Читать книгу Love Reunited - Renee Andrews - Страница 13

Chapter Four

During Landon’s time of service, he’d faced suicide bombers, roadside bombs and rockets hitting nearby. Throughout each and every harrowing situation, he’d controlled his fear. But right now, in an Alabama barn with Georgiana, he trembled.

Her hair toppled long and wild and free down her back, a mass of golden strawberry curls. She wore a pale blue T-shirt, gray plaid pajama pants, a charcoal fleece jacket and pink work boots. She faced him now but didn’t see him, and that realization pierced his heart.

He swallowed thickly, determined to control his voice and hide the emotion wreaking havoc over his soul. “Georgie, we need to talk.”

She blinked, moistened her mouth, then turned back toward the stall where Fallon had reentered and moved back to her owner. Georgiana’s hand reached for the mare, and Fallon positioned her silky white mane against her palm. “I didn’t think you would come this early,” she said, and he noticed not only the tremor in her voice but also the shudder in her hand as she stroked Fallon’s mane.

“I remembered how you always woke up early to see Fallon, and since I was up too, I rode over.” He decided it best to keep his distance, because she was obviously uncomfortable with his arrival and because he didn’t know if he could control himself to merely touch her without embracing her, without holding her the way he’d dreamed of holding her each and every night in the heat of battle. He’d thought he would never have that chance, because she was Pete’s, but he suspected that was no longer the case. What had Pete done to ruin their marriage?

“You used to hate getting up early in high school,” she said.

“That’s because I wasn’t a fan of having so much to do around the farm before I went to the morning football workouts. For most of the team, that was their first work of the day. I’d already been sweating hard for a couple of hours by the time I got to the field house.” He shrugged. “That came in handy when I went to basic training though, so I shouldn’t have complained.” He stopped a few feet away from Georgiana. Fallon stepped toward him and sniffed his sleeve. “And I’m still adjusting to the time difference too, so my sleep is sporadic.”

“What is the time difference?”

“We’re nine and a half hours behind Kabul,” he said. “Kind of throws off your sleep schedule.”

“I bet it does.” She continued stroking Fallon. “How was it over there? I mean, in general, what’s it like? You hear things on the news, but I’ve never talked to anyone who has actually been there.”

Landon hated this, making small talk when he wanted to delve into what they both were thinking, but he also hated the fact that she was apparently scared about this conversation. He hoped and prayed it was only the conversation and not him.

“Kabul. That’s in Afghanistan?” she continued.

“Yeah. I was there a while, as well as a few other areas over the years. I spent some time in Kuwait. Some in Iraq. Mostly Afghanistan though.”

“There’ve been a lot of injuries there,” she said, then added, “a lot of deaths.”

Landon nodded. He’d lost three of his best friends. Their names and death dates were now tattooed on the inside of his left wrist, but Georgie couldn’t see that. She’d never see that. Then he realized she also couldn’t see him nod and said, “Yes, there have been a lot of deaths. Way too many.”

“Were you ever...” she started, then squinted as she reached again for Fallon. “Did anything happen to you over there? Were you ever hurt?”

He’d never lied to her before. He wouldn’t start now. “Just once.”

Her hand stopped stroking Fallon’s mane, and she pivoted a little, providing Landon with a full display of her beauty, red-gold hair framing a heart-shaped face and showcasing an adorable sprinkling of faint copper freckles on her nose and cheeks...and those exquisite hazel eyes. He studied the full mouth that he’d kissed only once and the cheekbones that made her face automatically give the impression that she was about to smile, even if she wasn’t.

Landon wondered how long it’d been since she released that ample smile he’d always loved. Or the laugh that echoed from her very soul. Even though she looked as though she could smile, she also had a tone that said she wouldn’t, that maybe she couldn’t. Her face portrayed a distance, an invisible wall, and Landon didn’t think it was entirely because of her blindness.