Free Penance (Long Slow Tease, #2) by Ann Mayburn Page A

re-married all the time, why couldn’t she do the same without feeling like she betrayed Owen in the worst way possible, by loving another man more than she loved him?
    The truth shattered her and she took in a deep breath, frightened that her father would see he sudden tears. Wyatt, as always, seemed attuned to her like no one else , and he put an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. She focused on him, on how wonderfully alive and virile he was, how solid and protective. He would die for her; did he know that she would do the same?
    Her father leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “As Michelle knows , I believe in feeding the soul.”
    Wyatt exchanged a look with her but she shrugged, having no idea where he was going with this.
    “There’s a program I’d like all three of you to consider donating some time to, and Michelle I’d like you to take some time to check it out and let me know if it’s worth looking into funding through our foundation.”
    “Okay, but what does it have to do with Wyatt and Marshall?”
    “Because we’re the kind of people who aren’t happy unless we’re providing some kind of service for others. We need work that not only challenges us, but feeds our soul. I believe the military fit that role for all three of you, gave you something bigger to fight for, a way to make a difference in the world.”
    She glanced at Wyatt out of the corner of her eye. “So are you going to stop dancing around the topic and just let me know where it is you want us to go and what you want us to do?”
    Her father grinned. “You know, one of the best things that came out of you joining the military is that you don’t beat around the bush anymore. You come straight to the point and I appreciate that.”
    “Dad…”
    “Right. This organization, The Front Line, is run by and for ex-military. They’re a group of first responders that go into different disaster situations to bring aid. Because of your training and your experience in a wartime situation you all are uniquely suited for handling crisis situations in ways our civilian forces never will be.”
    Wyatt nodded. “My father used to be a sheriff before he retired and I’d sit around and listen to him and his friends bullshi …uh…talk about their day. One of the guys, Calvis, was my idol. No matter what, he was calm and collected when the world was falling down around him. He’d done some time with the Marines back in Vietnam and it had changed him. When a riot happened at the local jail, my dad and his men were called in for backup. Calvis and my dad got cut off from the rest of the group, and my Dad swears that even as a dozen pissed off inmates were chasing them through the jail, Calvis was as cool as a cucumber, telling my dad where to go and what to do. They ended up getting to safety, and when the local paper interviewed Calvis the next day, his only quote was ‘I’ve been in worse situations’, like having a bunch of pissed off prisoners on his ass was no big deal.”
    They all laughed about that and Marshall spoke up. “I tried working in the civi lian world when I came back. I found out that I have zero tolerance for people who freak out over stupid shit. I mean, a crisis isn’t when the copier runs out of toner. No one’s going to die because you can’t get your presentation printed. That job didn’t last long.”
    “Their loss , our gain,” Michelle’s father said and focused his gaze back on Michelle and Wyatt.
    “I’d like you, all three of you, to consider working with this group. One of the guys that runs it says it’s like being back in the military but with less bullshit.”
    Wyatt shifted next to her and she turned to watch him, caressing his profile with her gaze. Even here, in front of her father and Marshall, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about how much she loved him , wanted him. It didn’t surprise her in the least to see Wyatt’s interest in what her father had to say.