Alex (In the Company of Snipers) by Irish Winters Page A

happened without notice. The anger whooshed out of his soul, and the world was once again a pretty good place to be.
    The miracle of the evening amazed him. He caught himself rocking back and forth, not sure who was comforting whom. It didn’t matter. It was nothing more than a parent’s automatic comfort response, and right now, they both needed it. If only for tonight, they were no longer strangers thrown together by the chaos of chance. No. He saw Kelsey and himself clearly now. They were two people who had loved with all their hearts and souls—and lost.
    Only now, they weren’t alone.

     
    Six
    Alex
    He shouldn’t have looked. He should’ve marched right by the cot and minded his own business, but no. Alex paused to check on his guest on his way out the door, and then he couldn’t step away.
    Kelsey had fallen asleep on her left side last night, the bruises and black eye hidden against her pillow. She had brushed her damp hair and woven it into a loose braid that had come undone during the night. This morning, it spilled a crimped stream of shiny cocoa around her face, over her shoulders, and across the pillow. With the blanket pulled up to her chin and her lips pinched in a pout, she looked child-like, angelic, and downright perfect. Whatever magical power she wielded held him fast and made him weak. He couldn’t force his eyes away.
    The sight of her spiked that protective feeling again. Alex shook his head to clear his head, but the warmth of the moment spiraled through his chest like a bottle rocket with a different kind of spark. He squelched the desire to hold her again.
    Knock it off, Stewart. She just needs a little help. That’s all.
    “Whisper. Stay,” he commanded hoarsely, although the dog hadn’t so much as lifted his head from his place beneath the cot anyway. All he did was blink his big, black eyes as if to say, “Duh.”
    Alex’s hands shook as he shouldered his rifle and shut the cabin door quietly behind him. He couldn’t think straight with Kelsey around. Even with her sound asleep, he felt an inexplicable attraction, and she hadn’t done a thing to encourage it. Heck, she wasn’t even his type. She wasn’t blonde like Sara. She didn’t resemble blonde replacement wife number two who looked like Sara, and neither was she manipulative and domineering like blonde wife number three. Heck, Kelsey wasn’t even single. She was a stranger whom he didn’t really know. The moment that thought entered his mind, he knew better. Kelsey felt more like everything.
    So he left. He needed to know for sure she was safe, but hiking also cleared his head, and he really needed to hike. The only problem was, as he checked the deer blinds in the area and walked the trails, Kelsey stayed in his mind. So did Sara.
    Sara was his first true love, and he missed her deeply. His memories of her had faded since her death until he had forgotten the nuances and details of her kiss, her smile, and their life together. This morning she didn’t seem so far away. He remembered everything.
    She was the daughter of another military man, an Army brat who had fallen for a Marine. That was the only shortcoming Alex could name, and that was only because she married down when she had fallen for him. It also meant she was accustomed to the way things worked in military families. The woman’s role was oftentimes mother, father, plumber, coach, and any other job that came along while her man was deployed. Sara shouldered that role as quickly as he shouldered his gear when he left on assignments. It was just the way it was.
    The last time they had kissed was the morning he had to leave for an overseas operation. He had promised to build a broom closet for her kitchen and a tree house for Abby when he got back. She had kissed him hard then, like she would never let him go. The closet and tree house never got built. Even with those sad memories, a peaceful sensation settled over Alex. Here he was walking the farthest perimeter