His eyes bulged and he seemed to be struggling for words.
“Sorry. You asked. I’m a people watcher. I love everything about them. How they move, their habits, what they wear, who they associate with. If they hold a grudge or let bygones be bygones. That sort of thing.”
“Is there anything you don’t notice?”
“Not if I can help it. For example, you have it covered tonight, but you have several long thin scratches on your left arm and what looks like a bullet wound on your right. I’m guessing you’ve seen combat and were injured in the line of duty. Those injuries probably got you drummed out of the service.” She paused. “Or, am I wrong?”
He looked like he wanted to bolt.
Too much too soon, Honey. You know better.
“You’re right. I never realized it, but everything you’re saying is accurate. My training made me vigilant. Combat changed and scarred me. Still, I’m a better man for all I went through. I just wish I hadn’t gotten a mandatory medical discharge.”
“Want to talk about it? I’m a good listener.”
“Not tonight, maybe another time. Tonight, I just want to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman and a good meal.”
Cool, his suggestion of another time implied another date. She was okay with that. “What branch of the service were you with?”
“I was in the army. Nothing more than a grunt; boots on the ground. But I enjoyed it. Well, enjoyed it as much as you can while living in the line of fire.”
“You sound proud of your service, as you should be. Thank you for serving my, your, our country.”
For a second, she thought she saw him flush. He gulped his tea. “Thank you. I appreciate your appreciation.” He chuckled. “I sound ridiculous, but the sentiment is accurate nonetheless. It isn’t every day a soldier, retired-soldier, receives gratitude in acknowledgement of his service.”
Honey swooned a little. Nothing like a man with good grammar and a decent vocabulary to heat up a girl. Brains were about the sexiest part of a man, right after expressive eyes, and strong hands. Or maybe before. Determined to keep her attraction at bay she changed the subject. “How was the ranch today?”
“Not all it’s cracked up to be.” He sighed heavily. “Although it was a short work day.”
“Really? You mentioned you were going to do some re-roofing. Did it go faster than you thought?” He closed his eyes for a moment, as if thinking. The soft murmur of voices and the clinking of silverware and dishes filled the empty air between them.
“It didn’t go at all. I ended up not working. I spent the day at home, working on shelving in the room I’m turning into a library.”
Okay, so discussing the ranch was out of the question. Something must have happened, and she had a hunch she knew what. But if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, or his paternity, she’d let it lie for now, even though she was certain she’d seen his jeep heading towards the ranch.
“Oh, a library,” she exclaimed, excited to hear he was reader like herself. “What do you read?”
“Mostly history. A fair bit of current events. Not much fiction, though I do read a bit of Lee Child.”
“What about military fiction?” she asked, trying to get to know him better.
“Not a huge fan. I’ve tried a few authors, but haven’t hit on one I love.” He paused. “Romance?”
“Not for me. I’m a thriller sort of girl, but Lacy is always trying to get me to read romance. Honestly, I love books but I don’t read much. I spend too much time on the internet researching.” She held up a hand to keep him from speaking. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my second job. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t do it.” Technically, waitressing was her second job, yet her statement wasn’t an out and out lie. “I would love to have a library. Especially one stocked with classics and books people have tried to ban. I’m hugely against censorship. I think people should be able to read what they want to.”
“I agree. I actually have a collection of old books. Several have been on banned books lists. I like to think the books which upset us also have the capacity to teach us something or to help us admit a fault of our own.”
She stared at him for several long minutes as she digested his words.
“What?” he asked.
“That’s profound.” For a man who claimed to be a simple soldier, he was a deep thinker. She wondered what he had really done in the military. Officer, maybe? Was he in military intelligence? Perhaps, but how many intelligence officers got shot?
“I don’t know if it is profound, but my intention is to keep growing my book collection and add it to the piles of books which were left in the house when I bought it. I’m building my library almost daily. I found some old journals from soldiers in World War One.”
“That’s incredible. Can I see them?”
“I guess so.”
His reluctance startled her. “I didn’t mean to push myself into your life, or into your home. The history and insights in those journals must be fascinating. I would love to see them, if it isn’t a problem for you. I understand if you’d prefer not to.” What she didn’t understand was why he’d suddenly changed their date to a public one after he’d invited her to his home. Maybe he thought they were seeing too much of each other.
