Colonel Robert Clayton settled into bed with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye.
It was amazing what fate could do at times. Here he was in the worst month of his military career and the best surprise he'd had in three decades dropped into his lap.
He'd known when he'd called Skip to arrange dinner that his nephew was scrambling for an excuse to avoid him. He knew exactly what his nephew thought of him: a rigid and cold-hearted career military man who didn't care much about anyone or anything as long as no one deviated from the plan. Bob had been in no mood to let his nephew dodge him. They were family and family had a duty to each other.
When he'd pushed, his nephew had ultimately given some cockamamie excuse about a girlfriend demanding his attention. As if Skip had ever indulged the demands of a girlfriend.
Despite Lee's opinion, Bob understood the workings of a young alpha male mind better than most. He was one and he'd commanded too many others to mistake the signs. It had amused him to push his nephew that little bit farther to see what he'd do. The revelation had come when Lee had blurted out a name.
Amanda.
Lee couldn't know, and maybe Bob would never tell him but as soon as he'd heard that, he'd been transported back to a café in London in December 1943.
"Jennifer." Matt had said in exactly the same tone.
Watching Skip with Amanda had been exactly like watching Lee's parents back in the day. Bob could see that they weren't dating, no matter what Skip said. But he also knew that when a Stetson man fell in love, it was for good. Bob's stepfather and nephew had never been the same after they found a woman who made them look at her like Amanda King did to Skip. They'd never used that particular tone for any woman other than the one who brought them to heel.