“Really? Why?”
He glanced at her. “You actually want to know?”
“Yes. I mean, in lay terms, but absolutely.”
His long fingers tapped the steering wheel. “They’re a sign of warm and coldfronts interacting. As hot air rises and cools, it condenses the water droplets in the atmosphere, forming clouds. If enough moisture gathers, the clouds will turn into big, fluffy, gray cumulonimbus and we’ll get rain or thunderstorms.”
Tara stared at the clouds. “I had no idea. So what you did in combat weather wasn’t just based on computer models and forecasting?”
“We used every tool wehad, but sometimes there’s no substitute for being on-scene. If the forecasts and radar were enough, the military wouldn’t have needed us.”
“That makes sense.” She was curious to learn more, but didn’t want him to feel like he was back in school. “When you were a kid did you ever lie on the ground and watch the clouds?”
He chuckled. “I still do that.”
Of course he did. Why hadshestopped?Even when she’d lived in a townhouse in Fairfax, she’d never bothered to lie on her deck and simply relax. “In high school, I used to lie out at our neighborhood pool in the summer. Tanning was my excuse, but sky gazing was a big draw. That and getting out of the house. My parents and my older sister were…irritating. I think those quiet moments staring at the clouds saved me from going crazy.”
She could feel Jeff’s gaze on her profile, but she kept hers firmly on the heavens. Would they get rain?
“My big brother was a bully,” he said, returning his focus to the freeway. “I spent a lot of time as far away from home as possible. Our house was at the base of a hill in the Springs, so I explored the woods year round from an early age, either with friends, my dad, or my dog. Ian hatedthe outdoors and spent all of our camping trips whining or sulking with his face in some kind of gadget, but it meant I didn’t have to worry about him following me when I left the house.”
“I’m sorry.” Lauren was a bitch, but she hadn’t tortured Tara or anything. “Was the military your way out?”
“Joining up was always my plan, for all the reasons I mentioned earlier. But getting away from Ianwas a definite bonus, especially since he didn’t move out of the house after high school.”
“How long were you in?”
“Twelve years.”
Tara couldn’t think of anything she’d done for that long. Her four years at Steele were a record, but she loved it and had no plans to leave. Some people needed more time than others to find their groove. Story of her life, it seemed. “Would you have stayed inlong enough to retire?” By leaving the service early, he’d given up retirement pay and inexpensive health care for life. With only eight years to go, it had been a big sacrifice.
“If not for Evan, you mean?” Jeff rubbed the back of his neck.
“Uh-huh.”
He shrugged. “Probably. But I have no regrets. Evan’s worth it.”
His devotion gave Tara the warm fuzzies. And other warm feelings. How wouldit feel to be on the receiving end of that kind of love and commitment?
Maybe someday she’d know.
“How’d you end up working for Steele?” he asked, probably tired of talking about himself.
“Jenna and I both worked at Quicksilver Defense when I was kidnapped. I got to know Dan and Kurt during that whole ordeal and aftermath, and a few weeks later Kurt asked me if I’d be interested in workingfor him. I don’t know if he took pity on me or what, but he definitely needed help running the place.” She sometimes wondered if Kurt had done it as a favor to Jenna’s husband Mick so Jenna could quit worrying about her, but maybe it no longer mattered. “It turned out to be a good fit.”
Jeff nodded. “The guys talk about you like you’re Wonder Woman.”
Her cheeks burned and she scoffed.If only. “I’ve been able to help out a few times, but Caitlyn’s far more qualified to wear the bulletproof bracelets.”
“It’s about more than dodging bullets,” he said, but didn’t elaborate, and she wasn’t going to fish for compliments.
They fell silent, and spent the next hour listening to indie rock while Tara absently watched the scenery.
“You must be getting tired,” she said. “Do you want meto drive?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“You don’t think I could handle it?” She was small, but the RV had power steering. And she was a good driver.
