Hands down, they were Bess’s favorite part of the Twilight Tattoo, and
from the wide-eyed expression on Abby’s face, it was an opinion she shared with
her daughter.

“How do they do that?” the little girl
whispered loudly as they completed their performance.

“Years of practice,” Tyler answered.

“They’re like the Rockettes,” Abby said
in awe.

Tyler glanced at Bess. “Who are the
Rockettes?”

“The chorus line tap dancers at Radio
City Music Hall in New York,” Bess answered. “Maeve bought her their Christmas
show DVD last year.”

Tyler grimaced. “Do me a favor and don’t
let those guys hear that, okay?”

“Promise,” Bess replied with a grin. Except
for the precision of their choreography, there really was no comparing the two.
And she had no plans to tell a bunch of fit Soldiers holding M14s that they had
just been compared to tap dancers.

When the program was complete, Bess stood
to gather their things, for the first time noticing just how many people had
joined the audience.

“It’s so crowded,” she commented. “We
were lucky to be up front like this.”

“Yeah, they don’t travel for shows very
often. Most of the time you have to go to Fort Myer in Virginia to see the
Twilight Tattoo.”

“Thanks so much for taking us, Tyler.”

“Thank you!” Abby echoed, giving his leg
a big hug.

Bess wished she could express her
gratitude in the same way.

He lifted Abby into his arms. “Anytime,
Peanut.”

With her head now level to his, Abby gave
him a kiss on the cheek, and Bess’s heart felt a tug. Her little girl was
growing so attached to Tyler. How would Abby handle it when he left at the end
of his year here?

How would
Bess
handle it?

***

All the fresh air must have exhausted
Bess. Tyler glanced over at her, her head resting against the window, eyes half
shut as they filtered through the traffic to get out of Fort Meade.

“Thanks so much, Tyler,” she whispered,
eyes drooping.

Tyler smiled. “You already said that at
least ten times, Bess. I just wish you would have let me pick up some ribs or
something for the picnic. You wore yourself out cooking.” As usual, Tyler added
in his head. Hadn’t she known that taking her to the Twilight Tattoo was
supposed to be a partial payback for all the good meals?

Now, at the end of the night, he found he
still owed her.

It was unexpected, he thought as he
glanced at her restful face, her eyes closed. He hadn’t imagined he’d have such
a great time with them tonight.

If they weren’t living together, he might
even be tempted to ask Bess out on a date. She was fun to be around. She made
him laugh. Feel comfortable.

But she was also his housemate. And the
mother of the little girl he absolutely adored. He wasn’t going to mess up this
sweet deal to take a stab at something that would likely fail. It’s not like he
had banked a lot of success when it came to relationships.

Besides that, Bess didn’t seem remotely
interested in dating anyone right now. Being a single mom might do that to a
woman, and he suspected that her relationship with Abby’s father wasn’t the
best or he’d have at least heard the name of the guy by now.

Both Bess and Abby were out like a light
by the time Tyler rolled onto the driveway. “Hey Bess. Wake up. We’re home.”

“Mmm. So tired.”

“Yeah. You were up late last night frying
chicken for the picnic,” Tyler commented. “I’ll put Abby to bed. You just get
inside and go back to sleep. Can she skip brushing teeth tonight?”

“Mmhm,” Bess said, quietly opening her car
door. “Thanks, Tyler.”

If she said thank you one more time to
him, he’d scream. It drove him nuts.

After unsnapping the restraints in the
car seat, Tyler lifted Abby into his arms. Such a warm feeling, having a little
one sleeping soundly in his grasp. How could she have wrapped him so thoroughly
around her finger?

Climbing the stairs, he felt Abby
stirring slightly. Damn. Hope she wouldn’t get fussy if she woke up.

He lowered her into her bed just as her
eyes opened.

“I’m home,” she noticed.

“Yep, safe and sound in your bed.”

“That was fun.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I like cannons. They’re loud.”

“They are. Now shhh. Back to sleep.” He
leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Abby’s forehead, deciding to let her
sleep in her clothes. If she awakened too much, he suspected she’d be up all
night.

“Kenny and Julie are nice.”

“The kids you were playing with? Yeah,
they seemed it.”

“They have nice dads.” She yawned. “Are
you my dad?”

The question, so direct and innocent,
punched him in the gut. “I’m not lucky enough to be your dad.”

“Who is?”

“Ah, Abby, maybe that’s more a question
for your mom than for me.” He sat on the bed. “But I can tell you that I never
knew my own dad either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, maybe that’s why we get along so
well.”

Abby fired him one of her chubby-cheeked
grins. “We’re alike. You and me.”

“You and me, kiddo.” He gave her a gentle
high-five. “And I promise you’ll always be able to count on me just like Kenny
and Julie count on their dad, okay? And you’ve got your Uncle Mick.”

“And Uncle Jack and Uncle Joe after Aunt
Vi marries him next month.”

“Exactly. With a bunch of guys like that
looking out for you, and an amazing mom like you have, you’re a really lucky
girl.”

“I am lucky,” she murmured, her eyes
fluttering shut again.

I know the feeling.

He was a lucky son of a bitch. Tyler
pounded his feet against the treadmill on a steep incline, the sweat pouring
from his body. The view of the street from the room wasn’t as great as looking
at the Bay, but it was a damn sight nicer than the view of a concrete wall at
the gym on base.

The leaves on the trees were still full
and green—not many weeks left of that, he imagined—and they nearly
blocked the entire quiet street from his sight. One lazy, overfed rabbit nibbled
on an apple that had fallen from the tree along the driveway. He’d have to pick
those apples with Abby one day. One of his favorite childhood memories was
picking apples in an orchard near their small house in New York.

Bess had taken Abby to Edith’s after
breakfast and then would head to her catering job for the rest of the day. So the
house was his for the afternoon. After his run, he’d do some paddleboarding
before he showered up for his date tonight. Janette again, third date since
last week, and if he was reading her right, he’d be checking out her place
before the night was over.

God, it had been a while since he’d
gotten laid. Nothing like the chaos of a PCS, a new post, and a three-year-old
for a housemate to cramp a guy’s sex life.

A red Lotus Elise pulled into the
driveway. Sweet ride, Tyler thought, admiring the sleek lines of the car, and
expecting it to back right out again, needing to turn around. He couldn’t
imagine anyone who drove a Lotus had any business at this house.

Tyler’s antenna went up immediately when
the car stopped. The driver stepped out of the car tentatively, looking off to
both sides of the street before he approached the house. Being a Ranger, Tyler was
always watching people’s body language, and something about the movements of
this guy definitely put him on alert.

Who the hell was this guy? And why did
Tyler’s gut tell him he was up to no good?

Tyler grabbed a towel and mopped off his
face and bare chest, draping the towel on the back of his neck just before he
heard the doorbell ring.

He opened the door. “Can I help you?”

The man took a step back, glancing
briefly at Tyler’s ripped chest.

Good
. You better be intimidated, Tyler thought.

“Is Bess here?”

What would a guy shifty eyes driving a
Lotus want with Bess? Immediately, Tyler’s protective instincts bared their
fanged teeth. Hold on, Ranger, he ordered himself. Maybe this was a guy Bess had
dated or something. It wasn’t his place to destroy a potential relationship
with one threatening glare.

“Nope,” Tyler responded, his voice
clipped. He certainly wasn’t going to offer up any information, especially when
every cell in his body was warning him the guy was trouble. “Can I help you?”

“Uh, no.” The guy started backed away.

No way was Tyler letting him escape
without finding out more. “And you are?”

“Dan. Dan Wils. Just tell her I stopped
by.”

Nope, he didn’t like this guy at all, and
he hoped to God Bess wasn’t thinking he was her knight-in-shining-Lotus because
there was no way Tyler would keep his opinions to himself on this matter. “Okay,
Dan-Dan Wils. I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

Dan narrowed his eyes, a futile attempt
at intimidation. Don’t even try, Tyler thought, leaning against the frame of
the door and folding his arms.

“Thanks,” the guy responded, his tone laden
with sarcasm.

Tyler loomed in the doorway till the
Lotus pulled away and disappeared down the street.

***

Glancing at the clock on her dashboard,
Bess pulled into the sprawling driveway of Edith’s waterfront house. She was more
than an hour late, she noted, grateful to know that Edith wouldn’t mind. Bess’s
job with the caterer was notoriously unreliable when it came to the hours. Today’s
early afternoon bar mitzvah had run a lot longer than predicted, but Bess had
walked away with at least three new ideas for dishes she wanted to try out on
Tyler and Abby this week.

After ringing the doorbell, she was
greeted by Edith’s warm hug. Edith had a way of making Bess and her daughter feel
so much a part of the family. Calling Edith “Grandma Edie,” Abby probably
hadn’t even considered the possibility that the older woman wasn’t her real
grandmother.

“How was the bar mitzvah, dear?” Edith asked,
guiding her toward the living room where Abby was settled on the floor in a
pile of toys.

“Long. My feet are killing me.” She was
lucky to not have to wear heels, she imagined. But even the cheap black flats
she had bought to go with the black pants and white shirt she was required to
wear gave her blisters every time she wore them.

“Poor thing. Why don’t you sit a while? Abby’s
happily playing with a new toy I got her.”

Abby glanced up. “I want to stay, Mama.”

“Five minutes,” Bess conceded to her
little girl, really just wanting to get home and soak her feet in the tub.

“I’m glad to have you here for a moment. We
barely get a chance to talk these days.”

Shame crept into Bess’s heart. She did have
the habit of just dropping Abby off and picking her up without really spending
time with Edith. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. Don’t be sorry at all. I just
had some things I wanted to show you.” Edith picked up a huge shopping bag that
rested alongside the sofa. “I was shopping with Tracey yesterday.”

“Tracey?”

“Yes. She’s one of the mids I’m
sponsoring this year. She’s about your size and she picked out some adorable
outfits at this new store at the mall. I’ve never heard of the place before, so
that must mean it’s very trendy.” She laughed. “Anyway, I picked up a few
things for you.”

“Me? Oh, Edith, that’s really nice. But I
can’t afford to buy new clothes right now. I’ve got a quarterly payment due for
Abby’s preschool coming up this month.”

“Oh, no, dear. They’re my gift to you,”
she clarified as she plopped the heavy bag onto Bess’s lap.

Bess’s eyes widened. “That’s so sweet. But
you shouldn’t be buying me gifts. You already do so much for me.”

“I do it because I want to. And I’m too
old to argue with. Take a look.”

Bess bit her lip as she pulled out the
first item. She could only imagine the kind of clothes a woman old enough to be
her grandmother would pick out for her. So she was a little stunned to see a
couple of skin-tight workout shirts and two pairs of yoga pants, the kind that
hug every curve.

“I thought those might be nice to hang
around the house in. Sort of a step up from your old sweats, don’t you think?”

Bess couldn’t argue with her. They were
really nice, and the material would feel so light and comfortable against her
skin, even though she worried they might make her look like an elephant. Feeling
the weight of more items inside the bag, she reached in again and pulled out a
body-hugging casual dress with a built-in bra and spaghetti straps.
Holy
crap.
This thing is downright sexy.

“Don’t you love it?” Edith exclaimed in
her usual bubbly tone. “It will really show off your figure.”

What figure?
Was Edith referring to Bess’s rippling
waistline or her butt that had succumbed to the Earth’s gravitational pull?

“It’s beautiful, Edith. I don’t know that
they’ll fit, though.”

“Oh, I think they will. You’ve been
losing so much weight with all that working out you’ve been doing.”

“You think I’m losing weight?”

Edith cocked her head. “Yes, dear. You
have. You might not have realized it since everything you own has an elastic
waistband.” The slight grin on Edith’s face took a hint of the sting away from
the comment. “Now I realize that it might be a new low for you to get fashion
advice from a 70-something matron like me, but you really do need to start
showing off all your hard work on that treadmill.”

Bess laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll try them
on when I get home. I promise. And thanks, Edith. It’s really so generous of
you.” She gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’d buy more for you
if I thought you’d accept it,” Edith said, taking Abby by the hand. “Come along
now, Abby. Let’s get your mommy home so she can soak those sore feet in a hot bath,
okay? I’m buying you better shoes next, Bess. Whether you like it or not.”

“Are your feet hurt, Mama?” the little
girl asked Bess as Edith walked her out the door and toward the car.

“Just a little. I’ll be okay. Give
Grandma Edie a hug now.”

Abby embraced Edith with a full body hug.
“Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart,” Edith
answered, helping Abby into her car seat and snapping it tight.

Bess gave a wave to Edith as she pulled
out of the driveway, thinking about the bag of clothes she had just tossed into
the back seat. She wasn’t even sure if she had the nerve to try them on, as
tight fitting as they were. But she would. She had promised.

The sun was low in the sky as she drove
over the Naval Academy Bridge, and a group of midshipmen caught her eye as they
took their evening run.

She remembered the first time she had run
on Tyler’s treadmill, only lasting a whopping ninety seconds. She hadn’t
improved much since then—barely able to top off five minutes before her
knees started killing her. But her walking had definitely improved. She could
keep up a 4.4 mile per hour pace for fifteen minutes before having to slow it
down to an easier to maintain four miles an hour.

Could she really have lost a little
weight? She’d never admit it, but Edith had been right. Bess tended to opt for
clothes that were stretchy. The kind of items a girl could gain ten pounds in
without even feeling it.

She wasn’t eating nearly like she used to,
either. She had always been such a stress eater, but now that she was working
out almost daily, she found herself a lot more relaxed.

With her shopping bag in hand, she opened
the door, watching Abby shoot up the stairs like a bullet. “Brush your teeth
and get ready for your bath now, okay?” Bess commanded.

Silence ensued, as it usually did when
Bess was handing out a task to her three-year-old.

“Did you hear me, Abby? Abby?”

“What?” Abby called downstairs.

“I said to brush your teeth and get ready
for your bath. I’ll be up in a few minutes. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Bess sighed, tossing the bag on the sofa
along with herself. It would be a half hour before Abby got those two things
done, and she knew it. She kicked off her shoes. Might as well enjoy the time
off.

“Hey,” Tyler said as he came down the
stairs, looking decadent. The cobalt color of the polo shirt seemed to make his
blue eyes pop, and its short sleeves stopped just high enough to showcase his
marvelous biceps. He was wearing khaki pants tonight rather than jeans, a step
up in this casual town of Annapolis. He must have a date, Bess thought, feeling
a tinge of jealousy.

“Hey, yourself. You look great. What are
you dressed up for?”

“Taking Janette out to dinner and to hear
some music in Baltimore. I’ll be pretty late. Thought I should tell you so you didn’t
worry.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry. Someone living in
this house has to get some action,” Bess laughed, hoping her sense of humor
would lighten up her mood.

“You gotta get out and meet some guys,
Bess. You’re around the house too much.”

“I’m a mom, Tyler. That’s what happens.”

“Oh, hey, speaking of… some guy stopped
by to see you.”

Bess shrugged. “Probably the guy who raked
the leaves last year looking for work.”

Tyler laughed. “Not driving a Lotus. No,
don’t think he was raking leaves for a living. Dan something.” He paused
briefly. “Dan Wils.”

Tasting the burn of bile in her mouth, her
body seized up in panic.

“Oh, God.” She was hot suddenly, dizzy, desperately
needing to empty her stomach. She rose, staggered a moment as Tyler reached for
her to help, and darted across the room to the bathroom. Her full body quaked and
she hugged the toilet. Nothing came, just a sizzling in her esophagus. Her
heart was racing.

With Tyler standing behind her, she felt
too sick to even be humiliated, half-collapsed on the bathroom.

“Bess, what’s wrong?”

A whirring sound echoed deep inside her
ears as pressure built in her skull, the sound so deafening she could barely
hear him.

“Oh, God.” She pulled herself back from
the toilet, but was too weak to stand. Her skin felt clammy and her sight was blurred.
Deep breaths, she told herself.
Abby’s upstairs. I have to keep it together.

A red Lotus, she suddenly thought,
remembering. The same damn car she had seen twice now and blamed her own frayed
nerves and ample imagination.

Oh, God. Had he seen Abby?
Even the thought of him being so close
to her daughter made her sick. Finally, she dared to look at Tyler. Had he
really said it? The one name that could send her into a fit of terror?