A Soldier's Journey Read online

  “The Camel Corps, as it was named, was sent to Camp Verde in Texas and used successfully to take supplies to California. At the beginning of the Civil War, though, the Camel Corps was dismantled. There apparently were difficulties with camels spooking mules and horses. The animals were sold to private individuals or escaped into the desert.

  “Angus bought two of the camels from a roaming circus, which bought them from the army. The idea was to take supplies up to the gold mines. He was always thinking of ways to increase his business. It apparently worked for several years. Then one died. The other reportedly was a lonely old lady who followed Angus wherever he went. He kept the animal in back of his house, but it often escaped, mangled yards, bit people and spit on them.”

  Nate took up the story. “Finally, it was too much. The town council passed a no-spitting-in-town ordinance. It sounded fine to Angus until he discovered it was meant to banish his camel. Then it was too late. And, if Angus was anything, he was a law-abiding man. He had also become very attached to the camel. He built a ranch outside town for his family and the camel. After that camel died, the owner of a saloon tried to repeal the no-spitting law, but the ladies of the town bullied their menfolk into defeating it.

  “There’ve been other attempts to repeal it, but the original families liked to tell the story, so it stayed on the books,” Eve finished. “It’s one of our eccentricities.”

  “That’s a great story,” Andy said, the earlier embarrassment forgotten.

  “I haven’t heard it before,” Clint said.

  “I haven’t, either,” Josh added.

  “It was a long time ago,” Nate said.

  “But the inn...” The words were out of Andy’s mouth before she could stop them. “The gold mines, using the camels to get to them...what about the Camel Trail Inn?”

  Five pairs of eyes riveted on her. “I mean...it’s none of my business, but...Eve said you wanted history to promote the town. That’s really neat history.”

  “Damn,” Josh said after a short silence. “That’s perfect. There’s a Camelback Hotel in Arizona, but Camel Trail? That’s unique and implies adventure.”

  “The sign could include a camel,” Nate added, his eyes lighting. “The restaurant’s napkins and stationery, as well.”

  “And the website,” Eve added.

  Andy looked on as all five of her dinner companions bounced ideas off each other. Josh threw her a grateful look. “That was a stroke of genius.”

  She didn’t think so. It just seemed to fit. But a sense of accomplishment glowed inside, the first she had felt in a long time. She wanted to add ideas, suggestions, but then she stepped back.

  “What do you think?” Josh asked her directly. “It was your idea.”

  “I don’t know enough about the hospitality business to answer that,” Andy replied.

  “Okay, then as an individual, would all things camel attract you?”

  Andy’s lips twitched. “Maybe not all things. Beef would be better than camel.”

  “We couldn’t very well serve our symbol,” Nate said, the area around his eyes crinkling with amusement.

  “Maybe we can find a real camel?” Nick inserted happily. “It would be so cool to have one.”

  Josh looked horrified. “No,” he roared.

  Stephanie had been quiet during the discussion, but now she grinned. “Might be interesting. I’ve never treated a camel.”

  “Tsk-tsk,” Clint said. “Remember the no-spitting ordinance.”

  “Joy killer,” Stephanie shot back.

  “It’s just that you’re a pillar of the community now and...”

  Stephanie turned to Eve. “Do you ever feel like doing bodily harm to your husband?”

  “Often,” Eve agreed.

  The lighthearted comments triggered Andy’s loss again. Had Jared and she been so at ease with each other, so full of joy? They’d never really had the chance.

  Nate stood. “I think I should take Andy home. I have work to do tomorrow, especially after this discussion. I have a tough boss.”

  Josh raised an eyebrow.

  Eve pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m so glad you came over, for more reasons than one. That was a terrific idea. And I’m so pleased you’re interested in the history project.”

  “I’m glad I could be of some help,” Andy said. “It was a good dinner, certainly the best I’ve had in months.” She looked down at Nick. “And thank you for introducing me to your friends. They made me happy.”

  Nick grinned. “You and Joseph can visit them any time.”

  “We would like that.”

  She finished saying goodbye and joined Nate at the door.

  Once in the car, she sat back in the seat.

  She still felt shaky.

  * * *

  “I HOPE THAT wasn’t too much too soon.” Nate said.

  She hesitated before answering. “I thought it might be,” she said frankly. “And I was sorry to spoil dinner, but I think it was good for me to get out.”

  “That really was an inspired idea about the inn. I’m sure we’ll use it. Thank you. And don’t worry about the flashback. There’s tremendous respect for the way you stayed and hung in there. You made a friend for life with Eve at the way you talked to Nick.”

  “He’s a nice kid.”

  “Yeah, and smart as hell, just like his mom.”

  She was silent the rest of the way. Conflicting emotions bombarded her. There had been some very good moments and some very bad ones on her first social adventure outside the hospital. The good had been the comradery, the conversation that included her. It had been Nick and his dogs.

  The bad...

  Best not to think about that.

  When they arrived at the cabin, she swung the door open the second he stopped. “You don’t need to walk me inside,” she said. “But thank you for everything tonight, especially for looking after me so well.”

  “Not a chance,” he said. “My mama taught me better than that.” He left the car and opened the back door for Joseph. She stepped out before he could help her.

  When they reached her door, she put the key in the lock and turned back to face him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to go inside the empty cabin after the attack, but neither did she want to invite him inside. She wasn’t ready for that. “Yes,” she said. “I think I am, thanks to you and Stephanie. I’m just sorry I interrupted the evening.”

  “Most of us have been there,” he said gently. “Clint, Josh, myself... We’ve all had flashbacks. I’m just glad you stayed. We never would have thought of Camel Trail Inn.”

  “I really am sorry I ruined your shirt,” she said. “I’ll replace it.”

  “No, you won’t. I wasn’t fibbing. It really was an old shirt and one I didn’t like that much.”

  Their gazes met and suddenly her heart beat a little faster. Warmth flashed in his expression. She wanted him to touch her. To hold her.

  No! How could she?

  She turned and fumbled with the doorknob. “I really must go inside. I ate well, but poor Joseph...”

  He took the hint. “G’night,” he said. “Call if you need anything. The number is on that sheet I gave you.”

  “Thank you.”

  After a searching glance, he turned and she watched him stride to the car.

  Andy stepped inside and leaned against the door. She didn’t look out the window, but she sensed he was still there outside. It was another moment before she heard the car start up.

  She flipped on the light, sat in a chair and thought about the extraordinary evening. The wine spill, the flashback with all its terrors, then the convivial dinner. Terror and laughter. But the only time she had really felt at ease was
with the boy and his dogs.

  And then that brief connection at the door. So brief and yet...real.

  She felt disloyal to Jared, to the others. She was living...

  She fed and watered Joseph and watched as he went outside and did his business, then joined her inside. He followed her as she changed into the overlarge T-shirt she slept in, then jumped up on the bed and put his head on her chest, looking up at her with his intelligent eyes.

  “We did okay today, didn’t we?” she said. She had not run after the flashback. She had stayed and taken part in a conversation, an important part. And she had enjoyed most of it. She had laughed. Actually laughed about Nick’s camel.

  She turned the light off. But she doubted she would get much sleep.

  CHAPTER NINE

  WHEN NATE REACHED HOME, his mind was in turmoil.

  He’d been reluctant to take Andy Stuart to Eve’s house that evening. He’d been attracted to her at their first meeting, and warning signals had flickered in his brain since.

  It was especially true when she’d had the flashback. He’d been closer to her than the others and had caught her as she fell. Then the medic in him had taken over. He wondered whether the others had noted his slight hesitation before carrying her into Eve’s bedroom. He didn’t want to be involved, dammit. But she was a vet in need of help.

  That her flashback had been terrifying was clear, and he admired how she had tried to shake it off, the gallantry in returning to the others and even participating in a discussion that had little to do with her. Or perhaps that was why she’d participated. Why she had so quickly wrapped herself in Covenant Falls history. She could avoid the present.

  He, on the other hand, wanted to remember the past so he could reshape the present.

  But, dammit, he’d had that sudden urge to hold her at the door, to try to erase some of the pain from those very wide gray eyes. He’d wanted to kiss her. Hadn’t he learned anything from Margaret?

  He’d watched her go through the door, and then the lights go on. He’d done his job. He had seen her home safely. Joseph would take over now.

  So why hadn’t he driven off? Maybe he needed a Joseph.

  He wondered whether both he and Eve might have underestimated Ms. Stuart. It had taken courage for her to move to a totally new town, especially having PTSD.

  He hesitated, then did something he never thought he would do—he went online and ran a search. He shouldn’t have. It was none of his business and she was entitled to her privacy, but her reaction to the wine spill prompted him to learn more. Several articles came up almost immediately when he searched her name, army and Afghanistan. One article mentioned she was the lone survivor during a terrorist attack on a field hospital in Afghanistan eight months ago. He remembered reading about the attack when it happened, but no names were mentioned at the time. It had been big news, especially in the military community.

  Nate continued his search and then found an article that stunned him.

  Lieutenant Andrea Stuart had been engaged to one of the two murdered doctors.

  Nate took a long, deep breath. He closed his eyes and he saw the attack in his mind. The intruder, the shots, the blood. Probably everything she had seen again last night.

  He had no intention of sharing that information with anyone else, not even Eve and Clint, although they might know, since Josh was instrumental in bringing her here. He had intruded into something extremely painful, more painful than he could have imagined.

  No wonder she’d had a panic attack last night. He had lost friends in Iraq. Too many of them, but she had been a healer, not a warrior.

  After a sleepless night, he rose early, took a shower, drank a cup of coffee and walked several houses down to his mother’s. Her home, which had harbored three generations of Rowlands, was close enough that he could keep an eye on her, but far enough that they were independent of one another. She, and her failing health, was one reason he had returned to Covenant Falls after his divorce.

  They usually had Sunday breakfast together, and he rather dreaded it this morning. His mother had been curious about Covenant Falls’s newest resident, particularly when she’d learned it was a woman, and she would want a full report.

  He would edit it considerably. He would omit Andy’s PTSD episode, and the way he’d felt as he’d helped her.

  He liked her. He admired her courage. Even worse, he was attracted to her and far more intensely than he’d been to any woman in a very long time.

  That disturbing discovery meant he had to keep his distance, although it would be difficult. Eve had evidently taken her under her wing. And he was in business with Eve’s husband, which meant they would be thrown together. Often.

  Nate sure as hell wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship. Neither was she. She had stay-away signs all over. And himself? He doubted he would ever be ready to trust any woman again.

  But dammit all, she wouldn’t leave his thoughts.

  Hell with it. He could avoid her as much as possible. He would.

  Agnes Rowland greeted him with her usual wide smile. “My turn this week,” she said. “Pancakes okay?”

  “Sounds great.”

  His mother wasted no time in getting to the point. “What is she like?”

  “Nice.”

  “Nice? That doesn’t tell me much.”

  “You’ll like her,” he added.

  “I like everyone.”

  “Well, then, there you go.”

  “Nate!” she said in a disgusted voice.

  “You’ll meet her and make your own decision,” he said. “Eve has sort of trapped her into writing a short history of our town. I expect her to be talking to a lot of people.”

  “She’s smart, then.”

  “Very. She came up with a new name for our inn. Susan thought Covenant Falls Inn didn’t have much kick to it.”

  “I thought Covenant Falls Inn was a good name,” she said as she poured pancake batter in the frying pan. “Are you going to keep me in suspense or should I ask Josh?”

  “The Camel Trail Inn.”

  His mom burst out laughing. “That certainly does have a kick to it. A pun. From you. I’m amazed. Now I’m more curious than ever about her. When do I meet her?”

  “She just arrived, Mom. She needs to take things a little slow.”

  “Should I take her some chili?”

  “I would wait a few days,” he said. “She’s been flooded with food.”

  Her eyes danced with curiosity but thankfully she dropped the subject. For the moment.

  The pancakes were great as usual, and afterward he drove Agnes the four blocks to church, then headed to the inn to discuss the proposed name change with Susan and Josh.

  * * *

  SUSAN LOVED RENAMING the inn. It was different enough from Camelback that there should be no confusion, not to mention that their inn was a speck compared to the mammoth in Arizona.

  They had planned a simple, stylish sign, but now Josh suggested a weathered wood sign with the name and a camel silhouette.

  “No ordinary camel,” Nate said. “We need one with an attitude.”

  “I’ll pass that on to the artist,” Susan said. While they were there, Susan called an artist she knew who said he would send three logo designs by midweek. She thought the sign company could expedite the work.

  “It’s going to be an expense we didn’t expect, but I think it will add a quirky twist that sets it apart,” Josh said.

  Susan grinned.

  “As soon as we get a design,” Josh said, “I’ll send it to Clint and he can redesign our website. In the meantime, I’ll send those who accepted our invitation for the preview a letter explaining the name change.”

  “It was Andy’s idea,” Nate said. “Maybe she could write a fe
w paragraphs, an explanation of the name. We can use it on menus and a card for each room.”

  “Will you ask her?” Josh said.

  Nate hesitated. He’d put his foot in it again. Why had he mentioned it?

  Maybe because he had seen the flicker of interest in her eyes when she’d suggested renaming the inn, and he wanted to feed it. He’d experienced aimlessness when he’d returned from Iraq.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll ask when I see her.” That gave him some time. He might not see her for a while.

  The discussion then went to other details. Mel Edwards, a local rancher, had offered the use of several of his horses for trail riding in hopes of building another source of revenue. Then there was the old but lively Herman Mann, who knew the area’s mountain trails and mining sites like the back of his hand. Not only did he know mountain lore, but he looked the part, with a full gray beard. He could lead adventure tours to abandoned mines and a ghost town.

  “Do you think Herman knows anything about the camels?” he asked.

  “If he doesn’t, he’ll make it up,” Josh replied.

  “We could always buy a camel,” Nate mused in jest.

  He choked when Josh said, “Good idea. Find one.”

  It wasn’t until Josh, who almost never joked, grinned that Nate realized he was kidding.

  With a straight face, Nate replied, “What’s my budget?”

  Their inn manager merely shook her head. “I am not feeding and boarding a camel.”

  “But it would make a great mascot,” Nate said slyly. “I bet I could convince Eve if I found a camel in distress.” He glanced at Josh.

  “One word to Eve,” Josh warned, “and we end this partnership. I’m sure she would find an orphaned, moth-eaten camel somewhere, and heaven help us if young Nick even got a hint of it. He would be on the internet in seconds and would have several candidates he couldn’t live without.”

  Nate knew this was only too true. He’d been cruel to mention it. He chuckled. “Love sure does change a man.”