Read Online Bring Him Home by Karina Bliss - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karina Bliss
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your autographs, guys, and I’ll it rush over to the buyers for countersigning.”
Claire scrawled her signature with a flourish, and then handed the pen to Nate. He leaned forward. Hesitated. “Why aren’t you using the education fund provided by the SAS?”
She blinked. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“The fund’s specifically set up to assist the families of its fallen. Why aren’t you asking for help with Lewis’s private-school fees?” Claire had pride but, she was also a pragmatist—unless she wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Nate, can we concentrate on the matter at hand and talk about this later?”
He returned his gaze to the document. He’d always felt protective of her, ever since he’d caught her in a private moment of anguish after farewelling Steve. It had been years earlier. He and the guys had been staying at the Langfords’ bach when they’d got an urgent call-up. Piling into Dan’s ute, Nate realized he’d left some trainers behind. When he’d returned to the bach, Claire had been in the living room sobbing over her sleeping son’s cot. He’d stood transfixed. Claire—who’d hugged her husband goodbye so calmly minutes earlier—in bits. And become crashingly aware that war wasn’t an adventure to everybody.
That some people had more to lose than he did.
Nate had backed away unseen and returned to the ute. As it accelerated away, he looked at Steve, grim and taciturn beside him, while Ross and Dan traded jokes in the front. Their gazes met and his mate had shrugged, a curious helplessness in his eyes that Nate never saw again.
Until the moment Steve realized he was about to die.
Nate stared at the pen, immobile on the white paper. Just do it. Sign and get the hell out of here. Save yourself. Yeah, you’re good at that.
“Something wrong, Nate?” said Adam.
“I’m reading the fine print.”
“No need,” Claire reassured him. “I did that on the original sales agreement.”
Of course she had. She was a smart woman who’d done her homework. Even a cursory glance at the reports told him that. But…Nate hadn’t seen the boat, hadn’t ensured Heaven Sent was fit for her new purpose. This morning, before Claire had woken, he’d taken the boat shed key off its hook then thought, Why put yourself through this? You don’t need to be involved. Claire knows what she’s doing.
His grip tightened on the pen.
Except, she’d said she wanted to feel again. Sometimes you did things you shouldn’t to escape the numbness.
He put down the pen. “I can’t do this.”
“Why not?” she said, sounding bewildered.
“Because Steve would want me to ensure this is in your best interests first.”
“But your involvement as a trustee was nominal when Steve was alive.” She was trying to be reasonable, but her eyes were flinty…the Viking close to the surface. “It was only ever a way to protect our assets while Ellie established her lingerie business.”
“You didn’t just pull my name out of a hat, either,” Nate reminded Claire. “You chose me.… Not Ross, not Dan or any of your other friends. You trusted me.”
“And you’ve been AWOL for months!” she cried, losing patience. “Why poke your nose in now?”
“Because you’ve got no one else looking out for you.” You haven’t let anyone else in. “Because taking a risk to feel something again isn’t the basis for a business decision.”
“Would a cappuccino help?” Adam asked nervously.
“That was a throwaway comment,” Claire said to Nate.
“The most revealing ones are. Why aren’t you accepting support from the SAS trust?”
She ignored the question. “The reports are sound, aren’t they?”
“From the little I’ve read, yes.”
“The forecasts, the risk analysis.”
“Again, from the little I’ve read—yes. But you haven’t talked about this to anyone outside the people with vested interests. No offence, Adam, I appreciate your generosity in taking a drop in
Claire scrawled her signature with a flourish, and then handed the pen to Nate. He leaned forward. Hesitated. “Why aren’t you using the education fund provided by the SAS?”
She blinked. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“The fund’s specifically set up to assist the families of its fallen. Why aren’t you asking for help with Lewis’s private-school fees?” Claire had pride but, she was also a pragmatist—unless she wasn’t thinking clearly.
“Nate, can we concentrate on the matter at hand and talk about this later?”
He returned his gaze to the document. He’d always felt protective of her, ever since he’d caught her in a private moment of anguish after farewelling Steve. It had been years earlier. He and the guys had been staying at the Langfords’ bach when they’d got an urgent call-up. Piling into Dan’s ute, Nate realized he’d left some trainers behind. When he’d returned to the bach, Claire had been in the living room sobbing over her sleeping son’s cot. He’d stood transfixed. Claire—who’d hugged her husband goodbye so calmly minutes earlier—in bits. And become crashingly aware that war wasn’t an adventure to everybody.
That some people had more to lose than he did.
Nate had backed away unseen and returned to the ute. As it accelerated away, he looked at Steve, grim and taciturn beside him, while Ross and Dan traded jokes in the front. Their gazes met and his mate had shrugged, a curious helplessness in his eyes that Nate never saw again.
Until the moment Steve realized he was about to die.
Nate stared at the pen, immobile on the white paper. Just do it. Sign and get the hell out of here. Save yourself. Yeah, you’re good at that.
“Something wrong, Nate?” said Adam.
“I’m reading the fine print.”
“No need,” Claire reassured him. “I did that on the original sales agreement.”
Of course she had. She was a smart woman who’d done her homework. Even a cursory glance at the reports told him that. But…Nate hadn’t seen the boat, hadn’t ensured Heaven Sent was fit for her new purpose. This morning, before Claire had woken, he’d taken the boat shed key off its hook then thought, Why put yourself through this? You don’t need to be involved. Claire knows what she’s doing.
His grip tightened on the pen.
Except, she’d said she wanted to feel again. Sometimes you did things you shouldn’t to escape the numbness.
He put down the pen. “I can’t do this.”
“Why not?” she said, sounding bewildered.
“Because Steve would want me to ensure this is in your best interests first.”
“But your involvement as a trustee was nominal when Steve was alive.” She was trying to be reasonable, but her eyes were flinty…the Viking close to the surface. “It was only ever a way to protect our assets while Ellie established her lingerie business.”
“You didn’t just pull my name out of a hat, either,” Nate reminded Claire. “You chose me.… Not Ross, not Dan or any of your other friends. You trusted me.”
“And you’ve been AWOL for months!” she cried, losing patience. “Why poke your nose in now?”
“Because you’ve got no one else looking out for you.” You haven’t let anyone else in. “Because taking a risk to feel something again isn’t the basis for a business decision.”
“Would a cappuccino help?” Adam asked nervously.
“That was a throwaway comment,” Claire said to Nate.
“The most revealing ones are. Why aren’t you accepting support from the SAS trust?”
She ignored the question. “The reports are sound, aren’t they?”
“From the little I’ve read, yes.”
“The forecasts, the risk analysis.”
“Again, from the little I’ve read—yes. But you haven’t talked about this to anyone outside the people with vested interests. No offence, Adam, I appreciate your generosity in taking a drop in
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