Lori Wilde – The Right Stuff (страница 4)

She returned his smile with a flirtatious slant of her eyelashes. Had word already gotten out that he and Sandy had broken up? “Colonel Grayson is ready for you.”

This is it, the conversation leading to the promotion I’ve been shooting for my entire career.

From the time he was a kid in short pants listening to his father and grandfather talk about the exciting opportunities for air force doctors, he’d dreamed of going into space as a NASA physician. Making colonel before he was forty was a crucial step in that direction.

Daniel squared his shoulders, perfected his best military-officer stance and stalked into Grayson’s office, hoping that he struck the perfect balance between cocky and obedient. Assertive, but eager to follow orders. “You asked to see me, sir?”

“I did.” Colonel Cooper Grayson was standing. He pointed at the plain straight-backed chair positioned in front of his sturdy metal desk. “Have a seat, Daniel.”

He sat, but the expression on Grayson’s face troubled Daniel. It wasn’t a congratulations-you’re-in-the-running-to-make-colonel look.

“When are you going to ask Sandy to marry you?” the colonel asked.

The minute the words were out of his superior’s mouth, Daniel tensed. Was this a fishing expedition? Deeming his worthiness for promotion? It was the one question he dreaded. He knew well enough that in the military you were more likely to get promoted if you were married. The service viewed its airmen as more stable, mature and trustworthy if they had a wedding ring on their finger and a passel of kids to support.

He did not have that advantage going for him.

It wasn’t that Daniel didn’t want to get married or have children. He did. But becoming a doctor had taken all his focus in his younger years. Then later, once he’d completed his internship and residency and he’d met Sandy, well…

He’d thought about asking her to marry him. They’d been dating for four years. She was smart and pretty and safe and predictable. Her father was a career military man so she understood the life. In theory, she was perfect for him.

But she wasn’t Taylor.

The unwanted thought popped into his mind. What the hell was he doing thinking about Taylor Milton? He hadn’t seen or heard from her in thirteen years.

Still, that woman had excited him like no other, even though she’d been completely wrong for him. Sometimes, he wondered if she’d ruined him in regard to other women. But no one could measure up to her verve, her sheer enthusiasm, her exuberant life force.

It’s what Sandy had accused. He clenched his jaw, remembering their break up weeks earlier.

“Four years I’ve spent with you, Daniel. Four years of loving you and waiting for you to love me back.” Sandy had paused, taken a deep breath. “You were only with her for a few months and she put such a spell over you that you can’t forget her even after all this time. You’re in love with a woman who didn’t love you back. And I’ve been waiting with open arms, aching for you to love me.”

“You’re wrong. I’ m not still in love with Taylor. I haven’t even thought about her in years.”

“Maybe not consciously, Daniel, but sometimes you call out her name in your sleep.”

He’d blinked. “I do?”

Sandy had nodded, tears spilling from her eyes. “Not often, but you have.”

Daniel had felt as if he’d been poleaxed. Was it true? Did he still dream of Taylor? He didn’t remember that.

“The thing is, you’re holding on to the past, to the ghost of some long-lost love. You can’t let go of her and love the real flesh-and-blood woman standing in front of you.”

“I do love you, Sandy,” he’d said, but the words had sounded false. He did care about her, just not in the way she wanted and needed.

“Not in the way I deserve.”

“No,” he agreed.

“I know.” She’d exhaled audibly.

She’d been right. Damn him, he’d known she was right. “You’re breaking my heart here,” he’d said as she headed for the door, suitcase in hand.

She’d whirled on him, eyes flashing and dropped her suitcase. “No, Daniel, you’re breaking mine. Only love can break a heart and Taylor Milton broke yours years ago. You’re damaged goods.”

“I’m not,” he’d declared hotly. “I’ve long since moved on.”

“Maybe in your head you have.” She had stepped across the room toward him, hammered a small fist against the left side of his chest. “But not here, not where it counts, not in your heart.”

“Sandy…” Daniel had let his words trail off. What else had there been to say? It hurt to know that he was hurting her, but he couldn’t make himself love her, no matter how much he might want to. Was this how Taylor had felt toward him? Pity, guilt, embarrassment? “I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

“Physician, heal thyself,” Sandy had said, then turned and walked away.

“Well?” Colonel Grayson prompted bringing him back to the present.

“Sandy and I broke up,” he said.

“How come?”

“She was pressuring me to get married.”

“And you’re not ready for marriage?”

“I’m ready, sir,” he said, hating the thought that he might lose out on the promotion because he wasn’t yet hitched. “But I haven’t found the right woman.”

“So you’re free as a bird. Not dating anyone else?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm,” the colonel mused. Daniel had expected his boss to look disappointed, but he did not. “Interesting.”

Wariness settled over him. Something was up. “What’s this meeting about, sir?”

Grayson clasped his hands behind his back and paced like an agitated jungle cat. “A thorn in my side.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve got a thorn in my side and you’re the only one I trust to pull it out.”

Ah. The colonel had a problem and he perceived Daniel as the solution. That was good news. Solving his superior’s issue would go a long way toward proving his worthiness for the promotion.

“Sir.” Daniel stood at attention. “How may I be of service to you, sir?”

Grayson stopped pacing and looked over at him. “I like your gung-ho attitude, Corben. Exactly why you’re the man for this job.”

“What’s the assignment? I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get started.”

“You say that now.” Grayson gave a rueful laugh. “Wait until you hear what it is.”

“Doesn’t matter, sir. I’m at your disposal.”

Grayson plunked down behind his desk and motioned for Daniel to sit. He did. The Colonel locked on him with a steady gaze. “General Charles Miller came to see me yesterday.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The general has political aspirations. He’s planning on running for public office when he retires at the end of next year. He’s eyeing the White House. Sees himself as the next Colin Powell.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You can drop the ‘sir’ business, Daniel, it’s just you and me in here.”

Now Grayson was getting chummy. The thorn in his side must really be throbbing. His curiosity piqued, Daniel leaned forward. “Is this thorn medically related?”

Grayson made a face. “Not exactly.”

“Are we dealing under the table here?” Daniel bristled. He’d do anything for his superior as long as it wasn’t unethical or against regulations. He was strictly by the book, one of the reasons why he and Taylor had made for such a bad match. She’d been all about breaking the rules.

“No, not really, bending a few rules maybe, but nothing that crosses the line.”

“Tell me,” Daniel said bluntly.

“Let me just say up front that if you successfully pull off this assignment your promotion is practically a done deal. You’ll have my full recommendation to the committee.”

“And if I don’t?”

Grayson shrugged. “Only twenty-five percent of military officers ever achieve the rank of colonel.”

Daniel knew this. He also understood the implication. “I did two tours of duty in a field hospital in the Middle East. I earned a silver star in Afghanistan—”