“If I go down, you promise to pull me up?”
“I won’t let you drown.”
She made a face at him and then set out for the opposite side of the pool, kicking hard and working her arms back and forth to keep her head out of the water. She eventually reached the other side and gripped it hard. “Swimming is tiring.”
Sam put one hand on the side of the pool near hers and leaned over to study her face. “Relax and breathe.”
“If you said that halfway across the pool I would have sunk.”
“Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and simply relax, let yourself sink below the water. Get used to it. Use your hand on the side to pull yourself up whenever you like. There’s nothing to fear about having your head underwater.”
Darcy relaxed and went beneath the surface. Sam took a breath and dropped below the water, curious to know if she would have the courage to open her eyes underwater. She did on the third time down and started in surprise at seeing his face near hers. His hand took her arm and propelled them both to the surface, not wanting her to accidentally swallow water. “Good job.”
“How long can you hold your breathe?”
“A while.”
“Show me.”
He smiled, took a deep breath, relaxed, and sunk below the surface. He sat down on the bottom of the pool and began cleaning his fingernails. After about forty-five seconds Darcy came underwater, her eyes open, and he waved at her. She didn’t look too confident about smiling underwater and went back to the surface.
Sam began counting tiles at the bottom of the pool. The hotel had put its signature initial in every tenth tile. Darcy came back underwater as it approached two minutes, looking a bit worried. He smiled at her.
At two minutes thirty she swam toward him to touch his arm and point up. He slid his knuckles across her cheek but shook his head. She looked at him, shook her head, and pushed off the bottom to go back to the surface.
Next time she came down . . . What would she do? She was really getting worried.
He started counting. Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six . . . A surge of water and Darcy came down again. She grabbed his hair and tugged; he winced and let her pull him to the surface.
He sucked in a deep breath and rubbed his head. “Did you have to do that?”
“Over three minutes and you just sit down there and let me worry about you?”
He laughed, leaned over, and kissed her outraged face. “You went underwater and hauled out a man who weighs twice as much as you. Not bad, gorgeous. I’d say you’re not only a swimmer, you are lifeguard qualified.”
She shoved his head underwater. He came up sputtering, coughing up water.
She was out of the pool and stalking toward the hotel.
“Darcy—”
“The lesson is over. And you still owe me a pineapple ice slush.”
Sam floated on his back to recover his breath. “I’ll make you two.”
* * *
“One pineapple ice slush made to perfection.” Sam offered it to Darcy as she sat on the lounge chair on the back patio of the hotel, overlooking the beach. She’d changed into a pair of shorts and a simple white shirt that showed off her tan. He moved her feet over and settled on the same chair, stretching his legs out and putting one hand across her to keep the chair from tipping.
“Thank you.”
“You’ve got freckles beginning to show from the sun. They look cute.”
She didn’t take his lead, her expression still serious. “How long can you actually hold your breath?”
“As long as I need to.”
She ran her hand along the front of his shirt. “I’m relieved to hear it.” She settled back against the chair, twirled her drink, then smiled. “It was a memorable swimming lesson. I should have grabbed your ear.”
He winced. “That would have worked too.”
She laughed.
“Let’s go take a walk on the beach. It’s a perfect day and I need to stretch my legs. Bring the drink.” He offered his hand and pulled her from the chair. They headed toward the beach.
“Will you teach me to surf today?”
“I suppose I could try.” They walked the sand past where a beach cookout was being prepared and the night’s musical entertainment would take place.
“Are we going to that tonight?”
“I think so. If Bethany stays awake she’ll love it.”
“Why don’t you offer that we babysit her tonight so Joe and Kelly can have some time alone?” Darcy asked.
“You’d like to?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe another night. I think we’ll be otherwise occupied this evening.”
She looked at him, curious. Sam decided the spot was right. The beach was gorgeous; the day was perfect. He turned her toward him and reached into his pocket. “I have something for you.”
He held his hand out palm up, the piece of velvet tied with a pink ribbon. Darcy’s hands trembled slightly as she unwrapped it. She lifted the diamond engagement ring, blinking hard. He tenderly tipped up her chin. “I love you, Darcy St. James. Would you marry me?”
Joy overwhelmed her smile. “Yes.”
He slid the ring on her finger and closed his hand around hers. “Soon.”
He nearly lost his balance as she strangled him in a hug. He laughed. He’d managed to make her nearly speechless. He would have to remember this. “I want to go to North Dakota with you and see Amy, see again the place we’ll always call our home base.” Darcy needed more than the permanence of a ring; she needed the permanence of a place. He wanted to provide her with that, and so much more.
“Okay.”
“Are you crying?”
The top of her head hit his chin. Sam smiled and picked her up to more easily kiss her. Her arms wrapped around his neck. “I like the fact you get quiet when you’re overwhelmed. I get to do all the talking. I was thinking we could go back to the hotel, find us a notebook, and make some wedding plans over dinner.”
“Amy will be my maid of honor.”
“Wolf’s my best man.”
She giggled. “The decisions are made. Let’s elope.”
“My mom will insist on pictures—lots of them.”
She leaned back. “Set me down.”
“You’re lighter than the gear I haul around.”
“Samuel—”
He reluctantly let her feet touch the sand again.
“We’ll call people tonight,” she decided.
“Probably a good idea.”
She tugged him back the way they had come. “We’ll start with telling your boss.”
He laughed and tugged her back. “And end our privacy for the night? We don’t need to tell the guys yet.” He tucked her under his arm. “Come on, Dar. Let’s go find the perfect place to watch the sunset instead. I don’t want to share you.”
Thirty
* * *
SEPTEMBER 7
Saturday, 11:09 a.m.
Shelton, North Dakota
It was good to be home. Darcy leaned against the triple-rail fence she had painted the day before and watched as Sam and Tom tried to figure out what to do with the evergreen that threatened to collapse onto her garage. She was glad it was them and not her.
She turned the engagement ring on her finger. Lord, thanks for Psalm 55. The verse this morning was right on target. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” A year ago she never would have imagined this much change in her life—a hard-fought victory, a wartime romance, a best friend and a lovely future, a chance to live her dreams. She watched Sam and Tom wrestle with the tree. Life was so good.
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She reached for the sheepskin jacket and tugged out the phone. “Hello.”
“Dar, I’m looking at a clean desk and I already miss you.”
She rested her forearms against the railing, relaxing at the pleasure of hearing from Gabe. “Absence makes
the heart grow fonder.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re missing me too. You got some mail in.”
“Do I really want to read it?”
“You got a postcard from Sergey. It’s postmarked from the British Virgin Islands.”
“Read it.”
“It’s typical Sergey, short and to the point: ‘Darcy, surprised by message. The answer is yes.’ Is something going on?”
“I invited him to my wedding,” Darcy replied.
“I thought you weren’t going to mix business and your personal life?”
“Business is inevitably personal.” She watched the tree sway and heard a sharp crack as wood gave way. The tree came down on the garage roof. There were only so many miracles two SEALs could work. Cutting out a tall dead evergreen safely apparently wasn’t one of them.
“Gabe, let me call you back in about ten minutes, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” She hung up the phone and headed over to join the guys.
She stopped beside Sam and folded her arms across her chest to match the way he stood just looking at the tree. She tilted her head, studying the way the tree had crashed. They had done a great job. The crown line of the roof had been broken.
“We decided that you needed a new garage,” Sam remarked.
“That’s a good idea because as it turns out I do.”
He traced a finger down her cheek and smiled. “We’ll fix this. I’m thinking something with more than one garage door and a high ceiling, so we can park something taller and wider than a breadbox.”
“Good idea.”
“Since we’ve figured out how to take out a building, if you want that shed to go as well just let us know. We can topple another tree.”
She leaned against him, sharing his quiet amusement. She loved this man. “Suck it in, sailor, and get back to work.”
“Your nose is turning red in the cold.”
“I hope it gets so cold we have snow. I want to have a snowball fight with you since I know I’d win.”
“Oh really?” He leaned hard against her so that she lost her balance.
She gestured toward the tree. “Now what?”
“We play loggers.”
Tom reappeared from the damaged garage carrying an ax and a handsaw. “Want to make our own version of Old Misery?”
“A legendary telephone pole at the SEALs’ BUD/S course,” Sam explained. “It weighs an awful lot.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” Tom added.
Sam accepted the ax. “Let’s leave an Old Misery–size log and I’ll make a bench for the porch.”
“Don’t you think a chainsaw would be faster?” Darcy asked.
“But not nearly so much fun,” Sam pointed out as he stripped off his jacket.
She accepted the jacket and folded it across her arm. “You’re going to show off.”
Sam stepped over to the tree and buried the ax in the trunk. “Just a little.”
She settled down near the flower beds and watched them work. They were a good team: Tom clearing off branches while Sam attacked the trunk. She would enjoy being part of the special club of women who called a SEAL husband.
I’m so glad this has come full circle, Lord, that You brought me back here safely and introduced me to a man who will make this place truly a home. Sam’s a wonderful man. I couldn’t have envisioned something this special a year ago. He enjoys life, and I need that in my life.
The sound of a car coming up the drive interrupted her prayer. Her sister got out. Amy hadn’t changed much in the last year. She wore an Old West sheriff’s badge, a gift from Sam, as a badge of honor.
“It looks like you had a bit of trouble here.”
“They decided I needed a new garage.”
“So I see.” Amy settled on the ground beside her. “Now this is a sight worth watching.”
Darcy just smiled.
Amy handed her a folded piece of paper. “This came for you; I figured special delivery was the fastest route.”
The page was red-striped on the edges; it had come from the sheriff’s office secure fax.
423 million now seized. Awarded second Intelligence Star for Valor. Congratulations. Gabriel.
Darcy folded the document and slipped it into her pocket. She didn’t deserve it, but the CIA rarely asked the recipient.
“Congratulations,” Amy said softly.
“I’ve already got my reward, Amy. I’m home.” She didn’t need to go back East and be honored for something that was already a memory. She wanted to return to Hawaii and work more on her tan, learn to dive with Sam, come back here and make them a home for their future. The next season of her life was going to be perfect.
“Will you meet his family this weekend?”
“After we drop Tom off at the airport, we’re driving over for lunch with Sam’s family.”
“You’ll enjoy meeting Hannah.”
“From what you’ve said, I know I will.”
Sam and Tom began stacking the wood they had cut. “You can deliver a load of that to my place if you like,” Amy called out. “Evergreens smell so wonderful in a fire.”
“We’d be glad to.” Sam walked over to join them. “Hi, Amy.”
She got to her feet. “I came over to invite you guys to lunch so I can feed you and tug stories out about what Darcy has been up to these past several months.”
“We accept,” Tom said promptly.
Amy laughed and tipped back her white Stetson. “Good, because I don’t have company as often as I’d like. I cooked up a storm.”
Sam offered her a hand up. Darcy laced her fingers with his. This was what she wanted more of for her future—family, friends, and the man she loved.
They followed Amy and Tom down the road to her place.
“What?”
She glanced at Sam. “I’m just happy.”
“We’ll have many more days like this one. That’s a promise.”
She put her arm around his waist, his sweaty shirt not deterring her from the hug. “I would love to tell Amy today that we’re going to get married here in Shelton next month. You think that would work for your family and your SEAL buddies?” They’d talked about several dates, but she’d hesitated to choose one until now, until she got back here and had a better feel of what was happening in Amy’s life.
“It would.”
“And I’d like to see Coronado on the way back to Hawaii. I want to see where you trained to become a SEAL.”
“We could do that too.”
Darcy leaned back to see his face. “If I asked for the moon right now you’d say sure.”
“I’ve got what I want. You.” Sam hugged her. “Since you’re now ready to make decisions, I’ll point out you still need to decide on where we go for our honeymoon.”
“I’m pretty partial to somewhere with a beach.”
“We could make it a long honeymoon and try a few different beaches to compare which is the best.”
“Yes, please. As long as you teach me to surf,” Darcy said. Life with Sam was going to be such an adventure.
“I’ll also teach you to snorkel and dive. Probably dunk you a few times, just in case you were wondering.”
She tried to push him off-balance but there was no way to budge him. “You’re as solid as a tree.”
“I think that was a compliment.” He picked her up. “I love you, Dar.”
“I love you more.”
Sam laughed. “We’ll debate that for a few years.” He kissed her to seal the promise.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
During the writing of this book, September 11 happened. The event changed my life, as it did for many in America. The result is a book I wrote more for myself than someone who might later read it. This was the story I wanted to tell as I worked through the months of September through December. More than once during those months I came close to stopping and telling my publisher I didn’t want to write a military sto
ry—let’s do something else. Fans were sending their spouses and loved ones to war. Friends in the military were leaving for overseas. As I write this, many are still there.
Max Lucado’s book Traveling Light talks about the journey we take with God through life as captured by Psalm 23. Releasing burdens and trusting God even in the midst of tragedy is part of His plan for how we cope when life rips apart. God has a way of pulling together even the tough days of our lives into part of a beautiful tapestry.
Despite the external pressures going on through these months, I really enjoyed writing Sam and Darcy’s story. They were part of my own recovery of a sense of hope. Darcy is a warrior as much as Sam. Darcy was the endurance. She put her head down, accomplished the next objective, and kept going until the job was done. Sam is the trust. He waded into the fight confident he’d win, trusting God for the outcome. Together they were the right kind of team.
There are many like Darcy and Sam working today. This is my tribute and thanks to them. They are indeed heroes.
As always, I love to hear from my readers. Feel free to write me at:
Dee Henderson
c/o Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
351 Executive Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
E-mail:
[email protected] or online at www.deehenderson.com
Thanks again for letting me share Sam and Darcy’s story.
Sincerely,
Books by Dee Henderson
The O’Malley Series
Danger in the Shadows (Prequel)
The Negotiator
The Guardian
The Truth Seeker
The Protector
The Healer
The Rescuer
Uncommon Heroes Series
True Devotion
True Valor
True Honor
Kidnapped
The Witness
Before I Wake
Dee Henderson, True Honor
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