Have Yourself a Marine Christmas (Always a Marine) Read Free

distress—he’d come in for his physio appointment and left five minutes later without a word to anyone. It had taken one of the orderlies to track him down in the park. He’d found a bench, sat down, and stayed there most of the day. Refusing to attend any of his sessions for the next three days, he’d barricaded himself in his room with a bad temper and hostile attitude.
    Cutting short her trip had upset her mother, but Noel couldn’t in good conscience stay another five days and let Rebel push the others around. He’d had his issues over the last year and alienated more than one of the nurses with his black moods. He was always on her rotation and she didn’t mind his temper, mostly because she didn’t put up with it. The first time he’d raised his voice at her, she’d dumped a pitcher of water over his head. He didn’t do it again.
    Picking out a lovely spot, she angled his chair toward the bench and sat. Crossing one leg over the other, she stared at him expectantly. “Talk to me.”
    A breeze wrapped the chilly air around her, and goose bumps prickled along her arms. She should have brought a jacket, but the sunny spot offered at least the illusion of warmth. Hard to believe she’d worn shorts when she’d stayed at her parents’ house.
    “It’s not a big deal.” The white lines of tension around his mouth deepened. “What went wrong at the wedding?”
    “Why would anything go wrong?” She’d give him some space, but not much. It helped no one when he pushed everyone away.
    “You weren’t due back till Friday. It’s only Tuesday.” So he had paid attention to her schedule when she’d told him about it.
    “Ahhh, well, you want details, you have to give details.”
    His eyes narrowed and she swallowed a grin. If he thought she was a hard-ass, he really should meet her mother, or better, her Nana Rosa. When Nana Rosa wanted to know something, it was easier to tell her because she never forgot and she never let anything go.
    The breeze picked up and she folded her arms, rubbing her palms along her biceps to heat them.
    “You’re cold.” Reb scowled. “Why aren’t you wearing your jacket?”
    “I didn’t notice.” She kept her tone light and glib. When his frown deepened, she couldn’t resist tweaking him further. “And the longer you delay telling me, the more I’m not going to notice it’s so cold my nipples are about to fall off.”
    His mouth snapped shut and his teeth ground together. “You can be a real bitch sometimes.”
    “You know it.” But it didn’t change anything. He’d refused physio three days running and he couldn’t afford to sit around all day. It would increase the swelling in his stumps and cause the issues he had with the prosthetics. Beyond the physical problems, it wasn’t good for him emotionally. She’d hoped he would have at least called his family over Thanksgiving weekend, but his mother had left her a message, too. He hadn’t called.
    He’d dug a trench between his current and former lives. No one had been allowed across it. Enough, however, was enough. She’d had to shake him up before and by God, she would do it again. They had not been through the last twelve months together to let him slip now.
    Clouds drifted across her splash of sunshine and the temperature seemed to plummet. She didn’t have to manufacture a shiver this time; her jeans and polo shirt were hardly effective versus the promise of winter’s kiss.
    “Son of a bitch, Noel. Let’s go inside before you freeze to death.” He blinked first, but she knew him well enough to know she couldn’t accede to his wishes yet even if he really didn’t like her being cold.
    Sucking it up, she held her ground. “Tell me why you skipped physio and I promise to buy us hot sandwiches and coffee for lunch.” Her stomach growled at the suggestion. She’d driven straight through, pausing at her apartment only long enough to shower and change before heading in to see Rebel.
    Banging his fist