Patricia Potter - The Soldier's Homecoming

He slept until lunch. The small steak that arrived was tough, and he cut the meat awkwardly with his left hand. The loss of two fingers on his right hand made it unsteady despite all the rehab. He was still learning, still retraining what remained of his hand. He was grateful the woman seated next to him didn’t ask if he wanted help, but he was all too aware of her curious gaze.

* * *

TRAVIS SPOTTED JOSH MANNING the moment he entered the Denver airport baggage area. Josh and he were both around six-two, and though his former sergeant looked relaxed in a pair of jeans, blue denim shirt and jacket, his green eyes held the same steely edge they always had as he studied the incoming passengers.

Josh grinned when he saw him and walked over. “Major, it’s damned good to see you.”

Travis nodded. “Same here, but I’m not Major to you any longer. It’s Travis.” He held out his maimed hand and Josh took it in a strong handshake.

“I was damn sorry to hear about what happened to you,” Josh said. “Are you out now?”

“I’m on medical leave now. I have a little time to decide whether to accept a desk job, if one becomes available. You know how army budget cuts are. There’s no certainty that they’ll have a job for me.”

“Is a desk job something you even want?”

Travis shrugged his shoulders and accompanied Josh toward the door. There was an ease about him that had not been there before, a peace in his eyes that Travis envied. After a long walk, they reached a weathered Jeep with the top up, and he saw a dog sitting like a sentinel in the front seat.

“Amos?” he asked. The former military dog wagged his tail enthusiastically.

Josh grinned. “Sure enough. I found him a year and a half after Dave died. He was a mess. So was I. It was hard to tell which one of us was the worse.”

Travis leaned over and offered his good hand to the dog. Amos licked him.

“He remembers you,” Josh said. “He doesn’t do that with strangers.” Josh made a gesture, and the dog scrambled over the seat and sat alertly in the back seat.

Travis awkwardly fit himself inside and looked back. “Sorry I took your place,” he apologized to Amos, who barked and wagged his tail again.

“It’s okay with him. He knows you’re an old friend.”

“I’m glad you found him,” Travis said. “Lieutenant Warner told me how he’d mourned for Dave. It got so bad, he had to be sent back to the States.”

“Well, he ended up being my savior, along with a kid and his mother.”

“I can’t imagine you with a wife and kid.”

“I can’t either. It’s been a year and a half since I married Eve, and I still have to pinch myself to realize it’s real. Me, married to the mayor of the town?”

“Have to admit it shocked me, too.”

“I was in pretty bad shape when I arrived. Neither Dave nor I had any family, so we made each other the beneficiary in our wills. He owned a cabin in a place called Covenant Falls and all he talked about was moving there after the service and starting a wilderness adventure business with me. When he died, I inherited it.”

He paused. Then he added with obvious pain, “It was a virtual wreck, just like me and Amos were. Dave was like a brother to me, and he died saving my life. I think the only thing that kept me from hitting bottom was thinking I was responsible for saving the damn cabin.”

Travis was caught up in the story now. “Go on.”

Josh fell silent for a moment, and then he shrugged. “Covenant Falls is...unique. There’s about three thousand people in and around town. Then there’s a number of small ranches within a fifty-mile radius. Probably three quarters of the population are over fifty and have lived there all their lives. Its history is interesting—it was one of the earliest trading posts in Colorado. The founder was a Scotsman who saved the life of a Ute chief and in return received protection from the tribe. Thus the name Covenant Falls.”

“Sounds interesting,” Travis said and meant it. He’d always liked history, especially American history.

Josh gave him a crooked smile. “Yeah, but all I wanted was to be left alone, fix the cabin, sell it and get the hell out, especially when brownies and cookies and other baked stuff started appearing on my doorstep. I really didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone, particularly civilians. Then a very pretty mayor ambushed me in the backyard,” he continued. “I’d decided to resign from the human race, but it turned out the town had different ideas. Before I knew it, I was volunteering to join other vets in reroofing houses. For free.”

He sounded chagrined and Travis laughed. Josh had been all warrior and all business. To think of him turning from tiger to pussycat was intriguing. Maybe Covenant Falls was unique. The man looked years younger.

“You’re staying then.”

“Yeah. I’m even part owner of an inn. It’s part of what Jubal and I are thinking about.”

“Jubal? Not Jubal Pierce?”

“You know him?”

“I know of him. There’s not many Jubals in the world. He had one hell of a reputation in the Special Forces community until he disappeared several years ago. It was big news when he returned from the dead. How did he end up here?”

“I mentioned on the phone it was complicated. When Eve and I got married, I moved in with her and her son. I wanted Dave’s cabin to be used by a veteran. An army chopper pilot named Clint was recommended by a military psychologist I knew. He was followed by Lieutenant Andrea Stuart, an army surgical nurse, and then Jubal, who was invited by Clint. They went way back. We’re all in on this project, but Jubal is the driving force.”

Travis looked out at the mountains to their right as they drove south. “Looks like great horse country.”

“The land around Covenant Falls is even better,” Josh replied. “It hugs the mountains and is off the beaten path. There’s some really fine ranches in the area. At least five want to be included in our project. But we don’t know where to start. We’ve been researching different Horses for Heroes programs, including several that include multiple ranches. Now we need a battle plan and you were damn good at that.”

“How did this all get started?” Travis asked.

“Riding helped Jubal immensely after he returned. He’d lost his team in Africa and was aimless until a rancher invited him to ride one of his horses. He says it changed his life, gave him a purpose. I think it’s important to him to help other veterans now. He knows how difficult it is to come back. All of us do. We decided to participate, but none of us knew how to start, what we would need, what kind of program works best for veterans. And us.”

“And you think I do?” Travis said with a raised eyebrow.

“I know you’re damned good at planning and implementing plans. All we know is that contact with horses seems to be very therapeutic. We know there’s different types of programs but they don’t come close to meeting the demand.

“Right now,” Josh continued, “he’s thinking of a long-term project, teaching vets the care of horses along with horsemanship. There’s jobs available in the field. But he’s open to other ideas. What we would like you to do is visit ongoing programs, learn about their pros and cons, staffing needs, requirements for a nonprofit and VA Administration grants.”

“Is that all?” Travis asked incredulously.

It was startling to see the smile spread across Josh’s face. “Probably not,” he said. “But it’s the beginning.”

“Can you find a job for the young soldier I told you about?”

“I’m sure we can. Jubal is working with another rancher on the program, and they both need help with horses. You think your soldier will be interested? If not, I’m sure we can find someone in town.”