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

“It’ll be okay, Eddie,” Ward said.


“I guess,” Eddie replied. “G’night, Ward. Love you.”


Ward swallowed hard. “Love you, too.”


Ward hung up and lay looking at the ceiling. Eddie didn’t sound unduly upset. In fact it didn’t sound any different from Eddie’s getting into trouble for something other than Ward and Tyler. That was a good sign. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as it had seemed. Maybe Tyler just needed time to think about things.


The ringing of his cell phone woke Ward. He had dozed off waiting for Tyler’s call. He sat up, completely awake.


“Hi.” Tyler’s voice sounded tired.


There was a long pause. Ward wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. Finally, he said, “Was it bad?”


Tyler sighed deeply. “About as bad as you can imagine. Hank outed us to Mr. Jennings. Or at least accused us of being…queers.”


Tyler’s emphasis on the last word made Ward uneasy. “What did you say?”


Chapter 50