Mistletoe Rodeo. Laura Marie Altom

He paused. “I just realized I don’t know where you live.”

      “I have a small condo in Willow Tree.” Even though she only lived a half hour from Ramblewood, Nola purposely avoided the town during the holidays despite Kylie’s best efforts to persuade her to join the annual festivities.

      “Willow Tree, really? Nice place. You know, you’ve interviewed me a dozen times and I know absolutely nothing about you. Let’s try this a different way. If you’re game, why not let me have the honor of interviewing you for the rest of the flight home?”

      Nola wasn’t used to someone turning the tables on her and it made her a tad uncomfortable. That and the fact that her Spanx was cutting off her air supply. She didn’t normally wear the Lycra from hell when she traveled. Standing in it was bad enough, never mind sitting for hours, but she had put it on anticipating an interview when they landed. The camera really did add ten pounds.

      Beads of sweat began to form across her forehead. Not many people knew Nola the person. It was the nature of the job—she asked the questions, not the other way around. Nola’s growing attraction to the bachelor cowboy compounded her discomfort. The close quarters only added to her interest in the man. Chase grinned and Nola found herself unable to say no.

      “Fine.” Nola shrugged and braced herself. “Ask me anything you want. It’s only fair.”

      “How did you know I’d be on this flight?”

      Nola laughed, expecting a completely different line of questioning. “It was a hunch. I figured you’d want to avoid everyone back home, so you’d book a red-eye flight. Looks as if I was right.”

      “Your perception is dangerous.” Chase’s smile told her he was teasing but his deep, throaty voice hinted at its own danger.

      “You have no idea how dangerous I can be,” she answered. What am I doing? Flirting with an interviewee was not a good idea. It wasn’t forbidden, but it wasn’t professional, either.

      “I know Kylie and your aunt and uncle, but I don’t remember you when we were growing up. Is your family from Texas?”

      “My family is from everywhere,” Nola answered. “I was raised in the Army, born in New Orleans—my name is an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana—and I’ve lived in seventeen different countries and can speak eight languages rather fluently.”

      “I’m impressed. So you’re a military brat?” Chase nodded and smiled, a hint of laughter bubbling underneath. “That explains your precise and calculating nature.”

      “Well, that and the fact that I’ve served in the Army myself. I did three tours on the front lines and I’m still on inactive duty for the next year.”

      Nola enjoyed watching the smile slide from Chase’s face. She wanted to tell herself that it didn’t matter what he thought, but it stung a bit to know he wasn’t the least bit interested in her. If he had been, he would’ve taken the time to read her bio on KWTT’s website. Nola’s military past was all there.

      “I had no idea.” Chase flagged down a flight attendant. “May I have another round of drinks for myself and my traveling companion here?”

      The flight attendant quickly returned with fresh glasses of ice and tiny airline bottles. “What are you doing?” Nola asked.

      Twisting off the tops of both, Chase poured the amber liquid into their glasses. He lifted his in the air. “Here’s to you, soldier. Thank you for your commitment and sacrifice for our country.”

      “Thank you.” Nola touched her glass to his. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to get me drunk. This is my limit. I have to drive home once we land.”

      “Maybe I just wanted to relax you enough that you’d stop thinking about the interview you’re not going to get.” Chase laughed. “In all seriousness, though, Nola, I applaud your bravery. When I was in high school I considered enlisting, but I chickened out. What division were you in?”

      Chase’s admiration should have flattered Nola, and it would have if she had joined the Army willingly. But it had been either the Army or jail, and the military had seemed like a much better option.

      “You mean what division am I in. I’m a public affairs broadcast specialist, and they can call me to active duty at any time.”

      “Are you scared?”

      Nola detected genuine concern in Chase’s voice, and the unexpected tug at her heart knocked her slightly off-balance.

      “Believe me—I understand the definition of the word scared. When I was in the Middle East, I covered the most gruesome stories you could imagine. Aside from that, active duty would derail my career. By law, the studio has to hold my position, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find someone better in the meantime. I can receive new orders with only a couple of days’ notice to get my affairs in order and be ready to go. Yes, it makes me nervous, especially whenever I hear they’re sending more troops overseas. I’m sure I’ll remain that way until Thanksgiving Day next year.”

      Once that day finally rolled around, Nola’s sentence would be complete. At least the physical one. She’d have to live with the reality of what she’d done—the life she’d taken—forever.

      * * *

      AN UNSETTLED FEELING washed over Chase when Nola mentioned that active duty was a real possibility. A softened, unsteady tone replaced the matter-of-fact, in-control voice she usually had. He felt like a moron.

      “Are you smirking?” Nola asked, slightly defensive.

      “I have a confession. When you sat down earlier, I thought how nice it would be to get you dirty and show you what real work was like. Now I’m thinking you could not only teach me a thing or two, but you could probably kick my ass.”

      “I’ll drink to that.” Nola raised her glass. “And yes, I probably could.”

      The more she told him about her army life, the more Chase forgot she was a reporter. She was easy to talk to.

      “Is your family stateside?” Chase felt like a fool for not knowing more about Nola. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t had the opportunity over the past year. She’d covered every local event he’d been in and she’d been out to his family’s ranch numerous times. But he’d always been the focus of the conversation. Chase cringed. Nola was right—he had only been thinking of himself.

      “My parents are stationed in the Netherlands and my brother is in Germany with his family. I have nieces and nephews I’ve never met. We lived in Texas for a year when I was in high school. Of all the places we’d been stationed, it was my favorite. With the Army’s assistance, I completed my education and took a position at KWTT.”

      There it was again. A touch of sadness, only this time it appeared when she spoke of her family. Chase couldn’t fathom not having his ever-multiplying and perpetually boisterous relatives nearby.

      “I bet the holidays were exciting when you were growing up.” Chase attempted to lighten the mood. “With you living among different cultures and traditions and all.”

      “They were anything but.” Nola shifted in her seat, seemingly a little uncomfortable with his line of questioning. Chase wondered if that was how he appeared when he was interviewed. “We didn’t see my father for months at a time, sometimes longer, and I can only remember a handful of Christmases where we were all together. Mom was usually depressed over the holidays, so they weren’t a big deal to us kids.”

      Chase turned farther in his seat to face her. Despite her indifferent tone, he noticed a slight pulsation in her jaw. Christmas should be a happy occasion for every child. “Tell you what, I’ll grant you an interview if you focus on the Mistletoe Rodeo and the charity auction instead of me.”

      Chase thought it was a cardinal sin that Nola hadn’t experienced an old-fashioned Texas Christmas. If he kept himself occupied with showing