Having dressed in record time—it felt strange jamming arms
and legs into flannel and corduroy rather than camouflage,
and without his rifle, he felt even more naked than if he’d
waltzed outside with no clothes on. He took the stairs
slowly and eased out the front door so as not to wake
everyone else. The porch light cast a glow from the steps to
the lawn. He scanned the area for Susan and found her at the
cusp of the lamplight.
She leaned against the big elm tree in the front
yard, hands tucked in her coat pockets, her face toward the
horizon where the North Star perched low in the sky.
Straightening and turning to face him as he approached, she
smiled again, so dazzlingly the heavens dimmed in
comparison. Tom swore he wouldn't care if they didn’t speak
or touch or anything, if she would just keep smiling.
“Hi, Susan.”
“Hey, Tom. Welcome home.”
Had her voice always been this deep, this smooth?
His insides melted just listening to her. At the same, God!
Instant hard-on. He shifted his stance and hoped Susan
couldn't tell. “Thanks.”
Suddenly, she seemed shy, ducking her head to
examine her shoes, scuffing the frost covered grass. He'd
grown another couple of inches in the Army, and his lean
body was strong and quick. He liked the contrast in their
height and size, enjoyed the confidence he could protect her
like a warrior, or tuck her gently against his chest where
her ear would be over his heart. His heart which threatened
to burst through his chest being this close to the object of
his dreams.
“I’m surprised to see you. It’s early, you know?”
It’s early, you know? Hadn’t he learned anything
about how to talk to a woman after nearly two years in the
Army? Granted, for the last few months he hadn't had much
opportunity to practice romantic lines, but Christ.
Fortunately, Susan didn’t seem to notice his lapse in
seductive conversation.
She nodded. “I filled in for a friend at the
hospital, so she could get an early start on the holiday. We
only have off until the day after Christmas, and she lives
in Oklahoma. I’d planned to sleep in, do a little work, and
drive up early this afternoon, but I was in a hurry.” She
gave a funny, kind of half smile. Like she had a secret and
would split at the seams if she couldn’t tell someone.
Tom laughed softly, his breath freezing in the
morning air. He waved his hands toward the pasture land,
over the fence, and beyond the tree where they stood.
“Missed the damned old cows so much you just couldn’t wait
until later, huh? Or was it the empty corn fields of your
dad’s you were in a hurry for?”
Cocking her head, she said, “Neither, smart
aleck.”
He jammed his hands in his pocket. Shit! It was
colder than a witch's tit out here. Susan must be freezing.
“Well, then, why did you rush back to the middle of
nowhere before daylight?”
Stepping forward, she rose on tiptoes and crooked
her finger. Smiling, he bent to her. She whispered in his
ear, “To see you, silly. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
She pecked his cheek then stood back. Her cheeks blushed as
pink as a prairie dawn.
