True Valor by Dee Henderson Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t look like a letter from a twentysomething, bubbly, blue-eyed blonde who couldn’t write in paragraphs, he set the note aside to read and answer later. He’d made a rule about the bubbly blondes who lately sent the bulk of his mail—he didn’t answer them. Writing back just encouraged them.
    Rich took out his pocketknife. “We can shave it into edible chunks.”
    “Sanitize that thing first.”
    Rich tugged open the pocket of his cammies and retrieved his lighter. He sterilized the blade.
    Mail for most military men was their lifeline. For Bruce it had become something of a problem. “I wish they would start writing you.” Rich was wealthy, good-looking, a first generation American born of European immigrants. His partner should be the one getting this deluge of mail, not him.
    Rich used his hot knife to melt through the chocolate and break off a chunk. “You’re the legend.”
    “You were at that rescue too.” That rescue in the Gulf was beginning to haunt him. Yes, he’d rescued the boy and it had been pretty dramatic footage. But while he’d spun in the air hoisting out the boy, his partner had been on the deck securing the captain.
    “I’m smart. You’re dumb. You got your picture taken,” Rich replied, reaching down to see how much mail was in the burlap sack emblazoned with the warning Property of the Air Force Postmaster . “You’d think they were writing Santa Claus.”
    “I wish I could find that reporter and make him eat his dictionary for calling me an eligible bachelor.” Bruce nudged the sack with his boot. “Quit laughing at me and help.”
    The picture of him dangling in the air under the massive Seahawk helicopter with the kid swallowed against his uniform had shown up not only in the newspapers but now in the popular entertainment magazines. The story of the rescue grew with every retelling the reporters did.
    The least the postmaster could do was lose his forwarding location for a few weeks to stop this deluge. “You ducked the AP reporter and left me like a sitting duck. I thought you were my partner.”
    “I am in things that count. Your life was boring. I helped you out.”
    “Your definition of help is interesting.”
    Rich waved a letter. “This one is good. You’re to come to dinner next month.” Rich moved the page closer to his face to make out the writing. “I think this is her e-mail address. It’s smudged with lipstick.”
    “Trash.” He had long ago gotten over the disquiet of tossing mail without a reply.
    The tent flap was pushed back. “So this is where you two disappeared. I thought you were coming to watch CNN.”
    “Wolf, get in here. You’re recruited to open mail.”
    “I might get a paper cut.”
    “Sit.”
    The Navy SEAL awkwardly folded himself into a chair not designed for a man his size. The boredom of afternoons on deployment never changed. There might be action coming tonight, but all the preparations were over and they had a few hours to kill.
    Wolf picked up a letter and tore open the end. He dumped the contents out. “This one is kind of cute.” Wolf turned the picture for his consideration.
    Bruce tugged out a shoebox from under his cot. “Add it to the gallery.”
    “How many pictures have you been sent?”
    “I stopped counting.”
    “I guess you don’t need Gracie’s picture anymore.”
    “Don’t you dare tell her about this mail.” Bruce saved the stamp to add to his collection. “Any word yet on tonight?”
    “Bear is checking.” Wolf picked up another letter from the bag. “I was able to snag a lift to Incirlik this weekend, so I can try Jill again. You two want to come?”
    “And be confined to another base? Boring,” Rich replied. The recent earthquake had damaged roads and bridges in the Incirlik area, so traffic off the base had been limited to essential travel.
    “A real shower with hot water.”
    “True. Is Cougar going with you?” Rich asked.
    “Yes.”
    Rich looked over at Bruce. “I still don’t