The Marine's Return

by Rula Sinara

  Camp Hope. It was the perfect name for their medical clinic and service dog training camp. His, Lexi and Reth’s home. It was where they’d exchanged their vows seven months ago. Lexi...his wife...and Reth...his son. God, he loved the sound of that...the feel of it.

  He loved them.

  If only Tony could see them now and be reassured that they were all going to be okay. Or maybe he’d known that they’d end up together, when he’d asked Chad to look after Lexi if something happened to him.

  The sound of her laugh carried through the symphony of wildlife chatter and distant roars as Lexi, Pippa and Dax’s twins, Ivy and Fern, tried to bottle feed one of Busara’s newest baby elephants, who seemed to have a sense of humor and streak of mischief.

  Lexi glanced over at him, cocked her head and smiled. God, he loved her. She was glowing, beautiful. She gently rubbed the soft spot behind the elephant’s ear as she rested one hand absentmindedly on her belly. His parents and Jacey and Taj, who were getting married in just a month, were the only ones who officially knew about Lexi being ten weeks along, but he suspected everyone else could tell. Lexi and Chad were planning to make the announcement today, on Reth’s birthday.

  Chad was happy so many of their friends and family had been able to make it today. Chad’s uncles Jack and Kamau—Pippa's and Haki’s fathers—were sitting on old wooden stools at a small table near the old tents, deep in a chess match. His cousin Nick—Mac and Tessa’s nephew, whom they’d raised after Nick lost his parents at the age of thirteen—watched on.

  It was crazy seeing Nick again after so many years. His shoulder-length hair was the total opposite of the military cut Chad still preferred, but the guy had an adventurous spirit Chad liked. Mac and Tessa had been hoping Nick would finish his archaeological studies in Morocco and Algeria and move back to Kenya so that his new little brother, Tai, could get to know him. But Chad could tell the guy had fire behind him and was nowhere near ready to settle down. Then again, Chad never thought he would settle down and here he was, a husband and father, with one more on the way.

  The screen door to the house creaked as his aunt Niara stepped out with a pot of hot, aromatic githeri to add to the buffet being set up in front of the porch.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize he was still asleep,” she said, trying to stop the screen from slamming shut with her foot.

  “Don’t worry about noise. He needs to wake up or he’ll miss his party. By the way, thank you again. All of you coming to this party really means a lot to Lexi and me. I’m sorry that you’ve been cooking all day. This family is not a small crowd.”

  “Ah, but I enjoy it, and being part of a big family has its benefits,” she said, taking the steps carefully and setting the pot down on the folding table. “With Tessa, Pippa, Hope, Anna and the boys helping in the kitchen, I feel like I haven’t done much.”

  Chad knew that by “the boys” she meant Huru, Noah, Ryan and Philip, who had all taken a few days off from college to come home for the mini-reunion.

  “Well, it’s good to see everyone in one place,” he said.

  “That it is.”

  The screen door creaked again and Roosevelt sat a little taller, sniffing the air hopefully. Anna stepped out with a tray of chapati, Chad’s favorite kind of bread since the day he’d first set foot in Kenya as a toddler.

  “If I don’t set this tray out here, the guys in there are going to eat it all before we’re ready. I think they’ve been nibbling and tasting more food than they’ve prepared,” Anna said with a chuckle.

  She set the tray down and tucked a strand of graying hair that had escaped her clip behind her ear. “Where is everyone? We’re almost ready but Pippa has a special gift for Reth and wants everyone to be here for the reveal.”

  “Maddie and Haki took Tai and Zoe, for a walk to the lookout. Tai wanted to climb it again,” Chad said, standing and bouncing Reth gently to get him to wake up.

  The lookout was a platform under an old acacia tree, which Anna had built, along with Kamau, back when she’d first established Busara with Kam’s help.

  “I think my dad, Mac, Dax, Mugi and Kesi and Jacey and Taj are all out back behind the house prepping a small bonfire for later,” Chad added. “If anyone wants to take over holding this little guy, I can go round them up.”

  Dax was pretty much a cousin now, since he’d married Pippa.

  Mugi and Kesi, an older couple who had founded Camp Jamba before Mac had joined their venture, had always been like family, too. Just like Mac, even though he wasn’t blood related.

  It didn’t matter who was friend or family here. Everyone was considered to be an aunt or uncle or cousin because their bonds were that close...that unbreakable. In fact, knowing his aunts and uncles, no one would be allowed to start eating until Busara’s keepers had secured the calves and joined the celebration, too. The only family who hadn’t been able to make it today were Chuki and Simba—Hope’s nickname for her brother, Dr. David Alwanga, who’d married her best friend many years back—and their kids.

  “I would love to take over baby snuggling. It’s a great-aunt’s privilege,” Anna said, scooping Reth off his shoulder. He frowned as his eyes blinked open. He squinted at everyone, then buried his face against Anna’s neck and gripped her arm. “But the twins can go get everyone. We could use your help getting everything set up here. Hey, Ivy and Fern, can you go get your dad and the others?”

  “Yeah, sure!” Fern and Ivy ran off and Lexi let the keeper lead the baby elephant away. She headed over to the porch.

  “You trust them to stay out of trouble? I’ve heard the stories,” Lexi said, walking up and wrapping her arms around Chad’s waist. He held her close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, lingering a moment to just breathe her in and feel her warmth.

  “Well, the more unbelievable, the truer those stories are, but Pippa has had a remarkable impact on those girls,” Niara said as she headed up the steps, too. “They’re going to grow up and make a difference in this world, just as all of you children have.”

  Chad loved how his parents and aunts and uncles still referred to him and his cousins and siblings as children, even if they were all parents, too, now.

  Lexi looked up at Chad, still holding on to him, and met his lips halfway.

  “I better go nurse Reth before everyone is ready to eat.” She slipped her arms from around Chad and took Reth from Anna.

  “You know we’ll all fight over who gets to carry him afterward,” Anna said.

  “So long as you all fight over who gets to change his diaper, too. We wouldn’t want to deprive everyone of that joy,” Chad said.

  Lexi slapped his arm playfully and Niara laughed just as Dax and the twins appeared around the corner. Haki and Maddie with the two youngsters in tow appeared down the path that led through the brush and trees from the lookout.

  Pippa appeared in the doorway with a bag and eased past Niara, who was headed in.

  “Wait. Don’t go in yet. Can Reth hang in there for a moment longer, Lexi? I’ll hurry. But, if everyone goes in and out we’ll never get started. I want to make this special announcement before we eat.”

  Dax came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek. She smiled up at him and Chad could see even in that split-second eye contact that those two loved each other the way he loved Lexi.

  “Oh, my gosh. I think I figured out your surprise, Pippa,” Lexi said. “You found out if you’re having a boy or a girl. Is that it?”

  Pippa held her stomach and grinned just as Dax looked over his shoulder at the twins, who were grabbing rounds of chapati.

  “Hey, you two, no dipping into the food yet,” Dax said.

  “But we have to keep our mouths full or else we’ll accidentally blurt out the surprise,” Ivy said. Fern giggled and raised her brows at him like their reasoning was valid.

  “A
ctually,” Pippa said, as everyone else began to gather around. “We did find out, but that’s only part of the surprise. We’re having a—” she glanced up at Dax and waited for him to say it with her “—girl.”

  A chorus of congratulations rang out.

  “Ivy and Fern have already chosen a name for their little sister,” Dax said.

  “Sienna,” the twins said together.

  “That’s a beautiful name,” Kesi said, as she stood next to Mugi, Mac and Tessa.

  “Is there anything better than being grandparents?” Jack asked, taking Anna’s hand in his and weaving his fingers through hers.

  “Nothing better,” Anna said. “I’m so blessed to have all of you as family.”

  “I second that,” Hope said.

  Ben put his arm around her. “Agreed, but don’t forget great-grandkids, too,” he said.

  “Let’s take this one generation at a time, Dad. We’re working on it,” Chad said. Everyone laughed.

  “But wait, she said there was more to the surprise,” Tessa reminded them.

  “Yes! Is everyone here?” Pippa asked, hugging the bag she was holding against her chest.

  Chad was beginning to catch on that Pippa was very nervous about something. She kept nibbling at her lip and trying repeatedly to push back her corkscrew-curly hair. Chad had a feeling he knew why she was so apprehensive.

  The box had come.

  He put his arm around Lexi and kissed her temple. A lump rose in his throat.

  Pippa took a deep breath.

  “Chad, Lexi. I know embracing family history has always been important to you, especially now as you raise Reth. Lexi, your desire to fulfill Tony’s wish and make sure Reth experiences part of his heritage is what brought you to Kenya...to us. And we’re so grateful that you’re part of our family now.”

  A tear trailed down Lexi’s cheek and Chad wiped it away for her with the pad of his thumb. She sniffed and held on to his hand.

  “I wanted to give Reth a gift for his first birthday that he could cherish for life,” Pippa continued. “A gift that would tie us all together...forever...and even for generations to come. I’ll be sharing this with all of you, especially all of our children, but I wanted Reth to have the honor of getting the first copy.”

  There was a hush. Chad took in the anticipation on everyone’s faces. Hope and Anna covered their mouths.

  Pippa bit her lower lip then stepped closer and held out the gift.

  Chad let go of Lexi’s hand and took the bag. Lexi propped Reth on her hip and slipped her free hand into the bag then pulled out the gift of all gifts.

  The book.

  A gasp escaped Lexi as she tried to hold back the tears. And it wasn’t because she was pregnant. Chad knew the emotions would have poured out regardless. He didn’t have pregnancy hormones raging through him but the sight of the cover and title made his chest and throat tighten. Tears stung the rims of his eyes and one glance around told him he wasn’t alone.

  Even Ben, his father who never cried, was wiping his face. Jack and Anna, who had always been the patriarch and matriarch of this incredible, inspiring, loving tribe of theirs, were crying openly and unashamedly.

  “This is it?” he asked.

  Pippa nodded, her cheeks flushed and the tip of her nose turned pink.

  “‘The Promise of Rain,’” he read. “That’s a beautiful title.” It was. It held so much meaning. Reth had been born in the rain. The rains also brought life after death in the Serengeti, in the Masai Mara and all of Kenya’s vast wilderness. Rain was a good omen, a giver of life and hope.

  Lexi held the book against her heart.

  “Thank you for this. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Pip, there are no words. This is amazing. You did it,” Chad said.

  “No, all of you did it. I couldn’t have written the story of us—all of us—without each of you. It starts from the time my mom first touched this very ground beneath our feet, here at Busara, and made it home, to when Uncle Ben brought you Chad, Maddie and Ryan out here to marry Auntie Hope, to Uncle Mac bringing Auntie Tessa and Nick into our lives. And even what I went through to find the loves of my life,” Pippa said, looking at Dax and the twins. “Every one of you that’s here is in this book. Uncle Kam and Niara, Haki, Mugi and Kesi, you, too. All of you. And I couldn’t have written your stories without your belief and trust in me. You all shared things that I know were immensely personal and sometimes painful to relive, and I hope I did your stories justice. I tried my best to tell them with love.”

  Reth grabbed the corner of the book and tried to gnaw at it. Laughs broke through the tears of the crowd.

  “We may need to keep this copy out of his reach until he stops teething and drooling,” Lexi said. “I can’t wait to read it. We’ll treasure this forever.”

  “Pippa,” Anna said. “You’ve been at Busara since the beginning, too, and yes, I may be biased, but I think everyone here would agree that you have such a genuine, limitless and giving heart that it would be impossible for all that love not to come through in this story. And I can’t thank you enough for using the book to help raise funds for all of our causes, from Busara’s elephant rescue to fighting poachers to humanitarian causes and your efforts to spread reading and education access out here.”

  Chad cleared his throat. “Bottom line is that we’re all about to read up on each other’s personal lives and, I’m hoping, some juicy secrets. And thanks to Reth, here, I’ll have a head start with reading it,” Chad said. That earned some chuckles and sly looks. “But seriously, ditto what Anna said, Pippa. We’ll treasure this gift forever. I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say we’re proud of you, Pip.”

  Everyone swarmed in to give her hugs and to see the cover of the book.

  The Promise of Rain by Pippa Harper-Calder.

  The story of their lives.

  Lexi touched her belly as Reth’s tiny hand patted at her cheek. He hugged her close and she looked up at Chad. No words were needed. He could see it in her eyes and feel it in the way her heart beat against him. Breathtaking love. A love story that would last forever, in this life and beyond.

  And it had all begun with the promise of rain.

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Cowboy Sheriff by Leigh Riker.

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  Her Cowboy Sheriff

  by Leigh Riker

  CHAPTER ONE

  FINN DONOVAN CRADLE
D the small child in his arms. The little girl couldn’t be more than three years old, and her cries went straight to his heart, to the memories that were both happiest and darkest.

  “Where’s Mama?” she kept wailing.

  Finn hated accident scenes.

  The pile of nearby wreckage had once been a car and a pickup truck, the now twisted metal gleaming in the dark each time the flashing lights from the ambulance and his cruiser strobed the area. The hash of red and blue made the whole scene appear purple, and the noxious smell of spilled gasoline hung in the air. Hands down, this was the absolute worst part of his job.

  Finn had hoped to leave all that behind in Chicago—the tragedy and loss—but his move to Barren, Kansas, apparently hadn’t changed that after all. He’d thought as the sheriff of sleepy Stewart County he’d rarely have to deal with such scenes. This was his first here, and part of him wished he could hand the child off to his nearest deputy.

  The little girl clung, arms tight around his neck, face buried in his shoulder as if she already trusted him to keep her safe. “Mamaaa!”

  Her tears soaked through his cotton shirt. Finn could feel his heartbeat drumming in his chest, his ears. Get away, he thought. Put her down. At the same instant, he pressed one hand against her skull, his fingers in the fine silk of her hair. The pint-size blonde sweetheart, who wore only a light cardigan over a T-shirt with a Disney character on it and a pair of tiny jeans, made his heart ache. Her miniature sneakers were the kind with lights that flashed like those of the ambulance. She shivered in his embrace, and Finn’s pulse caught. Cold. Except for a few scrapes she hadn’t been hurt in the accident, but the mid-October night had chilled. Was she going into shock? So small, so helpless...but she shouldn’t rely on him.