Heart of a Hero Read Online Free PDF Page A

in her version of heaven was too much. She took a deep breath. “You look good, too. The army’s agreeing with you?”
    He nodded. “And you’re enjoying teaching.” It wasn’t a question; they had stayed in loose touch by e-mail once or twice a month since she’d graduated from high school and headed off to Berkeley. As badly as she longed to hear from him, Phoebe always forced herself to wait at least a week beforee-mailing him back. The last thing she wanted was for Wade to realize how she felt about him.
    She nodded. “I think I told you I’m switching from first grade to fourth next year. It’ll be an interesting change.”
    He grinned. “Yeah, the boys will have gone from being mildly annoying to thoroughly bratty.”
    She laughed. “Hmm. Sounds like personal experience speaking.”
    “Fourth grade was the year I got sent to the principal’s office for putting a tadpole in Miss Ladly’s Thermos of iced tea.”
    “I’ve heard that story before. Guess I’ll be checking before I take a sip of anything.”
    They smiled at each other and a companionable silence fell for a moment. But then she broke the mood. “How long are you home for, and where do you go after that?” He probably had no idea that she could recite every move he’d made in the nine years since he’d graduated from high school.
    Wade’s face suddenly seemed guarded, his gray eyes darkening. “I have a few more days left of my two weeks’ leave and then I’m being deployed to Afghanistan.”
    Afghanistan. The fear she’d always lived with rose, almost choking her. “Oh, God, Wade.”
    “I’ll be back,” he said. “Who would come around to bug you once in a while if I didn’t?”
    She forced herself to smile. “Just be careful.”
    He nodded, reaching out a hand and rubbing her arm. “Thanks. I will.”
    “Hey there!” Her sister’s voice singsonged a flirtatious greeting Phoebe had heard her employ dozens of times before. And just like many of those other times, Wade’s head swiveled around and Phoebe was instantly forgotten.
    Lowering her eyes, she stepped away and busied herself gathering a few items for her evening bag while Melanie threw herself into Wade’s arms and gave him a loud kiss.
    For the rest of the evening, she avoided looking at Wade and her sister as much as she could. It was just too painful.
    Not long after they arrived at the reunion, she lost herself on the other side of the crowd. Her best friend from high school, June Nash, had come. June still lived in town. She’d married a former classmate and was expecting her first child. Phoebe felt conspicuously alone as she looked around. Everyone seemed either to be married by now or to have brought a date.
    But June was genuinely delighted to see her, and they spent the mealtime catching up on the years since high school. Although they faithfullyexchanged Christmas cards, their e-mails and phone calls had gradually slowed as their lives took different paths.
    “So you’re teaching.” June smiled. “I bet you’re fantastic with children. I still remember how great you were when the student council helped with Special Olympics.”
    Phoebe shrugged. “I enjoy it.” And the school district in which she taught was far enough from where she’d grown up that few people knew her as “the quiet twin.”
    “That’s good.” June nodded her head in the direction of another group. “I see Melanie and Wade are an item again. I thought that ended a couple of years ago.”
    Phoebe winced. “It did. But we’ve all stayed friends and Melanie invited him as her date tonight.”
    Thankfully, the band began to play at that moment and she was spared any more discussion. June wasn’t dancing since her first child was due in less than two weeks and she said she felt like a hippo in a mud hole. But a group of girls Phoebe had known when they were all in the marching band dragged her up to the dance floor with them, and Phoebe decided she was going to enjoy what