Saved by a Soldier (Love Conquers Life #1)

by Alison Mello

  “Celia, I’m going for a walk to clear my head. I’ll be back shortly.”

  Chapter 2

  Carter

  “Come on, Dad. You have got to be kidding me.”

  “No, Carter, I’m not. All you do is sit around this house all day sulking anyway. I know you have been through a lot but it’s time for you to pull your life together. This is a good chance for you to clear your head and figure out your next steps in life.”

  My father stands over me while I lounge on the couch. I jump up into a sitting position.

  “Babysitting some snotty brat while she writes a book is not exactly what I had in mind for my next step in life.”

  “I understand that, son, and I’m glad that’s not your plan.” He sits on the side of me. “I was hoping for more from you.” He slaps me on the knee. “Besides she’s not a snotty brat, her mother is a snotty brat. She is more like Troy, and I owe him. You know he brings in tons of money to my banks with his dealerships, so please do me this favor. All you have to do is go hang at the lake and keep an eye out to make sure she stays safe. You don’t even have to talk to her or interact with her. As a matter of fact she’s not even supposed to know you’re there.”

  I growl because I’m pissed that I’m even considering this. I don’t know this woman but I know her mother. She’s a tall blonde with nice blue eyes and most guys drool over her, but her snotty attitude makes her ugly in my opinion. She’s such a bitch. I had the luxury of meeting her at an event I was attending with my parents a few years ago. It was a huge fundraiser and she snubbed me because I was only a soldier. I shake my head.

  “Fine, Dad. I’ll go, but you’re going to owe me. I just spent the last two years in and out of the desert babysitting teenagers who didn’t know their ass from their elbow and now I’m going to sit at the lake to babysit again.”

  He starts laughing at me. “You act like my lake house doesn’t have heat and running hot water. It’s well-kept and has all the amenities. Hell, you even have internet and cell service out there.”

  “Well I guess I better get packing.” I leave our living room to get a few things together.

  “I’ll have the cleaning service go out to freshen it up and stock it with food for you while you get your stuff ready. Just remember she doesn’t know you’re there to watch out for her. She’s going to think you are just staying at the house.”

  “I got it, Dad!” I yell from my room, annoyed. He acts like this is my first mission. I’m thirty years old and I’m going to babysit. My father asked me because he knows the soldier in me will not allow any harm to come to this woman. He knows I’ll protect her at all costs because it’s what I do. Or should I say, what I did.

  I’m not home because I want to be, I’m home because of a stupid knee injury that cost me my career. I guess I’ll use this time to weigh my options and maybe even start applying for some jobs. I debate with myself because one moment I have all the motivation in the world and the next, I am sitting around and doing nothing, which sounds really good.

  I pull my duffle bag out from under the bed and throw a bunch of clothes into the bag, not even paying attention to what I’m taking. I know I have jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, a little bit of everything. I fit as much as I can into it then toss my shower kit on top and head back out into the living room.

  “What, no shave before this mission?” my father says, busting my balls.

  “Real funny, Dad.” I scratch at the rough beard that is starting to grow on my face. I hate having facial hair but I haven’t had much of an urge to shave either. Come to think of it, my hair is way overgrown too. I guess I really do have to get my shit together, though I have no desire to do that either. I’ve only been home a few months, and I have done nothing in that time. After all I saw on my last tour, I needed some time to clear my head of all the horror I experienced.

  I grab the keys to my Jeep. “I’m out of here. I’ll call you once I get there and have eyes on the princess,” I call out over my shoulder as I leave.

  Dad laughs. “Okay, son. Drive safely, and thanks.”

  I throw my bag in the back of my Jeep and jump in the front seat. I start the car and crank up my music, heading first for the local coffee shop before I hit the highway. It’s about a two hour drive to the lake and since I haven’t been sleeping well, the caffeine will do me some good.

  I’m cruising along the highway when my cell phone rings. I answer it on speaker through my Bluetooth system. “Hello”

  “Hey, Carter. What’s up man?”

  “Jordan! What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, what are you up to this weekend?”

  “Dude, get this. My father needs me to head out to the lake to watch over his buddy’s daughter. She’s a writer or something and is hiding out at the lake to get some work done. Daddy is worried about his little girl.” I roll my eyes.

  “Oh man, that kind of sucks, but maybe she’ll be smoking hot. You know you haven’t hooked up in a while.”

  “If she’s like her mother, she’ll be a total snobby bitch and that alone will make her ugly. I can’t stand that shit.”

  “Whatever. When will you be back in town so we can hang?”

  “I don’t know. I need to find a job though.”

  “I told you I can get you a job in construction with me.”

  “Dude, you work crazy hours and I’m a soldier not a carpenter. That’s all you.”

  “Whatever, man. Just hit me up when you get back. We need to plan a guy’s night out.”

  “Will do!”

  I cut the call and my music instantly starts blaring again. Jordan’s cool but his parties are too much for me. I’m the calm one who would rather just chill at home than hang in a bar or club.

  I pull up to the lake house, where a cleaning crew is there going through the entire house. I walk in, drop my bag, and tell them that I’ll head to the store to get supplies while they’re finishing up.

  “There’s no need. Your father had us stock the place, so you’re all set,” a guy with a vacuum on his back tells me.

  I plop myself on the couch wondering what the hell I’m going to do with myself over the next few weeks. I know one thing is for sure, I need to start working out again. I haven’t lifted, run, or practiced my martial arts since I’ve been home. It makes me wonder if my weights and equipment are still in the spare room. I head down the hall and there they are. It makes me smile, and that’s something I haven’t done much of lately. I change into some workout clothes, and then grab my phone and my docking station so I can have some music playing while I work out.

  I go at it hard for the next hour thinking about nothing but what I want to do with my life. Since I’m a veteran, I can probably land just about any job I want, but I want to do something that’ll make a difference. I want to find something that I’ll enjoy doing. I don’t want to just get up and go to work every day for the sake of filling time or so I can say I have a job.

  Once I’m done with my workout, I decide to take a shower and then check out things around the property. I get some clean clothes and my shower kit and as I head to the bathroom, I realize the cleaning crew is gone. I drop off my things in the bathroom then head to the kitchen to see what they stocked for me. I open the cabinets and laugh because there’s nothing that I can even cook in here. There is only juice, milk, and soda in the fridge. I chuckle as I pick up my phone to call my father.

  “Carter, please tell me you didn’t just get there.”

  “Nah, the cleaning crew was here. I decided to hit my workout room while they finished so I wasn’t in the way.”

  “Oh good. Bet it felt good to work out again, huh?”

  “Yeah, somewhat.”

  He’s been hounding me to get back at it and I’m not ready to admit he was right.

  I sigh. “Um, did you tell your cleaning crew what to stock for food?”

  “Not really, why?”

  “Dad, you know I can’t cook and they left me stupid stuff. Ma
ke sure you don’t pay them for much on the food. I’m heading to the store to get some supplies and some beer. I won’t be gone long. If you need me just call my cell.”

  “Okay, son, thanks again.”

  I disconnect the call and walk off to take a shower before I run to the store.

  As I drive into town, I’m hoping I don’t see anyone that I know. People in this town are nosey and they all know I served and that I’m home on medical discharge. My family and I spent a lot of time here while I was growing up. My father liked coming out here even after I had outgrown the place and he couldn’t wait to brag about how I was joining the Army, proudly telling everyone I was going to serve my country. Although I was quite proud and I still am, I don’t like to talk about it. People only want to hear about the glory, they don’t want to hear about all the gruesome details of what really happens. As far as I’m concerned, it was a career choice and I was just doing my job.

  I pull up outside the local store. It isn’t very big but has everything I need to get me through my stay here. The lake house my father bought is kind of in the middle of nowhere. There’s one gas station, one store, and a few small shops. A lot of the roads are narrow and some are even dirt. There are only two houses on this side of the lake. My dad owns one and his buddy Troy owns the other. The opposite side of the large lake is a bit more crowded and a bit further from the shops, but some of them house residents year around so it keeps things going here.

  I walk into the small store and find the owner, Mr. Silver, behind the counter.

  “Is that Carter Montgomery I see walking into my store?” he shouts with a big smile.

  I head straight over to him. I smile and shake his hand. “Hi, Mr. Silver. How’s it going?”

  “I’m doing swell, son. How are you?”

  “I’m doing okay. Hanging out at my dad’s for a few weeks while I figure out what I’ll do with myself now that I am home.”

  “If you get bored and you want something to do stop in here. I’m sure I can give you some work. It won’t be much but at least you won’t just be sitting around.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Silver. I’ll keep that in mind. For now I think I can use some downtime.”

  “I can understand that. Go get what you need.”

  Being a war vet himself he’s one of the few people who understand what I went through and that I don’t want to talk about it.

  I head off toward the aisles to search for what I need. I get some beer and water to keep in the fridge. I need to stay hydrated if I’m going to be working out, and I enjoy a beer with dinner. I like to eat healthy but it is hard when you can’t cook. I collect some cold cuts, wheat bread, veggies, and fruit, plus some simple canned soups and stuff that I can just heat up. God I wish my mom taught me how to cook.

  ***

  When I’m pulling up to the house, I see a woman wandering around outside and I know it must be her. I sit in the car watching her for a second. She’s really too simple to be the daughter of Sandra Fitzgerald. She’s wearing a pair of jeans that have tears in the front with a red turtleneck and a long sweater that she has wrapped tightly around her thin body. I’m stunned. She’s simple but pretty at the same time. Her gorgeous long hair flows in waves down her back and although she has this pained, lost look on her face, she’s beautiful.

  I climb out of my jeep with the bags in my hands and mosey into the house, nearly walking into a tree because I’m so distracted. I shake it off and hurry inside before she sees me. I’m supposed to be discreet, and already I feel like I’m failing miserably.

  Chapter 3

  Patty

  “Celia! I’m back!” I shout as I walk in the front door.

  “Did you have a nice walk?” she asks, walking into the living room.

  “I did. Do you know anything about the man staying in Mr. Montgomery’s house?”

  “No. Why?” I can tell she is just as surprised as I am.

  “First, I am surprised Dad called my mother to tell her I was staying here. Now there is a guy staying next door and he just happens to arrive the same day I do. I can’t help but feel like he set that up too.”

  “I walked into the room as your parents were finishing their conversation and when I asked if everything was okay your mother told me that your father was concerned about you staying out here alone. Your mother started to push the idea of her coming. I thought it would be better for me to be here, which is why I volunteered.”

  “Thank you for that. Clearly my parents don’t listen to me. I’m going to the den now to do some work.”

  I walk away with my laptop bag in hand and sit down at the desk. While my laptop is booting up I pull out my notebook and a pen. I have some notes written on the story and where it will go. Now I just have to start piecing it together. I rearrange my thoughts on paper so that I have some ideas on when I want certain things to happen in the book.

  Opening my laptop I click on the Word icon to open a blank document and begin typing. I’ve never been a writer who maps out their book fully before they start. I’ve always been able to simply sit down and write. The first two chapters or so can be difficult, but once I get going I can usually keep my book flowing without a problem. For some reason, this book has been the toughest to get started and I think it’s because I feel like I have to top the last book. My agent is putting too much pressure on me and that really makes it difficult to produce good work. During my walk today, I decided to clear my head of all that is my agent and my last book. My only thoughts are of what I want my story to be and I’m simply going to write it, she’ll get it when I’m ready.

  I’m writing about a lonely woman who is nearly thirty and has yet to experience love. She has dated but ended up either hurt badly or met men who couldn’t keep her interest. That is, until she finally meets ‘Mr. Right.’ The problem is she’s now so full of doubt she can’t see that the man of her dreams is right there in front of her.

  Having the gist of the story is the easy part. It’s creating all of the details while keeping my readers interested that’s the problem. However, a few hours later, I manage to have the first two chapters completely written and I’m quite proud of myself. I decide to rub it in my agent’s face by sending her a text.

  Patty: Chapter 1 and 2 written more to follow.

  Joan: Nice! Are you at the lake?

  Patty: Yes. I need to do some posting online now so I can get my followers thinking about this next book. Talk to you later.

  Joan: Talk to you later.

  I open my Facebook author page and write:

  Guess who has started their next book? Yup, me! Who’s excited to see what comes next from the world of P.A. Fitzgerald?

  I click post and in a few minutes’ time I have followers responding, stating how excited they are about my next book. I also go onto my web page and add the book to the work in progress section of my website with a brief idea of what the book will be about. I’ve started getting quite a few hits on my website so I want to make sure I keep it up to date. I also add a brief blog entry letting my readers know that I’m still around but hiding out writing my latest book.

  Now that I’m done with my posting, I click on my notes icon and read through what I have. My agent is trying to get me to write a trilogy but I’m just not sure I have it in me to write three books about the same couple. That takes a bit more planning, but she keeps telling me it would be the next best romance since Fifty Shades of Grey and The Crossfire Series. Despite telling her that I have no desire to be compared to either of those trilogies, I’ve been putting some thoughts on paper in case I change my mind. Although I will not allow myself to be compared to them, I will be the best me I can be and that is it.

  One issue I have always had as a reader is waiting years between books to see what happens next. As a writer, I would have to feel like I had enough in mind to write all three books close together so my readers are not waiting forever to find out what happens next. Looking at my notes I am not anywhere near there. I’m add
ing ideas all the time and my notes are growing but I’m still not ready, so Joan’s going to have to accept the standalones I send her for now.

  There’s a knock on my office door, and I look up I find Celia standing there. “Sorry to bother you Patricia, but dinner is ready. Would you like me to leave a plate for you or are you ready for a break?”

  I smile, welcoming the break. “You have perfect timing. I’ll be right there.”

  “Great.” She leaves the office to finish preparing our dinner. I close my laptop and head to the bathroom so I can wash up for dinner. When I reach the kitchen I see she has already set a plate out for me.

  “The house smells delicious, Celia.”

  She has made baked chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans. My stomach growls, telling me I’m hungrier than I realized.

  “Thank you. Do you mind if I join you?”

  “Are you kidding? I was hoping you would, Celia. I really didn’t want to be out here all alone. It would be so lonely and boring but I really needed to get some work done. If I had brought Bella or my mom with me I’d get nothing done.”

  “I understand.” She laughs lightly. “So how have you been? I feel like it has been forever since I’ve seen you.”

  “I know. I’m sorry but if I go by to visit mother, then I have to pretend to be someone I’m not and it drives me crazy. Visiting her is hard, that’s why I don’t come often. I wish she would just accept me for who I am.”

  “Your mother loves you very much,” Celia says with a sigh. “She just wants the best for you. Although I totally understand what you’re saying, please just try to remember that.”

  “Oh I know, that’s how I ended up with that asshole Ben. He was the worst boyfriend ever, but because he has money she insisted he was perfect for me. She said he could take care of me.” I shake my head, remembering all I went through with my ex. I stayed with him for over a year trying to please her and hoping that he would change and we could have a normal relationship. But when he hit me, that was it, and I was out the door. My mother actually stood up for him, saying he didn’t mean it and that he had too much to drink that night. I didn’t want to hear it. I was done.