“Not a single word,” he confesses.
“Are you insane?” I shout.
My voice is loud enough in the enclosed space of his truck’s cab to make my ears ring. He doesn’t seem remotely bothered by the high pitch or my outrage.
“Probably.”
His grin only grows bigger. A startling thought occurs. The nickname—
“Do you even know my name?” I burst out.
“Of course.”
My silent glare prompts him to add, “Tabitha Carter.”
“Dr. Tabitha Carter,” I correct him automatically without realizing that it might offend him.
“I’m sorry. I knew that,” he says and the slight twinge of guilt lacing his words eases my prickled pride.
At least until he opens his mouth again.
“You’re rather young.”
Oh, for the love of—
“My age was listed in my bio,” I snap. “Are you so old that you can’t read the tiny print anymore?”
His laugh startles me. The rich rumble fills the cab as he hunches over the steering wheel and clutches it like a pillow to his chest.
“You don’t give an inch do you, clever girl?” he asks.
The nickname twists something sharp in my stomach. I thought he meant it as a compliment, but now I think it’s an insult.
“My field of study is academic, and male dominated. If I give an inch they take a mile. Iamthe youngest among my peers. So, no. I don’t cater to weak minded men who think their gender makes them superior to me, soldier boy.” I snap out the last two words with enough heat to melt tungsten. Let him belittlemeand I’ll show him exactly how fierce I can be.
He's quiet for a moment and when he does speak his tone is sincere.
“I served with women. They were as capable as any man. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
Letting his earnest apology soothe my irritation, my breathing evens out and my heart rate slows. It’s still a quick fluttering in my chest but that’s quickly becoming the norm around this man.
“I’m sorry for overreacting.”
“Nah, don’t be,” he says grin back in place. “I’m well known for being a bit of an asshole.”
Chapter Five
Marshall
My afternoon takes a steep detour after I pick Tabitha up from the airport. I didn’t plan to bring home a wife. That she wouldn’t blink twice at my leg didn’t even register as a possibility. Oneminute I’m steeling myself for the breakup speech I’d mentally prepared and the next I’m walking her out to my truck.
The entire drive back to the ridge I expect to uncover a dealbreaker. Something to keep us from moving forward with this marriage.
Aside from a moment when she seems ready to kick me out of my own truck for not addressing her properly, our conversation flows smoothly. The second her lip curled up in a snarl and she addressed me as ‘soldier boy’ I was sold. The mouth on this one, I swear. I never thought I would get married, but it feels like no time has passed before we’re standing in front of the judge repeating our vows.
“You may kiss the bride.”
Tabitha’s eyes go wide the second the last word leaves the judge’s mouth, and I fight back my grin. She might be the smartest woman I’ve ever met but the shocked look on her face betrays her surprise.
