The Nurse's Secret Suitor
Putting aside the fact that he was pretty sure she really didn’t know he was alive, except as Bri’s little brother, he also knew from his sister that Kate was only looking for romance with non-military men. She was done with the danger of that lifestyle, and wanted a stable man she could count on to be around. Army medics like Caleb need not apply—especially considering his efforts to get accepted into the rangers.
“Anyway, I didn’t even get a chance to let my sis know I’m in town for four months. Hopefully she won’t be too mad. Maybe she’ll forgive me once I tell her I plan to renovate her bunkhouses before I leave and take that load of stress off her.”
“Then Bri’s wedding before you go back.”
Caleb chuckled. “Sure, remind me. I leave a brother-in-arms stateside to watch over my sister and he finagles her into marrying him and adopting his daughter.” He liked Ian, though. He treated Bri well and brightened her outlook after losing Mom.
“Hey, you’ll have a little niece to spoil.” Asher laughed.
“Yeah. I’m gonna buy Tia all the noisy toys.” Caleb smiled upon hearing Asher’s son, Levi, chatter in the background. It put an empty twinge in Caleb’s chest. He’d always wanted a son. But it wasn’t like he could pursue a family while training for ranger school. “Levi’s glad you’re home, I bet.”
Asher’s silence alerted Caleb this conversation was hard. Asher, an explosives expert as well as the unofficial unit chaplain due to his strong faith and natural, charisma-laden leadership, wasn’t easily rattled. Caleb sobered, remembering Asher’s recent abandonment by his wife. “He cries over his mom every night,” Asher finally said. “His tears are the toughest hurt I’ve ever had to take.”
“Sorry, man. You’ve got faith, though. You’ll get through.” Caleb knew what being left by a parent felt like. Not good. Poor little Levi. At least Asher drew strength from God and prayed. Caleb was still too ticked over Mom’s death to try.
“So how is Kate, anyway?” Asher’s voice held a serious note.
Caleb recalled the agony in Kate’s voice when she’d spilled about her parents splitting up. If anyone knew how to pray for Kate, Asher would. “Kate was a mess when I got to her. She’d been crying. Not hard, but hard enough for Kate. She’s by far the toughest woman I know, inside and out.”
“What was wrong?”
Caleb was confident Asher would do nothing with the sensitive information except pray, but he still wasn’t willing to share details. Kate had trusted him with those, and he’d keep them private. “Family stuff. Twisted me up to see her hurting.” In fact he’d almost caved and pulled his mask off when he’d spotted the tears reflected in the moonlight. But something took over and he’d just listened. Then he’d held her, then kissed her and she never once resisted. Proof that what made her cry had her insides turned upside down.
In truth, Kate Dalton scared him to death. It had nada to do with her third-degree black belt or her prior work as a hand-to-hand combat instructor for special ops personnel.
What scared him about Kate was that she made him think about things like home and family. Things he wanted, yes, but not yet. He had a plan, a goal—and something about Kate made him want to throw it all aside. Caleb shook his head, reminding himself to keep focused. He had to stay on track. He had to achieve his goals. He had to prove himself, once and for all. There’d be time for love and romance only when he was done.
Besides, he knew he wasn’t what she was looking for, either, and the last thing either of them needed was another hurdle or heartbreak. Clearly, they weren’t compatible as a couple—their dreams weren’t conducive to that. Still, the thought of the pain in her eyes the previous night made him ache. No, romance wasn’t on the table, but they could be friends during his time home, couldn’t they? She’d looked like she needed a friend.
“She needed a shoulder to cry on—and my shoulder happened to be handy. It was nothing more than that.”
That Asher grew silent on the line again gave Caleb pause. “Levi’s suspiciously quiet. I better go investigate.”
“Keep in touch, all right?” Caleb really looked up to Asher, particularly for his unabashed reliance on God. Not that he’d admit it. Yet.
“Gotta keep up with the Kate saga. Later, man.”
Caleb ended the call, chuckling. Not once had Asher preached. Just listened like a friend. Maybe Caleb could be that for Kate—a friend in time of need. Sure, he’d have to battle some attraction, but Caleb was used to overcoming obstacles. Her appeal would fade and they’d enjoy an uncomplicated friendship while he was in town.
Caleb set his phone on the sink. He caught sight of the bag harboring his disguise—and Kate’s mask. He picked it up. He hadn’t meant to take it with him. He just...hadn’t wanted to let it go. He ran a thumb over the silken edge. It reminded him of the feel of Kate’s lips. Elation vied for shame at the underhanded way he’d stolen a kiss when Kate had been too vulnerable to push him away.
Guilt prodded Caleb. The diamonds dusting the edge of the mask’s cat eye looked real. It was probably valuable. He needed to give her stuff back.
Now he had a new dilemma. How to let Bri know he was here without cluing Kate in to his arrival. He couldn’t let her make the connection between his arrival and the bandit’s. Not yet, anyway. If she knew what he’d done, she’d be furious with him for not unmasking himself the night before.
Later, when she’d had some time and distance from that night, he’d tell her the truth. She’d understand that he hadn’t meant to trick her. He’d only wanted to be there for her—as a friend. Nothing less.
Nothing more.
Chapter Two
Like anesthesia, it had worn off.
For the first day after the reception, the memory of her bandit and his words about darkness and dawn had been enough to keep Kate’s head held high. She’d been certain everything would somehow work out with her parents, and her grandfather’s health, and the whole mess her family had become.
But now, the following day, some of that certainty had started slipping away. “I always thought my family was stable, you know?” Kate jogged around ruts with Bri on their favorite outdoor running trail. “Of course, that’s not to say there were never any problems....”
“Like when you came here?” Bri suggested as she caught up with Kate. To their left, scenic Eagle Point Lake scrolled by. To their right, lush emerald foliage scented the air.
“Exactly. Dad and Grandpa weren’t happy I ended my military service, against their wishes. But look where their careers got them. One disabled, one about to get divorced. If Dad had ever stepped back from his career and focused on his marriage—made home and family a priority the way I wanted to when I left the service—then maybe he wouldn’t be getting a divorce today. And Grandpa’s surgery wouldn’t be nearly so risky if his service hadn’t ruined his lungs. Why can’t they see that I was right to leave it behind when I did?”
Bri’s countenance reflected compassion. “You were a terrific military nurse, Kate, but you’re doing great work here, too. No one has the right to blame you for wanting to go where you could be happy and have the life you want.”
“Yes, the civilian life. Thanks for understanding.” Lifting her face, Kate inhaled fresh air and absorbed the breathtaking scenery. “I love Eagle Point. It’s serene and quiet and quaint—everything that I want out of life.”
Sunlight glittered off the lake, highlighting impressive Southern Illinois bluffs and hiking trails. “In all my military moves, it’s the first time I’ve felt truly at home. I never want to leave it.”
“Especially since I’m here,” Bri teased.
Kate laughed. “One more lap around the lake?”
Bri groaned. “You just enjoy punishing my leg muscles.”
In truth, running and the scenery calmed Kate, took her mind off things and caused her heart to reach and yearn for its creator. Maybe He’d help save her parents’ marriage.
“Ah, well. We’re working off the massive amounts of cake we consumed at Lauren and Mitch’s wedding,” Bri conceded with a laugh.
“You’re next.” Kate winked and refocused her breathing.
Bri smiled brightly. “Three months. I feel bad my wedding plans are interfering with us hanging out.”
“It’s okay. It’s a season. I’ll adjust. Things will go back to normal soon.” Yet even as Kate said it, she had the horrible sensation things never would. Not as far as her family went. But the last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on Bri’s joy. “I’ve got a few new things to keep me busy. Keep my mind off my parents’ junk.” Kate kept her tone light and expression upbeat.
“Like what? Finding a certain bandit?” Bri winked.
Kate laughed. “Well, if he tracked me down again, I wouldn’t say no.... But seriously, I know I’m not likely to see him again. No, I’ve got some other projects lined up that should keep my summer pretty busy.”
Bri’s cheeks flushed with exertion so Kate slowed the pace as she continued to explain. “Mitch hit me up to be on the fund-raising committee for Eagle Point Trauma Center expansion projects. First item on our agenda is Lauren’s grandpa’s first annual storybook ball.”
“I heard Lem was considering that but didn’t know it was a go yet.” Bri slowed as they neared the end of the run.
“Yep.” Kate glanced to the side. “You realize proceeds from the ball go to your bunkhouses, right?”
As Kate knew she would, Bri balked. “That’s not necessary.”
“Quit being tough on yourself when people reach out to help. Everyone knows you and Caleb almost lost the lodge, and everyone wants to see you make a success of it, instead. It benefits the community. Plus, you’re remodeling two bunkhouses for family members of trauma victims, which will be a terrific boon for our trauma center.” Kate swigged from her monkey-themed water bottle.
Bri nibbled her lip and sighed. “I guess it will be helpful for the town overall. Housing and hotel options are virtually nonexistent in Eagle Point.”
“Precisely why I’m glad you’re letting me move into the first of your cabins that passes inspection.” Kate paced her breathing. “Mitch has been merciful about the distance I live from EPTC, but the fact is, when I’m on call and we get a bad case, I need to be less than fifteen minutes away. My apartment is twenty.”
“The cabins should all pass inspection next month.”
“Great. Because crashing in EPTC’s nurse call room is not conducive to rest.” Kate sighed as her phone buzzed on one hip, her beeper on the other. “Ian.” She grimaced at Bri. “Since your fiancé is blowing up my phone instead of yours, I’m assuming we have an incoming trauma.” Kate hit the answer key.
Ian came on the line. “Kate? All is well here, but you have a rather interesting delivery at the nurses’ station.”
“My favorite Chicago-style pizza with anchovies?”
“Hardly. You should probably just come get it.”
Kate didn’t miss the probing curiosity in Dr. Ian Shupe’s voice. Head anesthesiologist on their trauma team, he was like a protective older brother to Kate.
“Fine. I’ll be right there.” Kate disconnected and nodded to the trauma center. “Apparently I have some sort of special delivery. Ian wouldn’t say what it is. Mind coming with to see?”
“I’d be glad to.” Bri grinned and toweled sweat off. “Especially since it means I get a glimpse of my man in scrubs.”
Kate shook her head and sauntered toward the glass-and-brick structure across the parking lot and next door to Bri’s main lodge. Inside EPTC, Kate’s coworkers parted like the Red Sea when she reached the desk.
Kate’s sneakers screeched on the polished floor. On the desktop ledge, her elaborate sapphire-feather mask sat neatly atop a parchment envelope.
Oh, my! He didn’t. Kate gulped. Ignoring the stares and curious grins, she forced her hands to move slowly as she reached for the items. “Who brought this?”
Ian leaned in. “That’s what we were all wondering.”
Kate straightened. “You mean no one saw him?”
Ian’s grin exploded. “Aha! So it is a him?”
“That’s not your business.” Giving up all pretense of nonchalance, Kate snatched the items, scowled at her coworkers and marched to her nurse’s call room.
“Kate, wait. Ian was kidding.” Bri caught up, giggling.
Kate whirled once they were safely behind closed doors. “How did he manage to get this stuff in here without anyone seeing him? We need security cameras installed at that desk.”
Bri bit her lip but a grin burst through. “Open it!”
Kate sighed and fingered the gold scrolling font on the envelope’s front.
For Sweet Kate.
“He knows my name,” Kate breathed. Then removing her hand from her chest, she added, “Not that I care.” She cleared her throat and scowled, especially when Bri responded with a curious look.
Kate peeled the envelope’s seal, wondering if she was imagining hints of his cologne on the parchment or the rush of happiness she felt as she began to read.
Dearest Kate.
Although I hate to give you back the means to hide any of your beauty away, I did feel honor bound to return this mask. Please forgive me for stealing it—and for the other thing I stole out on the patio. It was a theft I should probably regret more than I do. May you find it in your heart to forgive me. Nonetheless, you outshone every star that glittered in our sky. Sapphire suits you. You looked stunning. It was my honor to be able to share that moonlit moment with you. Most important, don’t forget to remember the dawn.
Fondly,
BB
Bri leaned over her arm. “BB? Who is BB?”
Kate could scarcely concentrate on Bri’s question. Her hands, always steady in any circumstance, were shaking. She handed Bri the note and walked numbly to the sofa, struggling to come to terms with why she felt so moved by his words. She was a beauty-pageant queen—it was no surprise when men thought she was attractive.
But maybe that was what had her so surprised.
Usually when people admired her it was when she was at her best—winning a pageant, saving a life in trauma, being a leader in whatever way people around her needed her to be. Her bandit, though, had seen her at her tear-stained worst...and he still seemed to think it had been an honor to be with her.
“Benevolent Bandit!” Kate said in a sudden burst of revelation. “That must be what BB stands for.”
“Or maybe Beloved Bandit?” Bri teased as she joined Kate on the couch and handed her back the note.
Kate’s cheeks flushed as she reread the letter, and something unexpected fluttered in her heart. Kate mentally ordered it to stand down. The last thing she needed was to get excited over a fly-by-night guy. “Benevolent,” she repeated firmly, “because he was there for me when I needed him. But nothing more is going to come of it. Certainly not love. This bandit—though charming—had ‘inability to commit’ etched all over him. That he ran off proves he’s a flight risk. That’s not what I’m looking for in a relationship. I want someone stable. Not someone who parades around crashing weddings and kissing strangers senseless under cover of moonlight.”
“His kiss made you senseless?” Bri smirked.
Kate groaned. “Only for one hundredth of a second. Look, if I wanted unstable, I’d re-up in the military. I’m grateful for what he did the other night and for returning the mask and leaving me this note, but that’s where it ends.” Kate’s fingertips brushed his admonition to remember the dawn. “Being around him gave me a peace I can’t explain. Like his words added ammo to my faith and left me certain everything’s going to end up okay.” Kate folded the paper and tucked it back into the envelope. “He feels like a new friend...except for the unfortunate fact I have no clue who he is or where he lives.” Kate laughed at the irony.
“I think you’re right not to look for anything serious with this guy, especially since he didn’t even bother to share his name. However...don’t write him off yet. Maybe he’ll show up again. That wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?”
“What are you saying?”
“Things like sweet notes and mysterious gestures might make a nice distraction for you.”
“You mean, getting my mind off my parents’ divorce.”
Bri slid an arm around her. “I can’t get out of my mind the brilliant glow on your face as you described him wiping away your tears. Crazy kiss aside, I think a benevolent bandit might be what you need in life at the moment. Someone to occupy your thoughts and cheer you up.”
Kate patted Bri’s cheek. “You cheer me up.”
“But I’m swamped and it’s bound to worsen with wedding plans, Tia and bunkhouse renovations.”
“It’ll work out. I’ll help, too.” Kate flexed her arms.
“You may need to go help your mom with your grandpa. If he continues to go downhill after his hip fracture...”
“I know. If Grandpa gets worse, I’ll head to Chicago to be with my family. The last thing I want to contend with is regret. You taught me that. But Mom’s a nurse, too. She can handle it for now.”
“Then promise me something.”
Kate groaned. “That statement from you never ends well for me.” But she raised a resigned eyebrow. “But shoot, anyway.”
“Give me your word that if—if—this BB guy continues to send you notes and stuff, that you’ll stop resisting and enjoy it.”
“You’re impossible, Bri. But since I love you and your incurable optimism, I’ll agree.” Bri smiled kind-heartedly yet eyed the clock in a fidget that reminded Kate Tia was coming home from her aunt’s in St. Louis. “Let’s walk you back. I forgot Tia’s on her way home.”
The two women escaped out EPTC’s side door and walked the parking lot in companionable silence, to Kate’s relief. “What do you have planned today?” she asked as they approached Bri’s gorgeous caramel-and-golden-hued lodge.
“Ian’s bringing kitchen paraphernalia so he, Tia and I can make cupcakes. That child is a baking fanatic, like Caleb.”
Kate saw sadness cross Bri’s face. Heard the telltale break in her voice. “I know you miss your brother. When does his tour of duty end?”
“Not anytime soon. He applied for ranger school.” She pulled out her phone as they went in. “I’m kinda worried about him. He hasn’t called in a few days. I hope he’s not facing something dangerous.”
* * *
The time had come to bite the bullet. Caleb had to let Bri—and by extension, Kate—know he was in town. He rolled up his sleeping bag after the third night in the empty cabin and glanced at the diminished pile of leftover war rations that he’d been living on, along with stale canteen water, for the past three days. Stalling was no longer an option.
True, he still didn’t know how he was going to tell either Kate or Bri about his interlude as the masked patio bandit...but if days of mulling over that question hadn’t given him an answer yet, he wasn’t likely to find one. He’d have to wing it.
He dialed Bri’s cell phone. She answered on the first ring.
“Caleb! Finally. I was so worried! How are you?”
“I’m good.” Mostly. He steeled himself against homesickness rustling through him like the breeze as he walked familiar landmarks toward the lodge kitchen. He knew Bri and her fiancé, Ian, baked goodies on Saturdays with Ian’s daughter, whom Bri was adopting. There they were. His heart swelled seeing the warm family scene through the window. After the rough year they’d had losing Mom, he loved to see his sister smiling. Excitement welled over having a little niece to spoil. “I have a surprise for you.”
“What’s that?” Bri helped Tia stir some kind of dough.
“Look outside the yard window to your left.” Caleb smiled.
Bri blinked over, saw him and dropped her phone. Her shriek carried all the way outside. Ian looked up sharply as Bri rushed from the lodge and threw herself at Caleb.
“You’re home! When did you get here?” Her words muffled over each other as she wept and hugged the stuffing out of him.
“Not long ago.” Three days after a yearlong deployment wasn’t long, right?
Ian approached with a grin and Bri’s pink batter-laden phone, which she’d apparently dropped in the bowl. Ian wiped it then hauled Caleb into a man-hug. “Good to have you back.”
Caleb eyed him funnily. “I’ll put up with mushy stuff only because we’re gonna be family now. Seriously, dude. What up? I ask you to bodyguard my sis and get a brother-in-law out of the deal. Smooth, man, smooth.” Caleb laughed, as did Ian.
Caleb knelt when Ian’s daughter skipped up. “Hi, princess. You must be Tia.” Caleb stuck out his hand but Tia plowed past it and hugged him. What was it with all these huggy people?
“You’ll be my new uncle who buys me all the noisy toys!”
Caleb snickered. Ian eyed Caleb with a smirk. Bri planted her hands on her hips. “Is that what Caleb told you, Tia?”
Tia nodded her head proudly. “Yep. Uncle Caleb.”
Caleb grinned. “Speaking of toys, I have something for you here.” He went to dig in his pouch pocket for the frilly doll he’d picked up for her. When he pulled it out, one of his blue camouflage kerchiefs slipped loose and fluttered to the ground.
Bri’s eyes snapped right to it. She paled as she slowly looked up to stare at Caleb.
Four disbelieving blinks preceded her stare shifting into a glare.
He averted his gaze but felt his sister’s acrid gaze as she studied him. Somehow, she knew.
After a minute of chatter from Ian and Tia, Caleb chanced a glance at Bri. She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked worried.
Ian looked from one to the other, obviously picking up on the tension between siblings. “So, Caleb, I bet you’re hungry after the long flight. Let’s get you fed.” Ian motioned them in.
Bri’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, just when was your flight in, Caleb?”
He cleared his throat. “The details are sketchy.”
“Not for her.” Bri shook her head and stomped away.
Ian’s forehead crinkled. “What’s that about?”
Caleb sighed, knowing he’d deluded himself thinking he’d have a chance to explain his side of the story before his sister found out the truth on her own. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
Once inside, Bri cornered him. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
He clenched his jaw, knowing the time had come to face the music. Or, in his case, the firing squad. Wordlessly, he nodded.
“What were you playing at, Caleb?”
“I wasn’t playing!” he protested. “I’d just gotten in. I had a costume ready because I’d planned to be in time for the ceremony, but my flight was delayed. I thought I’d be able to at least stop by the reception to congratulate Mitch and Lauren, and then I saw her there, crying...”
“Her parents had informed her, moments before, that they are getting divorced after thirty years of marriage.”
Caleb knew that, because Kate had shared it with him. Bri mentioning it meant Kate’s parents were still at odds. Caleb’s heart sank. “Poor Kate. I was hoping they’d reconciled.”
“Reconciled what?” A voice sounded from the front door.
Kate. Could he convince Bri to keep what he’d done a secret? Doubtful—she was too angry with him. His reckoning had come.
Caleb pinned Bri with his gaze and leaned in. “Let me be the one to tell her. Please.”
“Fine.”
Caleb sauntered toward Kate like she was a human gallows. Bravery fled. He was certain she’d be upset or disappointed to learn the bandit she’d shared a special moment with was him. It would ruin his chance at being a friend for her. But there was no other option.
Swift motion to his left drew his attention. Bri put a restraining hand on his arm and nibbled her lip like she wasn’t so sure now. “On second thought, Caleb, that thing we just discussed?” She sliced a hand across her neck. “Abort mission. I’ll explain later.”
Kate approached, sweeping silky brown bangs from her eyes with choppy motions. “Wow. Welcome home, Landis. Should I leave? Feels like I walked in on a private conversation. Strange, considering I believe you were discussing my parents’ divorce when I walked in.” Kate sounded aggravated.