Letters to Her Soldier by Hazel Gower Read Free Book Online Page B

and a man Caleb
didn’t know was chuckling as he talked.   Bianca glared at the guy, her nose scrunched
up and her mouth pouting.   Caleb listened.
    “I’ve never had
to keep a straight face for so long in front of a patient.   Bianca was so good.   She didn’t even react when she was smacked on
the bum and told to ‘keep them coming, baby. ’”
    His mother
doubled over with laughter, and Bianca pointed a flour-covered finger at them.   “He was a critically ill teenager.   I couldn’t tell him off.   And no one told me he had a crush on me.   Mathew”—she pointed the guy—“and all the
nurses thought it would be funny to give him one of his wishes. Which, apparently, was to feel me up. Dr.   Smooth over there didn’t even do anything about
it.   He came in to do a check up on the
kid. Pfft .   I know he was in on it. ”
    The doctor
looked at Bianca, and Caleb saw he was well on the way to being in love with
her.   He looked at his competition and swore.   He’d been picturing a guy older than him,
maybe a little white hair. But no, this guy was probably a good couple of years
younger than him, fit, and, he reluctantly admitted, not bad looking.   He just had to make this guy believe he had no
chance.
    He straightened
his shoulders, walked into the room, wrapped his arms around Bianca who almost
jumped out of her skin, and kissed her neck and shoulder.   “Hey, beautiful, I wondered where you’d gotten
to . ”
    He looked up in
time to see his mother’s eyes widen and a fleeting glance of unease cross the
doctor’s face.
    His mother
seemed to snap out of her shock quickly.   “Mathew, I’d like you to meet my son Caleb.   He just got back from Afghanistan last week. He
has some leave, and then he’s going to stick around and teach at the base. ”
    As soon as his
mother explained who he was, the guy relaxed.
    “Caleb’s known
Bianca since she was little.   She’s like
a sister to him. ”
    Bianca was stiff
as a board against him until his mother told Mathew she was like a sister to
him.   Her body shook, and she used her
arms to wipe her eyes.   He gave his
mother the best evil eye, thinking she’d made Bianca cry.  
    “Oh God, I hope
he doesn’t see me as that . ” Then she seemed to go
into hysterical giggles.
    His mother eyed
Bianca like she’d lost it.   He cleared
his throat as the oven timer went off, but they all seemed to be in a stare-off.
Bianca calmed down and maneuvered out of his hold before walking to the oven.   She put on the oven mitts and opened the door.   While she got everything out, she
ignored them.  
    “That’s
everything.   Dinner’s ready.   If your Dad’s done with the steaks and
sausages, we’re ready to go. ”
    Bianca’s tactic
seemed to work as she walked out of the room, her hands full of hot food.   His mother rushed to help which left him alone
with the doctor.   They eyed each other.   “She’s never mentioned you . ”
    Mathew shrugged.   “Bianca never said anything about you
either . ”
    Caleb clenched
his fist.   “She’s going to marry me . ”
    Mathew raised
his eyebrow at him.   “She didn’t have a
ring on her finger, and didn’t your mother say you only returned a week ago?”
He walked past him, grabbed a salad bowl, and, without waiting for his answer, left
the room.
    Caleb gritted
his teeth, picked up some bowls filled with food, and stormed out to his party.   His sister breezed by him, and he shot
her a glare as she went to the kitchen.
    As he reached
outside, he noticed some extra friends had arrived and his mother’s Delta
friends and their daughters.   Great, just great. More drama to add to
this already brilliant birthday party.
    He searched the
tables for Bianca to see her sitting at the main one with the doctor on one
side and his father on the other.  
    His sister came
up beside him and whispered, “Mum meant well.   She didn’t know how you felt about Bianca.   She wouldn’t have