Here And Now (American Valor 2) by Cheryl Etchison Read Free Book Online Page A

minutes, preparing to draw blood from her other arm.
    “You remind me of my Harold.” While her voice was soft and shaky, Mrs. Hembree’s eyes were clear and focused.
    “And who would that be?” Lucky strapped the tourniquet around her arm, formed her fingers into a fist, and held them there.
    “He was my third husband.”
    “Third?” He inserted the butterfly needle into her arm and waited for the first collection tube to fill.
    “Oh, yes. My first husband was a boy I went to school with. He lived on the farm next door so we walked to school together. And when we were older, we wandered off into the woods together to do other things.” Her eyes twinkled with mischievousness. “He was killed in a tractor accident just months after we were married.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “Me, too. But it’s nice to think he’ll always be young and beautiful.”
    “What about number two? Was he young and beautiful as well?” He removed the first tube and tipped it side to side before placing it on the tray.
    “My second was a rat bastard of a man who drank our bank account dry. I wasn’t sorry when the sheriff showed up on my door to tell me they’d found his truck at the bottom of a ravine.” She paused. “He died.”
    “Really?”
    “Oh, yes. Many prayers were answered that day.”
    Lucky could only shake his head. Never in a million years would he ever have imagined this sweet old woman would say something like that. He inserted the second collection tube into the holder and waited.
    “But like I said, you remind me of my Harold. Such kind eyes.” She smiled at him. “I was only twenty-four when my second husband died and in our small town rumors began to circulate that I was cursed. Men would cross to the other side of the street when they saw me leaving the market as if I had something to do with my previous husbands’ deaths. Like I was a witch or something.
    “I was alone for a long time until I met Harold. He fought in the war and survived being shot several times during the Battle of the Bulge, although he used a cane the remainder of his days. Despite being ten years older than me, he asked if he could walk me home one Sunday after church. Told me I was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. We married three weeks later and had five children together. Such a smart man. Great with numbers. Sadly, he died seven years ago.”
    With the final tube filled, he removed the needle and replaced it with a cotton ball, taping it down to hold it in place. “Any plans to remarry?”
    “Me? Heavens, no. If I were to meet anyone now I’d do just like you young kids do and live in sin.”
    He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That’s what my father and his girlfriend are doing. Living in sin.”
    “Is that right?”
    “Yes. They’ve only been living together a few months. Her husband died a few years ago and if she were to remarry she’d lose his government pension.”
    “Smart woman. Are you married?”
    “No, ma’am.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. “And why is that? You’re not a rat bastard, are you?”
    “I certainly hope not,” he said with a chuckle. “I just don’t have time to date.”
    “I find that hard to believe. What about that nurse that was in here earlier? She’s pretty.”
    That was true. Instead of a sleek ponytail, today Rachel wore her hair clipped up in a twist. Fine strands that had escaped their hold framed the sides of her face. The royal blue scrub top only made her eyes looks that much bluer, despite the dark circles shadowing her eyes. A sure sign she was still trying to adjust to the vampire shift schedule. And, as always, she smelled fantastic.
    “Well, I just moved home after twelve years in the military. Between working here and going to school and studying, there’s no time.”
    “Oh, boo . . .” Mrs. Hembree said, patting his forearm. “Sounds like excuses to me.”
    He smiled. “Maybe.”
    And then, as if they’d conjured her up by speaking