“I told the men who stayed behind that if I came home and found a ring on your finger, they would get permanent duty on the Outer Perimeter.”

She laughed lightly and pulled a face at him. “So that’s why no one would eat lunch with me.”

“You’d better believe it. But to make up for it, how about dinner tonight?”

“Oh, I’d love to, but seriously, aren’t you exhausted?” She studied his face, deeply tanned since she had last seen him, and saw the weariness in his eyes. Suddenly she realized how much she had missed him, and she was tempted to throw her arms around him again. But she merely reached down and took his hand. “It must have been terrible.”

Travis took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “It wasn’t very pretty.”

“What happened?”

“I have to give a full report right now to the Major. He’ll meet us in Detention, in the observation room. He’d like you there.”

Nicole’s head jerked up. “Me?”

He nodded, then pointed to her console. “File off what you’re doing and let’s go.”

“Why does he want me there?”

“They’re going to start implanting the people we brought back, and—”

“I don’t want to be there, Travis,” she said, stepping back. “I always hate that. You know that.”

“Hey, listen! Let me finish. The Major doesn’t want you to be there for the implantations, but he has three or four men he wants to bring into the Guardians. One especially—the one we brought back with us—is going to be a real challenge. His father was killed trying to stop us.”

“How awful! But if he’s that much of a problem, why use him?”

“Because if we can bring him over, he would be perfect as a commander of the Perimeter Forces. He’s as much at home in the forest as in the village. He’s resourceful, innovative, and adaptable—a natural leader. Within one week after my arrival in the village, I knew he was the one the Major has been looking for.” He touched her arm. “The Major wants you in on the turn-around from the very beginning. So turn off your machine and let’s go.”

Nicole’s face softened. “Okay. I didn’t mean to stand here questioning you.” She stepped to the bank of instruments, punched a couple of keys on the keyboard, then shut the machine off. “Okay,” she said, turning back to face him.

On an impulse, he stepped forward, took her in his arms, and kissed her. For an instant, her body stiffened in surprise, but then she responded in a soft, warm acceptance of his embrace. When he pulled back, her eyes were wide, searching his. “Mr. Oakes,” she said softly, “is that what you learned from the girls in that village?”

“I missed you, Nicole. More than I expected.”