Free Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The by Susan Kelley Page A

steaks except for the man who’d
provided the meat. Vin hadn’t come into eat, and Emma feared it was
her fault.
    Moe and Vannie had reported their talk
with him. They’d called it a talk instead of a confrontation though
she knew better. Her friends claimed they hadn’t hurt Vin in
drawing the truth from him, but Emma wanted to see him to be
sure.
    The interview had solidified Vannie’s
belief that Vin had suffered some brain damage in the military. But
her friends felt confident Vin had no nefarious purpose in being
here. Their conclusion only made her feel guiltier for suspecting
him of working for her stepfather. She would make it up to him.
Perhaps she could help him deal with his brain injury or whatever
was going on with him psychologically.
    Moe took the dishes from her and
plunged them into the soapy water he hovered over. “I saved him
some.”
    Emma smiled, knowing Moe had noticed
her watching the door. She put the dough for the next day’s bread
in the refrigerated cupboard. She would get it out to rise in the
morning. She flipped the steak over Moe had saved and hoped it
didn’t dry out.
    “ Almost time to close up
for the night,” Moe said.
    “ I’ll hurry the last of
them along.” Emma pushed aside the curtain and he was
there.
    Vin sat at the table nearest the
kitchen. His sharp cool gaze caught hers. “Am I too
late?”
    The rest of the café had emptied while
she was in the kitchen. Being alone with Vin reawakened her earlier
guilt at suspecting him. “Yes. I mean no, you’re not too late. I
saved some for you.”
    Vin pressed his lips together, an
expression she now believed meant her words confused him. She felt
confused herself and ducked back through the curtain. As a doctor
she should do better, keeping things simple for Vin. She dished up
the steak, adding a spoonful of steamed vegetables and two thick
slices of bread.
    Moe handed her a glistening mug of cold
water and winked before returning to his dishwashing.
    Vin hadn’t moved, even his folded hands
rested on the same spot on the table. He pulled them back as Emma
set down the plate, his gaze dropping to the heaped serving. He
looked at it for a long moment before slowly picking up his
fork.
    Unlike most soldiers Emma had been
around, Vin didn’t dive into his meal with the vigorous abandon of
one who had learned to eat rapidly and largely when the opportunity
presented itself. Instead he cut small pieces of the steak and
savored each bite.
    Emma busied herself cleaning the last
few tables, carrying plates and glasses back to Moe, but she
watched Vin the entire time. He studied each forkful, sometimes
lifting it close to his nose and inhaling. The obvious appreciation
of the meal filled her with warm pleasure.
    She lingered as she wiped
down tables and straightened chairs, wondering how to apologize for
her suspicions. She saw no injuries from his conversation with Moe and Vannie but
it couldn’t have been pleasant. Before she found the right words,
Vin finished his dinner.
    He stood up, gathering up his plate and
utensils, and carried them into the kitchen.
    She hurried after him and found him
already helping Moe finish the dishes. Beside Moe’s towering frame,
Vin should have looked small. But something about the way he moved
suggested leashed power.
    “ You don’t have to help
with that.” Emma took a drying cloth
    Vin kept rinsing the dishes Moe handed
to him and then passed them onto Emma, doing that frown thing with
his mouth. Four dishes later he answered. “You waited for me.
Kitchen duty is everyone’s responsibility.”
    Emma wondered if Vin understood that
the miners paid for their meals though he certainly had earned his
with the meat he provided. The three of them worked without talking
until the chore was done.
    Moe grumbled a good night and trudged
up the steps to the quarters he shared with Vannie.
    Emma turned the kitchen lights off and
led Vin out into the dining area. Usually Vannie saw her to her
surgery