Tangled Pursuit (11 page)

The mothers of daughters stood patiently in line, waiting for Tal to help their children. Tal had laid out her rucksack on the large wooden table next to Wyatt’s, and they had been working nonstop since their arrival.

Rahela’s high voice filled with laughter, her arms waving as she balanced herself at an awkward trot. Several other little girls raced around her, celebrating her liberation from crutches. Rahela’s mother placed her hands on her cheeks in sheer awe and gratitude. Tal told the mother that Rahela was doing well and to let her daughter go play. The prosthesis fit her perfectly, and the child was already galloping off with her friends to the other side of the village.

Tal turned and walked toward where they’d set up the medical table. The sun felt warm on her, and she was glad that the chief of the village had supplied two canvases tied to trees that hung over the tables to provide shade. Wyatt had warned her that by noon, it was going to get hot. There was a long line of women holding their babies, or with shy daughters clinging to their skirts at their sides, as Tal walked up to her medical station. She was glad she knew Pashto, so she could speak in these people’s native language.

Tal felt wonderful, and her warmth toward Wyatt was growing hourly. It wasn’t anything he said; it was what he was doing. This man had a huge heart, she was beginning to realize. Maybe it had to do with his large-scale Texas roots, which magnified everything about him. Because of her father, she already knew about larger-than-life men from that cowboy state.

Sometimes, with her back turned to Wyatt, she’d hear him speak in Pashto to a frightened child. She’d lift her head, turn, and look across the table to see the boy suddenly relax within Wyatt’s gentle hands as he checked the child from head to toe.

It was that crooning voice of Wyatt’s, the same one he’d used on the frightened mustangs. And on her, last night. There wasn’t a time when Tal didn’t see him smiling. Both of them knew full well that a warm smile could place a troubled child at ease.

More than anything, Tal liked his low, husky laughter, in which he was often joined by a relieved father or child. This was a happy village, she decided. The people had water to grow their food, while other villages were not always that lucky. She stood up when a twelve-year-old girl walked haltingly toward her. Tal urged her in Pashto to sit down. Kneeling down in front of the girl, who shyly looked away, Tal softly asked her why she was here. It turned out that she had an ear infection that could easily be taken care of.

Tal happened to glance up and saw a father place his infant son into Wyatt’s large, outstretched hands. Just the way Wyatt held that baby, bringing him to his chest, cradling him, and softly touching his soft, black hair, made her heart swell with affection. Would Wyatt touch her with such reverence? Not every man knew how to nurture or love a baby, but Wyatt did. She loved his smile and the glint of warmth in his eyes as he carefully examined the baby lying in his arms. The infant gazed up at him with wide, curious eyes.

Giving herself an internal shake, Tal realized the nasty base gossip about Wyatt was all wrong. She didn’t know why he was gossiped about, except he did have sensual charisma to burn, he was a Texan, and he honestly did seem larger than life compared to other men she’d met. Only her father, Robert Culver, could match Wyatt’s Texas-size personality. She was sure her dad and Wyatt would get along like two long-lost cousins, and it made her smile in secret.

T
AL FELT EVEN
more in a quandary by the end of the day than she had before they’d arrived. The chief of the village had gifted both of them with blue lapis lazuli gemstones, which he’d dug out of a mine in the Hindu Kush. Lapis was found in Afghanistan, the color a deep midnight blue with gold pyrite flecks within it. Tal had thanked him in Pashto, deeply touched by the chief’s generosity.

On the flight back to Bagram, she sat a couple of seats away from Wyatt. Being that close to him made her feel vulnerable, and she was having a hard time keeping a lid on her imagination.

And where would that kiss lead, if anywhere? What would that kiss mean to him? To her? Was it a commitment? A green light to go ahead with a relationship? She wanted to get inside Wyatt’s head and find out first, before anything happened between them. The shields she’d erected to protect herself from him were rapidly dissolving, much to her chagrin. It was a helluva note to realize she had no defense against Wyatt. And it was a good thing he didn’t know that, because she was worried he’d press the advantage and make a move on her. And she wasn’t at all convinced that she wanted his continued amorous attention. Wyatt had never disguised the fact that he was interested in her. That was on the table, for sure. But what did she want?

Back at Ops, after Wyatt had filled out his report and handed it to an Air Force sergeant, he escorted Tal out into the dusky evening.

“Want that pizza and beer I promised you?” he asked, standing close and watching her intently. Tal looked tired but relaxed, and he saw the joy banked in her eyes from the day’s events. Babies and children lifted her spirits, just as they lifted his. He badly wanted her to say yes but wasn’t sure she’d agree to dine with him.

“I’m so thirsty, I can already taste the beer,” she admitted. “Sure, let’s get that pizza. I’m starving.”

Grinning, Wyatt nodded and walked over to Burt, a friend of his whose job was to drive people around the huge base. Climbing into the white Toyota Hilux pickup, he asked Burt to take them over to the pizzeria on base, and in a few minutes, he and Tal were entering the crowded, noisy restaurant. It was one of the busiest food places on base because the pizza was fabulous. Once they got a cold pitcher of beer, Wyatt led her outside and found a small table and chairs near the periphery, where it was much quieter.

A waitress took their order for a pepperoni pizza with green peppers and triple cheese. Wyatt poured Tal an ice-cold beer and she nodded her thanks, eagerly taking the frosted glass in both hands. Wyatt drank half a mug in a heartbeat and chugged more, thirstier than a double-humped Bactrian camel in a desert.

When he was working, he knew he should continually eat protein bars and keep hydrated. But when he immersed himself in taking care of babies and children, he forgot about his own body’s needs.
Such was the power of healing
, he thought, bringing the beer to his appreciative lips.

“Rahela was sure doing great with her new leg,” he told Tal. Instantly, he saw her expression go soft, her eyes misty.

“I just loved watching her run around like a wild horse that had been given her freedom,” Tal agreed, taking a couple of healthy sips of the cold, bubbling beer. “Did you see how her mom was crying and trying to hide it from Rahela?”

“Yeah, I managed a few glances in that direction,” he agreed warmly.

“I’m so glad my family has all these charities, Wyatt,” Tal confided suddenly. “We get to help people like this around the world. No one should suffer like these Afghans do.” She went on, “You know, we never felt entitled to any special status. Even though we came from a wealthy family, our mom and dad taught us responsibility. If we wanted an allowance, we had to earn it the old-fashioned way—working for it. When we kids and our mom spent six weeks each summer in Kuşadası, her home in Turkey, we worked there, too. Sure, we got to play a lot, but there was always some work to be done for their local charity. And that’s one of the many things I like about the Delos charities.”

Tal saw the waitress coming their way with a huge pizza. “Chow’s here,” she said eagerly, sitting up. Her stomach growled big-time in anticipation.

Wyatt dug into the rich, cheesy pizza. It was so hot it almost burned his mouth, but it tasted damn good. He watched Tal opposite him, delicately eating her wedge of the pie. Her fingers were long and tapered, her movements always graceful. He wondered if she realized how feminine she really was. The Marine Corps didn’t exactly encourage women to remain feminine. They wanted them to remember that they were there as combat troops. He wondered if she ever wore a dress and envisioned her in a bright red one to set off her silky black hair.

“Wow!” Tal whispered. “This is a perfect end to a perfect day, Wyatt. Thank you.”

Well, Wyatt had more interesting things planned for them than pizza and work. He caught a glimpse of Tal’s lips glistening with oil from the pizza and felt himself harden. She was going to be his dessert whether she realized it or not. And he was going to be hers. The only question was: how soon would they get there?

CHAPTER 6

T
AL EYED THE
banana split warily. To her surprise, Wyatt had ordered the huge concoction for them for dessert. Now, looking as if he could hardly restrain himself, he scooted his chair around so he sat next to her.

“Here, help me eat it, okay?” he invited, sliding the large oblong glass bowl toward her and offering her a long spoon.

“This looks amazing! God, I love ice cream! Thanks.” Tal took the spoon from him. There were thick mounds of whipped cream on the vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry scoops of ice cream. Each swam in pineapple, strawberries, bananas and hot fudge. It was decadent, but Tal didn’t care.

She slid him an assessing look. “Okay, tell the truth. Did Matt tell you this is my favorite dessert?”

“Guilty as charged.” Wyatt grinned. “Your brother threw you to the wolves. Well, to the ice-cream-eating wolves. Go ahead, you get first dibs. Take all you want, darlin’.”

Ice cream was a rarity for Tal here at the base. Usually, it was the first dessert to go, and all the restaurants, including the chow halls, usually ran out of it before she could get any. Now Tal eagerly plunged her spoon into the pink ice cream and strawberries. She sighed, closed her eyes, and simply savored the sweet, cold treat.

“Have you died and gone to heaven yet?” Wyatt chuckled.

“Oh, yes . . . thank you for this. Every time I get to Bagram and try to get ice cream, it’s gone!”

“Well,” he confided, spooning the vanilla slathered with hot fudge, “I was owed a favor from the guy who owns this pizza joint. When I found out from Matt that you loved sundaes, I asked him to keep ice cream supplies stored away for us.”

Touched, she fought down the swell of warmth that flooded over her and asked, “And would you have told me this if you hadn’t asked?”

He gave her his most charming boyish grin. “Probably not, but I’m never going to lie to you, Tal. If you ask me something, I will always give you an honest answer.”

“That’s good to know,” she said, holding his serious gaze. Tal believed him. Changing the topic, she said, “You and Matt have been pretty tight for a long time.”

“Kinda like blood brothers without the blood,” Wyatt agreed. “Why that look?”

She spooned more of the strawberry ice cream into her mouth before answering. Then, after swallowing the icy-cold sweetness, she explained, “Matt usually doesn’t open up about our family. We tend to keep it private. We’ve always known that if people found out we had wealthy, powerful family members, they might want to use us for their own purposes.”

“You learned this early on in life, no doubt.”

“Yes. My mom was very sensitive to our situation. We dressed like normal kids, not like kids with a lot of money. She always told us that because God gave us so much, we should never boast about it to others. She wanted us to fit in with our neighbors, not stand out.”

“Did you go to public or private schools?” he asked, curious. He was betting she’d say public.

“Public, of course, but we had tutors outside of class for foreign languages that weren’t offered in public schools.”

“Why do you think your parents encouraged you to go to public schools? With your money, you could have afforded the most expensive European private schools.”

“Mom told us we needed to see how regular people lived and be part of normal society, not high society.” Tal finished off the strawberry and began to cut up one of the bananas with her spoon. “She always gave us bag lunches to take to school, and we always ate in the cafeteria.”

Wyatt gave her a nod. “I like your parents’ attitude.”

“They wanted us to be a part of normal life, wherever my father was sent by the Air Force. We moved every two years, spending time in Germany, Spain, and England. The time I most loved was when my dad was assigned to NATO out of Istanbul, Turkey. That was a three-year assignment.”

Wyatt spooned a piece of the banana Tal had cut up and dragged it through the hot fudge. “Why did you love your time in Turkey so much?”

She sighed and sat back, looking up at the dark night embroidered with glimmering stars. “Uncle Ihsan and Auntie Nalan sort of adopted the three of us kids. Since they had no children of their own, we were it.” A fond look crossed her face as she remembered. “They spoiled us with so much love. They’re Sufis, and their belief system is all about compassion and love. They are committed to a loving approach to solving the world’s problems.”

“That certainly explains why they are so committed to the Delos charities,” Wyatt reflected, admiring Tal and her family even more.

“Exactly. I think one has to have heart and drive to take a spiritual path.”

“They sound like my kind of people,” Wyatt said firmly. “I like folks who’ve got their feet on the ground and their heads screwed on straight.”

She had to smile. “Well, I’ll give you this, Wyatt. You’re not only honest, you’re blunt.”

“Seems like a good combination in my book,” he said drily, scooping up some banana from their sundae. “As I mentioned earlier, I don’t lie. I just can’t be a politically correct person, Tal. What you see is what you get.”

“I guess that serves you well as a SEAL.” Tal knew that within the teams, lies were not tolerated by the chiefs and officers in particular. Neither was arrogance or boasting. These were humble, low-key operators who risked their lives all the time and who knew the value of teamwork over being a braggart.

“It serves me everywhere, darlin’,” he retorted, and shot her a heated look that needed no translation.