The Soldier's Homecoming

by Patricia Potter

  “Hey, I’ve been trying to get publicity for the town. It deserves it. The history is mind-boggling, at least to me.”

  As long as it wasn’t about the veterans. Jenny was getting the message loud and clear. She was beginning to wonder whether there was a conspiracy. Andy handed her the journal. They left the museum, Joseph padding beside them and happily jumping into the back seat of the car.

  Five minutes later, Andy drove up to the Camel Trail Inn. A sketch and photo of the inn’s exterior had been on its website, but it hadn’t done the place justice. The rustic exterior, with its sign of a grinning camel, was welcoming. Only a few cars were parked in its lot. Jenny wondered out loud how the inn survived.

  “We have a growing tourist trade,” Andy said. “It started with a pageant we initiated last summer. It drew crowds from the surrounding areas and attracted attention in the state travel industry. Since then, we’ve been adding attractions—horseback riding trips, visits to old mines, fishing contests. The summer and weekends are pretty good. During the rest of the year, there’s entertainment in the dining room on weekends, and that draws a good crowd from ranches around here.”

  Jenny grabbed the journal in both hands as they walked inside. It was heavy but manageable. She paused at the entrance. The lobby was just as inviting as the exterior. Rustic yet attractive, with a giant stone fireplace taking up one side of the room. She could envision a roaring fire on a wintry day.

  She went to the registration counter and was met by an attractive woman in a white blouse and black slacks.

  “Ms. Talbot?”

  “It’s Jenny.”

  “And I’m Susan,” the woman said. “Welcome to the Camel Trail Inn.”

  It wasn’t just words. There was real warmth behind them, as Jenny had noticed during their earlier call.

  While she signed in and handed over her credit card, Susan explained the inn’s offerings.

  “There’s fresh coffee at 6:00 a.m. here in the lobby, along with some pastries, and from four to six in the afternoon, we have wine and cheese. It’s self-serve.

  “If you’re here Friday and Saturday, the dining room is open for breakfast and dinner. In between, you can order for delivery from either Maude’s or the Rusty Nail. Menus are in the rooms.”

  “That sounds good,” Jenny said. She had been wondering what to do about food since she had no transportation.

  She turned to Andy. “Thanks for the information, the journal and the ride.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Andy said. “Don’t hesitate to call if you want more information.”

  Jenny wanted a lot more, but she reined herself in. She didn’t want to scare her most friendly contact off.

  After Andy left, Susan picked up Jenny’s carry-on and showed her to a small library. “This is where we serve wine and cheese in the afternoon,” she said. “We move to the lobby when we’re full. You’re welcome to read and take a book with you when you leave. In fact, we’re delighted when you do. Our guests leave them for that purpose.”

  Jenny followed Susan to the room. It was large and comfortable. A horseshoe was nailed above the door—a whimsy that appealed to her.

  “It’s delightful,” she exclaimed. It had character and comfort.

  “There’s still time for a glass of wine when you get settled,” Susan said.

  “Are you here all the time?” Jenny asked.

  “I try to be out front when guests are expected to check in, but there’s always someone in the office. Just ring the bell.” She left, closing the door behind her.

  Jenny unpacked her carry-on and checked out the bathroom. It was large, with an oversize tub and shower. The room and service were more than she’d expected, although she knew the value of spending a few dollars on a glass of wine and cheese to bring back customers and garner recommendations on travel sites. No matter what else she found on this trip, she would write and submit a travel piece on the Camel Trail Inn as an example of how to do things right.

  She changed to a pair of shorts and T-shirt and walked to the small library. Two couples had arrived while she was checking out her room. A counter held three bottles of wine, including a white wine in an ice bucket. A plate with several kinds of cheeses and gourmet crackers had been placed next to it.

  She had meant to pour a glass of wine and head back to her room, but she wanted to know why others had landed in this out-of-the-way town. In minutes she felt as if she knew the couples. Both were celebrating the husbands’ return from deployments and heard, through word of mouth, that it was a vet-friendly town with outdoor activities available for a reasonable price. They had booked a Jeep trip up into some old gold camps and a horseback riding trek into the mountains.

  “We loved every minute,” Teresa, one of the wives, said. “The guide for the Jeep trip was an old-timer with a lot of stories, and one of the local ranchers took us for a day-long horseback trip up to the falls. They were breathtaking. The finishing touch was to come back to wine and cheese.”

  Andy felt a rare tug of her heart as the couples left hand in hand for dinner at the Rusty Nail. What had she missed? She wondered how it felt, to love like that. But then wouldn’t she miss the freedom of going where she wanted and when she wanted? She’d fought hard for that independence. She’d never regretted it.

  When she returned to her room, there was a message on her room phone from Eve Manning. Could she come over for dinner tomorrow night?

  She called the number on the message. “Mrs. Manning? This is Jenny Talbot. Thank you for the invitation. I would be delighted to come.”

  “Good. It’ll be a small group. One of us will pick you up at six thirty if that’s okay. My husband will be barbecuing, and it’s very casual.”

  “Thank you,” Jenny said. “I’m looking forward to it.” She hung up, unable to believe her luck. Eve Manning had been on her list of people to call tomorrow. She wondered if Travis had anything to do with it—and what the mayor of Covenant Falls wanted.

  She took a shower and pulled on a long T-shirt. She then settled down in bed with the journal. But her thoughts kept turning to the man with whom she’d spent so much of the day.

  She had truly enjoyed his company, until he abruptly applied the brakes on their easy communication. She’d been charmed by his openness, his ease with himself and the unexpected humor that made her smile. She’d liked the way he interacted with Maude and the unobtrusive way he’d discovered more about her than she about him. She couldn’t remember when she’d blurted out personal information in so short a time. It was disconcerting.

  It doesn’t matter. She wouldn’t be here more than a few days. But Travis Hammond remained in her head. Maybe she’d just imagined the heat that rose between them in the car and that electric connection at the waterfall. Dammit, she still felt it when she mentally revisited those hours with him.

  The journal. Read the journal.

  She opened it. The writing was cursive. Neat. Precise. In minutes, she was carried away by the words of a man who lived more than a hundred and fifty years earlier. It started with an entry from November 5, 1848, which read, “Today I leave my beloved Scotland...”

  As she turned the pages, she felt as if she were traveling with Angus Monroe, first on the voyage from Scotland to New York to find his wayward brother, and then across half a continent to establish a trading post. She reached the part where he buried his brother just east of Covenant Falls, the brother he’d traveled so far to find...

  “It is a sad day,” Monroe’s entry stated. “My brother, Liam, died just days from the mountains he longed to see... With a heavy heart, we gave him a Christian burial as the sun set. God give him rest...”

  Caught up in the drama, she ignored the clock next to her bed and continued to read as Angus started his trading business and risked his life to save an Ute chief.

  Many pages later, he married the chief
’s sister, and the Ute tribe made a covenant of peace with him.

  She was more than halfway through the journal when the day caught up with her and the words seemed to blur.

  Jenny looked at the clock. It was after 2:00 a.m.

  She understood why Andy wanted her to read the journal. It revealed the mystique of Covenant Falls. There were legends about many towns and cities, but few with this kind of authenticity.

  But it didn’t explain why so many veterans came here. And stayed. So far, she knew of Josh Manning, Jubal Pierce, Clint Morgan, the chopper pilot, and now Andy. She had a story. She had the intriguing history of Covenant Falls for a travel piece, but she sensed a much larger story, the kind of human interest that had always been her strength. All she had to do was earn some trust.

  She sensed it wasn’t going to be easy.

  * * *

  AFTER TRAVIS LEFT Jenny Talbot at the community center, he drove to see Josh. His former sergeant had added an office to the small ranch he now called home.

  One of the Mannings’ two horses neighed to announce his arrival. Josh Manning emerged from the house, followed by a gang of dogs. Josh calmed the dogs that raced to see who would greet Travis first, invited him inside and grabbed two beers from the fridge. They went outside to several lounge chairs.

  Travis downed half of his beer in one pull.

  “She’s that bad?” Josh said with amusement.

  “Worse,” Travis said ruefully. He paused, and then he ventured, “Maybe some publicity could be beneficial.”

  Josh raised an eyebrow. “So she’s persuasive?”

  “Let’s say she’s damn persistent.”

  “Obnoxious?”

  A pause. “I wish,” Travis replied. “I could handle that.”

  “I look forward to meeting her,” Josh said. “I think the Covenant Falls cupid is ready to strike again.”

  “No,” Travis insisted. “It’s just difficult—no, make that impossible—to shut the door.” He finished the beer. “Oh well, I’m leaving soon, and she’ll be gone when I get back. I’m going to head out early, on Sunday.” The more he thought about Sunday, the more he liked the idea. Unfortunately, it was only Thursday, and the appointments were already set in stone.

  “Retreating from the battlefield?” Josh asked with a humor he’d apparently acquired with his marriage.

  Travis grinned. It must have come along with Josh’s wife, new son, two horses, a motley bunch of rescue dogs and one crazy cat. He certainly had not noticed it in the years they’d served together.

  “You could probably say that,” he answered. “You haven’t met her yet.”

  Josh shrugged. “I will. Susan told Eve about her, and my wife invited her to dinner tomorrow night. You’re invited, too, along with Stephanie and Clint. I think Eve hopes she can steer our reporter into doing a story on Steph’s search-and-rescue group.”

  “Can I decline?” Travis said.

  “Nope,” Josh replied.

  Travis inwardly groaned. That’s all he needed. More Jennifer Talbot. He could refuse, of course, but that would be cowardly. No excuse would do. As he’d told Jenny, everyone knew everyone’s business here.

  “Maybe Eve could show her around tomorrow,” Travis suggested hopefully. “They have a lot in common, mainly drive and persistence. Hell, I don’t know much more about the town than Jenny does.”

  “Jenny?” Josh asked, an eyebrow raised. “It sounds kinda...easy on your tongue.”

  “Well, I couldn’t keep calling her Ms. Talbot,” he said defensively.

  “Why not Jennifer?”

  Josh got him there. He shrugged.

  “Pretty?”

  “I bet you looked her up, just as I did,” Travis said.

  “Couldn’t tell much from a black-and-white photo,” Josh shot back.

  “She’s...well, attractive.”

  “I don’t believe this,” Josh said. “You’re stuttering.”

  “No, I’m not,” Travis replied indignantly, then tried to answer. “She’s...certainly full of questions. In fact, they never stop. But she’s likable. She had Maude eating out of her hand the minute we walked into the restaurant. She could probably tame a tiger.”

  “I thought you were just going to pick her up and take her to the inn, maybe by the waterfall. What’s this about Maude’s?”

  Travis felt his face burning. “She was hungry. I also took her to the falls. Thought that might get her mind off the vets.”

  Josh didn’t say anything more, but his expression did. “Another beer?”

  “I better not. I’m driving out to Jubal’s ranch, see how Danny’s doing and tell Jubal what to expect. I think Jenny Talbot’s going to be knocking on his door soon.”

  Josh nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. In the meantime, I’ll ask Eve to divert Ms. Talbot tomorrow.”

  Travis had had dinner with Josh and his wife several times since Josh had contacted him about the study. Mayor Eve would be a good match for Jenny. The thought of the two of them together was truly frightening.

  Travis had looked forward to the trip, to a fresh look at the country. He liked driving in the Western United States, with the ever-changing landscapes, and he liked driving alone. It gave him time to think and a chance to meet new people.

  Travis got up and limped to his car. “She kept me moving today,” he explained. “Tell Eve I said hello. How you ever got her to marry you, I don’t know.”

  “She said it was my winning personality.”

  Travis raised an eyebrow. He still couldn’t believe his no-nonsense staff sergeant was relaxing in a lawn chair, surrounded by dogs and sporting a big grin on his face.

  He left, stopping long enough to call Jubal to alert him to his arrival. When he arrived, he punched a number on the security gate leading to the stable and drove inside. Five horses were grazing in the front pasture. He didn’t recognize two of them, and they looked thinner than the others. Must be new arrivals. He knew that Jubal and his partner, Luke, were acquiring rescued horses for the program. The theory was the vets and horses would help each other to heal.

  When he pulled up, a dog barked and ran several feet toward him, and then it retreated to the side of a tall, lanky man who appeared from the side of the ranch house. Sweat covered his forehead.

  Former SEAL Jubal Pierce approached Travis, his hand outstretched. “How did the pickup go?”

  “Interesting,” he said. “How’s Danny doing?”

  “He’s a great worker. Learns fast and never stops. He and the horses get along just fine, and he’s already learned to saddle them. Right now, he’s working with Nate and Craig Stokes, who are adding new stalls and a room for an employee in the stable. We plan to start on the bunkhouse when we agree on how many participants we want.”

  “That’s why I’m here. I thought he might like to use Josh’s cabin while I’m gone.”

  “We can ask him what he wants to do, but he’s now using an extra room in the house,” Jubal said. “He’s made fast friends with this dog. Roger is one of Stephanie’s rescues she foisted off on me. The kid has a way with animals, although he says he’s never been around any.”

  “Two orphaned souls,” Travis mused aloud. “He has no family, other than the army. Thanks for taking him in.”

  “I’m the grateful one. He’s shy but good with the horses. He’s already been in the saddle. He needs help with that leg, but I rigged a kind of harness. He’s still a bit tentative, which is good. It’s hard to tell this early, but I’m thinking he’s a keeper. Hardworking kids like that are hard to find.”

  Relief and gratitude flooded Travis.

  “That’s great. Thanks.”

  “I think I’m the one thanking you. Since he arrived, I’ve been looking up info on horseback riding for amputees and learning a lot. I want to include them in whatever we
do. Now, come on back and you can see how much we got done.”

  Travis followed him to the rear of the stable. The bones of the addition were in place. He’d met Nate, another vet who had partnered with Josh on some projects in and around Covenant Falls, but he hadn’t met the other man.

  Danny was standing on his new prosthetic and pounding nails into a cross-section. He finished and turned. “Major,” he said, his face lighting up.

  “It’s Travis now. How’s it going?”

  “Just fine,” Danny said as he knelt and rubbed the fur of the dog that trotted up to him. “I’m learning a lot, and the horses, they’re fine. Real fine.”

  “Your leg?”

  “It’s okay.”

  But Travis could tell from the way the boy limped that it was still painful. He had grit, but then, he’d been a soldier.

  Danny looked him straight in the eyes. “Thank you, Major.” He didn’t have to elaborate.

  Travis just nodded, feeling like a fraud. He’d done damned little. Jubal led him back through the stable and offered him a sandwich, but Travis was still full of cheeseburger.

  “I ate at Maude’s,” he explained.

  “I heard,” Jubal said.

  “Of course you did.” Travis sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

  He followed Jubal back out the stable. “Looks like you have some newcomers,” he said.

  “Four,” Jubal said. “Two are in the pasture. These two need some extra attention.”

  “How many horses do you have now?”

  “I have Jacko—I bought him from Luke, and he’s my personal horse. He’s probably most responsible for this effort. I was drifting until I met him. Two more came with the ranch. Well-behaved riding horses. And I bought three mares I can breed to Luke’s stallion. In the meantime, they’re good riding horses. I just adopted the four new horses from a horse rescue group. The two in the pasture need to be fattened but are gentle. The ones in the stalls are skittish and need a lot of attention.”

  “So ten on hand?” Travis said.

  Jubal nodded. “I hope to add several mustangs before we open. And Luke and other ranchers are eager to participate so we’re not limited in numbers.”