My Kenna: A Military Romance (2 page)

She was something else. Butch watched her from across the bar, sitting next to the fire and drinking her beer alone. There was something in her, a certain reserved sadness, that drew her to him. Butch watched her as she watched everyone else. She was observant. She was smart.

She was beautiful, too. She had long, blonde hair that was wet with snow and her face was impeccably fresh. The only rouge on it was the red from the cold. It had been a long time since Butch had seen a grown woman without makeup, but here was one in the wild. She was dressed in all black. It almost looked like she was mourning someone or something. She drank, taking occasional sips of her beer as she stared at the fire.

Butch was mesmerized.

He’d come to the bar with Alec and Jose to celebrate finishing basic and being out on their own. Butch couldn’t focus on his friends anymore, though. Their voices drifted away and all he could see was the blonde woman in black.

“Dude, just go for it.”

Butch shook his head, turning to Alec. “What?”

“You’ve been staring at that chick for like twenty minutes. Either paint a picture of her or ask her out.” Jose nodded in agreement. “If you don’t, me or Jose will.”

That got Butch moving. If anyone was asking this woman out, it was Butch. When Butch approached her she seemed surprised. That shocked him. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the place, how could she be surprised someone was approaching her? Surely people approached her every ten minutes.
 

When she rejected him it wasn’t with malice or the coldness that most women had rejected him before, it was with sadness. It was as if she had wanted to say yes, but something held her back. It was because of that sadness that Butch pressed. He wanted to know this woman in anyway he could.
 

“I’m Kenna,” She’d said.
Kenna
. It was a beautiful name to fit a beautiful woman. The way she gave her name almost sounded frightened. Everything about this woman was peculiar. She held herself with confidence and almost fight, but when she spoke it was with fear and when she looked at him it was with sadness.
 

Butch told her his name and she smiled. She turned away as if ending the conversation. The conversation wasn’t done. It would never be done with her.
 

Butch opened his mouth to speak but Kenna interrupted him.

“Look,” Kenna said. “I’m sure you’re a great guy but I just can’t do this.” Kenna grabbed her coat and rushed out the door, leaving Butch to wonder after her.
 

Kenna’s phone had vibrated while Butch had been introducing himself. At first Kenna thought nothing of it. It was probably her boss wanting to know if she would be better by the morning. Then her phone vibrated again, and again, and again.
 

She knew by the fourth vibration that it wasn’t her boss. Somehow, Caleb had gotten her number. Kenna picked up her coat and ran out of there. For a brief moment Kenna had contemplated a night with Butch. She’d contemplated saying yes to Butch and even dating him.

Then Caleb happened.

Because Caleb would
always
happen.

That’s what Kenna needed to remember.

Kenna turned in to the alley behind the tavern and opened up the text messages.

Miss me??

I fucking told you I’d find you.

Stop hiding you—

Kenna turned off her phone. She’d have to get yet another number. Did it matter though? Caleb would
always
find a way to get her. She threw her phone to the ground, stomped it in to the wet and sticky snow, and began to cry.
 

Something compelled Butch to follow Kenna out the door. He ignored his friends hollering at him, jousting him, and saying he’d struck out. Not a minute after she’d left, Butch followed the mysterious Kenna’s trail.

The streets were empty and snow was falling heavy, blanketing everything in a sheer, white veil. Though it was nearing ten o’clock, Butch could see everything clearly. The moon reflected against the clouds and gave the night an almost eery white glow.
 

Butch was about to go back inside the Tavern when he heard a sound. A soft, sorrowful sound drifted to his ears. Butch followed the sound around the bar and came upon Kenna crying in the alley.

“Kenna?” Butch asked. Kenna looked up, her bright, blue eyes like a doe caught in headlights.

“Excuse me!” Kenna wiped her eyes and brushed passed him, knocking his shoulder slightly. A soundless word escaped Butch's mouth. It could have been comfort or it could have been a question, but it was too late. Before Butch could make the sound, Kenna was halfway down the street.
 

“What’s this?” Jose lifted up a pile of newer boxes to reveal what looked like twenty year old, cardboard boxes. Butch and Alec shrugged.
 

“Looks like trash,” Alec said. “Throw it in the dump pile.” Jose ignored him and started rummaging through.

“If you keep insisting on looking in every box we’ll never have this place cleaned,” Alec moaned.
 

The men had been up since 0400 sorting through the base’s storage system. One of the things they’d been tasked with was cleaning up the base. The base had been defunct for nearly a decade but now was going to be reopened. Boxes and other trash littered the base and needed to be cleaned.
 

“Holy shit!” Jose said. Alec and Butch looked up from their cleaning, interested.
 

“What?” Butch asked.

“Look!” Jose lifted up magazine after magazine out of the boxes.
 

“Oh, gross, put those back!” Alec said, swatting at Jose. “Who knows where they’ve been?” Butch walked over to get a closer look.

At least a hundred twenty-year old nudie mags were inside the boxes. Playboy, penthouse, and other assorted publications were included. Butch started to laugh.

“Well it looks like we’ve found the old group’s stash.”

Jose tried to flip through the pages. “They’re stuck together.” He said, bewildered.

“What the fuck did you expect?” Alec said. “Throw them away!”

“But they’re vintage,” Jose whined. “I mean these chicks still have bush!”
 

Alec shook his head. “Fine. Keep them but will you please get back to helping?”

Jose smiled like he’d won the lottery and they got back to sorting and tossing.
 

Bang
.

Kenna was thrust back as the kickback knocked in to her. She’d selected the smallest, lightest gun yet still it seemed to overpower her. After Caleb had found her phone number, Kenna decided it was finally time to invest in a gun.
 

After the breakup, Kenna got herself a concealed carry permit, but minus the training she’d had to go through, she’d never really learned how to shoot a gun. And she never bought one. The thought of carrying a gun just made the situation too real.

Well, it got real all on its own.
 

Despite living in a small town, there was a gun range within ten miles. That was the nice thing about living so close to a military base. Kenna still hadn’t bought a gun, but they had plenty she could rent and try out. She
thought
she’d picked the smallest, easiest one but it still knocked her the hell out.
 

Taking off her protective eyewear and ear wear, she eyed the target with disdain.
 

If that was Caleb then she was already dead. None of her shots had landed.
 

“Kenna?”
 

Kenna jumped and turned to see who was addressing her. It was Butch, the man from the tavern. He eyed her like she was about to kill him, and she realized she’d put the gun up to him as if she was going to shoot.

“Woah, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
 

Kenna lowered the gun. “Sorry, I’m a little on edge. Please don’t report me.”

“I should know better than to sneak up on someone at a gun range,” Butch replied, smiling. “Is that a .38 double action revolver?”

Kenna looked uncertainly at her gun. “Yeah.”
 

“That’s a good gun.”

She shrugged. It was supposedly the best gun for self-defense, or at least the easiest and most reliable gun for self-defense. However none of the gun specs mattered if she couldn’t learn to shoot.

“You don’t like it?”
 

“No,” Kenna shook her head. “It’s great. I’m the problem.”
 

“What are you having problems with?”

Kenna thought about that for a moment. “Everything.”
 

Butch smiled. “Would you mind a little help?”

Kenna looked at her target again, a perfect piece of paper without bullet holes, and nodded. Kenna could use all the help she could get. “I’d love some help.”
 

“Okay, I’m going to have you keep your ear wear off until the very last minute so you can hear me.” Kenna nodded in assent. Butch came behind her slowly. “Is this alright?” Truthfully, it threw Kenna off to have a man so close to her. Since Caleb, Kenna hadn’t been with any man. She hadn’t even hugged a man. She nearly flinched, feeling the heat of Butch's chest against her back, but she didn’t. Butch had been so kind and careful with her that she only hesitated for a moment.

“Yes,” Kenna said.

“I’m going to put my arms around you now,” Butch said, “just to show you the proper stance. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know.” Kenna’s throat felt sticky and hot as Butch put his arms around her. He carefully slid his hands on her biceps and forearms, putting her in to the proper position. Kenna felt her heart beat faster with each touch.

“Now you need to stand shoulder width apart.” Butch spoke softly in to her ear and Kenna let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. Situating her legs, Kenna did as Butch said. “Almost, but you’re not quite there. Do you mind if I touch your legs?” Kenna shook her head, unable to speak. She felt Butch's hands situate her legs, moving inside her thigh and down to her calves. She almost couldn’t think.

“Okay it’s time to put your ear wear on. When you’re ready to shoot, breath in and release the trigger on the breath out.”

Butch put Kenna’s ear wear on and Kenna imagined that Caleb was the target. She breathed in and on the release breathed out. The recoil pushed her back in to Butch's chest. He placed his arms on her biceps and Kenna took off her eye ware and ear ware.
 

“Good job!” Butch said. The target had one bullet hole directly in the heart.