Ryder by Dale Mayer

Author:Dale Mayer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Military, Romance
ISBN: 9781773360461
Publisher: Valley Publishing
Published: 2017-10-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

So many regrets. Not about how she’d actually agreed to go for a run with him but that she’d let herself get out of shape. She was three miles into the run and already flagging. She used to run five miles easily, seven miles on good days, and ten miles for events. Even then that wasn’t anything compared to what Ryder could do. But the difference was really showing up now. She’d never felt competitive with him before. She always just accepted they had different fitness levels. But, as he had maintained his, she’d let hers go. And that sucked in a big way.

He slowed down, and she recognized her hotel coming up. He motioned to a park on the far side. “We can cool down over there. You need to walk this out.”

She nodded. They came to a stop at the crosswalk and headed to the green grass in the gardens. She bent over and gasped for breath.

“You did great,” he said with a big smile.

She shot him a look. “I did great? Ha. Only if we forget about what I used to run.”

“That’s exactly what you should do. Forget about where you used to be. That’s history. You can’t change it. Today you start fresh. So that wasn’t so bad.” He grinned a wide infectious smile she couldn’t help but respond to.

She chuckled, grateful she’d caught her breath enough to do so. “How is it you manage to maintain any sense of humor with the work you do?”

“It’s about balance,” he said. “Without it, I’d burn out. And my friends make a huge difference.”

“SEALs don’t make it much longer than eight to ten years, do they?”

“After ten years it’s tough. It’s physically demanding, emotionally difficult, and spiritually … Well, it’s just plain hard and almost impossible after a certain point.”

As they walked, he pointed out a garden bed of flowers. “That’s a pretty spectacular orange.”

“It is indeed.” The flowers had no smell, yet the tall stalks were stunning. And the color was spectacular.

“Your profession is also demanding,” he said.

“Yes, but I’m out soon and not signing back up. I’m considering a small-town setting.”

He turned and looked at her in surprise. “Why?”

She shrugged. “A lot of reasons. One of the biggest is, maybe it’s time for a change.”

He studied her. “And maybe also because your reason for taking overseas positions is no longer so pressing.”

She nodded. “That’s part of it. I never intended to do this for long. I needed it at the time. Now I’m not sure what to do.” She shrugged. “I don’t mean to be evasive. I’m just reassessing my future.” She watched as he nodded slowly. “Maybe I need to go to a shrink and talk,” she said in a half-joking manner.

He surprised her when he nodded. “Even talking with friends helps. You saw a lot of action here. You were kidnapped. Maybe a therapist is a good idea.”

In the past he would’ve been the very best friend she would have talked with. In his absence, she had turned to Mac.

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