by Karen Foley
His father chuckled. “I’d like that very much.”
Shane glanced at his watch. “Well what are we waiting for? I made a promise to her, and I intend to keep it.”
Shane sat in the passenger’s seat and watched how his father handled the Mustang, admiring his easy confidence and control behind the wheel. Most of the main roads into town had already been barricaded to traffic, but his father took several creative detours and within minutes, they were pulling into the parking lot of Hargrave Military Academy.
Shane barely waited for the car to roll to a stop before he climbed out with a hurried thanks. The lot was congested with traffic that included military and police vehicles, fire engines, several floats, Clydesdale horses pulling a beer wagon, and what looked like the entire southern Virginia 4-H club. He dodged in between the vehicles and the people as quickly as his cast would permit, his eyes scanning the crowds until he found what he was looking for.
A 1944 Willys Jeep.
The Admiral sat behind the wheel with Emily in the passenger seat and behind them, perched on the back of the rear seat, was Holly. Like himself, she was in full dress uniform, and Shane thought she looked both nervous and unhappy, although she smiled at those who came to wish her well and shake her hand. An enormous wreath adorned the front bumper of the Jeep, made of red, white, and purple carnations.
Sidestepping around two drummers, Shane made his way over to the Jeep and leaned on the wheel well, smiling into Holly’s astonished face.
“I said I’d be here, didn’t I?” he asked, out of breath.
“Shane!” Holly devoured him with her eyes, a slow smile spread over her face and Shane thought he’d never seen anything quite as beautiful. “I knew you’d make it.”
The Admiral turned in his seat. “Son, I suggest you climb in, or you’re going to end up getting left behind.”
“Oh, no,” he protested. “I’m not riding in the parade. I just came by to wish you luck.”
But Holly scooted over on the seat and caught him by the arm. “No, you have to ride with me.”
“Holly…”
“That’s an order, Sergeant,” she said softly.
The Admiral chuckled. “I’d do it if I were you.”
Frowning, Shane climbed into the back of the Jeep and sat next to Holly as the Admiral threw the vehicle into gear and began to slowly move out of the parking lot and onto the main road.
“This isn’t right,” Shane muttered. “This is your day, and I don’t want to take away from it.”
“You’re not,” Holly assured him, and laced her fingers through his. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
The Jeep turned the corner onto Main Street, and for the first time, Shane saw the enormous banner that spanned the road overhead.
Welcome Home Lt. Durant Sgt. RaffertyChatham’s Hometown Heroes
He twisted to look at Holly, knowing his face showed his confusion. “What is this?”“While you were in Washington, I had a call from the Inspector General, confirming what really happened to my daughter that day in Iraq,” the Admiral said over his shoulder, keeping one eye on the road. “Son, if you hadn’t risked your life to protect Holly, she might not be alive today.”
Emily turned in her seat and smiled at him. “All it took was one call to have those banners changed. They should have included your name from the first day they were raised.”
Shane looked away, both embarrassed and touched by the gesture. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said gruffly. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Holly leaned against him to speak into his ear. “But if you don’t smile and wave at these people, they’re going to believe you really are one bad-assed solider.”
Shane chuckled. “I’m not?”
“Not from where I’m sitting.”
He smiled. “I’ll have to work on that. Can’t have you thinking I’ve gone soft.”
Holly burst out laughing.
HOURS LATER, AFTER the speeches and the presentations, after the barbeque and the festivities, Shane held Holly loosely in his arms as they danced under the stars to the music of a country band. Shane had never felt as humbled as he had by the well wishes of the people who had come up to shake his hand and thank him for his service. During his adolescence, he’d resented living in Chatham and had never felt that he belonged in the upscale community. For the first time, he felt that perhaps he could live here, maybe even raise a family here.
Holly tipped her head back to look at him. “What are you thinking about?”“My future.”
He saw the quick flash of anxiety in her eyes, but she quickly masked it and smiled at him. “And what does your future hold?”
He let his gaze drift over her face, lingering on her full lips. “You, I hope.”
She smiled tremulously. “Yes, I hope so, too. What else?”
“I’d like to finish out my career with the military.”
She focused on one of the buttons on his jacket. To her credit, she didn’t protest. “I understand. You’re a good soldier. It only makes sense.”
“I’ll make a better officer.”
Holly’s gaze jerked upward. “What?”
Shane couldn’t prevent the grin that spread across his face. “I finished my master’s degree last year and have been playing with the idea of entering Officer’s Candidate School. I met with Captain Aubrey in Washington about the investigation and after we talked, he told me that he’d read my file and thought I would make an excellent candidate.”
Holly gave a bark of stunned laughter. “He’s right. You would. Absolutely. I can’t believe I never knew you were taking graduate-level courses. You never even finished high school.”
“I didn’t have a choice about that,” he said drily. “My dad needed me and I needed to keep a roof over our heads. I took my GED when I was seventeen and began taking college level courses whenever I could.”
“But don’t you see? You did have a choice, Shane. And you chose to keep what was left of your family together, even though it meant sacrificing your own dreams. I’m not sure many teenagers would have done what you did.”
“He was my father, no matter what I thought about him. I knew my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to abandon him, but I’ll admit that thought did cross my mind.”
“You’re not the kind of guy to turn your back on someone who needs you. You never have been.”
He slanted her a doubtful look, but couldn’t prevent a small smile from curving his mouth. “You’ve always had an unrealistically high opinion of me.”
“Lieutenant Rafferty,” Holly mused, ignoring his remark. “I like the sound of that.” She slanted him a suspicious look. “Does this mean you’ll be the one issuing orders?”
Shane laughed. “You bet. But I can also promise that you’ll enjoy following them.”
“I’m leaving the military,” she retorted, “so I won’t have to follow them.”
“You’re sure about that?” Shane pulled back to look at her. “Your arm shouldn’t prevent you from doing what you love.”
She made a face. “I’m not sure the Navy is what I love. I don’t regret the time I’ve served, and I’ve learned a lot about myself because of the military. But do I love it?” She smiled. “I love that it brought me closer to you, but I think I’d really like to settle into civilian life. Maybe I’ll try my hand at photography.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I love photography.”
Shane laughed. “You don’t have to convince me. I’m still traumatized by the memory of you following me around with that damned camera. I think it sounds like a great idea.”
“Mmm-hmm. I think so, too.”
Tightening his arms around her, he drew her head back to his shoulder. “I just can’t believe how this all turned out. Five weeks ago, I thought I’d lost you.”
“Crazy man. You were the reason I chose to go to Iraq in the first place. You didn’t think I was going to let you get away
so easily, did you?”
“You were almost killed because of me.” He couldn’t keep the torment out of his voice. “I’ll be honest with you. I feel like a fraud accepting any kind of recognition for what I did that day.”
Holly pulled back and looked at him, surprised. “Why?”
“Because what most people don’t know is that I’m not a hero. I did what I did because I’m in love with you. I think I have been since the first day that I saw you. I never had a choice about trying to save you.”
Holly laughed softly and wound her arms around him, uncaring of who watched them. “That’s where you’re wrong. You always had a choice. And that’s what makes you a hero.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8458-0HEAT OF THE MOMENT
Copyright © 2011 by Karen Foley
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