No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

and heads back out to the barn. I can hear him yelling at Mystic to stay out of the chicken coop and I chuckle.

“Sit.” I gesture to the table and he sits after accepting a cup of coffee from me.

“Look, I didn’t know how to get a hold of you. I’m sorry for just showing up. I promise this isn’t to tell you I love you or anything.”

I laugh at that. I don’t mean to but no one is going to profess their love for me. He looks genuine, though, and if he needs help, we’ll help him. One more mouth to feed is nothing.

“It’s alright. Dad needs the help. I hope you know what you’re getting into,” I warn with a smile.

“I did some research before heading out this way. But I’m serious. You were always a friend, probably one of the only ones I’ve had and I knew you would help. Oh, I met Bear.”

“You what?” I almost choke on my coffee.

Cade snorts, “He was here when I pulled in. He seems to really like you.”

“I don’t know,” I say because I don’t. I’m lying to myself, yeah he does. He bought you a horse, kissed you. He is single, I think.

“Tell me about your project,” he says, changing the subject and I sigh with relief. Talking about my feelings for Bear is not something I want to dive into with anyone.

“I want to open an equine therapy ranch for veterans. Give them something to look forward to. The love of an animal can help heal, it has helped me a little bit.”

Except for touch. I haven’t really let anyone touch me.

“That sounds cool. I’d like to help,” he says and I nod.

“I guess we need to see what my dad has going on. He’s building a barn, an arena, and a house for me. Still on the property but I’m not sure where.”

“Let’s go.” He jumps up and offers his hand. Bear chooses that moment to walk in and I swear he growls.

“Just offering a hand,” Cade says as he winks at me.

“I’ll take you to your house,” Bear says.

He might like me, but we’re not together. Would I want to be? I don’t know the answer to that. If I can’t have someone touch me, even hug me, a relationship would never work.

Plus he could have tons of girlfriends.

We pile into this really nice truck Bear won at a rodeo, one that I watched on TV. He drives down behind the barn and onto a trail that only a truck or jeep would be able to get down and we come to a small clearing right along the river that runs into that small pond. The barn is already up and the frame of the house is almost together.

“They work fast,” I say quietly.

“Your dad picked this spot out a while ago, before you got home. He knew you would want to be close,” Bear says as we file out.

“The barn has a small office where you can conduct all your business. We have filed the paperwork for a non-profit organization and filed for a business license for you. We filled out the paperwork with the name Veteran Equine Farm. If you don’t like the name we picked you can change it,” Bear says, taking my hand as we walk to the barn. The perks of living in a small town and everyone knows you including lawyers and officials.

“I don’t know, isn’t this fast? I mean I just told you guys about this.”

“We worked fast to bring your dream to life,” Bear says and I nod as we walk around the barn.

“So the name?” Bear asks after a few moments of silence.

“I don’t know,” I shrug.

“Horses Helpers,” Cade suggests.

“I like that.” I nod.

“I’ll let your dad know. The horses, as per your request, are ones that come from homes that they did not fare well in. Most were abused, several were starved.” I had brought that up to Bear the other day that if I started this, I wanted horses that others didn’t want to give them a second chance.

“I want to give them a chance just as much as veterans,” I explain to Cade.

“And it’s all coming together.” Bear leads me to the house.

“This will be done by the end of the week,” he says as we walk through the walls and I can imagine how it will look. Rustic and modern. It’s like my dad knows me.

“I designed this,” Bear says and I come to an abrupt stop. Did he say he designed this?

“You designed this?” I ask him.

“I went to school to be an architect.” Bear went to school to be an architect?

“Then why don’t you do that?”

“I do,” he says with a chuckle. “I guess you don’t know that your dad and mine opened a building business.”

“Guess he left that out,” I grumble.

“I design for him, log cabins,” Bear informs me.

“That’s what I came up to help with,” Cade shrugs.

I don’t say anything. I just look out over the pasture and hope that I’m not making a mistake.

“I’d like to take you somewhere,” Bear whispers in my ear.

“Fine,” I mumble, not sure what I’m feeling, but when I’m around Bear, I feel like I can’t say no.

“You can drop me off at the house,” Cade offers and Bear nods.

Once Cade meets up with my father, we head out, down the road, and up the mountain. The forest is dense up here. If you got lost, you wouldn’t be found for days, months, or even years maybe.

He pulls off a side road and we end up at a small fishing pond. One that my dad and I fish at sometimes or did when I was younger. He slides out of the truck and grabs a basket and blanket.

He brought me out here for a picnic?

“Care to join me?” he asks.

I can only nod and climb out of the truck and follow him. He lays down the blanket and sets the basket down and