Silent Thunder

out of joint because he's getting so much attention. He told me I should start her in a gymnastic class so that she'd feel good about herself. She's only five, for God's sake.'

Hannah smiled. 'So when does she start classes?'

He sighed. 'When Cathy gets around to it. We can't let Ronnie think he's running our lives.'

'He'd be a very benevolent dictator.'

'It's probably your fault. I think he takes after you.' He changed the subject. 'Why are you so late? Anything wrong?'

'No.' She wasn't about to tell him she had deliberately stayed at that pier because she refused to give in to an idiotic case of nerves. 'It was just a nice night. I didn't know you'd be waiting up like an anxious father.'

'Someone has to worry about you. You don't do a very good job of it yourself. I bet you didn't stop and grab a meal, did you?'

She shook her head. 'Everything was closed. This little town evidently rolls up the sidewalks when the sun goes down.'

'I didn't think so. You probably wouldn't have eaten anyway.' He took her elbow and nudged her away from the stairs toward the hall. 'That's why I had Mrs. Richardson make up a plate for you to microwave. Homemade biscuits, corn on the cob, and country fried steak.'

'Not exactly New England fare.' She made a face. 'And too heavy to eat this late.'

'You can nibble. Do you want to hurt my feelings? Come on, I'll have a glass of milk and give you a blow-by- blow description of Ronnie's game.'

'We have to get up early.'

'You'll be in the shower in thirty minutes.' He turned on the kitchen lights. 'That's the wonder of microwave. You should appreciate the efficiency since you're so in love with machines.'

She gave in. 'I'll have a glass of milk and a biscuit.' She sat down at the table. 'Did you and Bradworth bond at dinner?'

He shrugged as he opened the refrigerator door. 'He's okay. But I don't think we have much in common.' He took out the plate and a carton of milk. 'Though he tried to convince me we did.'

'Really?'

'He tried a little too hard. It didn't ring true.' He poured two glasses of milk. 'You didn't care much for him either. I could tell.'

She took a sip of milk. 'I have a problem with any bureaucrat. He's a little too slick for me. But maybe he's not so bad. And neither of us will have to put up with him long.' She grinned. 'With any luck, you'll be home for Ronnie's next big game.'

'If we're not off to Marinth.' He held up his hand as she started to speak. 'And that's okay with me. But it would be nice to spend a couple of days at home before we get the call.' He took her satchel and opened it. 'While I heat up your biscuits, get out the paperwork and show me what we have to do.' He headed for the microwave. 'You said you had the schematics. What's left?'

'I told you.' She spread the sheets out on the kitchen table. 'We have to make sure they're accurate and no surprises. The U.S. Navy probably did a good job, but I'm sure they were more interested in evaluating the Silent Thunder for combat weaknesses and strategic possibilities. It's the first Oscar II they've been able to examine up close, and the Russians still have a few of them in service. Anyway, the museum wants it certified by a civilian company, and they also want my input on how to best display the various sections to visitors who may have never been inside a sub before.'

'And the reputation you earned on the Titanic expedition won't hurt their publicity campaign.'

'Maybe.' She shrugged. 'I know it's not the kind of project we usually take on, but I was just as curious as the Pentagon brass to go inside an Oscar II.'

'And I'm sure that the thought of actually relaxing scared the living hell out of you.'

She ignored the comment. 'Anyway, we unscrew every hatch, panel, grating, and control plate on the sub to photograph and document. Then we put it back together and call on the nuclear boys to make sure there's nothing lingering behind those panels that might have been missed when the sub was deactivated.'

'So where do we start?'

'You start in the control room. I'll do the officers' quarters. The Oscar II has a double hull, and from the schematic I can see that the designers were clever about utilizing the space between hulls. I thought we could check out that area together.'

'Sounds good.'

'Were you able to round up any of our team?'

He nodded. 'We'll have four, maybe five of our guys to help out. The earliest I could get any of them to promise to show up was in three or four days. I gotta tell you, it wasn't easy. They're enjoying the downtime before we head out for our next job. I think you pay them too much.'

'It's hard to find good people. They're worth every dime.'

He set the biscuits down before her. 'Even with the help, it's a lot to do in two weeks.'

'We have the government report and schematic as a starting point. It shouldn't be impossible if we work hard and fast.'

He chuckled. 'If? You don't know any other way to work.'

She smiled back at him. 'I have a reason to hurry. I want to be at Ronnie's next soccer game too.'

'Good. You need to be around real people for a while instead of messing around with gyros and propellers.' He paused and looked away from her. 'And you need to have a kid of your own instead of spoiling mine.'

She stiffened. She hadn't seen this coming. She tried to ward him off. 'I like spoiling your kids,' she said lightly. 'All the fun and none of the responsibility.'

'You need a kid of your own,' he repeated.

He wasn't going to be evaded. Her smile faded. 'Knock it off, Conner.'

'Nope.' He lifted his gaze to meet her own. 'I've been skirting talking to you about Jordan for years. I need to catch you while you have a few of the barriers down. This is a good time.'

'The hell it is.'

'You lost your baby, and that's a terrible thing. But you're robbing yourself of one of the richest experiences a person can have. God, I love my kids.'

'I know you do.' She looked down at her plate. 'So do I.'

'But they're not your kids. I can share them, but I want you to have the whole nine yards.'

'I don't want to talk about this now.'

'I've backed off too many times. It's been four years. Some of the pain must have gone away.'

The pain was no longer fresh, but there were moments that the memory rushed out of nowhere, and it was as if her son's death had happened yesterday. 'I don't… dwell on it. That would be dumb.' She drew a shaky breath. 'I know you and Cathy probably wonder why it hit me so hard. My son only lived a few weeks. I didn't have all the joy or the laughter or the experiences that you've had with your children.' She stopped to steady her voice. 'But I knew him. From the time Jordan was conceived, I talked to him, I… shared. I planned our life together. Whenever I stayed at an inn like this while I was on a job, I'd think, 'I'll take Jordan here someday.' I wanted to show him the whole damn world. You know my marriage sucked, but he was the light at the end of the tunnel. I loved him, Conner.'

'You can still love him and let someone else have a little love too,' he said gently. 'Have another child, Hannah.'

'I'm not good at reining myself in. It wouldn't be a little.'

'And you're scared.'

'I'm not ready yet.'

'You're scared.'

'Shut up, Conner. Stop pushing.' She tried to smile as she looked up and met his eyes. 'Don't you find it a little bizarre that you're urging me to have a child when there's no hint of a father on the horizon?'

'Not at all. I'd love you to have what Cathy and I have, but you're such a workaholic you might not have time to develop a relationship. If you don't, we'll try the panda bear way.'

'Panda?'