Shadowed by Grace by Cara Putman Page B

There’s a battle raging somewhere near here I’d like to avoid.”
    Rachel clambered into the jeep. Almost the moment she touched the inside, Scott had it lurching forward. She winced at a flash of pain as her head lashed forward.
    “Sorry.”
    “Just get me back to Naples in one piece.”
    “That’s the aim.”
    The ride was quiet, punctuated by the rush of planes sweeping overhead. “Those are ours.”
    Rachel vowed to spend some time with those flash cards. The lieutenant kept his gaze bouncing between the road and the sky, and his attentiveness helped her relax.
    After a long morning they entered the outskirts of Naples. She had never been so delighted to see the battered and demolished city. After working through checkpoints and worming around rubble, Scott pulled in front of the hotel.
    “Here you go.”
    “Thank you.” She sat in the jeep, unable to move as the reality hit her. They’d made it back.
    “Do you need help?” He looked at her in a way she couldn’t quite decipher. It wasn’t the look most men would have used. It felt like he didn’t want to overstep and wasn’t sure how to help.
    She pushed against the dash and winced against the flash of pain. “I’m fine. Thank you again for getting me home.” Well, the closest thing she had to home in this devastated place. “See you later today?”
    “Let’s plan on tomorrow morning. Check in with your editor and get some real rest.”
    His protective words made her smile. “Yes, sir.”
    He flashed a salute with a smile, then waited until she entered the hotel’s front doors before pulling the jeep into traffic. She watched until he disappeared. She’d been assigned to him for several more days, but maybe she’d stay in Naples. She made her way to her room and sank onto her twin bed.
    “Rachel Justice. Where did you keep yourself last night?” Barbara Skiles looked elegant in her standard-issue uniform as she sashayed through the door and across the small hotel room.
    “Nowhere important.” She softened her words with a smile at her fellow journalist.
    “Uh-huh. Spill the beans, girl. There’s not enough excitement around here so I need you to liven things up.” Barbara brushed the front of her jacket, then smirked at Rachel. “And if he was tall, dark, and handsome, all the better.”
    No, light brown hair, gray eyes, and a few inches taller than her was best.
    “Do tell us you’re okay.” Dottie Winchester slipped around Barbara and looked like she couldn’t decide whether to be scandalized or grateful to see Rachel. “I’ve been frantic.”
    Rachel could imagine her roommate worrying and bringing others into the party as the hours dragged by. War or no, Dottie seemed determined to keep everyone safe and together. “I’m sorry. If I’d had a way to get word to you, I would have. My army escort and I got stuck after dark on a mine-laced, cratered road. He found a safe place for us to wait for daybreak.”
    “Your escort?” Barbara waggled her eyebrows. “I knew this would be good. Tell us more.”
    “There’s nothing to tell.” Rachel sighed as she tried to think of a way to distract Barbara. To explain the care he had taken of her without once threatening to slip over a boundary. “I slept in a small farmhouse on a pile of blankets chaperoned by a sweet, older Italian couple, while he spent the night in the jeep.”
    Dottie twisted her hands together. “Were you safe?”
    “I made it back.”
    “I’m glad.” Dottie winked. “I’d hate to think my remaining roommate option is Barbara.”
    “Good news, toots.” Barbara linked arms with Rachel, and she brushed down the stab of pain. “After you get cleaned up, we’re headed to the press office. The buzz is some of us will be assigned to specific divisions. That means we’re headed out.”
    “I’ve got orders for next week.” Though moving ahead couldn’t be any more dangerous than the adventure she’d just had.
    “You know how it is. When the army