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

Ward sighed and turned to go back the way he’d come only to find the trail was gone. He was trapped on the top of the mountain, but he was no longer his teenage self. He was Ward, the adult.


That’s when he had woken up. Ward sighed. He realized the dream was a reflection of his life with Tyler both ten years ago and now. They had this wonderful relationship. There were hard patches, but the ultimate prize of being together kept them going. Ten years ago they’d reached the mountain top. The goal was in sight. But the trail had abruptly ended, and Ward had walked away.


Was that where they were now? Was their relationship going to end the same way as it had that long ago summer night? No, this time there was nowhere for Ward to go. For now, Ward was trapped at the top of the mountain. Tyler was his whole life. He couldn’t abandon it as he had before. There had to be a way, there just had to be.


Chapter 51