Read Online Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jill Shalvis
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three-hundred-foot drop-off. Far below, the dry valley floor and lower foothills were awash in an arid-lands mix of grasslands, scrublands, and ponderosa pine lining rivers and streams. At the midelevation where she stood, there were stands of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, and western larch. She took in the faraway glimpses of reservoirs and fast-running streams and drew a deep breath of cool, fresh air. “It’s not quite cold enough to snow.”
“No,” Adam said. “But that will change.”
She looked up at the sky. The sun was losing its fight against burgeoning, threatening clouds.
Adam kicked a fallen log closer, gestured her to it, then handed her a bottle of water, an apple, and a string cheese.
“Breakfast of champions?” she asked.
He remained standing, relaxed but definitely taking in their surroundings with the diligence of lifelong habit. She had no idea if it was the soldier in him or just the man, but he was always ready. Prepared. Battle-weary. “That picture on the mantel at the loft,” she said softly. “The one of you in your military gear. Was that your unit?”
His expression didn’t change. Actually, nothing about his posture changed, but there was a weight behind his single word. “Yes.”
She wondered how many of them were gone now and felt a pang deep in her heart for each of them. For Adam, too. Her knowledge of the tragic event had come from the online accounts she could find and also what she could browbeat out of Grif. Adam’s unit had been called in to rescue a group of British soldiers stuck in some caves on a mountain in Afghanistan, facing an unexpected, epic storm. Communications between the troops had gone down, butwhen Adam’s unit had gone in for a rescue, they’d been ambushed by enemy fire. Only half of them had made it out alive.
Holly couldn’t imagine the strength it took to go through something like that and survive, but she knew one thing. Adam had it. In spades. “I tried to contact you, when you first got back,” she said. “You weren’t taking calls. I don’t remember what I wanted to say exactly. Sorry doesn’t seem near enough.” She turned and looked at him. “I wanted you to know I was there, if you needed anything.”
“I was fine.”
They both knew that was a lie. It hung in the air for a long moment before he shrugged. “Okay, so I was pretty fucked-up.”
“Was?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged again. “Still working on it.” He nodded to her food. “Eat up. You’re going to need it.”
She opened the string cheese, noting Adam did the same for himself but not before giving Milo a doggy treat from his pocket. “I brought food, too,” she said. “I didn’t mean for you to do all the work. Why don’t you let me drive the next leg?”
Milo licked his chops and waited with bated breath for a second treat. A very small smile tilted the corners of Adam’s mouth. No clue if it was meant for Milo or her.
“You want to drive, Holly?”
Why did the sound of her name on his lips do funny things low in her belly? He was so freaking sexy just standing there. It wasn’t fair. “Yes,” she said. “I want to drive.” Which they both knew wasn’t going to happen because he wouldn’t give up that kind of control.
Adam leaned against the Ranger and drank from his water bottle, tilting his head back, downing the thing in a few long gulps that appeared to quench his thirst while making her own mouth dry. “Here it comes,” he said.
“What?”
Above them, the sky seemed to swell and darken. A few drops hit her face. And then more than a few drops hit.
“The rain,” he said. He tossed the water bottle into the ATV and narrowed his gaze at something behind her.
She craned her neck, but though she had her contacts in, her eyes were dry out here and she still couldn’t see much in the distance.
Milo, who’d been playfully bounding around in the terrain about ten yards ahead of the Ranger only seconds ago, began growling low in his
“No,” Adam said. “But that will change.”
She looked up at the sky. The sun was losing its fight against burgeoning, threatening clouds.
Adam kicked a fallen log closer, gestured her to it, then handed her a bottle of water, an apple, and a string cheese.
“Breakfast of champions?” she asked.
He remained standing, relaxed but definitely taking in their surroundings with the diligence of lifelong habit. She had no idea if it was the soldier in him or just the man, but he was always ready. Prepared. Battle-weary. “That picture on the mantel at the loft,” she said softly. “The one of you in your military gear. Was that your unit?”
His expression didn’t change. Actually, nothing about his posture changed, but there was a weight behind his single word. “Yes.”
She wondered how many of them were gone now and felt a pang deep in her heart for each of them. For Adam, too. Her knowledge of the tragic event had come from the online accounts she could find and also what she could browbeat out of Grif. Adam’s unit had been called in to rescue a group of British soldiers stuck in some caves on a mountain in Afghanistan, facing an unexpected, epic storm. Communications between the troops had gone down, butwhen Adam’s unit had gone in for a rescue, they’d been ambushed by enemy fire. Only half of them had made it out alive.
Holly couldn’t imagine the strength it took to go through something like that and survive, but she knew one thing. Adam had it. In spades. “I tried to contact you, when you first got back,” she said. “You weren’t taking calls. I don’t remember what I wanted to say exactly. Sorry doesn’t seem near enough.” She turned and looked at him. “I wanted you to know I was there, if you needed anything.”
“I was fine.”
They both knew that was a lie. It hung in the air for a long moment before he shrugged. “Okay, so I was pretty fucked-up.”
“Was?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged again. “Still working on it.” He nodded to her food. “Eat up. You’re going to need it.”
She opened the string cheese, noting Adam did the same for himself but not before giving Milo a doggy treat from his pocket. “I brought food, too,” she said. “I didn’t mean for you to do all the work. Why don’t you let me drive the next leg?”
Milo licked his chops and waited with bated breath for a second treat. A very small smile tilted the corners of Adam’s mouth. No clue if it was meant for Milo or her.
“You want to drive, Holly?”
Why did the sound of her name on his lips do funny things low in her belly? He was so freaking sexy just standing there. It wasn’t fair. “Yes,” she said. “I want to drive.” Which they both knew wasn’t going to happen because he wouldn’t give up that kind of control.
Adam leaned against the Ranger and drank from his water bottle, tilting his head back, downing the thing in a few long gulps that appeared to quench his thirst while making her own mouth dry. “Here it comes,” he said.
“What?”
Above them, the sky seemed to swell and darken. A few drops hit her face. And then more than a few drops hit.
“The rain,” he said. He tossed the water bottle into the ATV and narrowed his gaze at something behind her.
She craned her neck, but though she had her contacts in, her eyes were dry out here and she still couldn’t see much in the distance.
Milo, who’d been playfully bounding around in the terrain about ten yards ahead of the Ranger only seconds ago, began growling low in his
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