The Soldier's Homecoming

She tried to shrug it off now, especially since he didn’t seem afflicted with the same reactions. He was cool, and even amused at times, but nothing seemed to penetrate his shell.

That was a good thing.

He stopped the car on what looked like the main street. Maude’s was proclaimed on a sign above the glass front. It looked like many of the small-town diners she’d seen throughout the United States, and she’d always sought them out over the franchise restaurants.

It was getting late in the afternoon and she hadn’t had anything but toast since breakfast. When he parked, she slid out of her seat and had started for the diner before he caught up with her. “You really are hungry,” he said.

“I warned you earlier,” she said as they reached the door.

A middle-aged woman with a maternal air immediately came from behind a counter and greeted them. “Welcome back, Major Hammond,” she said with a wide smile. “And who is this?”

“Jennifer Talbot,” Travis said. “She’s a reporter. She flew in from Denver today and claims to be in dire need of a hamburger.”

“Or two,” Jenny added. “With fries and pickles. And everyone calls me Jenny.”

“I’m Maude,” the woman said, “and I’m delighted to meet you, Jenny Talbot. Why don’t you take the back booth? Hopefully, no one will bother you there.”

Jenny felt her face flame at the intimation that they might want to be alone. “No need,” she said.

“I’m giving her a ride,” Travis explained. “Josh asked me to pick her up at the Pueblo airport. She’s staying at the Camel Trail Inn.”

Maude nodded, but Jenny noted a gleam in her eyes.

“Well, welcome to Covenant Falls,” Maude said as she plucked two menus from the counter and led the way to the back. Jenny noticed five tables were occupied and another four people were at the counter. They all turned, and she felt their eyes on her as she and Travis followed Maude to a booth set against the window and the back wall.

Jenny slipped in ahead of Travis to grab the seat against the wall. He looked startled but grinned ruefully and took the seat across from her. She had learned from her time in dangerous countries to always take a corner seat where you had full view of the interior. She couldn’t help but feel a ripple of satisfaction at beating him to it.

If Maude noticed anything, she kept it to herself as she handed them worn menus. “We have great hamburgers,” Maude said. “The beef is fresh, and we use a mix of ground sirloin for taste and chuck for texture. But the steaks are great, too, as the major can testify to.”

“The burger,” Jenny said. “Two of them with cheddar cheese, if you have it, and onions and ketchup on the side. And french fries.”

“You have a keeper here, Major,” Maude said. “Steak or hamburger for you?”

“She ordered with such relish, I guess I’ll have the same,” he told Maude. “And unsweetened iced tea for me.” He glanced at Jenny with a raised eyebrow.

“With lots of lemon,” Jenny said.

Maude laughed. “I’ll have to hire her to sit at the door and eat cheeseburgers. I bet my business would double.” She turned back to Travis. “I heard you brought a young man with you.”

Travis turned to Jenny. “There’s no secrets here. Not for long.” He turned back to Maude. “His name is Danny Ware,” he said. “First time he comes in here is on me, okay?”

“Nope. Heard he’s a wounded vet. First visit is on me. You can have the second. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Who is Danny?” Jenny asked as Maude walked away.

Travis felt uncomfortable. “A kid I met in rehab. Lost his leg in Afghanistan. One of the ranchers hired him to do some work.”

“Jubal or Josh?” she asked.

“Didn’t Susan tell you that, too?”

“No, but it makes sense. He came with you. Josh is your friend and he’s working with Jubal.”

The drinks came immediately in tall, frosted glasses with lemon. She took an appreciative sip. “Hmm. I can tell I’ll like this place.”

“You’ll also like the inn,” he said. “Susan’s great, and so is the food. I ate there when I was here a couple of months ago.”

“How long were you in Covenant Falls then?”

“Three days. Then I came back a few days ago.”

“With Danny?”

“Yeah.”

“I’d like to meet him.”

“He’s a little shy.”

“I’m good with shy.”

Travis sighed. Hell, she was probably good with everyone. It was downright scary. He changed the subject. “How long are you going to be here?” he asked.

“As long as it takes.”

He considered that. He felt like smiling—and groaning. He liked her. He liked her very much. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had affected him like this. Yes, he could. Never.

He’d been infatuated with Dinah, but had he ever really liked her? He’d been proud to have her on his arm. He was impressed with her accomplishments. She was damned good in bed, too. He even thought he was in love, but now he wondered whether he’d ever really known her. Some of the attraction, he’d realized while recuperating, had been wanting to know someone was waiting for him back home.

That seemed kind of sad now. But he should have been far more devastated at her reaction than he was. Still, it had burned into his consciousness that other women could feel the same.

This woman didn’t appear to notice his limp, nor the missing fingers on his hand. Nor was she obsessed with her own looks. She’d applied only a touch of lipstick and was dressed in comfortable, well-worn jeans—unlike his former fiancé, who wouldn’t be caught dead in them.

“Why are you really interested in Covenant Falls?” he asked abruptly. “It’s just another small town. It seems way below your league.”

She squinted at him as if he had three heads. “There’s always a story,” she replied.

He took it as an invitation for find out more about her. She had been interrogating him. Time to turn the tables.

“Then why go all the way to the Middle East?”

“Good question,” she said. “I asked myself that many times, especially when I was in the hospital.”

“Any answers?”

“Hard to explain,” she said. “Why did you join the army?”