Soft Place to Fall (Navy Book 4)

Chapter 2

Will threw his saddle on tailgate of his truck as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He was in a foul mood and didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. He pulled it out and looked at it, cursing when he saw that it was his old teammate Josh McIntire.

This was definitely not a call he wanted to take, but it had been awhile since Josh had called, and their brotherhood meant that he couldn't, in good conscience, not answer it. He poked the screen with an angry finger and put the phone to his ear, instantly becoming good ole' easy going Will.

"Hey Brother, long time no speak."

"You sound in good spirits." Josh's familiar voice had a smile in it even though he knew his friend wouldn't be smiling, he rarely did.

"Oh, you know me, just relaxing over a few beers after a tough day with the horses, and I've got a few pretty women waiting in the wings to ease my battered bones." Will sat heavily on the tailgate next to his saddle, rolling his aching neck and back. It was so far from the truth that it was laughable, he would be going back to a motel room and having a beer but he would be using it to chase some over the counter painkillers, and there were no women. There hadn't been in a very long time.

"Sounds like you haven't changed," Josh said.

"Why change a good thing?" How easy it was to be who he was expected to be, at least on the surface. "How are Devon and Amelia?"

"They're fine, Devon sends her love." Josh was saying what he always said and the conversation was going as it always did. Will found it suddenly exhausting.

"I have a favor to ask?" Josh broke into Will's thoughts as if he sensed his disinterest.

This was new, Josh never asked for favors, suddenly the conversation was interesting.

"Sure, what's up?" Will stood up, closing his tailgate and moving to the front of the truck, climbing into the driver's seat.

"How quickly can you get to Austin?"

Will thought about it, he could walk away from his job at the ranch tomorrow and be there in just over four hours. "Tomorrow, mid-morning."

"You're not going to be leaving too many broken hearts behind you?"

"You know I always leave while I'm ahead. What's going on?"

"Kellan's wife, Charlie, has a sister, who has a friend that needs babysitting." Josh wasn't doing a great job selling it, what wasn't he telling him? Josh was acting as if he didn't want him to help.

Kellan was a former teammate of Josh's and Will's, and he wondered why Josh and Kellan weren't helping, so he asked as much.

"Kellan is busy teaching and I've got a job here, plus I'm not sure how long the babysitting will last. Could be a few weeks could be a few months. Devon wouldn't want me to be gone for a few months."

Will sensed there was more to it. "Is this the supermodel sister?"

"Yes, Laura Wren, now Stevens, you might remember her husband the photographer, Davis Stevens, and his brother Rainer, from when we were on the teams."

Will did remember, there was very little he didn't remember. It was an annoying trait. It had been useful when he was younger and wanted to complete SEAL training at the top of his class or remember a pretty girl's phone number, but now there was too much he wanted to forget.

"Is she hot too?" It was the expected question so he asked it.

"Does it matter?"

"Maybe?"

"I've only met the woman once and it was years ago, and I was with Devon so I don't recall," Josh hedged.

"So, your saying she has a great personality." Will pushed.

"No, I'm saying I don't remember very well what she looks like. She was tall." Will smiled at Josh's exasperated tone. He really did miss his friends, especially Josh, his buttons were always so easy to push.

They were silent for a moment. "I don't know Josh, I don't think I could babysit an ugly tall chick, you got a photo or something?" Will did his best to keep his face serious knowing it would be reflected in his tone of voice,

"No." Will could hear his friend's teeth grinding through the phone.

"She has a stalker and-,"

"Ugly chicks don't have stalkers." Will deadpanned, and he could picture Josh's death grip on the phone.

He almost laughed, this was the most fun he had had in months and that was sad. Will used to always have a good time. Maybe this was his chance to have fun again. "Fine, I'll babysit the ugly tall chick, but only for Devon and Charlie since they can't bear to be parted from their true loves. Do you think the supermodel will be there? That might make it worthwhile."

Josh sighed, giving up. "Her name is Carmen Morales and no one, not even she, can know that you're there to watch her. She will be staying on the Stevens's ranch, you'll be working as a ranch hand. She's arriving the day after tomorrow. Your contact there is Quinn Stevens, he's Davis and Rainer's brother, he is the only one that will know why you are really there. We have a few guys setting up security now and one of them will be there to meet with you tomorrow."

"Sweet, send me the address, I gotta go, there's a pair of beautiful brown eyes giving me the once over; shoot me over any other facts that I might need." Will hit end and looked back at the horse that was eyeing him through the windshield of his truck as she ate her feed.

*******

Josh threw his phone down on his desk and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face with his hands. You would think that the man would have a little less enthusiasm for life after all that he had been though over the past few years. But he didn't, he was the same barhopping skirt chaser that he had always been.

He had been reluctant to call Will for help, and there had been a small part of him that had hoped he would say no, but Josh was short staffed and he needed someone he could trust. He knew he could trust Will, no matter how offhanded and distracted he sounded. Will had a razor-sharp mind and was always two or three steps ahead of everyone else.

Josh had been evading Will's question when he had said he didn't remember what the Carmen Morales looked like, he did remember, she was a supermodel like Laura. Josh loved his wife, Devon, and he thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but Carmen Morales was everyone's most beautiful woman. He looked down at her photo on the inside cover of the magazine on his desk. Her Latin heritage was obvious in her coloring, she had a deep tawny skin and her hair was magnificent, it was the color of aged brass, there was streaks of gold, red, and brown that formed the thick mane that hung half way down her back. Her eyes were the lightest brown he had ever seen, they were the color of toffee.

She was stunning, and Will would be all over her inside a minute and it would ruin the op. Maybe he should advise her to wear a disguise and dress down as much as she could. Damn Will and his womanizing ways, he was making his life much harder than it had to be.