True Valor by Dee Henderson Read Free Book Online

the letter to get from wherever he was stationed back to the U.S. and then through channels to catch up with the carrier group to her. She had read the letter so many times it was close to falling apart. She fingered the envelope and tugged it down to read again.
     
Gracie ~
Wolf tells me you prefer Gracie and that you’re afraid of heights. Instinct tells me he’s probably exaggerating a bit over the heights and stating his preference for your name. Feel free to correct both.
This note is to tell you that Wolf is fine. I don’t want you to worry when you hear what happened. I’ve noticed the way you bite your lip when watching Wolf do his I’m-invincible imitation.
He’s not invincible.
Some idiot (me) made the mistake of assuming Wolf would weave left like a smart man instead of right. We were playing some basketball and—long story. He’s got an interesting looking eye. The swelling isn’t bad and his sight is fine; it’s just colorful. Two SEALs against two PJs—okay, it wasn’t the smartest decision we’ve ever made to kill some time, but at least it was basketball and not something more interesting.
Did you know Wolf carries your picture? He used to pull it out when he needed cover to say he already had a lady in his life. I personally think it’s just because he likes to let it be known he’s got good taste. He loves you, Grace. A lot. (Lately he’s been pulling out Jill’s picture to make his point. That’s not as easy to take as yours, but I’m working on it.)
The SEALs won the game. Wolf is gloating and crowing and making me miserable. What do you have on him that I could use to level the accounts a bit? I’d owe you one.
Yours, Bruce
    Bruce wrote a nice letter; it made her smile. In prior tours she had been so busy just figuring out carrier life that homesickness never had a chance to settle in. Now she was older, tired, and sea life had a sense of routine to it. When she stopped and caught her breath, there was a new sense of loneliness. She wondered about what was going on in Jill’s life, and she worried about Wolf. Lately she’d been thinking about Bruce too. The letter was a blessing.
    Had he received her reply? She hadn’t been sure how to answer it and in the end had just picked up a pen and written her first impressions.
    Her watch alarm sounded. Grace checked the time. She had a mission briefing in fifteen minutes. It was just as well. She’d lie here in her bunk and puzzle about Bruce. He had the same dilemma she did of juggling a stateside life while being gone for long periods of time, and yet it appeared he’d figured out how to be comfortable with his life. He’d come to the deployment party, sat by the pool, content and in no hurry. She envied him that.
    Lord, I decided no more regrets, just wise decisions. Bruce—he’s a nice guy. Watching him with Jill over the years sealed that conclusion. I made the decision to answer his note with more openness than I normally would have. Did I make a mistake in my reply?
    NATO FORWARD OPERATING LOCATION
    T URKEY /I RAQ B ORDER
    Someone had mailed him chocolates. Bruce looked with regret at the mess of melted chocolate with bumps of nuts and square-cut caramels. The sugar hadn’t crystallized; it was new chocolate. It had pooled at the left edge of the candy box and hardened there. A swirl of green from a mint-flavored chocolate ran through it.
    He looked at the packing. The box was from a candy shop in Indiana. It had traveled halfway around the world to find him.
    “Another one?”
    Bruce moved so his partner could get past him in the small tent. “I told you there was a reason Alaska would make a better deployment.” He cracked the chocolate mass to pull free the envelope that had been inside the candy box tucked in a plastic bag. He handed the candy to Rich.
    Striker opened the letter. The handwriting was shaky and had the elegance of someone from a former generation who had learned to write in beautiful script. Since it