Page 29 of Unintended Love

“Theodora, I’m sorry, but you can’t take the furniture from the house.” Clint stood with his feet shoulder-width apart and his powerful arms crossed over his impressive chest. “We provide those homes furnished.”

Her mother responded to Clint before she did. “These beds and this dining table were custom-made for my daughter and her husband. They paid for these with their own damn money. Unless you’re willing to ship these back via freight, they’re going on that airplane.” Her mother pointed at the huge plane and the soldiers carrying supplies and equipment up the ramp.

“Wait here.” Clint gestured to the men waiting on the loaded truck. “Don’t you dare unload a single thing until I get back.”

When he returned, he didn’t look happy. “Van said it can go, but it has to be unloaded as soon as we land in Texas. You’d better arrange for a place for it to go and someone to take it there within three hours after landing. My men are going to be very busy.” He glanced at the compound maintenance staff who were unloading the truck and shook his head before returning his gaze to the women. “It’s a long plane ride, so if you want to change your clothes, be sure to grab them now. Your suitcases may get buried under essential gear.”

Theodora was thrilled that they had found a place for all her custom-made furniture. She hadn’t believed that she would be able to take it to the United States with her. Leave it to her mother to get things done. When the pickup truck was empty, she gave the men the last of her Ethiopian money. She didn’t think she’d ever need it again.

“Go right in. I have saved seats for you.” He grinned at her and her mother. “Because you’re riding with us, Van decided we needed regular, airline-style seats. I’m warning you, though, they are well-worn and not very comfortable, but they beat the hell out of jump seats. In the price is right. Sorry, Kimmy, it’s a long way from the first-class seats we bought for you on the trip over here. Real seats have made the men very happy. This is a military aircraft, and they usually ride in jump seats along the sides.” Clint handed each of them a pair of earplugs and a sleeping bag. “There’s no insulation or heat. I suggest you curl up and go to sleep.” He showed them to their seats. “I picked these out for you. They are two of the most padded, least torn seats that still recline a little.” He pointed toward the stairway to the cockpit. “There is a very small toilet up those steps. Don’t worry, the men are not allowed to use that bathroom, only the flight crew.”

Clint started to walk away, but turned back to Theodora and her mother. “I suggest you curl up in the sleeping bag and go to sleep. When you wake up, I need to know the name of the funeral home where you’re having Javier’s services. They have to meet us as soon as we land. Then, where do you want all this furniture to go? It’s next to come off this plane. Are you going to rent a storage unit? Is it going to mother’s house? Do you know where you’re going to live? I’d appreciate it if you would give me the name of the closest hotel to the veteran’s cemetery. That’s where the men and I will stay.”

Theodora laughed. “There are no hotels, or even motels, nearby. I told you, we come from a tiny town.”

“Fine.” He looked frustrated. “Do you know any real estate agents in that area? How about campgrounds? Think about it and let me know when you wake up. We’ll be stopping a couple of times to refuel. Takeoff and landing will probably wake you up. I need to know at least a couple of hours before we get to Texas. You’ve got about thirty minutes to get settled before we’re wheels up.”

Theodora glanced at the long stairs. She’d be making several trips up and down the plane. Her bladder would wake her multiple times before they landed in Texas. She’d use the next thirty minutes to get some answers from her mother and make some decisions.”

Chapter 11

“Nice landing, little brother.” Clint patted Van on the shoulder. He’d gently set the monstrous modified C-5 onto the runway at the Kelly Field near Lackland Air Force Base, the closest military base to where Theodora and Javier grew up. It was about fifty miles away from Charlotte, Texas, but the closest airport with a five-thousand-foot runway, required for an aircraft that size.

As soon as they’d hit US airspace, Clint had started making calls based on Theodora’s recommendations. He’d been able to talk to her during one of the many refueling stops, usually on military bases, thanks to their official orders from Homeland Security.

“Sorry it took us so long,” Van apologized as he started the post -light checklist. “Flights like these make me miss in-air refueling.”

“Is that the only thing about the Air Force you miss?” Clint asked.

“Yes!” Van declared emphatically. “Dad gives me all the free rein I can handle for the airside of his operation. As long as I can justify the cost. But you know that. He does the same for you on the land side.”

“Definitely. Thanks for getting us here safe and sound and in less than twenty-four hours. Not bad.” Clint checked his American cell phone for messages, then looked out the window.

Yes. I love it when a plan comes together.

The local funeral home hearse was cautiously approaching their plane. A second sedan was right behind it.

Excellent. According to his text, that would be the insurance adjuster.

Clint reached into his travel satchel and retrieved what was supposed to be all the paperwork he needed for Javier’s body. Thankfully, Doc Barnes had taken the death certificate he had signed to the American Embassy in Addis Ababa to get the Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad (CRDA). The funeral home would have to issue an official US death certificate, which he hoped would happen today, since it was early in the afternoon Central Time. Clint had been told the insurance company could release one hundred thousand dollars as soon as the CRDA was in the adjuster’s hands.

He heard the tailgate opening. He needed to hurry downstairs and grab Theodora, and of course, her mother. He wanted them off the plane before his men dealt with Javier’s body. It had been shipped in a body bag inside a man-sized refrigeration unit that had been loaded first and far away from the seats.

He hurried down the steps and passed Murillo, who was giving orders like he’d been doing so with their team for years. “How’s it going?” Clint just wanted verification.

“I got it, boss.” His new SNCO gave him a thumbs-up.

The thought of taking the year home to Texas ran through Clint’s mind. He made an abrupt halt. “Lukas, you’re from Texas, right? If you want to take the next couple of days off while we’re here and go home to see your parents, feel free to do so.”

Murillo froze as though surprised. He quickly recovered. “My family and I aren’t on real good terms,” he explained. “But thank you for thinking of that.”

He’d used one of the many stops to brief Lukas Murillo on how he wanted things unloaded. Clint was a little surprised when his new senior leader had taken the initiative to ask for volunteers to handle Javier’s body once they’d arrived in Texas.

* * *

Clint moved quickly to where he’d seated Theodora and her mother. “Please come with me to meet the insurance adjuster. He’s waiting right outside for you.”

Clint helped both women down the steep military-grade ramp that, under Van’s direction, had been reinforced so they could drive preloaded trucks and roll helicopters weighted with munitions quickly and easily on board.