Page 1 of Two Hearts Reunited

Prologue

Christmas 2020

Crystal Rock, Wisconsin

Eric O’Neill swallowed hard, choked up as he drove along Main Street through the festively decorated town of Crystal Rock. He remembered the last Christmas he’d been living here, walking hand in hand with his girl back in high school. As bittersweet as it was to visit his former hometown, now that his older brother Brian had returned to settle down with his wife, Ashley, Eric had no excuse to avoid the small holiday get together that Brian and Ashley were planning at Christmas to celebrate the birth of their baby girl.

After all, Eric was on extended leave from the Air Force, although he’d been told that he shouldn’t make any long-term plans. The rumors had been mounting. Something big was going to have to go down soon, and since his specialty was combat rescue, Eric might be expected to return to Afghanistan on short notice. More than likely, it was because the U.S. was only eight months out from their agreed evacuation date from the country.

He had a really bad feeling about the situation, since the U.S. would be abandoning twenty years of occupation. How could they keep their word and manage to relocate all the Afghan civilians who’d aided them, risking the lives of themselves and their families, in such a short period of time?

But of course, Eric and the other men and women in his unit were hoping that would change when the new president came into office in January, since as far as Eric could tell, there didn’t appear to be much planning going on currently, with so many lives in danger from the Taliban and ISIS. They would look at those who’d supported the U.S. by working at the embassy or with the military as traitors.

Eric shook his head, attempting to bury all his grim thoughts. It was nearly Christmas, and a time to celebrate. He was back in Crystal Rock, where all his family had finally been together last year for the first time in ten years, and since Eric had been stationed overseas, he hadn’t been able to attend. And now, with COVID in the mix, Brian and Ashley were being super cautious because of their newborn daughter, Arielle. Everyone would be getting a COVID test before traveling to Crystal Rock.

His eyes searched along Main Street, noticing all the changes as he approached the mall, the flower shop where he’d decided to order an arrangement as a housewarming gift for Ashley and Brian located inside. When Eric had called the shop a little earlier, they’d been waiting for a shipment of extra flowers to arrive since they’d been busier than usual this year and couldn’t promise that they would have what he wanted.

Why not just stop by the shop, he’d decided. That way he could pick out something himself rather than order from a picture on his phone and have something different delivered to their house.

As he continued along Main Street, it was just as he remembered. There was the center town mall where the flowershop was located. The last time he’d been here, he’d been a teenager, and had purchased some flowers for his mom for Mother’s Day.

He parked his truck at an angle along the street. It appeared that parallel parking had been eliminated sometime during the past ten years to allow for extra parking near the mall.

After stepping out from his truck and locking it, Eric slipped a mask over his face as he headed toward the mall entrance. It was dusk, and there were quite a few people strolling along the streets, he noticed, most likely doing a lot of window shopping.

Eric frowned as he walked into the mall, because the high COVID numbers in the state didn’t seem to be stopping too many people from being out and about before the holiday. He’d been fortunate enough to be able to get one of the new vaccines that were being distributed to some of the special force members who could be deployed overseas at any time, since COVID was raging in several other countries, and not just here. Right now, it was purely voluntary, but Eric had been surprised by the complaints of several of his fellow airmen when they’d been told that the jab would eventually be mandatory when there were already several vaccinations required to enlist. The difference being that COVID was highly transmissible, and even if you weren’t showing any symptoms yourself, you could easily spread the virus to the most vulnerable people in the community.

But a lot of people didn’t seem to get it and Eric ought to know. His close friend and fellow airman, Jess Stone, had tested positive this past summer after he’d gone home for a family reunion in Milwaukee. Local businesses in the state had been allowed to reopen with certain restrictions, but the reunion had taken place inside a rented banquet room located inside a restaurant outside of town.

It was difficult for local law enforcement to monitor the restrictions. Not only had every person who’d attended the eventended up COVID positive during the next two weeks, but ten people out of twenty-five had died, including Jess’ father.

Right now, the vaccine was not available to the general public, but it was amazing to think that something as simple as getting a vaccine to prevent a highly contagious virus from rampant spread could be turned into political fodder. To Eric, it was the right thing to do.

With all the crazy disinformation going around, Eric had to be careful about becoming preachy about the subject, but every time an opportunity arose, he’d give a gentle nudge to anyone who was undecided.

The flower shop appeared to be doing a booming business, despite the COVID restrictions. Or maybe because of them, since people weren’t traveling like they usually did so they were sending flowers instead.

Sometime during the past ten years, the shop had been expanded, Eric realized. Poinsettias of various shapes, sizes and colors, along with a slew of tagged arrangements, were lined up around the entire edge of the shop so they could be viewed through the windows, while coolers filled with several different kinds of flowers were lined along a wide interior wall.

Four computerized registers were staggered on a long checkout counter at the back of the store, and Eric got in line since it appeared that only one person was handling the checkout since there was a guy and three girls working on arrangements farther behind the counter.

He’d better have an idea about what he wanted, he decided, glancing at a few of the larger arrangements resting on the floor near the windows.

Finally, it was his turn to be waited on, but when he glanced closely at the woman behind the counter, he realized, somewhat in shock, that he knew who she was.

She was sothin, was the first thing Eric thought. It was hard to see her face behind her mask. But it looked pale at first glance.

What had happened to the pretty, upbeat teenager with whom he’d shared his first kiss and dated during his freshman and sophomore years in high school, before his family had been forced to leave town? Her eyes looked haunted as she stared into his.

But something about the intensity of her gaze made his heart stop beating momentarily.

She blinked, obviously recognizing him.“Eric?”

“Anya,”he whispered softly. “It’s good to see you again.”

Chapter One

Eric O’Neill.Anya had never really expected to see him again after his family had suddenly left town ten years earlier.

---