Free The Long Road Home by Cheyenne Meadows Page A

snickered the whole time."
    "What did she ask?"
    "If she really needed to know why I spent the holiday with a condom tester and had souvenir condoms left over. I told her probably not."
    "Then what happened?"
    "She blushed to the roots of her hair and made a beeline for the kitchen." Another bout of laughter followed as he recalled how his information about the condoms sent his mother scurrying. As nosey as she tended to be, he didn't think anything would surprise her. Obviously, he was wrong.
    "Oh my." Gwen tittered.
    "Uh huh." He waited for her humor to settle. "Oh, the reason I called. Walter Reed wants me to show up Monday morning to get all my registration paperwork done and start with my initial therapy session."
    "That soon? Wow. And here I thought the government worked slower than snail speed."
    Logan grinned at her analogy. "Usually. Guess this must be the exception." He paused a beat. "Is that okay? I know it's short notice being today is Friday."
    "No, no. Monday is actually perfect. I had originally taken most of next week off to spend in Nebraska with my family. Well, since that fell through, I've been thinking of calling work and returning early. That way I can save a couple vacation days to use later. I'll keep Monday off, which will give me time to talk to my boss and get the nod to come back on Tuesday." She paused for a second. "Do you want to drive in Sunday? That way you won't have to be up so early with a four hour drive. You can get a full night's sleep here and be ready for your first day."
    "That's a good idea. Are you sure, though? I don't want to intrude or make any problems."
    "I'm positive. In fact, I'm already excited. I'll make up the spare bedroom, go grocery shopping. Get this house shipshape and ready for company."
    "Gonna make more homemade bread?" He crossed his fingers.
    "You want some?"
    "Absolutely."
    "Then I'll see if I can toss together a few more loaves. Can't let the special guest starve, after all."
    Swinging around, he leaned back against his pillows, noticing his reflection in the dresser mirror. A relaxed grin covered his face as he talked to the petite brunette who had left a few short hours ago.
    His expression said it all. A man with a major crush on a woman, who enjoyed sitting around and shooting the bull, making plans for their next time together. The guys in his old unit would tease him mercilessly if they saw his expression right now. Tough warriors weren't supposed to look like teens in love for the first time. They were supposed to carry confidence, seize the day, sweep the woman off her feet, and drag her to his man cave. He snorted at the thought.
    Too bad he couldn't be with them to hear their ribbing. A wave of sadness and regret stole his grin.
    "Logan? Everything okay?" Gwen's voice laced with concern.
    "Yeah. Just thinking."
    "About?"
    He debated how much to tell her. After all, they were just together a couple of days and laying a heavy weight on her shoulders might prove too much for her to bear, especially this early in their relationship. You won't know until you try. Like his drill sergeant always said, he wanted to know what a soldier could stand before he marched with them into battle. Better to know ahead of time than find out in the middle of a firefight.
    Blowing out a slow breath, he focused on the words. "I miss the Army. My old job and the other Rangers in my unit."
    "You want to go back?"
    She hit the nail on the head. "I wish. But with this prosthesis, it ain't happening."
    "Have you thought about what else you might want to do with your life?"
    "Some. Nothing comes to mind. I was damned content where I was, despite the danger. If the bomb would have taken my life instead of just my leg, I would have died happy."
    A pregnant silence greeted him. "You're a warrior, born and bred. I can see that in everything you do. I know it's hard now and will be in the future, but I'm thankful the way things turned out. To have this second chance…" She sighed. "I