cause, that’s all. A good one.”
“What is the cause?” she dared to ask.
After his lengthy hesitation, during which he glanced at her twice, she could see he’d contemplated telling her. But for whatever reason, he decided not to.
Knowing better than to ask any more about the organization where he worked, she refrained from the topic. Maybe there was another way to get him to reveal something. “What did you do in the Army?”
“I was a major at Fort Bragg. Retired now.”
“You retired early.” Did his new job have anything to do with that? Had he really retired, or had there been a scandal involved? His secretiveness suggested as much.
“I wanted to move on to other things.”
He said it so somberly. Had something happened to make him deviate from the military? “What things?”
He kept his profile to her, but she could see the subject tore at him.
“Did you retire because you wanted to?” she pressed.
“Yes,” he said adamantly. He’d definitely wanted to get away from the Army. Had he been pushed into a corner? Wrongfully blamed? He saw her studying him and said, “Let’s just say I lost faith in our military.”
That only made her more curious. “Why?”
With a stony set to his mouth, he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and said no more.
“Are you some kind of anti-government activist?” That would explain his secrecy, but why had he come all the way to Albania?
“No. Nothing like that. Following their rules didn’t get me very far, that’s all.”
Judging by the stiffness of his face, they’d cost him, too. Whatever his reason, it had to be personal.
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Were you ever?”
“Why do you keep choosing the wrong men?” he asked, a deliberate steerage of their conversation. He knew what she was trying to dig up, and clearly her question was off limits, but he may as well have said yes. He’d been married before, and from the looks of it, he’d loved the woman very much and something had happened to jade him, something that had driven him away from the Army. She wanted to ask more questions but held back, sensing it wasn’t the time to push.
“Because there is always something wrong with them,” she answered. “Look at this situation. I need to stop getting tangled with men like you. I keep making bad decisions.”
“I’m not the one who abandoned you.”
“No, this is much worse.” As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. Yes, she was in danger because of him, but he hadn’t meant to cause any of this. And this wasn’t worse than Adam leaving her in Albania. Strange, how her life could be in danger with Calan and she’d rather be with him than Adam.
Calan caught her looking at him before she realized she was doing that. The tightness above his brow eased and a small smile teased her.
A bump in the road jarred her and a car whizzed past them as Calan drove into a turn. Around the bend, the car had to swerve to miss another approaching from the other direction. That was the third time a driver had done that on their way here. And she thought drivers in the States were bad…
“What’s your name?” Calan asked.
“What?” It took her a moment to catch up to him. He meant her fake name. For a moment she was back in that hotel bar. “Oh. Mary Calhoun.”
“Good girl.”
Just as she was about to ask why, she saw the border station ahead. It was busy with activity. A line of vehicles waited to cross. People walked in front of the customs building.
“Oh, God.” She’d never used illegal identification before. What if this didn’t work?
He glanced over at her and must have seen her condition. Her heart hammered and her palms were sweaty and she couldn’t breathe.
“It’ll be fine. Just don’t panic and make them suspicious,” he said.
“It wasn’t fine at the airport.”
“Let me do the talking. Give me the rental papers.”
With shaky hands, she removed the documents from the glove box and
“What is the cause?” she dared to ask.
After his lengthy hesitation, during which he glanced at her twice, she could see he’d contemplated telling her. But for whatever reason, he decided not to.
Knowing better than to ask any more about the organization where he worked, she refrained from the topic. Maybe there was another way to get him to reveal something. “What did you do in the Army?”
“I was a major at Fort Bragg. Retired now.”
“You retired early.” Did his new job have anything to do with that? Had he really retired, or had there been a scandal involved? His secretiveness suggested as much.
“I wanted to move on to other things.”
He said it so somberly. Had something happened to make him deviate from the military? “What things?”
He kept his profile to her, but she could see the subject tore at him.
“Did you retire because you wanted to?” she pressed.
“Yes,” he said adamantly. He’d definitely wanted to get away from the Army. Had he been pushed into a corner? Wrongfully blamed? He saw her studying him and said, “Let’s just say I lost faith in our military.”
That only made her more curious. “Why?”
With a stony set to his mouth, he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and said no more.
“Are you some kind of anti-government activist?” That would explain his secrecy, but why had he come all the way to Albania?
“No. Nothing like that. Following their rules didn’t get me very far, that’s all.”
Judging by the stiffness of his face, they’d cost him, too. Whatever his reason, it had to be personal.
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Were you ever?”
“Why do you keep choosing the wrong men?” he asked, a deliberate steerage of their conversation. He knew what she was trying to dig up, and clearly her question was off limits, but he may as well have said yes. He’d been married before, and from the looks of it, he’d loved the woman very much and something had happened to jade him, something that had driven him away from the Army. She wanted to ask more questions but held back, sensing it wasn’t the time to push.
“Because there is always something wrong with them,” she answered. “Look at this situation. I need to stop getting tangled with men like you. I keep making bad decisions.”
“I’m not the one who abandoned you.”
“No, this is much worse.” As soon as she said it, she wished she hadn’t. Yes, she was in danger because of him, but he hadn’t meant to cause any of this. And this wasn’t worse than Adam leaving her in Albania. Strange, how her life could be in danger with Calan and she’d rather be with him than Adam.
Calan caught her looking at him before she realized she was doing that. The tightness above his brow eased and a small smile teased her.
A bump in the road jarred her and a car whizzed past them as Calan drove into a turn. Around the bend, the car had to swerve to miss another approaching from the other direction. That was the third time a driver had done that on their way here. And she thought drivers in the States were bad…
“What’s your name?” Calan asked.
“What?” It took her a moment to catch up to him. He meant her fake name. For a moment she was back in that hotel bar. “Oh. Mary Calhoun.”
“Good girl.”
Just as she was about to ask why, she saw the border station ahead. It was busy with activity. A line of vehicles waited to cross. People walked in front of the customs building.
“Oh, God.” She’d never used illegal identification before. What if this didn’t work?
He glanced over at her and must have seen her condition. Her heart hammered and her palms were sweaty and she couldn’t breathe.
“It’ll be fine. Just don’t panic and make them suspicious,” he said.
“It wasn’t fine at the airport.”
“Let me do the talking. Give me the rental papers.”
With shaky hands, she removed the documents from the glove box and
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