Free Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) by Kate Aster

“Watch
the language. There are kids around.”
    “Sorry,” he answered her, giving his best
shamed-face. “You gotta convince this guy to throw a party or something. He’s
being way too low-key about it. When I get promoted, I’m renting out the
ballroom at the Four Seasons.”
    Clarissa raised an eyebrow at her
husband. “And cashing out our TSP to do it, I imagine. Over my dead body. Backyard
barbeque is all you’ll get, Lieutenant .”
    Bess called Abby back over to them as the
emcee announced the beginning of the program and they settled into their seats
on the blanket. “Why don’t we throw a party at the house, Tyler?”
    “No. It’s too much trouble. It’s not like
I’m making General, Bess. I was bound to make Captain one day. I’m not even
having my mom or sister come down for it. Too long of a drive for them. I don’t
like making a big deal out of stuff like this.”
    “Yeah, but you worked hard for it. You
should celebrate.”
    “I worked hard so I could get into Ranger
Battalion. Not to get a couple bars pinned to my uniform.”
    “But—” Her argument was cut off by
the National Anthem. Trying to get Abby to stand up for the entire length of
the song proved impossible, and Bess finally lifted her little girl into her
arms while she stood.
    As the soprano sang, joined in by a few
others in the audience, Bess glanced around. The words seemed to have more
meaning to this audience than others she had seen. Tyler stood at perfect
attention, and Bess felt a sense of pride at just being with him.
    Promotion coming up? Didn’t surprise her
in the least. But if he thought she’d let him get away without having a
celebration at the house afterward, then he had another thing coming to him.
    After a rousing round of applause, the first
part of the performance began, filled with plenty of patriotic tunes and a
surprising number of classic rock songs that had Abby and the other children
migrating to the front of the crowd to dance. Then a military pageant began,
using Soldiers in period dress to act out scenes of war from the Revolution all
the way through to the present. Muskets and cannons fired, making Abby jump and
clap with glee at every earth-shaking explosion.
    Just as the sun touched the horizon, the
Army Drill Team marched toward them for their part of the performance. Bess’s
jaw dropped at their precision as they twirled and tossed M14s, real bayonets
affixed. Hands down, they were Bess’s favorite part of the Twilight Tattoo, and
from the wide-eyed expression on Abby’s face, it was an opinion she shared with
her daughter.
    “How do they do that?” the little girl
whispered loudly as they completed their performance.
    “Years of practice,” Tyler answered.
    “They’re like the Rockettes,” Abby said
in awe.
    Tyler glanced at Bess. “Who are the
Rockettes?”
    “The chorus line tap dancers at Radio
City Music Hall in New York,” Bess answered. “Maeve bought her their Christmas
show DVD last year.”
    Tyler grimaced. “Do me a favor and don’t
let those guys hear that, okay?”
    “Promise,” Bess replied with a grin. Except
for the precision of their choreography, there really was no comparing the two.
And she had no plans to tell a bunch of fit Soldiers holding M14s that they had
just been compared to tap dancers.
    When the program was complete, Bess stood
to gather their things, for the first time noticing just how many people had
joined the audience.
    “It’s so crowded,” she commented. “We
were lucky to be up front like this.”
    “Yeah, they don’t travel for shows very
often. Most of the time you have to go to Fort Myer in Virginia to see the
Twilight Tattoo.”
    “Thanks so much for taking us, Tyler.”
    “Thank you!” Abby echoed, giving his leg
a big hug.
    Bess wished she could express her
gratitude in the same way.
    He lifted Abby into his arms. “Anytime,
Peanut.”
    With her head now level to his, Abby gave
him a kiss on the cheek, and Bess’s heart