Page 39 of Keeping Amanda
“Do I really need to come with you to talk to people about what happened?”
“Do you want to stay here?”
The thought of being separated from Nash was an uncomfortable one. She’d gotten way too used to being with him. She’d have to eventually, of course, but the longer she could delay that separation the better, as far as she was concerned.
“Not really. But can I get my clothes first? I mean, it sounds as if it’s all packed up already, so it shouldn’t take long.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure that happens.”
Amanda looked down at Rain, who’d stayed at Nash’s side throughout her reunion with the kids, but he’d come to stand next to her once the children left. “You don’t have a hundred diseases, do you, boy?” she asked quietly. She was heartsick at the thought of having to be separated from the dog who’d worked his way under her skin, in a good way.
It hurt more than she wanted to admit to hear Blair dismiss out of hand the possibility of Rain staying with her at the school. And she didn’t understand the comment about “where we stand with your volunteer agreement.” As far as Amanda knew, she still had three months to go. She’d been there three months already, and spent one month in the jungle. Maybethatwas what Blair wanted to discuss? Whether her time in the jungle counted as part of her six months or not.
And she was equally confused about what “duties” she’d take on until she went home. She was here to teach. Would she not be teaching anymore? And if so, why not? What would she possibly be doing here if she wasn’t spending her days with the kids?
Her mind was spinning. Something seemed way off, but she didn’t have the brain bandwidth to figure it out right now. Her belly was growling and she was eager for Nash to reunite with his friend. Obi-Wan had to be just as worried about Nash as she’d been about the children.
So, reunite Nash with his teammate. Then she felt as if she could eat an entire cow all by herself, then sleep for three days straight—after spending an hour in a very hot shower, of course. But first, apparently she needed to speak to someone, explain what had happened from the day of the kidnapping and beyond.
The next few hours promised to be very busy, but Amanda blocked it all from her mind. One minute at a time. That’s all shehad to get through. Whatever happened would happen. Besides, Nash would be there.
It was scary how fast she’d come to rely on him to watch over her. It wasn’t a bad feeling, just new. One she knew she’d have to break, because sooner rather than later, he’d go his way and she’d go hers.
As they waited for their ride to the base, Amanda closed her eyes and leaned against the man who’d been her rock. They’d met under pretty shitty circumstances, but she couldn’t regret anything that had happened. Because it had brought Nash into her life. For how long, she had no idea, but she would treasure every minute she had with him, since she had first-hand knowledge that the future could change on a dime.
What she’d thought was her path in life had changed so many times in the last few weeks, months, she had no clue which direction she was going now, or even how she was going to get there.
All she could do was hang on for the bumpy ride and hope for the best.
CHAPTER TEN
The second Buck saw Obi-Wan, he grinned. His friend looked like shit. As if he hadn’t slept well in weeks. Which was only fair, since Buck’s sleep had been crap as well.
The man driving the car that picked them up at the orphanage hadn’t said much on the way to the military base, but the second they pulled into the lot of the very building where they’d made their plans to rescue Mandy and the kids, Buck finally relaxed.
The scene at the orphanage was weird. He couldn’t put his finger on what had made him so uneasy, but something wasn’t right. Which was why he’d said Mandy would be coming with him back to the base. She probably didn’t need to, but not only did he feel reluctant to part from her, he couldn’t leave her surrounded by the somewhat hostile vibe he’d felt at that place.
And it seemed as if she felt the same way, since she’d agreed so readily. He knew if she hadn’t felt something was off, she never would’ve wanted to be away from the children she adored. Especially the ones she’d bonded with even more deeply during their kidnapping nightmare.
“Buck!” Obi-Wan exclaimed, not hesitating to throw his arms around him and pound on his back a few times.
It felt good. Buck wasn’t a man who shied away from physical displays of affection. Maybe that was because his parents hugged each other and their kids all the time while he was growing up. Or because he had a sister who had no problem showing her love by hugging him. Regardless, he returned his friend’s enthusiastic greeting, then pulled back.
“You know the colonel is gonna ride your ass for that stunt, right?”
Buck winced. Yeah, he knew that. Night Stalkers weren’t supposed to leave their aircrafts, yet not only had Casper done it—with disastrous results—now, so had he. “At least our chopper didn’t get blown up as a result,” he said with a chuckle.
“True. Laryn will be thankful, since it’s bad enough she has to get Casper’s new chopper up to snuff. If she had a second one to deal with at the same time, I think she’d quit on the spot. And I’m assuming this istheAmanda Rush?”
Turning, Buck smiled at Mandy, who’d been hanging back, giving him space to greet his friend. He held out his hand and, to his great satisfaction, she took it and let him pull her forward.
“Yes. Mandy, this is Obi-Wan, my copilot and one of the best damn chopper pilots in the world.”
“Obadiah Engle,” his teammate said, holding out his hand.
Mandy shook it, a small grin on her face. “I guess I know why people call you Obi-Wan.”
“Yup, because I fly my choppers like they’re starfighters,” he teased, returning her smile.
