Chapter 3

I shouted toward the street, "Someone help! Everyone come quick! Brian's harassing me! Somebody call for help!"

My voice drew a small crowd, and Brian clutched his face, shot me two furious glares, and hurried off.

I spat at his retreating back.

When I looked up, I met the curious gaze of a man standing beyond the low wall. The others had already dispersed, but he remained there watching.

I rolled my eyes at him and snapped, still fuming from my encounter with Brian, "What are you staring at? Never seen a woman lose it before?"

I turned and opened my door, muttering under my breath, "What terrible luck. I don't even know if he's carrying some disease. I'll need to disinfect everything, and there's not even rabies vaccines these days. I need to be careful."

I heard a soft laugh behind me and whipped around to glare at him again. "Why are you still here? Want me to give you a matching set of scratches?"

The man walked over with a good-natured smile, carrying canned goods and candy. His expression was gentle as he said, "I'm one of Mr. Lane's students, Daniel Carter. I'm here to visit Mr. Lane. Is he home?"

My face immediately flushed red, and I rushed to explain, "I wasn't being unreasonable just now. That guy Brian was harassing me. My father raised me well, I swear—"

The more I explained, the more tangled my words became. Under Daniel's amused smile, my face burned hotter and my confidence crumbled. "You should come in first."

I led him inside, and he said warmly, "Mr. and Mrs. Lane should have mentioned me."

I took a closer look at him and smiled as I gestured for him to sit.

I said, "My parents talk about you all the time. They say you're more like their real child than I am! They did mention a few days ago that you'd be coming back. Please, Daniel, have a seat. I'll make you some coffee."

I was genuinely happy, so I went to get some of my dad's prized coffee beans.

In my past life, I broke my parents' hearts, and my marriage was miserable.

I was too ashamed to go home and face them.

Later, I heard that Daniel visited them every year, and when they got sick, he arranged everything at the hospital.

I snuck in to see them once and found Daniel keeping vigil by their bedside all night.

I was so grateful to him that I went to church and prayed for his well-being.

Dad always said Daniel was his most talented student, but unfortunately, he dropped out to join the military.

I'd met him when I was little, but I couldn't remember what he looked like back then.

I only knew his family was poor—he was an orphan who lived with his grandmother after his parents died. When she passed away, too, my dad paid for his middle school education.

"Daniel, have some coffee." I smiled and set the cup down next to his hand.

My dad had given him that name. He said that while Daniel seemed gentle on the surface, he had an unbreakable core.

Dad hoped the scholarly atmosphere would soften his edges and make him gentle through and through.

Daniel grinned and teased me. "Haven't seen you in years, and you went from troublemaker to bigger troublemaker. Still getting into fights, I see."

Something in his tone felt too affectionate, and my ears burned hot.

I was wild as a kid. Being the only girl in the family meant my parents let me run free, and I spent my days roughhousing with the neighborhood boys. Getting dragged home by angry parents was just part of the routine.

"I don't just go around hitting people," I said quickly. "I haven't gotten into a single fight since I graduated. I'm a doctor now. I know better than that."

I needed him to know I wasn't some violent mess.

Daniel's eyes crinkled with amusement, but then his expression shifted. "Mr. Lane mentioned you're transferring to the military hospital?"

I nodded, confused about where this was going, and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm stationed nearby," he said. "If you need anything, come find me. I came in a rush today and I've got a meeting to get to, but tell your father I agreed."

I blinked. "Agreed to what?"

He gave me a look I couldn't quite read, then stood and walked over to where I was standing.

He was six-two. I was five-six. Next to him, I felt tiny.

His shadow fell over me completely, and the closeness made my breath catch. It felt like being pulled into his orbit.

I stepped back instinctively.

"I need to go," he said with a slight smile. "We'll catch up properly next time, Jules."

He headed for the door, and I followed, planning to walk him out. But when I saw him talking to his guard outside, I stopped short and just waved from the doorway. He waved back.

For some reason, it felt like watching my mom send my dad off to work. And he'd called me Jules, my childhood nickname. My face heated, and I turned and went back inside, oddly flustered.

The guard muttered to Daniel, "That girl's got a temper."

Daniel rubbed his fingers together behind his back. He said thoughtfully, "A strong temper means she won't let anyone push her around. Let's go."

The guard looked confused. "Major, didn't you come here to propose? You're just leaving without even trying?"

Daniel's expression turned thoughtful. "Everyone's into dating first these days, right? We can fall in love first and get married later."

The guard blinked in surprise, then hurried to catch up with Daniel's retreating figure.