"Not that I'm bragging here,but the females in the gathering are doing the same to me." Not the same," she shot back. "They aren't planning on ways t...o get youalone and... oh, never mind, they probably are given the way peoplearound here seem to be."Garret laughed at that and gave her a hug."It isn't funny," she snorted while trying to hold back a grin. "Atleast you can defend yourself against the women." Dear," Garret answered imperturbably. "There is no real defense for aman who has a. But I guess God and the Air Force had other ideas. By the time you read this, I will be home myself. Then two weeks after that I report in at Langley Air Force Base, in Virginia.Honestly, it breaks my heart to tell you in this way. But I was afraid if I told you before you left, you might try to cancel your leave. And I know how much you wanted to see your family and friends. Especially your little brother, there was no way I was going to let you do that. You had to go, and so did I. But know,. “And don’t expect this woman to be washing those shoes. I asked if you had boots, you know.”Duncan wasn’t shy about his laughter and Scott graciously took a good amount of k**ding from the two of them. He was also handy with the ax and cut down Duncan’s tree in no time. Scott helped Duncan carry the tree back to the house, to prevent any of more dung incidents.After a dinner of beef stew and crusty brown bread, Scott relaxed on the parlor sofa while Kara and Duncan decorated their tree. Tiny. Swallowing, he took a chance, unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeve, something he never did in public. The couple noticed the marks on his wrist. Instead of displaying curiosity, they dropped to one knee, crossing their right arm over their chest.“We await your command, Sir.”“Uh ... what?”Betty shifted around so she could examine her brother’s wrist. “How long have you had that?”“I’ve always had it, though it’s gotten more pronounced recently. I have no idea what it signifies, but apparently.