Page 36 of The Texas Hero's Homecoming

“What, don’t you hear enough about it from Joe?” Sam asked.

They had a standing phone call with Joe once a week. And if he couldn’t call, he’d text or write a letter. The conversations were short and to the point. That was her brother Joe. He’d ask about their health and speak little about himself or the work he was doing. Mostly he called to let them know he was okay and not in any danger. “When my brother calls, he’s usually checking in on both of us. Asking about our health. What we’ve been up to. But the next time he calls, I made Papa promise to tell Joe what’s going on with the farm. He should know.”

“I agree. Joe would want to know. Maybe he can help, financially.”

She shook her head. “He’s already sending money. What he can and that helps sustain us. But things have declined too much, the hole too big for him to shovel us out. He may not want to hear it, but the only way out is to sell.” She put her lips to the warm mug and sipped coffee.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was becoming Sam’s friend. She liked him, valued his opinion, and enjoyed spending time with him. He’d been a godsend around here and it was something she would always remember.

“So, what was it like for you, Sam?” He’d dodged the question earlier, diverting back to Joe, but she didn’t want to let it go, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“For me? It was good. Real good in the beginning. I liked being a part of something bigger than myself. It wasn’t always easy being a Ranger. I mean, it got pretty intense at times. But I felt like I was making difference. The missions we were sent on, really made a difference. The last two years, I was stationed on the same base with Joe. That part was really cool.”

“You didn’t mind him being your commanding officer?”

“Publicly no. Privately, I gave him grief about it all the time.” Sam’s lips quirked up. “I reminded him how I was the high school quarterback. And he sat on the bench most of the season. We’d jab at each other all the time.”

“I can just imagine.”

“I think from day one, Joe knew he would be a career soldier.”

“But not you?”

“No, don’t get me wrong. I was happy with what I was doing, when I was doing it. But then… I started getting antsy. I started thinking about my future and what life had to hold for me and shortly after, I met Hilary. She worked on the base and we started seeing each other.”

“You fell in love?”

He nodded.

Ironically, she wanted to hear this. She wanted to know Sam’s story from start to finish. She could remove herself from her feelings, in order to learn about his life.

“We did. I thought that we’d have a future together. There was a job waiting for me at her father’s company near Austin. He was in the oil business and he offered me a great starting position. My future was pretty much settled, but apparently just months before I was discharged, she figured out that she was still in love with her ex-boyfriend and we broke up.”

“Must’ve been terribly hard on you.”

“It was. I didn’t see it coming. I went from knowing what was in store for me, for our future, to suddenly coming up empty. Makes me…”

“Gun-shy?”

He sipped his coffee. “Maybe.” After thinking about it a short while, he looked her square in the eye. “I guess so.”

A chill ran down her spine. She got it now. She understood what he was going through, and she wanted to voice her feelings, but the words just wouldn’t come. “I’m sorry,” was all she could say.

And she meant it for all the right reasons. He’d been let down and hurt. He was nursing a broken heart. Sam was unavailable.

Her phone on the table chimed. Sam’s gaze dipped to the screen and they both read the name together. Jared Harmon.

Sam raised a brow and stood. “I’ve got to get going,” he told her. “Let you get that call.”

She rose from her seat. “It’s just… It’s this…”

“I know. The guy from the saloon.” Sam sent her a crooked smile. “You should talk to him, Autumn. I’ll let myself out.”

Before she could protest, Sam walked out, the door closing it shut behind him.

She pulled the kitchen curtain aside and watched Sam get into his truck. Once he pulled away, she sighed and picked up the phone on the fourth ring. “Hi, Jared. How are you?”

*

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