Matt enjoyed working in the flower field. The sun beamed down, but the heat was pleasant rather than stifling. Bees buzzed around the flowers, and birds sang from the trees and native bush surrounding the field. Even better, the beautiful Ada picked beside him. She was a woman of few words and hidden depths. Strong. She’d had to be with the curve balls life had chucked her. Funny, he’d never had problems talking to women or snagging one he set his sights on. The uniform helped—sure—but he liked women, and they seemed to gravitate to him.
Ada was a challenge, and being with her even in a platonic way made him feel alive and more self-aware than he’d been since he left active service. He hadn’t been searching for a woman, but now he thought he might have found one anyway.
“Did you still wa
