Free Never Forget: A Novella in the Echo Platoon Series by Marliss Melton Page B

rest his ankle all morning while she was at work.
    “Thank you for coming.”
    Rusty’s words and warm look assured her their date that Friday was definitely on.
    He tipped his auburn head. “Come on back,” he invited, leading the way in the same direction that Curtis had taken.
    At the rear of the house, still more men lobbed a volleyball back and forth over a tight, new net. One of them caught the ball so they could all turn and look at her.
    Draco’s excited barks shattered the quiet. Maya could see the dog was entirely fixated on Curtis, begging the boy to set him free. Her son crouched in front of the crate, telling the dog to hush with a soothing foreign word.
    Rusty called out over the dog’s noise. “Everyone, this is NCIS Special Investigator Maya Schultz and her son, Curtis.”
    As men called out greetings, Maya wondered why Rusty had mentioned her title. Did he want the men to think their relationship was professional and not personal? Or did he want them keeping their distance because he meant to claim her for himself?
    Seeing Curtis retrieve Draco’s long lead, she watched with worry as he went to release the dog from his crate. Surely Draco wouldn’t rush out and bite him again.
    “You want to come in?” Rusty’s invitation distracted her.
    But she waited until Draco emerged with a lowered head and a wagging body before turning to follow.
    “Place is a mess now that the men are here,” he apologized, opening the door to the addition at the rear of the house.
    Maya found herself in a huge farm-style kitchen with exposed crossbeams, a brick hearth, and lots of countertop space for prepping. To her, everything looked spic-and-span. The aroma of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches still hung in the air. A member of the hired help Rusty had mentioned was putting clean dishes back into the tall oak cabinets.
    “It’s gorgeous,” she exclaimed. Clearly the sponsors had believed in what he’d wanted to do and had helped him make it a wonderful reality.
    “Let’s go this way.” He led her into the home’s main structure to a seating area filled with leather couches, overstuffed chairs, and an enormous flat-screen TV.
    “This is where we watch sports or movies,” he confirmed. He waved her over to a door under the stairs. “Check out the waste bin you bought. Goes perfectly.”
    Peeking into the cream and beige bathroom, she had to admit that it did.
    He took her past a glassed-in sunporch, a music area, an enormous formal dining room, and a library stuffed with books. “Is this your office?” she asked pointing out the desk with its neat piles of paperwork.
    “Yeah, but I never get time to sit in there,” he admitted. “Want to see the second floor?”
    “Absolutely.” What she’d seen so far epitomized good taste and functionality.
    By the time they’d wandered through the second level and returned to the lower level via a steep staircase once used by servants, she had counted a total of eight bedrooms including Rusty’s, each one of them attractive and inviting. A funny feeling had overcome her as she’d taken a mental snapshot of his queen-sized bed.
    “Can I get you a drink?” Rusty asked as they reentered the kitchen. “Ginger ale, water?”
    Between the heat outside and her tour of the house, she’d worked up a thirst. “Water would be great. Thanks.”
    As he filled a glass at the oversized refrigerator’s dispenser, the question at the forefront of her mind formed on her lips.
    “How on earth did you finance this place?”
    He looked up at her in surprise.
    She blushed at her own bluntness. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. You’ve done a great job here, and the entire thing looks top quality. It had to have cost a bundle.”
    “No, it’s fine,” he assured her. He gestured to the long plank table. “Want to sit?”
    They sat catty-corner from each other with Rusty at the end. “My father passed away last year,” he began.
    She searched his