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.