little I do know with you.”
They stood in silence for a moment as she sipped her wine, and he turned to her, his honey-colored gaze shining under the kitchen lights.
“What I can tell you is that this place is a fortress. The windows are made out of the same material as the glass. The walls are reinforced with steel plates and beams. There’s a gun in every room. Joe didn’t take any chances when he built this house, and if a glass can stop a .22, why not drink out of it?”
“That would be really amazing if a glass saved a life.”
“Things like that happen, especially in the military. Guys are saved by crosses, metal lighters … things like that.”
“Incredible,” she murmured, taking another sip as her imagination ran wild with thoughts of a glass stopping a bullet.
“So, what did you decide for dinner?” he asked changing the subject on her.
“Swedish meatballs. They’re in the oven now.”
“Cool. I can’t wait to try them.”
She heard Savannah barking outside. “How did Zach lose his sight?”
Garrett’s face hardened, and gone was the friendly man she’d come to know. The hard ass military guy had taken his place.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” she blurted. “It’s none of my business.”
His face softened and he shook his head. “Quit apologizing, Ruby.”
“You looked like you were so angry, I thought I asked a bad question.”
“No.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “Zach lost his sight in Guatemala. If I looked upset, it’s because it brings back bad memories for me.”
Taking a sip of wine to quench the questions, she let him continue.
“I was in charge of the unit when the explosion that blinded him happened. I feel responsible.”
Ruby started at him. She couldn’t image the weight of having someone else’s life in her hands, and her respect for Garrett grew even more. Her life had been so cushy; her biggest worries had been her embarrassments. “Why do you think him being blind is your fault?”
He shrugged. “Because something didn’t feel right that night, and I should have listened to my gut and pulled out my men.”
She stared at him, unsure of what to say, so she sipped more wine.
“So, it is my fault. I should have—”
Placing her hand on his forearm, she shook her head. “Garrett, one thing I’ve learned is you can’t let the ‘should have’s’ and ‘would have’s’ rule the present. There’s a lot of things that we all should have or wished we would have done, but we didn’t. What’s important is the here and now and our future decisions. We can’t live in the past.”
He stared at her a long while, and then glanced down at her hand resting on his arm. She let it slide off and back to her side. Clearing her throat, she wondered again if she’d said the wrong thing.
“You’re right,” he whispered.
A tension brewed between them, an entity she had never felt before. Her heart beat quickly, and suddenly, she became quite warm.
“But sometimes, we need to right our past mistakes so that we can go into that future without the guilt,” he continued.
She nodded, wishing she could come up with something from her own life to share with him, something that would help her make her point. However, what did the daughter of a billionaire oil tycoon have in common with a soldier who grew up in the projects of New York? Her problems were trivial compared to what Garrett had been through since the day he’d come into the world.
“Let me know when dinner is ready, okay?” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.
As he left the kitchen, she sipped her wine and wished she had the words to soothe Garrett, but she didn’t. What did she know about being in the military, or having someone else’s fate hanging in her hands? Nothing. She only wished she could find a way to make him see that Zach’s blindness wasn’t his fault.
Chapter 20
“Well, we’ve got Chess , Uno , or Sorry ,” Garrett said.
Dinner had
They stood in silence for a moment as she sipped her wine, and he turned to her, his honey-colored gaze shining under the kitchen lights.
“What I can tell you is that this place is a fortress. The windows are made out of the same material as the glass. The walls are reinforced with steel plates and beams. There’s a gun in every room. Joe didn’t take any chances when he built this house, and if a glass can stop a .22, why not drink out of it?”
“That would be really amazing if a glass saved a life.”
“Things like that happen, especially in the military. Guys are saved by crosses, metal lighters … things like that.”
“Incredible,” she murmured, taking another sip as her imagination ran wild with thoughts of a glass stopping a bullet.
“So, what did you decide for dinner?” he asked changing the subject on her.
“Swedish meatballs. They’re in the oven now.”
“Cool. I can’t wait to try them.”
She heard Savannah barking outside. “How did Zach lose his sight?”
Garrett’s face hardened, and gone was the friendly man she’d come to know. The hard ass military guy had taken his place.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” she blurted. “It’s none of my business.”
His face softened and he shook his head. “Quit apologizing, Ruby.”
“You looked like you were so angry, I thought I asked a bad question.”
“No.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “Zach lost his sight in Guatemala. If I looked upset, it’s because it brings back bad memories for me.”
Taking a sip of wine to quench the questions, she let him continue.
“I was in charge of the unit when the explosion that blinded him happened. I feel responsible.”
Ruby started at him. She couldn’t image the weight of having someone else’s life in her hands, and her respect for Garrett grew even more. Her life had been so cushy; her biggest worries had been her embarrassments. “Why do you think him being blind is your fault?”
He shrugged. “Because something didn’t feel right that night, and I should have listened to my gut and pulled out my men.”
She stared at him, unsure of what to say, so she sipped more wine.
“So, it is my fault. I should have—”
Placing her hand on his forearm, she shook her head. “Garrett, one thing I’ve learned is you can’t let the ‘should have’s’ and ‘would have’s’ rule the present. There’s a lot of things that we all should have or wished we would have done, but we didn’t. What’s important is the here and now and our future decisions. We can’t live in the past.”
He stared at her a long while, and then glanced down at her hand resting on his arm. She let it slide off and back to her side. Clearing her throat, she wondered again if she’d said the wrong thing.
“You’re right,” he whispered.
A tension brewed between them, an entity she had never felt before. Her heart beat quickly, and suddenly, she became quite warm.
“But sometimes, we need to right our past mistakes so that we can go into that future without the guilt,” he continued.
She nodded, wishing she could come up with something from her own life to share with him, something that would help her make her point. However, what did the daughter of a billionaire oil tycoon have in common with a soldier who grew up in the projects of New York? Her problems were trivial compared to what Garrett had been through since the day he’d come into the world.
“Let me know when dinner is ready, okay?” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.
As he left the kitchen, she sipped her wine and wished she had the words to soothe Garrett, but she didn’t. What did she know about being in the military, or having someone else’s fate hanging in her hands? Nothing. She only wished she could find a way to make him see that Zach’s blindness wasn’t his fault.
Chapter 20
“Well, we’ve got Chess , Uno , or Sorry ,” Garrett said.
Dinner had
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