Hearts orders, p.27
Heart’s Orders, page 27
“This will be a long trip and an important one,” the lieutenant said. “You’ll be returning to your home state, I believe.” Helen nodded. Rains cleared her throat. “If there is any reason, anything at all that comes to your mind, why you might prefer not to take this assignment, please tell me know. I’ll respect you much more for declining than for attempting something you might not be ready to do.”
Helen bounded to her feet. “I’m fine, ma’am. And I don’t even need anyone with me, I promise. I could handle that whole trip by myself.”
“PFC Toomer will be gathering information about upkeep and maintenance for these new tires while you handle the loading and secure the cargo. There’s plenty of work to go around, I assure you.”
Helen nodded, relaxing a little. Maybe this wasn’t about Rains not trusting her yet. She appreciated the way the lieutenant explained things to her, even when she didn’t have to. That Yarborough bitch would have just told her to shut up and get in the damn truck. “I’ll hold up my end of it, ma’am. You can count on that.”
Rains nodded. “Get some sleep tonight, Private Tucker. You’ll have a couple of long days ahead, but then I’ll make sure you get some downtime.”
Helen couldn’t wait to tell Tee, and when she did, Tee gave her a big hug, her first physical display of affection since the black market scam. Helen couldn’t help the low moan that rose in her throat at the close press of Tee’s body and she whispered, “I’ve missed this part of you. I’ve missed this part of us.”
“I’ve missed it, too,” Tee whispered back without letting go. “Maybe when you get back, we could—”
Jo Archer walked by on her way to the bathroom. “Hey, get a room, you two.”
They broke apart, Tee blushing. Helen followed Jo into the bathroom, chattering on about her upcoming trip.
Tee helped her pack after dinner, but Helen was still too keyed up to sleep. She wrote a note for Reverend Culberson, explaining why she would have to miss their next appointment. It was a chilly night and Tee was sniffling a bit so Helen told her to stay behind, promising she’d only deliver the note and be right back. After slipping the note under the reverend’s door, she sat on the very first pew for a moment, something she’d never done before. She looked around at the various stands and tables for the preacher, wondering if she’d ever understand all of it. There was still something scary to her about the big cross hanging from the front but she shook off the distractions and said what she’d come there to say. “This is Helen Tucker, but I guess you know that. And I guess you know I’m not all in on this yet, so I probably got no right to ask, but I’d appreciate it if you’d help me not fu—uh, mess up this trip tomorrow. Okay, thanks.”
She gave it the moment of silence that the reverend always did, not really expecting an answer or anything, but just in case. Nothing happened, but she still felt pretty good about being there. Reverend Culberson had said she could pray any way that felt right to her, so that was her second prayer of all time. She gave the stained glass image of Moses a little salute on her way out.
In spite of the cold, she decided to take the long way back to the barracks, just to work off the rest of her excitement. Making her way briskly along the deserted track, she thought she smelled a whiff of smoke on the air, and then a male voice whispered, “Hey, Tucker.”
Her heart sank and she looked around slowly. The dim glow of a cigarette moved up and back over near the stands. She thought about pretending she couldn’t see him but decided that might not be the best course. Casually looking around to confirm they were alone, she walked to the bleachers. “Hey, Newton. I thought you were—”
“In jail?” He snorted.
“I heard AWOL,” she finished.
“I like to think of it as mailing my resignation in from elsewhere. Though not too far, as you can see.” He took a drag of his smoke. “You sure came out smelling like a rose, though, after turning on your friends.”
Friends? Helen gave a short laugh. “Just because I didn’t get mustered out doesn’t mean my life is all hearts and sunshine. I’m on the strictest probation there is, with Lieutenant Rains watching my every move like a hawk.”
“But she won’t be watching you tomorrow or the next day, now will she?” Newton asked, and Helen pulled her coat closer, trying to hide the involuntary shiver that passed through her.
“What do you want, Newton?”
He pulled a bill out of his pocket and handed it to her. Flicking his lighter, he cupped it with his hands against the wind and held it up close so she could see the numbers. Fifty dollars. He snapped the lighter shut. “All yours for a little share of that new rubber you’re picking up tomorrow.”
Helen rubbed the bill between her fingers for a few seconds, letting her imagination bring up images of all it could buy. How would they do it? Fixing the invoice was out of the question since Rains had put in her new system. She sniffed, holding the bill out to him. “I can’t do it, Newton. For one thing, there’ll be someone else with me, a real straight arrow.”
He pushed it back toward her. “Let us worry about that. People have accidents all the time. We’ll make it look good.”
Was he talking about the truck? Or PFC Toomer? Either way, it wasn’t going to happen. “No thanks, Newton. I’m off the payroll, okay?”
“You always were a tough customer.” He pulled out another bill and pressed it into her hand. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what it was. “Now think about this, Tucker. Anything happens on this trip, or any other in the next ten years, who you think is going to take the fall? You. So you might as well get the dough for it. I could make you the richest private on the base.”
She thought about how it felt to have the reverend working with her to be a better person and about Lieutenant Rains trusting her to make this trip. She thought about Tee and the promises of the future that might be ahead for them. She put the money against his chest to make sure it wouldn’t blow away once she let go of it. “I’m already the richest private on the base.”
He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and leaned toward her. The rank smell of old smoke on his breath made her glad she hadn’t taken up the habit. “Suit yourself. But don’t you even think about mentioning this little meeting, you hear? I don’t want any law enforcement types coming by unannounced.”
Helen jerked her arm free, her temper flaring. “If you don’t want any company, then you’d better get off this base. In fact, you’d better get out of this town, Newton. I got nothin’ to lose by bringing you down, just to make sure I don’t get blamed for something I didn’t have no part of. And you know I can do it, too.” She pushed his hand that held the cigarette into his body and he jumped back, cursing and flailing at the burning embers. She ran, but not toward the barracks. She ran toward the motor pool, uttering the third prayer of her life that Lieutenant Rains would still be there.
She wasn’t, but Sharon, her assistant, was just putting on her coat, keys jingling in her hand.
“I got to talk to the lieutenant,” Helen panted. “It’s real, real important. Do you know how to reach her?”
Sharon took one look at her and sat back down, gesturing toward the chair beside her desk. “You’re lucky you caught me,” she said, reaching for the phone. “I have a dentist appointment in the morning so I was just finishing up some things for tomorrow.”
Helen nodded and tried to get her breathing under control while Sharon dialed. She was too nervous to sit. “Hello, this is Sharon West at the motor pool. May I speak to Lieutenant Rains, please?”
She held up a finger to Helen, but it wasn’t even a minute before she spoke again.
“Lieutenant, I’m sorry to bother you but I have Helen Tucker here, and she says she must speak to you on an urgent matter.” She listened for just a few seconds before holding the phone out to Helen. “Go ahead.”
“I need to tell you something about that trip,” Helen blurted out.
“Do you need me to come there or can you tell me on the phone?” Rains asked. Something about her low, steady voice made Helen feel like crying with relief.
“Could you—could you—” She couldn’t seem to finish.
“Have Sharon make you some coffee or get you some water, Private. I’ll be right there.”
Helen sagged into the chair as she handed back the phone. “Thank you,” she managed.
“What would you like?” Sharon asked, walking over to the coffeemaker.
How about a hundred dollars? was the answer that popped into Helen’s brain, but she scrubbed her hands over her face, wiping away that thought. “Water, please.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tee didn’t think she’d ever been prouder. Two more members of the black market ring on base had been caught and two more were being hunted, all due to Helen’s diligence in reporting the attempted bribe. Helen tried to act modest about it, but she had that little swagger back in her walk and that confident tone in her voice that Tee had always found so appealing. Lieutenant Rains had postponed the overnight trip to Louisville pending a final wrap-up of the case. The local police were called in, since all the remaining suspects were civilians, and once Helen finished with her testimony she had the rest of the day off. When she dropped by the PX unexpectedly, Tee’s heart jumped and she had to force her thoughts away from returning to her old fantasy about Helen bringing a delivery to her store. Preening slightly while several of the girls who happened to be shopping gathered around her, Helen’s eyes still sought out Tee’s. All the feelings Tee had tamped down about the softness of Helen’s lips and the way Helen’s hands seemed to heat up her skin reappeared, as a surge of desire traveled from her heart to her stomach and then lower. By the time Helen made her way over, Tee knew she would need to go change her panties. Perhaps she could take her lunch now and Helen could walk back with her.
“Hey,” Helen said softly. Her grin was devastating.
“Hey, yourself,” Tee answered, looking down to close her inventory book. When she looked back, Helen was looking at her with such intensity her lips parted. When Helen wet her lips, Tee’s mind supplied several quick images of Helen using that tongue up the side of her neck and flicking it around her earlobe before gently entering her mouth. She swayed slightly and Helen reached out a hand, her expression troubled.
“Are you okay?”
Tee gathered herself enough to look around for Major Edley. He was already looking their way, and Tee saw him start to move toward them. She took in a deep breath. “I think the major is on his way over here. If I can get lunch a little early, can you walk me home?”
“Home?” Helen grinned again. “You mean our multiple occupancy Sheraton Hotel?”
Helen could always make her laugh, even when she was in the middle of a heavy petting vision.
After watching Helen make nice with the major for much too long, Tee finally got permission to leave for her break. Once they were alone outside, she bumped Helen’s shoulder. “I might get tired of sharing you pretty quick. Once your glory fades, do you think you’ll be satisfied with just me?”
Helen cocked her head and looked around as if thinking, saying nothing. Tee knocked into her again and then they traded mock collisions all the way to the barracks. Helen held the door open and then tracked close on Tee’s heels to their bunks, confirming as she went that no one else was around. “One, you’ll never have to share me,” she said, watching Tee rummage for a few seconds in her footlocker. “And two”—she turned Tee to face her—“I know I could be more than satisfied if you’d just say you’ll be my girl.”
“Helen, I—” Tee began, but then Helen’s hands cupped her face and her mouth was on Tee’s and it felt so good that she let her coat drop to the ground just so she could get a little closer. Helen let go long enough to take her coat off, too, and in that time Tee had unbuttoned her own jacket and she guided Helen’s hands to her waist. She wrapped her arms around Helen’s shoulders, thinking how much she would like to lie beside her with both of them naked. The possibility made her breathing hitch. She pulled away abruptly, and before Helen could protest, she took off both their hats and threw them on the beds. Pulling Helen toward the lavatory, she insisted, “Come here,” and Helen obeyed without a word. Once inside, she pushed Helen against the smooth tile wall, shifting enough that her leg was between Helen’s. She reached around Helen’s body, letting her hands press down until they cupped her firm bottom. She pulled slightly and Helen grunted at the friction, and Tee wanted nothing more than to hear her make that sound over and over again. She leaned in and bit Helen’s neck lightly, breaking off to gasp when Helen’s hand trailed up the inside of her leg, climbing slowly toward the wetness that was flowing again.
The barracks door banged shut and they broke apart, breathing hard. “I need those new panties,” Tee murmured, turning toward a stall. “Can you bring them to me?”
Helen nodded mutely, her eyes still heavy with desire. Waving casually to the girls who’d come in, she found Tee’s underwear and got a pair of her own for good measure. After they both returned to their bunks, Tee ran her hand quickly across Helen’s hair, smoothing the few strands that seemed to have a mind of their own. “I don’t want to just say I’ll be your girl,” she whispered while they put on their hats and coats. “I want to really be your girl. I want to be with you. Can you make that happen for us?”
“Yes.” Helen’s whisper was hoarse. “God, yes. I mean, gosh, yes, Tee.”
Tee smiled. “Good.”
*****
Rain woke up first as she usually did, but when she tried to slip out of Bett’s grasp to take her shower, Bett murmured, “No,” and pulled her closer. Rain sighed contentedly and fell back asleep. Forty-five minutes later, Bett’s alarm jolted them both. Bett had to lean across Rain to reach the clock, and each time she cursed as she fumbled for the button to turn off the sound, Rain would tickle her just a little until Bett was laughing and slapping ineffectively at Rain’s hands while the alarm buzzed on.
Finally she was able to make the noise stop and Bett fell panting back onto Rain’s chest. “Well, I’m awake now, thank you very much.”
“My pleasure,” Rain said, breathing the soft fragrance of Bett’s hair.
“No, I’m quite certain that’s my line this morning,” Bett answered, pulling Rain over so they were facing each other. She was earnest as she stroked Rain’s hair and said, “Tell me how you know what I want when I don’t even know it. Tell me how you find these feelings in me.”
Rain kissed her as if they were in the midst of making love, making Bett almost breathless again when she said softly, “There are a thousand and one trails on your body, my beloved, and I intend to walk them all.”
Bett pulled Rain as close as she could, tucking her head under Rain’s chin, and asked, “Which one are we on now?”
“Six,” Rain answered but Bett could feel her smile. She knew the phrase a thousand and one was her way of saying too many to count, and Rain was humoring her linear mind with a literal answer.
“Will you walk some of them more than once?”
“Most certainly. And I expect to lose count and have to start over many times.”
“How many times?”
“At least a thousand and one times.”
Suddenly, Bett couldn’t play anymore. “Rain, I love you so much that I—I don’t even know how to tell you.”
She felt Rain nod and her arms tightened. “I know. I’ve searched my thoughts for the way to say what is in my heart. The first time I ever said I love you, it was to you, but I feel so far beyond that now that I…” Rain ran out of words and they simply held each other for a while, breathing and being together. After a time, Rain said, “I’ve never asked this of anyone before, but I want you to come with me to South Dakota and meet my people. I want you to know my family and I want them to know who you are and what you are to me.”
Bett blinked against a prick of tears. She knew this request wasn’t just an offer of a vacation. Rain’s family was incredibly important to her, and she knew she should feel honored. But instead, she felt a rush of dismay driven by her conscience. She tried for an easy out. “Oh, Rain. You’re so sweet to ask, but don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”
Rain shifted so she could look into Bett’s eyes. “It may seem that way by the measurement of the calendar, but in my heart I’ve known you forever. I wanted to ask you yesterday and I have thought it other times, too.” She touched Bett’s face. “You needn’t be nervous, Beloved, because it won’t be your appearance that matters. They will see only your goodness, your faithfulness, your virtue.”
Rain was saying something else, but Bett had closed her eyes and stopped listening. Her lover thought her reluctance was about being White. She had no idea that all of those qualities she’d named were tainted by the falsehood she’d let live between them all this time.
Rain seemed to be waiting on her response. Just saying no would be much too harsh, and she didn’t want Rain to be hurt by— She stopped, mocking her own unfinished thought. Wasn’t she really trying to spare herself the pain?
Rain tried again. “Bett, I am only asking you to think about—”
Bett cut her off. “I know, Rain, but I can’t—I can’t think about this right now. We’re terribly late and there’s too much else…too much else we need to talk about first.” Bett, who never got up first, kissed Rain fleetingly on the lips and was in the shower in a blink. There, her tears mixed with the water and washed away. Rain was gone when Bett got out.
*****
Dinner had been a very quiet affair, so afterward, when they sat in front of the fire, Bett tried to close the distance she could see in Rain’s eyes.
“I know we need to talk about this morning, Rain, but I need to ask you first about a trip I need to take,” she began. “It’ll be Christmas soon and we should have a few days off. I was thinking we could go to New York. You’ve never been, I know, and it’s lovely at Christmastime. I think you’d enjoy the sights.”
