Page 21 of Jenny
“Same.”
An image of Rob appeared in her mind. She took a deep breath. “You’re in the military.”
Missy gasped.
“Army. Ranger,” he said.
Another chill shivered through Jenny. Her hands felt cold. “I’ve heard rangers are tough.”
Missy held Jenny’s left hand.
“I…” Dare’s voice wavered. “I miss you.”
She sighed. The raw emotion in his voice tugged at her heart. Melted it. “I’ve missed you, but you’re in the States now. Everything will be okay.”
“Thinking about you kept me from giving up. Kept me alive.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She forced herself to breathe. “Oh, Dare…”
“I want to see you.”
She wanted to see him. “I’ll text a pic—”
“No. In real life. Come to me.”
Her ears rang. Her body shook. She was almost afraid to ask. “When?”
“Now.”
The mix of hope and anguish in that one word tore at her. “You want me to come there?”
“Please.”
Other than book signings and the vacation to Enchanted Island last year, she stayed close to home for Missy’s sake. Adventure was left for the books Jenny wrote or read. She wasn’t the kind of woman to hop on an airplane to go to someone she’d never met. But how could she say no when he was hurting and asking for her?
“I…”
“If you want to see him…then you need to go,” Missy whispered. “I’ll be okay.”
That was the push Jenny needed. Shewantedto go to Dare. She needed to go to him.
“Okay.” Her wish upon a star had been for him to come home, but not like this. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
****
The trip to San Antonio took Jenny all day thanks to a three-hour delay during a layover in Salt Lake City. She rode a shuttle bus to the rental car place and stood in line at the counter. Her phone rang. It was Missy.
“I was following your flight online and saw that the plane landed a few minutes ago.” Missy’s call must be on speakerphone because she sounded like she was talking in a cave full of meowing kittens. “How are you?”
“Fine.” Jenny was. Well, as fine as a person could be meeting someone for the first time after they’d been injured doing who knew what for their country. “I’m waiting to pick up the rental car.”
“I’m relieved you’re fine, but I’m worried.”
“Your research last night proved Dare is legit.” Missy hadn’t wanted Jenny to fly off without knowing more and had even asked another Gold Star family—families who’d lost a loved one during a war—for help. “A few days ago, a Blackhawk helicopter went down in Central America with United States Army Rangers aboard.”
“But that’sallyou know.”
“It’s enough.” And it was for now.
