Two Hearts Find Christmas

by Tamara Ferguson

  Tim grinned. “You’re looking for a dog?”

  “Maybe. I’d like to see if you have one available for someone who’s coming in today. I actually haven’t met him yet, but before I bring him in, I’d like to see any dogs you think might work for him specifically. That’s why I’ve been talking to Rose. He’s a wounded warrior who’s currently blind. He’s had an operation, but so far his vision doesn’t seem to be returning.”

  “Ah, as it just so happens...” Tim motioned with his hand toward the doorway leading into the training ring. “Shall we?”

  “Alright.” Nina answered.

  Standing up, she walked beside Tim through the breezeway.

  Chapter Two

  Not being able to see was making Josh crazy. How in the hell would he be able to go on if this was permanent?

  Granted, he’d been thinking about returning to the states for the past few years and taking over a training program Jake had mentioned was available at an air base in Wisconsin. Heck, he was thirty-three years old, and even though he was in great physical condition, he was having occasional trouble with his knees from the jumping. It probably wouldn’t have been long before something else would’ve been giving him trouble too, because of the strenuous years of conditioning he’d been putting his body through.

  He was more depressed than he’d been in fifteen years. If he didn’t get his vision back, he didn’t know what in the heck he would do. It’s not like he had a home or family to return to, and Josh was feeling lonelier right now than he’d been his entire life.

  “We’re almost there. It’ll be another thirty minutes or so.”

  Josh jumped at the sound of Jake Loughlin’s voice. “You’ve been so quiet, I didn’t even know you came back and sat down.”

  “I’ve got a little surprise for you once we reach Crystal Rock.”

  Josh groaned. “Damn it, Jake. I hate surprises.”

  “Well, that’s too damned bad,” Jake said. “It’s funny.”

  “What?”

  “Only a year and a half ago, I was flying with someone who was saying exactly the same thing.”

  Josh sighed heavily. “Luke?”

  “Yep.”

  Josh couldn’t help asking, “He’s doing alright?”

  “More than alright. I did what you asked. I never told him you were part of the rescue team who came into Iraq to pick him up when he was nearly killed. Although, I don’t know why. I think it would’ve helped him more to know you were there with him.”

  “He knew.” Josh rested his head back, closing his eyes. Being on the plane was giving him a terrific headache. He still had them occasionally, even though the operation he’d had taken care of the worst of it.

  “I wish you would’ve agreed to having a nurse come along with us.”

  “I’m fine,” Josh growled. “It’s been over a month since I had the surgery.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “What did you mean, when you said Luke knew?”

  “He called my name. He may not remember it now, but somehow he knew I was there.”

  “Hah.”

  Josh could hear Jake moving around, and then guzzling a drink.

  “Are you thirsty?” Jake asked.

  “Nah,” Josh answered.

  “Try to get a little rest,” Jake said. “I’ll wake you up when we’re there, but it’s not like we’re in any hurry to disembark.”

  “Ah, the benefits of having your own plane,” Josh muttered dryly.

  “Damn right,” Jake answered, and not without humor, Josh noticed.

  Yawning suddenly, Josh dropped off into sleep.

  * * *

  Josh awoke gradually. He had a sense that he’d been sleeping for a while, because the plane had definitely landed.

  “Ah, finally awake,” Jake said dryly. “I thought you said you weren’t tired?”

  “Why?” Josh asked. “How long did I sleep?”

  “A couple of hours,” another voice answered.

  Josh was silent, but tears came to his eyes when he heard the familiar voice.

  “Guess who was flying his first solo since acquiring his prosthetic leg?” Jake asked softly.

  Josh scraped the tears from his face with the back of his hand before standing up and reaching out. “Luke?”

  “I’m here, Bro,” Luke answered, pulling him into a big bear hug.

  * * *

  The rest of the evening went by in a blur. The plane ride from D.C. had been a lot more exhausting than he’d anticipated, and he really hadn’t been sleeping well since his surgery worrying about what the future might bring.

  Luke was arguing with Jake about taking Josh into his home, and Jake was maintaining that Josh would be much better off having his therapy here at the facility where he’d been brought, after disembarking from the plane. He still needed constant supervision and medical care, and living with Luke and his girlfriend would be too much of a distraction for Josh, Jake insisted.

  When Jake pulled Luke aside, Josh couldn’t quite make out what else was being said. It was true about the fact that other senses were enhanced when one of them wasn’t working properly, because Josh had become pretty good at distinguishing what people were saying about him with their hushed tones and whispers.

  But ceasing his argument with Jake, Luke returned to Josh’s bedside and patted him on the hand a few minutes later. “I’ll be back to see you tomorrow, Josh.”

  “Damn, I’ve missed you, Kid,” Josh answered.

  “I want you to meet Kelly Callahan,” Luke said. “We’re engaged.”

  “Engaged? Really?” Josh frowned. “Hey, wait a minute. Wasn’t that the same little girl that you saved from drowning when you were only like thirteen years old?”

  “Yep, that’s the one. I guess it was love at first sight,” Luke added dryly.

  When Josh laughed, it was an unfamiliar sound. It was the first time he’d laughed in...

  Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d laughed.

  “Well, I hate to leave you right now,” Luke said. “But remember, I’m not letting you go anywhere, even when you’re back to yourself, so you’d better be prepared to stick around. When Jake called me yesterday and asked me to finally fly the plane that he’d rigged specially for me, I was so damned excited. And when I saw it was you we were picking up, I kind of went a little nuts.”

  “It’s really good to hear your voice again.” And then Josh snorted. “Wait a minute, maybe I’ll take that back. Hopefully, you’re not as annoying as you were as a kid.”

  “Hah, hah,” Luke answered dryly. “Let’s just hope for the best. And same here, Josh—it’s good to have you back. Just get some rest, cause I’ll be around again tomorrow.”

  He felt something brush softly against his forehead.

  “Oh, man, Luke. Come on—did you just kiss me?”

  “Shut up, Josh.”

  Josh heard feminine laughter.

  But his eyes were getting heavy again. He was pretty sure that the nurse had just given him something to help him sleep while she’d been trying to get him to eat supper. He was getting better at feeding himself, but it would’ve taken forever tonight to have to do it for himself, as exhausted as he was.

  Funny how the last thing he was thinking about as he began dozing off was just how good the nurse had smelled, when she’d been bending over and scooping his food into his mouth...

  Chapter Three

  With clipboard in hand, Nina paused in the doorway of Josh’s room the next morning.

  Oh, my God was all she could think gazing at Josh while she was making her way inside. It was a good thing that he could dress himself, because she knew she’d be having a difficult time concentrating if she needed to assist.

  Nina sighed. He’d been tall and lanky as a teen, but now, with his broad muscular shoulders, and well-defined abs and arms, Josh had about the most perfect body that she’d ever seen on a man.

  He suddenly grinned. “Seen enough?”
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  Nina blinked. So, he wasn’t as unaware of what was going on around him as he pretended.

  Interesting, Nina thought, approaching the table and chairs resting near the window where the sun shone brightly through. “As soon as you’re finished getting dressed, you can sit over here with me and we can discuss the program that your therapist and I have come up with to get you through your rehabilitation.”

  He was doing really well, Nina realized, watching him walk across the room to his suitcase, pulling a T-shirt from inside.

  She’d known about the tattoos—he’d had them as a teen. Although she’d never seen them close up, they were beautiful. The wings of a hawk spread wide as if in flight, soaring through the air amidst a backdrop of pines.

  The raw healing skin from his burns stood out clearly, running down from under his arm to his waist.

  But when he turned away from her to pull the T-shirt over his head, what she saw crisscrossing his back made Nina gasp.

  When he turned quickly and approached, Nina knew he must’ve heard her, and was attempting to hide the thick debilitating scars etched deeply into his upper and lower back.

  But, tripping over one of his boots laying on the floor near the foot of the bed, he was obviously flustered as he lost his footing.

  Nina shot up from the chair, attempting to stop him from falling, and while wrapping her arms around him, she fell with Josh onto the bed.

  They laid there quietly for a moment before Josh spoke. “Thanks,” he said with humor in his voice. “Hmm, I could get used to this every morning. I think I’m gonna like this place.”

  Nina snorted. Preferring not to analyze the sudden desire she was feeling just being so close to him, Nina scrambled from Josh’s arms and onto her feet.

  Brushing some imaginary wrinkles from her sweater and pants, Nina settled back into a chair as Josh stood up and counted his steps. Finding the arm of the chair beside hers, he sat down at the table.

  She was already jotting down notes.

  “You don’t wear a uniform?”

  She paused, looking up. “Nah. We don’t do medical procedures here unless it’s necessary, since we’re here for rehab, so we try to make it more of a relaxing atmosphere for patients and their families by dressing casually.”

  “I can see how that would help.”

  Nina kept writing.

  “Do I know you?” he asked abruptly.

  Nina dropped her pen. Duh, she was wearing a name tag, but she’d forgotten to introduce herself, even last night when Luke and Jake had brought Josh into the room, looking totally wiped out. Taking care of Josh was probably going to be a little bit more of a challenge for her than she’d initially thought. Geez.

  “I’m Nina.” She sighed. “Nina Chandler?”

  Josh blew out a long deep breath. “Of course,” he said softly.

  He was wearing a very strange look on his face.

  But as much as Nina wanted to appease her curiosity as to why, she had a job to do.

  She began outlining her plans, and Josh listened attentively as she ran through them briefly.

  “Any questions?” she finally asked.

  “You already checked into my options?” His voice was definitely admiring. “Damn, you’re efficient.”

  “Of course. That’s part of my job.”

  He pursed his lips. “So the news isn’t good. I won’t be able to return to special ops even if I do get my vision back?”

  “No,” she said softly. “But you don’t sound too disappointed.”

  “Hey, I’m thirty-three years old, and my body isn’t holding up as well as it used to. I was actually thinking about coming back to the states and training recruits before all this happened.”

  “I don’t know if I’d worry so much about your body not holding up.”

  Duh. She knew it was the way she’d said it that made Josh blink before barking out a laugh.

  Geez. Now her tongue was tied again. This was getting to be a little ridiculous.

  “Eh, well, you know what I mean,” she said quickly.

  “Sure do.” But he was smiling from ear to ear. “What’s this about a dog?”

  She sighed with relief, cause this subject would definitely be a little easier to talk about. “Do you remember Tim Atkinson?”

  “Yeah, sure do. He was a few years ahead of me in school. Nice guy, even to someone like me,” Josh added, giving her a rueful smile.

  Nina shook her head impatiently. They’d have to work on that self-deprecation of his as part of therapy. If Josh only knew how wrong he was about what people thought about him here in town, even assuming he’d been sent to prison.

  She still wasn’t sure what had actually happened fifteen years ago, but apparently it was supposed to remain a secret to others in the community cause nothing about Josh being in prison was included in his medical files.

  “Tim was enlisted in the Air Force, and ended up training dogs. When he got out, he returned here to Crystal Rock and began a training program for aiding veterans and the disabled using shelter dogs.”

  “What a great idea. That’s a pretty impressive goal.”

  “Yeah, it is,” she answered. “A dog can be a tremendous asset for someone who can’t see.” Also for someone with PTSD, they’d discovered with research, but she wouldn’t mention that to Josh just yet. “So, in a few days, after you’re more settled in, I’d like to drive you out there so you can meet the dogs that are available.”

  Wincing first, probably thinking again about the possibility of his vision never returning, Josh finally nodded firmly. “Yeah. I think I’d like that, although I’ve never really been around dogs.”

  “Well, these dogs are motivated a little differently. They tend to be pretty self-sufficient and well-behaved because of their training. Each dog has a unique personality though, so it would be better for you to do the choosing so that he or she will be a good fit for your needs.”

  “Okay, sounds good to me. What’s next?”

  “You’ll be on a schedule every day for the next few weeks, and then we’ll be creating a more challenging routine for you to follow the rest of the time you’re here.”

  Josh swallowed. “So you can monitor my strengths and weaknesses, for additional vocational training?” He huffed out a breath. “What in the hell can someone like me even do, if I can’t see?”

  “You’d be surprised. Don’t discount yourself from anything. All it takes is a little time,” Nina reassured him. “You’ll be happy to know that our physical therapist, Steve Ryder, is planning on resuming a workout routine for you later today.”

  Josh was obviously surprised. “How’s that gonna work?”

  “We have a lot of specialty equipment that can be used independently. Although even after you’ve become self-sufficient with using it, we don’t recommend you being alone while you do so.”

  His look was thoughtful. “Okay, so, basically, I’m supposed to walk around with you this week and learn where everything is?”

  “Yep. I noticed that you’re already counting out steps. You’re almost halfway there. Sometimes it takes forever for our patients to even catch on to something like that in rehab.”

  “The counting has a lot to do with what I learned during my rescue training. We’re put in some pretty challenging situations simulating medical emergencies along with being captured, so we have to devise creative ways to survive.” He paused. “Of course, most of what we learned was put to good use in the field.”

  “But you’re not allowed to talk to me specifically about where and what you did. Are you?”

  He grinned, answering dryly, “If I reveal too much to you, I might have to kill you.”

  Nina laughed, shaking her head in amusement. “I’m surprised to find your behavior so positive.”

  “Oh, I’ve had a few good surprises in the last few days that have made my outlook about the future a little less grim.”

  Nina studied him suspiciously. He couldn’t mean her? He was pro
bably talking about reuniting with his brother Luke.

  “Okay, well, the first thing we’ll be doing every day is checking your vitals, since your body’s still healing. I’m pretty impressed that you’ve already managed to make your bed.”

  “It’s that military training I’ve been through. It’s one of the first things they teach you to do.”

  “Well, now you get to hop back into it. Actually, all you need to do it sit on the edge so I can check your blood pressure.”

  “Whatever you say, Ma’am.”

  Nina grimaced. “Whatever you do, if you don’t want me to get on your case about anything?” She blew out a long audible breath. “Don’t call me Ma’am.”

  Josh chuckled.

  Chapter Four

  Nina Chandler. Josh had been shocked to discover the one woman he’d never been able to forget still living here in Crystal Rock.

  She’d probably be embarrassed to know just how much time he’d spent dreaming about her during the last fifteen years. He’d clung to that memory of their short sweet kiss like a lifeline every single time he’d been faced with a situation where the wrong move could mean the difference between life and death.

  And when he’d been serving overseas, there’d been a hell of a lot more of those circumstances than he cared to admit.

  He listened to her outline a few important points first, before she finally finished up. “So, for all intents and purposes, we have to treat your sightlessness as a permanent condition, to better prepare you for being on your own.”

  Josh grimaced. “I understand.”

  “Okay, let’s get moving,” she said. “You need to eat.”

  They both stood up.

  He walked from his room beside Nina down the hallway toward the cafeteria where he’d be having all of his meals, he was informed.

  Josh heard the buzz of conversion surrounding them as Nina took him through the buffet line. She described the organization of the food and drinks, and how there was someone to assist at each of the designated stations.

  “The first thing we’re going to do is teach you how to use a walking stick,” she mentioned once they’d sat down at a nearby table.