Sergeant Darling

“I think March is still a little cold for walking on the beach,” he said. “This is north Florida, after all.” Ray shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over Patsy’s shoulders.

Patsy looked up and flashed him a brilliant smile. “Thank you,” she said. Had she been shivering? “It didn’t seem quite this cold outside when I left Aunt Myrtle’s earlier.”

“The shore breeze can blow through you fast. I read somewhere that more people contract hypothermia when temperatures are above freezing because they don’t think they can and aren’t prepared.”

Ray touched Patsy’s waist and was surprised at how small she felt beneath his hands. But, then most women seemed small to him. Every woman except one: his mother. Even if she was only five feet nothing, she’d always seemed huge to him.

His mother. The last time he’d seen her or his father, he had just turned eighteen. That night he had left home, against his parents’ wishes, to enlist in the air force….

Patsy stumbled in the loose, shifting sand, and Ray automatically reached out to catch her. She looked up at him, and the expression in her face seemed expectant, questioning.

Ray wanted to reach down and tip Patsy’s chin up. He wanted to kiss her the way the guys did in all the movies, but he was Ray Darling, boy genius and adult nerd. He didn’t have the moves.

The night had been going so well up until this point. He wasn’t about to jinx it now. It would kill him if Patsy turned away. He caught her arm and any hint of the windy chill left him as welcome warmth suffused his blood.

“I…Ah…Thank you,” Patsy said, and Ray had to stifle a chuckle. Was that the proper etiquette for the situation?

“For catching me,” Patsy clarified.

“Any time,” he said flippantly. He wouldn’t have minded if she had kissed him by way of thanks, but she hadn’t, so Ray guessed the moment was gone. He sighed. Maybe if he’d had a normal childhood, he might know a thing or two about what to do at times like this.

“Something wrong?” Patsy asked.

“Not really. Just having some regrets.” Then realizing what he’d said, he stopped and looked down into Patsy’s lovely blue eyes. “Not about tonight. Not about you,” he said, his voice coming out huskier than he’d intended. He tried to figure out how to explain his family situation.

He shrugged. “When I got to thinking about summer in Washington, it reminded me of my parents.”

“Are they no longer living?” Patsy’s eyes always contained a look of sadness that seemed to deepen now. Ray wondered if she’d suffered some kind of a loss.

“No, they’re fine and healthy. At least, I think so. They’re just not speaking to me. For nearly ten years now.”

Patsy arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“It’s not important.” Ray turned and trudged on. “We had different ideas about what I should do with my future,” he said, shrugging.

Patsy stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Family is important to me. I’d give anything to have my parents back.”

“They’re gone?”

“When I was in grammar school,” Patsy said softly, lowering her gaze downward toward the damp sand. “Aunt Myrtle raised me after they died in a plane crash.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could he say?

Patsy looked up at him again and flashed him a brilliant smile that seemed to light up the dark. “About what? That Aunt Myrtle raised me?”

“No,” Ray started to say, but then he saw that the quip was Patsy’s way of shifting from an unpleasant subject, so he dropped it. “I bet it was fun living with Myrtle.”

“It was,” Patsy said. “But it wasn’t quite normal. We lived in a big old house by the water, and I never felt comfortable inviting my friends over. We always had to be so careful, with all her antiques and objets d’art all around. And Myrtle was reluctant to let me do some of the things that I wanted to do, so I often rebelled.” She paused. “And I always wanted brothers and sisters.”

“Me, too.”

“You’re a lonely only?”

“Well, I was always too busy to be lonely, but yeah, I’m an only child. Let’s just leave it at that.”

They’d reached the parking lot, and there didn’t seem to be anything left to say. Ray was content to listen to the night sounds as they trod on the crushed shells in the parking lot. The crunch of the shells, the wind as it whispered through the scrubby trees and the tinny sound of the jukebox from the Blue Heron all combined to create a unique symphony. And even if he never got another chance to go out with Prickly Patsy Pritchard, he knew he would never forget this night….

AT LEAST HE DIDN’T HAVE one of those teensy sports cars, Patsy thought with relief as Ray ushered her toward his compact recreation vehicle. The single guys at Hurlburt Field were divided into two groups: the ones who bought sports cars, and the ones who were into trucks and SUVs. Radar didn’t seem to fit into either category. Was that a good thing? She thought perhaps it was.

And he got points for opening the door for her, too. A CRV was a lot smaller than a truck or a sport utility vehicle, she realized once she was in the passenger seat and Ray had carefully shut the door. The two of them would be in close quarters in the front seat. Would he try to kiss her now that they were so close?

Patsy felt her heart rate increase, and she suddenly felt warm. Of course, she was still wearing Ray’s coat. It felt so good around her shoulders, almost like a hug. She could smell the fragrance of his aftershave and the manly scent that was uniquely him on the fabric, but reluctantly, she shrugged the jacket off.

“Be sure to buckle up,” Ray said, and Patsy complied, happy to have something to do for the moment. Then he closed the door, and the vehicle got even smaller.

Or was it just her?

How long had it been since she’d sat alone in a car with a man?

She couldn’t remember when. Once the kids were born, she and Ace had never seemed to be alone.

“Would you like to listen to the stereo, or would you prefer to talk?” Ray asked as he inserted the key into the ignition.

“Music, I think,” Patsy said, then wondered if Ray would interpret that as a rejection. “I’m curious to see what kind you like. Not techno-metal, I hope,” she said, forcing a smile.

Ray made a face, and Patsy hoped it wasn’t because he did like that kind of music. “I’ll let you decide for yourself,” he said, turning the key. He let the car idle while he selected a CD from a case he’d stashed in the console.

He inserted the disk, and the soft strains of Carole King filled the air. Patsy hummed along as she listened. The selection surprised her, but then she thought, it shouldn’t have. Every time she’d come to a conclusion about Ray Darling, he’d countered it with something new. And she rather liked the surprises.

As they waited to turn onto Highway 98, the next song came on. Definitely not Carole King. Then she recognized it: Garth Brooks’s alter ego, Chris Gaines. She liked that song, too.

“I mix and burn my own CDs,” Ray explained as he accelerated along the dark highway.

“So, I guess that means you’re pretty good with computers, then.”

Ray grinned. “Love ’em. I’m the squadron expert, even if we actually do have techies on staff.” He chuckled. “That’s part of the reason they call me Radar.”

“Oh, then it’s not for Ray Darling?”

“No,” Ray said emphatically. “When I first got assigned to the squadron, I got a lot of ribbing because of my name. You don’t know how many times I got called just plain Darling.”

There was not one thing plain about him, Patsy thought. Not even when he wore glasses.

She smiled. “Oh, I can hear it now. I need to speak to you, dar-ling,” she said in a saccharine sweet tone. “Hand me that wrench, dar-ling.”

“Exactly. I had to come up with something that would distract the guys from my name. So I dazzled them with my computer skills.”

“I’m impressed,” Patsy said. “I can use the programs we have at the clinic, and I can word process and do e-mail, but that’s the extent of my computer literacy.”

“Well, some of those old guys, the ones close to retiring were really resistant when I first came in. You know, they were used to doing it one way, and they didn’t want to try anything new.” He chuckled. “I talked ’em into it real quick. Chief Mullins was the one who started calling me Radar. I think radar was one of the few technical things he was familiar with. It saved my butt. I was tired of getting into fights about being called darling.”

“I’m sure you could have handled them,” Patsy said. “You don’t look like you’d lose many fights.”

Ray smiled wryly in acknowledgment. “Unfortunately, my technical expertise didn’t do much for my airman proficiency ratings when they were countered by reports of those fights,” Ray said, frowning. “I think it kept me as a staff sergeant for an extra cycle, in spite of my test scores.”

Patsy had wondered why he hadn’t made technical sergeant yet. He certainly seemed worthy of the promotion.

“But I made it this round,” Ray continued. “I’m waiting to see when my number comes up. Don’t know whether I’ll make tech first or get selected for Officer Training School.”

Patsy arched an eyebrow, surprised to realize that somehow he’d managed to snag a college degree, a requirement for all OTS candidates. “You graduated from college? Was it the adult education college on the base?”

“No,” Radar answered sharply. “The University of Washington,” he clarified. Then he seemed to set his jaw as if he wanted no further conversation.

Okay, Patsy thought. If that was it, that was it. She settled back against the seat and listened to the music. Something from James Taylor this time.

RAY HADN’T HEARD anything from Patsy’s side of the car for a while, not that he could blame her for being quiet. He had been damned short with her. And for no good reason. At least, not one that she’d readily understand. How do you explain that you graduated from college at seventeen and then joined the air force to find out what it was like to be a real guy?

Hell, she might turn on him for wasting his education just as his parents had.

Why couldn’t anybody understand that the air force had been an education, too? And that he still had plenty of time to go on to graduate school. And when he did go, he’d be a lot better prepared for it than when he was a kid.

He glanced in Patsy’s direction. No wonder she’d been so quiet. She seemed to be sleeping.

Though he needed to keep his eyes on the road, he kept glancing Patsy’s way. She looked almost like a child with her arm resting against the passenger-side armrest and the hard glass window pillowing her head. So serene, so relaxed. So very kissable. Radar chuckled quietly to himself. He wondered if he’d ever get the chance.

No, not if. When.

Ray smiled to himself. Prickly Pritchard was sleeping with him. Okay, maybe not in the biblical sense, but it still struck him as funny. Every single guy at Hurlburt Field had been speculating about who would be the lucky guy to get through Prickly Patsy’s reserve, and he had. Too bad he couldn’t tell anybody.

Of course, he’d never kiss and tell. Not that they’d kissed yet, nor was there a guarantee that they ever would. And if he did, he doubted anybody would even believe him. Not Radar Darling, the sergeant most likely to…break his glasses.

He hummed along with the music and steered the car through the strip of tourist motels and across the Okaloosa Bridge, which took them into downtown Fort Walton Beach. He supposed he’d have to wake Patsy up now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know where to take her.

He stopped at a red light, and nudged Patsy’s shoulder. He’d like to kiss her awake, but that wouldn’t work in the confines of the car. And it was presuming a lot more than he dared at this point in their relationship. Assuming it wasn’t an end.

Patsy jerked awake, obviously startled.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Ray said. “We’re back in town. I need to know where to take you.”

Patsy blinked, vaguely trying to register where she was and what she was doing in this car with Radar Darling. The red light blinked to green, and the car surged forward while Patsy struggled to clear her muddy thoughts.

“Make a right on Beal,” she said groggily, then stifled a yawn. “Then a left on Hollywood.”

“Roger that,” Radar said, executing the first turn.

“I apologize for nodding off on you,” Patsy said, stifling a yawn. “I was up late last night.”

“Did you work an extra shift at the hospital or something?”

Patsy had to laugh. “No, the job at the clinic is enough work. I just stayed up too late watching an old movie on television. I’m afraid it’s one of my worst weaknesses. Then I got up early to take Tripod to the vet.”

“Tripod?”

“My dog.”

Ray nodded. He’d always wanted a dog. His parents had said it would be a distraction from his studies.

“Is he sick?”

“She. No, she was just getting a rabies booster.”

“Tripod is not exactly the kind of name I’d associate with a female dog,” Ray said, turning onto Hollywood Boulevard.

“You’d have to meet her. Then you’d understand.” Patsy looked up. “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention and let you drive past the turn. Turn around and then take the next right. I live in the third duplex on the right.”

Ray made the turn a little sharper than he would have preferred, but then the inertia caused Patsy to lean against him as he made the turn. He smiled as he turned onto her street, then counted the houses, small cinder block bungalows with carports on either end. “Which side?”

“I’ve got the one on the left,” Patsy said. “You can pull up behind my car in the carport.”

Ray did so, then halted the car and turned off the engine. He wondered if he should try for a kiss now, or wait until they got to the door, but Patsy took the decision out of his hands. She pushed open the passenger door and scampered out.

Ray had to scramble to catch up with her. “Where I come from, we walk our ladies to their doors.”

“Thank you,” Patsy said primly, “But this is a perfectly safe neighborhood. I’m not in danger of being mugged. And I’m not your lady.”

“Touché.” Ray grabbed at his chest as though she’d been a fencer and had nicked him with her epee. That was the Prickly Pritchard he’d come to know and love, Ray thought, relishing the idea of trying to get through to her again.

Patsy slowed and let him catch up with her as she walked to the door to the house. At the sound of her footsteps, a dog inside the house began barking excitedly. At least the barking sounded fairly friendly, Ray thought.

“What are my chances of getting to meet your roommate?” he asked. “I won’t sleep until I know why you call her Tripod.”

Patsy laughed, and the icy pall lifted. “I would hate to be responsible for keeping you up all night,” she said as she fished in her bag for keys. Ray hoped that meant that he’d be invited in. “Tripod was close to dead when I found her,” Patsy explained.

“So you rescued her and nursed her back to health,” Ray concluded.

“Not quite. I took her to the vet, thinking he’d put her to sleep, but he said that he could save her. Most of her, anyway.”

“Most of her?”

“He couldn’t save her left foreleg, so she limps,” Patsy said, smiling fondly as she leaned against the doorjamb.

Ray grinned. “Got it. Three feet—Tripod.” He had to admire the woman. Not everyone would take in a three-legged dog. “I like that,” he said.

Patsy looked up at him, real confusion on her face, and Ray wanted so much to kiss her. He reached toward her, but she ducked away. “You like what?” she asked.

“That you took pity on a poor, injured dog.”

“Oh,” she said. “I guess I’ll go in now.” She offered her hand. “Thank you for driving me home,” she said as though she were reciting something she’d learned in etiquette class.

“You’re welcome,” Ray said, accepting her hand and feeling the warmth and silky texture of her skin against his. He rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin on her palm. “I was kinda wondering what my chances were of getting invited in to watch the Ed Wood Film Festival.”

“Not tonight,” Patsy said, sounding nervous.

Ray grinned. “That wasn’t exactly the answer I was looking for, but it does give me hope.”

Patsy looked surprised. “It does?”

“Sure. Not tonight implies that another night might be in our future.” He smiled down at her, hoping she’d pick up on the hint.

“We have no future,” Patsy snapped.

“We all have a future, Patsy,” Ray said gently.

Instead of arguing with him as he’d expected, Patsy’s eyes clouded up, and before he knew it, she had jerked open the door, darted inside and slammed the door behind her, leaving Ray standing there with the finality of that last gesture echoing louder than the sound of the door. “Just what the hell was that all about?” he muttered to himself.

Then he heard the bolt turning in the lock.

PATSY STOOD INSIDE the house, her back pressed firmly against the door, Tripod jumping up against her in greeting, her tail wagging wildly. Normally, she loved the way her dog said hello, but tonight she was not in the mood. She reached down to pet the dog, but her heart wasn’t really in it.

Why had Ray gone and spoiled it all?

For the first time in years, she’d gone out with a man and had actually begun to enjoy herself, and he’d ruined it for her. She’d even thought she might be ready for a good-night kiss, but Ray had gone and reminded her of everything she hadn’t been able to forget with that remark about the future. Of course, she had a future, and Radar had a future, but there had been no future for Ace and her children, and that was her fault.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to blink them back. Loving and caring for people was wonderful, but losing them was almost like dying herself.

It seemed as though everyone she’d ever cared about had died. Now, rather than running the risk of being hurt again, she found it easier to just not care.

That was why she didn’t date. That was why she could never see Ray Darling again. She might come to care for him. Losing anyone else would just hurt too much.

Tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks, scalding her skin, and rubbing salt into old wounds that never quite seemed to heal.

RAY STOOD IN THE DIM LIGHT of Patsy’s carport and tried to figure out what had just happened. He’d thought that everything was going pretty well. Prickly Pritchard might not have completely melted in his arms, but he had thought he’d detected a definite thawing.

He drew in a deep breath, shrugged and turned toward his car. She might not have allowed him a good-night kiss, but there was still that Ed Wood Film Festival to look forward to. She would agree to the evening.

It just wouldn’t be tomorrow.

Or next week, but soon.

He’d bide his time, and when the time was right, they’d watch those movies together. And next time it wouldn’t be because an old lady with good intentions had paid for them to be together.

Next time, it would be because they both wanted to be together.

Chapter Four

Patsy tried to forget the date with Sergeant Darling, but thoughts of Ray would not leave her alone. For weeks.

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