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

“That was wrong, very wrong, but it doesn’t justify resorting to fighting.”


“Tommy, you used a word which is called a slur. That means it’s a word which insults a particular group of people. It is very disrespectful. Your punishment will involve looking up the definition of slur and writing a theme on why it is not a proper thing to say. I suggest you ask your father to help you.” Mr. Jennings gave Hank a meaningful look.


Tyler could see Hank was not taking this subtle reprimand well. Hank’s eyes narrowed and his face went rigid.


“Mr. Hughes, I would suggest you talk with your sons about appropriate ways of responding to incidents of this nature.”


Appropriate ways of responding to incidents of this nature. Tyler repeated the principal’s words in his head. He knows there will be others like this—especially if Ward and I keep on seeing each other.


“Boys, you may go back to class,” Mr. Jennings said.


Chapter 47