Girl of Mine Read online

  GIRLOFMINE

  taylor dean

  Girl of Mine

  Copyright © 2015 by Taylor Dean

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  www.taylordeanbooks.com

  Cover art by: ©iStockphoto.com/PeopleImages]

  Cover design by: Jules Isaacs

  Author photo: Jules Isaacs

  Edited by: Jules Isaacs

  Digital edition produced by Maureen Cutajar

  www.gopublished.com

  PRINT ISBN: 978-1503250420

  To my Dad . . .

  because he always gets my light.

  “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

  -Les Miserables

  Preface

  On September 11th, 2001, the United States experienced a brutal act of terror. This led to US troops being deployed overseas to conduct combat operations.

  In early 2003, communication was somewhat different from what it is today. There was no Skype or Twitter. Texting was relatively new and overseas cell service was very expensive. Many military units advised soldiers not to bring their cell phones when they deployed.

  For a soldier going off to war, communicating with their loved ones was left to email (when they were able to find and use a computer that had connectivity to the Internet), waiting in long lines to use pay phones, or of course, snail mail.

  Some soldiers had as little as three days to prepare to leave their families; some had as much as a month. Many soldiers were plucked from their current units and assigned to other units in order to meet the demands of the military.

  They were sent to various US military bases to prepare for deployment overseas. Most soldiers thought they’d be at these bases for a relatively short time, but the actual wait varied from a few weeks to several months before leaving US soil. Without a cell phone, or cell service for remote sites, often the only phone communication available was through some very old payphones near their barracks.

  My husband was one of the soldiers sent to Iraq during the invasion. When he left, our oldest daughter was about to graduate from high school. Shortly thereafter she left for college.

  It never crossed our minds that when he returned our family would never be the same again. (In GIRL OF MINE, life will change drastically for Luke as well.) Soldiers miss so much when they are gone, moments in life that can never be recovered.

  In the beginning, communication was intermittent. We were thankful for every little scrap of contact. This was, by far, the hardest thing about sending my husband off to war. The utter lack of communication, the not knowing, was killing me.

  As instructed, my husband left his cell phone at home when he deployed. While Stateside, he found a lone pay phone at an abandoned old barracks site—over a mile away from the long lines at the pay phones near his barracks—and that’s where he walked to call me as often as he could, using a calling card.

  Eventually things settled down. Months later we were able to communicate daily via email and sometimes with a SAT (satellite) phone. We were lucky.

  It was with this experience in mind that I wrote the logistics of GIRL OF MINE. It doesn’t relate to what soldiers experience nowadays, depending upon their situations, of course. I can’t speak for every soldier.

  Although this story is not specifically about the war, I give special thanks to my hubby for his invaluable knowledge of the war in Iraq and the enlightening stories he was able to come home and share with me. And now you have the privilege of hearing a few of those stories. Just a few though, because, well, that would be another book altogether—and this is a romance novel.

  Most of all, hubby, thank you for coming home.

  Acknowledgments

  Heartfelt gratitude goes to my daughter, Jaclyn, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City (now the International Culinary Center), for sharing her knowledge of the culinary arts.

  I would also like to express my appreciation to Air Force Captain Travis Burns for sharing his aeronautical knowledge. Thanks for helping me “get it right!”

  Also a huge thank you to Air Force Captain Rachel Taylor for sharing her knowledge on the art of running.

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Other Books by the Author

  About the Author

  1

  Luke and Jill

  April 2003

  Present Day

  “Gotcha,” a deep voice said, startling her. From behind, strong arms reached around her waist and grabbed her in a vise like grip.

  “Don’t scream,” the voice said, which only caused an immediate shout for help to gurgle in Jill’s throat as her natural instincts kicked in and she struggled to escape her attacker. The unexpected assault left her heart racing and adrenaline pumping. Her mind had been lost in mundane thoughts and she’d been oblivious to her surroundings. She quickly switched gears and reacted to her assailant, all at once fighting like a wild cat.

  It was true that your life passed before your eyes in moments of extreme danger. So many things sped through her mind: falling in love for the first time, the giddiness of romance, then stumbling through overwhelming heartbreak, and finding the strength to move on and rebuild.

  She still had so much life to live.

  In spite of everything, she wanted to live; to experience everything life had to offer. The cosmic yearning took her by surprise. She hadn’t exactly embraced life lately.

  A crowded Walmart parking lot seemed an unlikely place for an abduction. Right? Especially in broad daylight in the late morning on a quiet Friday. All she had to do was kick, fight, and scream. Get noticed. Be the victim that caused too much trouble. Someone would come to her aid.

  “Let me go!” she screamed as she attempted to twist and wiggle free from her sudden aggressor. She certainly wouldn’t make this easy for him.

  His arms, however, remained locked around her mid-section, firm and immoveable. In her peripheral vision she noticed a few people stop and stare.

  Good.

  Jill was ready to make a scene. A huge one. Hoping to not see the proverbial ski mask, she whipped her head around to get a good look at her captor. That was important. If she could identify him, maybe he’d give up and run away. A bad guy didn’t like to be recognized. Otherwise she’d be able to single him out in a lineup.

  However, when the shocking recognition dawned, she froze.

  “Luke?” she
whispered. What on earth was he doing? They were practically nose to nose, breathing in each other’s breath. For a heartbeat, neither one moved. The close proximity made her want to bury herself in his embrace. Then his arms tightened around her, not in a good way. He was ensuring he had a good grip.

  Jill writhed in his arms, almost hysterically, grunting from the effort.

  This man spelled danger. He had the power to leave her breathless in a matter of seconds. Jill found herself wishing her captor was some creepy jerk she could pound to a pulp. It would be nice to release every ounce of aggression bottled up inside with no remorse whatsoever.

  Instead, the situation was so much worse. This was the man she loved with all the strength she possessed.

  Indignation at his actions took over. “Lucas Graham, let me go this instant!” How could he do this to her?

  How dare he do this to her.

  “I mean it. Let me go. I want nothing to do with you. Do you hear me? Nothing!”

  Not really true. She wanted Luke so much, the very thought of him caused actual physical pain.

  Luke picked her up off the ground as if she weighed nothing. His truck was parked directly next to her car. Lost in thought as she’d been, she hadn’t noticed. As a matter of fact, his truck was so close all he had to do was turn around, walk a few steps, and heave her upwards into his front seat, his car door already opened and waiting.

  Good job, Jill. If she’d been more observant, she would’ve seen him waiting for her and run the other way. Knowing Luke was back in town had left her feeling a little dazed.

  He stood on the runner, leaned into the truck and pulled the seatbelt across her lap, clicking it into place. Her hands frantically fought his, but he continued with his task as if her efforts simply equated to swatting at an annoying fly.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. Stop it!” Jill yelled.

  With his head only inches from hers, he said, “I beg to differ.”

  The sound of his voice sent a tremor through her body and her heart softened. She’d missed him so much. He, however, appeared resolute, the set of his mouth firm and determined.

  At that moment, she noticed the handcuffs hanging from the handle of the glove compartment. Before she could protest, Luke quickly snapped one end of the handcuffs onto her wrist with practiced ease. The click of the cuffs rang out with finality in the tight confines of the cab.

  “Insurance,” he said with a raise of his eyebrows, a slight indication of his usual humor.

  “Don’t do this, Luke. This isn’t funny.”

  “I’m not laughing,” he said, his lips the closest they’d been to hers in a month. The memory of his kiss was still fresh—and raw—in her mind. Luke briefly paused as his thumb ran over the angry red scar screaming across the palm of her hand. For just a moment, emotion glittered in his eyes, intense and fiery, making Jill gasp. He was utterly serious. This wasn’t a joke and he wasn’t messing around.

  He locked the door and slammed it shut. It was that easy. In less than a minute, a man had captured her and rendered her helpless. The thought scared the life out of her. And it wasn’t just any man, it was Lucas Graham.

  Thank goodness it was just Luke.

  Immediately, she retracted that thought. Luke was the one man in this world she did not want to see.

  Why? Because he was the one man in this world she most wanted to see.

  No one in her life had ever hurt her as much as he had. The mere thought of him had the power to bring her to her knees in despair.

  Was this really the way he wanted their relationship to play out?

  Act, Jill. Do something. Fight.

  Jill awkwardly reached her left arm across her right, her fingers stumbling over the window control. “Open! Open!” she screamed.

  The window mechanism was locked.

  “Just taking my fiancée on a surprise weekend getaway,” she heard Luke say to the dazed onlookers, charming them with his easy smile. He was in the car, ignition on and backing out of the parking space within seconds.

  Jill turned in her seat and banged on the window desperately. “Help! Help!”

  The witnesses smiled and waved as if her plight was amusing. Not one person appeared to be calling 9-1-1. Not one person even had their cell phone out.

  She turned on Luke. “This isn’t okay. What if this was the real thing?”

  He pressed on the gas and his tires squealed as he took the corner. “This is the real thing.”

  Exasperated, Jill said, “Really, Luke? Really?” Her tone implied his actions were foolish.

  “Really. Desperate measures are in order. I don’t have time to mess around,” he said dryly. His serious tone took her by surprise. He really wasn’t kidding.

  Still, he knew very well his roguish actions were outrageous—and that she wouldn’t respond well. Most people don’t enjoy being taken against their will. Shocker.

  “Take me back to my car. I have groceries in the trunk. The ice cream will melt.” Even as she said the words, she knew the trivial details didn’t matter one iota to Luke. It also meant her plans for drowning herself in chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream this evening were dashed.

  He didn’t answer.

  “My purse. My phone. They’re in the front seat of my car.”

  “In the back of the truck. Locked in one of my trunks. Your car’s locked. It’ll be fine.”

  Until you got to know him, Luke was a man of few words. The strong-silent type. If something didn’t need to be said, he didn’t say it. When he did have something to say, it was either vitally important or hilariously funny. No in between. His quiet nature and sense of humor had attracted her at first. Now they irked her. “It won’t be fine. Nothing is fine. Take me home. You have no right to do this. I’m engaged to another man.” Ouch. That had to hurt.

  His jaw clenched and he sped up, obviously having a destination in mind. “So I heard.”

  “Luke! Let me go. You can’t do this,” Jill blurted in frustration.

  “Too late. I’ve already done it,” he said between clenched teeth. “Sit back and enjoy the ride. There’s no going back now, baby.” Then he had the audacity to smile at her, a toothy fake grin that bespoke, “I win.”

  Now that he’d succeeded with his nefarious plan, his sense of humor made itself manifest. And she loved his huge smile, even when it was fake.

  Jill wasn’t laughing. This was no Sunday drive they were about to embark upon and she had no intention of enjoying the scenery. She tugged at the handcuffs as if pulling on them would free her hand of the nasty little device. Her wrist turned red and began to ache from her efforts. Next, she fused all her fingers together tightly and tried to ease her hand out of the vise.

  It was no use. Her hand wouldn’t budge.

  “Give it up, Jill. Even the most hardened of criminals haven’t defeated ‘em.”

  Again, her left hand reached for the door, swiftly unlocked it and engaged the door handle. The door flying open ought to catch the attention of passersby, maybe even the authorities.

  Nothing happened.

  “Child proof locks,” Luke confirmed. “Amazing invention.”

  His flippant attitude grated on her nerves. Jill reached for the steering wheel, intent on making him lose control and pull the car over to the side of the road. He caught her hand with a steel-like grip. “I know you don’t want to do that, Jill.” All signs of humor vanished.

  No, she didn’t. Not really. Crashing the car would only endanger both of them. Jill harrumphed and threw her head back against her seat with disgust. “I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” She cringed. She sounded so . . . childish and sulky. Perhaps being kidnapped brought out her bad side. Go figure. Not to mention, every single sentence leaving her mouth was a big fat lie.

  Jill wanted to see Lucas Graham. She wanted to spend every single precious moment of time she’d been granted on this green earth with Lucas Graham.
>
  Just not like this. Never like this.

  “So I gathered,” he said, showing no signs of changing his crazy plan whatsoever.

  “Then why bother?” Jill asked.

  “I need to talk to you. It’s important. I think you should at least hear me out.”

  Jill swallowed and held her emotions at bay. The Luke she knew was laid back and unassuming. Today, he was relentless and unyielding . . . almost desperate, a side of him she was unfamiliar with. “I don’t owe you anything, Luke. I don’t want to do this. Just take me home. Please.” Jill hated the anguish apparent in her words. She told herself to grow a backbone and said, “And I certainly don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” She infused her words with as much disdain as she could muster. Yep, something about being taken against her will definitely brought out her snappy side. In truth, she wanted to hear everything he had to say. She’d hang on every word like the besotted woman she was.

  That is, on her terms. She would determine when and where. Still, the simple fact that he wanted to talk to her left her feeling slightly giddy.

  But the side of herself she decided to present to Luke didn’t even hint at her soft feelings. “And for the record, if you want to talk to a girl, this is not the way to go about doing it.” That was good. It held the proper amount of indignation for the occasion.

  “Really? Nothing else worked. I tried, Jill. I already wasted one day. You wouldn’t give me a measly two minutes. You wouldn’t even look at me. I don’t have much time. What else was I supposed to do?”

  Never give up. Please don’t give up on me, Luke. Instead she said, “Kidnapping is not one of the answers that pops into my mind. One entire day of trying to see me hardly qualifies as trying very hard at all. I would’ve given in eventually.” It was true. She longed for Luke’s presence. “But now, well, I hope you like orange.”

  “Orange?” He sounded confused.

  “Yeah, an orange jumpsuit to be exact. Plan on wearing one for a really long time. It will soon be your only wardrobe choice.”

  He didn’t laugh. Her jokes always fell flat. Always. She simply wasn’t a funny person. Luke often said her persistent-yet-failed attempts at humor were one of the quirky things he adored about her.