A Maverick for the Holidays

by Leanne Banks

  It seemed to take hours, but Forrest finally fell asleep. When he awakened in the morning, he felt a sense of anticipation. He hadn’t had that in a long time. Today he was holding the first meeting of the war veterans support group. Part of him wondered if anyone would show up. He’d included a photo of Smiley in the flyers and website announcement for the group. He supposed if nothing else, some of the veterans might show up for some free food. A local deli was donating sandwiches and cookies for the first meeting.

  Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he sat up and stretched his bad leg, willing it to get stronger. Forrest knew he would be struggling with his injury for the rest of his life, so there was no room for feeling sorry for himself. Rising from the bed, he headed toward his workout equipment. He might have a bum leg, but he was damned if the rest of him wouldn’t be as strong as possible.

  A few hours later, Forrest arrived at the hospital conference room early with the sandwiches and cookies, and set the chairs in a circle. Annabel Cates rushed into the room with Smiley on a leash.

  “Here he is,” she said. “Ready to work his canine magic. Plus a few treats you can give him,” she added, handing him a plastic bag.

  Forrest’s heart lifted at the sight of the dog. “Good to see you, Smiley,” he said and rubbed the dog behind his ears. Smiley thumped his tail in response.

  “He should be on his best behavior since I gave him some retraining. Can’t let him forget the rules. If you need me for anything, give me a call,” she said. “You’ve got my cell, right?”

  “I’ve got it and thank you for loaning him to us,” Forrest said. “I think he’ll help break the ice.”

  “This is a good thing you’re doing, Forrest. I’m glad if Smiley can help in any way. Just don’t give him any of those sandwiches,” she warned him. “No matter how sweet he looks, we’ve got to keep him disciplined if he’s going to be helpful.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “You’re the one giving the orders.”

  Annabel gave a quick nod with a smile. “I’ll see you afterward. Have fun,” she said and darted out the door.

  “Fun,” Forrest echoed. That was one word he wouldn’t have associated with a support group. He shrugged and looked at Smiley. “Maybe she knows something I don’t.”

  Less that two minutes later, a man wearing a ballcap and an open down jacket walked through the door. “Is this the war veterans support group?”

  “It sure is,” Forrest said. “I’m Forrest Traub, army.”

  The man nodded. “Iraq?” he said.

  Forrest nodded. “And you?”

  “Afghanistan. Steve Henderson. I’ve been back almost eighteen months.”

  Smiley walked toward the man and looked at him, thumping his tail in welcome.

  Steve bent down to pet the dog and gave a half grin. “Is this our mascot?”

  “Yep, that’s Smiley. He’s a therapy dog on loan to us, and I’ll vouch for him. He’ll always be glad to see you,” Forrest said.

  “Well, that’s a lot more than we can say about most humans,” Steve said.

  Just then, another man walked through the door, then another. Smiley greeted each one, and Forrest could practically see a bit of tension ease out of the men at the sight of the dog. Eyeing the clock, he sensed that he should start the meeting and closed the door.

  “Welcome, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the sandwiches and Smiley.”

  The men took their seats and murmured in agreement.

  “The first thing I want to tell you is that you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I have to be honest. Most of the time, I would rather do anything than talk about what I saw and experienced in Iraq.”

  Several of the men nodded.

  “But since this group was my idea, I guess I’ve got to go first.”

  A few chuckles rippled through the small group.

  Forrest took a deep breath. “During my last two tours, all I could think about was the day I would finally come home. I was determined to be career military, but seeing all those guys get hurt was tough. Being in Iraq was surreal, and not in a good way. Once I got home, though, it was Montana that didn’t seem like the real world anymore. People couldn’t understand what I’d been through, what I’d seen. And I got tired of explaining it.”

  “So what helps?” one of the vets asked.

  Forrest shrugged. “I don’t have all the answers. I have to admit, I took the coward’s way out—leaving home. After being home, I had to get out. I just moved to Thunder Canyon a few months ago. Folks don’t know me here as well since my brother and I haven’t lived here very long. They don’t have any expectations.” He paused. “What helps? Smiley sure does.” The dog licked him and laughter rippled through the small room.

  The laughter turned to silence. “The nights are the worst. I’m back there, and the shells are flying, and I can’t stop screaming,” Steve offered. A few of the others nodded in agreement.

  “The nightmares are bad. They feel so real,” Forrest said.

  “Coming back to my wife helped me,” one of the men said. “She’s the reason I keep going.”

  “I felt that way about my girlfriend,” another soldier said. “But it’s hard now. I’m not the same man I was before. I’m not sure it’s going to work out. What about you, Forrest? Do you have anyone special in your life?”

  An image of Angie flashed in his mind, taking him by surprise. He shook his head for his own benefit as much as the others. “No. I’m not ready for a relationship. I’m busy putting Humpty Dumpty back together. That doesn’t mean you guys aren’t ready, though,” he quickly added. “We’re all at different places in this. It’s not easy. That’s why I wanted to start this group.” He glanced at the clock. “Hard to believe, but our time is up.”

  He gave a wry grin. “And we all survived.”

  Chapter Three

  After Annabel picked up Smiley, Forrest headed home, his mind swimming with the stories the men in the group had shared. Most of them had said they would return. That made Forrest feel good about starting the group and putting himself out there. Lord knew, he was the last man to want to expose himself to anyone, let alone a group of strangers. That said, even though he’d never met any of the men who’d attended the meeting before, he’d felt an immediate connection with them.

  He pulled into the driveway to his current home. Driving toward the boardinghouse, he spotted his brother outside the main house. He waved and slowed as Clay lifted his hand. Forrest lowered his window. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “I could ask you the same question, stranger,” Clay said. “You haven’t been by for breakfast in over a week.”

  Forrest shrugged. “Hate to interrupt the lovefest,” he said and shot his brother a half grin.

  “Yeah, yeah. That excuse doesn’t wash with me. Why don’t you come in for some coffee?” Clay asked. “Or soda.... Or something? Antonia made some great pastries this morning,” he added in a tempting voice.

  Forrest wasn’t the least bit hungry, but he’d missed his brother. “Okay, you twisted my arm. Where is your woman and the babies?”

  “She’s gone to town for her post-baby checkup with the doctor and took the baby with her. Bennett is inside taking a nap,” Clay said and lifted a nursery monitor. “But I’m never far away.”

  Forrest nodded, raised his window and pulled his car to the main house. He stepped outside and felt his leg dip. Cursing the weakness, he leaned more heavily on his other leg. He knew, however, that he couldn’t do that on a regular basis because his whole body, including his spine and neck would eventually feel the strain of it. That was why he needed to continue his strength conditioning.

  He strode slowly up the steps to the porch. Clay skipped past him to the door and pushed it open. For a sliver of a second, Forrest couldn’t help envying his brother’s agility. Pushing it aside, Forrest followed his brother inside toward Antonia’s kitchen where he’d consumed many hearty breakfasts with her, his brother and his nephew Be
nnett.

  Clay reached for the coffeemaker and poured two cups. “Here ya go,” he said, handing one to Forrest.

  “Thanks,” Forrest said and followed Clay to sit at the kitchen table.

  “So, what’s up with you?” Clay asked. “Did you have a doctor visit today?”

  Forrest shook his head. “Not today. I started a support group for veterans at the hospital. I’m even using a therapy support dog.”

  Clay blinked. “You’re kidding.”

  Forrest shook his head. “Nope. It went pretty well. Gotta tell you I think the free sandwiches and Smiley made a big difference.”

  “Smiley?” Clay asked.

  “Yeah, he’s the therapy dog. He belongs to Annabel Cates. He’s a real sweetheart. The best icebreaker ever.”

  “Cool. So you’re glad about how it went?” Clay asked.

  “Yeah, I am. On the other hand, I’ve been roped into working with the ROOTS group to—”

  “ROOTS?” Clay echoed.

  “It’s some kind of youth program,” Forrest said. “First, they wanted my assistance with a G.I. Christmas card project, and now they’re asking me to help with some kind of holiday celebration for local military families.”

  Clay frowned. “How’d you get dragged into that?”

  “It’s kinda weird,” Forrest said and took a sip of black coffee. “I was walking Smiley, the therapy dog, and he got away from me. He went to ROOTS and this girl named Angie was there.”

  Clay lifted his brows. “A girl?”

  “Yeah.”

  Clay sipped his coffee. “What’s this Angie like?”

  “Young,” Forrest said. “Naive. Pretty,” he said grudgingly. “Affectionate.”

  Clay’s mouth formed an O of surprise. “Affectionate. What’d she do? Kiss you?”

  Forrest clenched his jaw and took a shallow breath. “Maybe.”

  Silence followed then Clay chuckled. “Woot. Good for you.”

  Forrest scowled. “Or not. This girl is trouble. She’s way too young for me.”

  Clay immediately turned solemn. “What do you mean? Is she under eighteen?”

  “Hell, no. I’m not that stupid,” Forrest said. “She’s twenty-three.”

  Clay waved his hand in dismissal. “That’s not too young. Last I heard, twenty-three is past the age of consent.”

  “You’re not getting my point,” Forrest said. “She’s young, innocent, happy. I’m old, fighting a bum leg and plagued by nightmares.”

  “You’re scared,” Clay said, his eyes rounding in astonishment. “My big bad brother who faced the enemy overseas is being taken down by a girl.”

  Forrest scowled again. “That’s the problem. She looks at me like a G.I. Joe doll. I would never be able to live up to her expectations. Plus I’m just too old for her.”

  “Why don’t you chill out? Hell, it’s not like you’re Methuselah. You can’t get senior-citizen discounts yet. There’s no crime in seeing where this goes. She sounds nice.”

  “Hmm,” Forrest says, studying his brother. He couldn’t quite get used to the change in Clay since he and Antonia had gotten engaged. “You sure have changed your tune lately. Mr. I’m-Not-Going-To-Get-Involved is now the King of Romance?”

  “A little romance might be good for you,” Clay said. “Might put an extra spring in the step of that ornery leg of yours. For that matter, it might make you a little less ornery period.”

  “And Merry Christmas to you, too,” Forrest said in dry tone.

  “You better be getting your jolly on. It looks like you’re going to be busy this Christmas. Ho, ho, bro,” Clay said and laughed, clearly amused at his own joke.

  * * *

  After arranging for extra coverage at ROOTS, Angie prepared to join those scheduled to go to the animal shelter. She and Jennifer, the regular volunteer who headed this group, rounded up the kids. A couple minutes before they planned to leave, a red-haired teen walked in the door. He looked around uncertainly.

  “I think that’s Joey, Lilly’s brother,” Angie said to Jennifer. “Do you want to go talk to him?”

  “Sure,” Jennifer said. Jennifer was a middle-aged woman who devoted many hours to ROOTS after her own children had suffered some troubles during their teenage years. Now that her kids were graduating from college, she had some extra time on her hands and especially enjoyed the ROOTS visits at the animal shelter.

  Angie was thrilled that Joey had decided to join them. From her peripheral vision she glimpsed the door to the center opening again. She immediately knew the identity of the man. Forrest. Her heart skipped over itself and she struggled with mixed emotions, holding herself in check. Even though she had felt crushed when he’d rejected her, she still felt excited to see him.

  He walked toward her.

  “Hi,” she said. “What a nice surprise to see you.”

  He nodded. “I remembered you said something about working at ROOTS on Thursday afternoons, so I thought we could knock out more holiday plans.”

  Disappointment swept through her. “I wish I could, but I’m committed to go with the animal shelter team. One of the other teens has been worried about her brother, so I thought it would be a good idea to observe him today.” She paused for a moment. “I would love it if you would come, and it would be so great for the teens to see a man willing to donate some time to an animal shelter.”

  He opened his mouth and based on his expression, Angie expected him to refuse. “But no pressure. You probably have other things you can do.”

  He closed his mouth and sighed with a half chuckle. “Not at this exact moment. What’s on tap with the animals tonight?”

  Angie resisted the urge to clap in delight. “Whatever the people at the shelter ask us to do. Everything from cleaning cages and doing laundry to taking dogs for a walk or just giving the animals some extra attention. Do you mind if I introduce you to the kids after we get there? I think it will give them an extra boost knowing a veteran is joining us.”

  “Or they might just think I’m some old dude with a limp.”

  She frowned at his remark. “No one could ever think that about you. Ever,” she said.

  He looked away as if he suddenly felt self-conscious. “If you think it’ll make a difference, then go for it,” he said.

  Everyone except Forrest piled into the van. Angie suspected he was more comfortable in his own vehicle. She halfway wondered if he would change his mind before they all arrived at the shelter, but he pulled in right behind the van.

  As the kids exited, she waved them toward her. “Just a quick announcement. We have a special guest tonight. Major Forrest Traub, an army veteran. Make him feel welcome.”

  The kids gave a chorus of hellos and Forrest smiled and nodded. The group entered the building and a shelter employee met them. “Thank you for coming,” the young woman said. “We have a lot of animals, so we need a lot of help. I need volunteers to clean kennels, walk dogs and play with cats and kittens.”

  She noticed that Forrest immediately volunteered to clean the cages. Most people would rather handle animals. Angie was designated a floater and used the time to observe Lilly’s brother, Joey. He seemed to love handling the kittens.

  She sidled next to him. “Hi, I’m Angie,” she said.

  “I’m Joey,” he said, but kept petting the kittens.

  “Did the shelter person tell you why the kittens need to be handled?” she asked, reaching over to cuddle one of the furry creatures.

  He nodded. “So they’ll be tame with humans. If they’re not touched regularly, then they’ll go wild.”

  “Looks like you’re pretty good at it,” she said.

  “I like animals,” he said. “Animals won’t hurt you if you treat them right. You can’t always count on that with humans.”

  “Hmm,” she said. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

  He glanced up and met her gaze. “I am, too.”

  “Then I hope you’ll come back,” she said. “I need to check on the guy cl
eaning the kennels.”

  “He took the dirty job,” Joey said.

  “Yeah, I think he’s probably done that more than once,” she said, thinking about the assignments Forrest may have been given throughout his military career. The fact that he didn’t shirk doing the hard stuff made him all the more attractive to her.

  Asking directions, she walked to the back of the facility to a room with several drains in the floor. She hugged her arms around herself as she saw him, dressed in a jumpsuit and boots provided by the shelter, spraying the kennels. “Kinda chilly back here,” she said.

  He turned to look at her and nodded. “Could be worse. I like that it just takes a little time for them to have a clean bed. After my first three surgeries, they offered me a chance to work with animals at a no-kill shelter. It’s surprising what a difference pets can make in physical and mental recovery.”

  “Do you think you’d like to have a dog?” she asked.

  He tossed a glance at her. “I get to borrow Smiley right now,” he said. “I’m in line for another surgery or two. Maybe after that.”

  He turned back to his task and she stared at his strong solitary figure. She wondered if he would ever decide he didn’t want to be so alone. He was determined, used to fending for himself, but something inside her sensed he could want her enough to open up. Angie sighed. It might take awhile.

  After the group returned to the ROOTS building, Angie was surprised when Forrest came inside. “Hey,” she said. “I thought we might have worn you out.”

  “I’m good. I wondered if you want to talk about the ROOTS for Soldiers pen pal program.”

  “Sure,” she said, pleased. “How about if we hit the diner for some coffee or hot chocolate? We could grab a sandwich if you’re hungry,” she suggested.

  He shot her a hesitant, wary glance, and Angie knew he was thinking about the way she’d jumped him. “Hey, I don’t bite,” she said with a chuckle. “Unless I’m asked and never in public.”

  He gave an uncomfortable-sounding laugh. “Okay,” he said. “I’m a little hungry. We can kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Okay, let me say my goodbyes,” she said and made sure she talked to each teen, including Joey.