Bullard's Best Read online

  Was Dave interested in pursuing his relationship with Katie further? Yes. Was this spurred on by Bullard’s love for Leia? Probably. Was Dave finally taking a critical 360-degree look at his own personal life? Definitely. If Bullard could find a love that rivaled his idyllic love for Ice, then what were the odds that Dave could find a love that equaled or eclipsed his love for his wife and daughter? Maybe better than he thought. Dave finally saw hope, saw possibility, saw how he had limited his life.

  Now, more than ever, Dave really wanted a chance at forever with Katie.

  *

  Katie had been crushing on Dave since the first time Bullard had hired her and had introduced her to Dave to assist in that initial catering job—and many others since. That was so many years ago. She shook her head at that. Why hadn’t she spoken up way back when? She could have asked him out, after all. She didn’t know what held her back exactly.

  At that meeting eons ago, before Bullard even spoke, Katie caught her first-ever glimpse of Dave, feeding a stray dog what looked like homemade dog biscuits. This huge battle-scarred warrior had a soft spot for animals. It still brought tears to Katie’s eyes when she remembered that fateful day. And he continued to show her his sensitive side, not being all about ego and alpha-male superiority, even though Dave was just as confident and as fully male as Bullard.

  Katie had learned much more about Dave over the years. He was all about saving the planet, not disrupting Mother Nature, treating Earth with the respect needed to further our human race. He got especially irate when dealing with continuing crimes against women and children—raping, trafficking, abusing.

  As Katie had listened to him telling tales over the years, without giving too much away, she had learned that he was a medic—or more. Katie wasn’t sure exactly the depths of his training, on any level, but, in the medical realm, he seemed to have learned a lot from Bullard. They both knew how to set up a bare-bones clinic in the most desolate of regions. And had done dozens, if not hundreds, of them, training the locals to take over in their absence or when short a traveling doctor.

  Those two were a humanitarian force unlike any other she had seen up close and personal.

  Dave was different from Katie in so many ways, yet, in others, they were more alike. He could cook too. So they shared that skill. And he was a kind soul, despite the harsh events in his life. The test of life had proven over and over how Dave was a good man, how Dave never faltered from his core values, how Dave could be depended on without fail.

  So, knowing all this, why did she hesitate to make her feelings known? Obviously the man was never spontaneous. He was cautious. Hell, the man was stagnant. And she was getting impatient.

  She looked at Dave and wondered at what point in time he’d be ready to move on. She knew his history and wondered if he was just clinging to it because it was easy. That was a harsh thing for her to say, but she was so desperate for him to take a step in a new direction. She was really hoping, now that Bullard had found peace for himself and someone to love, that maybe Dave would be open to the possibility too.

  But Katie wouldn’t push it. Again she asked, Why? Was it some old-fashioned idea that the man had to ask out the woman, not the other way around? She had asked out other men before, but then … look how those relationships had ended. Yet she didn’t know them as well as she knew Dave. Was she fearful of being compared to his deceased wife? Sure she was. And living up to a ghost who just got more perfect with every day would be a losing fight for sure.

  Playing devil’s advocate with herself, she didn’t think Dave was like that. Katie had seen him with his niece. Hell, she had seen him with Bullard and the team. How Dave reacted to servers at her catering functions with the same respect that he doled out to his fellow warriors. Dave had nothing but love in his heart. Sure, he had loss in his mind, but Katie felt like his heart would win out. She had been giving him time to work it out on his own schedule.

  Bad move, she told herself, with a smirk. She had had no idea it would take him this long.

  But, on the other hand, if Dave didn’t know anything about how she felt, how could he deal with it? Sometimes men were dense. Plus sometimes it was just that male-female miscommunication thing happening. Maybe she just needed to be blunt. Put it out there. Let him decide, once he knew how much she liked him. If he agreed to further their relationship, it would be worth that moment of angst. Hell, she had been torturing herself about this for years. And if he didn’t want more from her? Well, yes. That would hurt. But she could course correct, given some time to mourn the loss of a good man. A perfect man, in her opinion.

  Time to man up, Katie.

  She smiled at him and looked around at this beautiful, peaceful environment. Taking a deep breath, she decided there was no time like the present. Before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, she began. “I can see how Bullard’s circumstances led him to rethinking his life, both on a personal level and a professional level.”

  “How does one really know, I wonder?” Dave asked curiously.

  “I think you just find an opportunity where you want to explore moving forward.”

  “I’ve shut the doors for such a long time though. How do I even know when I’m supposed to open them?”

  She looked up at him, smiled, gave him a gentle hug. “You’ll know. Besides, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing deal. Taking a step forward doesn’t mean you can’t still look back.”

  He hugged her back almost fiercely, and she wasn’t sure how much of that reflected his needs versus his fears. But regardless, she let him hug her.

  When he was done, he stepped back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Absolutely you should have. Come on, Dave. If nothing else, we’re friends, and we always will be.”

  He nodded and smiled. “We’ve been friends for a long time, haven’t we?”

  “We have.” Maybe she had fears too to deal with—of ruining such a wonderful friendship by asking him out.

  He grabbed her hand, and they walked back to the water. “It’s very idyllic here, isn’t it?”

  “Can we trust it to remain that way over the wedding?” she asked seriously.

  He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

  She shrugged. “I know a little bit about what you do, how busy your life is, and the type of work you are involved in. And I also know some of what happened here.” She motioned behind her.

  “We’d like to have a talk with one person, a local, but I don’t know that it’s anything to be worried about.”

  “Of course not, but maybe you should check it out anyway.”

  “Good point.” He smiled. “So, do you need anything from me?”

  “Yeah, your help with setting up and just transporting foods and tables from the yacht to the island.”

  “As always, you have that. What about right now?”

  “Well, I need to sort out what I have on the yacht to bring here. We’ll need an awful lot of tables, but we can do the bulk of the cooking there on the yacht and bring it up here.”

  “That’s what I was hoping for, given the lack of a real kitchen on the island.”

  “Okay, I’ll head out right now.”

  “Are there things here that we need?” Dave asked. “Like sourcing fresh fruit and vegetables from the village?”

  She looked back up at the hill that led to the closest village, not quite an hour away, thinking of carrying all that produce back via carts and lots of walking, and then shrugged. “Not really. I think we’ll use our own suppliers.”

  “Okay. Maybe I’ll head to the yacht with you then.”

  “Sure, come on.” She asked, “Are you planning on staying here?”

  “I’m here for the wedding and a couple days afterward.”

  “In that case, you should stay on the yacht with me.” She paused. “If you want to, of course.”

  He frowned and then shrugged. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”

  “What’s the matter
? Scared of being too close to me?”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll be gentle.”

  “What if I don’t want to be gentle with you?” She raised her eyebrows.

  He burst out laughing. “Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate your friendship?”

  She nodded. “Yes.” She wasn’t sure what to say after that. Dave seemed not ready to date or just not ready to date her.

  As they got back to the yacht, she returned to the friendly but strictly business relationship they’d had before.

  By the time they had checked their inventory and evaluated what they might still need to pick up and bring out, they went over the menu.

  “Now I understood I was here for four days, but, if you guys are staying here longer than that, do you want me to leave enough groceries behind?”

  He tapped the tabletop and wondered. “I know that Bullard is planning on staying here a good ten days. And he was planning on flying in with a bunch of stuff.”

  “Of course.” She looked around. “You guys need a dock for shipload deliveries. And a heliport too,” she added on a laugh.

  “We do.” Dave nodded, all seriousness. “I think the guys will get together and build each while they are here.”

  “Of course they will,” she said, with an eye roll.

  He laughed. “Remember? With money and some serious skills, you can do anything.”

  “I know.” She smiled. “Let me know what you decide on the food provisions thing.”

  “Will do.”

  Chapter 2

  Hours later Dave got back onto the small boat with Katie, as she took him back to shore. Together, they walked up to the area slated for the wedding and the reception to take one more look and to check off a few things that she still had on her list. One of which was looking for some level space, trying to decide if there was enough room, or if they needed to build some deck space. They measured Bullard’s shelter, as it could even be repurposed.

  She walked inside, shook her head. “I still can’t believe he stayed here all that time.”

  “It was a terrible situation that brought him here of course, but, in the end, I think his downtime here was something he was really blessed to have. He needed it for his physical health but also for his mental healing, aside from his brain trauma. I understand Leia was like a balm, both provoking and allowing Bullard some time for deep introspection. We are all so thankful that Bullard had Leia during his time here and now will have her evermore.”

  Katie sighed with longing, as she nodded and stepped out of Bullard’s makeshift cabin. She walked over to where the river met the ocean water. “It’s such a damn special space.”

  “It really is, and look at all this.” He swung an arm around this beautiful vista. “Hopefully this is a place that will stay this way.” He nodded his head, deep in thought. “We want to keep this pristine for as long as we can. Bullard is buying this as much to preserve it as to set it aside for Leia and his team to use. Bullard will not trample on Mother Earth as he adds in some cabins for his people.”

  “Absolutely.” Katie was glad to hear that, but she knew Bullard wouldn’t destroy the land here as he didn’t in Africa at his two compounds there. Over in the bushes something caught her attention, and she thought she saw somebody staring at them. She frowned. “Are there any neighbors?”

  “No, not for miles.”

  “So we’re being watched then,” she murmured.

  He looked at her and nodded.

  “Okay then. I wondered if it was just me.” She tilted her head. “We need to deal with that, preferably before all the testosterone arrives.”

  “Oh, we’ll deal with it all right.” Dave chuckled. “And I’m telling the team that you said that, by the way.” Reaching out, he tucked her arm into his elbow. “Let’s walk over in his direction.”

  “Is that wise?” she asked.

  “Well, it’s the best option we have at the moment,” he murmured.

  She frowned, and then together the two of them walked along the rocky edge that appeared to be more like steps.

  “She had a beautiful five years here,” Katie murmured. “I’m almost jealous.”

  “I know, right?”

  *

  Dave walked carefully; his gaze ever watchful. He had noticed the leaves rustling on the far side of the river earlier, but he hadn’t known whether it was animal or human. There were several crude crossings, as in downed trees that allowed someone to cross. One had a rope as a guide farther up. He had already been here, exploring, but he hadn’t seen anybody on this side. And because Leia didn’t own the property on the other side—that was one of the parcels Bullard was trying to buy—Dave didn’t really have any right to be there. Not yet.

  Plus, Dave figured the island way would take longer to get the paperwork done, making this all legal. But given that most of the island on this side was deserted, Dave was less concerned about that issue and more concerned about everybody’s safety. With Katie at his side, he walked forward, his gaze checking out the bushes.

  “Do you think somebody is here?” she asked softly.

  “I imagine so.” He gave a subtle nod. “A lot of people live in the nearest village, and there has probably been a lot of curiosity about what’s going on with Leia, especially since she left. Any activity here is bound to make a stir. People are naturally curious.”

  “Did they steal her stuff?”

  “I had a crew come back here and gather up her personal belongings right after they left. As you can see, there’s no way to lock up or to look after anything. But then the island people are not as concerned about possessions as other societies.” He shrugged. “I think it’s more about curiosity than anything criminal, like stealing.”

  “I get that, but we need to ensure the safety of everyone coming here for the wedding.”

  Dave agreed. He walked up to the first bridge. “Are you okay to cross this?”

  “Sure. The worst that can happen is I’ll get wet. Wetter, that is.”

  He just laughed, loving her openness. Still holding hands, the two walked across the makeshift bridge until they stood on the other side.

  “I can’t believe how beautiful this island is. Just compare this lush landscape to a new subdivision back home, where they plow down every tree and bush in sight, leaving desolation behind. And for what? To build a house amid a plot of gray dirt? It pains my heart to see the mindless death of all those trees. Why can’t they take down a few trees to make room for the footprint of the house? Maybe use the downed trees for firewood for the new home or even for flooring in the new construction?” She shook her head, lost in those thoughts.

  “Right. That’s exactly why we are looking at this as being a vacation retreat for the company, getting back to nature, getting back to simple, getting back to wholesome, after dealing with the blights in the world.”

  “Works for me.” She released another long sigh. “I would love to spend some time here. It’s actually very romantic.”

  He chuckled at that. “There we are, back to talking about romance.”

  “Not sure there’s any getting away from it.” She laughed. “We are here for a wedding, after all. Plus, it’s definitely gorgeous here.”

  And it was also empty of humans. “I’m not seeing any evidence of someone being here now,” Dave noted.

  “No, but, if they didn’t want to be seen, it wouldn’t be that hard to hide in this landscape.”

  “That’s quite true,” he agreed. “But, as far as I know, all the bad guys have been caught at the moment.”

  “Excuse me if this is offensive, but, in your line of work, there appears to be a never-ending supply of bad guys.”

  “That is quite true.” He gave her points for that. What he really didn’t want was anything to interrupt the wedding or to cast a cloud over the visit for anyone.

  “So are the rumors true? Are you really planning on having that many people get married that same day?” She paused, then added, “Not
that it really makes a difference in my catering plans, other than having one wedding cake shared by all.” She frowned. “Or I could do individual cakes …”

  “Let me ask you about that.” He stopped, turned to face her. “As a woman, do you think the women will feel put upon, if the guys spring this idea of getting married on them so quickly? Would it bother you?”

  She thought about it, then shook her head. “No, but then I’m a person who likes to do things spontaneously, at least if I’m left in charge.” She firmed her lips and gave a one-arm shrug. “So, for me, it would make a lot of sense to do something like this. While obviously I do make plans for my catering jobs ahead of time, I’m not the type to plan something for myself and have it be months away.”

  “Right, so you would prefer to have something that would come off fairly quickly.”

  “Absolutely. I’m not at all good at waiting,” she admitted. “But I’m pretty sure I’m not your average female either.”

  “There’s nothing average about you,” he stated sincerely.

  She squeezed his fingers. “Thanks. I think.”

  He smiled. “It was definitely intended as a compliment.”

  She wondered just how long they would tiptoe all around it. Finally she decided that, even though it could be awkward if the answers weren’t what she wanted to hear; it would be worth it to get it resolved. Squaring her shoulders, she just said what was on her mind.

  “So, Dave, are we heading somewhere, such as a dating relationship, or will we just continue to walk around it indefinitely?” She studied his face, seeing shock, then pleasure, washing over his features. She relaxed a bit, still nervous what he would now say.

  “Well, I’d like to see us head somewhere,” he replied, surprised by her directness. “I just don’t want to push you or to make you uncomfortable.”

  “We’ve known each other for years,” she noted. “Could a simple bit of conversation like this be pushing it?”

  “Maybe right now it is.” He explained further. “While we’ve got a lot of wedding-related work to get through over the next few days, plus we need to find the snitch and find out who is watching us, but going on a date or something down the road is certainly a potential.”