Page 8 of A Veteran’s Second Chance

Cassie signs off, and I take another spoonful of cake. She’s right. I can’t remember the last time I had a night out, apart from bonfire nights.

I send Lexi a text and then Hannah, although her shadow will no doubt follow her. Since she hooked up with Grant, he barely lets her out of his sight, not surprising considering the break-in at her place a few weeks ago.

I also text Paige in case she needs a night off from the kids and Kayla. A girls’ night could be exactly what I need to shake Logan out of my head.

6

LOGAN

The janky sound of a guitar accosts my ears as I push open the door to The Landing, the only decent bar in town, according to Jace. A live band plays country music, and a few people are on the dance floor.

The vinyl seats are navy blue, and thick white rope separates the dining area from the bar. The entire place has a navy theme, and the walls are lined with pictures of local servicemen and women. Jace is in a booth in the corner with a couple of men. He introduces me to Owen and Sam, two local boys who are also veterans. I grab a beer and slide into the booth next to them.

“Anything new turn up on Ashton Holdings?” Jace asks Owen.

Jace already filled me in on the problems the folks around here are having. There are some property issues, and a company is getting heavy-handed. Some of the local veterans have come together to train and be prepared in case things escalate.

Owen presses his fingers to the top of his nose. “Nothing new has turned up yet.”

Owen’s the acting sheriff of Hope, and judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he’s doing overtime on this case.

“I grew up in this town.” This comes from Sam. “And I never heard of any property disputes or mineral rights. There’s never been any trouble until now.”

“Yeah, I feel it too,” says Owen.

“These boys grew up together,” explains Jace.

“We served together too,” Sam says. “Graduated BUD/S together.”

“More fucking SEALs,” Jace mumbles. “Damn town’s crawling with you showoffs.”

“Fuck you,” Sam says with a grin on his face. “At least you’re the only cocky Ranger.”

I sip my beer and listen to the banter. I’ve missed this during my recovery. Jace invited me out tonight to meet some of the local guys. There are a lot of veterans in Hope, and I wonder if I’m looking at my future. If this injury gets me discharged, this might be my fate: sitting around in bars gossiping about local land problems. I take a large gulp of beer. I’d rather be back in the field where I’m more useful.

A tall man strides toward us with a grim expression on his face. He nods at the guys around the table, and Jace introduces him to me as Aiden.

“What are you doing out tonight? I thought you’d be home with Lexi.”

“She’s coming out for a girls night,” he grumbles as he slides into the booth. “I wasn’t going to let her go out alone.”

“Isn’t that the point of a girls night?” Jace quips. “They go out with the girls. I’m sure she doesn’t want your ugly mug glaring at her across the dance floor.”

“I won’t glare; I’ll just be here in case she needs me.” He frowns at Jace. “She said Kayla’s coming out with her.”

Jace’s expression changes. “Then I’m staying right here too.”

“Jesus, you guys are Neanderthals. Let your women have a night out,” Sam scoffs.

Aiden shakes his head. “You’ll understand when you find your woman.”

Owen’s texting on his phone, and he doesn’t look up. “That reminds me. Chloe’s coming home for a bit.”

Sam almost chokes on his beer but recovers quickly. Owen looks up from his phone. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Sam coughs into his fist. “I thought she was in Europe.”

“Who’s Chloe?” Jace asks.