Free That Touch of Pink by Teresa Southwick

grin. “And what if I say no?”
    â€œI have to ask anyway.”
    â€œPermission granted.”
    â€œWhy was I ordered not only to pack lunch, but to put it in this basket?”
    â€œA good soldier never questions orders.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her with a finger pressed to her soft lips. It was the second time he’d done that and he liked it even more. Ignoring the shaft of heat that shot through him, he continued, “I know you’re not a soldier. But I’m still in the command position. It’s not necessary for me to explain orders, but it is necessary for you to follow them. However, in this case I’ll make an exception and explain. The basket is a visual aid to demonstrate bulk and why big cereal boxes are incompatible with backpacking and survival necessities.”
    â€œUnderstood, sir.” She looked at her daughter. “Are you ready to go, kidlet?”
    â€œReady.” She looked at Riley. “I’ll carry the basket. I’ll show you I can take my cereal.”
    â€œYour call,” he told her.
    They headed down the street with the little girl huffing, puffing and moving the basket from one hand to the other. He wanted to reach out and take it from her but figured that would defeat the purpose of the exercise.
    Half a block from the house, Kimmie stopped and the stubborn expression on her face reminded him of her mother. The little girl set the basket down. “I can’t carry this any more.”
    â€œI’ll get it,” Abby said, grabbing the handle.
    Without the bulk, Kimmie hurried ahead. He and Abby followed more slowly, with her hefting the basket’s bulk.
    â€œYou may or may not believe this, but it goes against the grain to let you lug that.” His palms itched to take it from her. “My dad taught me guys should carry stuff for girls.”
    â€œThen why aren’t you?” she said, obviously short of breath from the exertion.
    â€œI’m making an example of you. It’s a technique used in military training.”
    â€œWhy did you decide to go into the service? Did you not want to go to college?”
    â€œActually I had a scholarship—athletic and academic—to Texas A&M.”
    â€œThen why didn’t you go?”
    He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched Kimmie jump onto the park track. “I got in trouble.”
    â€œWhat kind of trouble?” she asked, her voice laced with surprise.
    â€œI beat up a guy.”
    â€œWhy?”
    He glanced at her. “I caught him with my sister, trying to push her into something she wasn’t ready for. He was eighteen, and she was barely in her teens. He was my friend. I brought him over to the house.”
    â€œSo you protected Nora?” When he nodded, she said, “Then I don’t understand how that adds up to trouble.”
    â€œHis folks were prominent in the community and they threatened legal action. After arbitration and negotiation, it seemed best for me to leave town and join the army.”
    â€œOh, Riley, that seems so unfair,” she said.
    He shrugged. “It worked out for the best. I liked the military.”
    â€œBut your education,” she said, her expression showing her distress for him.
    No, not him. An educator’s concern for a student’s lost opportunity. “I went to college in the army. There are programs. I got a master’s in business.”
    â€œI’m glad. But it still seems unfair. Essentially, they punished you for doing the right thing.”
    It had been his first lesson in how going above and beyond the call of duty could blow up in your face. But once hadn’t been enough. He’d gotten a refresher course with Barb.
    They finally reached the park, and he stopped by the picnic benches under the trees. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you life isn’t always fair?”
    â€œYes.” She set the picnic basket down,