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Published by Awe-Struck E-Books, Inc.
Copyright 2002
ISBN: 1-58749-303-9
In my prior life as a civil service employee, I spent a number of years at Fort Huachuca, one of the Army's communication and military intelligence centers. Andy vs. The Colonel is the outgrowth of that experience. In spite of this background, the entire story and all its aspects are strictly figments of my imagination. All units and the described items of communication and other equipment and their designations, with a few obvious exceptions (i.e. HUM-V), are totally fictitious. Most especially, the characters are pure fiction. Any resemblance to any person living or dead, actual equipment or real incidents is coincidental.
Although I have tried to stay close to reality in terms of attitudes, atmosphere, typical events and activities, as well as personality types one often encounters in the military environment, the story itself has no basis in reality, in events that have taken place, or in anything I observed or became privy to while working for the Army.
I delve into the issue of women in combat neither to defend or debunk the validity of this policy. I simply explore it through the points of view of two people caught up in situations beyond their control, seeking to portray how these people react and deal with the issues they confront. My goal was to explore the interpersonal problems which might arise in units where men and women serve together in both peace and wartime environments.
To call Andy vs. The Colonel a romance is perhaps misleading, although the love story is central to the plot. I consider this book essentially a tale of one woman's struggle to find her best self and truly be all she can be, aided and abetted by one man's faith in and love for her. I hope you will find it both inspirational and entertaining.
GM
This book is dedicated with deepest devotion and respect to the men and women who go willingly into harm's way to defend our Country and its principles. I can never forget that Freedom is not Free. Thank you all for paying that price for me.
Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Spring 1986
"So he finally retired." Sergeant Andrea "Andy" Hollis slowly lowered the copy of Air Force Times to her bed. She sighed, catching her lower lip between her teeth to still its unexpected tremor. Damn it, I shouldn't care any more.
Across the room, Staff Sergeant Letitia Aldrich bent to the task of painting her toenails. "What? Did you say something, Andy?"
"Not really." Andy glanced down at the officer's photograph with a frown. He didn't look like he'd changed a bit. "Just thinking out loud. I saw where somebody retired and it caught me by surprise."
Letty looked up then, shooting a keen, dark glance at her roommate. "Oh, General Hollis -- it just hit me. Same name. He's some kin of yours isn't he? I saw the picture. Guess he's quite a hero, huh?"
"A hero? Yeah, I suppose..."
"But is he? Kin of yours?"
Andy nodded slowly. She hated to admit it, hated the distance between herself and her father, even after six years. He'd made his goal -- stars on his shoulders, two of them. Now he'd retired. "He's my father, but it doesn't mean anything, not anything at all."
"Well, if my daddy was a general it'd sure mean something to me." Letty rolled expressive eyes and grinned. "I'd use it for all it was worth."
"As far as he's concerned, I don't exist, and that's just fine with me. I don't need to ride on his name. I'll make it on my own, and one of these days, I'll be a general myself. I'll make it if it's the last thing I do. Maybe I can't succeed at anything else, but I'm going to be the best female soldier anybody ever saw."
Letty's expression reflected her shock at Andy's defiant pronouncement.
"You're kiddin', right? You gotta be kiddin'. Girl, we're just regular Army NCOs, and the likes of us don't become generals, not in the real world. If I can find me an officer or even a Sergeant Major who wants to get married, I'm outta here. And when my enlistment is over, if I'm not married, I'll just get out and go to college. That's better than anything this Louisiana gal could expect if I'd stayed home."
Andy nodded. "You do what's right for you, Letty, and I'll do what's right for me. One thing sure, I don't want to marry a military man. That's the quickest way to grief I can think of. Nope, I'm going to be a lifer, and I'm going to become an officer, first chance I get."
Letty looked at Andy, blinked and shook her head, her usually merry face unusually serious. "You mean it, don't you? I'm not askin' why. Guess you got your reasons. Well, good luck, girl. I reckon you're going to need it, but if anybody can do it, it's prob'ly you."
Andy barely heard her, lost in remembering, in painful flashbacks to the first twenty years of her life. Make that her other life. This one had begun the day she took her oath of enlistment, five years ago today, the day her divorce became final.
Camp Grant, Korea.
October 1992
Colonel Cory Costain stood outside the Operations Building of Boynton Army Air Station, an adjunct of Camp Grant, Korea. He hunched his shoulders and turned his back to the biting wind to observe the camouflage-painted aircraft, swarming with the service crew. That plane would be his transportation on the first leg of his long journey home.
With a mixture of relief and regret, Cory looked around at the now-familiar rugged hills and ramshackle buildings of the Air Station and adjacent Army Camp. Today, maybe because he was about to head home, it reminded him of the Idaho ranch where he'd grown up. Funny, the turns life took. It was just chance he was here today instead of there, running the family sheep ranch, wasn't it?
No, not chance at all, but fate. Some things were just meant to be. He'd came home from Vietnam, weary of military life, ready to settle down. But that was before he found the girl who'd promised to wait living with his best friend, the one who couldn't get into the military because of a football injury.
The pain of that betrayal changed his plans. He'd wanted to get as far away from Idaho as fast as he could. Somehow, except for short visits, he'd never made it back. It had ceased to be home, became only another temporary duty station in a long sequence of them. The story of his life.
Well, he'd made a better Army officer than sheep rancher, while his brother Ketchum was just the opposite. Things had a way of working out for the best. The Army had been a pretty good career, lonely at times, but so was ranching. I don't regret a minute of it.
Returning to the present, he glanced around. At least a ragged line of telephone poles no longer marred the landscape. The buried lines he had ordered were more secure, required less maintenance, and improved the view. That was just one of the more obvious changes he had brought about during his tour.
You done good. Maybe the world doesn't care, but Camp Grant is just a little better because Cory Costain passed through. That was as much as a man could expect, really, to leave some small improvement behind. If he managed that every place he went, he could die content.
A shrill voice called his name. He turned as Kim ran up, flushed and breathless The young Korean woman had served as his secretary the past fifteen months. Though untrained, she'd always tried hard and learned quickly. She was a good kid. Maybe something had come of their recent efforts to locate her GI father.
"I got a letter!" she cried, "A letter from my father! I think he's going to help us. Thank you, sir, so much. Without your help, never this would happen! You...well, I will miss you. In Korea forever you will be not forgotten." In her excitement, she fractured her second language, but joy and gratitude made her plain round face almost pretty.
Cory patted her shoulder clumsily. These emotional scenes embarrassed him. "I'll miss you too, Kim. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you and your mother."
At that moment, the crew chief beckoned. Saved by the bell. Cory breathed a sigh of relief. He said good bye to Kim and strode out to climb aboard. Eagerness to get home suddenly filled him. Home. Back in the good old U.S.A. In about twenty hours, I'll be landing at Travis Air Force Base.
Then on to his next assignment at Fort Cochise, Arizona. There he'd be taking over the Twenty-fourth Signal Brigade. The large unit with its broad-based communications mission just might be his last duty. It could prove challenging too, but he looked forward to it.
Aboard the transport, he wedged himself into a jump seat. He wiggled his shoulders, trying to get comfortable. Lousy seats were always too low for his six-foot two-inch frame. As usual, his knees threatened to bump his chin, but this time it didn't matter. He was going home.
* * *
Fort Cochise, Arizona.
October 1992
Captain Andrea "Andy" Hollis frowned at the shining expanse of desk before her as if it was a toxic waste dump. But it was just an ordinary desk -- government issue, wooden, office, double pedestal, GSA #123xyz. Her disgust centered around the fact it was the desk of the Twenty-fourth Signal Brigade Executive Officer or XO in Army slang, the position she'd reluctantly filled for just two weeks.
She glowered at the back of the new brass name plate which read "Captain A. R. Hollis, United States Army." The farewell gift from her old outfit only served as another painful reminder.
A slender young woman wearing shiny new sergeant's chevrons on her collar glided in and placed a handful of papers in the "in" box. With only a quick sidelong glance at her supervisor, she turned and glided silently back out.
Do I look that forbidding? Andy couldn't help wondering as she released her breath in a deep sigh and reached for the top document in the box.
Two long weeks ago, she'd been Company Commander of the Wireless Communications Company. The subordinate unit of the Twenty-fourth dealt with radio, radar, and microwave. There, her desk had been a battered gray, metal one, stacked with Technical Manuals or "TMs", test equipment, and the avalanche of paper that fell to every officer with administrative tasks.
There, all her troops came and went freely and were certainly not afraid to speak to her. At seven in the morning, she would have been out in the shop watching things get started. She was always watching when her troops piled into trucks to drive out to remote sites on Fort Cochise or settled into their well stocked work benches to test and repair electronic components of Army equipment. There they trusted and counted on each other.
But now Andy was XO, a combination of second-in-command and administrative assistant to Colonel Standish, the Brigade Commander. It was political and a desk job, staff rather than command. When the phone jingled, she reached automatically, stopping when she heard Stacy Jones, the Colonel's secretary, answer the call.
Andy picked up the checklist she'd made to be sure everything was ready for the change of command ceremony taking place the following Friday. The send-off for Colonel Standish, who'd been a good mentor and friend since Andy arrived at Fort Cochise, it was also the first official act she'd perform for her new boss.
The ceremony could go a long way towards creating a good impression, or a bad one if things went wrong. First impressions had a way of sticking in a person's mind, in spite of whatever might happen later. Knowing that, Andy planned to leave nothing to chance.
She might not like the XO job, but she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the man who'd be writing her next rating. In the modern Army, competition was keen. The higher in rank you advanced, the more important it became to leave a good impression on everyone you dealt with, especially senior officers.
To Andy, who'd grown up in an Air Force family, military customs and courtesy were second nature. She knew that used in excess, they could become a sign of fawning respect or very subtle derision. With the slightest change in tone, she could make it either, or she could simply project the absolutely correct image, which she usually chose to do. Because the traditions dated back to colonial times in the United States, they often appeared strange and stilted, but it was still "the way things were done."
A glance at her watch told Andy it was 1130. Maybe it would help to get out, breathe some fresh air and grab lunch at the Post Exchange snack bar. Although it was October, the sun was still bright and warm at midday. Leaving the Twenty-fourth's offices, Andy walked briskly down the sidewalk which divided the historical two-story buildings housing the Fort's many offices from the parade ground, a smooth expanse of grass bordered by ancient cottonwood trees.
For a moment, she forgot the aggravations of her job and let herself enjoy the beautiful fall day. She drank in the golden warmth and rested her eyes with the pleasant harmony of blue sky, green grass and gilded leaves. Those huge trees had probably turned colors a hundred times, witnessed cavalry drills and watched the mule mounted infantry that had guarded the border during World War I. The Army had a fine sense of history which gave Andy a secure, rooted feeling.
At the end of the block, she turned to cross the street. A pickup truck pulled up and stopped even with her. Several years old, its once-bright, metallic-blue paint had faded and spots of rust marred its finish.
The driver turned a pleasantly weathered face toward her before he spoke. "Excuse me, Ma'am, can you point me to the In-processing Section of MILPO He wore a well- used gray Stetson and a plaid western shirt, mostly blue, the shade perfectly matching his eyes. He spoke in an easy drawl, completely in tune with his rugged, outdoorsy appearance.
Andy could not hide all of her surprise. Why would a cowboy need to find Military Personnel In-processing? She couldn't imagine him in uniform. Still, from habit, she answered with reasonable courtesy, pointing as she spoke. "See that fourth building on the right? In-processing's on the second floor, enlisted at the north end. I'm not sure if they close at lunch time or not."
"Thank you, Captain. Reckon I'll just have to go see, won't I?" The man smiled then, and she gulped. That's a smile and a half. The images of a couple of her favorite old time western movie stars flashed across her mind.
"You're welcome. Have a nice day." Andy replied automatically, still curious. Why, she amended, did a gorgeous hunk of a cowboy need to find In-processing? Well, it wasn't her concern. She turned and started away.
"Ma'am?" The gentle drawling voice arrested her step. "Thought you might not know it, but you've got a nasty run in your hose, up the left leg there."
For a startled instant, Andy whirled back and stared at the man. His tone and expression were both carefully neutral, but something about him still said "gotcha," loud and clear.
Just who did he think he was? He might be good looking, but he really was crude! Andy huffed, faced around, and marched on toward her destination. Not until she was safely inside the PX did she stop and check her nylons.
Darn it, he was right. She did have a run, a big one. It went from her ankle clear up over her knee to vanish under her skirt. She hated to appear anything short of perfect when in uniform, and that sure ruined the effect. Why hadn't she noticed before she left the office? This was turning out to be a lousy day!
***
But the worst was yet to come. Why should Colonel Standish be out of the office when his replacement arrived? He'd told Andy they were old buddies. Not only was he out but Stacy too, leaving only Andy herself and Sergeant Rita Perez, her enlisted clerk.
Buried under the constant deluge of paper, Andy barely heard the outer door open and Rita's pleasant greeting, perfectly correct for someone dressed in civilian clothes.
"Good afternoon. How may I help you?"
The reply caught her attention. It pulled her to her feet and across toward her open door before she actually registered anything familiar about the low drawling voice.
"I was hopin' to have a few minutes with Colonel Standish."
"I'm sorry, but he's not in this afternoon. I think they're picking up his household goods. His wife is in poor health, so he wanted to be there himself. This is his last week on duty here, you know. Could someone else help you?" Rita gushed, her tone almost sugary.
Why was she being so much more effusive than normal? If Rita was almost falling over herself in an effort to be helpful, Andy had to wonder why. The young sergeant was usually much too casual, about as likely to say "Yo, dude" as "Yes, sir."
Then Andy reached the door, looked out, and understood. The visitor had his back to her, but she recognized the blue plaid shirt and the wide shoulders. What business did he have in Twenty-fourth Signal?
"Maybe Captain Hollis, the Exec..." he was saying.
"I'm right here, Sergeant Perez." As always when caught off guard, Andy fell back on military courtesy, the stiffer the better.
At the sound of her voice the visitor turned, a smooth facing turn betraying long familiarity with military drill. The motion was oddly at variance with his dusty, scuffed cowboy boots and the faded jeans which fit his narrow hips and long, lean legs like a well-made glove. He looked at her, one eyebrow cocked quizzically, surprise and only the merest hint of recognition in his faded blue eyes.
"Captain Hollis..." he said, with barely perceptible hesitation, "I'm Colonel Cory Costain."
Andy shut her mouth sharply, the only way to keep from blurting a torrent of profanity. No! It couldn't be, it just couldn't. But it was. Same hat, same shirt, same ruggedly appealing face and lazy drawling voice.
She felt her face redden as a barnyard epithet kept repeating in her mind. Shutting her eyes against the unhappy scene, she fought the maelstrom of embarrassment and regret. And she'd been concerned about first impressions -- Enlisted In- processing, she'd said, assuming. Ohmigod! No, no, no!
There was only one thing she could possibly do: drag out the very best of her rigid military courtesy and pretend the other incident had never happened. What would she say and do, how would she act if she had never laid eyes on Colonel Costain before? That's exactly what she'd say and do now.
Cory took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten. For a long moment, neither spoke. They simply looked at each other. He felt sure Captain Hollis also mulled the consequences of an event which neither of them could erase, however much they both might wish it. So much for first impressions.
Oh hell, what have I done to deserve this? Earlier, he really hadn't noticed much about her appearance. He'd been too aware of her attitude, but now he did notice. Captain Hollis might be spit and polish, even snooty and stuffy, but she was also attractive, damned attractive in spite of herself.
She wore no obvious makeup and her short, dark brown hair fell sleekly into a simple, almost severe style. She was clearly a woman who had no intention of flaunting her femininity, not that she needed to. A man could not deny or ignore it. She had snapped to attention when he identified himself, which put her shoulders back and lifted to prominence the curve of her breasts.
Under that crisp and carefully tailored uniform, he'd bet she hid a fantastic figure. He could see just enough hints of it to speed his pulse. Even if she did wear the lowest heels available on the official black pumps, her legs were definitely great. He'd been looking at them when he spotted that unfortunate run.
He didn't usually pay so much attention to a woman's appearance, but there was just something about Captain Hollis. She wore the dress uniform instead of the camouflage Battle Dress Utilities or BDUs, in which almost everyone looked bulky and untidy. In the tailored uniform, she appeared neat and precise, almost recruiting-poster perfect. The contrast of that with her undeniable feminine attributes struck him forcibly.
She finally spoke, with almost robotic formality. "Welcome aboard, sir. I'm Captain Andy Hollis. At present, I'm the Brigade XO. When did you arrive on post, sir?"
This time he recognized her voice: the same one he'd heard on the phone when he called from Korea. It had nagged at the back of his mind ever since. Now he knew why. Though low pitched, it was definitely a feminine voice. How could he have missed that?
Down two strikes already. There was just one thing to do: pretend he'd never seen her before. Cory knew he wasn't good at conning himself, but he'd better try. He could use military courtesy too, when necessary. He stood a little straighter, called up his command presence, and gave back as good as he got.
"I just arrived, Captain. At ease, please. This is a very unofficial visit. Rick...er, Colonel Standish and I go back a ways. I hoped I could catch him for a few minutes, but since he's not here, I'll get out of your way."
Cory forced himself to relax, revealing none of the tension and dismay he felt. This assignment wasn't going to be the comfortable last post he'd hoped for after all, was it?
"Your room is ready, sir, over in Visiting Officer's Quarters. You'd told us to expect you tomorrow, but everything's been arranged. There's a copy of the weekly real estate catalog and a few other things waiting there for you."
"Thank you, Captain. You've been most helpful. Do you expect Colonel Standish in tomorrow?" There, he was talking as stiffly as she was.
"Oh, yes sir," Rita interjected. "Right here on his calendar -- he has a staff meeting at eight. It usually runs about an hour."
Cory turned back to the young clerk. "Okay, I'll be in about nine fifteen then. Will you let him know I've arrived?"
"Oh, yes sir!" Rita accompanied her answer with a flashing smile, bright as daybreak on her dusky face.
"I...if there's anything else, sir, we're just a phone call away." Andy's words drew his gaze back to her. Her face and posture looked equally rigid. She must be feeling as uncomfortable as he was. Well, it served her right. Cory acknowledged her comment with a nod.
"I'll remember that. Thank you both again." He gave both women a smile before he turned and strode out. No use making things any worse than they were. But he might make some reassignments, once he got on board.
As he walked out and got back in his truck, Cory wished he could take back that little dig about the run, but it was too late. One of these days, your mouth is going to get you. But damn it, she'd asked for it, directing him to the Enlisted Section! What rule said an officer couldn't wear blue jeans or drive an old pickup?
Since his nephew had totaled the vintage Mustang Cory had left with his sister in San Jose when he went to Korea, he didn't have much choice, but that was beside the point. He'd never had any patience with the snobbery and elitism still prevalent in the military community, anyway. If that ruffled a few feathers, so be it.
At this stage of life, he wasn't about to change. He didn't expect to advance any higher in rank, so he didn't need to follow the inflexible rules as closely as those colonels who had stars in their eyes. He wasn't general material and he knew it.
***
Colonel Costain's departure left both Andy and Rita stunned. Rita seemed to recover first. She did a little pirouette and half-fell into her chair.
"Ooo-ee! He looks like the kind of man my Mama worried about when I joined the service! Ay de me! Qué hombre!"
Andy didn't say anything. Somehow she managed to get back to her own desk and collapse into her chair before her knees failed, but that was it. Why did he have to be so thoroughly masculine, so tall, and so good looking in a rough-hewn way? The lines in his tanned face hinted at good humor, a ready smile and a hearty laugh. If she didn't know better, she'd think him a really nice guy. But she did know better, even if he had chosen to ignore their first encounter.
Andy swept a scatter of half formed thoughts ruthlessly aside to summon some protective disapproval for his casual dress and manner. Why would a Colonel drive a beat up old truck, dressed like an out-of-work ranch hand? It just wasn't done!
She tried to visualize her father in anything less formal than sharply pressed golf slacks and a matching shirt but she found it impossible. General Hollis would never veer a degree off of perfection. There had to be something wrong with an officer who didn't fit the mold.
Nonetheless, to Andy's chagrin, she discovered she could not easily dismiss his image. She was definitely going to need every reason she could find to dislike this man since dislike was the safest thing she could think of to feel and it was going to be impossible not to feel something.
She darn well wouldn't let that great physique and high voltage smile distract her. Cowboy colonels? If there was ever a mutually exclusive combination, that was it!
Before she closed the office and went home for the night, Andy had chewed every nail to the quick and begun wishing frantically for a cigarette. She hadn't smoked in two years, but she could sure use a one now. Resolutely, she turned her car toward home instead of the ShopQuik, at the Post Exchange.
She was not going to let some maverick colonel drive her back to smoking! But all the way home, she cursed men in general and especially good looking, smart-ass officers. What had she ever done to deserve this?
Crossing the threshold into her apartment, not far from Fort Cochise's main gate, Andy caught her heel in the carpet. Flailing wildly to recover her balance, she dropped her purse and the contents scattered across the floor. "Oh damn it all to bloody hell!"
With a savage kick, she sent the offending shoe flying across the room. It smacked against the wall with a satisfying thunk. She hopped and kicked again. The second shoe followed its mate. A third and final kick cleared the purse from her path as she bolted blindly for her bedroom door. She threw herself down across the bed, pounded the pillows with her fists and wept until she felt weak and breathless.
Sometime later, she sat up and scrubbed at her burning eyes. Whatever had come over her? If it was PMS, she'd never had it this bad before. She never lost control like that, never! Well, better here at home than in public, but still, it was an intolerable lapse, one she simply must not allow herself to repeat. She continued to chide herself as she dragged out to the living room and carefully picked everything up.
The day of the change of command, Andy got up at four 0430 on a day which, much to her relief, dawned clear. At 0630, she toured the parade ground a final time to make sure everything was in order.
The band arrived before she finished and began to tune up. Lips and fingertips stiff with the morning chill, they created a squeaky cacophony. The raucous sounds grated on Andy's fraying nerves. She walked back to her car and poured herself another cup of coffee. The thermos she habitually carried was a lifesaver on PT mornings, but never more so than today.
Finally, eight o'clock rolled around and the ceremony began. Both colonels arrived, resplendent in crisply pressed greens, with brass agleam and banks of colorful ribbons pinned over their hearts, above the left breast pocket of their blouses, the formal military suit coat.
Today Andy could find no fault with Colonel Costain's appearance or bearing. Almost too perfect, he stood tall and lean beside Colonel Standish's dumpy figure. If she were not already negatively prejudiced, Andy would have named him the best looking man present.
The entire Brigade and representative troops from many of the installation's other units had turned out to do the 'march past' and then stand at attention while Brigadier General Hutton passed the brigade colors from one colonel to the other.
By 0900, the ceremony was over and everything had gone without a hitch. Andy still felt too tense to be more than vaguely grateful that, for today, her career was safe.
Colonel Standish found a moment to come over and shake her hand. He offered lavish compliments on the ceremony, which left Andy hard put not to blush and fidget. She never had been comfortable with praise; criticism she could handle -- not that she liked it, but it was at least familiar.
Compliments, though, were something else altogether. Andy found it a novelty to be praised, especially in such florid and glowing terms as the outgoing commander employed. When Colonel Costain approached to add his appreciative words, Andy had even a harder time trying to remain impassive.
"Let me add my commendations too. That was an outstanding ceremony, Captain Hollis, and I understand you orchestrated the whole show."
Andy looked down, carefully avoiding his vivid, blue gaze. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
He glanced around at the waiting troops, who had not yet been officially dismissed. "Isn't it customary to give the troops a training holiday after these affairs?"
"Yes, sir. I believe it is, sir."
"See to it, then, Captain, yourself included. I'll see you Monday morning."
"Yes, sir." Andy saluted smartly and turned away, almost weak with relief at having been dismissed. Now, she'd have another seventy two hours to come to terms with the distressing idea of working closely with Colonel Cory Costain.
How could she maintain her composure and professional distance around a man who made her heart beat double time, rendered her tongue-tied with just a pleasant word, and almost melted her with a single blue-eyed glance?
I've got to fight this. I just don't believe it! Why him? Why me? Why now? This is crazy. I wasn't hit this hard even when Jody started courting me, and look what a disaster that was. Why, why, why?
***
Life didn't get any easier. Andy rationalized and played a variety of mental games with herself, but nothing really changed. Something about Colonel Cory Costain set her nerves on edge and ruffled her usually even temper.
Of course it couldn't have anything to do with his undeniable charm and good looks. Somehow, his joking and habitual informality grated on her as Colonel Standish's never had. Perhaps because his manner made her efforts to maintain a correct distance just that much harder. At any rate, he brought out every bit of her usually well controlled defensiveness and hostility. She knew she was just short of rude much too often, but she couldn't help herself.
The worst of it was almost everyone else thought him a great guy and nobody could understand her attitude. Well, if she were totally honest, a part of her readily admitted he was, indeed, a great guy, a handsome, appealing and sexy great guy. But that part of herself she was ready to disown, for the same part had gone mushy and moonstruck over his physique, his ruggedly pleasant face, and his charming personality.
Half the female officers and most of the enlisted women on Fort Cochise were eager to check out the new single colonel -- but not Andy. What could be more unprofessional and less military than a massive crush on one's commanding officer? Whatever it cost her, she would not give in. She'd resist with every resource at her disposal. Unfortunately, her arsenal was barely equal to the task -- on good days.
***
Within a week, Cory realized something was wrong between himself and his new XO. In a twenty-six year career, he'd never encountered a problem quite like this one. Of course, he'd never before had to work so closely with a female officer, but her gender shouldn't make such a difference. He'd always prided himself in the ability to maintain good working relationships with all his troops. He considered himself reasonably broad minded and accepting when it came to women in the military.
So, what had he done in a few short days to arouse such determined hostility as Captain Hollis demonstrated? He knew he'd avoided any of the typical faux pas such as calling her "honey" or "dear," referring to her, Stacy and Rita as "girls", or saying or doing anything which could be construed as male chauvinism or sexual harassment. Surely she didn't still hold one little dig about a run in her hose against him, did she?
But the fact remained she refused to meet his eyes, spoke to him only when necessary, and appeared extremely uncomfortable the few times he called her into his office to discuss Brigade business. He'd hoped she'd be willing and able to share whatever knowledge she had with him -- like who were the good troops and the bad, where any special strengths or weaknesses might lie, and things like that. No joy there.
Andy volunteered nothing and answered direct questions with the fewest possible words. She was efficient; he had to give her that, but they were far from becoming the effective team he'd visualized, and he could see no progress in that direction at all.
Rick Standish had spoken very highly of Andy, and she'd clearly done an exceptional job with the change of command ceremony. Was the fault with him, then? There were too many demands on his time to allow him to waste much concern on this one problem, but it kept popping into his thoughts at odd times, and disturbed him more than he cared to admit.
What started as a small irritation grew until it really began to aggravate him. Finally, at the end of the second week, Cory decided to try a direct approach. He had expended far too much time and energy on the matter already. Time to get some answers. He reached for his phone
***
Andy finished going through the morning's distribution, sorting out the suspense- dated items, keeping two for herself and addressing the rest to the appropriate people in the Brigade for action. She knew Colonel Costain was in. Although she usually arrived first, she always contrived to be busy and not look up when he came in.
That didn't mean there was as much as one cell in her body unaware he was in the next room, though. The quiet rumble of his voice when he talked on the phone and the occasional creak of his chair seemed screamingly loud. He wasn't an unobtrusive man, but active, enthusiastic and people-oriented.
Nothing warned Andy who was on her intercom. The phones rang constantly, and Stacy and Rita routed to her most of the calls they were unable to answer. She assumed that was again the case. Without taking her eyes off the note she wrote to the Wireless Company chief to explain a tasking she'd sent him, she picked up the phone. "Captain Hollis here."
"When you can break away a minute, I need to see you."
Andy's heart stopped and then did a forward march in double time. "Yes, sir. I'll be right there, sir." Hanging up, she muttered a single un-ladylike word under her breath as she dropped the papers into her out basket. Once on her feet, she glanced quickly at the full length mirror on the back of her office door which told her she looked neat and correct as usual, everything shiny except her nose and nothing out of place.
She'd lost at least ten pounds since coming up from Wireless Company though, and it was beginning to show. Much more, and she'd have to get her uniforms re- tailored. At the open collar of her shirt, her collar bone protruded, and her blouse hung loose on her shoulders. Too bad the weight didn't first come off her hips. The darn mirror made her look a yard wide, especially in these slacks.
She tugged the spread collar a bit closer, drew a deep breath, and stepped briskly around the corner to the next office. "Captain Hollis reporting, sir."
Andy saw the colonel's mouth tighten, as if he restrained an urge to snap at her. She knew he found such formality neither necessary nor welcome. Still he spoke pleasantly enough.
"Come in and have a seat. I want to ask you a few questions."
Andy obeyed, crossing the room to settle on the edge of a straight wooden chair rather than one of the more comfortable upholstered ones around the small conference table. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and looked just past his right ear, which fixed her gaze on the plaque he'd received as a farewell gift from the unit in Korea. That was certainly safer than meeting his gaze.
He hesitated a moment, as if framing his thoughts in words. "How long have you been serving as XO, Captain Hollis?"
Andy answered promptly, carefully keeping her voice as tonelessly neutral as possible. " Nine weeks tomorrow, sir. Major Donnelly left the second week of August, and Colonel Standish reassigned me the next week."
"Before that you were the CO of Wireless Company?"
"That's correct, sir."
"And you'd been there nearly ten months?"
"Yes, sir. I assumed command in Kuwait, when the prior CO was wounded and evacuated."
Colonel Costain tipped his chair back a bit, crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at her intently. Andy refused to meet his gaze, but assessed his posture and felt it boded no good for her.
"What exactly is bothering you, Captain? You're clearly not at ease and I'd like to know why. Is it the job or personal problems or what? Can I do anything to make things better? Because if so, I'd like to know so I can do it."
Andy sighed softly. "I...everything is all right, sir. I don't think I'm well suited for the job, but I'm trying."
Cory resisted saying the first thing he thought. Blurting "I'll say you're trying!" would not help matters. Instead he asked a question. "Were you 'well suited' to be CO of Wireless?"
"I believe so, sir, begging your pardon. I thought I was doing a good job. We got a high rating on the inspection in July and our backlogs were down. Morale even seemed to be pretty good."
He heard pride in her voice for the first time and some animation. So, she'd liked being a company commander. "You didn't want to leave there, then?"
"No sir, I did not, but I was reassigned. Nobody asked me, of course. It was Colonel Standish's decision."
He shook his head, completely baffled by her attitude. "Frankly, Captain Hollis, I'm confused. Most young officers would jump at the chance, consider becoming XO as moving up. The job's got visibility, offers more opportunities to impress the higher brass, and allows more 'wheeling and dealing' than a mere company commander post." Cory put a challenge into his words, seeking to bring out her feelings, perhaps the reasons for them.
She looked at the floor then, her face going still and tight. "I'm not a politician, sir, nor a diplomat. I'm not even a very good clerk. And I'd just as soon not have high visibility. I feel like I've been set up, sir, given an opportunity to screw up publicly. I'm really not staff material."
Cory could not accept her self-assessment. "I can hardly agree with that. Since Colonel Standish had nothing but good to say about you, I'm sure he meant the assignment as a reward, a form of recognition. It'll look good on your records, you know, when they convene the next board for major."
"Only if I have a good rating."
"Don't you expect to?" Cory couldn't keep his surprise out of his tone. Hell, nobody expected a poor rating, did they? Most people thought they were doing a much better job and were more deserving than reality supported. Either she tried to fake him out with false humility or this pretty captain had a real problem.
"I -- ...No, sir. I really don't. I couldn't give myself better than an average at this point, and you know that isn't going to be competitive."
Her defeated tone bothered him. Something had to be seriously wrong. Why was it so hard to uncover?
"Give yourself a break, Captain! There's a learning curve to these things. You're a Signal officer, not Adjutant Corps, so all this administrative stuff is new to you. It takes awhile, but I haven't seen where you've made any serious errors. You seem both quick and conscientious. I couldn't ask for more, except that you relax and let yourself grow into the job."
"No...er, yes, sir."
Cory deliberately smiled, warming his tone. "Loosen up a little. You can't do your best work when you're stretched tighter than a guitar string. Just relax and roll with things for awhile and see if it doesn't get better. There's nothing to be afraid of. I don't believe in a zero defects approach. Mistakes happen and the only cardinal sin is failing to learn from them."
She still didn't look at him or meet his gaze, but she sat a little straighter, lifted her head. "Yes, sir. I'll try, sir. But, well, if it doesn't get better, would you consider relieving me? I'll accept any other assignment in the Brigade."
"Give it a fair chance first, Andy. Don't be too quick to give up. That doesn't sound like the officer I see in your records. Don't deny yourself the chance to learn and grow. You really don't want to do that. I don't want you to do that either." For a moment, he caught and held her gaze.
The flare of fear and anger in her eyes surprised him. After a moment, although he still didn't understand, he took pity on her and looked away.
"Is it...am I difficult to work for, Andy? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
She still refused to meet his eyes, staring fixedly at the floor, her shoulders slightly hunched and her body language almost shrieking distress.
"No, sir," she mumbled. "Everyone seems to be pleased having you here."
"If I've done or said something that didn't seem right, I'm sorry. If I do it again, let me know, okay? I don't intend to be inapproachable, and I don't think rank makes anyone perfect. I never intentionally tread on anyone's sensibilities, but I might by accident. When I was growing up, rules and customs were different. Maybe it's harder to change than I realized."
"No, I mean, yes, sir. You haven't, sir. Not that I recall."
Was she alluding to the run incident or was it simply an awkward choice of words? He swallowed his defeat as gracefully as he could. "That will be all, then. Thank you, Captain."
Andy stood, saluted crisply, faced and marched out. Back in her office, she sank into her chair and sat staring at nothing while she tried to still her involuntary shivers. She'd probably said the wrong things, but at least not the most wrong ones. She hadn't said a word about the dreams which were beginning to haunt her nor the wholly unaccustomed urges and wanton impulses that had descended on her out of nowhere with his arrival.
She hated the man -- how dare he turn her life inside out this way? If I mess up badly enough, he'll have to relieve me. The question was, how grave an error would it take, and how much long-term damage to her career might result? Howard Hollis had retired a Brigadier General in 1986. More than anything, Andy wanted to equal or exceed that rank, but female Major Generals were few and far between. And surely, they had no serious blots on their careers, none at all. So, she couldn't do anything too bad.
Maybe just once she should surrender to one of those ridiculous impulses and literally throw herself at him. He'd have to relieve her then and be discrete about the reasons. No, that was too big a risk. It would have to be something else. There was no way she would admit this awful and awkward attraction, least of all to him.
Somehow, she'd overcome it; surely it was just a temporary aberration, an untimely flare up of juvenile hormones, for all she was thirty-two years and seven months old. Somehow, she'd get out of this damn job and away from him. Somehow...That was her only hope. Why didn't he take the easy alternative and reassign her?
She picked up a pencil, glanced at her shaking hands and grimaced. Damn it, why? Talking to anyone else, she could be coherent and persuasive, but with him she became tongue-tied and almost dumb.
She jumped at the snap and then realized she'd broken the pencil cleanly in two. For an instant, she stared at the two pieces blankly, shocked at herself. Get a grip, Hollis! You can't afford this kind of crap. A good officer is always in control. Wearily, she picked up a new sheaf of paper from her 'in' basket and went back to work.
After Andy left, Cory gnashed his teeth in frustration. He'd accomplished precisely nothing and was no wiser than he'd been twenty minutes earlier. Because he couldn't sit still another moment, he got up and stalked out of his suddenly-confining office. "I'm going down to the Company area, Stacy. I don't have any meetings 'til after lunch, do I?"
"No, sir. You're calendar is clear until 1330. You aren't expecting any urgent calls, are you?"
"Not that I recall. If any come through, route them down to Wire Company." He walked briskly out the door. What a relief to be outdoors, away from the stifling atmosphere of the office.
He'd rather walk than drive. Nothing was all that urgent, and maybe the exercise would work off a little of his stress. He had to do something before he exploded. Frustration could do that to a man. He'd thought he had his temper under control, but lately that control had gotten a bit shaky. He almost wished he was back in Korea.
***
As usual, Andy skipped lunch. The flow of paper never stopped and there were simply too few hours in the day to get everything done. Then too, she seemed to have trouble concentrating today. She found it hard to believe, but just for a minute, she would have sworn she saw a trace of vulnerability in Colonel Costain's face and heard genuine distress in his voice when he asked if he was hard to work for.
He wasn't fishing for compliments, she felt sure. He seemed honestly perturbed, almost as much as she was. For a second or two, she'd nearly felt sorry for him. That would never do!
Commanders ought to be like her father, always dominant and confident to the point of arrogance. Still, she was glad she didn't have to work for someone like that, but it didn't make Cory Costain any easier for her to handle. The idea he might be anything less than completely confident and secure troubled her. A trace of weakness made him all too human and as needful of kindness and consideration as...No, no way! He was a senior officer, her superior officer, and that was that. Something had to change, soon and drastically. She could only pray for such change.
Andy was still hard at work, and Colonel Costain had not returned when Rita Perez burst into the office upon her return from an early lunch. Even more noisy and nervous than usual, she looked pale and big-eyed instead of her normal ebullient self.
"Captain Hollis, Ma'am. Turn on your radio! There's something terrible going on in a place called Delgado! I heard about it in the mess hall."
Although radios in the office were not looked upon with much favor, Andy had a small portable on her desk which she played quietly at times, especially when she worked late alone. She flipped it on and dialed quickly to an all-news station.
The announcer sounded almost hysterical as she described the horrible carnage in a tiny Central American nation called San Juan Delgado. For the first few minutes, Andy made little sense of it, but gradually the picture of a very ugly situation began to emerge. For the rest of the day, no one on Fort Cochise did much except listen to the shocking news. The Twenty-fourth Signal Brigade was no exception.
A tiny state which commanded the only useful harbor on hundreds of miles of rocky, cliff-lined coast, San Juan Delgado had been significant enough in the past. Recently the country had achieved even greater importance with the discovery of a rich vein of gold in mountainous, land-locked El Dorado and oil in the inner plain of Santo Domingo, neighboring nations.
The tiny near-worthless patch of real estate found it a heady experience to control the shipment of these valuable commodities. Having nothing of value in their own land, the ruling class of Delgado determined to make as much as possible from their new status by charging exorbitant fees for the use of their harbor.
Rebel factions in the surrounding nations, which included the still totally impoverished Los Dolores, felt they were not getting enough of their region's new prosperity. They focused their resentment on their neighbor and decided to take matters in hand, banding together to invade tiny Delgado.
The armed forces of the miniature nation consisted solely of the personal guard of El Presidente, currently Domingo Veracruz Y Santillan. Veracruz and his family narrowly escaped, fleeing to their private island off the coast, but others were less fortunate. The legislators were harried from their halls and shot in the streets. Then the rebels turned to the "foreign exploiters" and gave full vent to their wrath and blood lust.
At the American consulate, the Marine guards fought back until they ran out of ammunition. Then they were systematically slaughtered as was the embassy staff, right down to the four month old son of an attaché. The representatives of other nations fared no better.
Captive news crews filmed the massacres at gunpoint, and soon the bloody deeds were broadcast to the world. However, the reaction was not the abject terror the rebels naively expected but collective outrage. Within hours, the United Nations had troops on the way to revenge the martyred folk.
As the next few days passed, quick successes in what the media quickly labeled The Three-D War, lost momentum and began to bog down. The rebels fought fiercely with a total lack of fear. Though mostly untrained and poorly armed, the group consisted of various factions each unwilling to give up their autonomy to create a cohesive force. Still with the little they had, they battled like tigers until air power, munitions and finally sheer numbers carried the fight, and they were swept out of San Juan Delgado's capitol, Ciudad Delgado, the harbor area of Bahia Buena and then the surrounding countryside.
But that was not enough. Their brutality and criminal disregard for all conventions of civilization could not be ignored. International consensus decreed the leaders and perpetrators of the outrage must be captured and made to pay for their misdeeds.
As these illusive quarries faded into the mountains and jungles of their rugged homelands, the invading commanders realized it was not going to be an easy task. To support the required long term efforts, supplies and troops continued to arrive and they began to dig in for the duration.
Bahia Buena and the harbor facilities occupied every flat inch of land at the mouth of Rio del Diablo, which created the bay. Behind the narrow beaches, nearly vertical cliffs rose above the sand. It was on the flats atop those cliffs that Ciudad Delgado had been built, a modernistic capital which had risen volcanically from barren plains. On these flats, just beyond the new city, the command post was established. Around Ciudad Delgado's airport, a veritable new city of tents and prefabs sprang up, extended for over a mile back from the cliff-side.
At first, except for the Quick Reaction Teams dispatched immediately to the war zone, the Twenty-fourth had no new or added mission. After the initial flurry of activity, when it became clear the war would not be over in a matter of hours, everyone just sat and waited, plagued by anxiety and an excess of adrenaline. The tension crackled in the air, almost visible.
Within the first week, larger elements of both Wire and Wireless Companies prepared to leave, but no one seemed to know if the whole Brigade would be called on or not. Andy had served in the Gulf War and the Balkans. She found it galling in the extreme to go on with business as usual, especially the endless reports and other routine actions which seemed both tedious and pointless. The idea she might be totally left out of the war effort seemed completely intolerable.
Although he didn't say so and tried not to show it, Cory felt the same way. He and Andy had reached a sort of uneasy, wordless truce by which they managed to work, together but separately, mostly keeping out of each other's way. Cory knew it was far from an ideal situation, but perhaps the best compromise possible for the time being. At least he knew the mission was being accomplished which, to him, was the first and most important consideration.
Still, he felt no surprise when two weeks after the start of the war, he received Andy's written request for a change of assignment. If she was surprised that he denied it, he didn't know, but he more than half-expected some sort of response from her. He got the first hint from Stacy when she mentioned, just before she left early to run an errand, that he had an appointment at 1600 that afternoon.
The late hour didn't seem strange because every day had been jammed full since the war began, but he wondered vaguely who it might be. His curiosity vanished when Andy appeared at his door. He looked up at her knock and said "Come."
She walked in and stopped, two paces in front of his desk, coming to rigid attention as if she had never been there before. "Captain Hollis reporting, sir." Her set jaw and hooded eyes spoke of anger, carefully concealed in her voice.
"Cut the crap, Captain. You know you don't have to go through all that with me. Sit down. What's this all about?"
"Yes sir. It's a personal matter, sir, and I didn't feel...This doesn't relate to my official duties as Brigade XO...Well, it does, but not directly. Anyway, I felt this was the right way to handle the matter, sir." In spite of his invitation, she remained standing.
Cory struggled to contain a grimace of irritation. "At ease, Captain. If you're in some kind of trouble, I haven't heard about it. Oh, there's been a little grumbling about your strictness regarding suspense dates and quality correspondence, but I haven't felt you were out of line. Anyway, whatever the issue is, we should be able to sit down here and discuss it man to...uh, as colleagues."
Andy relaxed imperceptibly, moving her left foot ten inches to the left and clasping her hands behind her back in the parade rest posture.
"Yes sir. I would like to know why the Colonel did not see fit to accept my request for a change of assignment. Begging the Colonel's pardon, Captain Petty is much better suited to be XO than I am, and Lieutenant Hale would be more effective in Wire Comms, where his experience lies, than in Wireless."
Cory took a moment to gather his wits and assume a semblance of calmness. "Andy, I'm fully satisfied with your performance here and I think it's beneficial for Lieutenant Hale to become familiar with Wireless. Frankly, I'm puzzled by your request. I know you weren't comfortable for awhile, but I'd gotten the impression you were fitting in and things were running pretty smoothly."
He saw Andy's lips tighten into a straight line. When she remained silent, he went on. "We discussed this before, and I told you I thought it was good for your career and personal development to serve here. I was a Captain myself once, not so terribly long ago, and I regarded the XO billet as a plum assignment, but never had the chance to try it out. After our previous conversation, I spoke with Colonel Standish. He said he'd intended to reward your stellar performance as Wireless Chief. Those were his exact words. He felt the XO position should be reserved for the best and brightest young officers and I agree. It's a great place to learn and to shine."
For an instant, Andy's face reflected surprise, but then she schooled her expression to its previous neutral mask. "I didn't realize that, sir. In the Air Force, it seemed they usually put the misfits in the job, the ones who couldn't fly and weren't going to make it somewhere else."
"You were in the Air Force?"
The expression on Andy's face was priceless. She looked as if she'd just accidentally divulged a terrible secret. "Oh, no sir. I...I grew up in an Air Force family. But, well, I'd still prefer my old job. I mean there's a war going on, but you'd never know it at my desk. All the same old garbage is going on, business as usual. I can't believe all these dumb reports -- we spend more time reporting than working!"
She floundered to a halt, apparently realizing she'd voiced opinions which had by no means been requested and were hardly politically correct.
"I'll forget you said that," Cory said, struggling for a stern tone as he tried not to grin. So she's got some spunk, some sass after all! "You know Army business is not garbage nor dumb, not ever. To some degree, I happen to agree with you that things are too routine here, but I expect that to change very soon. In fact, if we don't have orders to ship out -- the whole Brigade -- within a week, I'll be surprised. That's not for public dissemination, but it's my honest opinion based on information definitely stronger than rumor."
Andy's face brightened slightly. "I hope you're right, sir, I really do. But, well, is there no chance of changing your mind about my assignment?"
Cory shook his head. "Not now, Andy. It's my considered judgment that existing assignments are in the best interest of both the Army and all of your careers. You're going to have to trust my judgment. I'm sorry you're still not comfortable in the job, but I think it's good for you."
"Yes sir. I understand." Andy's voice sounded totally flat, devoid of emotion.
Cory suppressed a sigh. "I'm not sure you do, but that can't be helped Anyway, it's past quitting time. Would you care to join me at the O Club for a beer before dinner time?"
Andy replied promptly in a clipped and almost chiding tone. "Thank you sir, but no."
Cory knew a trace of his exasperation crept into both his face and voice. He couldn't help it. He recognized a weakness he needed to guard against, but there were times he was a man first and commanding officer second, just for a moment, and this was one of them.
"Damn it, Andy, we've been working together for a month and I thought things were smoothing out. I also thought you realized I'm not a spit and polish officer. To me, there's a time and place for military formality, for all the starch and pomp and polish anyone could desire, but that's not my style for every day business. If you'd care to sit down, friend to friend, and tell me why you don't want to stay on here as XO, I'd be glad to listen. I don't promise to do anything else, but I would listen."
Andy's gaze dropped to her toes, though she hadn't truly looked at him once, and her shoulders drooped. She shook her head. "No sir. I don't think that would help anything. I do trust your judgment and I'll do the best job I can, war or no war."
"I have no doubt your best is much more than adequate, Andy. Good night now, and have a nice weekend."
"You too, sir." She saluted, turned crisply and marched out. Cory finally released his sigh as he sank back into his chair after returning her salute. He sat, deep in thought, long after the small sounds of her departure faded.
"Damn it, I wish she was a man," he muttered. From a military point of view, the wish was strictly true, but from a personal perspective, nothing could have been farther from the truth.
Andrea Hollis might be as militarily correct as was humanly possible, but he could never forget or ignore the fact she was also a damned attractive woman. Although he wasn't sure yet, he'd begun to suspect a similar awareness on her part played no small role in her wish to transfer. Maybe, for both their sakes, he should allow it. The explanation he'd given her was not untrue, but it certainly wasn't the whole story, either. Somehow, in a few short weeks, she'd become a fixture in his life, a critical cog in the machinery of his routine.
They called her "Iron Andy" behind her back, fellow officers with a subtle derision stemming from a mixture of envy and grudging admiration, and her former troops and friends with almost worshipful respect. As a company commander, he'd heard she'd been hard but fair, uncompromising in both what she demanded of her troops and the lengths to which she would go to defend and support them. She exhibited all the traits he wanted to see in a young officer -- except she was the wrong gender. He could not see, hear or even sense her presence without feeling a very elemental masculine response.
Cory had never seen a woman who worked harder not to be sexy, but at least for him, her effort was in vain. It was probably a good thing she'd refused his spontaneous invitation, even though he'd made it innocently enough. There was no telling where even such a small and innocuous degree of socializing might lead, and the last thing he needed in his life was a woman, particularly a woman who was also a junior officer in his command. Damn, women in the military was a piss-poor idea. It really was.
***
After Andy walked out of the Brigade Office, she sat in her car for several minutes. She didn't want to be there when Cory -- Colonel Costain -- came out to his truck. He drove a newer one now than when he'd arrived, and today he'd parked two spaces from her compact. But for the moment, she felt too shaky to drive.
Damn him! Why didn't he take the easy way out and reassign her? He clearly hated formality and the artificial barriers the military erected to separate the ranks. Except for the most formal occasions, he preferred to be on a first name basis with all his people and said so. But formality was the only defense she had, the only way to keep from saying and doing something totally feminine and foolish.
For years, she'd been independent and self-sufficient, prided herself in the hard- learned lessons that made her so. Had she been living a lie? Was she really just another weak, clinging woman like he mother, willing to tolerate infidelity and verbal abuse rather than stand on her own? Was she still the naive girl who'd wed Lieutenant Joseph Hazlett with starry eyes only to learn he'd really married not her but her father's rank and prestige, considering her a necessary evil in the arrangement?
No, she wouldn't be such a fool as to surrender to a man's lazy smile, give up everything for the teasing glint in his eyes or the way his most casual touch set her heart racing. But if she kept being a pest and aggravating Colonel Costain about a reassignment, her career could be ruined just as surely as if she resigned her commission to get married or made a total fool of herself over him.
Somehow she had to erect enough barriers to protect herself until she could escape, but it kept getting harder. She'd wanted so badly to accept his casual invitation, to walk into the club at his side and...No, no, no! Wearily, she turned the key to start her car and headed for home.
***
On Veteran's Day, a fleet of C130 transport planes delivered the Twenty-fourth to the mesa above Bahia Buena on the twentieth day of the war. Their mission: to provide necessary communications for command and control, linking the command post with the units fanned out in pursuit of the rebels.
Although a cadre had been left at Fort Cochise, Cory brought most of his unit to the war zone, himself at the helm. As some of the enlisted troops set up the tent which would serve as his field office, he thought over the resources he had.
First Lieutenant Fred Glass, to whom he'd assigned Wireless Company, was an unknown quantity. Because Lieutenant Hale had a very pregnant wife who was also diabetic, Cory had left him in charge of the home front. Glass came highly recommended, but that could mean a little or a lot. Steve Petty in Wire was steady as a well-built antenna. No worry there.
Tradition made Andy, as XO, his second-in-command. He had no qualms about that, except it was going to throw them together even more than the jobs had stateside. He would have to watch himself.
Not that he had any doubts about Andy's ability. Captain A. R. Hollis was nothing if not a good officer, competent, conscientious, and hard working. She knew the communication business inside out and was even -- mostly -- fairly good with people. The fact they didn't get along, was just one of those things. He'd tried to diffuse the situation with humor, but kidding only seemed to make things worse. Either she'd never forgiven him for the crack about the run in her hose, or maybe she just hated men, especially superior officers.
The senior NCO came over then to consult him about setting things up, and he put the puzzle of Captain Hollis to the back of his mind. Eventually, he'd crack that code, but right now, there were more important things to tackle, the main one being to get the Brigade up and running as quickly as possible.
For the first few days, that meant taking his eyes, ears and orders out to his key people instead of interrupting their work for staff meetings. Before a week had passed, Cory's observations told him he'd have to make at least one change, a change he both hated and felt vaguely relieved to make.
Once he reached the decision, Cory summoned Lieutenant Glass and Andy to the strong-backed tent which served as the Brigade Office. While he waited for them, he walked across to the Orderly Room in a prefab hut and bought a cold soda out of the machine there, one of a relative few scattered around the camp.
The calendar said late November, but here just off the equator, it felt more like July. July in the Deep South, hot, humid and miserable. The few available air conditioners went to the places where they were required to keep equipment cool enough to function. Cory had a fan, which helped a little, but not much.
Actually though, he reflected, heading back to his makeshift office, they had it pretty good here in camp. Those poor sons chasing rebels into the jungle and up those goat tracks into the mountains, now that was rough duty. Of his people, only the forward support teams had to suffer anything similar. He'd make sure they rotated frequently, anyway.
***
Andy hesitated outside the door of the Brigade Office to give herself a final pep talk and to try to regain some semblance of composure. It didn't come easily. Even in this new environment, her response to Colonel Costain didn't want to conform to her ideas of what was correct. By setting up her office across the 'street', with his tacit permission, she'd tried to minimize close contact between them, but even that helped only a little.
Finally, with a fatalistic half-shrug, she walked in. Here, the luxury of a civilian secretary was not available. A Specialist Four clerk occupied the outer desk. She obviously knew Andy was expected and waved her on into the colonel's office, behind a head-high partition.
Lieutenant Glass had already arrived. He jumped up and saluted Andy, which was not necessary, but she took it as a mark of respect and returned the salute it as soon as the Colonel told her to stand at ease.
Cory got up and came around his desk. "On second thought, let's just sit down together and talk about this." He pulled out one of the remaining chairs and indicated for Andy to sit, but she waited until he sat down in the other before she moved to sit, stiff as dry pasta, on the very edge of hers.
The Lieutenant, pale and anxious, sat with his white-knuckled hands clenched. He had to know his company had not been doing well. He looked ill and half-afraid. Andy didn't feel much better, but hoped she didn't show her distress quite as clearly.
She felt confident the colonel would not chew out either of them in front of the other, but she also knew her recent performance hadn't been the best. She'd heard some rumors and muttered complaints about her strictness and occasional tendency to be sharp and less than diplomatic on the phone. Neither a good diplomat nor a precise clerk, she still struggled in a job demanding both attributes.
"When a commander sees round pegs in square holes and vice-versa, he's a fool not to fix it, especially if the organization is suffering as a result. I probably should have acted sooner, but I'm a strong believer in the virtue of experience as a teacher." Cory paused to glance first at Andy and then Fred Glass.
When his attentive regard moved from her, Andy stole a quick look at him. She saw nothing but concern and compassion in his face. As if he felt her scrutiny, he turned his gaze back towards her, still holding the same expression. She let her breath out and then inhaled deeply again as her heart stuttered in her chest.