Free A Soldier for Christmas by Jillian Hart Page A

be. “You need to ice-climb just to find out the other side’s position? No, you do more than scout, don’t you?”
    “Yeah. We’re pretty big and bad.” He shrugged that shoulder again. Apparently that was all he was saying. “Ready to get to it?”
    “Math? Sure.” Her backpack was still hanging from her shoulder. “We can stay in here, where the air conditioning is, I can turn it up. Sorry.” She headed toward the thermostat and adjusted the dial. “Or we can sit outside. Oh, and there’s a park a few blocks down.”
    “The deck is good. I don’t want to get too far away from the food.”
    “I get the hint. Hungry?”
    “I could be.”
    “That’s just a hungry man’s way of being polite.” She grabbed a bag of chips and handed it to him. “Do you like French onion or ranch?”
    “Yes.”
    “I should’ve known.” She grabbed both dip tubs from the fridge and followed him out onto the deck. “Appetizers.”
    “There’s no better.” He opened the bag. “Are you ready?”
    She tugged her math book out of her pack. It had been a long time since she’d been this happy at heart, especially when it came to algebra.
    Mitch’s friendship was turning out to be a true blessing in her life.
     

    As Mitch knelt on the deck boards to turn the franks grilling on the hibachi, he could see Kelly’s reflection in the large window. She was leaning forward over her plate to scoop her chip through the dip. Her face was turned in profile as she talked with her roommate.
    When it came to Kelly, there couldn’t be a prettier woman on earth. Not in his opinion. Her golden hair was down today, rippling in the warm breeze and caressing the creamy curves of her face. She wore a sleeveless blouse the exact blue of her eyes, and a black pair of walking shorts and matching shoes. She looked casual and wholesome and womanly all at once.
    It really wasn’t fair that he was at such a disadvantage.
    I hope You know where You’re leading me, Lord, because I’m in over my head. He cared for her more than he felt safe admitting, even to himself. He tonged the hot dogs from the grill and onto a plate. “Seconds?”
    “It’s nice having such first-rate service, thanks.” Kelly smiled up at him as she swiped mustard on a bun. “You have great grill skills.”
    “I’ve put in a lot of hard practice at the barbecue.”
    He slid a beef frank onto Lexie’s plate before he added the last two to his. Across the table, Kelly was pushing the relish and mustard in his direction. Her fingers were long, slender and delicate, like the rest of her. Her short nails were painted a light pink.
    Lexie shoved the tub of deli potato salad closer. “So, Mitch, tell us exactly why you aren’t married.”
    “Because I spend pretty much most of my time on a mission or on standby prepared to head out. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for finding a nice lady to marry.” He cast a glance sideways at Kelly. “This free time I have—real weekends—is a luxury.”
    Lexie persisted. “Yeah, but you’d like to get married one day, right?”
    “Sure. I just haven’t slowed down enough to let a woman catch me and shackle me into matrimony. Yet.”
    “Shackle?” Kelly questioned with the cute little crinkle at the bridge of her nose.
    “That’s a totally typical man’s answer.” Lexie didn’t seem too happy with him.
    He shrugged, running a line of mustard along both hot dogs. “Apparently a guy should never joke about the seriousness of marriage in front of women.”
    “Ya think?” Lexie frowned at him, but her eyes said something different. Like she was on to him.
    “Let me try again.” He set down the mustard bottle so he could concentrate. He didn’t want to get it wrong this time. “I’d like to get married one day. I’m taking my time because I want to find the real thing.”
    “Real love.” Lexie nodded her tentative approval. “Don’t we all want to find that?”
    I think I already have, he thought. All he had to