Soul Deep Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I did two tours of duty in Vietnam. We lost a lot of good
men. That was a long time ago. Most Americans don’t know anything
about it.”
    Janet hated to admit it, but she knew very
little about Vietnam. She would make a point of rectifying that.
“What did you do when you got back?”
    “I came home to Theresa and the Cimarron.
Nate was born a few years later. He was our only child. That’s not
what we wanted, but it’s what happened. Theresa had a few
miscarriages after he was born, and then it just became too
difficult for her. We stopped trying.”
    Janet could understand that. “I’m sorry. That
must have been very hard.”
    “Life is what it is. We had a lot of good
years together, and I’m grateful for that.”
    Even though he sat at the other end of the
sofa, she was keenly aware of him, the deep, soothing sound of his
voice, his masculine scent.
    “Why haven’t you remarried?” The moment the
words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. “I’m
sorry. It’s none of my business. You loved your wife very much. I
realize you can’t just turn that off.”
    Stop while you’re behind, Killeen!
    “I loved her very much.” He looked down at
his wine glass, then into her eyes. “I might remarry—if the right
woman were to come along. But what are the chances? An old guy like
me? I’m sixty-three, past the age for dating.”
    “Give me a break!” Janet laughed. “You helped
me up that embankment today without breaking a sweat, then carried
me to your truck like I weighed nothing. Those are hardly the
actions of an ‘old guy.’”
    His gaze was fixed on hers, his blue eyes
dark. “That’s kind of you to say.”
    “It’s not kind at all. You’re a very handsome
man, Jack West. I think any woman would look at you and think
that.”
    It dawned on her that perhaps she was giving
too much away, but the wine and the look in his eyes made that
worry unravel.
    “So, tell me, SA Killeen, do you have a
significant other? That’s the term in modern parlance, isn’t
it?”
    She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, it is,
and, no, I don’t.”
    She found herself telling him about Byron and
the way he’d left her, only leaving out the part about her torn
vaginal muscles. “I was told I needed to avoid sex for a while, and
that was just too much for him in the end. That’s not the excuse he
gave me, but I’m sure that was the last straw.”
    Usually when she thought about that last
conversation with Byron, she found herself fighting tears, the pain
almost as fresh as it had been the day he’d left. But at this
moment, she was more aware of the anger that flashed in Jack’s
eyes.
    “What a goddamned asshole! He did you a favor
by getting the hell out of your life.” Jack frowned, his expression
turning apologetic. “Sorry. My mouth gets ahead of me. I talk
before I think. I’m sure it was very painful to lose him on top of
everything else you were dealing with at the time.”
    It had been, but somehow Jack’s rage on her
behalf helped her feel better.
    “It’s okay, and you’re right. He really did do me a favor.” She hadn’t thought of it that way
before.
    “Nate faced a similar situation.” He told her
how Nate had been badly burned in an IED explosion in Afghanistan
and then flown to San Antonio, where he’d spent weeks fighting for
his life. “I flew down to be with him. His fiancée came to visit,
too. I thought she was there to show her support. Instead, she
broke it off. He was lying there, suffering ungodly pain and facing
dozens of surgeries, and she broke off their engagement.”
    Janet didn’t hold back. “What a bitch!”
    It wasn’t a word she used lightly.
    Jack nodded. “You’ve got that right. But, in
the end, she did him a favor. He’s got a good woman now, one who
loves him because of the man he is—not despite his scars, but because of them.”
    “He’s a lucky man.” The sharp edge of
loneliness cut through the warm buzz of the wine.
    “What