Back From Hell (Marine For You Book 2) (Contemporary Military Veteran Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

sidearm, and your card fell down to land on top. Your name and number jumped at me for the first time, like it was meant to be. I called before I could stop myself, but when it rang my courage fled and I hung up. I didn’t expect you to come here, but that brief call, even though I hadn’t spoken to you, had given me the little bit of strength I needed to carry on.”
    “That weakness and doubt will come again. Next time, will you have the will power to call me or will your courage flee then, too? Kyle…” She paused a moment and waited for him to look at her. “I don’t want to see something happen to you.”
    “Is this because of your father again?”
    She gave his arm a light squeeze. “No, it’s because of you. I want to help you. If you won’t go back to the hospital then we’ll figure out something.”
    “I’m not going to the hospital. I can’t do that again. I just need…time.” He wasn’t sure what he needed but time sounded reasonable.
    “Fine, we’ll get through it another way.” She took her hand away and leaned back. Her brows arched together in thought.
    Without her hand on his arm, sadness and longing tugged at him. He reminded himself again that she could never be interested in him in any way besides friendship. No women ever would be, not with his condition. A nasty pill to swallow, but to him, that was the truth. His ex-girlfriend had proved that.
    “You’ll come to my place.”
    “What?” Her statement pulled him from his thoughts, leaving him feeling like he had missed something.
    “I’ve got a two bedroom ranch house I’m renting not far from the hospital. There are no steps and the hallways are big enough that your wheelchair will fit. It’s not much, but it’s in a quiet little area. My former roommate moved in with her boyfriend so I have a spare room. You’ll come stay with me.”
    “You can’t be serious?”
    “I am. It’s the perfect solution. You need somewhere to stay and not live in this hotel room. I’ll be close by so you’ll have the support you need without being in the hospital. However, there are two conditions.”
    He couldn’t believe the woman before him. She was seriously inviting a strange man to move in with her. “What would your father say if he knew you were inviting strangers to come live with you?”
    “I know you better than I knew Kate when she moved in with me. Same thing about anyone else who could move in as a roommate. So why would he have a problem with it? My mother, on the other hand, would have a fit but she has one over just about everything I do. She wanted me to become a vet like her. When I told her what I wanted to do she couldn’t believe it. She hates the idea of me buying the ranch someday.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s not the point. I’m an adult, and who I choose to have in my home is my business.”
    That was the feisty side of her that he was beginning to like. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, but what are your two conditions?”
    “The first is easy: you must hand over your sidearm. I’ve got a small safe in my room that we’ll put it in. It’s for your protection. I don’t want those thoughts you had before to return and you act on them. Suicide is not the answer. We’ll get through this, together .”
    “Taking a Marine’s sidearm is like taking his arm.” The words came out before he had time to think about what he was saying; as they sank in, he looked down at his body and chuckled. “I guess since I’ve lost an arm already, it’s nothing.”
    “Do you realize what just happened?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “You forgot, even if only for a nanosecond, that you lost your arm. You were even able to make a smart remark about it once you remembered. That’s an improvement over referring to yourself as a cripple.”
    “If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can? Plus, I think I’ve got enough material for a standup comedy act. Now what’s your second