The Soldier's Homecoming
(Home to Covenant Falls #5)
by Patricia Potter
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pagesby Patricia Potter
Contemporary Romance
April 1st 2018 by Harlequin Superromance
Army ranger Travis Hammond needs to heal physical and emotional wounds. A job in Covenant Falls checking out equine therapy programs for veterans is a start, but it’s only temporary. And he doesn’t need a partner, especially some reporter with the persistence of a terrier and irresistible green eyes. Like Travis, Jenny Talbot’s just passing through town. Unlike Travis, Jenny knows exactly where she’s going next—back to the Middle East, as soon as she recovers from her own war injury. But there’s a bend in the road for both of them.
EXCERPT:
He led the way around a stand of trees, and suddenly they faced the falls. Water tumbled over a high cliff to the rocks below. A rainbow arched above it. A cool breeze carried spray to where they stood, sprinkling them. A look of pure enchantment crossed Jenny's face, turning it from attractive into beautiful. He had the damnedest urge to take her in his arms and hold her against him.
If it had been just a physical reaction, he could step away. Her delight, though, made him smile inside -- and he hadn't done that in a long time. He started to reach for her, to touch her. Snap out of it. Keep it strictly business.
Travis stepped back. Away from temptation. It was the rainbow. Nothing else. When Josh brought him here on his first visit, Travis had been impressed, particularly with the rainbow that Josh said was almost always visible during the day. Hell, even to a has-been warrior like himself, it seemed to wave a banner of new chances, new opportunities.
"It's beautiful," Jenny said, licking at the moisture around her lips with her tongue. It was a natural enough reaction, but it was sensuous without intent, and that made the action even more sensuous. He was suddenly warmer. He wanted to put an arm around her and share the sense of awe.
Bad idea. He backed away. He sure as hell wasn't ready for another relationship, even a short one, and suspected she wasn't either. Just as important, he saw in her a free spirit. She'd been injured and was using this time to heal. He'd met many war correspondents during his years overseas, and most were as addicted to the adrenaline as many soldiers were.
She would be here briefly, and apparently it was his job to guide her away from the proposed horse therapy program. He sensed that it could be difficult to guide Jennifer Talbot away from anything that interested her.
Jenny turned to him and put her hand on his arm. "I've seen larger falls, far more powerful ones, but this is so . . . untouched. And the rainbow - is it always there?
"Josh says it is, as long as the sun is shining."
"I can't believe I haven't heard of it before since I live in Denver. It's almost . . . mystic."
Mystic? He didn't believe in that stuff, and yet it'd helped change the lives of three hardened warriors and one war experienced army nurse.
"What can you tell me about it? Why isn't it on a map? Isn't it in the national forest?"
"Nope, that's the odd part of it. You haven't heard about it because the town wanted to keep it to themselves . . . the city never tried to keep outsiders out. It just never advertised the fact."
"I understand why they might want to keep it private," she said. "It's so peaceful here. I feel I could reach out and touch the end of the rainbow."
"I thought you were an action junkie."
"Is that your impression? I do like to be where things are happening. I also like full moons, soft misty days, ocean sunsets and especially rainbows. Quiet things. Especially after being in a war-torn area."
"How long have you been back in the states?"
"Four months, nearly five."
"Planning to go back to Syria?"
"If I can. My shoulder was damaged by a piece of shrapnel during a 'truce' there . . . but I do want to go back. Someone needs to tell the story there . . .”
Other Books in the Series
He led the way around a stand of trees, and suddenly they faced the falls. Water tumbled over a high cliff to the rocks below. A rainbow arched above it. A cool breeze carried spray to where they stood, sprinkling them. A look of pure enchantment crossed Jenny's face, turning it from attractive into beautiful. He had the damnedest urge to take her in his arms and hold her against him.
If it had been just a physical reaction, he could step away. Her delight, though, made him smile inside -- and he hadn't done that in a long time. He started to reach for her, to touch her. Snap out of it. Keep it strictly business.
Travis stepped back. Away from temptation. It was the rainbow. Nothing else. When Josh brought him here on his first visit, Travis had been impressed, particularly with the rainbow that Josh said was almost always visible during the day. Hell, even to a has-been warrior like himself, it seemed to wave a banner of new chances, new opportunities.
"It's beautiful," Jenny said, licking at the moisture around her lips with her tongue. It was a natural enough reaction, but it was sensuous without intent, and that made the action even more sensuous. He was suddenly warmer. He wanted to put an arm around her and share the sense of awe.
Bad idea. He backed away. He sure as hell wasn't ready for another relationship, even a short one, and suspected she wasn't either. Just as important, he saw in her a free spirit. She'd been injured and was using this time to heal. He'd met many war correspondents during his years overseas, and most were as addicted to the adrenaline as many soldiers were.
She would be here briefly, and apparently it was his job to guide her away from the proposed horse therapy program. He sensed that it could be difficult to guide Jennifer Talbot away from anything that interested her.
Jenny turned to him and put her hand on his arm. "I've seen larger falls, far more powerful ones, but this is so . . . untouched. And the rainbow - is it always there?
"Josh says it is, as long as the sun is shining."
"I can't believe I haven't heard of it before since I live in Denver. It's almost . . . mystic."
Mystic? He didn't believe in that stuff, and yet it'd helped change the lives of three hardened warriors and one war experienced army nurse.
"What can you tell me about it? Why isn't it on a map? Isn't it in the national forest?"
"Nope, that's the odd part of it. You haven't heard about it because the town wanted to keep it to themselves . . . the city never tried to keep outsiders out. It just never advertised the fact."
"I understand why they might want to keep it private," she said. "It's so peaceful here. I feel I could reach out and touch the end of the rainbow."
"I thought you were an action junkie."
"Is that your impression? I do like to be where things are happening. I also like full moons, soft misty days, ocean sunsets and especially rainbows. Quiet things. Especially after being in a war-torn area."
"How long have you been back in the states?"
"Four months, nearly five."
"Planning to go back to Syria?"
"If I can. My shoulder was damaged by a piece of shrapnel during a 'truce' there . . . but I do want to go back. Someone needs to tell the story there . . .”
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
Patricia Potter is the USA Today Bestselling Author of more than fifty books. She has received numerous writing awards, including RT Storyteller of the Year, its Career Achievement Award for Western Historical Romance and its Best Hero of the Year Award. She is a seven-time RITA finalist and three-time Maggie Award winner. She has served as president of Romance Writers of America. The Soldier's Homecoming is her fifteenth book for Harlequin.
Prior to writing fiction, she was a reporter for the Atlanta Journal and president of a public relations firm.
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Simply Kelina
underneath the covers
April 10th:
Colorimetry
Deal Sharing Aunt
Locks, Hooks and Books
Harlequin Junkie
April 11th:
Mello & June, It's a Book Thang!
Nicole's Book Musings
Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader
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Wishful Endings
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Thoughts of a Blonde
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- 1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally
- 1 winner will receive signed print copies of of THE SOLDIER'S PROMISE, TEMPTED BY THE SOLDIER, A SOLDIER'S JOURNEY, and THE SEAL'S RETURN (US only)
- Ends April 18th
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