The Dangerous Jacob Wilde

For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Caleb gestured around them. “You bought this place because of her.”

“She’d come to love it. That was what she said, anyway.” Jake cleared his throat. “Besides, how could I let that miserable old man’s land be bought by somebody who might have been even more miserable?”

They all managed to smile.

“Right,” the General said. “I only wish you wanted to—”

“But I do,” Jake said. He looked at father. “I was wrong about El Sueño. And I’d be honored if you offered it to me again.”

His brothers grinned. The General smiled. And saluted his son.

“The honor would be mine,” he said quietly.

Jake returned his father’s salute. The men’s gazes met and then the General’s mouth twisted. He closed the distance between them and put his arms around his son.

Jake stood, unmoving. His vision blurred. Pollen. It had to be pollen….

He gave a soft, choked sound.

“Dad,” he whispered, and he returned the embrace.

In late afternoon, Jake sat in one of the old chairs on his porch, feet up on the railing, a cold bottle of beer in his hand.

A chipmunk came scurrying around the corner.

Jake raised his beer in greeting.

“Welcome,” he said amiably.

The chipmunk looked at him.

“Want a beer?”

Evidently not. Potato-chip crumbs from Jake’s al fresco lunch hours before were its snack of choice, maybe a bit of the cheese sandwich that had accompanied the chips….

A cheese sandwich.

Jake got to his feet. The chipmunk squeaked in alarm and raced down the steps. Foolish, because it had nothing to fear.

He was the one who was afraid. What he was thinking was crazy.

Addison wouldn’t want to see him.

She had a tender heart. That was why she’d asked about him but why would she want to see him after the things he’d said?

Still, if there was a chance …

Even if there wasn’t, he needed to see her. To tell her that whatever was happening to him now, he owed to her.

It had taken him a long time to face reality. To admit he needed help. To phone the shrink back at Walter Reed and ask him for the name of a local veteran’s group.

But he’d done it.

He’d taken a seat in a circle made up of men just like him, warriors who had served their nation and come home to a world they didn’t understand.

If he could do that …

Surely, he could do this, too.