Free Rebel Betty by Carla Michaels Page B

things even a decade out of the Marine Corp could not change . Every morning, rain or shine, he ran three miles. The routine of it had been drilled into his mind during the weeks of basic training and it had stuck, along with a preference for good whiskey and a love of firearms. 
    During the frigid Ohio winters, he resorted to a local health club, jogging next to busy millennials and fitness conscious soccer moms, but he preferred to run outside. The feel of plastic beneath his feet was never as satisfying as asphalt or, even better, a dirt road, bringing with it recollections of pounding the pavement in Paris Island, and later through the Middle East. The memories brought to mind by those runs were precious, of friends he had known and places he had seen, often with a blood alcohol level that would have gotten him arrested anywhere but at a military base.
    Too many of them were gone now, laid low by wounds in Afghanistan and Iraq. He had left the Marine Corp and begun college only weeks before the Twin Towers fell and had watched with helpless rage as his friends sacrificed themselves to average the attack. Even knowing how much it could have cost him, at times he still regretted listening to an advisor and staying in school rather than returning to military service. 
    Thad paused at the half way point, chest heaving under the warm sun of a July morning.
    A breeze blew in from across the fields, bringing with it the scent of freshly cut alfalfa, sweeter to him than any perfume. The sun was beating down on the rocks, which soaked in the heat. It was going to be a scorching day. In the ditches that edged the roads, the water that had been left from the spring rains had finally evaporated, and he no longer heard faint animal rustlings from the tall cat tails and weeds as he passed. The heat of summer had brought with it clouds of voracious mosquitoes resistant to any form of bug spray.  They buzzed in his ears if he stopped for too long.
    He increased his speed when the farmhouse came into view around the apple trees, and his knees beginning to protest the exercise. There were a dozen eggs waiting in the refrigerator and he was starving.
    Thad stopped at the end of the driveway. As he neared the back door, he heard laughter and splashing from the fenced-in pool area and changed course. From the dig site, he had heard the sound of the pool, but never seen it behind the screen of a tall, stockade fence. The gate was open now, revealing Lara submerged to her waist in a tiny black bikini that displayed everything her normal clothes hid. His pulse leaped in appreciation.
    “Jump!”
    Lara had her arms outstretched to Mackenzie, who hesitated. She wrote a pink Hello Kitty swimsuit and matching floaties. “Water not cold?” she asked, face deeply distrustful.
    “No, it's warm. Put your toe in.”
    Although tempted to continue watching them, Thad cleared his throat. “Good morning, ladies.”
    Kenzie ran to him and hugged his legs. “Wanna swim?” She rubbed her tiny nose into the dust and moisture that collected at his knees. “You sweaty.”
    The water looked inviting. Instead of the Spartan, chemically drenched pool, it reminded him of natural ponds formed by waterfalls. Green bottomed and crystal clear, it was surrounded by a native grasses that thrived in the small enclosure.
    He shook his head. “I should probably get to work,” he said. “I just wanted to say good morning.”
    “Good morning to you. How was your run?”
    “Long.” He answered, trying to avoid staring at the edges of a tattoo that peeked around the edges of the bikini. It appeared to be claws, flexing about her rib cage. A strange, large tattoo for someone as unassuming as Lara.
    “Taddy,” Mackenzie whispered, holding on to his hand and leading him to the rim. “You come swimming.” Then she jumped.
    He could have let go of her hand at any time. Her fingers had no more strength than a kitten. What held him was her mischievous look, the shared