The Soldier's Homecoming

by Patricia Potter

  “I never thought I would see the day you wore a suit,” Travis said. “Or talked about financing.”

  “No suit yet, but I’ve been taking online courses in finance. The president of the bank has been working with me. Sometime I’ll have to tell you that story.”

  “Another one?”

  Josh shrugged.

  Travis shook his head. “I still don’t get why so many of you stayed here.”

  “For me, Eve is the answer. If I wanted her, I had to take the rest of the package, and that included Covenant Falls and her instinct to fix every person and every animal she encounters. There’s never been a day I regretted it.”

  Nick appeared then from the direction of the stable and ran toward them. “Hi, Major Hammond. Will you give me some pitching tips again?”

  “Sure,” Travis said.

  “Awesome,” Nick said. He already had a baseball in hand.

  Travis grinned. “You just happened to have one with you?”

  “Yessir. The gloves are out here, too.”

  “If it’s okay with Josh, let’s show him what a great pitcher he’s raising.”

  “Go to it,” Josh said.

  * * *

  JENNY HELPED EVE finish a salad, chopping onions and tomatoes. She then accepted the offer of a glass of wine.

  Andy had told her a little about Eve, that she’d been widowed when her son was still a toddler and that she’d been elected mayor four years ago. She’d married Josh Manning in an outside wedding attended by nearly the entire town.

  Jenny liked everything she’d heard. A woman who was a survivor, who had lost a father to violence and a husband to a heart attack, and who’d made not only a new life but apparently a very purposeful one and who’d tamed a warrior. Or maybe became one with him.

  She glanced out the kitchen window. Travis Hammond was leaning over a young boy who was holding a baseball.

  “That’s my son, Nick,” Eve said. “He’s been excited since he heard Travis was returning to Covenant Falls. Travis played baseball in college, and Nick is a Little League pitcher. Travis gave him some pointers on his last trip, and now Nick has decided he wants to be a professional baseball player. Before, he wanted to be a veterinarian.”

  “I can guess which you would prefer,” Jenny said.

  “Oh, I think he’ll change his mind a dozen more times before he has to make decisions. Six months ago, he planned to be a forest ranger.”

  Jenny’s attention returned to the tall man who held the ball with the three fingers on his right hand before giving it to Eve’s son. Travis then stooped down and guided Nick’s arm as the boy threw the ball to Josh. It hit the mark, and the boy looked up with such bliss her heart ached.

  She reminded herself that Travis was a soldier. Yet she’d witnessed other scenes during conflicts when a soldier went out of his way to comfort or help a child caught in chaos. Why should she be surprised? He probably helped old ladies cross the street. He would stop the traffic in both directions.

  “He’s one of the really good guys,” Eve said after they both watched for several minutes. “He and Josh are good friends, which is unusual considering the difference in ranks. Josh says Travis would have made colonel if he hadn’t been so outspoken on behalf of his men.” She turned away from the window. “Everything’s ready except the steaks, and Josh is taking care of that. Let’s join the guys.”

  Jenny hurried to open the back door as Eve carried their glasses of wine outside.

  At seeing them, Josh left his pitching position to put the steaks on the grill, while Nick threw the ball to Travis and he threw it back. The sun hit the peaks of the mountains, and the horizon erupted with fire. The air was spiced with the scent of smoking hickory.

  She could see the lure of this town, although she would probably go crazy after a few weeks. Wanderlust would catch up with her again.

  She put her wineglass on an outside table and walked closer to where Travis was standing. One of Nick’s pitches went wide, toward her, and she automatically reached out to catch it.

  Pain shot through her, and she dropped the ball. She stood there for a moment, trying to absorb the sudden agony that ran through her.

  Travis was by her side in seconds. “Your shoulder?”

  “I’m fine,” she insisted. “It will go away in a minute. I shouldn’t have tried...”

  “What can I do?” Travis said.

  “What can we do?” Eve broke in.

  Jenny was embarrassed. Everyone looked terribly concerned, but she knew the pain would gradually fade. It was Nick who worried her. He looked stricken.

  She leaned down next to him. “I haven’t caught a ball in a long time,” she said softly. “You have one fine arm, my friend. You don’t worry about mine. It will be as good as ever in a few minutes.”

  “Are you sure?” Nick asked.

  “Absolutely. How can I not be when Josh is grilling those steaks? You think I’d miss one of those?”

  “He grills the best steaks ever,” Nick bragged and started for the door. “Can I get you something, Miss Talbot?”

  “After dinner, I’d like to meet the dogs I’ve heard about.”

  “They’d like that,” Nick said, his worried expression fading.

  “Why don’t you go inside and put the salad on the table,” Eve said.

  “Okay,” Nick said. He turned to Jenny again. “I sure am sorry if I hurt you.”

  “Not to worry another second, or you will hurt me.”

  “I like you a lot,” Nick confided. Then he darted inside the house.

  Eve looked at her. “Thank you.”

  “He’s a nice kid.”

  “Yes, he is,” Eve said. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  “Serve me one of those steaks. You might have to cut mine tonight, but tomorrow my shoulder will be fine.”

  Eve gave her a slow smile. “Done,” she said as she handed Jenny her glass of wine.

  Travis hovered as Jenny held the glass in her left hand while trying not to let the others know how much her shoulder ached. She would take an anti-inflammatory tonight and it should be down to a dull ache in the morning.

  Meanwhile, Jenny tried to concentrate on watching Josh’s culinary skills as he added some kind of sauce to the meat. “Smells great,” she said.

  “Steak suppers have become a tradition for newcomers,” Eve said. “It’s our way of welcoming new friends. We usually don’t try to injure our guests, though. Are you sure I can’t get you something, or call the doctor?”

  “Not necessary,” Jenny said. “Truly, it’s already fading away, and I wouldn’t miss that steak for anything.”

  “If you’re sure...”

  “I am,” Jenny said in a tone that, while pleasant, made it clear the subject was closed.

  Eve nodded and turned to Travis. “Have you decided when you’re leaving?”

  “Sunday morning,” Travis answered.

  Jenny’s ears perked up. “You’re leaving?”

  “Temporarily,” Josh said.

  Jenny raised an eyebrow.

  “He’s going to visit ranches that helps veterans,” Nick, who’d just returned, said proudly. “I wanted to go, too, but I have to go to school.”

  Jenny’s antenna went straight up and she turned to Travis. “That’s interesting,” she said. “You didn’t mention that.”

  “No reason to,” he said.

  She was used to rebuffs but this one stung. She’d liked him and he knew about her interest in veterans and had said nothing. She wasn’t going to show her disappointment, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to drop it.

  “Equine therapy programs?” she asked.

  He nodded warily.

  “How long will you be gone?” she persisted.

  “Not sure. Five, maybe six days,” Tra
vis replied.

  She started to ask another question when Josh interrupted. “The steaks are ready. Travis, you want to help take them inside?”

  Travis stood, and he and Josh went to the grill while Nick and Eve headed toward the house. She followed them inside.

  But if Travis thought the subject was dropped he was in for a shock. Now her interest was thoroughly stirred and when that happened she would go to almost any lengths to satisfy it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  JENNY TRIED TO keep her thoughts to herself as she sat down at the table. The steaks did smell wonderful. An ambush would come later.

  Eve apparently sensed something because she turned to Jenny. “Do you ride horses?” she asked.

  “Not since a pony at a birthday party when I was ten, but it’s on my bucket list.”

  “If your shoulder is better, come over tomorrow and ride Beauty. She’s very gentle, and her gait is great for a new rider.”

  “I would love that. Thank you,” Jenny said, her green eyes brightening. “The shoulder is already better.”

  “Good. What about 10:00 a.m.? The town doctor will be here, too. Her daughter is learning to ride. Lisa Redding might make a good story for you. She went from being a pediatric surgeon in a Chicago hospital to a small-town doc, and we’re very lucky to have her. Small-town and rural areas have a rough time attracting doctors.”

  It probably would be a good story. Jenny was aware of the shortage of GPs, particularly in rural areas. At this rate, she could probably stay here for years. Everone wanted to give her a story except the one she really wanted. Still...

  “Do you have a newspaper here?” she asked. “I didn’t see one on the town website, but I saw an empty rack in Maude’s restaurant.”

  “You might say we do,” Eve said. “The Covenant Falls Herald. It exists, but that’s about it. The editor/owner died and left it to a nephew who had no interest in running it. He’s hoping to find someone willing to pay a far too high price for it. Right now, it carries canned material, like how to decorate a pumpkin or old recipes, a gossip column by the town’s biggest nuisance and legal notices, which are cheaper than placing them in a larger county paper.”

  Jenny laughed. She liked Eve.

  “I can tell Eve is a fan,” Travis added wryly.

  “I would give a lot to bring a new owner here,” her hostess said. “The paper is more than a hundred years old. It’s incredibly sad to see it deteriorate.”

  Jenny didn’t like the direction the conversation had suddenly taken. From what she’d observed in the past two days, this town had a way of sucking people into its web. She wondered how it had acquired a coveted doctor. She hoped they didn’t have a similar idea about her.

  Supper was extraordinary. Because Jenny still had pain in her shoulder, Eve had cut up one of the steaks, which melted in Jenny’s mouth. The baked potatoes were perfect, and the salad just right. Jenny chose iced tea over more wine, since she might need a pain pill that night.

  “Does everyone in Covenant Falls eat this well?” Jenny asked. “I think I’ve gained five pounds since I arrived.”

  “Just when there’s company,” Nick piped up.

  “Yeah, and we starve you the rest of the time,” Josh said.

  “Well, there’s more vegetables.”

  “You don’t like vegetables?” Jenny asked.

  “Not nearly as well as meat and pie.”

  Jenny was fascinated with the gentle banter between the adults and the boy. She hadn’t had that. Dinner at her house had always been formal. Input from the younger members was not encouraged.

  “What do you think about Covenant Falls?” Eve said.

  “It’s not a place to come to lose weight,” Jenny replied. “But I think it’s one of the state’s best-kept secrets. I met two couples last night at the inn, and they told me they had a great time going to the old mining camps and then horseback riding up to the falls. They said they heard about it from other veterans.”

  “I like that,” Josh said. “Particularly the fact they had a great time.”

  “Maybe you should target your marketing at veteran magazines,” Jenny suggested. “Get quotes from some of the guests who are veterans, even offer free weekends as some kind of prize. If the inn isn’t full, it’s not going to cost you much. The main thing is getting people talking about it.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Eve said. “I’ll mention it to Susan. In the meantime, let’s go out and see Beauty and the Beast.”

  Jenny looked at her in surprise.

  “My horses,” Eve explained. “Josh and Nick can clean up the dishes.”

  Travis had been quiet during most of the dinner. “I’ll help the guys.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Eve said.

  Jenny started to protest.

  “They don’t mind doing it,” Eve said. “They make a contest as to who can finish the fastest. Men like competition.”

  Nick thrust out his chest at being called a man.

  “Then I won’t complain,” Jenny said. She liked Eve and Josh more every minute. She noticed the ease and obvious respect between them, how they touched each other in passing, their exchange of smiles. Love visibly flowed between them and Nick.

  “It took me a while to convince Josh that helping in the kitchen was a manly thing to do,” Eve said.

  “On occasion,” Josh corrected as he put an arm around Eve and hugged her.

  For a second, Jenny felt envy for something she’d always rejected. She didn’t believe in love or marriage. Her father was a bully, her mother an alcoholic; her older sister had, from what she had seen, married a man just like her father. And Lenore’s recent disaster only solidified everything she’d believed.

  She viewed marriage as a millstone and had avoided any relationships other than short ones with guys who felt the same. She usually hadn’t been in one place long to even start a relationship. But watching Josh Manning, a tough Ranger sergeant, collecting dishes challenged that very strong belief. Maybe it wouldn’t last, but there was no doubting the love between the Mannings.

  She accompanied Eve out to the stable. As they walked inside, two white horses poked their heads over the stall gate. Eve plucked two carrots from a box and handed one to Jenny. “This is the first step in making friends for life. This is Beauty.” Eve stopped in front of the first one. “She’s my love. The Beast can be a little surly sometimes, but never Beauty. She has a gait like a rocking horse.”

  Jenny offered Beauty the carrot. The horse accepted it gently and quickly chomped it down. They moved to the Beast, who leaned over the stall door to get his carrot. He took it more greedily.

  “They’re beautiful,” Jenny said.

  “They’re good horses,” Eve said, “but then most horses are, if properly treated. Jubal firmly believes that and is acquiring rescue horses for his ranch. He hopes to add some mustangs.”

  “Mustangs?”

  “The federal government is rounding up the last of them. They’re for sale cheap because they’re wild. Don’t even know what a human is.”

  “I read something recently about mustangs,” Jenny said. “There was a story in the newspaper about a prison program... Wild Horse Inmate Program or something like that. They’ve discovered that in gentling the horses, the inmates themselves change.”

  Eve nodded. “I’m familiar with the program. The prison even makes money by then selling the trained mustangs. It’s a win-win-win program. The mustangs are saved. The prisoners learn a skill and undergo rehabilitation, and people can buy reasonably priced, well-trained horses.”

  Beauty nuzzled Jenny for another carrot.

  “I’ve been researching equine therapy. Some of the programs for vets are using wild mustangs. Do you know if Travis is planning to visit any of those ranches?”

  “I really don’t know,” Eve said. “This
is all pretty preliminary now.”

  Jenny paused, and then she plunged in. “I think the idea of creating an equine therapy program is great. Do you think Travis would agree to take me along on his trip? I would pay my expenses and share of the gas. I wouldn’t publish anything prematurely and would fact check any story with your group. I don’t usually do that, but I understand how sensitive this can be and the last thing I would want is to harm or delay this project.”

  “It’s not up to me,” Eve said. “It’s Travis’s decision.”

  “I think he would say no,” Jenny said.

  “Why?” Eve asked.

  “He’s been very...polite but...eager to get rid of me.”

  Eve smiled. “You should have seen Josh when I met him. He was mad as hell at the world. Didn’t want anything to do with me or the town. He was just going to rehab his cabin and leave.”

  “And what happened to change his mind?”

  “My son did. He was bit by a rattlesnake at Josh’s cottage. It kinda smashed the ice.”

  “I don’t have a son,” Jenny said.

  “Then you’ll just have to ask Travis,” Eve countered.

  “I thought you might say that.”

  Eve hesitated. “He’s a good guy but a private one. He was Josh’s commanding officer for years, and yet Josh knows very little about his background or family, except he seems to have none. I do know there’s no one Josh respects as much as Travis.”

  It was a warning. Subtle but clear.

  Jenny nodded. “I’m going to give it a try.”

  Eve grinned. “Good luck.”

  * * *

  IT WAS NEARLY ten that night when Travis and Jenny left the ranch and headed toward the Camel Trail Inn.

  Travis had enjoyed the evening more than any he could remember. The food was great, the wine fine and the company even better. And coaching Nick brought Travis a satisfaction he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Jenny, without any previous ties to the other four, had been the odd person out in the group, and yet she seemed to fit so easily, she might have been there many times earlier. She was warm, bright and curious with the adults, and he liked the way she treated Nick as someone important.