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

“I mean what would you want if…if, you know…if I wasn’t such a chicken about us.”


Ward shook his head. “Ty, I understand where you’re coming from. I have some of the same fears. You’ve come a long way since I first popped up in your life again.”


“Be honest, you want it to be more, right? More than pretending we’re just friends, more than sneaking out of town to spend a couple hours in a motel.”


“Stop being so damn noble. I’m serious.”


Ward took a deep breath. “If this was a perfect world—I’d ask you to marry me.”


Tyler stared at Ward. Marriage had never crossed his mind, not seriously at any rate. Yes, it was legal now. But he’d somehow never figured that would be what Ward wanted.


“If I did ask you, would you say yes?” Ward asked.


Chapter 36