Along the Broken Road by Heather Burch Page A

look ancient and cracked.
    “You scared me half to death, you know?” He bent and scooped some water.
    “Ah, only half?” She slipped her feet from her tennis shoes and stepped into the creek where shallow water bubbled over the rocks.
    “Cute.” Ian didn’t bother taking off his shoes, but stepped in beside her.
    “Careful! The rocks are really sl—”
    Splash! He disappeared below the water and came up sputtering.
    “Slick.” Charlee laughed.
    “You could have told me before I got in.” The water was cold and felt great after being pelted by mud that had hardened in the sun.
    “What kind of an idiot gets into the creek without at least removing his shoes?”
    He tucked under the water, t hen came up fast, flinging the water in his hair in all directions. “The same kind who agrees to work for a slave-driving, bossy, know-it-all boss.”
    She raised a finger. “You forgot narcissistic.”
    He gave her a long look up and down. “I’ve decided to recant that.”
    She splashed water onto her legs and arms, leaving a trail of mud in the sun-dotted creek. Ian found it difficult to stop watching.
    To cool off, he ducked under again.
    Before long, they were on the blanket eating sandwiches and chips. A few droplets still shimmered on Charlee’s tanned legs, but Ian felt surprisingly dry—between the heat outside and that generated by his internal temperature rising while he watched Charlee remove mud from her skin—yeah, his flesh was cooking.
    “This had to be a great place to grow up.” He reached for the bag of chips.
    “We lived at the edge of town. The house is still empty except when my brothers are on leave. We couldn’t bring ourselves to sell it. It still has too much of Mom.” She smiled sadly. “And now too much of Dad to get rid of it.”
    Ian swallowed hard. She’d lost both her parents. He and his dad didn’t get along, but he couldn’t imagine a world without his parents. “You always lived here?”
    “You sound surprised.”
    He shrugged. “Military families. Usually move more.”
    “Dad was stationed at Fort Cradler. It’s about an hour from here. When my mom got sick, we were never asked to move. After she died, Dad actually took a desk job at the base until me and Caleb could graduate.”
    “A desk job?”
    “Drove him nuts not being in the field. But he knew we needed one parent home. And Mom was gone.”
    “Caleb is your younger brother, right?”
    She took a bite of her sandwich. “By one year. He enlisted as soon as he graduated. Loves the army. The army and water, Caleb’s two passions.”
    “Water?”
    “He’s a swimmer. Would have gone into the navy if he hadn’t been afraid Dad would disown him.” Charlee handed Ian a bottle of water. “So, were you and Jeremiah close?”
    “No. Not really.” Ian dropped his gaze and took a long drink.
    “Did you know him when he was in Afghanistan?”
    “Yeah.” He needed to move this conversation in a new direction. Fact was, it wasn’t Jeremiah who’d told him about the job. When he’d reached town he’d filled his tank at the gas station and inquired about the artists’ retreat. The guy behind the counter asked if he was there for the handyman job.
    When Charlee opened her mouth to speak, Ian swallowed and angled to look at the waterfall. “It’s really cool here. Love the falls.”
    “Yes. We’re on Caleb’s property right now. It’s a bit more rugged than mine, but Caleb is a total outdoorsy guy. It suits him.” She studied Ian for a few moments. “You know, you haven’t done the study for King Edward yet. Has he mentioned it?”
    “No. And I hope he doesn’t. I can’t imagine stripping my clothes so he can stare at me naked.”
    “It’s art, Ian. Not porn.”
    He shuddered. “It’s my body, Charlee, and I don’t particularly like the idea of it being exploited on a canvas for all the world to see.”
    She bit back a grin, causing the dimple in her cheek to deepen. “Why? Hiding