Mia

Not what he expected.Captain Jude Walker fingered the scrap of paper and, once again, glanced at the address Nicole had sent him--114 Rosemont Avenue.It'd been seven days since the 101st Airborne had redeployed home from the Middle East, and this was his first opportunity to leave Fort Campbell. The last mandatory reintegration briefing had ended at noon. He'd signed out on two-weeks' leave, climbed into his pickup and headed to Atlanta. Four hours later here he sat on Rosemont.Tension tightened his shoulders, and a wave of anxiety rolled through his gut. He felt as if he was in a combat zone instead of this residential city street. It was probably the worry that had eaten at him for a month or so.Why had Nicole stopped answering his e-mails? A glitch with her Internet provider, or so she'd claimed over the phone. The last time they'd talked, she assured him her system would be back online within a day or two.He would have believed her except for the apprehension he'd heard in her voice."What's wrong, Nicole?""Nothing, baby. Everything's gonna be fine."Three days later, a lone message appeared in his inbox, compounding his unease. "Don't try to find me."Then her phone had been disconnected....Almost five weeks and nary a word.His military training had taught him to plan for the worst-case scenario. He'd called every hospital in the Atlanta area, just in case. The long-distance charge had been worth his peace of mind. No one named Nicole Valentine had been admitted to a medical facility in the metro area.The police had been less than forthcoming, except to assure Jude a missing persons report had not been submitted in her name.Foolish as it seemed, Jude had talked himself into believing she'd be waiting for him when his plane touched down at Fort Campbell. A crowd of exuberant well-wishers swarmed the tarmac, waving American flags and screaming with joy as he and his men deplaned. He searched the crowd but never found Nicole.Standing alone when every other man had someone to wrap his arms around had been worse than marching into battle. The sense of emptiness haunted him still.Jude let out a breath of frustration. Had he read too much into their chance meeting in Atlanta? Without a family to go home to and knowing he'd be assigned to Atlanta's Fort McPherson shortly after his thirteen-months' deployment was over, Jude had chosen the city as a good spot to visit over R&R in the middle of his stint. Meeting Nicole had been a plus he'd never expected.The two weeks passed quickly as they got to know each other. Nicole seemed enthusiastic about their relationship until he happened to mention the possibility of a future together."Gotta live in the moment," she quipped when the subject came up. "Besides, you don't know me. You don't know who I really am.""I know enough," he assured her. But the truth was, he didn't know anything about Nicole except she'd been staying at the same hotel. Unusual, yes, since she lived in Atlanta. A minivacation without leaving town, she claimed.At that point he'd been too taken in by her warm smile and twinkling eyes to question anything.But now, after being deployed for thirteen months, the last thing he needed was rejection.Surely everything would work out once they were together again.And what about her e-mail that warned him not to try to find her? Merely anxiety on her part about reconnecting after six months? At least that's what he kept telling himself.Bracing for whatever would unfold, Jude grabbed his beret and stepped onto the pavement, wishing he'd taken time to change into civilian clothes. Hopefully, she'd be glad to see him, no matter what he was wearing.Slamming the truck door, he glanced down Rosemont. An older neighborhood. At one time, probably prime real estate, now slightly in need of repair.One-fourteen sat back from the road. A three-story rambling brick complete wGiusti, Debby is the author of 'Mia', published 2008 under ISBN 9780373442843 and ISBN 037344284X.