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

deployment and now Thunder, my heart is shattered. I feel like it’s karma coming to bite me in the ass.

“You missed lunch,” Bear says, leaning on the stall door.

“I know. I just needed some time.”

“It’s almost dinner. I’d like to take you out,” he says.

“Okay. I’ll go change,” I say. I slide by him but he reaches for me and I let him.

“You’re fine in what you have on.”

I nod and go to put Mystic and Bug inside.

He takes me to the only steakhouse in town. So, yeah, in town jeans are okay, we could have shown up with cow shit on our shirts and they would still seat us. We take our seats when we’re interrupted.

“Sienna, I’m sorry about Thunder,” Hawke says, “and the other night.”

I nod as he keeps talking.

“I was hurt that you were going to leave me. But at the same time I wasn’t good enough for you. You were off to the military, and I was here doing nothing with my life. I mean I even fucked up Ava’s life,” he says.

I let him keep going. Though what I have left of my heart is breaking for him. I didn’t know he felt this way and it’s big of him to own up to it.

“I hope someday you can forgive us,” he says quietly. I can see that he means all of it.

“Are you done?” I say, though it comes out a little bitchy.

He nods, stricken with fear at my snap.

“I don’t know when I’ll forgive either of you. But I know that you’re hurting and I want to offer you a job.” He looks taken aback, even glancing at Bear and then me.

“You’re offering me a job?” he asks, surprised.

“Yes. On my ranch as an instructor, helping veterans learn to ride and care for horses.”

“Shit, I mean this is . . .” He looks like he wants to cry.

“Just come out and see what you’re working with before you say anything. It’s not going to be easy work, but Hawke, you have a family to care for,” I say.

“No, yeah, I mean I’ll come out tomorrow.” He looks shocked that I offered him a job.

“See you then,” I say as he rushes out the door.

“Kind heart.” Bear smiles at me.

“I try. I think I’m going to offer Mitch a job as well.” I look over at the bar and see him tending the bar. He doesn’t look happy and I find that if you love your job you’ll prosper more. Maybe he will prosper at the equine therapy ranch.

“Gladys would be over the moon.”

“I hope this all works out,” I mutter.

“It will, we’re behind you.” He reaches across the table for my hand and I offer it to him.

“I’m going to marry you one day,” I blurt out. Then I shut my mouth surprised I even said that.

“I hope soon,” he says and winks.

I have been gone a long time, but when I think about some of my past, Bear was there, just like Thunder.

Thunder brought us together or well, Bear brought us together.

But I loved Thunder, and I think I love Bear. Every time I came home on leave, Bear was there, making sure I was taken care of, checking on me, taking me places.

He said he waited twenty years. A guy doesn’t do that if he doesn’t care about you or love you.

I thought I was waiting for Hawke, but I wasn’t. I was waiting for Bear.

“Speaking of marriage,” he says as he pulls a box out.

We haven’t even had sex and he’s pulling out a box. He’s going to ask me. Am I dreaming? Or ready, even though I just told him I would someday.

“Yet.” He winks.

Shit, I said that out loud.

“I bought this when I bought Thunder.” He pushes it toward me.

Inside is a simple ring with diamonds. Not flashy. Just my style.

“What?”

“I knew I wanted to marry you that day in the hallway. When I bought Thunder, I got this. I’ve held onto it for twenty years waiting for you to come home,” he says, and I am speechless. I don’t know what to say to that.

“Sienna?”

“I don’t deserve you.” I start crying silent tears.

“It’s the other way around,” he says and wipes them away.

“Yes.” I nod and he chuckles.

“I’ll kiss you after dinner.” I wipe the tears.

He’s the first man that has ever touched me, or hugged me, or kissed me. I never even kissed my husbands. I mean I did, but it never felt like anything, not like kissing Bear. Kissing Bear is like life.

He’s the one. Thunder showed me that.

Thank you, little buddy. I hope you’re running around heaven causing trouble.

Epilogue

Sienna

Two years later . . .

I married Bear Franklin in the meadow of wildflowers, Thunder’s favorite place. My bridesmaids were Bug and Mystic. Chance was Bear’s best man and my father walked me down the aisle to my husband.

Bear is a patient man. But I didn’t make him wait too long for sex and it was worth the wait.

There are days where I shy away from him, lost in my head. But he always finds a way to get to me and bring me back to the present.

The ranch is thriving. I have several classes for veterans.

Hawke and Mitch have been a great help. Even Ava comes out every once in a while. I’ve forgiven both of them, and they do come out for dinner and I make sure to send leftovers home with them.

Bear thrives on his own with our dads’ log cabin company.

Cade and Bear are a great team, designing lob cabin homes to envy. Bear sketches and Cade builds. They’ve done so well that a few famous people have asked them to design homes for them. One time a famous football player came to stay at the ranch while Bear sketched up his house, the veterans loved that. The man was kind enough to sign autographs and take pictures. I have one of him mucking stalls with Bear.

Cade thought