Embattled Minds (Military Romance) (Lost And Found Series) Read Free Page B

He seemed to be faster now than before he lost his leg, years ago.
    His back twinged as he rolled to a sitting position, and his hip popped, painfully. He’d have to use the Jacuzzi tonight when he got home. If he didn’t, he’d be stiff as a board tomorrow. Pushing to his feet, he carried the weights to the rack against the wall and dropped them into place.
    “Hey, Dunc, you seen Palmer today?” Chad gasped out.
    Duncan swiped his face with a towel as he walked to the treadmill.
    “No, not today. He said he’d be in tomorrow for a while, but he’s looking for a gift for Shannon.”
    Chad grinned and glanced at him. “She’s got him so pussy-whipped.”
    A half-full bottle of water hit Chad high on his back, jolting him off stride. Only natural athleticism kept him from landing in a heap at the bottom of the treadmill. He slapped the red button on the console and looked around.
    “Fuck you, Lowell.”
    Chad laughed when he saw Gunny Palmer sitting in his sport chair a few feet away, dressed in workout clothes.
    “Well, you are. Did I see you carrying her fabulous, bejewelled purple purse the other day?”
    Palmer clamped his heavy jaw, dark eyes narrowing. “Yes, you did. I’ll carry the damn thing everywhere she goes if she wants me to. You know why?”
    “Why?” Chad asked, laughing.
    “Because I get to go home and crawl into bed with her at the end of the day. And if she’s fucking happy, so am I.”
    Duncan punched Chad on the shoulder. “I think he’s got a point.”
    Chad flipped them both the bird and headed for the bathroom at the far end of the room. He turned before he left, though, and smiled. “I am happy for you, Gunny. You two are perfect for each other.”
    Palmer nodded once. “Thanks, Chad.”
    Duncan looked at his second in command of the company. John Palmer used to be a sour, uncooperative SOB. Over the past few weeks, ever since he’d been with Shannon, he’d changed. Easier to talk to without getting your head chewed off, more instructive with the younger guys. All around a better guy.
    “I, personally, thought you looked fine with the purse.”
    John glared, then burst out laughing. “You’re not right in the head, fucker.”
    Duncan grinned, glad that his buddy had found his piece of heaven. If Palmer could do it, it gave him hope that he wasn’t a lost cause. “Seems late for you to be here.”
    “Shannon’s parents are parked in the driveway till after Christmas. House is getting small.”
    Laughing, Duncan followed John to the weight bench he himself had just vacated. The other man shifted from the chair easily, and Duncan handed him the fifty pound weights he preferred from the rack. Preston continued to pound the bag in the corner of the room. He’d given no indication that he’d even heard the joking between the partners, though Duncan had no doubt the man knew everything that went on.
    John settled to his back and started doing compressions, barely even slowing down for the substantial weight. “I have to find her a gift and I have no idea what she wants.”
    Duncan frowned. “I don’t know that I can help you out with that, buddy.”
    “You don’t have any ideas at all?”
    “Well,” he sighed. “She likes purses, and animals.”
    John was shaking his head. “We already have Pickle and Gray Cat. I about had a heart-attack the other morning when I ran over Gray Cat’s tail. She screamed and I about pissed my pants.”
    Duncan laughed at the visual.
    “Well, you could always get her jewelry. An engagement ring, perhaps?”
    One of the weights slipped in Palmer’s hand and Duncan lunged for it, but the Gunny caught it himself.
    “Are you crazy? It’s only been a month since I moved in with her.”
    Duncan shrugged. “Okay. It was just a thought.”
    But the suggestion had been planted. He could almost hear the wheels in John’s head turning. As he walked out of the rec room toward his office, his phone buzzed with a voicemail. When he tapped the