A broken-hearted Ward Cartwright left town to join the army when his boyfriend Tyler Hughes turned his back on their love and married a woman. Ten years later, Tyler is a widower with two young boys, and Ward has returned home. He is hopeful he can re-establish his relationship with Tyler. Even though a decade has passed, Tyler still feels tied to the family-owned feed mill. He has folks depending on the mill for employment, there are his children to consider, they live in a small town, and ... But despite this, Tyler finds there are plenty of benefits to giving Ward a job in the mill -- lots of out-of-the-way places to explore Ward’s army-honed, muscular body. Just when Tyler resolves to live more openly with Ward, rumors begin to surface, not just at the mill, but at his sons’ school. Ward knows the upcoming battle is just as serious as anything he’s faced in Afghanistan. Instead of fighting for his country, the soldier is fighting for his lover’s heart. Will Ward finally emerge victorious, or will Tyler’s self-doubt and fear of prejudice win out again?

Welcome Home, Soldier

Maude’s was a rustic place. Like a log cabin on the outside with knotty pine walls and furnishings inside. There was a bar area and two dining rooms. The hostess showed them to a table in the center of the larger of the two rooms. It was fairly crowded.


“Is there a booth available?” Tyler asked.


“Sure,” the young woman replied and led them to the second dining room, which had fewer patrons. They were seated in a booth in a corner.


Ward wasn’t sure if Tyler just liked booths or was uncomfortable sitting at a table in the middle of the first, more crowded room. When they were in high school Tyler had never seemed to mind being seen at Doherty’s with Ward, or the pizza place here in Westbrook. They’d gone to the movies together and parties as well. Maybe now that they were grown men, Tyler felt more threatened about the two of them being seen together.


Chapter 23