Men of Courage II by Lori Foster Page A

assistance, but that, too, had changed. His promise to her had radically altered her outlook on life, because life now included Hamilton.
    She smiled brightly, full of love. Sated with security. Content with their future.
    Very softly, she said, “Thank you.” Her gratitude visibly warmed him, made him appear more relaxed and more confident than ever. “How about I make some breakfast?”
    “Perfect. I’m starved. I only need another twenty minutes to finish.”
    “Pancakes?”
    “You know me too well.”
    Yes, she did. Better than she knew anyone else, especially after last night. She took great satisfaction in that fact. “You be careful up there. Everything is wet and slick.”
    Ham saluted her and returned to work.
    Humming to herself, Liv went back inside and, while finishing her coffee and thinking pleasant thoughts, began breakfast preparations. Jack tired of watching the activity on the house and scratched at the door a few minutes later. Liv grabbed up an old towel to dry his feet before letting him in. When she started to fill his dish, she noted that Ham had already taken care of it.
    So thoughtful.
    He’d be great with kids, too, she mused. His attentiveness extended beyond his military duties; that was clear to her now. The community would love him as much as she did.
    A few minutes later when Ham came in, she was at the table, setting out syrup and butter. Ham put his arms around her from behind and kissed the nape of her neck.
    “I could just have you for breakfast,” he murmured.
    Oh, if only there were time. “I’m sure I’d love it,” Liv admitted, leaning into him and sighing. Sadness intruded, and she pointed out, “But we need to eat, and I still need to shower and put on my makeup before I face the public.”
    Saying, “You don’t need makeup,” Hamilton effectively swept away her melancholy.
    Liv rolled her eyes. “Don’t overdo it, okay? There are mirrors in the house, and I’ve already seen one.” She turned to kiss his chin.
    His hand moved down her back to her bottom. Fingers spread, breath warm in her ear, Ham said, “I think you’re beautiful.”
    The compliment, coupled with his touch, nearly took her knees out. “Well, thank you. But we still don’t have much time, and I’m still going to put on my makeup.”
    Giving her backside a pat, he said, “Tonight, then.”
    Yes, tonight. And then she’d ask him about his intentions, when his obligation to the military ended and when they could marry. But that could wait until they finished the burial arrangements.
    While Ham washed up at the sink, she said, “I want to swing by the school to pick up my car while we’re out.”
    “Sure.” He knelt down to pet Jack, who lifted his furry head with delight. “I was thinking—will Jack be okay here by himself while we’re gone? If that storm hits again, is he going to be scared?”
    “We’re in Ohio. It storms here all the time, remember? I just need to put him in the bathroom with a radio playing. It helps drown out the thunder and with no windows in there, he can’t see the lightning. He’ll probably sleep until we get home.”
    Ham continued to stroke the dog, who wallowed in the attention. “I had this awful image of him hiding under the bed, trembling in fear.” Ham shook his head. “Not a pretty picture.”
    He never failed to please her with his consideration. “You’re something else, you know that?”
    His gaze met hers, warm with insinuation. “As long as I’m yours, that’s all I care about.”
    The words were almost too wonderful to believe. “You’re mine all right,” she said with mock warning. “And I’m never letting you go, so don’t get any ideas.”
    He’d been teasing, but now he grew solemn, pushing back to his feet, standing close to her. “That’s something we need to talk about, isn’t it? The future, how we’re going to work this all out.”
    That sounded too serious by half. Liv bit her bottom lip, and nodded. “Yes.”
    He