The Soldier's Homecoming Page 6

  She had stopped asking questions and looked around with interest. The road was steadily going upward now and the trees ahead were starting to change color. Patches of gold and red were highlighted by the sun. Travis followed a twisting, newly paved road up a sharp incline, and then he turned into a parking area.

  He might have offered to open the door for her, but she was out the second the car came to a stop. They could hear the falls from where they were, but they could not see them. He led the way to a wooden fence and stood back as she looked down at the meandering river below.

  “Nice,” she said.

  He gave her a moment, and then he led the way around a stand of trees, and suddenly they faced the falls. Water tumbled over a high cliff to the rocks below. A rainbow arched above it. A cool breeze carried spray to where they stood, sprinkling them. A look of pure enchantment crossed her face, turning it from attractive into beautiful. He had the damnedest urge to take her in his arms and hold her against him.

  If it had been just a physical reaction, he could step away. Her delight, though, made him smile inside—and he hadn’t done that in a long time. He started to reach for her, to touch her. Snap out of it. Keep it strictly business.

  Travis stepped back. Away from temptation. It was the rainbow. Nothing else. When Josh brought him here on his first visit, Travis had been impressed, particularly with the rainbow that Josh said was almost always visible during the day. Hell, even to a has-been warrior like himself, it seemed to wave a banner of new chances, new opportunities.

  “It’s beautiful,” Jenny said, licking at the moisture around her lips with her tongue. It was a natural enough reaction, but it was sensuous without intent, and that made the action even more sensuous. He was suddenly warmer. He wanted to put an arm around her and share that sense of awe.

  Bad idea. He backed away. He sure as hell wasn’t ready for another relationship, even a short one, and suspected she wasn’t either. Just as important, he saw in her a free spirit. She’d been injured and was using this time to heal. He’d met many military correspondents during his years overseas, and most were as addicted to the adrenaline as the soldiers were.

  She would be here briefly, and apparently it was his job to guide her away from the proposed horse therapy program. He sensed that it could be difficult to guide Jennifer Talbot away from anything that interested her.

  Jenny turned to him and put her hand on his arm. “I’ve seen larger falls, far more powerful ones, but this is so...untouched. And the rainbow—is it always there?”

  “Josh says it is, as long as the sun is shining.”

  “I can’t believe I haven’t heard of it before,” she exclaimed. “It’s almost...mystic.”

  Mystic? He didn’t believe in that stuff, and yet it’d helped change the lives of three hardened warriors and one war-experienced nurse...not to mention a Scotsman nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. At least that was what Josh contended.

  “What can you tell me about it?” she asked. “Why isn’t it on a map? Isn’t it in the national forest?”

  “Nope, that’s the odd part of it. You haven’t heard about it because the town wanted to keep it to themselves. The founder of Covenant Falls, who had substantial political pull at the time Colorado became a state, had the area incorporated into the city limits. The family had enough pull to keep it from being included in the national forest. At least, that’s the story. The city has never tried to keep outsiders out. It just never advertised the fact. That’s changing, according to Josh. The town needs revitalization. There’s not many jobs for young people, and the population is aging.”

  “I can understand why they might want to keep it private,” she said. “It’s so peaceful here. I feel I could reach out and touch the end of the rainbow.”

  “I thought you were an action junkie.”

  “Is that your impression?” she said. “I do like to be where things are happening. I also like full moons, soft misty days, ocean sunsets and especially rainbows. Quiet things. They center me. Especially after being in a war-torn area.”

  “How long have you been back in the States?”

  “Four months, nearly five.”

  “Planning to go back to Syria?” he asked.

  “If I can. My shoulder was damaged by a piece of shrapnel during a ‘truce’ there. The shoulder joint was injured, and the rotator cuff torn. My shoulder is getting stronger, but then I make a move and wow, it feels like someone is tearing it off. I’m working up to driving again.”

  He liked the way she replied frankly. No drama. Just how it was.

  “But I do want to go back,” she repeated. “Someone needs to tell the story there. The civilian population is being slaughtered. I was accompanying a medical group during a promised cease-fire. They—we—were bombed. I keep reliving it.”

  There it was again. No self-pity. Damned if he didn’t like her.

  “I didn’t advertise it,” she continued. “I was afraid it might scare off some of the news services I worked with. I just told them I needed time off.”

  He didn’t ask any questions. It was none of his business, and he sure as hell didn’t want to talk about his own injuries. But he empathized with her. More than he wanted.

  “Tell me more about the town,” she said, changing the subject. “It sounds even more interesting than I thought.”

  “I don’t know that much. The two people who can help you are Andy Stuart, the army nurse, and Eve Manning, Josh’s wife. She’s also the mayor.”

  “Special Operations?” she asked suddenly.

  She did it again. Threw out a question, seemingly out of the blue. She was smart. Too smart. He hesitated.

  “Forget I asked that,” she said. But he knew she had her answer by his silence.

  He looked as his watch. “It’s nearly four,” he said. “What about those burgers?”

  “You heard my stomach,” she accused him.

  “I heard my own.”

  “A duet,” she said with that quick, open smile.

  As they walked back, he saw her stop and turn. She hesitated. It was obvious she didn’t want to leave.

  He didn’t want to either. For a moment, he’d felt alive again, more alive than he had in years. He wanted to catch her hand, as a high school kid would.

  Instead, he walked in silence beside her, reminding himself of another newswoman. Jennifer Talbot was here for a few days, no more. Then she’d hopefully get back to her life, although he was very aware of how difficult shoulder wounds could be. He liked that she wasn’t giving up.

  Hell, he liked her too much. But then, he’d liked his ex-fiancé immediately, too.

  Hopefully, she would talk to Eve and Josh and Andy and write a story on Covenant Falls, minus Jubal’s pet project.

  He’d done his part. There shouldn’t be a need to meet again, although Covenant Falls’ size made that unlikely.

  Unless he sped up his plans to go on the road. Like maybe tomorrow.

  CHAPTER SIX

  WHAT IS HAPPENING?

  Jenny tried to keep her cool. From the moment Travis Hammond met her at the airport, bells began to ring, bells that had grown louder and more persistent as they walked to the waterfall. When she felt the spray and saw the sky filled with color, she’d almost leaned against him. She wanted to.

  She didn’t believe in romantic bells. She could admire a good-looking guy from a distance and enjoy social time, but any internal reaction? Not really. No blood rushing inside. No confusion. No craving to touch.

  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 man
y 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?”

  “You first,” he insisted.

  She took a long sip of tea before answering.

  She shrugged. “I always had wanderlust. When I was a kid, I could travel through books and movies and television. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to see places and events through my own eyes, not someone else’s. I majored in journalism in college, helped put myself through by writing for the university television station and stringing for state newspapers.

  “When I graduated, reality hit,” she said with a wry grimace. “Jobs were hard to come by in the business. Newspapers were consolidating all over the country. Really fine, experienced reporters couldn’t find jobs. The entire field was in withdrawal.

  “I auditioned for several television stations,” she continued with that spark of defiance in her eyes, “but I turned down being a weather girl.”

  He couldn’t help but smile at that. Just from the few hours he’d spent with her, he realized she wouldn’t be satisfied in a nine to five job even on television. He had a damn hard job thinking of one for himself. “No,” he said. “I can’t picture you standing in front of a board, day after day.”

  Her brow furrowed. “You’re right. Instead, I worked at making contacts with editors through press clubs and friends. I made a nuisance out of myself. Through pure persistence, I got a job with a small city newspaper. Interesting, but not what I wanted. I wanted to cover more big news, and I wanted to travel.” She paused. “I’m talking too much.”

  “No, you’re not,” he replied. “Go on.”

  “Maybe you should have been a reporter,” she said with that quick, heart-stopping grin. “I discovered that my newspaper was paying freelancers for travel articles. I investigated and discovered a lot of travel magazines as well as newspapers used freelancers. I also discovered that, unlike newspapers, travel magazines are doing very w
ell and looking for contributors. I’d saved enough money to take a sailboat cruise to some off-the-beaten-trail Caribbean Islands and wrote three different stories and sent them to three different travel publications. All three bought them and wanted more.”

  She paused, but now he was caught up in her story. She sipped her tea.

  “How did you go from travel writer to war correspondent?” Travis asked. He wanted to keep the conversation away from Covenant Falls and himself, and turnaround from all her questions was only fair. He also liked watching her as she spoke. Her green eyes lit with life and humor. Determination and restlessness radiated from her. It was even in the way her fingers wandered from her glass to the silverware. They were always in motion.

  He realized one thing. It was going to be nearly impossible to deflect her from whatever she was seeking.

  She played with the napkin, another indication of suppressed energy. “I spent two years as a travel writer, both for magazines and newspapers. I could always find quirky people and odd bits of history and out-of-the-way places. Most of my expenses were paid by hotels or ships or travel agencies. I saved money. I was satisfying my travel drive, but not the part of me that wanted to be where important things were happening.

  “When I’d saved enough money and made contacts with major news organizations, I decided to go out on my own. I had a college friend who worked with refugees in Jordan and I was able to get a visa. That was before everything blew up there. Once in the Middle East, I started writing stories about ordinary people caught up in war and a growing number were picked up by several news services. Few of them wanted to pay for a full-time reporter with all the risks involved.”

  It sounded easy, but Travis knew how difficult it was to get permission to enter Middle Eastern countries. He wondered whether it was that smile or the obvious never-say-quit determination. Whatever it was, it did not bode well for trying to discourage her from whatever she wanted here.

  “You did more than a few articles,” he said.

  “You did some research, too,” she tossed back.

  “A little,” he admitted. “But I suspect there’s more to the story.”