âIâm going to grab something to eat.â
She needed to escape the urge to do exactly as he suggestedâto sink into his arms and forget for the moment that she was the single mother of a very sick little boy.
âClaire.â He called her name and she ignored it, turning toward the kitchen.
âI need to eat.â
âNo,â he said. âYou need a hug.â
Funny how just a moment ago she couldnât cry to save her life, yet his words brought instant tears to her eyes. âPlease donât.â
âDonât what?â
She sucked in a breath, trying hard not to crumble because that was all it had takenâone gentle call of her name, one random act of kindness, one offer of a shoulder to lean uponâfor her to lose strength.
âDonât be kind to me because if you touch me I might crumble and if I crumble I donât know if Iâll be able to put all the pieces back together again.â
He stared down at her with a kindness that melted her self-control. âIf you crumble, I promise to help put you back together again.â
With more than a million books in print, PAMELA BRITTON likes to call herself the best-known author nobodyâs ever heard of. Of course, that changed thanks to a certain licensing agreement with that little racing organization known as NASCAR.
But before the glitz and glamour of NASCAR, Pamela wrote books that were frequently voted the best of the best by the Detroit Free Press, Barnes & Noble (two years in a row) and RT Book Reviews. Sheâs won numerous awards, including a National Readersâ Choice Award and a nomination for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart>® Award.
When not writing books, Pamela is a reporter for a local newspaper. Sheâs also a columnist for the American Quarter Horse Journal.
Chapter One
There was something about a man in uniform.
Claire Reynolds had seen a lot of them over the years. It had gotten to the point that she hardly even noticed them anymore, but this man, she thought as a warm wind blew off the tarmac, this man stood outâand not just because he wore dress blues.
âMs. Reynolds?â He walked out from beneath the shade of a C-40, although he had to yell to be heard. Behind him, across a strip of asphalt that shimmered from desert heat, the nose of a C-5 cargo plane lifted. The roar of its engines sounded as if a thousand storm clouds hovered overhead.
âYou must be Dr. McCall?â she all but yelled back, a hank of her long black hair blowing across her face. She should have pulled it into a ponytail.
The man nodded, his hand lifting to his hat, a black beret with a gold oak leaf cluster near the pointy tip. Major Ethan McCall. Decorated soldier. Veterinarian for the US Army. Sheâd been on base before thanks to CPRâCombat Pet Rescueâbut sheâd never met this man. Was he new?
Beneath his hat, green eyes squinted as he turned to face the back end of the smaller cargo plane, the big bay door yawning open like the back of a semi. In the shade of one of the wings, an aluminum dog crate stood silent. Claire watched as a black nose and part of a snout popped out of one of the holes, then back in again. For some reason, it made Claire smile. She looked up at the man in uniform and found him staring at her.
âThanks for coming all the way out here.â He looked away, and Claire took a moment to gather all her hair in one hand and twist it so that it would stay in place. He was young, much younger than she had expected. And handsome. She hadnât expected that, either. Light brown hair. Strong jaw. Sideburns. A younger version of George Clooney.
âI didnât mind.â And she hadnât. Sheâd needed to get away, even though her troubles had followed her here. As much as she loved her six-year-old son, as much as she wanted to be there for him every step of the way, sheâd craved a brief burst of freedom. So sheâd made the long drive east and then south to the desert, leaving Adam in the care of her brother and sister-in-law. God help her, sheâd wanted to keep on driving.
âSorry about the uniform.â She looked up in time to see something cross behind his eyes. âFuneral detail.â
The reason for the heightened security presented itself. Sheâd been on base enough times to have the routine down by heart. But today there had been an added layer of tension. She did a half turn toward the plane and spotted it then. A casket sat just inside the cargo bay. It caused Claireâs heart to stab her rib cage, the same way it did whenever she heard more bad news about her sonâs health.