by Skye Taylor
“I know what you were thinking. You thought if you did start up a training program for service dogs Kip would be one of your first rescues. And I wanted to talk about that, too, but first. Ben—” She grabbed his free hand. “Maybe I’m your first soldier. I think Kip and I were meant to be together.”
Ben returned the pressure of her hand. The look on his face said all she needed to know. She set her glass down carefully, then stretched up onto her knees and wrapped her arms about his neck. “Thank you.”
Ben’s glass clicked softly against the surface of the nearby coffee table. Then his arms were around her, drawing her into his lap. “Welcome home, soldier.”
Epilogue
APRIL—FIVE MONTHS later.
Meg stepped off the porch and stopped to admire the azaleas rioting in full bloom along the side of the house. The tulips were up, too, nodding in the breeze, and the dogwood along the drive had already begun to spread carpets of white petals beneath them. Everything was blooming.
Including herself. She caressed her growing belly with one hand, marveling at how good she felt now that the morning sickness had passed. Life was definitely good.
“Come, Kip,” she said, tapping her thigh. They set off across the drive, circled past the big kennel building, and then stepped onto the newly installed flagstone walkway that led to Ben’s new venture.
At first glance, the brand new Charles Royko, K-9s for Heroes facility that Jake had overseen construction of looked as if it had been there for years. Jake had taken pains to create a retreat for the veterans who would be coming to be paired with their service dogs. Designed along the same lines as Ben and Meg’s house, but set far enough back for privacy and quiet, it was a haven that blended into the peaceful surroundings. All three buildings on the property were sided with gray cedar shakes and had dark green roofs, but like the house, the new building had a porch that wrapped around three sides with a view of the marsh and the waterway beyond it.
Meg paused to admire the effect of Ben’s vision and Jake’s expertise. The Cameron men were a remarkable group, all very different, but talented and good at what they had chosen to do with their lives. And unstinting in their passion and support.
During those first troubled weeks when Meg had struggled to fit in after returning from her year in Iraq, Ben’s love and understanding had given her the strength to own up to her issues and deal with them. He hadn’t tried to tell her what he thought she should do, but instead, had listened to the ramblings of her confused and guilt-ridden mind, letting her work through all of it at her own speed.
She’d been back to visit Captain Allan a few times before her final discharge, but mostly it had been Ben who had been the rock she’d needed to hang onto while she sorted out her life. Being out of the Marines had been a frightening prospect at first. Being a Marine had defined most of her adult life, and she’d been terrified that she wouldn’t know who she was if she ceased to be one.
As she admired the new building and all it stood for, Meg remembered, as she had so many times since he’d said the words, Ben’s declaration that she was what defined who Ben Cameron was. That and his love for her and their boys. In the months since then, she’d discovered just how true those words had been. His words had also given her the courage to discover who Meg Cameron—wife and mother—was. And it felt pretty darned satisfying.
She resumed her walk toward the building and ran a hand over her belly again. In just a few more months there would be two little girls joining the family that defined who she was. Twins ran in Ben’s family. Ben was a twin. But somehow the idea that she might become the mother of twins hadn’t occurred to her when Ben said he wanted a daughter. He was beside himself pleased that there were going to be two.
Tears prickled behind her eyes as she climbed the new stairs and crossed the porch. The dogs were important, but it was love and family that defined who Ben was, and now she knew to the depths of her soul, that was what defined her as well. The soldiers she was helping mattered very much to her, but Ben was where her heart lived.
JAKE FINISHED TYING a big yellow ribbon around the upright post of the railing.
“Nice touch,” Ron Davis said, viewing the result. He absently combed his fingers through the fur on Lola’s head. He nodded his head approvingly. “I like it.”
“You like what?” Ben asked, coming up behind his newest employee.
Ron gestured to the ribbon.
“It was your idea,” Ben reminded him.
“I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.”
Jake came down the last three stairs and joined them. “How long until they get here, do you think?”
Ben consulted his watch. “Ten minutes, maybe.”
“Where’s Meg?” Ron asked.
“Bustling around inside putting books out where they might get picked up and read and making sure everything is just right.”
“How is the therapy dog program going?” Jake asked.
A warm, happy glow settled in Ben’s gut. He’d known Meg would find her way eventually, but that she would find it helping other soldiers heal amazed him. She’d put her personal nightmares aside and traveled three days a week to Lejeune to take on the nightmares of men recovering from all kinds of wounds, both physical and emotional.
There were nights when he held her while she wept. Not for herself but for the men she and Kip visited. The strength she’d found to cope on a daily basis with their nightmares and the hell each wounded soldier was living through humbled him. He’d always thought he was the strong, patient type, but Meg outclassed him by a mile.
“It’s going well. Really well,” Ben answered Jake’s question.
“She’s an amazing woman,” Ron said.
Jake nodded. “She was instrumental in getting this place pulled together so quickly. I just got the building up. She did everything else.”
His brother was right. While Jake labored to get the construction completed, and Ben worked with the dogs that were now ready to be paired with their individual soldiers, Meg had overseen everything else: the decorating, the furnishings, the hiring of a cook and housekeeper, provisioning the pantry, shopping for linens, and even the making of the beds until ten p.m. last night.
She might have had her doubts about the program originally, but once she decided it was a project worth pursuing, she gave her all. Along with the trips to Lejeune, teaching Rick to hunt, taking Evan to soccer, and being the best wife a man could have, Ben called her super woman. His super woman. His heart swelled in thanksgiving for all the blessings in his life. But most of all, for Meg.
“I think I hear the cavalry arriving.” Ron pointed down the drive.
Ben’s mother’s big van turned off Stewart Road, followed by Will’s Jeep. They disappeared behind the kennel, and the sounds of their engines died.
“I’m just in time.” Meg dashed out of the house and hurried down the stairs to Ben’s side. Kip followed her. He stopped to sniff Lola on his way by, but she ignored him. She was working; Kip wasn’t. But after being snubbed, he came to sit on Meg’s left side. All of them turned to face the tight knot of men moving uncertainly up the walkway.
As they neared the foot of the stairs, Meg stepped forward, her hand extended to the first man in the group. “Welcome home, soldier. I’m Meg, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
The End
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Recipe
Ben’s Favorite Apple-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, from the kitchen of Sandy Cameron.
Set oven at 350 degrees then grease and flour Bundt pan
Peel, core and slice apples to measure 3 cups.
Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
Add and mix well:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Finally, fold in:
3 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
Sprinkle surface with 2-3 Tbsp. of sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool on rack 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.
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Coming Next:
Trusting Will
It took years for Breanna Reagan to get over the senseless death of her husband in one of the most dangerous corners of Afghanistan, but she survived. She’s happy and busy, and convinced that her eight-year-old son Sam is all the man she needs in her life. Then Sam joins the Cub Scouts and Bree meets his den father. Will Cameron has a smile that could melt the most determinedly aloof heart, and he isn’t shy about his interest in her. Unfortunately, he’s a North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper. Another fearless hero willing to put his life on the line every day for the sake of others. But is she willing to put her heart in harm’s way again for him?
Acknowledgements
Writing may look like a one-man job—there is only one name on the cover of the book. But it isn’t so. From my high school English teacher, Fred Keyes, to my newest critique partner and everyone in between, I owe a huge debt for helping me to become the writer I am today.
I’d like to thank my editor, Deborah Smith whose encouragement and support made this book possible, and Debra Dixon who always comes up with incredible covers.
A big thank you to Lilly Gayle who is my authority on anything North Carolina, from diction and idiom to what’s on the table or growing in the garden.
John McHale retired now from both the US Marine Corps and the Army Reserves is my go-to guy for anything Marines—but please don’t hold him responsible for mistakes that are solely my own. My other military buddy, Col. Douglas Curtis Ret. US Army is also a great resource for information and ideas.
Sheri Martinez and Lola—thank you Sheri for your service to our country and for all the good work you are doing with K-9s for Warriors, and to Lola for watching your back.
My critique partners, Nancy Quatrano who helped me keep my conflict true and cheered me when I got it right. And Betty Johnston who read my work with her heart.
And as always, my biggest cheerleaders, my kids: Alex, Lori, Rebecca, Bobbi, Noel and Jeff, Nick, and Joe.
About the Author:
Skye Taylor
Photo by Sky Dive New England
I have been a member of Romance Writers of America since 1995 and of the Ancient City chapter in St. Augustine, Florida, for the last five years, where I have served as secretary, conference chair and treasurer. I am also a member of Florida Writers Association. My publishing credits to date include several non-fiction essays about life as a Peace Corps Volunteer, one mainstream political intrigue, WHATEVER IT TAKES, published in June 2012 by Wings Press, and book one of the Tide’s Way series, FALLING FOR ZOE.
