A bell tinkled above the door as Torie entered the coffee shop. She’d noticed the little hole in the wall when Keith drove them through town the other night and was glad she and Rae were meeting there. It looked charming and warm and she wanted to see inside.
It sat on a corner of the main drag through town, windows all along the front and side. A long pastry counter flanked a cash register, and espresso machines and such filled the counter behind.
The scent of fresh-brewed coffee wafted through the room, filling Torie with a sense of goodness. Johnny Mathis crooned about dreaming of a white Christmas and chatter from people at tables filled the room. Little sprigs of holly berries adorned each table and poinsettias all around filled the place with Christmas cheer.
Either because they were intimidated by her or, in all honesty, because she didn’t make the effort, Torie hadn’t connected with too many women over the years as friends. Sure, she had people in her life who were fun to hang out with, go to a movie or whatever on the weekend. But no true friends, besides Aimee.
Rae waved to Torie from a table near the side window. A bright green snow hat sat atop her red waves. She wore a long-sleeved white sweater and red vest. Her porcelain skin dusted with freckles had to be the envy of every woman in town. Knowing it probably wouldn’t sound right to say, Torie thought she looked… adorable. Cheery Christmas with a pinch of spice. She settled for a different compliment as she took off her coat, hung it on the back of the chair across from Rae, and sat down.
“You look beautiful today.” The woman’s cheeks glowed pink.
“Thank you, ma’am. As do you.” Rae frowned. “Of course, you could be wearing nasty sweats with no makeup and your hair a rat’s nest, and still turn heads.”
Torie rolled her eyes.
“Sorry,” Rae apologized. “You probably get that a lot.”
“I won’t lie. It gets old.”
Rae gave an over-exaggerated sigh and placed the back of her hand against her forehead. “Oh yes, the struggle is real for so many of us.”
Torie laughed. “All right. Fair enough.”
Rae laughed too and patted her hand. “I’m just teasing. Let’s go get some coffee and carbs.” The two women stood and Rae gave her a horrified look. “Wait. You do eat carbs, don’t you?”
“Can’t live without ’em.”
Rae put a hand to her chest and said, “Oh thank God. We can be friends then.” She headed to the counter to order her coffee.
A few minutes later with coffee in hand, they sat back down and settled in, Torie with her almond croissant and Rae with a blueberry scone.
“So, how was horseback riding?”
“How did you…?”
Rae shrugged and tore off a piece of scone. “The guys talk.” She popped the piece in her mouth and chewed.
Right. Keith had talked to Tony about her situation. If Tony told Rae about the horseback riding, he most likely told her about Torie’s dad as well.
“It was nice, actually.” Torie answered. She would keep the conversation light, see what Rae knew. But every fiber of her being was certain she could trust Rae. And Tony. “I’d never ridden before so I was nervous, but once we got going, I liked it. It’s relaxing.”
“That it is. Tony and I try to ride every day.”
“That’s nice. Do you have a ranch as well?”
Rae smiled. “No. But we’d like to someday.” She got a far-off look in her eye, one filled with a family and a future with her husband.
Torie’d never daydreamed about that herself. Until now. Until Keith.
“We need to wait until he’s out of the service. For now we rent a small cabin not far from the Scotts’ place, actually. Tony likes that I’m near them if I need something while he’s on a mission.”
“How much longer does he have in the Marine Corps?” Torie took a bite of her croissant. The flaky bread and sugar melted on her tongue.
“About a year. Same as Keith.” Rae tore off another bite of scone and dunked it in her coffee.
Torie nodded, aware of how much she still didn’t know about Keith. They’d spent all their time unpacking her life. “How often is he on a mission?”
“It depends.” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “Look. I’m a pretty good judge of character and I like you. A lot. You seem like a straight shooter. I am too. So, here goes. Being with a solider like Keith or Tony isn’t easy. Worth it, yes, but it takes a woman cut from a certain cloth to endure it.”
“I never said Keith and I were…”
Rae held up a hand to cut her off. “Words are not necessary. I’ve seen how you look at each other. Fight it all you want, you’re madly in love. And I adore the man like a big brother. A really big brother.”
Torie laughed. Next to Keith, Rae looked like a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz.
“So this is why I’m telling you all of this. He’s been hurt. Bad. That’s why he’s gun-shy with women. Thinks he doesn’t deserve a happy ending. But my Lord, the man’s a saint, if you ask me. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s him. And you, my friend, make him happy.” She lifted her coffee mug in a toast before taking a sip.
Torie’s cheeks flushed with heat. Keith made her happy too. He made her want to be the woman he needed. To be “cut from the right cloth” as Rae had described. But she needed to understand more about him. Wanted to understand more.
“He hasn’t talked about his past with me. I hate to say it, but we’ve been attacking my demons recently.”
Rae placed a hand on Torie’s arm. “Yeah. Tony told me a bit about what Keith said about your dad. I hope it’s ok. Not a keeper, the old man, was he?”
Torie laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
“Hey, I work with lots of people who have ugly pasts. If you ever want to talk, you let me know.”
Torie nodded. “Thanks. I will. I’m a little talked out about it right now though. Like I said, I unloaded on Keith yesterday. Poor man.”
“Don’t you worry about him. He’s got big shoulders. He can carry the load with you.”
“Yeah. I’ve never had anyone to share the load. It’s…nice.” She took a sip of her coffee. “So, tell me. What is it like to be married to a Special Forces Marine?”
Rae sat back in her chair. Her fingers wrapped around her coffee mug and she looked out the window. “It has its good and bad, just like any other marriage, I suppose.” She looked at Torie and attempted a smile, but her eyes were sad. “They don’t know when their next mission will be, so Tony will get a call and then have to leave with just a few days’ notice. Sometimes a few hours’. I’ve tried to train myself to not tense every time his phone rings, but I can’t.” She looked out the window again. Her thumb on her left hand spun her wedding ring around as if touching it made Tony closer.
Man, to be in love like that must be something. Keith’s face popped into Torie’s head. Yes. She wanted that with him. Wanted to be what brought him back from each mission. The one who greeted him, welcomed him home.
“How long is he usually gone?”
Rae sighed and took another sip of coffee. “It depends. Anywhere from three to six months.”
Torie missed spending just one day with Keith. She couldn’t wrap her head around him being gone for months at a time. “That’s a long time.”
“Yes, it is. The worst part is I’m not allowed to know where he’s going. I have no clue what part of the world he’s in. I wait. He calls when he can. FaceTime mainly. He can’t say much, though, with our conversations being monitored. Basically I just get to hear his voice, know he’s alive.” Tears formed on her long lashes but she swallowed hard and blinked. They didn’t fall. This woman might be tiny, but she was made of tough stuff. The kind of stuff it took to be with a man like Tony. A man like Keith.
Did Torie have that kind of resolve? She thought so, but listening to Rae, she wasn’t so sure. Could she handle going for God only knew how long before hearing from Keith? Worrying constantly and jumping every time the phone rang?
“I try not to watch the news. If I see something happening overseas that could potentially be him and his team and I haven’t had word from him, I lose it. Fearing that infamous knock on the door isn’t fun either. My friends always call before coming over when he’s gone. Surprise visitors are frowned upon.”
“How do you get through it?”
Rae looked her in the eye. “Prayer, my friend. Lots and lots of prayer.” She took a deep breath. “And faith in my husband. He and his team are the best. They’re trained and they know what they’re doing. He has to know I believe in him, that I’m praying him home, confident in his abilities. I save any tears or frustration for between me and God late at night when the fear grips me.” She smiled. “It can’t win though. God trumps fear every time.”
Torie’s gram used to read the Bible to her, talk to her about God. But no one had ever said what Rae had. That God had her back no matter what. Even fear couldn’t hold her. Was that true? Could it be true for Torie?
Their conversation was interrupted when two women stopped at their table. One had dark hair, the other blonde. The blonde looked at Torie and said, “So, you’re the one who managed to nail down the stoic, unreachable Keith Scott.”
Caught off guard, Torie just sat there.
“Felicia. So lovely to see you.” Rae’s tone dripped of sarcasm.
Felicia looked at Rae for a moment and said, “Hello, Rae.” Her eyes moved back to Torie and looked her up and down, her mouth puckered, like she’d eaten a lemon.
Torie’s brain caught up with what was happening and she recognized the woman as one of the ones vying for Keith’s attention at the dance club the other night. Hmph. Two could play this game.
She stood, all six feet of her—six feet, three inches with her boots on. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Torie.” She attempted to shake the woman’s hand but as expected, Felicia’s eyes grew wide as Torie towered over her. She stared at Torie’s hand like it was poisonous.
In a huff, the woman turned on her heel and left the coffee shop, her little brunette tagalong in tow.
Torie sat back down and sipped her coffee.
Rae’s jaw dropped as she stared at Torie. “That. Was. Awesome.” She laughed until tears filled her eyes.
“I mean it,” Rae said when she finally caught her breath. “That was so freaking cool. The look on Felicia’s face was priceless.”
Torie shrugged. “Sometimes the height thing comes in handy. It’s intimidating.”
Rae huffed. “Oh, Chica. It was not just your height. Believe me.”
“I noticed them at the club the other night. They were like Keith groupies.”
“Bleh. Ignore them. They were dropped on their heads as children.”
Torie laughed again. Man, she liked this woman. It was turning out to be a great day.
“Come on. Let’s go shop. You need the perfect outfit for the party tomorrow night.”
Torie nodded. “Let’s do it.”
***
That night, Torie snuggled down deep in the covers of her bed and sighed. It had been a perfect day. Well, as perfect as a day could be without seeing Keith. On cue, her phone rang.
Keith.
She tapped the accept button on her phone and answered. “Hey there.”
“Hey yourself.” His baritone voice through the phone made her shiver.
“Sorry I’m calling so late. Mom’s a slave driver when it comes to parties.”
The teasing tone of his voice only made it sound sexier. How was that even possible?
“It’s okay. My day with Rae went from coffee to shopping to dinner. I only got home just a bit ago.”
“I’m glad you had a nice day. Rae’s the best.”
“She is. She had some fine things to say about you too.”
“Uh-oh. I forgot how you women talk. Now I’m worried.”
Torie smiled. His tone didn’t say worried. She could practically see him grinning on the other end of the line. Those dimples peeking through. Goodness, the man could heat her up when he wasn’t even in the room.
“We women? Sounds like you and Tony chat more like girls than we women do.”
He laughed. “You got me there. He’s the best as well. Not anyone else I’d rather have my back, in battle and in life.”
Torie’s smile fell. She thought of all Rae had told her on their coffee date. There was so much to what Keith and Tony did as soldiers. Being in his life wouldn’t be for the faint of heart. But her heart was too far gone to turn back now.
“Is everything ready for the party?” A positive topic sounded like a good idea. “Close. Dad and I still have some stuff to do tomorrow. You gonna be okay another day on your own?”
“I wasn’t on my own today.”
“True. Let me rephrase. I hate going two days without seeing you.”
She smiled. “I like that phrase much better. But yes, I’ll be fine. A nice down day in the cabin sounds good. I’ll curl up by the fire and read.” She was also going to do a little research, see if she could find anything out about her dad’s whereabouts. But telling Keith that would only worry him. Get him more riled than he already was about it. No. She’d keep that to herself. If she found anything, she’d let him know.
“I’ll bring Bones over in the morning if you want. I’m sure she’d love a snuggle day by the fire, if that’s good with you.”
“I would love that! Thanks.” He was offering up the dog because of how much she loved Bones, but Torie was also aware it would make him feel better if she had a guard dog for the day. Since he couldn’t be one. “Of course, I’d rather snuggle you.”
Keith’s voice grew dangerously low. “Believe me when I say that’s exactly how I’d like to spend my day.”
Her insides tingled. “From what you’ve said about this…project of your mother’s, I believe you.”
Keith blew out a long breath. “Yeah. I love this party. I do. And I love my mother. But project it most certainly is.”
She giggled. Good Lord. That man had turned her into a giggler.
“Get some sleep, Dragonfly. I’ll drop Bones off in the morning and then we’ll dance the night away tomorrow night.”
“Sounds like a plan, Captain. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Torie ended the call and set her phone on the nightstand. The thought of looking for her dad didn’t leave a knot in her gut like it used to. Rae had said Keith had the big shoulders to help her carry the load. And boy, that was the truth. Having Keith in her life lifted that burden in ways she never could’ve imagined.
With images of dancing the night away held secure by those same big shoulders, Torie drifted off to sleep.