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The Peaceful Valley Wounded Soldier's Anthology

By J Carol Nemeth

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The Soldier’s Heart

“Have you heard who’s back in town, Myra?”
Beth Hayes couldn’t miss Myrtle Brown’s voice from the next isle over as she searched Hoover’s Pharmacy shelf for the supplies she needed.
“Nope,” Myra Washington replied. “Can’t keep up with who comes and goes in this dadblamed town. Seems the young’uns are always leaving and coming back. Never satisfied. Want to leave because the town’s too small. They leave and they don’t like what they find in the big world so they come back.”
“Myra, would you just hush up and listen to me?” Myrtle said.
Beth grinned. The two women had been best of friends for at least fifty years but were always going at it. They were pretty much inseparable, but to hear them talk, you’d think they couldn’t get along.
“What are you going on about, Myrtle? Which young’un has returned this time?”
Beth reached for a bottle of peroxide.
“Why it’s that Alex Hunter, don’t you know. He’s back from the Army. And he’s a looker too,” Myrtle added, “Mmmhmmm. He sure is. They say he’s a major.”
The plastic bottle of peroxide slipped from Beth’s fingers and hit the floor, rolling under the edge of the display unnoticed.
Alex Hunter? Her Alex Hunter? No. Not her Alex Hunter. Her Alex Hunter left for the Army twenty years ago never looking back. Why would he return? He wouldn’t. And he wasn’t her Alex Hunter. Not anymore.
Beth glanced into the shopping basket hanging from her arm. What was she doing? Her brain had gone numb. Myrtle’s words had thrown her for a loop and she needed to focus. Even if Alex Hunter had returned to Grace Ridge, there wasn’t anything she could do about it, and she needed to keep moving on as if he hadn’t.
With a determined nod she peered around. Hadn’t she been looking at a bottle of peroxide? Oh yes, there it is. She grabbed it from beneath the edge of the display, dropped it into her basket, finished her shopping and headed to the cash register. She’d get on with her day as if she hadn’t heard this…extraordinary news. Grandpa was waiting for her.
“Have a good afternoon, Beth,” Mrs. Compton said from behind the register.
“You too, Mrs. Compton,” Beth said, “and stay cool. It promises to get really warm today.”
“Don’t I know it?” The lady fanned herself in spite of the air conditioned pharmacy. “The heat just shoots in that door when someone comes in or out. Well, have a good day.”
Waving her fingers, Beth grabbed her bag of supplies and rushed out the pharmacy door. Turning toward Grandpa Hayes’ office, she ran smack into a hard chest and bounced backward losing her balance.
Hands reached out and grabbed her before she could fall backward and hit the pavement. Stunned and with the air knocked out of her, it took several moments for her to realize what had happened.
“Take slow deep breaths, Beth.” A deep voice said as she was half led, half carried to the bench that sat between Hoover’s Pharmacy and Valley Hardware next door. “Take it easy.”
Beth did as she was told because she needed to breathe again. What was that wall she’d hit? Or rather who had she run into? Then as reason began to return and her breathing settled back to normal, she looked at the man beside her, and her face warmed. She knew it wasn’t the end of the June warm day that caused it. Of all the people in the world she had to physically run into, why did it have to be Alex Hunter?
The last time she’d seen him he was eighteen years old. He was good looking at eighteen, but he was devastating at thirty-eight. Apparently the Army had been good for him. It had been twenty years and he’d never returned. He’d left a skinny kid right out of high school. He was anything but that now. He was taller and muscular, his dark brown hair cut in the high and tight favored by the military guys. But his face…his face looked as if he’d seen things. Hard things. His jaw had become more square and stronger.
Beth’s gaze was drawn to Alex’s and there she saw strength. The same gorgeous gray gaze looked back but there was a maturity that hadn’t been in the young Alex. What could he have seen and done in his years in the military to build this man from that untried and untested teenager?
Right now compassion and concern filled his gaze. “Are you alright, Beth? You ran into me pretty hard. Where were you going in such an all-fired hurry, anyway? You could’ve been seriously hurt.”
Beth’s breathing had returned to normal and her ire rekindled. Standing, she grabbed the bag of pharmacy supplies he’d thoughtfully placed on the bench beside her. “You’ve been gone a long time, Alex. You can’t just come back and pretend twenty years away.”
Without a second glance she hurried toward Grandpa Hayes doctor’s office. She could feel the anger coursing through her veins. Who did he think he was? After leaving her high and dry twenty years ago to show up now out of the blue and act like nothing had changed. They had been inseparable since sixth grade. They did everything together. Then in high school they’d planned to go to the same college, and then the future? Who knew? But it probably would’ve been together. Right?
Then Alex decided he wanted to serve his country. There wasn’t anything wrong with that. Beth’s father was an officer in the US Army and had died serving his country when she was sixteen. She was very proud of him and his service. But Alex had just up and joined without talking to her. They’d made plans and he’d ruined them.
Beth flung open the back door of the doctor’s office and stomped up the hallway, by this time in a fine dander.
She hurried into the supply room where Jeannie Mason stood surveying the shelves with her clipboard.
“Oh good. You’re back. The supply company said they could get the shipment out by early next week so we’ll just have to plug along with pharmacy supplies until then.” She turned as Beth dumped her bag of supplies on the work table. “What goodies were you able to find?”
It was only then she noticed the steam pouring from Beth’s ears. “Uh oh. What happened?”
“He’s back.”
Jeannie was not only Beth’s co-worker but her best friend. “Ok. I’ll bite. Who’s back?”
“Alex Hunter. That’s who’s back.” Beth paced the small floor of the supply room then stopped in front of Jeannie. “What am I going to do?”
Jeannie chuckled and put her hand over her mouth to cover it up. “Why should you do anything? It’s been twenty years. The man has served his time. He can do whatever he wants. Yes, even come back to his hometown if he wants to. Hello! He did grow up here.”
Beth felt as if a bubble popped inside her. Jeannie was right. This was his hometown. He’d been born and raised here the same as her.
“You know, Beth, just because he went off and joined the Army and decided to have a different life than you doesn’t mean it was the wrong thing for him to do. Maybe it’s time for you to get over it.”
“Beth, I need you to prep the rooms ASAP.” Grandpa stuck his gray head into the supply room. He peered at her over his wire-framed glasses. “Everything okay? You don’t look so good. We’re running behind this morning, and the first patients are already in the waiting room.”
Beth nodded numbly. Jeannie’s words had stung but she didn’t have time to think about them right now. Getting the supplies at the pharmacy and running into Alex had made her late. She’d have to hurry to get things back on schedule

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