Duty Calls

Duty Calls

By Sandra McGregor

Copyright 2011 Sandra McGregor

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Chapter 1

Alyson Sanders sat in a booth by the windows that looked out onto the parking lot. Her eyes followed the red Ford pickup as it pulled into a slot one row in front of her car, but the tinted windows prevented her from seeing the driver. From where she sat, it was impossible to read the words on the windshield emblem, but there was no doubt what USAF stood for.

Lieutenant Colonel Dale Mitchell had arrived.

She doubted he’d believe what she was here to tell him, but she owed it to little Katie to at least try. Alyson rubbed her damp palms across the grainy linen of her slacks. Was this the right decision? Her heart beat only once before she nodded and swiped her tongue quickly over dry lips. Yes, she’d walk over hot coals for her tiny niece.

Deep breaths, she whispered, immediately following her own order.

Her eyes never left the vehicle, her breath held as she waited for a glimpse of the man she had been so determined to find, the man she was now reluctant to meet.

Her body stiffened and her fingers trembled slightly as she brushed stray hairs from her face. Her eyes were glued to the man as he stepped from the vehicle and stood facing the row of cars, his head slowly turning from left to right, his face void of expression. He was tall, probably close to six feet, with blond, military short hair and his eyes hidden behind aviator glasses.

Alyson sucked in a breath and held it when he looked in the direction of her rented Chevy, counting the seconds until he turned toward the restaurant.

Although her jaws were locked and her concentration was now aimed at the bright-red door, Alyson was unable to stop her heart rate from spiking or the rapid rise and fall of her chest. This was what she came for—the moment she’d been dreading ever since she made the decision to find the man who was now almost to the building.

Her fingers clenched in her lap, her nails digging into her palms as she closed her eyes and focused on the trembling that shook her body. No going back. She held her next breath and sent up a silent prayer.

Lord, please give me strength to do what must be done. Please give me the right words. Her body was still tense as she opened her eyes. Her sister’s secret had gone on long enough and was about to end.

Alyson watched him turn and walk between two cars until he disappeared around the edge of the building. He was almost to the door of the restaurant, but her doubts were still front and center. Would he take her seriously or just laugh at her and leave?

The decision that Dale Mitchell deserved to know he’d fathered a child was made quickly, but fear of opening a Pandora’s box, fear that he might want visitation with Katie, kept her from taking immediate action after she learned the truth. Two sleepless nights finally prodded her to act.

After calling her friend Victoria to ask for her father’s help, the Georgia senator's office forwarded an answer the same day. Her fingers were trembling when she dabbed her napkin against the sweat that beaded on her forehead, but her hands quickly dropped back into her lap when she saw the door begin to open.

Her fervent desire had been that he would be stationed overseas and then she could take care of this obligation with a letter, but she wasn’t that fortunate. When the e-mail arrived to inform her that Dale Mitchell was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., she sat staring at a phone number, a link to bridge the past with the future.

Her heart rate spiked when she admitted there was no reason, no valid excuse, to tell him in a letter. She was going to be in the capital to bury her sister in Arlington National Cemetery and could deliver her news in person. Now Alyson was about to come face to face with him and her nerves were raw from days of anticipation. Victoria felt he was an enemy and someone to be avoided, yet if that were true, would her sister have supplied his name in her letter? Every muscle tightened as she watched Lt. Col. Mitchell pull open the door and step into the dimly lit restaurant.

Her heart pounded like jungle drums as she watched him stop, slide the sunglasses up to perch on his head and scan the room. He stood military straight, only his eyes moving to survey the territory, like a panther hidden in the edge of the brush, poised and ready for that moment when his next victim would move within range. She shuddered.

When his eyes connected with hers, she felt a jolt to her nerve endings that penetrated deep into her soul to leave her momentarily disoriented and confused. He gave nothing away, showed no emotion, just pinned her with eyes that told her she would, no doubt, have a difficult time convincing him that the information in her sister’s letter was true. Her lips pressed into a straight line.

He wore a loose-fitting tracksuit of navy blue with a red and white pinstripe down the side, but when he strode across the room, his head was high and his back was straight. He carried himself with assurance and pride. A uniform wasn’t necessary for everyone to know he was one of the proud and the brave.

His eyes bore into hers, never leaving her face as he wove between the tables toward the booth against the far wall where she sat motionless. His body moved with fluid grace, each limb an intricate part of the whole, but there was nothing feminine about his movements. He resembled the king of cats, his muscles bunched and ready to strike at any second. She swallowed the saliva that pooled in her mouth.

Mrs. Sanders?

It took a second for her to break from the trance, blink once and extend her hand. Yes, I’m Alyson. Please, call me Alyson, she managed to finally say, a fleeting smile touching the corners of her mouth.

I see you have a soda. Give me a moment and I’ll get one and then we can get to why you want to talk to me. Be right back.

She watched him walk to the counter before she took a moment to close her eyes and will her heart to calm down. When she opened her eyes, he was leaning against the counter, staring at her.

Yikes, she could certainly see why her sister had been attracted to him. The dark tan and the golden streaks in his light-brown hair told of his love for the outdoors, but it was the deep-set eyes that were rendering her breathless and limp. Twin laser beams, dark blue and aimed at her with the directness and precision of heat-seeking missiles. Lethal.

They were still directed at her as he made his way back to the booth. She was sure he’d be downright irresistible if he smiled, but true to his military training, right now he showed no emotion.

Once at the table, he slid into the booth and settled back into the vinyl cushion. Do you want to share a pizza? I ordered one with everything, so if there’s something you don’t like you can just brush it off and eat the rest.

Thank you, that’s fine. Listen, I really do have something important that I need to discuss with you. Her hands were still clenched together in her lap as she realized the words of the speech she previously rehearsed in front of the mirror had evaporated. Her mind was blank. She was ten years old again, standing in front of her classmates to give a book report, but unable to even remember the name of the book.

Alyson, he said, followed by a deep sigh. I have no idea why you want to meet with me today, but I’d appreciate it if you’d just relax and get to the point. You’ve got my attention, he quipped, sliding down slightly to stretch his legs out, crossing them at the ankles.

He sipped the soda, drawing her eyes to his lips that wrapped around the straw.She wasn’t sure how relaxed he really was, but with a mental shake, she blinked several times and then cleared her throat before being able to find her voice to start.

Are you married? Even as the words came out, she realized that this was not the best way to start a serious conversation.

Well, I thought you were married, Mrs. Sanders, but if you’re here to audition for the job, I’m willing to entertain your application, he smiled.

She was right. He possessed a smile that lit up his eyes, making them sparkle as he chuckled. Just like Katie’s. Alyson’s eyes never left his face as he leaned in to take a long drink with the straw.

No, that isn’t what I mean, she said, her lips quirked to the side and frowning slightly. I was just curious. Regardless of your marital status, I fully intend to tell you why I’ve come. She was now fidgeting with her straw, sliding it up and down in the dark liquid as her eyes pleaded with him to take her seriously.

Okay, okay. No. I’m not married. He chuckled before his face grew more serious and he continued. I was engaged a couple of years ago, but that ended rather abruptly last year, so what did you have in mind?

His last statement barely registered as her mind scrambled to find the right words to make her announcement. She knew what she wanted to say, but her memory wasn’t cooperating.

Alyson? He pushed up straighter in the seat and leaned forward, his arms resting on the table with his hands clasped and his eyebrows furrowed as he called her name.

What? Oh, she said, glancing down at her hands for a moment before forcing herself to meet his intense stare. I was concentrating; thinking about how I wanted to start this awkward conversation. I’m sorry, she said, again stirring the drink with the straw, breaking eye contact for a moment. She knew she was making a mess of this and Katie deserved the best she could give.

She took a deep breath and pulled her gaze up to connect with his again before she spoke. Almost two years ago my younger sister had a baby daughter and when she was deployed to Afghanistan almost a year ago, she left her daughter with me. I just got word a few weeks ago that she was killed…. Alyson stopped for a moment to be sure she could keep her tears at bay, then cleared her throat once more and continued.

Her fingers toyed with a napkin, sliding the edge into the puddle of condensation at the bottom of the glass, focusing her eyes on the glass while she made her next statement. Um, I recently got the boxes of her personal belongings and among her things was a letter telling me who fathered her child.

She glanced up, looking for the reaction to her announcement, but when his eyes narrowed, she dropped hers back to focus on the soda sitting in front of her, running a finger up and down the hard, red plastic, causing more beads of water to trickle down to the napkin.

The silence stretched for several more seconds, giving her a moment to take a breath and carefully choose her next words. She looked up into his scowling face; a face filled with speculation and wariness, and was trapped. Like a vice holding her in place, she was unable to move or drop her gaze and her voice caught in her throat to leave her speechless.

She watched his eyebrows draw even closer together until they almost touched, his eyes focusing in on hers as he waited for her to continue. When she remained silent, he leaned in, his chin lifting slightly while his eyes narrowed to mere slits, but when he finally spoke, she was shocked at how forcefully controlled and deep his voice had become.

What kind of game are you trying to play with me?

Alyson blinked, shuddering when a chill ran down her back. Listen, I know this is a shock and…

Lady, you don’t know the half of it. First of all, I don’t know you or your sister and I don’t know about any baby, so you can pack it up and go home. I’m not buying. He pushed backward, rising to stand by the table as he leaned in to make one last statement.

If I hear from you again, he paused for emphasis, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer. He turned on his heels and walked away, his back straight and his stride eating up the space as he headed for the door of the restaurant. He was almost there, almost to the door before Alyson could react and dart between the tables to reach his side and grab the sleeve of his jacket.

Dale jerked his arm loose, but stopped and turned to glare down at her.

I really think you need to listen to what I have to say before you make a snap judgment. I don’t want anything from you. I’m only here to give you a shot at knowing your daughter.

She paused to take a couple quick deep breaths, before continuing in a lowered voice. If you pass up this onetime offer, you may never regret it, but your daughter will have lost the one chance she had to know her father.

Alyson took a step back and squared her shoulders, trying hard not to allow the tears to take over. She swallowed several times to clear the lump that clogged her throat.

She hadn’t expected the man to be happy or to immediately believe her, but neither had she expected him to leave without listening to her. And he would listen to what she came to say if she had to get a court order to do it. She was willing to fight him if that was necessary. She was more than willing to go the extra mile and deal with this arrogant man if it would give Katie the chance to someday know her father. Memories of her own father momentarily swamped her thoughts, but she jerked them back in line to focus on the man in front of her. Neither spoke. They were at a standoff.

From the moment he’d been told to call the woman whose name was written on the phone message slip, until the moment he walked through the door and saw her, he’d had a feeling that this meeting wouldn’t go well. If he hadn’t been ordered by his superior to call her and find out what was so urgent, he wouldn't have returned the call.

Time stood still while he focused on her eyes that now swam with tears. He hadn’t intended to make Alyson cry, but her story couldn’t possibly be true. Unlike some of his friends, a woman’s tears always brought back memories of his mother after his father was killed, crying at night when she thought he was asleep. Now, weepy women always left him scrambling to make amends.

In this case, he didn’t really know Alyson, but she seemed sincere—or she was a fantastic actress, capable of turning on the waterworks at will.

Dale was unsure what to do. Common sense told him this was a scam, but he felt he should at least hear what she came to say. His training taught him to know his enemy. Maybe she didn’t want anything from him and maybe she did, but if necessary, he’d go to court to get her out of his hair. Besides, she’d have to prove her accusations and there was no way she could prove that he fathered a child. He would never have left a woman to raise a child alone like his mother was forced to do.

It just isn’t possible. The list of women he’d slept with, although longer than his chaplain would have liked, was short. Two before he came to his senses about how women loved the uniform, not the man, and one lapse afterward. He knew the names of all three women and none of them had the last name of Sanders.

Listen, he relaxed slightly, running his hand over his chin. I don’t know you and I don’t know your sister. I can’t be the father of her child. It’s impossible, so let’s just call it a day and forget this little meeting ever took place, okay?

He admired the way her eyes never left his as he made his suggestion. She was a tiny thing, maybe an inch or two over five feet, if he were guessing. Her hair was shoulder-length and light brown with streaks of gold, giving it a glow in the light coming through the front windows. It surprised him, but he even noticed that her blue blouse brought out the color in her eyes; eyes that were holding him in place while he waited for her to agree.

My sister’s name was Elaine Connors. She was stationed in Florida about three years ago, working as a nurse.

The words slammed into his stomach like a fist, punching out the air in one big whoosh. A nurse? His one lapse was with a nurse, one night a few years ago in Florida. A group went out to celebrate one of them getting engaged and he ended up spending the evening and then the night with a cute little nurse who worked at the base hospital. Her name was Elaine Connors. Could this woman be telling the truth?

Even after several years, he occasionally thought about the woman with the bluest eyes and the largest smile he’d ever seen. He was looking at the