Two Hearts In Accord (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Book 7)

by Tamara Ferguson

  “Okay,” Luke said, bending over and kissing her on the cheek. “I think it’s fitting having the two of you sing.”

  “Like fate?” Neil looked at Luke oddly.

  “Yeah—like fate.” Luke answered, looking slightly bewildered as he wandered away.

  “I take it you have a song in mind?” Neil asked, and grinned. “He’s kind of a mess, isn’t he?”

  Anna laughed softly. “For sure, and yes, it’s a song that’s not all that old, but hearing about Luke and Kelly’s lifetime romance, I think it’s appropriate. It’s a song that no one has probably ever heard of.”

  Neil wrapped an arm over her shoulders. “Just what I like—a challenge.”

  * * *

  Neil watched Kelly appear in the distance, her white blonde hair piled high on her head, and her billowing white dress floating around her like a princess.

  And then Neil looked at Anna and began singing the song perfect for the occasion; a song about coming home and waiting for the person you love to understand it’s for keeps, no matter what adversity or struggles you have to face. And very much like what Neil and Anna would have to contend with when Neil returned to active duty.

  Every night I’m on my own

  I’m dreaming of you and coming home

  Anna sang the next verse on her own.

  I live day by day

  I’m trying to find my way

  And then Anna and Neil sang the next verse together.

  When I’m alone tonight

  I know that you will be waiting

  Neil sang the next verse solo.

  Anna and Neil both sang the chorus again together, until Kelly approached the walkway with tears in her eyes, and they ended their duet.

  Keep the light shining bright

  And I’ll be home tonight

  And the wedding march began, with the flower girl walking down the aisle first, before six bridesmaids followed, one by one.

  Finally, it was Kelly’s turn, and Neil had never seen a more beautiful bride.

  And then his eyes turned to Anna.

  At least not yet.

  * * *

  When Anna took a seat beside her father, she reached out, laying a hand over his.

  As he turned to look into her eyes, Anna could see the tears in his, and suddenly she found herself wrapped tightly within his arms.

  “I’ve missed you, Baby,” he muttered. “Your mother would have loved the music.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Daddy.”

  Sharon, who was now her father’s wife, peeked around him and gave Anna a wide smile and winked. “I knew you’d look beautiful in pink.”

  And surprisingly, Anna laughed as she settled back in her seat and looked into Neil’s eyes, where he sat beside her near the aisle.

  Wrapping an arm over her shoulders and squeezing her tightly, Neil laughed too, he was feeling that content.

  Because they were totally in accord, and Neil could see forever in Anna’s eyes.

  A Note from the Author

  I hope you’ve enjoyed Two Hearts In Accord, the seventh story in my Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book series.

  Anna and Neil were both in other relationships when they first met, but fate had something else in store for them. Not only are they in accord, but discovering they both love music, they find themselves frequently

  In A Chord.

  What will happen with Claire? Will she ever be free from her ex? And what about Russ Quinlan, the other survivor from Two Hearts Unbroken?

  Watch for their story, Two Hearts Under Fire, releasing this fall in

  LOVE UNDER FIRE

  A Limited Edition Boxset of 21 Romance Suspense Stories

  Happy Reading, Tammy

  P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this story, please leave a review.

  Even one liners are greatly appreciated.

  Want to do something to make sure our men and women wounded warriors are never forgotten? Why not donate to The Wounded Warrior Project?

  Your generous, tax deductible donation to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) will change the lives of over one hundred thousand injured warriors, caregivers, and family members. You will help bring independence back to our nation’s most severely wounded veterans.

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  About the Author

  Writing steamy yet sweet compassionate stories of fate that are wonderfully romantic, Tamara Ferguson is the multi-award winning, #1 international bestselling author of the Tales of the Dragonfly Romance Suspense Series, the Kissed By Fate Series, the Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Series and the Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance Series.

  Her wounded warrior romances, Two Hearts Unspoken, Two Hearts Surrendered, and Two Hearts Undone were all WINNERS at the 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards; with Two Hearts Unspoken earning the Silver Medal in Military Fiction. Two Hearts Surrendered is also a 2016 New Apple Romance Selection for excellence in Indie Publishing.

  Two Hearts’ Christmas Wish, the fourth story in the series, spent 6 consecutive weeks at #1 in the Mistletoe Kisses & Christmas Wishes romance set and has become a #1 Best Seller independently as well a 2017 IAN Book of the Year Finalist and was voted #13 BEST INDIE ROMANCE BOOK of 2017.

  Along with the 2015 Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award Winner That Unforgettable Kiss, Two Hearts Surrendered and Two Hearts Unspoken were also finalists for the 2016 IAN Book of The Year. Tales of the Dragonfly In Tandem was a romance finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards, while Tales of the Dragonfly In Flight was a romance suspense winner at the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards.

  She’s just released Two Hearts Find Christmas (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 5), Two Hearts Unbroken (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 6), That Unexpected Kiss (Kissed By Fate Book 2), Extended Flight and Two Hearts In Accord (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 7). Currently, she is working on That Unbelievable Kiss (Kissed By Fate 3), Two Hearts Under Fire (Two Hearts Warrior Romance Book 8), A Kiss Under A Blue Christmas Moon (Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance 4) and Emergence her fourth Tales of the Dragonfly Novel, due to be published by Windswept in 2018.

  A member of the RWA, the Authors' Billboard and the Independent Authors' Book Network, her stories have been included in several #1 bestselling anthologies.

  Since she remains a full-time caregiver for an autistic son (along with a bunch of adopted pets!), you can usually find Tammy working at home, where she spends a lot of time not completing her numerous home improvement projects, because she's writing or helping author friends promote their books on twitter.

  An Excerpt

  TWO HEARTS SURRENDERED

  WOUNDED WARRIOR ROMANCE BOOK 1

  AMAZON

  2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Award

  Military Fiction Winner

  2016 New Apple Romance Selection

  For Excellence In Publishing

  2016 Ian Book Of The Year Finalist

  2016 Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award Finalist

  PROLOGUE

  His eyes scoped out the beach as he struggled to reach the pathway from the parking lot, steering away from the crowd. Following the trail to the very edge of the sand, Luke stumbled over moss and patchy grass, until he found shelter under a canopy of scrubby pines bordering the park.

  He groaned, when he finally dropped down to
the sand. His stepdad had really done a number on him this time–the pain was pretty intense. Resting his shoulder gingerly against the trunk of one of the pines, he sighed. It was such a hassle, having to constantly be on his guard–especially when he was always having to come up with excuses for teachers, explaining why he was missing so much school.

  Luke grimaced. And hiding the welts and bruises? It was becoming nearly impossible–since a couple of the idiots in his class had decided to say something to his counselor, after seeing Luke without a shirt on in the locker room. Everything was beginning to catch up with him, he realized, as his eyes filled with tears.

  But he was way too old to cry, he decided. With a shaking hand, he swiped away his tears.

  He got a whiff of the smell of popcorn, as it drifted through the air from the nearby concession stand–and his stomach growled. Damn, that smelled good. Luke took in a deep ragged breath as he focused his attention on the crowded beach. That little Callahan girl was at it again, making the rounds. With her white-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes, she sure was a pretty little thing. And, man, what a personality–he was guessing she was only about six-years old. Even at thirteen, Luke knew he’d been cursed with a bad reputation. And ever since he’d acquired that tat, not to mention the scar that ripped through the side of his face, most little kids, and nearly all of his classmates, seemed to be scared of him–like he was someone out of a horror flick.

  But not her. She reminded him a little of his younger sister, Cassie. Just remembering Cassie made him cry a little harder.

  For some crazy reason, Luke had always been drawn to this beach. Probably because deep inside he knew—all the stories and superstitions were true—Dragonfly Pointe was magic. It was the only place in this world where he seemed to feel alright. Here, he could forget about the deep, dark problems in his life, and chill out just long enough to recharge before returning home.

  Home? He snorted. He hadn’t had a home for a very long time, he realized, as he began dozing off.

  An hour later, when Luke began to slowly awaken, he felt like something was off. Studying his surroundings, he turned his eyes to the far end of the beach, where sixteen-year old Dan Callahan was standing amidst a group of his friends. Although her twin brother Jeff was playing with some kids in the sand nearby, Kelly Callahan was nowhere in sight.

  Luke gazed across the sand to the lake. Suddenly noticing a pair of arms flailing, far out in the water, he jumped up to his feet, glancing quickly over at the abandoned lifeguard station. Where in the hell was the lifeguard? Racing across the sand, and whipping his shirt off from over his head, Luke cringed as the scabs from the welts crisscrossing his back ripped open. Barely noticing the pain, he slipped off his sneakers and began to plow through the water, until he was deep enough to begin swimming.

  After what seemed like forever, he was finally close enough to Kelly to pull her into his arms. It appeared that he’d reached her just in time.

  “It’s okay–I’ve got you, Princess,” he reassured her, as he began treading water. Luckily, she was light as a feather, because it took a few moments to calm her down, while she coughed and spit out water.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, still sputtering. Clinging more tightly, Kelly wrapped her arms over his shoulders. “I’m never supposed to go swimming by myself,” she said, in a shaky voice.

  “Well, at least you’ll probably never do it again,” Luke said calmly. He was beginning to feel light-headed. He’d already been exhausted after biking five miles just to reach Dragonfly Pointe. Plus, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had something to eat. “I need to get you back to the shore, Princess.” Prying arms loose, that were wrapped like an octopus over his shoulders, he stared into sapphire blue eyes, filled with fear. “You’re gonna have to trust me.”

  Hesitating, she agreed with a jerky nod of her head. Luke was guessing Kelly was beginning to sense the urgency of the situation, when she peeked around him nervously at the shore.

  “You’ll need to let go of me–so you can lie back in the water.”

  She looked ready to panic again, so pulling her more tightly into his arms, Luke rubbed her shoulders with his hand reassuringly.

  Kelly spoke uncertainly into his ear. “Like doing the backstroke?”

  “That’s right. I’ll be sure to stay underneath you, too, while I’m swimming–so that I’m holding up your head.”

  Although she was obviously terrified, she allowed Luke to flatten his hand against her back while she followed his directives. Wrapping an arm around her neck, and holding up her chin, he propped up her body as her feet floated close to the surface of the water. With smooth, rhythmic kicks, Luke swam through the water effortlessly, until they were closer to the beach.

  Luke felt Kelly being lifted from his arms. When he slowly stood up, and his feet touched the ground, he found himself staring into the eyes of Kelly’s older brother, Dan. “You should’ve been watching her,” Luke muttered reproachfully, expecting resentment.

  But, instead, he saw gratitude. “I know. Thanks, man,” Dan said quietly, before returning his attention to his sister.

  Luke was taken aback–he hadn’t expected Dan to agree with him. So he answered Dan with quiet reassurance, “Shit happens.”

  “Not to me it doesn’t. Just because Jeff was hanging around with me, I shouldn’t have assumed Kelly was nearby too. I’ve been off my game lately.” Dan began searching the faces in the crowd. “And, besides, where’s that damned lifeguard, who’s supposed to be on duty?”

  Luke began to notice the slew of curious onlookers lining up alongside the beach. When Kelly continued to remain quiet, he gazed down anxiously to where she sat in the sand, and realized she was staring hard at the bleeding wounds on his back.

  “Oh, Dan,” she finally moaned. “Look how bad he hurt himself, while he was helping me.”

  “I’m fine, Princess,” Luke muttered, still scoping out the beach nervously. “I didn’t get hurt pulling you out from the water.”

  She continued to plead with her brother, “Dan–please–you need to make him better.”

  Luke squirmed, while Dan stared at him grimly.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m gonna start making him better soon,” Dan reassured Kelly.

  Luke started. But his legs were getting wobbly, and he found himself sinking to the sand.

  “Princess, huh?” Wearing a half-smile, Dan studied Luke keenly before turning back to Kelly. “Are you sure you’re okay, Kel?”

  She nodded.

  “I think that she just swallowed lots of water,” Luke muttered.

  Dan stared at his sister with obvious concern. “Okay, Princess–we’re gonna have to talk this over with Mom and Dad later. Since you don’t appear to be suffering any side effects from nearly being drowned, why don’t you run over to the park with your friends for a little while? One of the moms took Jeff and the rest of the kids over there, when Luke, here, was pulling you out from the water.”

  Just in case Kelly hadn’t been breathing. Dan didn’t need to complete the sentence when his eyes met Luke’s.

  After glancing over at the park, Kelly hesitated, before stepping towards him, and gazing down to where he sat, hunched over in the sand. “Thank you for saving me,” she said, softly.

  At that moment, the sun broke through the clouds. A beam of light shown down brightly on Kelly, leaving her backlit by a smoky-blue haze. But the strange thing about it was, Luke wasn’t seeing her as a pretty little six-year old girl anymore. He was envisioning her as the beautiful woman she’d undoubtedly be someday. Her white-blonde hair was dancing over her shoulders, but her fiery-blue eyes were staring accusingly into his.

  Luke blinked, before shaking his head in disbelief. He was exhausted, and most likely delirious. He swallowed uncomfortably. But maybe it had something to do with the magic that he’d sensed here at Dragonfly Pointe?

  Suddenly, he became aware of the soft, light brush of Kelly’s lips on his shoulder; like
the touch of a butterfly, as she kissed him gently on one of his wounds. Luke felt a strange sense of longing. Her kiss made him feel like he’d been blessed–like its power could heal all of his wounds.

  And unexpectedly, his eyes began to fill with tears.

  When Kelly scrambled away, and began skipping along the beach, she was totally unaware that she was making Luke question his sanity. Reaching the bench where she’d left her beach bag and sandals earlier, Kelly dug through her bag for her hat, first, and plopped it onto her head, before covering her eyes with a pair of stylish sunglasses.

  Luke raised a brow, turning to Dan.

  Dan rolled his eyes upward and shrugged. “What can I say? Mom calls Kelly a six-year old fashionista.”

  Luke found himself laughing along with Dan. They watched as Kelly strutted along the path, first glancing left and then glancing right, pulling down and peeking through her sunglasses like a celebrity on public display.

  “I have no I idea where she gets that from,” Dan said dryly. “It must have something to do with those charity fashion shows, she and my other sisters participate in.”

  Luke shook his head dazedly. The resilience of kids was kind of amazing. His little sister had behaved exactly the same way, too. “At least she seems okay.”

  Dan silently nodded his agreement.

  Kelly finally reached the park, and joined the other kids on the swing set, where she and Jeff remained clearly in view.

  Dan suddenly turned grim, as he dropped down to the sand beside him. “Alright, Luke Bryant–I’m gonna stick to you like glue. I owe you, and I owe you big. I wanna know who’s responsible for knifing that nasty cut into the side of your face. The first thing you’re gonna do is tell me about yourself. I’ve been hearing some rumors. I wanna know why that scumbag, that you call your father, has been whipping you so hard, you’re probably gonna be disfigured for life...”