Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed) by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page B

twenty-one and would be ready for marriage.”
    “Plans so often change when life intervenes.” He sampled the almonds and washed them down with a sip of wine. “Do you think of San Gabriel as your home now?”
    She hesitated, recognizing that he asked questions she hadn’t had the luxury of considering. “I love this place and these people. Sofia is like the little sister I never had. But San Gabriel is a long way from the sea. I thought I would be home by now.”
    “And now you’re needed too much to consider leaving?”
    “Exactly.” Athena was aware of irony. A major reason she’d accepted Carlos’s offer was because she wanted to be needed. “But I don’t suppose I’ll be needed forever.”
    “The world will stabilize in time,” Will agreed, “though I don’t suppose that’s much comfort when you’re anxious to return to your family in England.”
    She laughed ruefully. “I have no family that will acknowledge a blot on the escutcheon like me, but I have friends I want to see again, and I miss England itself.”
    “I’ll miss the sunshine of the Peninsula, though not the summer heat,” he said with a chuckle. “You’ve had enough adventuring?”
    She nodded. “I’ve seen more of the world than most women. Now it’s time to plant a garden of my own and watch it grow. What about you? Will normal life be a flat bore after your years of war?”
    “‘To everything there is a season.’” He eyed the last piece of cheese and transferred it to his plate when she gestured that he was welcome to it. “I’ve had my seasons of war, and since I’ve rather surprisingly survived, it’s now the season to return home and take up the responsibilities I’ve been ignoring for too many years.”
    Catching something in his voice, she asked quietly, “Did you want to die?”
    There was a long silence while he cut the cheese into very thin slices. “I rather did at first,” he said in a low voice when he finally ran out of cheese. “I married young. My wife died in childbirth within a year. I couldn’t imagine I’d ever again have anything, or anyone, to make life worth living. So I bought a commission, thinking I might as well at least do something useful.”
    Her heart ached for him. He wasn’t all that old now, somewhere in his early-to-mid thirties, she guessed. “I’m very sorry. I hope you now find life worth living.”
    He meticulously arranged the thin slices of cheese across a round of bread before glancing up, his voice light again. “There is nothing like having large numbers of strangers shooting at you to make life seem desirable. I’ve been very lucky, and I intend not to waste my good fortune.” His gaze was warm. Admiring, even.
    Admiration, and desire. She almost didn’t recognize desire because it had been so long since she had seen it. Or perhaps, since she had let herself see it.
    Even longer since she had felt desire herself. She felt it now and she imagined those warm, strong arms around her. A kiss, ah, she was sure he could kiss well! Any man who could so enjoy such a simple meal must surely have a sensual nature.
    If she was more like her mother, she would rise and give him an alluring smile and invite him to her bedchamber. They could have a passionate affair for a week or two until he left San Gabriel—she was sure he’d be willing.
    But she was not her mother. So she rose and said, “I’m glad to hear that, Will. Good night. I hope you’ll sleep well.”
    He rose and gave her a formal bow. “I’m sure I shall. Till tomorrow, Athena.”
    She lifted her candlestick and left the room, wishing intensely that for the next few days, she could be more like her mother.

Chapter 6
    T he bed was sinfully comfortable, which might be why Will had sinful dreams. When the rising sun woke him, he lay still and savored hazy images of a warm and willing woman in his arms. A long and lovely lady with intelligence and wit, whom one wouldn’t break and could match him in strength