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darkness just outside the dining cabin that night. It was almost 2200 hours. Another hour and she would call it a day. She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, clean air. Though it was still muggy out, the dark sky was clear and a hint of a breeze stirred the leaves.
    Sh e leaned against a tree trunk and considered the strange fork in the road her life had taken. She almost laughed out loud as she considered that after six years of active duty, she was now standing in the middle of a youth camp temporarily turned into a weight-watchers’ retreat. How had this happened?
    Jane had worked so hard at being a professional soldier.
    She heaved a disgusted sigh. Why had the general picked her for this assignment? Jane thought she had done a damned good job as a drill sergeant. Did the general somehow consider her the most expendable of his soldiers? Jane shook her head in denial. She knew she performed as well as any of the men. No one could make her believe otherwise.
    Maybe she had been chosen because the initial mission involved the general’s wife. Perhaps he felt Jane would understand Mrs. Suddath’s needs better than a male physical training instructor.
    That thought made Jane feel a little better.
    Fabric rustled behind her. Standin g stock still, Jane waited, her breath stalled in her lungs. Someone was coming up behind her. Adrenaline rushed through her body, producing telltale chill bumps on her skin. The sound came from right behind her now. Instinctively her right elbow slammed into a solid ribcage. A soft grunt broke the air. Jane whirled and kicked the feet out from under her would-be assailant. A heavy body thumped to the ground. Moonlight spilled through the branches of the trees and revealed a tall man lying flat on his back.
    Tom Caldwell.
    Damn.
    “Sorry, sir,” she muttered as she helped him to his feet. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a soldier like that. We react on instinct.”
    “I’ll remember that ,” he assured her tightly as he dusted himself off.
    Heat rose in her cheeks as she considered that this was the second time she had swept Tom off his feet, literally. She hoped he wouldn’t mention these incidents in his report for the general.
    “I hope you’re not hurt, sir,” she offered meekly.
    A line creased his brow. “I thought we were past all that,” he reminded, clearly amused. “Tom,” he reminded.
    “Right.” She nodded. “Habit, si—Tom.”
    Tom plowed his long tanned fingers through his disheveled hair. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing out here at this time of night?”
    Jane glanced from the dining cabin to the trainees’ cabin thirty meters away, then back to Tom. “I wanted to make sure the ladies didn’t raid the kitchen tonight.” She squared her shoulders. “I informed you of this morning’s contraband ice cream delivery, didn’t I?”
    He smiled, and as usual, the sight played havoc with her senses.
    “Yeah, you did.” He shot an amused glance at the darkened cabins. “But I don’t think you have anything to worry about tonight. After today’s workout, I’d say they’ve already given it up for the night.”
    “I just want to be sure,” Jane countered, unconvinced of his assertion. “I’ve heard that the first forty-right hours of a diet are the most difficult.”
    “So you’re expecting more trouble?”
    “Maybe. Probably.”
    “Come on, Jane, these gals are all over fifty. Don’t you think they’re a little old for those kinds of shenanigans?”
    Jane let go a breath. Okay, maybe she was wrong. But she had a sneaking suspicion that something was going down tonight. Something that had Sandra Suddath’s unique brand of ingenuity behind it.
    “What are you doing out at this hour?” Jane asked, turning the tables on him.
    Tom shrugged. “A habit, as you put it.” He rubbed his side for emphasis.
    “What kind of habit?”
    “I always walk the grounds before calling it a night,” he told her. “Just to make sure that everything and