In Love and War: A Military Affair\Comrades in Arms\An Unconditional Surrender by Merline Lovelace

Author:Merline Lovelace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2003-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

“I think you’ve made believers out of the people of Tarin Kowt,” Tara said to Dave as they sat in the all-terrain vehicle on a hillside above the village. It was nearly dusk. The October sky above them was pink and lavender. The sun had already set. Some thin, high cirrus clouds spread across the sky like a horse’s tail.

Dave stirred in the driver’s seat. “A week makes a difference, doesn’t it?”

“Getting all the helicopter supplies, including food packets, in for Chief Khalid and his people made them believe your team is serious and here to stay.”

“It’s true. It has.” Because he had not had many opportunities to be alone with Tara during daylight hours, Dave had driven up the dusty road from the village to a barren hill overlooking the small valley where Tarin Kowt nestled. He savored his time alone with Tara even though he knew he shouldn’t. It was true they slept close to one another in the munitions room of Khalid’s small home, and that was a special hell for Dave. He wasn’t getting the sleep he needed because he wanted her in his arms.

“You’ve been part of the magic of this week,” he murmured, cocking his head in her direction. Even in male Afghan clothes, Tara looked feminine to him. The thick frame of her dark lashes emphasized the beauty of her blue eyes. When her lips lifted and she grinned back at him, his heart skittered with need. For her.

“Let’s give Halima credit, too. She’s a real warrior, that one. And she can ride a horse like no one’s business.”

Laughing softly, Dave gazed out over the valley. They had the Taliban on the run, but it was never safe. Sitting too long on the hill could make them a target, drawing mortar or sniper fire. “Yeah, she was practically born on one.” He started the engine and began the slow descent down the rocky, dusty yellow trail that served as a road. All around them the shadows of night began to creep over the barren, mountainous desert, creating perfect hiding places for Taliban soldiers.

“My butt’s still sore from riding all day yesterday,” Tara griped good-naturedly. “You sat on that horse like you were born to it. But then, you were raised on a Wyoming cattle ranch.”

Yesterday, they’d ridden into the surrounding mountains with Khalid and his men in search of a Taliban leader. Halima had headed the column, for she knew some of their hideouts from sneaking up on them and locating them on a hand-drawn map she’d created.

Dave roused himself and stayed on the track. Getting off it might cause them to drive over a land mine. The mines left by the Russians a decade earlier were real killers of Afghan people. Khalid had given Dave and the team a map that indicated where known minefields were located.

“With a continual supply of gas and food,” he told her as they bumped down the hill, “we’ll be able to investigate that fortress that Halima says has tunnels.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.