The Color of Courage

The Color of Courage
Patricia Davids

Only faith sustained Lindsey Mandel after the loss of her beloved twin brother.Now a freak accident would test the U.S. Army corporal's mettle once again. Desperate to save her brother's injured horse, Lindsey placed her trust in handsome veterinarian Brian Cutter. When Brian saw Lindsey pinned beneath the steed, his only thought was to save her.With his own faith shaken by the death of his wife, he was amazed by this plucky female soldier who gave her all personally and professionally. Inspired by Lindsey's commitment to kin and country, Brian soon found a love that made him feel truly blessed.

The Color of Courage

Patricia Davids

Published by Steeple Hill Books

To Joshua. You’re the best grandson in the world,

honey. Now get those grades up!

And to all the men and women serving

in the United States military. Please accept

my thanks and my humble gratitude.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Prologue

“Lindsey…I need you…to do this.”

Standing beside her brother’s hospital bed, Sergeant Lindsey Mandel fought back tears. She held his hand though she knew he couldn’t feel it. “Danny, what if it doesn’t work out?”

“You’ll make it work…I know you will.” He spoke quickly because he could only talk when the ventilator keeping him alive breathed out.

She brushed her hand over his close-shaven head. He was six years older than she was, thirty-one to her twenty-five. Today, he looked decades older than when she had seen him three months ago. “Don’t give up, Danny. You can still get better.”

A wry smile twisted his lips. “Who are you…kidding?” What might have been a chuckle turned into a cough and an alarm sounded from the monitor above his bed.

Frightened, Lindsey glanced to Danny’s wife, Abigail, sitting on the other side of the bed. Behind her, the door to the room opened and a nurse in green scrubs looked in. The beeping stopped and Abigail waved the woman away. “It’s all right. He just needs to stop talking for a while.”

Admiring her sister-in-law’s calm, Lindsey willed herself to relax. Abigail rose, moved to Lindsey’s side and asked, “Why don’t we go grab a cup of coffee?”

“Good idea…. Get her…out of here…for a while.”

Abigail leaned down and kissed his forehead. “You just want us to leave so you can flirt with the cute nurses.”

“Rats…you found…me out.” He closed his eyes.

Lindsey leaned down to kiss him, too. “I’ll be back,” she promised.

He nodded, but his eyes remained closed. He looked so weary. When she turned to go, she heard him say, “I’m proud of you…First Sergeant…Mandel.”

A heavy band of emotion squeezed her heart. “I’m proud of you, too, Master Sergeant Mandel.”

“Don’t spend…your whole leave…in this hospital.”

“I’ll spend my leave anywhere I choose,” she retorted.

A fleeting smile crossed his face. “Headstrong… as ever.”

“Because you raised me that way. Stop talking and rest.”

Outside of his room, Lindsey paused as several men in uniform walked past, pushing others in wheelchairs. Everywhere she looked, the halls of Walter Reed hospital bustled with activity. Walking silently beside Abigail to a small waiting room, Lindsey waited until her sister-in-law filled two cups from the vending machine. Dressed in a pair of rumpled beige slacks and a wrinkled mauve shirt with her dark hair pulled back haphazardly into a silver clip, Abigail looked worn to the bone.

“The coffee isn’t good, but I’ve had worse.” She handed one to Lindsey.

Lindsey stirred a packet of creamer into the piping brew. “I can’t believe Danny wants me to take Dakota away. He loves that horse. He’s given up, hasn’t he?”

Initially, her brother’s will to live in spite of his injuries had helped Lindsey cope, but the unfairness of it all weighed on her.

Abigail gestured toward the red vinyl chairs lining the wall. “Why don’t we sit down. I don’t think he has given up. He’s just coming to terms with the reality of the situation. The shrapnel severed his spine. He’s a quadriplegic. After three months of therapy, he knows he isn’t going to get much better.”