Issued to the Bride: One Soldier

by Cora Seton

  Boone blinked. Families? “Actually, sir…” He’d said nothing about families. Four men, building up to ten. That’s what he had written in his proposal.

  “This is brilliant. Too brilliant.” Fulsom’s direct gaze caught his own. “You see, we were going to launch a community of our own, but when I saw your proposal, I said, ‘This man has already done the hard work; why reinvent the wheel? I can’t think of anyone better to lead such a project than someone like Boone Rudman.’”

  Boone stifled a grin. This was going better than he could have dreamed. “Thank you, sir.”

  Fulsom leaned forward. “The thing is, Boone, you have to do it right.”

  “Of course, sir, but about—”

  “It has to be airtight. You have to prove you’re sustainable. You have to prove your food systems are self-perpetuating, that you have a strategy to deal with waste, that you have contingency plans. What you’ve written here?” He held up Boone’s proposal package. “It’s genius. Genius. But the real question is—who’s going to give a shit about it?”

  “Well, hell—” Fulsom’s abrupt change of tone startled Boone into defensiveness. He knew about the man’s legendary high-octane personality, but he hadn’t been prepared for this kind of bait and switch. “You yourself just said—”

  Fulsom waved the application at him. “I love this stuff. It makes me hard. But the American public? That’s a totally different matter. They don’t find this shit sexy. It’s not enough to jerk me off, Boone. We’re trying to turn on the whole world.”

  “O-okay.” Shit. Fulsom was going to turn him down after all. Boone gripped the arms of his chair, waiting for the axe to fall.

  “So the question is, how do we make the world care about your community? And not just care about it—be so damn obsessed with it they can’t think about anything else?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ll tell you how. We’re going to give you your own reality television show. Think of it. The whole world watching you go from ground zero to full-on sustainable community. Rooting for you. Cheering when you triumph. Crying when you fail. A worldwide audience fully engaged with you and your followers.”

  “That’s an interesting idea,” Boone said slowly. It was an insane idea. There was no way anyone would spend their time watching him dig garden beds and install photovoltaic panels. He couldn’t think of anything less exciting to watch on television. And he didn’t have followers. He had three like-minded friends who’d signed on to work with him. Friends who even now were bristling at this characterization of their roles. “Like I said, Mr. Fulsom, each of the equal participants in the community have pledged to document our progress. We’ll take lots of photos and post them with our entries on a daily blog.”

  “Blogs are for losers.” Fulsom leaned forward. “Come on, Boone. Don’t you want to change the world?”

  “Yes, I do.” Anger curled within him. He was serious about these issues. Deadly serious. Why was Fulsom making a mockery of him? You couldn’t win any kind of war with reality television, and Boone approached his sustainable community as if he was waging a war—a war on waste, a war on the future pain and suffering of the entire planet.

  “I get it. You think I’m nuts,” Fulsom said. “You think I’ve finally blown my lid. Well, I haven’t. I’m a free-thinker, Boone, not a crazy man. I know how to get the message across to the masses. Always have. And I’ve always been criticized for it, too. Who cares? You know what I care about? This world. The people on it. The plants and animals and atmosphere. The whole grand, beautiful spectacle that we’re currently dragging down into the muck of overconsumption. That’s what I care about. What about you?”

  “I care about it, too, but I don’t want—”

  “You don’t want to be made a fool of. Fair enough. You’re afraid of exposing yourself to scrutiny. You’re afraid you’ll fuck up on television. Well guess what? You’re right; you will fuck up. But the audience is going to love you so much by that time, that if you cry, they’ll cry with you. And when you triumph—and you will triumph—they’ll feel as ecstatic as if they’d done it all themselves. Along the way they’ll learn more about solar power, wind power, sustainable agriculture and all the rest of it than we could ever force-feed them through documentaries or classes. You watch, Boone. We’re going to do something magical.”

  Boone stared at him. Fulsom was persuasive, he’d give him that. “About the families, sir.”

  “Families are non-negotiable.” Fulsom set the application down and gazed at Boone, then each of his friends in turn. “You men are pioneers, but pioneers are a yawn-fest until they bring their wives to the frontier. Throw in women, and goddamn, that’s interesting! Women talk. They complain. They’ll take your plans for sustainability and kick them to the curb unless you make them easy to use and satisfying. What’s more, women are a hell of lot more interesting than men. Sex, Boone. Sex sells cars and we’re going to use it to sell sustainability, too. Are you with me?”

  “I…” Boone didn’t know what to say. Use sex to sell sustainability? “I don’t think—”

  “Of course you’re with me. A handsome Navy SEAL like you has to have a girl. You do, don’t you? Have a girl?”

  “A girl?” Had he been reduced to parroting everything Fulsom said? Boone tried to pull himself together. He definitely did not have a girl. He dated when he had time, but he kept things light. He’d never felt it was fair to enter a more serious relationship as long as he was throwing himself into danger on a daily basis. He’d always figured he’d settle down when he left the service and he was looking forward to finally having the time to meet a potential mate. God knew his parents were all too ready for grandkids. They talked about it all the time.

  “A woman, a fiancée. Maybe you already have a wife?” Fulsom looked hopeful and his secretary nodded at Boone, as if telling him to say yes.

  “Well….”

  He was about to say no, but the secretary shook her head rapidly and made a slicing motion across her neck. Since she hadn’t engaged in the conversation at all previously, Boone decided he’d better take her signals seriously. He’d gotten some of his best intel in the field just this way. A subtle nod from a veiled woman, or a pointed finger just protruding from a burka had saved his neck more than once. Women were crafty when it counted.

  “I’m almost married,” he blurted. His grip on the arms of his chair tightened. None of this was going like he’d planned. Jericho and Clay turned to stare at him like he’d lost his mind. Behind him Walker chuckled. “I mean—”

  “Excellent! Can’t wait to meet your better half. What about the rest of you?” Fulsom waved them off before anyone else could speak. “Never mind. Julie here will get all that information from you later. As long as you’ve got a girl, Boone, everything’s going to be all right. The fearless leader has to have a woman by his side. It gives him that sense of humanity our viewers crave.” Julie nodded like she’d heard this many times before.

  Boone’s heart sunk even further. Fearless leader? Fulsom didn’t understand his relationship with the others at all. Walker was his superior officer, for God’s sake. Still, Fulsom was waiting for his answer, with a shrewd look in his eyes that told Boone he wasn’t fooled at all by his hasty words. Their funding would slip away unless he convinced Fulsom that he was dedicated to the project—as Fulsom wanted it to be done.

  “I understand completely,” Boone said, although he didn’t understand at all. His project was about sustainability. It wasn’t some human-interest story. “I’m with you one hundred percent.”

  “Then I’ve got a shitload of cash to send your way. Don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t.” He felt rather than heard the others shifting, biting back their protests.

  Fulsom leaned so close his head nearly filled the screen. “We’ll start filming June first and I look forward to meeting your fiancée when I arrive. Understand? Not a girlfriend, not a weekend fling—a fiancée. I want weddings, Boone.” He looked over the four of them
again. “Four weddings. Yours will kick off the series. I can see it now; an empty stretch of land. Two modern pioneers in love. A country parson performing the ceremony. The bride holding a bouquet of wildflowers the groom picked just minutes before. Their first night together in a lonely tent. Magic, Boone. That’s prime time magic. Surviving on the Land meets The First Six Months.”

  Boone nodded, swallowing hard. He’d seen those television shows. The first tracked modern-day mountain men as they pitted themselves against crazy weather conditions in extreme locations. The second followed two newlyweds for six months, and documented their every move, embrace, and lovers’ quarrel as they settled into married life. He didn’t relish the idea of starring in any show remotely like those.

  Besides, June first was barely two months away. He’d only get out of the Navy at the end of April. They hadn’t even found a property to build on yet.

  “There’ll be four of you men to start,” Fulsom went on. “That means we need four women for episode one; your fiancée and three other hopeful single ladies. Let the viewers do the math, am I right? They’ll start pairing you off even before we do. We’ll add other community members as we go. Six more men and six more women ought to do it, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, sir.” This was getting worse by the minute.

  “Now, I’ve given you a hell of a shock today. I get that. So let me throw you a bone. I’ve just closed on the perfect piece of property for your community. Fifteen hundred acres of usable land with creeks, forest, pasture and several buildings. I’m going to give it to you free and clear to use for the duration of the series. If—and only if—you meet your goals, I’ll sign it over to you lock, stock and barrel at the end of the last show.”

  Boone sat up. That was a hell of a bone. “Where is it?”

  “Little town called Chance Creek, Montana. I believe you’ve heard of it?” Fulsom laughed at his reaction. Even Walker was startled. Chance Creek? They’d grown up there. Their families still lived there.

  They were going home.

  Chills marched up and down his spine and Boone wondered if his friends felt the same way. He’d hardly even let himself dream about that possibility. None of them came from wealthy families and none of them would inherit land. He’d figured they’d go where it was cheapest, and ranches around Chance Creek didn’t come cheap. Not these days. Like everywhere else, the town had seen a slump during the last recession, but now prices were up again and he’d heard from his folks that developers were circling, talking about expanding the town. Boone couldn’t picture that.

  “Let me see here. I believe it’s called… Westfield,” Fulsom said. Julie nodded, confirming his words. “Hasn’t been inhabited for over a decade. A local caretaker has been keeping an eye on it, but there hasn’t been cattle on it for at least that long. The heir to the property lives in Europe now. Must have finally decided he wasn’t ever going to take up ranching. When he put it on the market, I snapped it up real quick.”

  Westfield.

  Boone sat back even as his friends shifted behind him again. Westfield was a hell of a property—owned by the Eaton family for as long as anyone could remember. He couldn’t believe it wasn’t a working ranch anymore. But if the old folks were gone, he guessed that made sense. They must have passed away not long after he had left Chance Creek. They wouldn’t have broken up the property, so Russ Eaton would have inherited and Russ wasn’t much for ranching. Neither was his younger brother, Michael. As far as Boone knew, Russ hadn’t married, which left Michael’s daughter the only possible candidate to run the place.

  Riley Eaton.

  Was it a coincidence that had brought her to mind just moments before Fulsom’s call, or something more?

  Coincidence, Boone decided, even as the more impulsive side of him declared it Fate.

  A grin tugged at his mouth as he remembered Riley as she used to be, the tomboy who tagged along after him every summer when they were kids. Riley lived for vacations on her grandparents’ ranch. Her mother would send her off each year dressed up for the journey, and the minute Riley reached Chance Creek she’d wad up those fancy clothes and spend the rest of the summer in jeans, boots and an old Stetson passed down from her grandma. Boone and his friends hired on at Westfield most summers to earn some spending money. Riley stuck to them like glue, learning as much as she could about riding and ranching from them. When she was little, she used to cry when August ended and she had to go back home. As she grew older, she hid her feelings better, but Boone knew she’d always adored the ranch. It wasn’t surprising, given her home life. Even when he was young, he’d heard the gossip and knew things were rough back in Chicago.

  As much as he and the others had complained about being saddled with a follower like Riley, she’d earned their grudging respect as the years went on. Riley never complained, never wavered in her loyalty to them, and as many times as they left her behind, she was always ready to try again to convince them to let her join them in their exploits.

  “It’s a crime,” he’d once heard his mother say to a friend on the phone. “Neither mother nor father has any time for her at all. No wonder she’ll put up with anything those boys dish out. I worry for her.”

  Boone understood now what his mother was afraid of, but at the time he’d shrugged it off and over the years Riley had become a good friend. Sometimes when they were alone fishing, or riding, or just hanging out on her grandparents’ porch, Boone would find himself telling her things he’d never told anyone else. As far as he knew, she’d never betrayed a confidence.

  Riley was the one who dubbed Boone, Clay, Jericho and Walker the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a nickname that had stuck all these years. When they’d become obsessed with the idea of being Navy SEALs, Riley had even tried to keep up with the same training regimen they’d adopted.

  Boone wished he could say they’d always treated Riley as well as she treated them, but that wasn’t the truth of it. One of his most shameful memories centered around the slim girl with the long brown braids. Things had become complicated once he and his friends began to date. They had far less time for Riley, who was two years younger and still a kid in their eyes, and she’d withdrawn when she realized their girlfriends didn’t want her around. She still hung out when they worked at Westfield, though, and was old enough to be a real help with the work. Some of Boone’s best memories were of early mornings mucking out stables with Riley. They didn’t talk much, just worked side by side until the job was done. From time to time they walked out to a spot on the ranch where the land fell away and they could see the mountains in the distance. Boone had never quantified how he felt during those times. Now he realized what a fool he’d been.

  He hadn’t given a thought to how his girlfriends affected her or what it would be like for Riley when they left for the Navy. He’d been too young. Too utterly self-absorbed.

  That same year he’d had his first serious relationship, with a girl named Melissa Resnick. Curvy, flirty and oh-so-feminine, she’d slipped into his heart by slipping into his bed on Valentine’s Day. By the time Riley came to town again that last summer, he and Melissa were seldom apart. Of all the girls the Horsemen had dated, Melissa was the least tolerant of Riley’s presence, and one day when they’d all gone to a local swimming hole, she’d huffed in exasperation when the younger girl came along.

  “It’s like you’ve got a sidekick,” she told Boone in everyone’s hearing. “Good ol’ Tagalong Riley.”

  Clay, Jericho, and Walker, who’d always treated Riley like a little sister, thought it was funny. They had their own girlfriends to impress, and the name had stuck. Boone knew he should put a stop to it, but the lure of Melissa’s body was still too strong and he knew if he took Riley’s side he’d lose his access to it.

  Riley had held her head up high that day and she’d stayed at the swimming hole, a move that Boone knew must have cost her, but each repetition of the nickname that summer seemed to heap pain onto her shoulders, until she caved in on he
rself and walked with her head down.

  The worst was the night before he and the Horsemen left to join the Navy. He hadn’t seen Riley for several days, whereas he couldn’t seem to shake Melissa for a minute. He should have felt flattered, but instead it had irritated him. More and more often, he had found himself wishing for Riley’s calm company, but she’d stopped coming to help him.

  Because everyone else seemed to expect it, he’d attended the hoe-down in town sponsored by the rodeo that last night. Melissa clung to him like a burr. Riley was nowhere to be found. Boone accepted every drink he was offered and was well on his way to being three sheets to the wind when Melissa excused herself to the ladies’ room at about ten. Boone remained with the other Horsemen and their dates, and he could only stare when Riley appeared in front of him. For once she’d left her Stetson at home, her hair was loose from its braids, and she wore makeup and a mini skirt that left miles of leg between its hem and her dress cowboy boots.

  Every nerve in his body had come to full alert and Boone had understood in that moment what he’d failed to realize all that summer. Riley had grown up. At sixteen, she was a woman. A beautiful woman who understood him far better than Melissa could hope to. He’d had a fleeting sense of lost time and missed opportunities before Clay had whistled. “Hell, Tagalong, you’ve gone and gotten yourself a pair of breasts.”

  “You better watch out dressed up like that; some guy will think you want more than you bargained for,” Jericho said.

  Walker’s normally grave expression had grown even more grim.

  Riley had ignored them all. She’d squared her shoulders, looked Boone in the eye and said, “Will you dance with me?”

  Shame flooded Boone every time he thought back to that moment.

  Riley had paid him a thousand kindnesses over the years, listened to some of his most intimate thoughts and fears, never judged him, made fun of him or cut him down the way his other friends sometimes did. She’d always been there for him, and all she’d asked for was one dance.