A Soldier's Journey Read online

  “You think he would approve of me writing a short history of the town?”

  “I never know with Al. I’m not one of his favorite people, but he surprises me at times. He was a curmudgeon on the town council, but under a gruff exterior he really cares about Covenant Falls.”

  Andy digested that answer. It raised several questions. And suspicions. She didn’t like being manipulated, either for her own good or for someone else’s.

  But despite any misgivings, she was hooked. One of her character flaws was an obsession to finish whatever she started. “What time tonight?” she asked.

  “Around six,” Eve said. “Oh, I asked Nate to come as well, since you’ve already met him. If it’s okay, he’ll pick you up. Josh will be working his magic with steaks, and we’re a bit hard to find.”

  “It’s fine,” Andy said and with a goodbye hung up. She stood there for a moment. It wasn’t fine at all. Nate was being thrown at her, and she resented it. He probably did, too. He had been helpful last night, but the last thing she wanted, or needed, was a matchmaker hovering around. Damn.

  * * *

  NATE AND JOSH spent Saturday-morning meeting with the newly hired manager for the Covenant Falls Inn. The daughter of one of his mother’s friends, Susan Hall, had been a hotel manager in Las Vegas—not for one of the huge luxury hotels, but a small boutique hotel.

  She was recently divorced and had been looking for a job far away from the ex-husband when her mother had heard about the opening for a manager. Susan was hired after the first interview.

  “It may not be permanent,” Nate had warned. “We’re all out on a limb here.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Right now, it’s a godsend.”

  “You can hire the rest of the staff,” Nate said. “Let us know what you need and recommended salaries.”

  “We’ll start off slow until we know about the market,” she said. “I can fill several positions. We’ll need a night manager. I’ll take care of the day desk.”

  “We’ll need a cook,” Nate said.

  “A chef,” Josh said with a wry smile.

  “A cook,” Nate insisted.

  Susan laughed. “Maybe we could get Maude.”

  “Hell, no,” Nate said. “The town would drive us out on a rail. But we have other great cooks in town. We start out using home talent. Mrs. Byars, for instance, could provide brownies for each room, and Ethel Jones is a great cook. She’s widowed and could use money. We could hire a young person to help her while getting training.”

  “I like it,” Josh said. “The whole idea is to bring jobs to the town.”

  “I’ll talk to Mrs. Jones,” Nate said. “I have better diplomatic skills than Josh.”

  “I resent that,” Josh said. “Eve says I’m one hundred percent improved.”

  Nate rolled his eyes. “One hundred percent of zero is still zero.”

  Susan laughed. “I think I’m going to like this job.” She looked down at the dog sitting next to Josh. “I take it the inn will be animal friendly.”

  “Yep,” Josh said.

  “Take a hard look throughout the property, Susan,” Nate said. “See if there’s anything we missed or that we need. We used every wholesale and going-out-of-business company in the country. Call me or Josh anytime with a problem. I’ll take the easy ones, and he, as president of this budding firm, will take the hard ones.”

  “When do we open?”

  “We have an informal opening in seven weeks. We’ve invited a number of travel agents and tourist information people. We have about eight couples who have accepted. I would like to open to the public shortly after that. As soon as you think we’re ready, we’ll put out news releases saying we’re open.”

  “I have contacts with travel magazines and websites,” Susan said. “I’ll get in touch.” She hesitated, then said, “You don’t have the sign yet.”

  “No.”

  “You might want to think about the name. Something chic and catchy.”

  “The Covenant Falls Inn isn’t chic and catchy?” Nate asked.

  “Truthfully?” Susan answered.

  “We’ll think about it,” Josh said. “We haven’t confirmed the design yet with the sign company.” Josh stood, ending the meeting. “We’re really happy to have you,” Josh said to Susan.

  “Not nearly as happy as I am to be here. We’ll make it work,” she replied.

  Nate and Josh walked out together. “She might just do that,” Josh said.

  “I like your enthusiasm,” Nate replied drily.

  “I hear you’re coming to dinner tonight.”

  “All Eve has to say is ‘steaks.’”

  “I also hear Eve conned you into meeting our new arrival.”

  “Yep.”

  “That tells me a lot,” Josh said.

  “She’s like most of us when we got back. There’s a lot of pain there.”

  “You liked her.”

  “She’s nice enough. Obviously hurting. But don’t you or Eve even think of matchmaking. She’s certainly not ready, and neither am I.”

  “I would never harbor the thought,” Josh said. “A confirmed bachelor is a confirmed bachelor.” He smirked.

  “I mean it,” Nate said.

  “I know you’ve been avoiding every woman in town and something bad went down. You don’t talk much about personal things, my friend.”

  “Not just bad. I was an idiot. I fell for a pair of blue eyes and a sad story. I thought I could fix things. I discovered I’m not worth a damn in fixing broken things. I married for the wrong reason and to do the right thing, and it exploded on me. My ex-wife had totally different motives, including another guy. I ended up losing my career as well as everything I had saved.”

  Josh knew the results. Nate had returned to Covenant Falls two years ago. He’d worked at every construction job he could find. It was how they’d met—Josh had needed help installing a new floor and hired Nate. He found a talented craftsman with three years toward an architecture degree in addition to eight years in the army.

  Nate had shared stories about his time in Iraq but not the years afterward. Josh had never asked and never would, but he knew Nate carried a load of hurt. He’d just had a glimpse of how heavy it was.

  Josh gave him a searching look, then nodded. “Eve is going to ask you to pick her up tonight. She and I will be cooking, and Andy doesn’t know Clint or Stephanie. Do that, and I’ll tell—ah, ask—her to refrain from asking anything else. Okay?”

  Nate nodded. “Deal.”

  They separated, Nate going to his truck and Josh, Amos at his side, to his Jeep.

  * * *

  ANDY WAS RESTLESS. She’d finished the last few issues of the bound newspapers. She had scrawled a couple of notes of dates and events she thought might be important.

  She wanted to know more about the Monroe family. If she was going to talk to the man, or even try to, she needed as much information as she could find. She decided to drive to the community center, return the volume she had and look at more recent newspapers.

  She drove the Bucket, since she had the newspapers with her. Bill Evans wasn’t there, but a Mrs. Wilson was.

  “Bill told me you might be showing up. I’m real glad to meet you. My husband is Calvin Wilson. He and my son run the hardware store. You need anything—a replacement lightbulb, anything at all—you call them. They would be real proud to help.”

  The real proud reminded Andy of home. It sounded like her mother. It also reminded her she needed to call her mother, make sure everything was all right and let her know where she was. She had made duty calls once a week, but she knew they had been more worrying than comforting. She had repeatedly refused to go home to heal. She didn’t want to add another burden to a family that already had more than they should have t
o handle.

  “You need anything, you just call me,” Mrs. Wilson said. “There’s usually coffee in the club room.”

  “Thank you. I might try that.” After Mrs. Wilson left, Andy looked through the stacks of bound newspapers and picked up one that covered the years 2005 through this year. Someone, probably Bill Evans, had conscientiously added each newspaper.

  After flipping through them, she understood exactly what Bill Evans had meant when he’d dismissed The Covenant Falls Herald as a serious newspaper. The editions were little more than a collection of gossip, dry recounts of city council meetings and legal ads. She flipped through them until she came to a headline—Councilman Monroe Resigns After Arrest of Nephew.

  She read the article. Al Monroe, chairman of the city council, had resigned when his nephew was arrested for kidnapping. Her interest boiled over when she read that the victim had been the mayor’s son, who was rescued by the mayor’s current husband and her husband’s dog, Amos.

  Maybe Covenant Falls wasn’t quite as tranquil as she’d thought, and now she understood, at least in part, why the mayor indicated she wasn’t exactly the councilman’s favorite person. And maybe, just maybe, why she wanted an outsider to write—attempt to write—the history of the town.

  Strangely enough, it deepened her interest. She had been intrigued before, but now her thoughts were going at warp speed.

  She turned to the next week’s news. Nothing much of interest.

  The nephew was being held for trial. Al Monroe disappeared from the papers.

  She kept turning the pages. The wedding, four months later, of Josh and Eve Manning. Then the arrival of chopper pilot Clint Morgan last fall was duly reported.

  Andy closed the paper. This was getting her nowhere. She wanted to go farther back. She wanted to know Covenant Falls when it was little more than a trading post.

  She checked the other bound volumes of papers, but none went back farther than 1919, unless there were scattered editions in the pile of boxes lining the room.

  Then she found what she was searching for: a box marked “Early Years.”

  She wished she had a computer. She hadn’t bothered with one in the hospital or the months of recuperation. The purchase of a cell phone after her release from the hospital had been a big deal.

  Note to self—laptop computer. It would take a bite out of what little money she had, but it was necessary. Not only for this task but for day-to-day living now that she’d decided to be a functioning person again. She opened a box and started prowling through it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  WHAT DO YOU wear when meeting your landlord and a bunch of strangers while dining at the house of the mayor?

  Eve had said it was casual. But there was casual, and then there was more casual. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a choice. Her wardrobe was limited, and that was an understatement. Her predeployment clothes had been much too large by the time she left the hospital, and she hadn’t had the heart, desire or reason to buy more than basic necessities.

  That translated into three pairs of jeans, one pair of black pants, two sweaters, three T-shirts and several shirts, including two pullovers. Her choice of footwear was a pair of lace-up walking shoes, a pair of sandals and one pair of well-worn loafers.

  She chose the best pair of jeans and a blue-gray shirt with long sleeves. After running a brush through her hair, she added a touch of lipstick, then stared at herself in the mirror. Really looked for the first time in months. Her hair needed a cut. Badly. She was thin, too thin. Her cheeks were hollow.

  Joseph watched every movement, following her from room to room as if afraid someone would snatch her.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “You can come with me.”

  The doorbell rang. Joseph barked. “It’s a bit late for that,” she told Joseph. “You’re supposed to bark before the bell rings.” She hurried to the door and opened it. Nate stood there, a rueful smile on his lips.

  “Hi,” he said. “I’m really not stalking you.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked with a slight smile.

  “Nope, I swear. Eve will vouch for me.”

  He wore jeans and a casual blue pullover cotton shirt with short sleeves that showed off muscled arms and a fit body. A shock of unruly chestnut hair fell over his forehead.

  “Tell me about the other people at the dinner.”

  “Josh is a former loner who finds himself surrounded by people and animals and can’t quite figure out how it happened. Clint is the opposite. He’s never met a stranger and could charm a rattler. Clint likes to tease Josh about his current zoo and a wife with a finger in a hundred pies.”

  “And you enjoy standing back and enjoying it.”

  “Guilty. But then Stephanie and Clint are interesting, too. Clint’s the outgoing one, and Stephanie is all practicality.”

  “Should make for an interesting evening.” Andy turned to Joseph. “Let’s go.” Then she glanced back at Nate. “Eve said it was okay to bring him.”

  “I would be shocked if he wasn’t invited,” Nate replied as Joseph picked up his leash and brought it to her.

  “Eve will be impressed,” Nate said as he opened the door for her, then the screen porch. “Her dogs never do that.”

  She’d expected the pickup but instead he led her to a middle-aged Buick sedan. “My mom’s car,” he said. “I thought it would be more comfortable.”

  “She lives here?”

  “It’s one reason I came back. She’s getting older.” A shadow crossed his face and she realized there was probably more to the story. But she knew better than to probe. She didn’t want anyone to probe into her life.

  Once they were on the road, he turned to her. “Everyone who’ll be there tonight is good people. Really good people. They’ll understand if you need to walk away. Just nod at me, and we’ll leave. Okay?”

  She swallowed hard. He understands. She hadn’t been around more than a few people since...waking up. She’d refused group therapy. No way could she talk about what happened.

  “Thank you,” she finally said.

  He turned on some jazz in the car and they rode in silence.

  Nate drove to a parking area in front of a one-story ranch house. A screened-in porch, much like her own, stretched across the front. A boy—maybe ten or so—opened the door and approached the car. He waited as Andy stepped out of the car.

  “Hello,” he said.

  “Hello to you,” she said with a smile.

  “I’m Nick. Mom told me to bring you inside. She said you might have a dog. I have four. They’re inside because Mom says they can be too much for a visitor.” He hadn’t taken a breath between all the sentences.

  “I think I can handle a few dogs,” she said. “And I do have one in the car. Would you like to meet him?”

  Nick nodded eagerly.

  Nate had walked around the car, and he opened the back door.

  Joseph jumped down and stood protectively next to Andy.

  “Can I pet him?” Nick asked.

  “I think he would like that.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Joseph.”

  Nick knelt and rubbed Joseph’s ears. “He’s a fine dog,” he said.

  “Every dog is a fine dog to Nick,” Eve said as she walked up. “Welcome. The guys are around at the grill in back. Would you like to come in and have a glass of wine before joining them?”

  Andy nodded. “Sounds good.” She followed Eve inside while Nate strode behind the house. Joseph was at her heels, and Nick at his.

  She stepped inside the porch. “Looks familiar,” she said.

  “Josh built the one at the cabin and liked it so much he added this one after we were married. He’s great with his hands.”

  They went inside to
the kitchen. Eve poured two glasses of red wine and handed one to her. “Bill Evans said you stayed at the museum until late.”

  “You piqued my interest,” Andy replied.

  “Good.”

  “But there was nothing about American Indians and gold mines and Scottish traders.”

  “I have to admit we have a lot of work to do on the museum, but you’ll find bits and pieces of the history. Some exaggerated, some not. Gold was found in the mountains around us, but no one found the amounts discovered farther north. As for the natives, the Utes lived in this area until they were moved west and were mortal enemies of the Apaches, who wandered this way occasionally.”

  “And the trader? Angus. I didn’t see much about him.”

  “You’ll find it as you delve into it.”

  “The journals you mentioned? Am I going into a minefield?” Andy asked.

  Eve looked startled, then she smiled. “You’re direct. I like that.” She took a sip from her glass. “A little history will probably help,” she said. “I was city clerk before running for mayor. The former mayor did very little to nothing, which made Al Monroe happy.

  “After my husband died,” she continued, “I was at a loss. The mayor decided not to run again, but I’d really been doing his job. My father-in-law urged me to run and, on a dare, I did. No one was more surprised than me when I defeated Al’s chosen candidate. We were at loggerheads for the next three years. He made it nearly impossible for any businesses to move here while I watched all the young people leave town.”

  Interest stirred in Andy. “I saw in the local newspaper he’d resigned from the council?”

  “His nephew, Sam, was on the police force. He wanted to be chief, and I was opposed to it. So Sam decided to make a name for himself. He committed some petty burglaries and tried to frame Josh, the newcomer to Covenant Falls.”

  Andy was feeling more at ease as Eve talked. She didn’t seem to be holding anything back.

  “When Josh first arrived, he was in pretty bad shape. He was rude to everyone and stayed to himself. He was the perfect foil.”

  “Obviously not,” Andy said wryly, “since you married him, you’re still mayor and the ex-commissioner is nursing his wounds.”