CHAPTER SEVEN
Monday, September 11th
Brooke strolled out of her hut as she finished braiding her hair and saw Frisco walking her way. Smiling, she lifted her hand and waved. “Good morning.”
“Mornin’, honey.” He jogged toward her and swept her into a hug. “It’s a beautiful day, and I can’t believe we get to spend it together.”
Pressing her mouth to his cheek, she gave him a quick kiss and then stepped back. “You may want to put on shorts, because it’s supposed to be close to ninety-eight by noon.”
“I’ve got a gun strapped to my leg and a knife inside my boot, so no shorts for me. Carrick and Brendan said showing my weapons wasn’t a good idea, so…” He held up his hands and grinned. “I’m just a regular guy hanging out with his woman at work.”
“Pretty sure I’m not your woman, but I suppose that’s not the point you were trying to make.”
He took a step closer, put his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her head. “Maybe not today, but by tomorrow…who knows?”
Looking up, she saw his signature cocky grin and decided to be amused and not pissed. His confidence was surprisingly sexy, and if she was being honest, she loved the fact he was so open with his feelings. He put it all out there, and it was up to her what she did with it.
If last night was any indication of what she did with his sexy swagger, then she was in more trouble than she cared to admit. One good-night kiss in front of her hut had turned into a full-on make-out session under the stars, and she was already counting the hours until they could do it again. But that wasn’t anything he needed to know. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
He gave her a wink and then lifted an eyebrow. “I suppose we will.”
Running her hand up his arm, she gave him a small smile and decided talking about who and what they could become was best saved for a later time. “We’re going into Am Timan today, and I expect it to be a little crazy.”
“What kind of crazy?”
“Busy crazy. The outbreak of hepatitis E is still raging out of control, so we’ve got to deal with that, and then we have the regular checkups and vaccines that we offer.”
Taking her hand, he walked in the direction of the lodge. “Let’s go grab some breakfast, and you can give me the full download so I can put a tac plan in place for my men.”
“No tac plan is necessary because we don’t expect any problems. There are no insurgents, civil war, or terrorists, so by our standards, this is a day in Disneyland.” When his hand tightened, she looked down and wondered what was bothering him. “Piper and my first assignment with MSF was in Sudan, and, from the moment we arrived to the moment we left, we were in the middle of a civil war. Everything after that has been easy. That was five years ago, and we’ve seen both the best and worst of humanity, so please don’t get all overprotective and paranoid about a day in Am Timan.”
Snorting, he gave her a small smile. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
Nodding, she knew he was lying through his teeth. A tiger does not change his stripes and neither do SEALs. “If you really want to help today, then you and the guys can work with the volunteers that are securing the water towers and making stations for the distribution of clean water.”
“Roger that,” Frisco replied. “As long as I can see you, then I’m happy to help out wherever I can.”
As they walked up the steps to the lodge, Brooke decided to change the subject. “How did you guys get down here yesterday?”
“We drove down from N’Djamena.”
“That’s a ten-hour drive; what time did you guys leave?”
“We left at five in the morning and made a couple of stops. Bryce is dead set on seeing as much of the world as he can, so we didn’t rush and let him take in the sights. We stopped in Mongo and let him see Walrus Mountain. Can’t say that I was all that impressed, but he seemed to like it. He figures the chances of him ever getting back here are almost nonexistent, so he also made us stop to see some former sultan’s palace in the village of Gaoui, and it turned out to be a really fancy mud hut.”
“I bet you never get to see the country that you’re dropped into for an op, so having the chance to see the sights without a gun in front of your face had to be a great change.”
“Yeah, having Bryce around has made me see things from a different perspective. I’ve been all over the world but haven’t seen much of it. Taking a minute wherever we are and looking around is something that I’m trying to do more of.”
“Smart idea,” she responded as they stood in line at the buffet that was set up for breakfast. “I’ve spent the last five years abroad, and I wish that I had made more of an effort to enjoy the countries I visited. Sometimes, I never got outside of the UN camp where I was working until it was almost time to leave, and I know that was a mistake.”
“Hard to go sightseeing if there’s a civil war going on,” Frisco said as he handed her a plate.
“But only seeing the country when it’s in conflict isn’t the full picture either, and I wished I had seen more of the beauty and not just the pain.”
“That’s true of almost anything in life.” He scooped up some fruit and put it on her plate and then shrugged. “Our career choices don’t give us that option very often, so I guess it’s up to us to make an effort to seek it out.”
“Words to live by.” As they filled their plates, she remembered what Malaba had said about someone showing up in her life and wondered if Frisco was the person who was going to be in her next chapter. Following him to the table across the room, she admired his fine behind and decided he could possibly be a whole damn book.
***
Chaos.
That was all Frisco could see for a mile in each direction. The sheer number of people surrounding the MSF tent had his spidey senses on high alert. Taking a glance inside, he saw Brooke giving a baby a big smile as she examined her carefully.
How could she be so calm and relaxed?
All it would take was one crazy person to spark the flame that would turn the crowd into a mob. The soldier in him hated not having control of the situation, but the man in him understood there was very little he could do. Glancing over at Jax, they exchanged looks, and he knew instantly that Jax was experiencing the same thing he was.
Nothing a soldier hated worse than a mass of people who may or may not want to do harm to you. Bryce, on the other hand, had engaged a group of teenage boys in a pickup game of soccer, or football, as they called it here. Watching him run across the dirt field that he’d marked up and laughing with his teammates made Frisco realize that he was looking at this thing the wrong way.
Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, he should be focusing on what could go right. Scanning the faces in the crowd, he noticed that no one was agitated or acting like they wanted to take a shot. All he saw were women with their children and a couple of men who could be well into their nineties.
The only ones that looked like they were frustrated and about to snap were the mothers who had crying babies in their arms. Which he totally got. As the godfather to Maddy Frazier, he’d learned a lot about how a baby could test your last nerve. Especially when they were not feeling well. When he’d taken Maddy on long walks during her teething period, he discovered firsthand what hearing a baby cry for a prolonged amount of time could do to a person.
Standing around imagining and planning for attack wasn’t doing him any good, so he might as well help instead. He walked toward the woman who had the fussiest child and decided to offer his services. Turned out, he was pretty good with crying babies, so he might as well give the woman a break.
After a short conversation in broken French and some sign language, he had the little boy in his arms and was walking around under the tree, singing Maddy’s favorite song. By the time he got to the chorus of Blackbird, the little boy had settled down and was staring at him with dark chocolate eyes. Seemed the old Beatles song had universal appeal, because the kid was quiet as could be. When he made a pass close to the gathered women, he saw tears in the mother’s eyes as well as a beautiful, grateful smile.
Returning the smile, he kept walking and singing quietly as he cradled the little boy. Once he’d fallen asleep, he handed the child back and was immediately given another. He went through the same routine, and before he knew it, he had another sleeping baby in his arms.
Hearing his name, he looked over and saw Brooke smiling in his direction. And it wasn’t some polite bullshit one; no, it was the heart-stopping one that lit up her whole face. Pointing to the baby in his arms, she gave him a thumbs-up and then walked back into the tent with a woman and her child.
Returning to the group of women, he handed back the child to its mother and was offered a small candy bar. Shaking his head, he pressed the treat back into the woman’s hand. No way was he going to accept something that was probably considered a huge luxury. Looking over at Jax, he saw that he had a bunch of small children surrounding him as he showed them a couple of magic tricks.
Looking out at the crowd again, he noticed that it didn’t seem as chaotic as it had a while ago; instead, it just looked like people going about their day as best they could. Before he could think about it further, he was handed another child. Looking down into the smiling face of the mother, he decided this wasn’t a bad way to spend the morning after all.
***
Sitting in the shade next to a shop that sold sandwiches, Brooke and Piper exchanged glances as they watched Frisco, Jax, and Bryce put together a platform for one of the clean water stations. When they saw that the locals were just going to put the cistern on the ground, they jumped in and offered to construct something that would keep it sanitary. “Why is a man with a hammer in his hand sexy?”
“I’ve got no idea,” Piper responded as she drained her soda. “I’m not interested in Jax, but I’ve got to say seeing him build that platform is making me reconsider.”
“Really?”
“No.” Piper laughed. “He came by my room last night after they arrived, and, despite the spark of chemistry we’ve got, I’m not interested.”
“Because he’s still hung up on his ex-girlfriend?”
“Yeah.” Playing with the end of her ponytail, she gave Brooke a small smile. “I’m going to hold out for a man who’s crazy for me, and not waste my time on any more wishy-washy boys. I’ve had my fill and don’t need any more.”
“Amen,” Brooke replied as she crumpled up the paper that had covered her sandwich.
“Speaking of crazy, what’s going on with Lt. Cmdr. Frisco Jones?”
Brooke got up and threw her trash away and then slowly came back to the table. “Kissing. A lot of kissing.”
“I figured that out when I saw the beard burn on your cheek this morning.” Lowering her sunglasses, she stared at her friend. “And?”
“He said I was his woman, and instead of being horrified, I was a little…” Twirling her hands around, she let out a frustrated growl. “Giddy.” Putting her head down on the table, she pounded it twice and then looked up. “I am not a person who gets giddy. In fact, I hate that word. And he,” pointing toward Frisco, she frowned, “made me feel it.”
“Poor you,” Piper said sarcastically. “A big handsome man wants you as his very own. How will you bear it?”
“Ha-ha.” Sitting back in the rickety chair, she crossed her arms. “This is serious.”
Piper leaned forward and took Brooke’s hand. “No, it’s not. It’s fun and happy. Which is something we haven’t had much of in a very long time. As your best friend, I absolutely forbid you not to enjoy this.” Waving her hand in the direction of the men, she said, “I insist that you grab ahold of that man and take as much pleasure as he’ll give you.”
“Did I ever tell you that I don’t enjoy it when you tell me what to do?”
“Yes, at least once a day since we met in high school.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve listened.”
Piper stood and straightened her shorts. “I’m going to grab a couple of sodas and take them over to the guys, and then we should go back and start our second shift. We’ve got about forty cases of hepatitis E to deal with this afternoon.”
Giving her friend a salute, she then sat back in her chair and studied Frisco’s wide back and big arms. Seeing his muscles bunch and then release as he hammered the slats together, she decided maybe Piper was right.
Looking down the dusty dirt road that ran through the center of town, she realized that just like the people who lived here, she could be as happy or sad as she decided to be. The mindset that she had embraced over the last five years was not the one she needed to hold on to, because what worked in life-and-death situations didn’t when you were no longer living in those conditions.
And that was something she needed to start working on.
Maybe having a little affair with Frisco would be a great way to start. A way to dip her toe in the fun pool and see how it felt. It didn’t have to last beyond their time here and, really, what were the chances that he wanted anything more?
Less than zero, probably. Carrick had said he was a one-and-done guy, and maybe that was exactly what she needed. Or exactly what she could handle. There was no way she was ready for a relationship, because she was like an avocado that wasn’t yet ripe. And, like an avocado, she couldn’t rush things.
Piper walked out of the store with three bottles of soda, and Brooke stood and joined her friend. “I’m going to follow your advice and have a fling with Frisco while we’re here and enjoy it as much as I can.”
“Good for you. No way will you regret a little sexy romp under the African moon.”
“Who says I’m going to wait for the moon to come up?”
“Just don’t do it out in the open; there’s a lot of wildlife roaming around the park, and nothing kills sexy times more than being hunted by gators.”
“There are no gators in the park.”
“Oh yes, there are. The guest manager told me several have been spotted in the river near the huts.”
“All right, no smooching by the river after dark, got it.” Brooke followed Piper over to where the guys were working and found she was smiling as she thought about her seduction plans for Frisco. Maybe tonight after dinner, she could invite him back to her hut and see what happened.
As they approached, he lifted his T-shirt and wiped his face with the bottom of it. Seeing his rippling abs and wide chest made her wish that time would move twice as fast as it normally did, because she suddenly wanted to start her fling as soon as possible.
***
The hot sun beat down on Frisco’s head as he and his men finished putting together the makeshift shelter. He knew they still had several more to complete because Jax had spoken with the man who was heading up the MSF volunteers, and he’d said they had five more to place in the area.
As long as he could keep Brooke and Piper in his sights, he was happy to help out where he could. And since the MSF tent was set up in the middle of the town center, that wasn’t going to be difficult. The area reported a population of over thirty thousand people, but most of them lived in outlying villages and not in the area that was considered the “city,” so keeping an eye on the women wasn’t going to be difficult.
Bryce, in fact, wanted to reinforce the ladders that leaned against the water towers, because he thought they were an accident waiting to happen. So, it looked like that was what he was going to be doing tomorrow, along with some of the boys he’d been playing soccer with. “Bryce, what were you talking to your sister about on the SAT phone earlier?”
“I asked her to use some of her contacts and put together some sports equipment for the kids. I figure since she works with a bunch of top athletes, she should be able to get enough stuff to keep these kids in balls and nets for a while.”
“Nice gesture,” Jax commented as he laid down the base they’d just finished.
“Seeing these kids with one lousy beat-up soccer ball doesn’t seem right, and I figure my sister would love nothing more than to help them out.”
“Wish we could be here when the box arrives,” Frisco said as he wiped his face.
“Bree promised me a crate of supplies, and I know she meant it.”
“Meant what?” Piper asked as she and Brooke walked up.
Frisco rested his hand on Brooke’s shoulder when she got close enough and grinned. “Bryce is having some sports equipment sent over by his sister, and we’re figuring it’s going to make a lot of kids happy.”
“To say the least,” Brooke commented as she looked up at Frisco.
Feeling her eyes roam all over him like he was an ice-cream cone, Frisco wondered what in the world had sparked the desire in her eyes. Maybe it was seeing him with the babies earlier. Deciding it didn’t much matter, he gave her a similar look back and saw her face flush. “You gonna have dinner with me tonight by the river?”
“I am if you’re asking.”
“Oh, I’m asking all right.” Her small hand ran up his arm and sent a spark of heat and desire that made the ninety-degree heat seem like a winter storm. When she rested her fingers over his tattoo and licked her lips, he figured every prayer he’d ever uttered had just been answered. “So, is that a yes to a second date?”
“Yes, Frisco. I would love to go on a date with you tonight.” Leaning up on her tiptoes, she pressed a very sweet kiss to his lips that had him almost falling on his ass. Before she moved away, he took her hand and gave her a wink. “Can’t wait.”
“Piper and I have to go take care of some folks, and we’ll be done in a couple of hours.”
“We’ll be here.” Watching her give him a little wave before she walked away had his mind conjuring up three different things he wanted to do to her the moment they were alone. Before his fog of desire and lust lifted, Piper took his hand and gave him a serious smile. “It goes without saying that if you hurt her, I will hurt you.”
“Understood.”
“Also, don’t be smooching and fooling around by the river, because gators have been spotted roaming around.”
“Absolutely.”
Motioning between her eyes and his, she gave him a nod and then sauntered off toward the tent. “Shiiiit.”
“Exactly,” Jax responded. “I felt like I was seeing something I shouldn’t. Holy hell, the sparks between you two could set a city on fire.”
Frisco turned toward his men and noticed that Bryce was quiet. “Spit it out, Lieutenant.”
“The market is still open, and I was thinking maybe a small gift would be appropriate.”
Slapping Bryce hard on the shoulder, he grinned. “You have the best damn ideas.”
“I know, sir.”
Frisco looked over at Jax and shrugged. “The new ones are going to kick our asses unless we stay sharp.”
Jax let out a snort. “They may do it anyway.”
“True,” Frisco responded. Looking over, he saw Brooke lead a man into the tent who was almost doubled over. How she dealt with pain and sickness every day was astounding to him, because he hated being helpless. It took a very special human being to help people the way she and Piper did, and he needed to remember that she not only had an enormous heart but an unimaginable amount of strength.
How freaking lucky could he get?
“Let’s finish this one up so I can go and find something for Brooke.”
“Shopping, my favorite thing,” Jax replied sarcastically.
“I didn’t say you were invited.” He jutted his chin toward Bryce. “I’m taking the A team in so I can find just the right thing.”
All he heard was laughter as they began working on the top of the structure that would protect the cistern. As Bryce laid out the wood they’d scrounged up, he thought about wanting to protect Brooke and wondered why she was the first woman outside his family who’d made him feel that way.
Looking across the dusty road, he caught a glimpse of her and knew it simply was. Sort of like gravity. You might not understand it, but you better damn well accept it.