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

“Yep, we have,” Ward said, laying a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Go on, Ty. You’re just getting to the good part.”


Tyler shook his head and gave Ward another look. “Anyway, like I said, we were standing at the fence watching the chickens and horses, and I said I had to pee.”


“Yes, Jackie boy. Dad’s do pee,” Ward interjected.


Tyler looked at Ward. He was enjoying this entirely too much.


“Ward here says, Just go ahead and pee through the fence, that’s what farm boys do.”


“So I did. Well, see, at that time they had this big old red rooster—a lot like this one.”


“Big Red we called him,” Ward interrupted.


“Yeah, Big Red. May he rest in peace. He comes over while I’m peeing and looks at my pecker and…and…I guess he thought it was a worm because he grabbed it in his beak and wouldn’t let go.”


The boys first looked shocked, then dissolved in laughter.


Chapter 30