Storm (Linear Tactical #10) - Janie Crouch Page 0,3

get stuff going with the move,” Marilyn warned. “And only if Mr. Noah is comfortable with it.”

Marilyn hoped that would be the case by the way Eva and Sam’s faces split into grins. She wanted them to have all these little normal pleasures—like playing with dogs—they’d been robbed of.

“Then let’s get this show on the road so you guys get more pup time.” Bree turned to Marilyn. “The guys will start hauling stuff over from the old house. You tell them where to put everything.”

“Me? Why me? You’d be much better at this.”

Bree shook her head. “You’re going to be the one living here, not us. You’re the one with a vision for the flow of the rooms and what will make the women here most comfortable.”

Marilyn rubbed at her neck right under her ear. “What if someone doesn’t agree with where I want them to put the furniture?”

Annie gave a soft laugh and reached up, gently pulling Marilyn’s hand down so she wouldn’t rub her skin raw. “They’re a bunch of military and law enforcement guys. Those alpha males over there would rather face down any number of enemy tangoes than decide on furniture placement. They’ll listen, believe me.”

“I get paranoid,” she muttered.

Bree slipped an arm around her shoulder. They walked toward the building as the guys waved and jumped into the moving truck to go get the first load of furniture. “Paranoid is what we pay you for.”

If that was the truth, then they were getting it cheap, because Marilyn had it in spades.

“And don’t worry, we’ll be right with you to make sure everything goes off without a hitch,” Annie said. “This is going to be a place of miracles.”

Marilyn forced a smile. Maybe the first miracle would be everything going smoothly today.

2

“That woman could run a mission better than some of the Delta Force team leaders I know.”

Noah chuckled at his friend’s words. Walker “Trigger” Nelson should know; after all, he was a Delta Force unit leader. Noah had served with him years ago as part of the team before he’d gotten out of the Army.

The two of them were balancing a chest of drawers between them, walking it toward a back bedroom where they’d been directed by the small brunette with the soft voice.

Marilyn Ellis.

Noah knew her, or knew of her, based on what his future sister-in-law had told him. Bree had gushed about what an amazing computer student Marilyn was, then about how great she was as New Journeys building facilitator.

Given how she’d organized everyone over the past few hours, the gushing seemed justified. Marilyn obviously wasn’t comfortable giving orders and definitely wasn’t a yeller, but she was methodical and organized.

Everyone, especially he and Trigger as trained soldiers, appreciated it. Her quiet leadership made the work go much more smoothly than everyone doing their own thing.

Even if she didn’t seem to like her leadership role in the least.

“Marilyn is definitely someone with a primary objective in mind,” Noah said as they twisted to get inside a doorway. “Just goes to show that someone doesn’t have to be bossy to be the boss.”

Trigger smiled. “Hell yeah.”

Trigger and his new fiancée Gillian had driven up from Fort Hood, Texas for a long weekend getaway in the Rockies. Noah had told them to stop by since they’d be so close and then had roped Trigger into helping with the move. Not that his friend minded when it came down to it. Gillian was helping too, painting one of the rooms.

“I like your girl, Trigger.” They set the chest down where they’d been told, then went back out to grab pieces of bed frame from the truck. “Someone who will give up a full day of her weekend getaway to help out is a keeper.”

Trigger smiled. “Believe me, I already knew that. Gillian’s amazing on all sorts of levels.”

“How’d you guys meet?”

“Hostage situation on a plane in Venezuela. I’ll have to tell you that story over a few beers sometime.”

Noah nodded. “Deal. I’m buying.” They walked back out to get more pieces of the bed frame.

The new building was coming together nicely, and Noah was glad to be a part of it. The women and children being helped at New Journeys were well worth the time the men were putting in.

But hell, it was the longest Noah had spent with people outside of his family since he’d gotten out of the military. To say he wasn’t a chatterbox was the understatement of the century. Noah had always been