A Soldier's Return

Jeff followed Vanessa, but he only extended one arm.

Awkwardly, Jim extracted his right hand from Vanessa’s embrace and shook Jeff’s hand.

“I’m Jeff Jacobs, Rebecca’s husband. I’m glad to meet you. And Rebecca is waiting for you to come in and visit with her, if you don’t mind.”

Vanessa didn’t turn loose of Jim, but she reared back so she could look up at him, tears streaming down her face. “Just promise you’ll come right back,” she said. “I wouldn’t let you go, but Becca is suffering.”

Jim stared at his sister and shook his head. “I didn’t expect— You’re beautiful, Vanessa. You were so little the last time I saw you.”

“Wait until you see Rebecca and Rachel together,” Vanessa bragged. “They’re the real beauties.”

Carrie protested. “You could be a triplet, Vanessa, and you know it.”

“You remind me of Mom,” Jim told his sister, awe in his voice.

Vanessa started blinking furiously to hold back more tears. She buried her face in his chest again, then she stepped back. “Go see Becca, and I’ll try to get myself under control before you come back.”

JIM HOPED Vanessa stopped crying. If she didn’t, he might end up crying, too, and that would be embarrassing.

Jeff looked at Jim out of the corner of his eye. “Rebecca is a little emotional right now, so don’t be surprised if she cries, too. All three girls have been anxious for you to come home.”

“Why?” Jim blurted his innermost thoughts. “They don’t know anything about me. I failed them. The only sibling I managed to keep in touch with was Wally, and I got him killed.”

“Man, they idolize you and are so happy you’ve come. They don’t expect you to jump through hoops or be a superhero. They just want their brother.”

Jim drew a deep breath. Then he muttered, “Thanks.” He wasn’t sure if he believed the man, but he gave Jim a little more courage to face Rebecca.

Jeff opened the door. “Here he is, honey.”

Rebecca, a dark beauty like Vanessa, sat up in bed and extended her arms, too. Jim wasn’t a slow learner, so he hugged her in return. Nor was he surprised when tears ran down her cheeks. Her reaction was brought to an abrupt halt by a labor pain. Jeff hurried to the other side of the bed and took her hand, telling her to take short breaths.

Once it had passed, Jim leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Concentrate on your baby right now. I’ll be around when you’ve delivered.”

“Okay, but promise you won’t disappear,” Rebecca barely managed to get out before another contraction hit.

Jeff looked at Jim. “Would you ask the nurse to step in here?” he asked calmly.

Jim, however, could see the panic in his eyes, so he hurried out and found the nurse. Then he returned to the waiting room.

Chapter Two

“You didn’t stay long,” Vivian said, back in the waiting room.

“I think her pains have increased.”

Vivian’s attention transferred from him to Rebecca’s situation. She hurried back to Jeff and Rebecca.

Jim frowned. “She’s not Rebecca’s mother, too, is she?”

Vanessa shook her head. “No, but she felt like she should’ve been. She wanted to adopt all of us, but her late husband wouldn’t let her. So when we find any of you, she kind of adopts them with her heart. Besides, Becca doesn’t have a mother around.”

“Did her adoptive mother die?”

“No,” Vanessa said, her lips pressed together.

Jim didn’t ask any other questions. It was obviously not a happy situation. And he appreciated the support Vivian was giving his sister.

“How long will she be in labor?” he asked.

Will shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure, but Vivian said it’s supposed to be shorter with your second child.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten Rebecca had another child. Joey, right?”

“That’s right. And you wouldn’t have forgotten him if you’d met him. He’s adorable,” Vanessa said.

“Carrie mentioned him earlier.” He looked at Carrie, nodding in gratitude. Their earlier conversation had helped him deal with the family. It helped to know someone who wasn’t family, too. After all, he’d gone from having no family to having more than he could comprehend. Carrie seemed to understand how overwhelming it could be. He could look at her and center himself. He’d never felt that before with anyone.

“Come sit down, Jim,” Will suggested again. “We may have a long wait.”

“So everyone’s staying until the baby is born?” Jim asked, a little surprise in his voice.

“We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Will assured him and patted the chair next to him.

As soon as Jim sat down, Vanessa grabbed the chair on the other side of him.

“When did you arrive?” Vanessa asked.

“Around three, I think.” He looked at Carrie for confirmation. “I arrived earlier at the airport, but I rented a car and found a hotel room.”

“A hotel room? You’re staying with us, aren’t you?” Vanessa demanded.

“I don’t want to be a problem,” Jim said.

Will just shook his head. “I knew she’d react that way.”

“Look, I just wanted to see you, Vanessa. You and Rebecca and Rachel. I don’t intend to impose on you.” He hadn’t really made plans for his future, but he had a fat savings account and time to look around for what he wanted to do.

“Will, make him stay!” Vanessa exclaimed.

“Honey, I can’t do that if he doesn’t want to. Maybe your mother can talk him into it.”

Jim didn’t have anything to say about that, but Vanessa did. She blew out a sigh of relief. “Of course. Mom will take care of it.”

It was Will’s turn to ask him a question. “What do you plan to do now that you’re out of the marines?” he asked.

Carrie took a seat and held her breath, waiting for the information she’d wanted to hear. Like his sisters, she didn’t want to lose touch with Jim, even though she didn’t have that right. But he’d been in her mind, in her dreams and fantasies, for so long. How could she let go of him now?

“I don’t know. I’ll have to get out the want ads and see if there’s anything I can do.”

“You handy with a gun?”

Jim frowned. He didn’t know exactly how to answer that. “I’m a fair shot. I’m no gunslinger, though.”

“Good. How are your computer skills?”

“Good. I majored in computer science.”

Will’s eyebrows shot up. “Excellent! I suppose you can handle yourself in a fight?”

“Just what do you have in mind, Will?”

“Have you thought about working as a private investigator?”

“You mean, like you?” Jim asked, surprised.

“Yeah, like Carrie and me.”

Jim looked at the young woman. So she wasn’t a receptionist, as he’d first thought. But she didn’t appear particularly muscular. In fact, she looked quite feminine…and pretty, not that that mattered in her line of work.

He responded to Will, “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, I need another man in the firm. I don’t like to travel out of town with Vivian and the baby at home, and I’m not comfortable sending Carrie every time. I could offer you a job, see if you like the work.”

“You don’t have to find me a job, Will. I’ll find something. I figured security work.”

“I can’t see you as a security guard at a mall or a bank. Think about it. We’ll talk again in a couple of days.”

There were more rapid footfalls, only from a different direction. Then a young woman dashed into the room, followed by a cowboy. Jim didn’t need anyone to tell him Rachel had arrived. He shot to his feet.

Rachel threw on the brakes and stared at him. Then she looked at Vanessa. “Is that Jim?”

“Yes, it is. He arrived today.”

This time Jim was prepared. He opened his arms as Rachel flew into them. He was beginning to think he was getting quite good at welcoming his sisters. Too bad he didn’t have any more of them.

He looked at Carrie out of the corner of his eye, over Rachel’s dark head. She was the only woman he’d met since his arrival who hadn’t hugged him. That was too bad.

“We thought it would be months yet!” Rachel exclaimed as she took a step back, tears streaming down her face. She whirled around to a brown-haired man who came in behind her. “J.D., it’s my brother, Jim.”

“I figured,” the young man drawled as he stuck out a hand to shake Jim’s. “J.D. Stanley.”

“This is my husband, J.D. We just flew in from west Texas. I was going to drive in tomorrow, but J.D. insisted we fly. I’m so excited you’re here!”

Then she must have remembered why she’d come and she asked, “Have you heard anything about Rebecca?”

“Mom just went back,” Vanessa replied. “Her pains started coming faster.”

Just then, Vivian came running back in. “Rebecca and Jeff just went into the delivery room. I’d better call Betty after all. Looks like we’ll be home for dinner. And Joey will want to know what’s happening.”

“You didn’t say hello to Rachel and J.D.,” Will said, taking his wife by surprise.

“I can’t believe you arrived so quickly.” She hugged both of them. “We’ll need to tell Betty to add two more for dinner.”

Will looked at his watch. “Better tell her around seven for dinner. I wouldn’t count my chickens before they’re hatched,” he said with a chuckle. “And ask how Danny’s doing,” he added. Then he looked at Jim. “That’s our son.”

Jim nodded. He hadn’t forgotten. He sent a grateful look toward Carrie. According to her earlier explanations, he figured, he’d now met all the family.

When Vivian finished her phone conversation, she turned back to her husband. “Danny’s fine. And Joey’s so excited, he couldn’t talk long. Betty was taking cookies out of the oven.”

J.D. laughed. “That boy’s got his priorities right.”

Rachel slapped his arm. “Shame on you.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” J.D. said, giving her a brief kiss. “I’d choose you over cookies anytime.”

Vanessa looked at Jim with a grin. “They’re newlyweds. Just ignore them.”

“Rebecca’s labor seems to be so fast this time. The doctor said that was normal for a second baby.” Vivian looked at her husband, and apparently Will seemed to know what she was thinking at once.

“Don’t even think about it, Viv. We were lucky the first time. I don’t intend to push our luck.” He kissed her and Jim could see the concern in his eyes.

“They’re kinda newlyweds, too,” Vanessa told Jim with a sigh.

“You feel a little left out?” he asked her quietly.

“Yeah. But I have a good friend in Carrie. We met our freshman year at SMU.”

Carrie smiled at Vanessa, nodding. It seemed a little strange to Jim that Carrie, who appeared to work for a living, was friends with a young lady who apparently had her way paid for her. But that was none of his business.

Of course, they were both beauties. They had that in common.

Vivian jumped up from her seat to pace the room. “I’ll be so glad when the baby’s here. What did they decide to name her?”

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders. “They have several names picked out, but I don’t think they wanted to make a final decision until they met her.”

Rachel was smiling. “Rebecca sent me a picture of the sonogram.”

Will grinned. “Yeah. She showed it to all of us, including Joey. He wasn’t impressed!”

“He said she didn’t look like Danny,” Vivian said with a smile.

“Maybe she’ll look like her mama did when she was a baby,” Jim said softly, struck by how strong and vivid the memory was. In his mind’s eye he could see Rebecca as a baby, her full head of dark hair, her pink face scrunched up as she cried. He could never tell her apart from her twin, Rachel. But his parents could.

“Yes, she and Rachel were pretty babies, just like Vanessa,” Vivian said. She put a gentle hand on Jim’s forearm. “We have a picture of all of you just before the accident.”

Jim frowned. The accident that took their parents and shattered their happy home. How many times had he thought about that day? How many times had he thought of what it’d be like now if his parents were still alive, or if he’d managed to keep all the kids together?

“I’d love to see the picture,” he told Vivian.

Rachel spoke up. “You don’t have a picture of all of us?”

“No. They only packed a few of our clothes.” Jim paused and looked down at his clenched hands. He’d never forget that day the social services worker came and took them from the house. He’d tried so hard to be brave, but the tears had fallen freely when he’d left the house that last time.

“I remember David had a teddy bear that he slept with all the time. They left it behind. I heard he cried a lot….” He couldn’t prevent the pang of guilt that jabbed him at the memory. “Then I didn’t hear anything else about him after that. Finally my foster mother told me someone had adopted him.”

Vivian reached out to cover his clenched hands and gave him a sympathetic smile when he looked at her.

Will sat up. “Did she give you any details? Whether it was a local adoption…”

He shook his head. “She said to stop worrying about David, that a lady had come to get him and she and her husband adopted him. That’s all.”

“Sounds like it might have been local,” Will said slowly.

“Or it could’ve been a lie just to stop me from bugging her about him,” Jim said quietly, his jaw tight. That would have been like his foster mother.

Vivian stared at him. “But, Jim, you were only nine. Of course you couldn’t do anything.”

Jim shot her a sharp look and couldn’t keep the anger from his voice. Anger at himself. “I was the oldest. I was supposed to take care of my brothers and sisters.”

“I’m sure you were a big comfort to Wally,” Rachel said softly.

Jim shrugged. “Yeah, right. I didn’t get to see him but once a month. Then when I got older, we talked on the phone every once in a while.” His expression darkened with the memory. “Then he followed me into the marines…and died. Some comfort.”

“But that wasn’t your fault,” Vanessa cried.

He turned to look at his youngest sister. “He joined so we could be together. It was my fault. We—”

Jim’s explanation was interrupted by Jeff Jacobs. He ran into the waiting room, dressed in scrubs with tiny footprints on them.

“She’s here!” he announced. “She’s perfect and Becca is, too. They’re moving them to our room now, and you can all come see our baby.”

Everyone stood and followed Jeff out the door.

“We don’t have anything to give them,” Rachel exclaimed. “Honey, could you run down and buy some flowers from the gift shop?”

J.D. agreed to go purchase flowers.

“I’d better go with you,” Jim said. “I don’t have anything for them, either.”

Before anyone could protest, Jim and J.D. hurried away.

Carrie was about to back off when she saw Vivian clutch her husband’s hand. “I thought I was going to burst into tears when he talked about protecting his little brothers. He was only nine!”

“I know, dear.” Will gave her a hug. “We’ll give him more family than he ever dreamed of.”

“If that’s what he wants,” Carrie said with a frown. She had sensed discomfort in Jim, as if she’d known instinctively that he wouldn’t want anyone’s sympathy. She hoped those feelings would go away, but she wasn’t sure. After all, he’d been alone for a long time now.

Vanessa asked, “What do you mean, Carrie?”

“I think he may be a little overwhelmed with so much going on.” She thought he was more than overwhelmed. He’d wanted to meet his sisters—three people—and now here he is in the midst of a big family.

“We’ll work it out, Carrie,” Will assured her. “But you’re right. It is different for him.”

“But he’s happy about finding us, isn’t he?” Vanessa asked.

“Yes, dear, he is,” Vivian hurriedly reassured her. Then she muttered to her husband, “And if he isn’t, he will be soon!”

Will chuckled under his breath and urged them all into Rebecca’s room. There, Rebecca and her baby were the center of attention.

“Oh, she’s beautiful!” Vanessa exclaimed.

“Of course she is,” Vivian said. “With Jeff and Rebecca as parents, she didn’t have a choice.” Vivian stretched out her arms. “May I hold her?”

Rebecca immediately agreed and passed the tightly wrapped bundle to Vivian. Vanessa and Rachel huddled around her, waiting for their turns.

Will shook Jeff’s hand. “You made it through okay?”

“It was touch and go there in the delivery room, but the payoff was great. Isn’t it a miracle?”

Will chuckled again. “You know it was for me. I never expected to have children. But then I never expected to love someone like Vivian, either. That was the first miracle.”

Jeff nodded. “I know. I thought I’d lost Rebecca for good. Then one day I walked into my office and there she was. Then I found out about Joey. And now we have the new baby. Life just keeps getting better.”

J.D. and Jim stepped into the small room, each handing the new mom a vase of flowers.

“Oh, how nice!” Rebecca exclaimed. “Jim,” she prompted, “did you see the baby?”

“No, I haven’t—” Jim stopped as Vivian handed him the infant. “No, I can’t— I don’t know how to take care of a baby.”

“You don’t have to do anything today. Just hold her,” Vivian insisted.

Jim stood there, staring at the baby in his arms as she stretched and yawned. “She’s…beautiful.”

“Yes, she is,” Rebecca agreed with satisfaction. “And do you want to know her name?”

Everyone drew closer, as if they thought Rebecca was going to whisper.

“We decided to name her after Jim,” Rebecca said with a brilliant smile.

“You named her Jim?” Jim asked in astounded tones.

“No, silly. We named her Jamie. Jamie Ann Jacobs. What do you think?”

Everyone gave their approval except for Jim. He stared down at the tiny human in his arms, apparently unable to speak.

Carrie watched him hold the baby, his gaze fastened on the newborn’s every feature. Suddenly, as if he felt her gaze, he looked at her.

“Did you get to hold her?” he asked softly.

“I didn’t want to push,” Carrie replied with a grin. “I’ll see her later.”

“Come look,” he invited as Rebecca apologized for leaving Carrie out.

Carrie moved to his side. He looked even more handsome at that moment—a large, powerful man holding a tiny baby. “She’s so small,” she whispered.

Jim nodded. “Yeah, but she’s got a lot of potential.”

“And a lot of family,” Carrie added with a smile.

After the baby was returned to her mother, Vivian told them it was time they went home and gave Jeff time with Rebecca before he followed them. “After all, he needs to see Joey tonight.”

Jeff sat down on the bed and put his arm around his wife. “That’s right. Tell him I’ll be there after Rebecca goes to sleep. And I’ll bring him in the morning to see his baby sister.”

With calls of goodbye, the others left the room. Rachel asked if someone could give her and J.D. a ride because they didn’t have a car. Vanessa volunteered at once.

“We’ll see you at the house,” Vivian said.

Carrie noticed that Jim seemed to hang back on the short walk to the car. She kept looking over her shoulder to be sure he was following.

They got in the car and started the drive back to the house. Vivian sighed. “My, it’s always a relief when a baby arrives healthy.”

Jim remained silent in his side of the backseat.

“Are you two hungry?” Vivian asked, looking back.

Jim nodded. After a minute he said, “Yes, I am. I missed lunch.”

Vivian gasped. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“There wasn’t time. Besides, I’ve gone without meals before. It’s no big deal.”

“We’ll have dinner as soon as we get home,” Vivian assured him. Then she took out her cell phone and dialed the housekeeper. After giving rapid-fire instructions, she clicked off the call and smiled over her shoulder at Jim. “Betty was appalled. She doesn’t like for anyone to miss a meal. She’ll probably meet you at the door with hors d’oeuvres.”

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” Jim replied.

Carrie thought if he moved any closer to the car door, he’d open it and escape. He looked so uncomfortable.

To make him feel better, she said, “It’s true. Betty lives to feed a hungry man. If Will hadn’t married Vivian, she would’ve started carrying food to his apartment.”

Jim’s laugh was strained.

“She’s right, Jim,” Will said. “And nothing pleases Betty more than compliments. That’s a good thing to remember.” As he finished speaking, he slowed down to pull into the driveway of their home.

Vivian took Jim’s arm again and led the way into the house. Betty met them, telling Jim she had hors d’oeuvres ready in the morning room. “You come right in, you poor man.”

“Thank you, Betty,” Jim said.

“They should be right behind us, Betty,” Will told her.

“No matter. This man needs nourishment at once.”

Jim selected a sausage roll off the plate Betty offered. He took a bite and said, “These are great, Betty.”

He was a quick learner, Carrie chuckled to herself as she saw Betty beam at his compliment.

When the rest of the family arrived, the housekeeper herded them all into the dining room. Carrie was seated next to Jim, who was barraged by questions from his curious sisters and Vivian. Even though Carrie had only met the man hours ago, she seemed to be able to read his mind. Surrounded by so much family, he was overwhelmed, even downright scared. She sympathized with Jim, though there was little she could do.

After the meal, when everyone returned to the morning room for coffee, Jim remained standing by the doorway. She knew what he was up to.

As if on cue, he said, “I really enjoyed meeting all of you. Be sure and thank Rebecca for me. I hope to see you again sometime, after I’ve gotten settled in.” And with that, he turned on his polished heel and left.

As everyone sat there, stunned, Carrie looked at Will, who nodded his head. At his unspoken direction, she knew what she had to do.

JIM CLOSED his hotel room door soundly and leaned against it. He let out the breath he’d been holding since he walked into Will Greenfield’s office earlier that day.

He was exhausted. He’d had long days and nights of combat that hadn’t left him this tired. Then again, the enemy didn’t frighten him the way his newfound family had, he thought wryly.

He was glad he’d found his sisters. They were everything he’d imagined them to be all this time. Beautiful, kind, generous. Exactly the way his parents would’ve wanted them to grow up.

But he was just as glad that he’d been able to leave them in Highland Park and return, alone, to his hotel. He was so different from them. He couldn’t live the lifestyle they lived. He couldn’t open himself up the way they had with each other. It was better for him to put some distance between himself and them right away.

As if that was settled, he moved away from the door and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. A knock on the door interrupted his progress. Innately cautious, he peered through the peephole.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Throwing the door open, he demanded, “What are you doing here?”

Chapter Three

Carrie mustered her courage and looked him straight in the eye. The whole way over here she spent convincing herself she was doing the right thing by getting involved in Captain James Barlow’s life. Their client had hired Greenfield and Associates—thus, her—to find him, so after all, he was her business. And that was the only reason she found herself at Jim’s hotel room door. Business.

It had nothing whatsoever to do with how her heart sped up upon seeing him for the first time without his dress uniform jacket.

She cleared her throat and replied to his question. “I’m following orders.”

“Whose orders?” Jim snapped.

“Will didn’t want you to disappear. Your sisters have been waiting a long time for their big brother to come home.” She made no move to enter his hotel room, but also made it clear she wasn’t going away until she had her say.