lost. Outside the hospital, Matt finally realized how far he still had to go to be a functioning man, if he ever made it back.
An old teammate, Lenny Cortes, had repeatedly invited him to stay in San Luis, Baja Sur, where Lenny ran a diving shop. Sunshine, clean air, the ocean. Lenny’d promised all three—exactly what Matt needed.
Then he encountered his first obstacle. For the first time in his life, getting somewhere was a problem. All his life, if Matt needed to go somewhere, he’d simply go. No question. Into the jungle, to the Arctic, across a desert, he could do it. He could drive just about anything that had wheels, including tanks. He could fly anything smaller than a 707, including helos. If there wasn’t motorized transport available, he’d walk if he had to. Matt had never doubted his ability to do anything he wanted to do, or go anywhere he wanted to go. And yet after his release, there he was, unable to get his miserable carcass from the VA hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas to Baja, California. Lenny, who’d lost his spleen and his hearing in one ear when a mine blew up, knew his problem. Matt hadn’t had to say anything at all. Lenny’d sent a plane ticket to San Diego and had come to pick him up at the airport and driven him down the same day.
Matt had arrived utterly exhausted, completely drained from the plane trip and car ride. He’d been strong all his life and had no anchor to hold on to in this new life as a weak man. He didn’t recognize himself, and he didn’t recognize this new world he was in. Even crossing the beach to get to the water that first afternoon had been an enormous challenge. He’d almost called it quits then and there.
Wading into the ocean, the temptation just to keep going, to swim as far out to sea as his strength would take him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to make it back, had been ferocious. And that had been when he’d seen her—his Angel.
A beautiful woman on a terrace above the beach, watching him. There was sadness and knowledge in her gaze, as if she understood everything going through his head. Which was crazy. Even he didn’t understand everything going through his head. But there had been an unmistakable connection, magnetic waves almost visible in their strength, connecting them.
In the ocean, when he’d been tempted just to keep going, he stopped and trod water for a moment, looking behind him. She’d been poised with her hand on the railing, ready to rush to his rescue. He was as certain of that as he was of the fact that he needed to expand his lungs to breathe. The mysterious beauty was totally prepared to run across the beach, throw herself into the water, and do her damnedest to save a life he was contemplating throwing away.
Later, the first time he watched her in the water, the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he realized she could barely swim. She weighed a hundred pounds less than he did. If he’d given in to weakness and sought his own death, she’d have died trying to rescue him.
Beautiful and valiant.
Matt looked down at the woman in his arms. Even in her sleep, she looked troubled. She was trouble, every gorgeous inch of her. She carried trouble about her like a shroud. Now he was beginning to understand that aura of sadness she carried with her like smoke. He didn’t know the details of her story, but he didn’t have to because the basics were so clear. Someone had tried to kill her. If she was here in San Luis, she was in hiding. Which meant someone was still after her, still trying to kill her.
She was walking, talking trouble.
Matt had never backed down from trouble in his life.
Charlotte stirred in his arms. She frowned and turned her face more tightly into his shoulder, small breasts rubbing against him. Matt clenched his jaws, because the urge to touch her, caress her, was almost overwhelming.
Much as he loved holding her, Charlotte would be more comfortable in her own bed. Matt rose with her in his arms and
An old teammate, Lenny Cortes, had repeatedly invited him to stay in San Luis, Baja Sur, where Lenny ran a diving shop. Sunshine, clean air, the ocean. Lenny’d promised all three—exactly what Matt needed.
Then he encountered his first obstacle. For the first time in his life, getting somewhere was a problem. All his life, if Matt needed to go somewhere, he’d simply go. No question. Into the jungle, to the Arctic, across a desert, he could do it. He could drive just about anything that had wheels, including tanks. He could fly anything smaller than a 707, including helos. If there wasn’t motorized transport available, he’d walk if he had to. Matt had never doubted his ability to do anything he wanted to do, or go anywhere he wanted to go. And yet after his release, there he was, unable to get his miserable carcass from the VA hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas to Baja, California. Lenny, who’d lost his spleen and his hearing in one ear when a mine blew up, knew his problem. Matt hadn’t had to say anything at all. Lenny’d sent a plane ticket to San Diego and had come to pick him up at the airport and driven him down the same day.
Matt had arrived utterly exhausted, completely drained from the plane trip and car ride. He’d been strong all his life and had no anchor to hold on to in this new life as a weak man. He didn’t recognize himself, and he didn’t recognize this new world he was in. Even crossing the beach to get to the water that first afternoon had been an enormous challenge. He’d almost called it quits then and there.
Wading into the ocean, the temptation just to keep going, to swim as far out to sea as his strength would take him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to make it back, had been ferocious. And that had been when he’d seen her—his Angel.
A beautiful woman on a terrace above the beach, watching him. There was sadness and knowledge in her gaze, as if she understood everything going through his head. Which was crazy. Even he didn’t understand everything going through his head. But there had been an unmistakable connection, magnetic waves almost visible in their strength, connecting them.
In the ocean, when he’d been tempted just to keep going, he stopped and trod water for a moment, looking behind him. She’d been poised with her hand on the railing, ready to rush to his rescue. He was as certain of that as he was of the fact that he needed to expand his lungs to breathe. The mysterious beauty was totally prepared to run across the beach, throw herself into the water, and do her damnedest to save a life he was contemplating throwing away.
Later, the first time he watched her in the water, the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he realized she could barely swim. She weighed a hundred pounds less than he did. If he’d given in to weakness and sought his own death, she’d have died trying to rescue him.
Beautiful and valiant.
Matt looked down at the woman in his arms. Even in her sleep, she looked troubled. She was trouble, every gorgeous inch of her. She carried trouble about her like a shroud. Now he was beginning to understand that aura of sadness she carried with her like smoke. He didn’t know the details of her story, but he didn’t have to because the basics were so clear. Someone had tried to kill her. If she was here in San Luis, she was in hiding. Which meant someone was still after her, still trying to kill her.
She was walking, talking trouble.
Matt had never backed down from trouble in his life.
Charlotte stirred in his arms. She frowned and turned her face more tightly into his shoulder, small breasts rubbing against him. Matt clenched his jaws, because the urge to touch her, caress her, was almost overwhelming.
Much as he loved holding her, Charlotte would be more comfortable in her own bed. Matt rose with her in his arms and
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