Page 14 of Healing Home

Before he could withdraw the offer, she grabbed his hand, letting him tug her up the sand. Then she continued to hold it as they walked along. “Navy SEALs train in this water, right?”

“Yes,” he agreed, “but that’s part of the struggle, the water temperature.”

“It’s a damn polar plunge.”

Link laughed and they danced away from an overly ambitious wash of water around their feet. “I’ve been in colder,” he told her.

BB couldn’t imagine.

They held hands as they walked down the beach and she eventually got used to the temperature of the water. A couple of times BB really appreciated Link’s strong hand because the sand seemed to want to roll out from beneath her feet as she walked. Patiently, he helped her regain her footing, his hand a solid tug against hers.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the beach like this.”

He looked at her, head cocked back. “I don’t even know where you live.”

“North of Bakersfield. About five hours from here. I live at the edge of the Sequoia National forest. This is not my normal scenery,” she laughed.

Nodding like he knew where it was, they walked on. Miles of beach stretched before them and she was more than happy to just walk along with him, holding his fingers. It was easy to pretend that they were like the other couples walking along.

They’d been walking for the better part of an hour when Link directed her to a fairly unpopulated area. “Let’s take a break and enjoy the sun for a bit.”

“Sounds good to me,” she admitted. Digging in her bag she drew out the towel and stretched it on the sand, then sat, leaving him room beside her. Link left some space between them, but she let it go. “What a beautiful view.”

“Yeah, I come down here as much as I can when I’m home.”

“It’s a bit different from the Middle East, yes?”

Lincoln laughed. “Hell, yes. The desert has its own beauty, but I grew up with water and trees and ocean. It’s what I prefer.”

He stared out over the rolling waves and she could see how important it was to him. Even with his glasses shielding his eyes she could tell he loved it. She turned to look as well, and for a long time they just shared space on the towel and allowed nature to replenish their souls. Eventually, Link moved enough to reach into his bag and dig out a couple of bottles of water. He handed her one.

“Thank you.”

Cracking the top from the bottle, he drank most of his down. BB did as well, and her attention was caught by a young couple with a child down the way. The parents held hands as they watched their little man, he couldn’t be more than three or four, race after the receding water. Then he would dash back to his parents, the waves chasing him in. He did it over and over again, giggling the entire time. The parents leaned in to kiss and it was very sweet. BB couldn’t help but watch the lovely scene.

Then one of the waves moved faster than the boy did and he crashed into the water, the wave rolling over top of him silently. Before she could even open her mouth Link was racing down the beach and dragging the boy up out of the surf. Gasping and crying, the little boy had a shocked look on his face.

The parents seemed shocked at what had happened, and thankful that Link had reacted as quickly as he had. They fawned over the coughing boy, making sure he was okay. Lincoln leaned down in front of him, saying a few words, and the child nodded. Then he walked back up the beach to her.

BB realized she was on her feet as well, and she planted her hands on her hips as he reached her. “That was quick action. Well done, Mr. Bezel.”

Link waved her words away. “I could tell it was just a matter of time. The sea will take you if you let her.”

BB wondered how many of his own friends had been taken. He was a Navy SEAL. Surely he knew men who had been lost. It was too nice of a day to dwell on the dead, though, so she didn’t pursue. “What did you tell him at the end?”

He flashed her a smile. “That he fought the sea and won.”

That was so smart. Now, rather than being terrified of the water, the boy would hopefully remember Link’s words. Or the parents would. “You don’t have kids, right?”

He shook his head, looking down at the sand. “No, I don’t.”

“Speaking as an aunt many times over, that was a very smart thing to tell a child. You’d make a great dad, Lincoln.”

She couldn’t see anything through his sunglasses when he lifted his head, but she could feel the weight of his gaze regardless. “Thanks, BB. I appreciate that.”

Then she did what she’d been wanting to do all day. She leaned in for a hug.

It took a minute for Link to wrap his arms around her, but when he did it was totally worth the wait. BB didn’t want him to think she was leading him on or anything, but she couldn’t quit touching him. The man was gorgeous, but his heart made her sad. For some reason when Carolina had said she was meeting a Navy SEAL she expected a bold, brash personality, not this humble, solid guy that didn’t seem to know what to do with her.