Taming Her Navy Doc Read Online Free

was like he could see right through to her very core and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
    Everyone she’d let in so far had hurt her.
    Even her own mother, with her pointed barbs about Erica’s career choice and how serving in the Navy had killed her father. Her mother had never supported her.
    “The Navy ruined our life, Erica. Why do you want to go to Annapolis?”
Erica hadn’t been able to tell her mother that it was because of her father. Her mother didn’t think much about him, but to Erica he was a hero and she’d wanted to follow in his footsteps.
    “I’m proud to serve my country, Erica. It’s the ultimate sacrifice. I’m honored to do it. Never forget I felt this way, even if you hear different.”
    So every remark about the armed forces ruining their life hurt. It was like a slap in the face each time and she’d gone numb with her mother, and then Captain Seaton, who had used her. She shut down emotionally to people. It was for the best.
    At least, she thought she had, until a certain Navy SEAL had crossed her path five years before. He’d been the only one to stir any kind of real emotion in her in a long time.
    “I have no doubt you’ll do well here, Commander. Have you been shown to your quarters on base?”
    “Yes.”
    “Are they adequate?”
    “Of course, Captain.”
    He nodded. “Good. Well, get some sleep. Try to adjust to Okinawa time. Jet lag can be horrible. I’ll expect you to report for duty tomorrow at zero four hundred hours.”
    Erica stood as he did and saluted him. “Thank you, Captain.”
    “You’re dismissed, Commander.”
    She nodded and placed her hat back on her head before turning and heading out of the office as fast as she could.
    Once she was a safe distance away she took a moment to pause and take a deep breath. She’d never expected to run into him again.
    Given the state he’d been in when she’d last seen him, she’d had her doubts that he would survive, but he had and he was still serving.
    Even though he was no longer a Navy SEAL, at least he hadn’t been honorably discharged. It had been one of his pleas when she’d told him about his leg.
    “This is your life, Liam. My life… I have nothing else. I need my leg to do that.”
    The memory caused a shiver to run down her spine. It was so clear, like it had happened yesterday, and she couldn’t help but wonder again who Liam was. Whoever he was, it affected Captain Wilder.
    It doesn’t matter. You’re here to do your job.
    Erica sighed and then composed herself.
    She was here to be a surgeon for the Navy.
    That was all.
    Nothing more. Dr. Thorne Wilder’s personal life was of no concern to her, just like her personal life, or lack thereof, was no one else’s concern.
    Still, at least she knew what had happened to her stranger.
    At least he was alive and that gave her closure to something that had been bothering her for five years. At last she could put that experience to rest and she could move on with her life.
    * * *
    After Erica left, Thorne got up and wandered back over to his window. From his vantage point he could see the walkway from his office and maybe catch a glimpse of Erica before her ride came to take her back to her ­quarters on base.
    She’d been surprised to see him, though she’d tried not to show it. She hid her emotions well, kept them in check like any good officer.
    Erica remembered him, but how much else did she remember?
    Bits and pieces of his time on the USNV
Hope
were foggy to him, but there were two things he remembered about his short time on the ship and those two things were losing his leg and seeing her face.
    He remembered her face clearly. It had been so calm in the tempestuous strands of memory of that time. He remembered pain.
    Oh, yes. He’d never forget the pain. He still felt it from time to time. “Phantom limb” pain. It drove him berserk, but he had ways of dealing with it.
    At night, though, when he closed his eyes and that moment came back to