The Soldier's Homecoming

by Patricia Potter

  “I was in the right place at the wrong time,” she said. “I was staying in a hotel in Iraq when terrorists hit a popular restaurant on the same street. I emailed it to a news service that had picked up some of my travel articles. The news manager bought it, pushed it and it got wide distribution. He said he would take whatever else I could give him. Through him, I was able to get press credentials and go pretty much wherever I wanted to go. And that’s pretty much the whole story.”

  “And what about your family?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “No husband. No children. As for my parents, they disapproved of almost everything I did. My father’s expectation was a proper marriage to a very eligible and preferably wealthy man. He was sadly disappointed with my wandering ways. We don’t speak much.”

  “Mother?” he asked.

  “She thinks like Father thinks.”

  The food came. Jenny grabbed one of the two cheeseburgers the second the plate was down, but she paused before eating long enough to look up at Maude with a blinding smile. “Heavens, but that smells good.”

  He was just as hungry, and they both concentrated on hamburgers and fries. He was impressed. When she finished with the first burger and french fries, she fastened her gaze on him. “Your turn to tell your life story.”

  “You still have a burger left.”

  “That’s dessert. A dignified pause is warranted,” she explained patiently.

  He chuckled. He was both relieved and yet oddly saddened to be leaving Covenant Falls the day after tomorrow.

  “Fair’s fair,” Jenny persisted. “I get to ask a question now.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Ask.”

  “How long have you been in the army?”

  “Seventeen years in September.”

  “Do you want to stay in?”

  “Depends on the job. My injuries, both leg and hand, will keep me out of the field.”

  She studied him for a long moment. “Why did you join the army?”

  He shrugged. “Nine-Eleven, like a lot of people my age. A close friend died in the South Tower.”

  “What were you planning to do?”

  “Sports management. High school or college athletics. I’d just received my undergrad degree and was planning to get my master’s, but sports didn’t seem that important after Kevin died. Instead, I went into officer candidate school.”

  “What about your family?”

  “There isn’t any,” he said in a flat tone that ordinarily would have warned most people off. He’d already said more to her than he remembered telling anyone else. More explanation would carry too much pain.

  They were trading some pretty personal stuff, and ordinarily he would have retreated, but it seemed a natural exchange with her. Watch it, he told himself. Don’t forget she’s a reporter.

  “You were manufactured?” Her quick rebuke took him by surprise.

  He should have known she wouldn’t let him get away so lightly.

  He shrugged. “My mother died when I was fourteen. My dad died seven years ago.” He anticipated the next question, the one he didn’t want to answer, the one that tore him apart.

  “No brothers or sisters?” she persisted.

  He had invited the questions by asking some of her. “One brother,” he said shortly. “He died in Iraq.”

  “Your family’s military?”

  “My father was a farmer.” It was a short, curt answer, which was meant to discourage more questions.

  She grinned. “I can’t imagine you as a farmer.”

  “Neither could I,” he said. “So I concentrated on baseball to get me through college.”

  “Pitcher,” she guessed.

  He looked at her in surprise.

  “I like sports,” she said. “I watched a lot of them when I was growing up and whenever I was within range of television. Pitchers have a certain look about them.”

  He didn’t think he wanted to ask more about that. Damn but she was uncanny. It was as if she reached inside him and jerked out information. But he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing it. He simply nodded.

  Maude was back at their table, holding two pieces of pie. “Apple,” she said. “Just from the oven. On the house. It’s a welcome to Jenny. Miss or Mrs.?” Maude asked.

  “Ms.,” Jenny replied without offense. In fact, Travis saw a smile starting on her lips.

  “Sorry to ask,” Maude said, “but everyone is going to want to know, especially the guys.” She raised an eyebrow in Travis’s direction and hurried off.

  “It’s a small town,” Travis said with a grin. “A visitor is big news. I ran smack into it on my first trip here. Before the afternoon is over, everyone will know that a new lady’s in town and she’s a Ms.”

  “I’m just a temporary lady in town,” she protested. Despite the fact she’d just consumed a huge cheeseburger and a mound of french fries, she eyed the apple pie topped with real whipped cream and took a mouthful.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Travis said while watching in amazement. “You ought to hear Josh Manning’s account of his first few days here. It’s enough to scare off the bravest of newcomers.”

  “I look forward to hearing it.”

  “Are you a native of Denver?” he asked.

  “Born and raised,” she said. “I always wondered what it would be like to live in a small town.”

  “And people from a small town always wish they lived in a big one.”

  “Grass is always greener,” Jenny observed with a smile that slowly faded away. “Unless you live in a war zone, then there’s no grass on either side. Just rubble. And bombs and death...”

  A glazed look came over her, and she went still. A tear fell. He realized she was having a flashback. He’d had enough of them to know.

  “Jenny?” he said gently. He reached over and touched her hand. Her fork had fallen onto the plate. She blinked and then shook her head as if to erase the image.

  She glanced up at him, obviously trying to focus on where she was. It was the first vulnerability he’d noticed in her. Still another side to what he realized was a very complex person. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Do you want to leave?”

  “No,” she replied softly. “I’ll be all right in a minute. It’s just...sometimes it hits me...images.” She searched his face. “You must have seen the children wherever you were. How can you forget them?” It wasn’t an accusation. She was asking for help.

  “You don’t,” he said. “You live with them, just like I live with the faces of men I sent into action and who didn’t come back.”

  She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry about caring.”

  He didn’t know where those words came from. He was supposed to be the objective shepherd charged with guiding her away from the project. He was beginning to think it might be impossible.

  Not knowing what else to say, he took a bite of pie. Back to today. He was on the receiving end of a searching glance before she picked her fork back up. “So when do I get to meet all your fellow vets?”

  “You still have a burger to eat,” he reminded her.

  “So I do. I’ll save the rest of the pie for later.” True to her word, she demolished the second burger in record time.

  “Where do you put that?”

  “My stomach is used to feast and famine,” she replied. “Not my fault you starved me before we got here.”

  “I’ll remember that in the future,” he said.

  “Good,” she replied. Then she excused herself to find the restroom.

  Travis reminded himself that he probably wouldn’t see her again. He had to prepare for his trip, and then he would be traveling for nearly a week. Hopefully, she would be gone when he returned. She was far too appealing. Far too challenging. He looked at his watch. After five.
He had planned to visit Jubal’s ranch by now and check on Danny. He’d completely lost track of time. The truth was, he needed help. He made a quick call to Andy, the former army surgical nurse who was head of the chamber of commerce, as well as curator of the town’s small museum.

  “Hi,” he said. “I have the reporter at Maude’s, but I need to leave. I know it’s late, but can I run her over to the center so you can tell her more about Covenant Falls, then take her to the inn?”

  “Sure,” Andy said.

  “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes or less.”

  “Is she that bad?”

  “Before she gets to the inn, she’ll know your life story.”

  “The hell she will.”

  “Just wait,” he said and hung up as Jenny returned.

  Maude reappeared with the check and handed it to Travis.

  Jenny frowned. “I want to pay my share.”

  “Nope,” he said firmly.

  Maude beamed down on them. Approving. “Yours is on the house. Are you staying long?”

  Jenny shrugged. “Not sure.”

  Travis stood. It took a moment for him to get his balance. Jenny stood with him.

  “You wanted to meet one of the Covenant Falls veterans,” he said. “I called Andy Stuart. She’s at the community center, which doubles as the town museum and chamber of commerce. She’ll take you to the inn.” He could hear how curt his tone was. Self-protection. She had rocked him to the core in the time they had spent together. He saw the surprise in her eyes.

  He softened his voice. “She knows a lot more about this town than I do,” he said. “Ask her about the diary.”

  He hoped the tidbit would grab her interest in the few minutes it would take to get her to the community center. Then he would drive to Jubal’s ranch, tell him what happened and complete the plans for his own fact-finding road trip. He might even leave early. Like tomorrow.

  “Okay,” she said simply. “Thanks for lunch.”

  “It ended up as dinner,” he corrected as they walked to his car. The community center was less than a mile from the restaurant, and they drove in uncomfortable silence. His sudden stiffness had destroyed the easy companionship between them. Unfortunately, it had no effect on the underlying sexual tension that made him ache in sensitive places.

  The center’s parking lot was nearly empty when they arrived. He watched as Jenny’s gaze sweep the park in front of the lake, before examining the brick building that he understood had once been a restaurant.

  As before, Jenny didn’t wait for him to open the door. Instead, she matched his halting walk to the door. Just outside, Jenny turned to him. “Thank you for the ride, the visit to the falls, Maude’s.”

  God help him, but her eyes were gorgeous. And penetrating. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ll see you again?”

  “Possibly,” he said. Not if he could help it.

  She nodded.

  He opened the door. Andy was at the information desk at the foot of the staircase. He knew by now that the library was on the left and a community room on the right. The museum was upstairs.

  He introduced them, and then he escaped before he said something dumb, like he would see her again.

  Yeah, he would move his trip up.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  JENNY LIKED ANDY and she was immediately taken with Andy’s dog, Joseph, a medium-sized black, brown and gray Australian shepherd that offered his paw when they were introduced.

  Jenny accepted it and looked up at Andy. “He’s very well-mannered.”

  “Thank you,” Andy said. “He’s a therapy dog. He keeps the nightmares at bay.”

  “Travis said you were in the army,” Jenny said. He hadn’t mentioned her PTSD.

  Andy nodded. “Surgical nurse until injuries to my hand made it impossible.” She hesitated as if deciding whether to continue. Then she said, “Others were killed in the same attack. It was hard to get back on track.”

  She ran a hand over Joseph’s thick fur. “I had PTSD and severe depression. No interest in anything. My doctor practically shanghaied me to visit a woman who trained rescues to become therapy dogs. Had to stay nearly a week with her before she decided I was worthy of Joseph.”

  She leaned over and rubbed Joseph’s fur. “He senses when I’m about to have a flashback and comforts me. He wakes me up when I have a nightmare. He’s been a lifesaver. I can’t believe I fought the idea. I didn’t want to think I needed help.”

  Sounded all too familiar. She hadn’t wanted to admit that her nightmares were a problem either. “I’ve had nightmares, too,” she confided. “I was in Syria during a bombing of a hospital.” She didn’t go into the details. It seemed...minor compared to what actual combatants like Andy experienced.

  “Stephanie Phillips, the local veterinarian, always knows about dogs available for adoption,” Andy said. “She has two search-and-rescue dogs of her own. You might want to talk to her.”

  “I always wanted a dog,” Jenny admitted, “but my parents didn’t want the bother when I was young, and then I was traveling all the time. I still have that wanderlust, and it’s not fair to a dog.”

  “If you change your mind, Stephanie is involved with a number of dog rescue groups in Colorado,” Andy said. Then she confessed, “I was reluctant at first. I didn’t want to care about anyone or anything again, but Joseph is well worth the effort. I learned I could care again, that the rewards more than make up for the pain of loss.”

  Jenny was beginning to wonder if Travis had brought her here to learn more than Covenant Falls’ history. He hadn’t made the suggestion until after she’d had that flashback.

  She tried to shoo the thought away. It was none of his business. “I like Joseph’s name. Was it your idea?”

  “Nope, he was already named for Joseph’s coat of many colors. It suits him.”

  Jenny rubbed the dog’s ears and received a quick lick of a tongue in return. It delighted her. She did it again.

  “He likes you,” Andy said. “He’s cautious. He was apparently dumped in the middle of nowhere.”

  “I can’t imagine anyone doing something like that to an animal, especially one so intelligent.” Jenny changed subjects. “How long have you lived here? And why here?”

  Andy grinned. “Travis said you’re a reporter and would probably know more about me than I did after a conversation.” She shrugged. “I moved here a little less than a year ago. The same doctor who tempted me with Joseph treated Josh Manning. You might have heard something about him. From what I understand, Josh was a real loner when he came here to heal from some bad wounds. He’d inherited a lake cabin from his best friend. When he married Eve, he wanted other vets to use the cabin to transition...or whatever. I was the third occupant.”

  Andy hesitated, and then she asked, “Are you thinking about going back to the Middle East?”

  Word certainly got around fast. Jenny shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to. I don’t know if I’ll be physically able.” It was the first time Jenny admitted it to anyone. Even to herself.

  “Covenant Falls must be rather tame next to where you’ve been. How did you find us?”

  “I’m from Denver. I was recuperating—kinda still am—from a shrapnel wound to my shoulder. I read a review of the inn in a state travel magazine and realized I didn’t know anything about Covenant Falls. I called the inn, and Susan told me about all the vets here, and that they’re considering starting an equine therapy program. I thought it would make a great story.”

  “Way premature,” Andy said. “It’s still in the talking stage.”

  “But the fact there’s so many veterans here...that’s a story in itself.”

  “I don’t think they’ll think so,” Andy said in a friendly tone that took any sting from the words. “We just seemed to fit in. The people here not only accepte
d us but drew us into their lives, made us a part of the community. We don’t want to be different or special or whatever.”

  It was a warning.

  “But,” Andy added, “Covenant Falls has a fascinating history, and that would make a good story.”

  The travel-writer part of Jenny responded to that suggestion, even though she recognized the attempt at diversion. She’d always been able to find good stories in what seemed the most prosaic places. “Tell me about it,” she said.

  “I can do better than that. I can show you,” Andy said. She led the way up the stairs and unlocked a door to a large room. Glass cases lined three sides of the room, broken only by a desk in the middle of one side. A chair was in front. A leather-bound book sat on the top of the desk. It was a little larger and thicker than a typical hardback.

  “It’s an accurate replica of the journal written by the founder of Covenant Falls,” Andy said. “He started writing in it in Scotland and carried it all the way from the east coast to what is now Covenant Falls. All the words are his. I wanted visitors to get the feeling of the original. You can take it with you tonight.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. Then you’ll understand why we feel Covenant Falls is special.”

  “Sounds terrific. Thank you,” Jenny said. She could hardly wait to get her hands on it. She loved journals and diaries. It didn’t, however, quash her interest in the veterans as, apparently, Andy and Travis hoped.

  “Joseph and I will run you over to the Camel Trail Inn. I think you’ll really like it.”

  “Thanks. It sounds interesting.”

  “If you have any questions or want more information, call me. My number is on a slip of paper in the book. If you lose it, ask anyone for it.”

  “I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions. I warn you, I can be pesky—if Travis hasn’t already told you.”

  Andy’s smile told her that Travis had. “You need anything, ask Susan. If you want a few minutes to look around up here, go ahead.”

  “I think I would rather read the journal first,” Jenny replied. It was after six. She had kept Andy long enough. “I appreciate you staying late and giving me a ride.”