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Anna lifted her head. “Oh, we’re always in a hurry around here, but we just take our time getting there.”
That brought a smile to his face. “Then I guess I might as well start my debriefing with a big Tex-Mex omelet and some real coffee.”
“I know just the place for that,” Caitlyn said, her arm linked in Steve’s. “You remember Prairie Springs Café, right, David?”
David laughed. “Is Max still there?”
“Still there,” Anna said as she motioned him toward the door. “And if I know Max, he’ll pull out the red carpet for a returning hero. Might even give you a free meal.” Tossing him a smile over her shoulder, she said, “Welcome home, cowboy.”
Anna watched as David wolfed down the last of his big omelet, then reached for another biscuit. “Did you miss American food, Chief?”
David buttered the flaky biscuit, then put down his knife. “It wasn’t so bad. We had something very close to American food on most days. That and our MREs, of course.”
Caitlyn wiped jelly off one of the twins’ mouths. “But a ready-to-eat meal can’t take the place of the real thing, can it?”
“No, I reckon not,” David replied, noticing the way Caitlyn and the chaplain kept smiling at each other. “You two an item or something?”
Steve burst out laughing. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
Embarrassed, David shook his head. “I guess I don’t. I believe in being up front and honest. But I can be too blunt at times, or so I’ve been told.”
Anna looked down at her plate, thinking she believed in honesty herself. They had that in common at least. She didn’t even know David Ryland…but she sure knew of him. He was considered one of the finest medevac chopper pilots at Camp Die-Hard. Or so she’d heard. Dr. Mike couldn’t say enough nice things about him. The devoted doctor had called in several markers just so David could be the one to get Ali safely home. And yet, he’d asked Anna to watch over his friend David, too.
“Take care of him for me, Anna. He’s a good man. But he’s not so forthcoming about himself. Maybe you can draw him out, make him feel welcome.”
Dr. Mike’s words came back to her now as she glanced up at David. “Are you glad to be home?”
He nodded, his dark eyes washing over her intensely. “I guess I am. Time will tell.”
Curious about that remark, Anna was about to ask him why he wasn’t more excited, but the jingling bells on the café door caused her to stop and look up. “Uh-oh.”
David turned to stare at the attractive older woman entering the café, then glanced back at Anna. “Is something wrong?”
Anna lowered her head, her hand going to her necklace. “No, nothing I can’t handle. My mother just walked in.”
Max waved a beefy hand from behind the counter. “As I live and breathe, if it ain’t one of my favorite people. How ya doin’, Olga?”
Olga waved back to Max, her smile somewhere between shy and coy. “I’m just fine, thank you.”
“That’s your mother?”
Hearing the surprise in David’s words, Anna could only nod. “Yes. Olga Terenkov in the flesh. Get ready.”
“Okay,” David said, noticing the amused expressions on Caitlyn’s and Steve’s faces. “Should I be worried? I mean, she looks harmless.”
That brought a grunt from Steve and a snicker from Caitlyn. But the twins seemed happy to see Anna’s mother. They squealed and waved, calling out, “Miss Olga, Miss Olga!”
The woman waved back, clearly glad to see the cute little girls. “Hello, my darlings!”
“Harmless is not a word I’d associate with my mother,” Anna said under her breath. “She’s been doing things to embarrass me for most of my life and I have a feeling that’s not going to change anytime soon.”
Steve leaned close, his eyes on David. “Be forewarned, David. You’re about to enter the hug zone.”
David did look worried now. “But I—”
“Anna!”
Anna cringed. “We’re in for it.” She sent her beaming mother a feeble wave. “Hello, Mother.”
Olga, still young looking at fifty-four, was dressed in her usual get-up—brown cowboy boots and a denim prairie skirt with a crisp flower-sprinkled cotton blouse. Her golden-blond hair was pulled up in a haphazard coil.
“Anna-bug,” Olga called out, the click of her boots hitting the hardwood floor as she sashayed up the aisle, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Isn’t little Ali just adorable? Can you believe he’s finally here? Did you get to give him a hug? Is he terribly afraid? Oh, I can’t wait to see him again.”
By this time, Olga was standing at the table, her mouth poised for yet another rapid-fire question when she stopped in midbreath to pin David with a wide-eyed appraisal. “Oh, my. And who are you?”
David stood, out of respect, but hesitated, caught in midair as if he wasn’t sure what to do next. “Hello, ma’am.”
Olga held a hand to her face, then giggled. “So polite.”
“Mother, this is Chief David Ryland,” Anna said, hoping the telltale hives she usually got along her jawline and neck whenever she was embarrassed wouldn’t show up today. “He’s the helicopter pilot who flew Ali to meet the C-17 to Germany. He escorted Ali home.”
Olga put a hand to her heart, then touched it to David’s sleeve. “Oh, oh, my goodness, we are so very thankful for you. So very thankful.”
Anna noted her mother’s Russian accent thickening. Olga’s accent always came out whenever she was excited, and that was just about every day. Her mother was such an optimist, always looking on the bright side of things. And right now she had her sights set on David Ryland, which meant she was looking at the bright side of her daughter having breakfast with a returning soldier. When Olga glanced from David to Anna, her big blue eyes full of that hopeful glimmer Anna both admired and dreaded, Anna knew that two things were about to happen.
Olga put a hand on her hip, then looked up at David again. “Did you have anyone waiting at the airfield for you, son?”
David shook his head. “Well, no, ma’am—”
David didn’t get to finish. He was immediately engulfed in a feminine hug and a whole lot of patting on the back. “Bless your heart. Bless you,” Olga said over and over, her smile turned toward Anna as she looked over David’s broad shoulder. “We’re so glad you made it home safely with our little Ali!”
Caitlyn and Steve sat back, observing, grins covering their faces. Even the twins stopped eating to stare up at Olga.
Anna saw her mother’s mirthful wink. Notorious for her outlandish matchmaking schemes, Olga would try to fix up David Ryland with her daughter. And that meant Anna’s already chaotic life had just become even more complicated.
Chapter Three
Two days later, David sat in Chaplain Steve’s office. After having gone through hours of being poked and prodded, questioned and tested, he was now waiting for the required assessment by the chaplain, just to make sure his spiritual health and well-being was intact.
“And I guess that’s where the chaplain comes in mighty handy,” David said out loud.
The door opened and Steve walked in with a smile on his face. “If you’re talking to yourself, you might not pass all those tests you’ve been going through, my friend.”
David laughed, then shook Steve’s hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not having a post-traumatic-stress moment.”
“That’s good,” Steve said as he sank down in the squeaky chair behind his desk. “But you know whatever you say to me is strictly between us. So you don’t have to pretend. How are you, really?”
David shrugged. “I’ve caught up on my sleep and I’ve settled into my lovely post apartment. Well, I’ve got a wide-screen television and a big recliner and a bed at least.”
Steve laughed at that. “What are your plans for the future?”
“For the immediate future? Getting accustomed to being reassigned to Fort Bonnell, for starters. Being a warrant officer on post is not nearly as demanding and exciting as being up in my chopper on the front. I’ll be pushing papers for the next two years. Life here is sure a lot slower. I still can’t get the sound of choppers and gunfire out of my mind, but it’s good to be home.”
“So what are your plans for…after?”
David leaned back, comfortable to be talking about anything but his spiritual well-being. “You know, I haven’t mapped that out. But I wouldn’t mind working as an EMS pilot for one of the nearby medical centers. I’d still pilot a chopper and I’d be able to help save people, but I won’t get shot at—a definite plus for that kind of work.”
“Always a good and noble career choice, too,” Steve said. “They’d be blessed to have you.”
“We’ll see when the time comes,” David replied.
Steve kept tapping his pen against his notepad. “What about right now?”
David glanced around. “You mean, what am I doing with myself these days? Everyone keeps asking me that and I’m not sure. I’ve been away for a long time now. For some reason, it just seemed important to come here before I take an official leave.” Maybe because he had something to prove, even now. Or maybe because he was determined to find out who his father was.
They talked a few more minutes then Steve said, “You know, Children of the Day can always use good volunteers. There’s a need for carpentry, painting, putting things together, taking things apart. Or just doing paperwork, making phone calls and packing care boxes for the troops. You might ask Anna and her mother about the possibilities.”
“I might,” David said, smiling as he shook his head. “That Olga is quite a character, isn’t she?”
“She sure is. She has these wild schemes for setting up singles at church. Some of the members frown on her methods, but Olga is a very dedicated Christian. She means well.”
David wondered about that and about Olga Terenkov. “Why hasn’t she ever remarried?” And why wasn’t her lovely daughter married?
Steve laughed out loud. “Probably because she intimidates every man she meets. Rumor has it she’s got her eye on Reverend Fields. That would certainly be an interesting match.” Then he tapped his pen again. “Don’t go spreading that. I shouldn’t be gossiping about Anna’s mother.”
David nodded. “I don’t spread gossip. I know how it feels to be talked about.”
Steve homed in on that revealing remark. “Did you have a good childhood, growing up here?”
Oh, boy. Now he’d have to go through all the angst from his past. “Yep.” He shrugged, unable to hide the truth from Steve. “Well, no. Not all good. I didn’t go without food or clothes, but it was tough. My mother…she was a single mom. She was stationed here before I was born and somehow even after her time serving at Fort Bonnell was up, we stayed.”
Steve dropped his pen then moved on. “How’s your faith?”
David looked down at his hands. “It’s still intact. More than ever, I believe. But…I do need to work on it a bit. I mean, there’s frontline faith and then there’s that kind of pure faith on a Sunday morning coming down. There’s a country song about that, in fact.”
Steve nodded. “I know that song. Written from the heart. But you don’t have to sit outside the church doors, my friend. God wants you to come on in.” Then he stood up. “I think you’re on the right track, David. But I encourage you to go see Anna. She could use some help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” David said. “Working with Anna wouldn’t be so bad.”
Steve grinned. “She’s a great person. And so is her mother. Maybe you can replace some of those bad memories from your past with some good ones.” Then he shook David’s hand. “Just remember, if you need anything—”
“I know where you are,” David replied. “And…I do appreciate your help and the suggestion about volunteering. I’ll see what I can do.”
“I think you’d be an asset and I know Anna could use the help. She works very hard.”
David couldn’t deny that. “Children of the Day has been a constant presence during this war. Maybe it is time I give ’em some payback.”
“Only if your heart is in it,” Steve cautioned.
David nodded, then left the quiet office. His heart would be completely involved in helping others, but he wondered how it would react to being around Anna. It did seem to speed up whenever he was with the pretty blonde. And that was cause for both wonder and worry.
Anna sat in the swing on the wraparound porch of the rambling Victorian house where she worked and lived. The COTD offices took up the first floor while Anna and Olga had a spacious apartment on the second.
Today her mind was centered on the charity’s latest hard-fought cause, bringing Ali to America. Children of the Day worked diligently to help anyone suffering from the damage and destruction of war, and her whole team had done their best to help General Willis get Ali Tabiz to Texas. Now she could rest easy knowing the little boy would be taken care of. And he’d have a chance now—a real chance to grow and thrive. Anna just hoped General Willis would keep opening his heart toward the boy. They needed each other.
She had taken a rare moment to come and sit in one of her favorite spots so she could regroup and prepare for another busy workday tomorrow. This was one of her spots to pray. It gave her a good view of the tree-lined streets and the world beyond the busy Veterans Boulevard, yet she felt protected and cocooned here on the wide, deep porch, surrounded by towering magnolias and pines and lush crape myrtles. She could rock the swing back and forth and talk to God, calming herself after a long day.
But tomorrow should be a good day even if it was going to be shipment day. That always involved packing boxes full of supplies for the soldiers and emergency relief packages for the villagers. It always amazed her how many generous people brought things for those boxes. And some of the requests were interesting—anything from paperclips to toothpicks and bug spray or Bibles, books and candy bars. But Anna got the soldiers what they needed, one way or another.
Now that everything was in place with Ali and every precaution had been taken—all the proper paperwork had been filed and all the necessary steps of getting through government red tape had been carefully taken care of—Anna could get back to the day-to-day operations of COTD.
Thank You, Lord. Anna rocked back and forth on the white swing, her mind whirling with relief. She’d helped to save a child from war, but she didn’t want Ali to be afraid about the surgery. Because Anna herself remembered being little and afraid because of war.
She was about to get up and finish some work before her mother came home for dinner when she heard a truck idling out on the street.
Surprised that anyone would be stopping by this late in the day, she held her foot on the floor to halt the swing. When David Ryland got out of the truck, Anna gulped in a breath to hide her shock.
“Hello,” she called, waving to him as he walked up the steps.
“Hello, yourself,” he said in response. Then he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans, staying on the steps while he surveyed the house. “Impressive.”
Anna got up, too nervous to sit still. “The house was built around the turn of the century—1901 I think. My mother knows the entire history of this place.”
He nodded then glanced out at the old oaks and tall pines. “So this is where you live and work.”
“Yes.” She nodded, her hands clasped in front of her. “So what brings you to see us today anyway?”
He grinned then scratched his thick short hair. “I guess I’m here to volunteer. At least, that’s what Chaplain Steve suggested this morning.”
“You don’t look so sure,” Anna replied. In fact, he looked downright uncomfortable.
“Oh, I don’t mind volunteering,” he said. “It’s just that…well…I’ve been on the front for so long, I guess I’ve forgotten how to talk to a woman.”
Anna chuckled, hoping to hide the blush moving down her face. “But you were around women in combat, right?”
“Uh, right. Whole different kind of thing.” He shrugged. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a pretty woman sitting in a swing on a summer night.”
“Oh, I see.” Anna liked the way he drawled out his words. Then she said something that surprised them both. “You’re welcome to sit here with me for a while.”
“That would be nice,” he said, motioning to the swing. “But don’t let me keep you.”
“No, it’s okay. I was taking a break before I go back in to finish up some things.”
He let her settle into the swing then sat down beside her, his weight shifting the creaky chains. Anna thought how different it felt, having someone beside her in this old swing. Different and a bit disconcerting, considering how her mind went into sensory overdrive with this man. She noticed the fine hairs on his forearms, the soapy clean scent surrounding him. And she noticed how he kept giving her an almost shy smile.
“So where do I sign up?” he asked.
“How good are you with a hammer and nails, Chief?”
David gave her a deadpan look then said, “Well, ma’am, It’s been a while but I think I remember how to swing a hammer. But I might hit my thumb instead if you smile at me and distract me.”
Anna’s blush reheated. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
He nodded, laughing. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do around here. I just need to stay busy.”
She relaxed, and fought the temptation to fan herself. What on earth was wrong with her? She was acting like her mother. Never one for theatrics, Anna gave herself a serious reprimand and reminded herself she couldn’t get involved with this man, for oh so many reasons. “I’ll just take you out back to the playground. We’re trying to rebuild it so it can be up to code. We’ll have several volunteers coming in the morning to pack boxes and such, and I think you’ll enjoy working on that type of project. And the back porch steps need repairing. If you don’t mind.”
He gave her one of those killer smiles. “Don’t mind one bit. It’ll be nice to be out in the open without having to worry about getting shot or blown up.”
She slanted her head toward him. “I can show you what needs to be done right now, if you want.”
“That’s fine, as long as I’m not keeping you from something else. I mean, it is quitting time and I’m sure you have an after-hours life.”
Anna had to laugh at that. “Oh, yes. Very exciting. I get to go upstairs and settle down with more paperwork.”
“Do you ever just get away from this place and have fun?”
“Hmm, let me see.” She pursed her lips. “It’s been a while. But I did go for ice cream with some of my coworkers last week.”
“I like ice cream. Maybe I can help in that department,” he said, the gleam in his eyes enticing.
“Uh, about that playground—” She got up to find some breathing room. Turning she said, “If you’ll just follow me.”
She didn’t miss the appreciative look he gave her. “So what exactly goes on around here?” he asked as they walked inside into the cool, dark hallway of the old house. “I know all about what your organization does, but what actually goes on back here?”
She turned at the porch door and said, “Oh, all kinds of things. We gather supplies to send to the war, we keep clothing on hand to give to the families of the soldiers and to give to those in other countries who are affected by the war, and well…we do whatever we can to help the children, including letting some of them live here temporarily if need be until relatives or foster care can take them in. They’re our main concern. Some of them become neglected, even though they still have a parent here. The stress of being a single parent with a spouse overseas becomes too much for some. We try to help with that, too.”
David held the door open for her then squinted toward the setting sun. “I guess I was lucky that way, at least. My mother was a soldier stationed at Fort Bonnell, but she always took care of me, somehow. But that’s the thing about war. The children certainly suffer more than anyone else and they’re so helpless.”
“Yes, they are,” she said, her mind whirling with a million questions about his childhood. “So you don’t have any relatives close by?”
He looked down at the gray boards of the porch. “No, I don’t. My mother moved to Louisiana and…I never knew my father.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” She waited a beat then gave him a direct look. “Then I guess you really do understand…about why Children of the Day is so important.”
David nodded. “Oh, I understand, all right. That’s why I took Chaplain Steve up on his suggestion and came here to volunteer. I know exactly what it’s like to be little and afraid, and full of anger and questions.”
Anna saw darkness in his eyes and wondered just how much this man had suffered. She’d lost her father when she was young, but David had never even known his. That kind of pain left a deep, cutting scar.
But it immediately endeared him to Anna and made her want to nurture him and help him to heal. After all, that was her job.
Chapter Four
Early the next morning Anna heard the whine of a sports car’s gears shifting outside the house. Glancing up, she saw her best friend Trisha Morrison bringing her shiny white roadster to a grinding stop just inside the driveway. It didn’t take Trisha long to make her way into the front lobby then straight into Anna’s office, shutting the glass-paned door after her.
“Hi,” Anna said, waving. Then she noticed Trisha’s downcast look. Since Trisha was usually bubbly and outgoing, Anna knew something was wrong. “Trisha?”
Trisha burst into tears. “Anna, I need…”
Anna jumped up to come around the desk. “Trisha, what on earth’s the matter? Did you break up with Nick again?”
Trisha tossed back her silky brown hair and sniffed, then wiped her brown eyes. “No, Nick and I are fine. It’s about Daddy.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” Anna said, hugging Trisha close. “Of course, you’re still grieving.”
Trisha’s father, a brigadier general and once the commander of Fort Bonnell, had died a few weeks ago. Trisha had taken it very hard, since her mother had died years earlier. The apple of her father’s eye, Trisha had always been somewhat of a pampered princess. His death had left her a wealthy heiress who hadn’t been making the best of choices lately, but Anna loved her friend in spite of that. She knew Trisha was still struggling with this loss.
“Come and sit down. You’re just having a hard day, right? Do you need to talk to Mother?”
“I can’t tell Miss Olga this,” Trisha said on a sob. “Not yet. I haven’t even told Nick. I…came straight to you.”
Anna gripped Trisha’s hand. “And you found me.” While her vivacious mother was the grief counselor at Prairie Springs Christian Church, Anna often found herself taking over in that capacity, too, at Children of the Day. Seeing grief firsthand was one of the downsides of her charity work. But being able to help the spouses and children of soldiers more than made up for all the pain she had to witness. And right now, her best friend was clearly in pain.
“Want to tell me about it?”
Trisha nodded, tears still streaming down her face as she sank into an old leather office chair. “Yes. I need your advice. I got this today. Daddy’s lawyer gave it to me.”
Anna stared down at the crushed envelope in Trisha’s hand. “What is it? Part of the will?”
Trisha waved the envelope in the air. “Oh, it’s much more than that. It’s…it’s so hard to believe.” Then she looked up at Anna, her voice quivering. “He has a son, Anna. My father had an affair with another woman before I was born.”
“What?” Anna dropped down in the brown wicker chair beside Trisha, her heart thumping. Trisha was right; she couldn’t believe this.
Commander Morrison had been like her own father, always so kind and understanding, especially when she and her widowed mother had moved to Texas from Russia over twenty years ago. The commander and Mrs. Morrison had helped Anna and Olga become acclimated to all things Texas. He’d invited them to church and made sure they didn’t want for anything. He’d even invited Anna to one of Trisha’s parties, which was how they became friends in the first place.