Their Blue-Collar Girl (The American Soldier Collection 4)

“Yeah, things went well,” Trevor said then took a slug of beer.

“Good, she’s a great woman,” Andrew stated.

“She’s a knockout!” Matt added as he joined his brothers.

Phil just listened as he sat down on one of the large green cushioned chairs.

“You’re engaged, Matt, remember?” Andrew teased and Matt laughed.

“A woman as perfect as that can make a man stray.”

“Mathew David Henley, what would Janie think about that?” Phil asked his son and Charlie, Dante, Trevor, and Andrew laughed.

“Janie knows I tell it the way it is. I do it all the time at the newspaper,” Matt stated as he took a sip of his beer.

“That’s why they haven’t let you write anything lately. You’ve caused so much trouble around there,” Andrew said and they all laughed.

“Matt could be onto something. I haven’t seen you three clean shaven and smiling in a long time,” Phil added, and both Matt and Andrew agreed.

“Seriously, guys, she’s special. I do like her a lot. Most people do the second she starts to talk to them. Carl swears business at his place has doubled since Lori started working there,” Matt told them.

“She’s a caring person that’s why. I bumped into Jay Carton the other day and he said that when Lori works the late shift she gives his old man Patch, a ride home so he doesn’t try to drive himself,” Andrew told them.

“See what I mean. She’s a good person,” Matt added.

“I tell you just this afternoon I bumped into Lori in town and we sat down outside my office,” Andrew began to say.

“Yeah, he had lunch with Lori and called me telling me how much he loves me and how blessed he is to have me and the kids in his life,” Michelle interrupted as she started placing food on the table.

“What did you think, Michelle, that he cheated on you?” Matt teased.

“No, I’ve gotten to know Lori pretty well and she’s a very unselfish person. She’s a strong, independent, extremely intelligent person. To survive the ordeal she and Maggie and Ben went through, forget it, I would have never been able to.” Michelle left the room to retrieve the remainder of the meal.

“What is she talking about?” Matt and Dante asked at the same time.

“Lori and Maggie were on the run for the past five years. They had to escape from Ben’s father. He was abusive,” Andrew stated. Charlie, Trevor, and Dante were in shock. Michelle and Terry entered the room.

“Lori worked day and night to support her sister and the baby. Diana said she worked in some real bad places and sometimes slept in that car of hers for months at a time,” Terry added as she began to serve the meal.

“Oh my God. We had no idea,” Trevor said.

Charlie was in shock. He, too, had no idea that Lori had experienced any of this. “Weren’t the police involved?”

“Apparently from what Lou and Diana told us, Ben’s father came from a well-known family in the community. It wasn’t until he assaulted another young woman, then killed a man outside a bar that the police were after him,” Phil told them.

“Diana told me she wanted her daughters to call the police since Ben’s father was a fugitive, but the girls feared that his family would blame them for their son’s mistakes and try to convince a court to give them custody of Ben. Lori and Maggie stayed in hiding until that dreadful night.” Terry sighed and held her hand against her chest.

“What happened?” Dante asked.

“Andrew, you received her medical files and spoke to the doctor Lori saw. How exactly did it happen?” Terry asked her son.

“I don’t think it’s really my place to tell her story. When Lori’s ready, I’m sure she’ll share it with you.” Andrew took a deep breath and released it as if the thought of what happened to her really bothered him.

“She saved Maggie’s and Ben’s lives,” Michelle said. “Maggie’s ex-boyfriend broke into the house they rented and attacked Maggie and Ben. He was going to kill Maggie and Lori intervened. He had a gun and planned on killing them both then taking Ben away. Lori got the gun away from the ex-boyfriend, yelled for Ben to run since she had called the police already, and saved him. During the struggle, Maggie escaped and Lori shot the ex-boyfriend. That’s how she broke her wrist. Then apparently he resisted arrest, grabbed a weapon prepared to shoot at Lori and the police, and the police shot him, killing him.”

“I can’t believe this.” Charlie leaned back in his chair.

“When Lori does tell you guys, which I’m sure she will, I wouldn’t be surprised if she minimizes her actions. She doesn’t really want anyone to know. She doesn’t want to be seen as a hero,” Andrew told them just as little Andy and his sister Kerry came running onto the porch.