The Soldier's Holiday Vow by Jillian Hart

Author:Jillian Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2009-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

The afternoon’s light rain had turned into what sounded like a monsoon by the time September finished wiping down her kitchen counters. There. The chores were done for the evening. Satisfied, she hit the start button and the dishwasher chugged to life. The marble gleamed, the cabinets shone, the appliances sparkled in the white twinkle lights she had strung around the top edge of the upper cabinets.

The phone rang. Chessie, checking up on her. She didn’t have to look at caller ID as she grabbed the cordless and turned off the overhead lights. She left behind the soft glow of the twinkle lights and headed to the living room. The gas fireplace was going, chasing the winter’s chill from the room. “No, I don’t have my feet up, but as soon as the phone rang I headed for the couch.”

“How did you know it was me calling?”

“My big-sister radar beeped.” She stretched out on the couch and grabbed the remote. “And no, I didn’t overdo it at the stables. I needed to get in some saddle time before next week’s event.”

“Excuses. As if you need more time on the back of a horse.” Beneath Chessie’s tough-girl facade ran true caring. “You sound better. More like yourself.”

“It takes more than a fall into a big hole in the earth to keep me down,” she quipped, hit the mute button and began to channel-surf.

“You know I wasn’t talking about that. You haven’t sounded this chipper since…” She paused, as if she didn’t want to cause any pain by bringing up Tim’s name.

“I had a good day.” That was the simplest explanation. She didn’t know why she felt better—she certainly didn’t want to pin that on one man. She was not that needy or fragile; she was the kind of woman who stood on her own two feet. “How did your day at work go?”

“The same old thing. Not much changes at the library. People check out books, they bring them back.” Librarian humor. “Have you heard from Dad yet?”

They passed the next thirty minutes catching up on family news and holiday plans. In the background, September’s thoughts were way too preoccupied with a certain new friend. After she said goodbye to her sister, she punched in Hawk’s home number. His machine came on and his rugged baritone across the line made her smile. She left him the information he needed for the ride—just businesslike stuff. Nothing personal.

Except for the small detail that she was grinning ear to ear by the time she hung up. So what? She was looking forward to seeing the guy. They were friends. That was a prerequisite for a friendship, right?

Right, and so were those kisses. She rolled her eyes. Best not to think about the kisses.

Luckily, Jeopardy came on. One of her faves. She turned up the volume, calling out answers along with the contestants.

But what was at the back of her mind?

Yes. Hawk. He had taken up permanent residence in her thoughts.

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