Rescuing Olivia (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Nightshade Book 1) Read online

  Yesterday, fittingly, had been the anniversary of the attacks, and it had been why she’d taken off driving. If she had to watch one more tearful memorial, one more patriotic firework display, see one more memorial banner, she was going to go nuts. Yes, it had been a terrible attack and thousands had been killed that day and it was listed as the single most devastating attack in Afghanistan. She still had nightmares from it. But that didn’t mean she wanted to commemorate the date. Yes, ten years later was big, and she could see why people would want to recognize it. Baylee was one of those people. She’d sent out a group text to the remaining members, telling everyone she missed their faces. Several had responded, but it had seemed stilted. Living through an attack like that changed people, and they didn’t necessarily want to be reminded by the people they’d been there with.

  Olivia had sent Baylee a private message, promising to stop in next time she rolled through Austin. Baylee had responded with a string of excited emojis, which still made her smile. The girl, woman, always made her smile, and she was one of the best friends Olivia had. She, Baylee and Rex had always been the three amigos, bouncing from base to base and kicking ass.

  The last base had just kicked their ass.

  Olivia wished she had better memories from that time in her life, but all that lingered was trauma. Regret. Loss.

  Deliberately, she took a deep breath. The sound of laughter drifted to her from the open window, and she smiled a little. The sound reminded her of county fairs from home, big gatherings of food and animals and fun. When she was a child, they’d gone every year, and it had been one of her favorite things. Some of her favorite memories had been created at fairs. She felt her mood lift.

  A man on a horse rode by and Olivia grinned. There was always a man on a horse in Texas.

  Connor pulled into a conspicuously empty spot near the pavilion.

  “It pays to be the boss, huh?”

  He nodded as he turned off the ignition and pushed the door open. “Damn straight.”

  There was a chorus of hellos and ‘hey, boss’ as they walked up to the group. Soon, two nylon camp chairs materialized from somewhere and were parked behind them. Everyone shifted so that the circle could expand.

  “Gentlemen,” Connor said, “this is Olivia Grant. She was involved in the crash yesterday and is kind of stranded, so we’re hosting her for a while. At least till she gets a ride out of here. So, be on your best behavior. Understand?”

  There was a chorus of agreement and waves, and Olivia gave a single wave back as she settled into the chair. The men around her were all handsome and strong, some younger than others. There were several women as well, but she thought they might be wives or girlfriends.

  “If you need anything,” Connor told her, “any one of them will get it for you. Just let them know.”

  She appreciated that, but she doubted she would avail herself. It wasn’t their job to take care of her. She spotted Connor’s brother immediately because they could have been twins with the curling dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had a grin just like his brother, too, and nodded to her, as if agreeing with her assessment. “Jack Kelly,” he said, shaking her hand.

  A large man with thick black hair and dusky skin approached the circle holding a plate. “Try this, Kelly.”

  He held out a fork with a chunk of meat hanging from the tines. It was dark brown and dripping with a shiny brown sauce.

  Without hesitation, Connor took the fork to his mouth and began to chew. “Oh, Manu,” he groaned, chewing slowly. “This is amazing.”

  Connor took another fork from the man, loaded it with the meat and handed it to Olivia. Gingerly, she took the fork from him, glad he didn’t try to feed her.

  “Oh, wow,” she breathed as she began to chew. “This is incredible. Oh, there’s a kick at the end.”

  Olivia wasn’t overly fond of barbeque, but this was on another level. It was fruity and sweet. She could happily eat an entire plate of this.

  Manu handed around loaded forks, grinning as every man seemed to melt.

  “Manu’s family is from Fiji,” Connor told her, “and we’re glad to have the man in our department.”

  “I can understand why,” Olivia said. “I just don’t understand why you’re not all five hundred pounds.”

  The men around her laughed, and she appreciated the response.

  “So, how’s the competition looking, boys?” Connor asked.

  Olivia listened with half an ear. It was more interesting to watch the rhythm of them talking, and the way they responded to Connor. From the way they hung on his every word, she could almost tell he was an effective leader. There was no need to browbeat a group if you had their respect.

  Connor nodded definitively. “I might just go check out the competition myself. Olivia, want to join me?”

  Without a word she pushed to her feet, waving at the group as she shuffled through the ring of chairs, careful to place her feet. Just outside the pavilion, there was a small ditch thick with grass. Leading with her good foot, she jumped across it, grabbing Connor’s offered hand. She grinned up at him. “Thank you.”

  Damn, that had hurt. She pressed a hand to her ribs, grimacing.

  “I should have led you around the long way,” Connor said, frowning down at her.

  Oliva shook her head. “Nah, this is more direct to the midway. I can hear the clatter of the set-up.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think everyone is here yet, but the competition starts tomorrow. They need to have time to get their smokers up to temp, so a lot of the competitors come early and basically tail-gate all week.”

  As they walked toward the bright colors of the tents and awnings, he let go of her hand. Olivia hadn’t even realized she was still holding it, and she felt herself flush. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice, though.

  It was obvious as soon as they started walking through the midway that Connor was a well-known man. People began to wave and call out hellos, and occasionally he stopped at a booth or trailer to say hi. He always introduced her, as well, to make her feel like part of the conversation. Olivia appreciated that. It made her feel like less of a leech.

  Yes, she had her purse and money— some dear had delivered it to the hospital for her— but she was still physically stranded. And unable to rescue herself. Actually, she could probably go out and buy a car, but she didn’t want to risk the insurance company not reimbursing her. That option would be the last, if she could wait.

  Maybe this was the universe’s way of reminding her that she needed to take some time off, here and there. And lighten up.

  She could have done without the rib pain, though.

  CHAPTER 5

  Connor loved watching Olivia. As they wandered the midway, he could physically see the tension ease from her shoulders. And at some point, it was like someone had flipped a switch. There was a clearness to her gaze, and he realized the worry had disappeared.

  It had to be hard, being at another person’s mercy like this. It would frustrate the hell out of him if he had no way of getting around and had to rely on other people. And she didn’t know anyone here. Not one soul. Other than him.

  So, he made it a point to introduce her to people he knew would be kind and outgoing. The bruises and stitches on her head drew a lot of commiserating comments, and he hoped she understood people cared.

  “There are a series of competitions running for the next three days. The smokers are doing their job, and tomorrow will be a full day of classes and skill levels. If you are a BBQ eater, you might be burned out on it by the time the day is done.”

  She snorted. “I love good barbeque, but I don’t know how much I can eat. Won’t it all be for the competition? For the judges?”

  Connor shook his head. “The best briskets and delicacies will be for the judges, but most of the pits have meat for sale as well. You can buy a tasting card from the 4-H kids, and you get a little at every pit.”

  Smoke rolled through the area, making his mouth water. There was also regular fair food. He bought them each an order of fresh fries, and they wandered the displays. The names of some of the pits were hilarious. Nothing Butt Pork, Rise and Swine, Pork Peeps.

  At one point Olivia paused, looking at an older couple sitting in chairs behind one of the smoke booths. The woman wore an arm brace and a cast, and the man wore a cast on his lower leg. Aluminum crutches were on the ground beside him. The couple were a little bruised, but smiling happily, as they waved them over.

  As soon as they were close enough, the man took Olivia’s hands in his own. “I have to thank you for what you did yesterday, young lady. It was so hard watching my Mary walk away into the smoke. It seemed like she was gone for a long time, and I know it wasn’t, but you coming back and telling me she was helping, well, it eased my worry. Just a few minutes after you left the paramedics came and got me out of the truck. And they found Mary so that she could ride to the hospital with me.”

  “Good,” Olivia said. “That’s excellent. And it doesn’t seem like your injuries are going to slow you down much.”

  “Oh, no,” the older woman leaned forward in her chair. “We had to come see Lance dominate his competition.”

  Olivia grinned at the words and glanced in the direction of the man working the giant, trailer-sized smoker. He gave a wave and grinned back but didn’t leave his station. Good thing, because Connor would have had to walk him back. He’d seen the curiosity in the man’s gaze.

  Olivia was a beautiful woman, and he’d seen more than one man today look at her with interest.

  They talked to the older couple for a few more minutes before moving on. He could tell she was getting tired, though. As the lights came up on the displays and competitions were called out, they headed back to the pavilion station 93 had taken.
They had had two ambulance calls, that day, and one crash. Luckily, the surrounding counties were covering the county calls today, so that Lockhart FD could focus on the festival. They were responsible for manning the first aid tent this weekend as well, and they’d had several patients.

  Some of the faces in the ring of firefighters had changed, but not all. They shuffled to open two chairs so that Connor and Olivia could sit down, and they did so gratefully. Connor could tell that Olivia was in pain, so, after chatting for a while, they headed back to the firehouse.

  By the time he pulled into the lot, her eyes were closed, and she was dozing. It was the cutest thing, her hair falling forward to hide her face. She didn’t even rouse when he put the truck into park and turned off the ignition. Connor hated to wake her, but with her neck tilted forward like that, it would hurt when she woke. Circling the truck, he very carefully opened her door. She roused a little as he slid his arms beneath her, but he whispered to her that everything was okay, and she settled her head against his chest.

  Connor had carried a lot of people during his career as a firefighter, but Olivia had to be the sweetest armful. Lowering his head, he breathed in her hair, and grinned. She smelled of smoke, of course.

  Connor carried her to bed, managing to get her under the covers without completely waking her. He looked down at her, her face calm in sleep, without the pinched look she tended to carry. How long did she have here? No more than a couple of days, probably.

  He hoped the insurance company dragged their feet.

  Olivia woke to the scent of cooking breakfast. Sitting up, she frowned. What the hell… Oh, yeah. She’d fallen asleep. Connor had been talking to her as they’d left the park, and she’d closed her eyes for just a moment. Obviously, he’d carried her in here and covered her up. She still wore her jeans and the FD t-shirt, so she was thankful for that. Her prosthetic itched, though. She needed to get it off, clean it and let it air out.

  Her cheeks heated as she thought about him carrying her again. Why was she always unconscious when he did it? One of these days maybe she’d be awake when he carried her, so she could enjoy the experience. Connor was a gentleman in every respect of the word, and she was a little ashamed that he kept having to take care of her.

  Granted, she’d been through a lot, and concussions tended to cause lethargy, but still. Normally she was the hundred-pound dynamo, working double shifts, drinking coffee and coming back for more. This being on the mend crap was for the birds.

  And her head was throbbing right now. Glancing toward the door, she spied her suitcase. Aw, he’d brought it up for her. Rolling out of bed, she crossed the room to swing it up onto the bed. Her own clothes… yes! Olivia dug an outfit out of the stacks and headed toward the shower. Luckily, the shower faucet had one of those removable heads, and she was able to scrub her stump and everything else she needed to. It was as she was lathering her hair that she realized the scent smelled like Connor. This wasn’t his shower, was it?

  She hopped out of the shower and dried off, sitting on the toilet lid as she dried her stump sleeve with a blow dryer. It wasn’t the best way to do this, but it was what she was rolling with today.

  Once dressed and the room picked up, she headed downstairs to breakfast. Connor grinned when he saw her, and her breath caught in her throat at the vibrancy of him. He was so… alive. His bright eyes glittered with humor, then darkened as they took her in. Knowing they were heading back to the festival, she’d taken some time with her hair and makeup, and that look he gave her… yeah, the time was totally worth it.

  Why was she feeling so differently toward him than any other man? Yes, she got hit on all the time, and for the most part it was easy to shoot them down and move on. She had sex occasionally, but she didn’t live her life around it like most men did. Having the nomadic lifestyle she did promoted little closeness, either, she supposed.

  “Have a seat. The food’s mostly ready. Coffee?”

  “Yes, please,” she said, sinking down onto the bench of the long table. There were two place settings at the end, and it was cute. He’d plucked a single blue flower from somewhere, and it sat in a water glass, drooping.

  Connor noticed her look and gave her a wince. “I came down and Lang had already set the table. He was being cute.”

  Olivia grinned at him. “I don’t mind.”

  She was kind of disappointed that he hadn’t been the one to set the table.

  Connor had scrambled eggs and fried some sausage links. There was a fruit salad with mint that was to die for, and she kept going back to it. “This is wonderful. I miss real food when I’m on the road.”

  “I would think that would be a lonely existence, going from job to job like that.”

  Olivia sighed. “Yes, it can be, but it’s what I’m used to.”

  “You were in the Army, right? Weren’t you used to working in a group?”

  She smiled sadly. “Yes. I was. I was a part of one of the best surgical teams to be put together. Our success rate was incredibly high.”

  Connor leaned toward her a little. “And you haven’t found a group you can work with stateside? Is that why you do the contract work?”

  Yeah, he would have to be smart under all that shiny. “Among other things.”

  She thought of working next to Baylee and Rex. They’d been like one being, knowing what the others needed before they voiced it. When you trained with a team as arduously as they had, it was hard to replace the camaraderie. “Imagine coming into work and realizing that the station house had burned down. About half of your people died, and everyone else was being sent to other cities around Texas. Suddenly, you get to learn all new people. All new equipment and rules. New management. In addition to recovering from the trauma of where and when you were. Sometimes it’s too much to adjust to. I have knowledge I need to use, but I need to have my freedom, too.”

  Connor had stopped chewing, and he’d leaned in toward her, looking straight into her eyes. For that moment, it felt like he was looking into her soul, and she allowed him that. Why she was being so vulnerable with him, she had no idea, but she thought he could understand.

  Reaching out, he rested one of his big hands over hers. “I’m sorry. I’m not criticizing in any way, just curious. You’re a beautiful, smart woman, and a good nurse. It’s hard to believe no one has snatched you up.”

  Olivia knew by the look in his bright eyes he didn’t mean a hospital or clinic. He was wondering why a man hadn’t snatched her up.

  Well, if she ever met a man with the cajones to challenge her…

  Her skin was warming under his, and there was a stomach-dropping sensation rolling through her. She looked down at his fingers. He was a solid working man, and his hands showed the wear. Little scars crisscrossed his tan skin, and his knuckles looked sore on his right hand, like he’d scraped them doing something within the past day or so. Veins traced beneath the skin, from his fingers all the way up his arms and beneath the sleeves of the T-shirt. Slowly, reluctantly, she drew her hand away, and scrambled for an answer to his question.

  “It’s not that people haven’t tried, I just haven’t taken the bait,” she grinned. “I’ve had five digit offers from hospitals to stay on.”

  His dark brows lifted, and he shook his head. “Damn… That’s impressive. I bet you’ve had men bend over backwards for you, too.”

  She made a face. “Not so much. There’s not a lot of need for sarcastic veteran amputees on Mingle.com.”

  Connor tipped back his head, chuckling. “I think they just don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

  Damn. The look in his eyes… it made her want to be the one for him. Time to change the subject. “What about you? You seem to be one of the town’s favorite sons. How have you escaped the noose?”

  Grinning, he sat back in his chair, making it creak. He looked delectable. Olivia knew he knew he was delectable, but it didn’t diminish his appeal at all. “I have some of my own baggage, if you must know.”