Free Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) by Kallypso Masters Page A

for her was wonderful, she didn’t intend for this occupation to go on endlessly. Perhaps they should talk about something else until she heard from Adam. Odd that he wouldn’t respond more quickly. She hoped everything was okay.
    “Tell me what you do, Ryder.”
    “Do about what?”
    “How you make your living?”
    He glanced down at his plate and scooped up a bite of tomatoes and beans, but didn’t eat it. His demeanor changed.
    She reached out to place her hand over his. “Sorry. None of my business.”
    He stared at her hand but didn’t say anything for the longest time. She pulled away. “I used to do maintenance at a local hospital.”
    “I don’t guess there’s a hospital where your brother lives.”
    “Yeah, well, when I came back from Fallujah, I couldn’t get my act together. Missed a lot of work.”
    “I’m sorry. Were you able to transition to something else?”
    “Not really. I…prefer spending time out in the mountains. Alone.” He grinned. “Not much call for mountain men these days.”
    “So you’re self-sufficient.”
    “I suppose so.”
    “You even hunt your own food?”
    He nodded. “Carlos and I learned to hunt with knives. It’s a challenge making yourself one with nature so that the rabbit or snake just happens upon you and never knows you’re there.”
    “Wait a minute. You eat snakes?”
    He grinned. “I guess it’s an acquired taste.”
    She laughed. “Well, at least you didn’t say it tastes like chicken.”
    “No, it pretty much tastes like rattlesnake.”
    “Rattlers? Are you crazy?”
    He sobered. “A little.”
    Oh, surely he didn’t think she meant literally crazy. But trying to change her words would only make him think she meant that even more. She took a quick swallow of her wine. “I’m not that adventurous with food. I have eaten escargot.”
    “A little too upscale for me.”
    Great. Now she’d come across as classist.
    Just eat, Megan.
    She did just that, and silence ensued as they finished dinner. She’d wanted to learn more about him, but hadn’t gotten very far. The man enjoyed his privacy. No big surprise. He lived alone in the wilderness.
    “After I clean up the dishes, I think I’m going to catch a few winks. But I want you to yell for me if you need me.”
    “You cooked. I do dishes.” She paused a moment. Oh, why not? “What do you like to do for fun?”
    He stared at her as if he didn’t comprehend the question. “Fun?”
    “Hobbies. Sports. Activities.”
    “Does hunting count?”
    “I suppose so, unless it’s how you put food on your table. Then it seems like a job.”
    “I guess it’s a little of both. Sometimes I’m able to catch enough to share with the elders at the pueblo who aren’t able to hunt for themselves any longer.”
    “Are you very active there?”
    “Active?”
    “You know, tribal councils. Festivals.”
    “I’m not a tribal member. Just a guest.”
    “I see. But you seem to do a lot for them.”
    “No, they’re the ones who’ve done a lot for me. They respect veterans and gave me a place to regroup when I just couldn’t take the world any longer.”
    “Has it gotten better for you out there?”
    “Some. I’m here and haven’t gone nuts. That wouldn’t have happened even a year ago.”
    How had Adam lost one of his Marines? He had to keep tabs on them and their families if he’d managed to round up so many of them for such a rushed wedding. She’d overheard some of the conversations at the reception about what he meant to so many of them.
    So how had Ryder fallen through the cracks?
    “When was the last time you heard from Adam before he called you the other night?”
    “A while.”
    His evasive answer told her what she needed to know. “How did he find you after all these years?”
    “I’ve tried to figure that out. I think if he knew my number he’d have called to check on me earlier. I’m sure he does that with his Marines. But my guess is Lance Corporal Grant. That woman could