Military Daddy (5 page)

Captain Watson rode up beside the eight troopers waiting with their horses at one end of the parade ground. “Corporal, form up the detachment.”

“Yes, sir.” Saluting smartly, Shane called out the order and the men and horses moved into a column of two. Another soldier on the ground handed Shane the unit banner. When the colors were unfurled, he gripped the staff and awaited his orders.

“In 1992,” Lindsey continued, “the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard was reestablished to honor that long tradition. These men train from the same cavalry manual used to train soldiers during the Civil War. This unit serves as ambassadors for the Army, as well as a living history exhibition. It is arduous work, but the level of horsemanship these soldiers attain is nothing short of remarkable. Please give a round of applause to both the men and the horses of our own Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard.”

Captain Watson gave the order, and the unit sprang into action.

The crowd cheered wildly as nine matching bay horses galloped across the grassy field with the flag snapping in the wind. For Shane, this was the best part of his job. The chance to reenact this special piece of America's past filled him with pride.

At the opposite end of the field, the column split in two. Both lines turning in unison, the men and their mounts continued at a gallop toward a row of low hurdles along the edges of the parade ground. A dozen red and white balloons decorated each end of the barriers, but by the end of the performance there would only be a few of them left.

When all the hurdles had been cleared, the riders merged into a double row again and came to a halt. Handing the banner to a man on the ground, Shane then drew his saber from its scabbard. He looked over at Avery and nodded. Together they rode back into the jumps. As his horse, Jasper, sailed into the air, Shane slashed the tops of two balloons. Jasper raced on, unfazed by the loud pops. At the second jump, Shane's sword caught two more of the helium-filled targets. From the corner of his eye he saw Avery take out three, and he chuckled to himself. Avery was good, but he often needed a little push to really excel.

When the entire group had completed their run, they reformed into two groups. At a command, they merged and began a mock battle designed to display both their swordsmanship and their mounts' abilities to maneuver at close quarters.

 

From the bottom row of the bleachers near the reviewing stand Annie listened to the clash of steel against steel as she watched the exhibition with Olivia at her side. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. It would be so easy for one of the men to be hurt. From the sound of it, the swords were heavy—but surely they weren't sharp.

She easily picked Shane out of the group of milling riders. He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself as he and another man traded what looked like serious blows.

On cue, the battling group parted and formed up for another gallop around the grounds. After one circuit, the riders headed into the hurdles again, this time with pistols drawn. The bark of gunfire and the smell of gun smoke filled the air as the men shot the remaining balloons while their mounts sailed through the jumps.

“I told you it would be exciting. Did you see the way their horses didn't even hesitate?” Olivia stood to get a better view.

“Very impressive,” Annie admitted, watching Shane complete the course with ease. He looked at home on horseback…and so very handsome in his uniform.

“There you are. I've been looking all over for you.”

Annie leaned forward to see a young girl slide into a vacant space on the other side of Olivia. Dressed in a bright red tank top and short cutoff jeans, Olivia's friend appeared several years older than Annie had expected. On closer inspection, she realized the girl's heavy makeup helped disguise her youthful features. Olivia, wearing a blue T-shirt with smooching white puppies on the front, looked much younger and far more innocent.

“You said to meet you by the viewing stand. We've been here for half an hour,” Olivia replied.

“Oh, right. Well, I'm here now. Come on, this is boring. Let's go over to the carnival rides.”

Glancing between her friend and Annie, Olivia said, “Can I go with Heather?”

Torn between wanting to let Olivia go with her friends and not wanting her out of sight, Annie said, “I thought you wanted to watch the horses.”

“I've seen enough.”

With one last look at Shane, Annie pulled her purse strap up on her shoulder. “All right, I guess we can go take in a few rides. But you aren't going to get me on that Ferris wheel.”

“You don't have to come,” Heather said quickly.

“She's right, Annie. You can stay and watch the rest of this.”

“We'll be back in thirty minutes, I promise.” Heather's smile was disarming, but still, Annie hesitated.

“We shouldn't split up. This is a pretty big crowd.”

“We'll ride a few rides and then come right back.”

“If we hurry, we won't have to wait in line,” Heather added. “Nearly everyone is here.”

Annie glanced toward the midway and noticed that what Heather said was true. The spinning tilt-a-whirl and the Ferris wheel were only half full. Just the sight of the dizzying rides was enough to bring back her morning sickness. Getting on a ride was the last thing she wanted to do.

She studied Olivia's hopeful face. “Half an hour, right?”

Olivia's eyes brightened. “Right. Thanks, Annie. You're the best.”

Watching the pair of them hurry away, Annie realized that she didn't feel like “the best.” Instead she wondered if she had made a bad decision.

Her uncertainty kept her from enjoying the rest of the demonstration. Shane and his unit's feats of horsemanship barely held her interest. She glanced frequently toward the rides and checked her watch.

Forty minutes later, Shane's exhibition had ended and the stands began to empty. Annie's initial annoyance at being kept waiting rapidly turned to concern. By the time another twenty minutes had gone by only a handful of people remained, and most of them were working their way to the bottom of the bleachers or meeting in small groups at the edge of the field. Her growing concern turned to outright worry.

Where could they be? It wasn't like Olivia to break her word. A dozen unpleasant scenarios darted though Annie's mind, most of them fueled by distasteful memories of her own teenage years. Letting the girls go off alone had been a stupid decision.

As the few remaining onlookers cleared out, Annie climbed to the top of the bleachers hoping to catch a glimpse of the girls coming her way. Searching the growing crowds on the midway proved to be fruitless. She was simply too far away. If she joined the throng and tried to find the girls, she could pass within a dozen yards and not see them.

Wait here or go out to look for them? She wasn't sure what to do.

Checking her watch again, she saw the girls were over an hour late now. She couldn't wait any longer.

Help me find them, Lord. I'm depending on You.

Hurrying back down the steps, Annie stopped short at the sight of Shane standing in a group in front of her. Several of the men in his company were gathered around the female announcer. A blond man leaning on a cane stood beside her. Smiling and joking with his friends, Shane looked like the answer to her prayers.

He happened to glance her way. His welcoming grin quickly faded as she closed the distance between them. He rushed toward her. “Annie, what's wrong? Are you okay?”

She hadn't realized she was reaching out to him until his hands closed over hers. The comfort of his grip helped slow her racing heart.

“Olivia—my friend's daughter—came with me today, and now I can't find her. She said she'd be back in thirty minutes, but that was more than an hour ago. Something's happened to her. I know it.”

S
hane's fear dropped away and relief rushed in when he realized there wasn't anything wrong with Annie. Calming her became his next priority. She was seriously alarmed. That couldn't be good for either her or the baby.

“Take it easy. I'm sure nothing has happened to your friend's daughter. Where did you last see her?”

“She went with another girl to ride the carnival rides.”

“Maybe she just forgot the time.”

“Maybe, but this isn't like her. Olivia is only thirteen, but she is a responsible kid. She might be ten minutes late but not an hour and ten minutes.”

“Okay, we'll help you search for her.” He motioned to his friends and they gathered around.

Annie gave a brief description of both girls and what they were wearing. Suddenly her eyes widened as she looked at Shane. “I don't know Heather's last name. I don't know how to contact her family. How could I be so careless?”

Captain Watson quickly took charge. “Avery, take five men and begin a search at the far end of the old post, working back to here. From horseback you should have an easier time searching the crowds. The rest of the base is closed off, so unless they left by car they'll still be here. I'll notify security to begin checking vehicles leaving the base. Have you called the girl's mother to see if she rode home with someone else?”

“No. Marge is at work. I don't know if I should call and alarm her or give the girls a little more time. I know Olivia wouldn't leave without telling me first. I should be out looking for her.”

Shane realized that she was still holding his hand. Her tight grip and the tone of her voice told him how worried she was.

Lindsey stepped forward and said gently, “Why don't you and I wait here in case she comes back.”

Shane nodded his thanks. “That's a good idea. Annie, this is Lindsey Mandel. She's a close friend of mine. And this is her fiancé, Dr. Brian Cutter. Lindsey can wait here with you while we go and look for her.”

Annie turned to Shane. “I can't sit around any longer. I have to go look for her.”

Somehow he knew not to argue with her. Maybe it was the determined look in her eyes or maybe it was knowing she didn't give in easily when she had made up her mind. “Okay, Lindsey and Brian will wait here in case she comes back. I'll come with you.”

“Thank you.” She drew a deep breath and gave his hand a squeeze before she released it.

“Let's start with the midway,” he suggested.

She nodded in agreement and hurried away. He caught up to her in several strides. Side by side they made their way through the array of food vendors and military equipment. Shane searched the crowds for a glimpse of a girl in a blue shirt with kissing puppies on the front. Suddenly Annie darted away from his side toward a group of teenagers wearing Kevlar vests and helmets who were taking turns shooting paintballs from realistic-looking rifles.

 

Annie grabbed Olivia by the shoulder and spun her around, prepared to give the girl the scolding she deserved. In the next second she realized it wasn't Olivia but another girl with the same shirt who was staring at her in stunned surprise.

“I'm sorry,” Annie mumbled. “I thought you were someone else.”

Turning away, she surveyed the crowd again. Where could Olivia be? Pressing a hand to her forehead, she tried to imagine what she was going to tell Marge. Her friend had entrusted her with her daughter's safekeeping, and Annie had let her down.

If she couldn't keep an eye on one child for the afternoon, what on earth was she doing thinking about raising one of her own?

One of Shane's men came riding up. Stepping to his side, Shane asked, “Any luck?”

“Not yet. You?”

“Nothing. Where haven't we looked?”

“We've covered the midway, the Red Cross tent, the shooting range and the grandstands. I don't know where else to look.”

Annie bit her lower lip. “Has anyone checked the carnival workers' trailers?”

The rider shook his head. Shane said, “You start at the north end, we'll start over here.”

With Shane close behind her, Annie headed between the red-striped tent of the snow-cone vendor and a small yellow trailer offering corn dogs and hamburgers for sale. The area immediately behind the midway was a jumble of stakes and ropes and electric cords running from loud, smelly diesel generators. Beside a long truck painted with the amusement company's logo and pictures of the different rides, Annie came to an abrupt halt.

Heather sat at a picnic table, laughing with two young men dressed in greasy white shirts and stained jeans. Olivia sat slumped at the table beside her. Empty beer bottles littered the ground around them.

Relief made Annie's knees weak. She drew a quick breath and said, “That's her.”

With the next breath Annie's anger spiked and she stormed toward the errant pair. “Olivia Lilly, what do you think you are doing?”

Heather made a quick attempt to hide the bottle she held behind her back. “Ms. Delmar. I'm sorry, I guess we forgot about the time.”

“I guess you did,” Shane growled. “Annie has been out of her mind with worry. We've got half the base looking for you. Where are your parents?”

“They went home.”

“They went home and left you here by yourself?”

“I told them I'd catch a ride with Olivia.”

The young men with her took one look at Shane's scowl and suddenly found things to do elsewhere.

Olivia raised her head off the table and gave a vague smile. “Is it time to go?”

“It is way past time,” Annie replied, pulling the girl to her feet.

Olivia swayed for a moment, then sat abruptly. “Oops.”

“I can't believe this. After everything your mother has taught you about making good choices, this is what you do when her back is turned?”

“It's not her fault,” Heather offered. “She just wanted to taste a beer.”

Annie snatched the bottle from Heather's hand and tossed it in a nearby trash can. “I'm sure you can share the blame equally. As will the young men who were here. I want their names.”

Knowing that her own life had spiraled out of control when she was only a few years older than Olivia made Annie's blood run cold. This never would have happened if she had taken her responsibilities more seriously. She was as much to blame as anyone.

Shane laid a hand on her shoulder. “I'll let the others know we've located her so they can call off the search. Wait here until I get back and I'll see that you get home.”

Annie tried her best to smile. “Thank you for your help, Shane, but I can manage now.”

“I'll be back anyway.” He turned and jogged back the way they had come.

“I think I'm going to be sick.” White-faced, Olivia pressed a hand to her mouth. A second later she was.

As Annie attended to her, she couldn't help but pray that this would turn out to be a lesson Olivia wouldn't soon forget.

Later, as Shane helped Annie settle the teary-eyed girl in the backseat of her car, she tried again to thank him. He waved aside her expression of gratitude. “This isn't your fault.”

“I don't see it that way—and I'm afraid Olivia's mother won't see it that way, either. She was very upset when I called her and told her what had happened. Did you locate Heather's family?”

“Yes. Her dad picked her up at the security booth a few minutes ago.”

“Was he angry?”

“I think he was more upset by having to make a trip back here than he was about her drinking. He said, ‘Kids experiment,' like that explained his underage daughter getting one of her friends drunk. He'd better rein her in now or he's really going to have a problem child on his hands.”

A problem child.
How many times had she heard that label from her family? Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned against the car door and stared at the ground. “I was a problem child.”

“Were you?”

She slanted a look at him, wanting to see his reaction. For some reason, it mattered. “Yes. When I wasn't much older than Olivia.”

He settled one hip against the hood of the car beside her. “Why was that?”

“I wasn't a happy kid. I never felt like I fit in until I started drinking. I wish I could say I had a reason for my alcoholism, but the truth is I didn't. Unlike a lot of alcoholics, I wasn't abused or mistreated. Drinking was socially acceptable in my family, but I couldn't stop there. It became all I wanted, and I did anything I could to feed my habit. I lied, I cheated, I stole.”

“What changed?”

“At first, nothing. My parents tried everything, but in the end they were forced to sever our relationship. I don't blame them. I wrecked their lives.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It took a long time for me to see the light. You have no idea of the harm I caused.”

“No one leads a blameless life.”

“True. We are all sinners. That's what makes God's love for us so very special.”

“I don't know about that.”

“Do you believe?”

“In God? Sure. Am I a churchgoer? No.”

Annie turned and pulled open her car door. “I'm sorry to hear that. Of all the things our baby is going to need in his or her life, people who have strong faith tops the list.”

 

As Shane watched Annie drive away, he allowed himself a small smile. She had said “our baby.” It wasn't much, but it was a beginning. Now if he only had some idea how to make the next move. He needed help.

Leaving the makeshift parking lot that had been cordoned off on a grassy field for the festivities that day, he walked along the tree-lined streets of the old post. Large limestone buildings and Victorian-style houses sat back from the now-quiet streets. The white stone walls had mellowed over the decades to a pale yellow that gave this part of the post a special warmth and steeped it in nostalgia.

Clusters of lilacs in the yards beside the wraparound porches of several turn-of-the-century houses lent their sweet, coy fragrance to the late-afternoon air.

Following the twisting maze of roads and walkways, he eventually found himself outside the building that housed the post's public affairs department. He climbed a set of wooden steps and opened the door to a small reception room on the second story. It was empty. Down a short hallway he found an open office door. Lindsey Mandel sat at her desk, looking tired.

She glanced up at the sound of his knock on her doorjamb. “Shane, come in. I heard both missing girls have been found.”

He nodded and took a seat in the chair in front of her desk. “All's well that ends well.”

“Thank the good Lord for that. I'm certainly glad I didn't have to issue a press release about an Amber Alert. What can I do for you?”

“You met Annie Delmar today. What did you think of her?”

Lindsey leaned back in her chair. “I thought she seemed like an understandably worried woman at the time. Why do you ask?”

What he was about to tell Lindsey didn't reflect well on his own character, but he valued her insight into people—and besides, she was a woman. “Annie is pregnant with my baby.”

Lindsey's eyebrows shot up. “Oh! That's a bit of a shock. I didn't know you were seeing anyone. The CGMCG is a small unit, and that kind of information generally travels fast.”

She sat forward, propping her arms on the desk. “I guess congratulations are in order.”

“Not really. Annie doesn't want me involved in any way, shape or form.”

“I'm sorry your relationship with her didn't work out. That must be hard on both of you.”

“That's kind of the thing. We never actually had a relationship. We had one night.”

“I see.” While her tone didn't convey outright disapproval, it came close.

“I'm telling you this because I need help.”

Clearly puzzled, she asked, “Help with what?”

“I need to convince Annie that I deserve to be included in our child's life. I need to know how she thinks so I can come up with a way to sway her.”

“In case you missed it, Shane, I don't have children. My wedding isn't until June. I have no idea what it takes to change a pregnant woman's mind.”

“I understand that, but take pregnant out of the equation. You're a woman.”

“Thank you for noticing.”

“You know what I mean. You understand how a woman's mind works. How can I get Annie to trust me enough to include me? I need a plan.”

“Spoken like a true military man. Shane, matters of the heart rarely, if ever, follow a plan. Do you love this woman?”

He squirmed in his seat as he tried to put his feelings for Annie into words. “I like her. A lot. There's…I don't know…something special about her. But I need to be involved with my son or daughter. I'm not willing to walk away from that.”