Letters from Home (Entangled Flirts) (5 page)

Chapter Eight

“What in hell are you waiting for? You’re going to let that woman get away!”

Zack bit back the inappropriate retort on the tip of his tongue. “I don’t
let
her do anything, Dad.”

His father had been distant when Zack was a kid, but they were much closer these days. He chalked it up to joining the Army. His dad had done the same when he was nineteen. Now, their relationship had evolved from father-son to good friends. His dad saw more than Zack let anyone else see, including his infatuation for one Elena Rodriguez.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“It’s a little complicated.”

“Well, of
course
it’s complicated.” His dad banged a fist against the table. “Otherwise, you’d probably be dating a man!”

Zack chuckled when the waitress came up and timidly set their dinners on the table. He thanked her then placed his napkin in his lap. They’d been coming here for lunch every Saturday since he’d gotten home.

He picked up his fork and stabbed the steak he’d ordered. “I just need a little more time.”

“I’d think time isn’t something you have a great deal of. What you need”—he pointed with his fork, narrowing his familiar gray eyes—“is a plan B.”

Frustration ate at him.
Those stupid letters
. Christmas was in three days. Another short week after that, and Lena would return to duty. Back to Sam Houston for new orders, a possible relocation, and three more years of service.

Why?
Why had he made such a ridiculous promise? Because Christmas was about love. It was about family. It was early mornings with his pretend family, sitting near the tree. The year he’d been given his first pocket knife, and the time Mrs. R had bought him a sweater. He’d lost his family once and been gifted with a replacement—the Rodriquez family. Was it too much to ask for the best Christmas present ever, Lena’s love?

Zack cleared his throat, folded his napkin, and laid it next to his plate. “I had a plan for Christmas morning to tell her everything. I didn’t expect it to be this dicey. I definitely didn’t think I’d have to go through her guard to get to her.”

His dad laughed. “Uncle EJ made a stink the day I came for your mother.”

Zack stopped the forkful of food halfway to his mouth. His dad rarely spoke of the old days, or even of his mom anymore.

“It was different in those days. Seemed like we all had a wild hair. Your mom’s parents didn’t want her to go. They thought it was a mistake to marry a soldiering man.” His dad shook off the memory. “Maybe it was.”

Zack suddenly knew what it meant for a sentence to be loaded. Holy moly. “No,” he answered succinctly. “It wasn’t. Besides, Lena’s a soldier, too. And perfectly capable of making her own decisions.”

“Son.” Zack nearly dropped his fork. His father never called him that. A wistful expression clouded the old man’s face. “You never know how long you’ll have, so make good use of your time.”

He thought about what his father had said throughout the day. When he wanted to go to her, Lena had disappeared to Sacramento with her sisters and mother. Christmas shopping. Now the day was over, and he hadn’t seen her at all.

He tossed and turned in bed, the one he’d treated himself to after eight years in bachelor quarters and less than luxury accommodations. He wanted her here, next to him, even for the short time she was home. He wanted to hear her whisper his name and say that she loved him.

But she’d fallen in love with the letter guy, who was only a part of him. The silly romantic part…he should have taken more time to swear or tell a dirty joke or two.

What if she didn’t love the rest of him?

Zack woke groggy and restless. He showered, lingering longer than usual as thoughts of his predicament continued to fill his mind. But maybe it wasn’t all that bad. They’d had a good time on Friday night. And she’d stood up for him, too. He hadn’t expected that.

“She loves you,” he said to the face in the mirror before he slid his razor down over his cheek. His stomach clenched, hearing the words echo against the tiles of his bathroom. He just needed to show her he loved her. Show her what he offered her was real.

After dressing, he drove the half-mile to Sacred Heart Church and parked his Camaro. The way the early morning light illuminated the rose window above the main doors, he could believe he had a chance. If there was one thing he believed in right at this moment, it was hope.

A knock on the window made his heart jump and pound against his rib cage. Mike was standing there with a look of what-the-hell on his face.

Zack rolled down the window.

“Are you coming in or have they finally ex-communicated you?”

“Haha.” Zack closed his window and opened the door to get out. A breeze swept through the parking lot. “It’s going to be warm today.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Mike hesitated, the pause filled with uncertainty and passive aggression. They’d never had anything between them before. “Look, it’s taking a while to get used to you…and Lena. It’s weird.”

“I don’t want it to mess with our friendship.”

“Oh yeah? Well then, let’s go fishing.”

He hedged. He didn’t want to have to choose, but he would. “I can’t promise.”

“Whatever, amigo.” Mike eyed him as they walked up to the church doors then held one open. “See what women do? We’ve never had a woman between us before.”

“Lena’s not a woman-between-us. She’s your sister.”

Mike pointed. “And don’t you forget it.”

Zack about stumbled through the door. Righting himself quickly, he turned to stare at his best friend. “Was that a threat?”

“No. Just a promise.”

He took a deep breath when Mike continued into the church. Things were bound to change. He was ready for it. He’d been waiting for it.

Zack blessed himself before rounding the pews to the left and finding the Rodriguez family near the front. Every Sunday, this he could count on. She was, of course, smack dab in the middle of the bunch.

Desperate times call for desperate measures
.

He smiled for Juan, who sat on the end, and pointed toward Lena. “Excuse me,” he whispered, lifting the empty kneeler with his toe and side-stepping into the pew. He bumped into Maria’s knees and then stepped on the edge of Jaime’s shoe. “Sorry.”

Jaime shook his hand in a silent hello, and finally, after squeezing past Cat, Zack was next to Lena.

He waited for everyone to scoot down toward the aisle, then turned and sat, ignoring the warning look he was getting from Mike and the Cheshire grin he was getting from Maria. He nodded to Carlos, who sat at the center aisle with Anabel, a contemplative frown on his face—not unfriendly, but not that amicable, either. Anabel gave him the motherly smile he’d been graced with for the last twenty-two years.

Lena knelt beside him, her long, shiny hair plaited down her back and exposing the long line of her neck. So he knelt, too. And he bowed his head to pray…that she wanted him.

“What are you doing?” she spoke under her breath, leaning into him a little and leaving his heart stuttering from her closeness. “Could you be any more disruptive? People are trying to pray!”

“I wanted to sit next to you.”

This was plan B?
His mouth had a mind of its own. He was lucky he hadn’t added,
for the rest of my life
. There was
some
sense still swimming around up there.

Lifting her head just enough to catch his eye, her beautifully arched brows furrowed. He liked seeing her confused. He’d never rocked the boat before, but with as little time as he had left, finesse and grace weren’t going to cut it anymore.

…

He’s not my brother.

That was the bottom line. The evidence of something growing between them made her want to hurry back to the safety net of her job in the Army. But that was fickle. And she had never been fickle.

Her longing over the last year for something more, for what had been promised in those letters, called her the liar she would be if she snuck away now. Wishing Zack had written those letters sat at the pit of her stomach like a lead ball.

“Whatcha doin’ there?”

Lena glanced up as Catalina came into the bedroom and waved to the pile of envelopes on the bed. “Sorting.”

“Are these all from your secret admirer?”

Shaking her head, she shoved a pile toward her sister.

“Oh.” Catalina shuffled through a few of them. “I didn’t know Zack had been writing to you.”

“Not much.” Lena shrugged. “I wrote to him before joining. I wanted to hear how it was, ask some questions. He wrote back.”

They were not love letters. They were usually short. More like quick notes typed between tasks. Of course, they’d always made her laugh, the little stories about his unit or a particular night out with the guys. Anecdotes. Encouragement.

Frustration was like sandpaper on her soul. “I needed a friend who knew what it was like. Zack had already been in for five years. Read one.”

His first reply had been short, railing at her for considering the idea. It had hurt a little but made her even more determined to join than ever. Without that letter, she probably would have chickened out. When her anger had subsided—a few months later—she’d written back.

Almost twelve years of letters. Not a single romantic thought in the bunch.

But she still loved him. And now, she had to admit, she loved him as more than a brother or a friend. “
Grrr
! Seriously? Cat, what am I supposed to do?”

“About what?”

Lena rolled her eyes and picked up the pile of letters from her secret admirer. “The letters. How can I leave this guy hanging?” She bit her lip. “I think I’m in love with Zack.”

“I knew it.” Cat picked up one of the love letters from the pile sitting next to her and turned it over in her hand. “But, you definitely need to meet this guy.”

Catalina tossed the letter to the bed and stretched her legs, leaning back against the headboard. “We all love Zack. He’s like part of the family, even if you are kissing him.” She smirked. “This, though…well, if you don’t meet him, you’ll always wonder, don’t you think?”

Maria showed up in her scrubs after a long night at the hospital. Hair was coming out of her bun and sticking out in all directions, dark circles marred her eyes.

Lena patted the bed. “Tired?”

Her sister gave in to the invitation. “Exhausted. There was a fire at one of the bars downtown last night. The emergency room stayed busy. We had to fly two of the victims to UC Davis in Sacramento.”

“Oh, honey. Anyone we know?”

Maria shook her head, fatigue escaping as tears and running down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them away. “Sorry.”

Catalina reached over and patted Maria’s leg.

Bolstering herself, Maria smiled. “So, what’s going on with Zack?”

“Not Zack. I’m convincing Lena to go meet her secret admirer,” Catalina answered.

“What if it
is
Zack?”

“What?” Cat broke off.

“What?” Lena’s brain misfired, actually stopped working completely as she tried to process Maria’s suggestion.

“That would be convenient, yes?” Maria kept her eyes closed as she spoke. “I wouldn’t care who it is. It’s romantic. Nothing romantic ever happens around here.”

“That’s not true!” Catalina sat up in protest. “You went out with Mario last month, and he brought you a rose.”

Lena tried to keep up, but she was stuck on Zack. “Mario?”

“Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. Mario? And Maria?” She cringed.

“You didn’t want it to work out.” Catalina pouted.

“Shut up, Cat.” Maria toed off her shoes and curled into one of the throw pillows. “You should both know that I’m giving up dating. My New Year’s resolution is to
not
get involved with anyone this year.”

Catalina laughed. “Come on. It won’t last!”

But there was hurt in Maria’s eyes. Something had happened that she wasn’t talking about, and Lena wished she hadn’t missed so much. She needed to be a better sister. “Good for you, Maria. There is nothing wrong with that.”

Maria roused, slowly opening her eyes and getting up. “Thanks, Lena.” Maria reached over to ruffle Lena’s hair and give her a hug. “Don’t worry so much. Besides, how could it be Zack? He only came home in June. You’ve been getting letters since January.”

Lena sighed. “There is that.” But hadn’t her heart kind of soared at the idea? Ugh. She needed her head examined!

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, Lena. Then the mystery will be over.” Cat also got up to leave. “You’ll do what’s right…you always have.”

In the quiet of her sisters’ exodus, Lena gathered the letters strewn over the bed and stuffed them into the shoebox then went through and ordered them—neat, orderly, business-like typed letters in one pile and handwritten, personal letters in another. She fingered one of the letters from Zack, lifted it to her nose, and took a deep breath. She picked one of the secret admirer letters and did the same.

Unfortunately, the answer wasn’t in her senses. They both smelled exactly the same, like paper that had been thrown into her backpack and left there for months at a time.

Chapter Nine

Lena woke up on Christmas Eve unbelievably revitalized. Finally, after a week, she didn’t have the post-deployment fatigue dragging her down. Maybe not completely back to normal, but better.

One more day.

Elena pulled the box from under her bed and ruffled through the letters, pulling a random envelope from the stack. August. With a guilty look over her shoulder, she opened it.

…btw, Mrs. Marts was caught in the backseat of Principal Morten’s station wagon last weekend
. The entire town has blown up with the news, and the Principal is on suspension. Of course, no one talks about how the affair has been going on for years. Now that it’s out in the open, it will either die quickly or…you never know. Maybe they have something that will last. Haha. We’ll see.

She remembered how she couldn’t stop grinning after she received this letter. After a long night in the trauma unit, the letter had been a Godsend. She sighed. Another just-what-she-needed moment.

“Lena,” Mom called from downstairs. “You have to get to the post office before noon. Let’s go. These invitations have to go out today.”

Lena tucked the letter back into the envelope. “I’m up, I’m up,” she called.

Her mom’s New Year’s Eve party included the entire family, all thirty-seven aunts, uncles, cousins, and two second cousins—twice removed—or something like that. Then there were the close friends, the business associates, and even a few strangers…if her mother happened upon one or two in the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

After getting dressed, Lena ran down the stairs and took the pile from the hall table.

“I’m coming, too,” Cat called as she scrambled down the steps and grabbed her winter coat. She was out the door before Lena could respond.

The tall, tan brick building on the corner of Walnut and Jefferson stood before her like the ever-loving answer to all her frustrations that it was. Her letter writer had come here to send his little notes and longer letters. Mystery man vs. Zack.

“Don’t think about it, Lena,” Cat suggested as she held open the main door. Easier said than done. Maria’s question had left Lena reeling, and thinking, and then reeling again.

Zack
was
family, even if those boundaries were being compromised. She’d forced herself to remain practical and not text him, even though she’d have killed to send him one, just to see how he was doing. The urge made her feel like a school girl, like Cat, who
had
been texting her boyfriend constantly.

Cat took the pile of cards from her hand and stuffed them into the outgoing mail slot. She hooked an arm through Lena’s, and they started to leave, but out of the corner of her eye, Lena caught a glimpse of a man behind the counter. She slowed, crooking her head. “Hey.”

Mark Teller. “That’s the new guy,” Lena whispered to Cat, who immediately turned around to stare through the glass doors and into the customer service area.

Mark had acted as if he knew her that night at the Winter Carnival. But he was friends with Zack. She wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the a-friend-of-yours-is-a-friend-of-mine phenomenon. Maybe they’d talked about her a time or two. Still, she didn’t believe in coincidence.

An odd tingling sensation started just below her heart. What if…?

What if Maria’s flippant remark was correct? What if Zack’s attention this week was more than just him scratching an itch, testing the waters? Her heart pounding and knees weak, Lena stopped on the steps. She gripped the rail with barely steady hands and pressed her lips together, fighting a grin, fighting a joy that might be unfounded.

“You okay? Looks like you have a panic attack coming on.”

Lena blew out a lungful of air and pressed her fingers against her eyes. “I know. I feel crazy. Those letters made me crazy. Then Zack made me fall in love with him.” She turned to her sister. “That guy in there is friends with Zack. He works at the Post Office.”

Cat lifted a brow.

“Cat! He knows who the letter writer is!”

But Cat didn’t drum up the same enthusiasm. Instead, she took Lena’s shoulders in her hands. “You have less than twenty-four hours to wait. You’re not going to go in there and ruin it, are you?”

Lena laughed. “Don’t you see?” Hope, planted on her first morning here, grew inside of her.

I think the connection you feel through the letters was already there…

“I have to call Zack.” She stood and pulled her phone from her back pocket. She called his number and got his voice mail.

“Text him.” Her sister egged her on.

“I will. I will. Gee, when did you get so bossy?”

Cat grinned. “I learned from the best.”

Lena snorted, her fingers moving over the screen.

Need to talk. Can you meet me at the gazebo?

“Let’s walk.”

Lena followed her little sister. “I asked him to meet me at the gazebo.”

“What?” Cat shook her head. “You’re crazy. That’s like sacred ground until after your rendezvous. You shouldn’t go there. It might be bad luck.”

Lena couldn’t help but laugh. “No.” The more she thought about her need to see Zack, the more sure she was— Zack
was
her mystery man.

Sorry, babe. 4got to tell you. Spending day with dad. We drove to Sacramento for Mass. Be home mid-afternoon.
You okay?

He was a good man—honest, compassionate, loyal—and out of town. Her heart plummeted, and she chewed on her lower lip, pouting.

Fine. Just wanted to see you.

“What? What is it?” Cat stopped on the sidewalk and leaned against the parking meter.

“He took his dad to church.”

Cat started laughing. “You’re such a softy, Lena. I don’t know how you survive in the big, bad military world.”

Her phone buzzed again.

After-hours business Christmas party 2nite. Wanna go?

Her hands were trembling. She forced a calm back into her senses by blowing out a breath and stretching the muscles of her neck.

Sure

She turned to Cat. “He asked me to the after-hours business affair tonight. I need a dress.”

“I know just the place.”

…

Zack straightened his tie in the mirror of the front hall. The doorbell rang. He checked his watch. Eighteen hundred hours. He didn’t have time for carolers or, heaven forbid, a door-to-door salesman. He yanked the door open and froze.

“Lena.”

He couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. She looked incredible. The soft, black dress hugged her like a second skin, draped over her well-toned shoulders, slim waist, and hips that promised heaven. The deep cut of the v-neck exposed smooth skin and made his entire body tense with need. With her hair twisted up at the back of her head, the black stones that hung from her neck and ears sparkled in the soft glow of the porch light. And she wore heels—
holy moly…heels
—at least three inches tall.

“Hello.” Her mellow voice drummed against his sensual haze.

He swallowed. “I could have picked you up.”

When she laughed, her head tilted back, exposing the line of her neck. Her eyes shone with good humor and a spark of something else, something challenging. She leaned in, her smile an invitation he would have no problem accepting. “I live four houses down.”

“But it would be proper.” Zack felt an undeniable need to loosen the tie around his neck. “Why don’t you come in? We don’t need to leave for another fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks.” She swept through the doorway, the scent of her wafting in and surrounding him. Good God, if he wasn’t careful they would never get out of this house. Not that he wanted to… Every day closer to the end of her leave was another strike against him.

What more could he do?

Lena had moved into the living room. “It’s so different.” She waved a hand at the room. “Yet it’s the same, too. You’ve only been here since June, right?”

He nodded slowly, detecting an edge to her questioning. A fishing trip? “That’s right. Last year, when my dad’s health started deteriorating, we both decided he should move over to the assisted living on Luther Street.”

“Wow, nice arrangements. Not cheap.”

“Yeah, well. One day at a time, right? Anyway, the house was empty until I finished my commitment and came home.”

Nerves wracked his stomach. Why was she here? What made her come to his house? They’d arranged for him to pick her up. But it was more than the nerves wreaking havoc on his body. He wanted her even more today than he had a week ago, more than he had as a randy teenager. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Glass of wine?” She suggested, and his heart fell.

“Oh, actually, I—” He rubbed a hand over his mouth to cover his laugh.
What an idiot.
He should have wine and flowers and all the things women loved. “Uhm…Beer?”

“Sure.” She followed him to the kitchen. “You seem nervous.”

The beer from the fridge was cold, and he wanted to take the damn thing and roll it over his forehead. “Not nervous, just…you look beautiful, by the way. And tomorrow’s Christmas. You’ve got that thing in the morning.”

“I saw your friend today.” She changed the subject, throwing him for a loop.

“Friend?”

“Mark?” She took a pull from the beer he handed her. “I was dropping a pile of cards at the Post Office.”

“Oh.”
Oh.
Zack cleared his throat. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s fine, I guess. I never did get a chance to talk to him. He was busy, you know,
working
.”

The way she spoke was enough to break him, as if she knew. But she couldn’t… Mark wouldn’t have told her he’d been writing the letters. There had to be a Federal law against that or something.

“Anyway,” she went on with a smile. “It made me think of the letters again. Think about who had written them. Someone who knows me quite well. I was always surprised by the insight in those letters, the true depth of this man’s compassion for what I was going through. He seemed to know exactly what I needed.”

Zack circled the table and approached her. He was not going to give up his surprise so close to the end of the game. He didn’t care how silly it seemed now. She wasn’t going to force his hand.

Lena took a step back, but she came up short against the counter top. “Oops.”

Zack stopped and wrapped his hands around her small waist. He felt the soft flesh under his hands and ached. “Been a crazy week, hasn’t it?”

“Mmm,” she murmured, gazing into his eyes with an openness about to bring him to his knees. “Thank you, by the way.”

He frowned. “For what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know yet.” Then she leaned in, pressing her lips softly to his. Her arms circled him, warming him with her embrace. He let her lead, and she took him down the road of no return, coaxing his mouth open with the wet glide of her tongue.

He drew her closer with trembling hands. Every perfect curve molded against him. His hands explored her rib cage, and he found the underside of her breasts with his thumbs. He softened his touch, caressing her as the kiss went deeper and deeper. The taste of her drove him on until he had to break free in order to breathe.

“Lena,” he whispered, tracing small kisses over her lips, her cheek, and down her neck. The need for her grew, every muscle tensed with the passion of her touch. He lifted her and set her on the counter at her back.

With the last thread of sanity, he held tightly to the edge of the counter and stepped back—taking the space he needed. He was already out of breath, already so far gone. He looked into her eyes and saw the same frantic desire mirrored there.

She placed her hands gently against his skin and ran cool, competent fingers over his forearms, the touch sending shivers through him.

“I never needed anyone like I need you,” he admitted.

“How did this happen?”

He laughed. “Is it so bad that we want each other?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No. I never thought I had a chance with you, Zack. I—”

“What?”

“Did you write those letters?”

He shrugged, pulled the pins from her hair, and his breath caught in his throat as it spilled over his hands and covered her shoulders. He drove his hands through the thick, silky length. “I could tell you, but—”

“Then you’d have to kill me?”

He left more kisses from her ear to her shoulder. She didn’t object, merely tilted her head to one side to give him better access.

“Something like that.”

On her shoulder was a scar the size of a nickel. He placed his lips over it, remembering the call he’d gotten a month after she’d left. There had been an attack. She’d been struck by flying shrapnel. Even worse, she’d lost a patient, and the guilt of losing someone always cut deep.

His raging need for her eased, transforming into a profound depth of…hell, he didn’t even know what. She could have died. He thought back to what his father had said.

When he took her face in his hands, she covered the scar. “It’s so ugly. I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. It was dumb. An uncooperative private wouldn’t stay in recovery. Kept trying to get back out. Sergeant Podolski was supposed to go get him, and then the attack happened. Everyone, defending our position, moving patients to the bunker below us.”

He let her talk. She probably hadn’t had a chance.

“I went after the private. He was out back, smoking, during the raid.” She shook her head with a laugh. “There was so much morphine in his system, he probably had no idea there was a raid going on. It only lasted ten, maybe twelve minutes. But Podolski was hit, and I—”

“No. No guilt in living.”

And he kissed her, brought life back to the desire by melding his lips to hers. Heartbeats pounded into each other as he held her as close as possible. She hooked her feet behind his back, and their tongues met. He tasted her and was consumed.

Her hands tugged at the hem of his shirt, pulling it from his waistband, and then they were on him, and oh, my God. She trailed those delicate fingers over his skin. He dragged her with him, back to the living room, always keeping his lips against her skin, his hands on her body.

Her hands dipped down into the back of his pants. He couldn’t think, couldn’t get beyond wanting her, wanting this stupid—gorgeous—dress off her.