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He nodded. “After what happened today, I’d expect you to be stressed out. Or even pretty upset.”
She glanced at him and felt her bottom lip begin to tremble. She took it between her teeth. Losing control right now wasn’t an option. “You said that you’ve been there. What happened?”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Roadside bomb. Took out a whole family when our lead Humvee hit it. Two kids.” He licked his lips and swallowed hard. “One was still alive. I tried first aid. The boy’d lost a leg. In the end, he died in my arms.”
She could see the old agony in his eyes.
He held her gaze. “I’ll never get over it. I just put it aside and go on living. That’s all you can do.”
That pain. When had it happened? “How long have you been a Ranger?”
“Eleven years.”
“And before that, you—”
“I was a Marine. Did three tours in Afghanistan to serve my country. But that part of the world wasn’t for me.” He smiled. “Give me Texas any day.” With a shrug, he went on. “I always admired the Rangers. And on my third time around in the sandbox, I decided that was how I wanted to serve.”
She liked that he saw what he’d done in the Marines as service to his country or, like now, as service to Texas. It was an admirable trait, and one she seldom came across. And the fact that he’d cared so much about the Afghan boy spoke worlds about his character.
But she was stalling, putting off thinking about what had happened to her. To little Azul. Her name meant “blue”. How beautiful. She’d been wearing a blue ribbon in her long hair. And she’d had on a pink T-shirt with something cute on the front. What was it? Vic’s mind blanked. Blood filled her vision. Blood spreading all over the pretty little shirt, no matter what she tried. Red blood spattering, spewing, spurting...
She shoved back her chair and staggered to her feet, feeling out of control.
Cal stood and took hold of her arm. “Easy there.” He moved close and slid his arm around her shoulders. “It’s over. It’s just a memory now. And you can deal with a memory.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. Just a memory. I got it.” After a moment, she sat back down, aware when his broad-shouldered body moved away. He’d been a comfort just now, and it surprised her. She was a self-sufficient kind of person, and needing reassurance wasn’t like her.
They noticed a waitress heading their way.
In an urgent voice, Cal said, “Don’t try to forget what happened, Vic. Learn to live with it. Take it inside you. Remember, you were there for Azul. You held her in your arms, and she didn’t die alone. It was a good thing, Vic. That’s what you focus on.”
She met his steady gaze and nodded.
The waitress set menus in front of them. “What would you all like to drink this evening?”
Vic started with coffee with lots of cream. As they began to talk about the case, her stomach slowly began to relax. Cal’s calm, competent presence was like a warm blanket to her raw nerves.
Later, as she watched him eat his meal, she realized that she was hungry too. She called the waitress over and was soon eating a twice-baked potato, loving every bite.
Cal smiled. “Good to see you eating. You’ll feel lots better.”
He was such a nice guy. She swallowed. “Thanks for the pep talk. I was feeling pretty rocky.”
He nodded. “And you will again. But it gets easier. Just remember, don’t be afraid to think about it.” He grinned. “Listen to me. I should put out a shingle and start charging for my services.”
She laughed. “You’d be pretty good at it, too.”
She was a little surprised when he walked her to her SUV as they left the restaurant.
“Listen, if things feel rocky again, call me.” He reached into his shirt pocket for a card.
She took a good look at him. She had to admit that she liked how Rangers dressed. Their unofficial uniform was khaki jeans with a Western belt and buckle. Cal’s was a trophy buckle, so he must have rodeoed when he was younger. In keeping with the Ranger look, he also wore Western boots, a white dress shirt, and a straw Stetson. And everything was starched stiff as a board. Rangers always looked sharp, and Cal was no exception. He was a handsome man, but he never acted like he knew it, like a lot of guys would.
She took the card he offered and glanced at it for a second. “Thanks, Cal.”
He looked steadily at her, holding her gaze. “I mean it, Vic. Call if what happened starts getting to you. I’ve been there, and it’s the pits.”
She chuckled. “The pits, huh?”
