The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(9)

He faced her, feet braced shoulder-width apart, hands clasped behind his back. “Can I see you again, Harper Lee?”

“For what?”

“Dinner? A sunset walk on the beach or the bay if you’d rather. Doesn’t matter to me.” His earnestness struck her as sincere.

“That’s nice, but I guess I meant why? You’re leaving.”

“For now, but there’s a good chance after training I’ll be stationed at Virginia Beach.”

“But I’m leaving for UNC in August.”

He didn’t break eye contact with her. “Okay, so logistics aside, I like you. This afternoon after I left the ice-cream shop, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You’re … different.”

She been told that enough by the boys at her high school to know it was true. Yet Noah said it like it was a compliment and not an insult. “Nothing can come of us hanging out.”

“Maybe not, but I’d still like to see you again.” In a more cajoling tone, he said, “Come on, dinner’s on me. Nicest place along the Outer Banks if you want.”

His choice of words jolted her. “Maybe not.” Not “definitely not.” She weighed her options. Never seeing Noah again wasn’t one of them. Even if it was only one more time.

“How about tonight?” Her impulsiveness surprised her. She was more of a pro and con list maker, but urgency stripped away her usual caution.

“Tonight?” Shock drew out the word and emphasized his accent.

Had she been too forward? Her experience—or lack thereof—didn’t provide clues. Unable to tolerate a rejection face-to-face, she bounced her bike over the curb, checking for traffic even though her street was deserted compared to the crowds only a few blocks away.

“You’re probably going out and partying with your buddies. I totally get it.”

“Not anymore I’m not.” He jogged backward until they were eye to eye. “I’m taking out the prettiest girl in Kitty Hawk.”

She wasn’t, but the way he was looking at her made her feel like she might be within shouting distance. Then, his expression fell and so did her answering smile.

“What is it?” Fear that she’d done something wrong made her voice pitch high.

“I only brought shorts.”

Relief sent a laugh skittering out of her. “As long as you pair them with a shirt with sleeves, that’s dressing up around here in the summer.”

She reached the steps leading to her front door, leaned the bike against the rail, and faced him with nothing in between them for the first time. He was a good six inches taller than she was and grew more handsome the longer she stared into his smile-crinkled blue eyes.

“What time should I pick you up? Does seven give you enough time?”

It was almost six already and she needed to shower and straighten her unruly hair, but a shot of anticipation had her saying, “Seven would be perfect.”

He backed away as she took the first few steps to her front door sideways so she could keep him in sight. He reached the shady sidewalk, raised a hand, then turned and jogged away. He moved like an athlete. Maybe he’d played football if he was a Georgia country boy.

She didn’t have to wonder. She could ask him tonight. A blistering happiness swept through her, and she stayed planted until he disappeared. Sweat trickled down her neck in the hot sun. Once he’d disappeared, the spell he’d cast over her waned, and ordinary worries interjected.

She’d just met him. His career choice was another strike against him. Not that the military wasn’t a noble calling, but only heartache would result in getting attached to someone who was up and leaving in a week.

The logical arguments against a date buzzed like no-see-ums, but she waved them away. Nothing could dull Harper’s smile, even though no one could see.





Chapter 3


Present Day

Milk-tinged morning breath and a light poke at her right cheek woke Harper. She opened her eyes and startled back into her pillow. Sophie was nose-to-nose, a blur of messy curls and one big blue eye.

“I was worried you were under an evil witch’s spell like Sleeping Beauty,” she whispered.

“If I was then you broke it,” Harper whispered back, forcing the laugh that bubbled up back down. The little girl was so serious, Harper didn’t want her to think she was making fun of her.

“Do you want pancakes?”

“Is your mom up?”

“She’s in the kitchen.”

“Go tell her I’ll be there in a minute.”

Sophie’s full weight fell on Harper in a hug before she skipped off. Harper sat up and rubbed her face, sticky where Sophie had touched her. She grabbed her toiletry bag and turned herself decently human in the kids’ bathroom. By the time she emerged, the kids were back upstairs playing in their rooms, and Harper found Allison alone in the kitchen.

“Morning,” Harper said tentatively. “Where’s Darren?”

“Out for a run. If he’s not wandering the streets at night or napping, he’s running.” Allison laughed, but it was tinged with irony. “Our crazy was on full display last night, huh?” She held out a cup of black coffee.

Harper took a sip to buy some time. At the very least, last night had torn back a veil of normalcy. “Crazy doesn’t faze me; you know that.”