Always And Forever. Lindsay McKenna

he wasn’t going to let on he was tired, much less exhausted by the war or the flight home. No, Kyle was like his fellow pilots: his callous, cocky exterior hid a vulnerable interior that was rarely shared with anyone. From the moment she’d met Kyle, she’d sensed a warmth and gentleness beneath that facade, and for some reason, Kyle’s ebullient, joking presence had been able to lift the fear from her heart. Thirty days after the wedding, Mike, too, would leave for Thailand and become a part of the war. Gale feared losing her young husband.

      Taking off his garrison cap, Kyle gave a nod. “Tired?” he teased. “You know us handsome, unabashed jocks aren’t fazed by such things.” He stepped into the warmth of the small living room. He could smell fresh coffee in the air and inhaled the scent deeply. And bacon was frying. His stomach growled, but he was also hungry in a different way. After he shed his coat, Gale hung it in the hall closet and beckoned him to follow her to the kitchen. He spotted a small Christmas tree, all decorated, in the corner of the living room. The lights blinked merrily, reminding him of the joyous holiday season.

      “I promised Mike I’d have breakfast waiting for him when he got back.” She smiled and pointed to the table. “Sit down. I’ll get the coffee.”

      A bright red cloth covered the round table, and a Christmas decoration sat in the middle of it. Gale’s thoughtful touch, Kyle was sure. “Thanks,” he said. Tensely, he sat down and watched Gale move to the stove to pour his coffee. Mike had lived alone here for a year, and from the letters Kyle had gotten from him, he’d thought the house would be cold and barren. It wasn’t with Gale present. The place had a light feeling with the winter sunshine filtering in through the kitchen window, embracing Gale’s slight form and making her look radiant. Like a starving man, Kyle watched each small movement she performed. There was a sureness and grace to Gale he’d never seen in another woman.

      Rubbing his eyes, Kyle tried to figure it out for the thousandth time. What was it about Gale that had thrown him for a loop? He couldn’t want her, couldn’t be fantasizing about kissing her or having her for himself when Mike was going to marry her. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn’t as if he didn’t have his choice of women. Maybe it was the war. He hadn’t been the same emotionally since he’d started flying the dangerous missions, although he never discussed that with anyone. Not even his fellow pilots.

      “Here you go. You like it black, don’t you?”

      Kyle took his hands away from his eyes, and nodded, gazing at her long, slender fingers around the white mug. “Black—yes.”

      She smiled understandingly. “You look like you could use about seventy-two hours more sleep.”

      “Nah. You know us fighter jocks are as tough as they come.” He kept his eyes on her as she walked back to the stove to turn the bacon in the skillet. “It comes with the territory,” he said, sipping the scalding hot coffee. The heat burning through him was raging out of control. Didn’t he have any command over his feelings toward Gale? How could this have happened? Why?

      Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “What? The war?”

      “Yeah. Flying missions every other day over Hanoi and back is—” He hesitated, not wanting to use the word killer because he saw the worry in Gale’s eyes. In a month, Mike would be joining his squadron. They’d be flying together—a boyhood dream come true. He and Mike had grown up in Sedona, Arizona, spending hours dreaming of careers as military pilots. Trying to disarm the anxiety he saw in Gale’s eyes, he forced a smile. “It’s a piece of cake.” That was a bald-faced lie, but there was no sense in further upsetting her.

      She raised an eyebrow. “It’s dangerous.”

      With a shrug, Kyle muttered, “Not to us. Jet jocks are trained to take the heat.”

      “Oh, please.” She laughed. “You guys are all alike. It would kill you to admit you’re scared, have doubts or any other human frailty.”

      He grinned broadly and sipped the coffee. It was good and strong, just the way he liked it. “The only human frailties we possess are eyes to scope out good-lookin’ women like yourself. Mike sure got lucky.”

      Gale blushed hotly. There was nothing displeasing about Kyle Anderson, either, but she kept that thought to herself. More than anything, she was drawn to the raw confidence that emanated from him like a beacon.

      “How did you get so cocky?”

      “You mean confident?”

      She grinned. “I don’t think the two words have anything in common, Kyle.”

      “Sure they do. You can’t sit with an F-14 strapped to your rear carrying a ton of weapons if you aren’t a little cocky and confident.”

      The imagery frightened Gale, although she knew it shouldn’t.

      Kyle tilted his head as he saw her expressive eyes darken. He’d never seen a woman who was so transparent with her emotions and feelings. It was a delightful and touching discovery. No wonder Mike had fallen in love with her. “Sorry,” he muttered with a forced smile. “I’ll try and keep the war talk to a minimum. I can see it’s scaring you.”

      “It does, Kyle.” She studied him in the silence. “Doesn’t it you?”

      “What?”

      “Scare you, flying with a load of weapons?”

      He shrugged. “I don’t know...I never really analyzed it that way before.”

      It was her turn to smile. “If you did, you probably wouldn’t be a fighter pilot.”

      His grin broadened. “You’re probably right. Some things, I learned a long time ago, don’t merit being looked at too closely.”

      “Is that anything like looking a gift horse in the mouth?”

      “Exactly.” Kyle laughed, his spirits lifting like a fierce wind. He couldn’t recall having felt this happy before. He tried to analyze why Gale affected him like a heady wine. Five minutes ago, he’d felt like hell warmed over. Now, all that tiredness and depression had miraculously gone away. Was it because of the kindness he saw in her face? Those dancing green eyes that looked beyond his bravado and saw the real him? Or was it Gale’s full, soft lips, which reminded him that there was something left in the world that wasn’t hard, harsh or ugly?

      “I think Mike’s the luckiest guy in the world. Imagine him snagging you.”

      She turned to the kitchen counter to busy herself. It was too easy to stare into those dark blue eyes that made her go weak and shaky inside. “You’re making it out as if he captured the most beautiful woman in the world,” she teased. “And I’m not. I’m just an Air Force captain.”

      “No one said women in the service aren’t beautiful.”

      “Please.”

      Kyle laughed softly as she turned and gave him a dark look over her shoulder. “Now, that’s the truth, Gale.”

      “Sure. Fighter jocks have more lines per square inch than any other male I’ve ever run into.”

      “Sounds like an indictment.”

      “More like a chronic disease with you guys.”

      He sat back, immensely enjoying her sense of humor. “That’s another thing I like about ladies in the military—they have a fine sense of humor.”

      “And probably the last thing you look at or consider when you meet one.”

      “Now, Gale...”

      “Now, Kyle...” And again, she laughed. The merriment in his eyes stole her breath away. There was more happiness there than she’d ever seen before. “You’re just like Mike,” she accused gently, “all strut and stuff, but underneath, a very nice guy.”

      “God, don’t let that get out! The guys over at Udorn think I’m one mean fighter behind the stick.”

      Rolling