The Soldier's Homecoming

UPON LANDING AT Pueblo’s small airport, Jenny used her good arm to open the overhead storage and take out her carry-on. She was accustomed to traveling light and washing clothes in a bathroom sink. Despite the pain in her shoulder, she was excited. She had a story, one her gut told her was good.

A moment of unaccustomed nervousness hit her as she walked through the terminal area. Was she ready for this? Susan Hall had offered to meet her, but she didn’t see a woman who appeared to be watching for someone. She did notice instead, a tall well-built man, who appeared to be studying every figure coming through the door, He stepped toward her.

“Miss Talbot?”

Interesting looking. His hair was sandy, short and neatly cut. His eyes were an intriguing mixture of green and amber and brown. Difficult to read. He had the alertness of a soldier and the authority of an officer. A faint scar ran down his cheek and turned one side of his lip upward in a perpetual half smile. Rather than marring a handsome face, she thought it made him more interesting. As he approached, she noticed a limp.

She turned on a smile that usually brought one in return. This one just brought a slight twist of the lips that was barely welcoming.

“I’m Jenny.”

“Travis Hammond,” he said in a deep voice. “I’m substituting for Susan Hall.”

She thrust out her hand. His large right hand wrapped around hers, and she noticed he was missing the two middle fingers. It was different from other handshakes, but she was used to seeing injuries and their aftermath. She shook his hand the way she would with anyone else.

“Thanks for picking me up,” she said.

“No problem,” he said, but his expression was challenging.

“I have a small issue with my shoulder. The doctor said I shouldn’t drive yet. Otherwise I would have rented a car. So I truly appreciate you picking me up.” She hated explaining, but she didn’t want him to think she was a diva.

He nodded and reached for her carry-on. For a brief moment, their hands met again, and an odd recognition flashed between them. It was weird and even a bit discomforting. For her, anyway.

After a slight hesitation, she handed her carry-on to him, and he shouldered it. She preferred to carry her own stuff, even now. She’d been doing it for years. She never wanted to be considered weaker or less able than a guy. In the field, you carried your own weight if you wanted respect. Sometimes, she knew she carried it to extremes.

On the other hand, she didn’t want him to believe she didn’t think he could handle it with his hand. There was, she admitted to herself, some irony in that. “Thanks again,” she said simply.

“Any other luggage, Miss Talbot?” he asked.

She gave him her usually effective smile. “It’s Jenny,” she said. “And no. I travel light.”

He didn’t return the smile. Just nodded. “My car’s not far,” he said. “I understand you’re staying at the inn in Covenant Falls.”

“Who could resist staying at a place called the Camel Trail Inn?” she said as he steered her out the door, across the taxi and pickup line and down a row of cars to a silver sedan.

“Too many people, according to the manager,” he replied drily.

He opened the back door and put her carry-on in the back seat. She didn’t wait for him to come around but opened the passenger door and slid inside. He joined her a second later in the driver’s seat and drove out of the lot after paying the parking fee.

* * *

SHE DISLIKE DEPENDING on a stranger, especially one who didn’t appear thrilled with the chore. She had no idea what she would do about transportation in Covenant Falls. Probably no taxis or Uber. She only hoped she could walk most places and beg a ride for longer distances. Maybe, just maybe, she would try driving. Wouldn’t be so hard on near-empty streets.

She looked at her driver, only too aware of his intriguing scent of soap and outdoors and aftershave lotion. He was quiet and controlled, and there was a natural confidence about him. He was polite but a little wary. She wondered why.

“Are you one of the veterans who moved here?” she asked, twisting as much as she could to study him.

“No. I’m just here temporarily. Arrived five days ago.”

She tried again. “What happened to Susan Hall?” His short, cryptic answers were beginning to annoy her.

“Apparently she had an influx of customers.”

“And you volunteered?”

“Not exactly,” he said with a wry grimace.

“You were requisitioned?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

An honest answer. She liked that. “Reluctantly, I take it.”

His silence answered that question.

“Are you active or retired?”

“A little of both, I guess. I’m not quite out yet.” He didn’t ask how she knew.

“Well, thank you for picking me up,” she said with a grin. “Can we stop for lunch on the way? I’m starved.” She wanted him out of the car. Face-to-face.

“Sure. What do you like?”

“A hamburger. A nice, big juicy one with a large plate of fries.”

“I think I can manage that,” he said with the smallest crack of a smile. “But why do you sound as if you’ve been deprived?”

“Long, sad tale that I’m sure would bore you.”

“I doubt that.”

She retreated. She wanted to know about him. He had turned the tables. She wasn’t accustomed to that.

“If you can wait, the best burger in Colorado is in Covenant Falls,” he said. “Maude’s. I personally vouch for that.”

“Okay. I can tolerate a growling stomach if you can.”

“On the way, maybe you can tell me about that long, sad tale.”

Dammit. Perhaps, if she answered, he would reveal more himself. She wanted that. More and more every moment. “Hospitals,” she said, “and a family that believes hamburgers are...well...plebeian. And before that there was Syria and a few other places that didn’t count hamburgers as part of their daily diet.”

“How long were you in the hospital?”

“Weeks. There were several surgeries on my right shoulder. It’s improving, but not as fast as I would like.” She didn’t want to talk about it. “What about you? Have you been to Syria?”

She was dangling her fishing rod, hoping to catch some clues about him. Ally or obstacle? She had been thrown off by his appearance. After reading a short news story about Covenant Falls and the opening of the inn, she’d been expecting the very nice, very helpful woman she’d spoken with on the phone. That she’d been replaced by a cautious newcomer did not bode well. This was a warning flag. She felt it in her bones.

“The government says I haven’t been,” he replied.