High-Stakes Holiday Reunion

She nodded again. “I thought the police were the only ones who could do something with that information, though. I figured it would do us no good.”

Jack shook his head. “We’ll look into it. You have no idea who these men are?”

Ashley shook her head. “No, I have no idea. We’re just simple, everyday people. Things like this don’t happen to us.”

Jack grunted. Christopher knew that he understood what it was like when simple, everyday people got mixed up in things bigger than they seemed equipped to handle. That was how Jack had met the woman who was now his wife, for that matter. At least that reminded Christopher of how good things could come from bad situations, similar to the flower garden he’d stumbled upon in the middle of a military base. Some soldiers had decided to make the place feel like home and planted roses and hollyhocks and other varieties he couldn’t identify. How they’d made those flowers grow in that soil, he’d never know. But they had, and they’d proven to him that from the dust something beautiful could grow.

“You’re both welcome to stay here for as long as you need to,” Jack started. “Christopher, the men are at your place now, checking things out and boarding up your windows. You did the right thing by leaving immediately. In the meantime, we’ll look into that license plate number and see what we can find out.” He glanced at Ashley. “Why don’t you give us your address and a house key? We’ll search your place also, just to make sure there’s nothing we’re missing.”

“I appreciate it.” Her gaze met each person’s in the circle while her hand clutched the necklace at her throat. “I appreciate all of your help. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Jack patted her arm. “We’re glad you’re here. Let us know if you need anything else.” He offered a curt wave before he headed back up the stairs.

Denton lingered, his gaze meeting Christopher’s. “Christopher, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Christopher nodded and followed him to a corner. He glanced back at Ashley and saw that she’d already gravitated back toward the fire again. By the set of her shoulders, she looked like she was carrying a weight far heavier than she should bear.

He turned back to Denton. “What is it?”

Denton lowered his voice. “Are you sure you can handle this?” His eyes showed that he was dead serious.

“Of course.” Christopher wasn’t sure what his superior was getting at.

Denton crossed his arms and shifted, his voice still low and conspirative. “You took this job to recover from war. You’re being thrown right back into a battle, though.”

Christopher straightened. “I can handle it.”

“I know you think you’re tough. You are tough. But even the toughest soldiers have to step away from the battle sometimes.”

“Sometimes a soldier has no choice but to go back into the fight. They have to reach down inside and find strength, even when they don’t think they have it. That’s what one of the men who once trained me said, at least.” He kept his chin raised and stood at full attention, though he knew Denton would tell him to be at ease.

Denton stared at him a moment before nodding. A smile stretched across his face and he gripped his arm. Denton had been that man who said those words. “I’m here for you if you need me.”

“You always have been. I appreciate that, sir.”

Denton leaned closer. “Listen, I don’t know what your past relationship is with Ashley, but I get the feeling you two were more than friends.”

“Yes, we were. We were engaged, to be exact.”

His eyes widened a moment. “This was the girl you were crazy about while you were in training, huh? I remember the way you talked about her like she was the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“She was the best thing to ever happen to me.” His heart squeezed as he said the words. They were true. Walking away from Ashley had felt like walking away from his heart.

“Don’t let your past get in the way of doing what you have to do.”

“Yes, sir.” He glanced back over at Ashley. Those words would be the hardest to follow through on. Remembering their time together was so bittersweet.

Somehow, he had to ignore the fact that she hated him and realize that God had brought her back into his life for some reason...maybe even just forgiveness and closure? He didn’t know.

But he did know that, in Christ, all things worked together for His good.

Somehow, someway, something good was going to come out of all of this.

The question was...what?

FIVE

Christopher stared at the alarm clock on the nightstand beside his bed. The red numbers stared back at him. Six-twenty, and he was wide awake.

He’d been wide-awake for a long time.

For most of the night, for that matter.

He tossed toward the other side of his bed, trying to grab a few more minutes of rest. Back at home, there was a bottle of sleeping pills lying on his nightstand. He’d refused to take them, despite his doctor’s encouragement. He liked to think he was strong enough to weather the storms of life without the help of any medication.

Even if he’d had the pills with him now, he wouldn’t have taken any last night. He wanted to be on guard.

Between his return home, the unexpected reappearance of Ashley in his life, and the danger surrounding her, sleep had just been a dream.

He should be used to it. He hadn’t had a good night’s rest in months. Too many images from Afghanistan haunted him.

He’d gone to counseling all of four times, and it hadn’t done him any good. All the counselor had wanted to do was talk about things. He was tired of talking about things. He just wanted to move on.

Being back in the States was an entirely different kind of battleground.

Hang on to the good memories, he reminded himself, punching his pillow with his fist.

He was thankful that Jack had given him a job at Eyes as a Training Specialist. He hoped his soul would have time to heal away from the battleground. But now he’d been thrust into the face of danger again, it seemed. But how could he turn Ashley away? He couldn’t.

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