Karly awoke slowly, drifting out of semi-consciousness. The nasty little men drilling holes in her temples made her groan.

Plus, someone had put a big rock in her bed, and it was poking her in the back. When the rock suddenly rolled over, her eyes popped open, and she inspected the intruding lump. The effect was dizzying, and the room began to spin.

Thad. Oh, no. What have I done? Another panicked groan released. “Why did you open that bottle of tequila?” She flopped a forearm over her eyes.

“I believe you were the one who challenged me to strip poker.”

“I always won before. That was a stupid assumption.”

“Especially since Army dudes play a lot of cards,” the all-too-smug and sexy voice informed her.

He sounded way, way, way too chipper. Was that a wow-just-got-laid chipper? Or a nice-to-see-you chipper? Or a told-you-so chipper? She couldn’t tell.

Her chest tightened. She flipped up the covers, finding bra and underwear still in place. Which didn't necessarily mean nothing happened. “We didn't… I mean… How did I get undressed?”

“One piece of clothing at a time. I see you got a tattoo. Nice.”

Brat. She would swat him if only her brain could figure out where her arms were without triggering more stabbing pains.

He stretched, slowly, thoroughly, like a cat waking from a nap. He rubbed both hands back and forth over the top of his head while glancing toward the bedroom window. “Looks like it’ll be a nice day.”

“How drunk did I get last night?”

“Wasted. You kept losing and taking shots.” He brushed the tangled mat of hair off her face. “It was kinda funny, actually. Do you do that often?”

She squinted against the sunlight. “Not since I was twenty-one and swore I’d never get that drunk again.”

He rolled out of bed and tilted the blinds to block a substantial portion of the light.

“Better?”

Yes. Freaking fantastic. Every ripped muscle in his torso made her want to run her hands across the waves. The side view of his white butt cheeks made her smile. When her scrutiny reached his jaw with its cover-model dark stubble, she nearly melted. His spikes of hair flying in every direction made her want to run her fingers through the short strands and play. He was casual about being naked in a way he hadn’t been previously, and that was just plain fun.

“If you don’t stop looking at me like I’m an ice cream cone you want to lick, I’m crawling back in that bed and doing some licking of my own.”

Her sexy parts heated, but she couldn’t allow him to get close. If he got close to her heart, she might abandon ship and swim on over to his side. She needed to find a life raft, and fast. Her eyes skimmed down his torso, and the empathy kicked in. Tiptoeing around his injury would just make matters worse. She sucked up some courage.

“I don’t remember if I asked last night about your wounds. Your left side is one big scar,” she murmured gently, to ease into the painful reality.

His eyes darkened. He leaned to pick up a pair of boxers and quickly stepped into them while she mentally gave herself another swift kick.

“Thad, I—”

“You always were one for telling it like it is. My scars are pretty ugly and hard to miss.”

“Sorry. My question was clumsy. The scars are just a small part of you. I’m more worried about you as a whole.”

She sat up and pushed the comforter back, but the room began to spin, and her stomach lurched. She swallowed acidy saliva. “God. Please let me get through this day, and I promise I’ll never, ever get drunk again.” She opened one eyelid to see if the room had settled into a stationary position.

His amber eyes studied her for a long moment before he moved to his duffel bag to retrieve a pair of jeans and a clean T-shirt. “I suggest you drink every drop of water in that bottle on the night stand, and then go back to sleep. I’ll go feed and water your animals. There’s no need to get up. Stay as long as you want.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Who will feed them, then?”

She pulled her hands down her face. “I guess you are. There are volunteers coming in, but not until later.”

“Thought so.”

Trying to remember what happened only made her brain ache more. What did happen? Surely she should be able to remember. Would it matter if something had happened? Yes, came the quiet answer. She’d want to remember every single detail.

“Thad? What happened last night?”

“Nothing happened, Karly, beyond us getting stupid drunk and having a lot of fun. Honest.” He looked so amused she wanted to give herself a kick for asking the stupid question. “Now down that water and get some sleep.”

Frustration slipped in between the pounding in her brain. “I’ll take a shower and follow you in.”

“Suit yourself. There are only about ten minutes of hot water. You might not want to stay in there too long.” He pointed toward the clothes folded precisely on the nightstand next to the bed. “Your stuff’s here, and the coffee’s on a timer. It should already be brewed. Help yourself.”

Thad turned at the door to stare at her. His eyes scanned over every surface, paying close attention to each nuance, like a best in breeds judge assessing a dog. What did he see?

Did he see a lonely woman who was tired of trying to please everyone?

Or the woman who was barely hanging on, trying to control a small-town business?

Or the girlfriend he left behind?

The jumbled feelings plaguing her for the past several days were magnified by the power of three.

He stood, silently staring, silently wanting. Wanting something she couldn't give him. Then he took a step back. “Maybe I’ll see you later, Karly. Come on, Custer. Let’s go.”

She flopped back down on the bed. What the hell am I doing?

The earthy scent from his pillow aroused her senses and triggered her awareness of a natural need. She snuggled in and allowed the sensual dreams to pull her back into a deep sleep.

A couple of hours later, she got out of bed and grabbed her clothes, shoving her legs one at a time into her jeans. Within minutes, she was ready to leave, but paused to take one more look around.

There were no pictures. No books. Nothing personal. Like his childhood room. He’d kept his room tidy and limited to avoid his dad’s ire, doing everything he could to remain invisible.

But you’re not invisible.

“Oh, Thad. Please, no.” She went into the bathroom. His organized shaving kit sat on the shelf, neatly packed. No razor or toothbrush sat by the sink. Shampoo was noticeably absent from the shower’s cubbyhole.

Your dad’s gone. There’s no reason to be invisible anymore.

In the bedroom, his duffel bag sat in the corner, fully packed. She opened the top dresser drawer. Empty. The kitchen was the same. Dishes and pans neatly stacked. Thad had been in the cabin almost a month. Other than coffee in the pot waiting for her, the cabin looked like no one lived there.

Memories of conversations with Kenny surfaced. Little bits and pieces started gluing together. The developing picture wasn’t a puppy-and-kitten type image.

Determination infused her as she reached her car. While she drove her truck back down the ridge, memories and a clear motivation surfaced.

No one else in this town understood Thad. What drove him. His needs. His desires. The childhood demons that lurked in his mind. Feeling inadequate—wondering if he should end it all—thinking others would be better off without him.

He’d always taken the blame for his father’s rants and his mother’s spiraling, medicated decline into prescription drugs, sleeping pills, anything to numb her. He’d been forced to raise his little sister, who hadn’t appreciated having a substitute father, and made his life hell as punishment.

Karly pulled into the parking lot of the Tool Shed and tucked her hair into a baseball cap, then got out of her truck, propelled by determination.

“Hey, Bill. Got a minute?” Bill slid the pen he was holding behind his ear and gave her a friendly smile.

“Hey, pretty lady. What brings you in today? Do you need to order more fencing?”

She approached the counter, dragging her feet a little to give her time to think of a good way to pose her question. “I came to talk to you about Thad. I’m worried about him.”

“If you're worried about him, why aren’t you talking to him?”

“You know Thad. If he was a rock and you told him to roll downhill, he’d do everything in his power to push in the opposite direction.”

“He's never been one to take direction. Hope he learned to take orders.” Bill gave an uneasy laugh and shrugged. “What did you have in mind?”

“A job. The same stuff he did for you in high school. Stocking shelves. Running supplies. Anything to keep his days from being too long and empty.”

“Don’t you think he would see that as an insult? He’s not a boy anymore. He's grown. Besides, I'm not sure he’d appreciate you meddling in his business.”

Frustration made Karly cross her arms and lean against the checkout counter. “Anybody can see he’s changed, but Thad is one of our own. He's been to war. Seen some shi—um…crud. He's fighting the invisible battles of his own. I can see it in his eyes. We need to do something before he does something stupid.”

“I’ll tell you what I said to him—talk to Chase Daniels. He might have some work for Thad.”

“Isn’t he working on building out Gwen Keebler’s Thrift store?”

“Don’t think so.” Bill walked around the counter to straighten sponges on an endcap. “Dale Bryant’s doing the finish work. I think Chase’s replacing the Bainbridge sisters’ roof.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, Bill. I’ll head on over, see if there’s any work for Thad.” She took a step toward the door.

“Karly?” The concern in Bill’s voice put a chokehold on her enthusiasm.

“When a man comes home from war, there's things he can’t talk about. Things that make him feel guilt. Anger. Things he tries to hide deep inside, deep enough to forget.” Bill leaned against the metal display. “Don't push him, Karly. There are demons that hide inside every soldier. When they come out, they are nasty, and lash out at anything that gets in the way. Those monsters help make a good soldier, but they’re hell on wheels once the soldier is back home. If you get too close, you’ll need to be strong enough to stand your ground.”

“I’m not planning to get that close, but thanks for the warning, Bill. Besides, I'm stronger than I look, and Thad is someone worth fighting for. I know it. You know it. I want to make sure this town knows he deserves to be recognized. Did you know he was wounded? He has a whole bunch of scarring up his left side.”

Bill approached her with heavy feet. “Not many people know this, and I’d appreciate if you’d keep it to yourself. I served six tours overseas. I almost made it home in one piece, but I was shot on the last one and sent home.”

Her jaw hinged open. “I never knew.”

“A soldier rarely talks about the missions he’s been on, or the horrors he’s seen. We talk about our friends, the funny shit we pulled, and reminisce about the ones who are no longer with us. We talk about the battles won, but never those where we got our ass kicked. When I was shot, one of my buddies hauled me out of the line of fire and was killed. Every day, I see his face and feel the guilt. He died saving me. When I went to see his parents, I could only tell his folks he died for a good cause. Every day since then, I’ve strived to live a good life, to ensure he’d be proud of the man I’ve become. To make sure he did die for a good cause.”

The man’s teary eyes and quivering lip brought tears to her eyes.

“You’re the best, most generous man I know. Heck, you’re a pillar of this community.” She placed a hand on his arm. “You’ve provided equipment when the river flooded the town, dug cemetery sites when the ground was too frozen, sponsored several sports teams’ uniforms, and there’s probably a dozen things I know nothing about.” She took a step closer. “You don't have anything to worry about, Bill. If your friend was standing here today, he’d shake your hand and give you a good slap on the back. He’d be proud. And if I was your daughter, I'd be proud too.”

She squeezed his forearm. “Are you okay? I need to see Chase about a job for Thad, but I can stay if you like.”

“Run along now. Just remember what I said.”

“I heard what you said, and what you didn’t.”

Bill nodded, blinked and hauled a rag out of his back pocket. “Stupid pollen. Gets me every time.” He winked at her.

Something about this town raised heroic men, men who had no notion how much people appreciated them. “See you soon, Bill.” She walked back to the truck and lifted herself up and into the driver’s seat, mentally listing all the soldiers in town. For a town the size of Elkridge, the small community sure had more than its fair share. Most likely because there wasn’t much to keep a person in town if a kid got an itch for more.

She drove the fifteen minutes across town and turned right on Elm Street towards Margaret and Patricia Bainbridge’s home. The bales of roof shingles on top of the single-story house meant she found the right one. Getting out of the truck, she squinted against the sun, hoping to have a quick word with Chase. The shadowed figure sliding back the curtains told her no way would she escape with just a quick conversation.

Seconds later the screen door swung open. “Karly Krane, is that you?”

“Hello, Ms. Bainbridge. How are you doing today?”

“I’m just finished trying out a new recipe, pomegranate lemonade. Would you like to try some?”

“I look a fright. I haven’t showered yet today, and am covered with dog hair.” Custer’s hair, not from the kennel, but the town gossip didn’t need to know the particulars of the source.

“You look fine, dear. How I wish I could have been born in your generation. No makeup. No hair teasing. No bra.”

“Ms. Bainbridge!” Karly’s eyes popped open wider. “How modern.”

“Oh, hush. Don’t embarrass an old lady. Since I’m no longer teaching, I don’t have to be as careful. Come on up. I’ll even get out the bin of my favorite sugar cookies.”

She remembered those sugar cookies. The flaky butteriness would just make a girl sigh.

Besides, Mrs. Bainbridge’s lonely face looked familiar. Karly had seen something similar when looking into her bathroom mirror every morning. The urgency to help Chase suddenly took a back seat. She could spare a few minutes for her former seventh-grade teacher. After all, the woman had spent hours trying to help wrap her brain around mathematics.

“Sounds like a good idea on a day like today. Just a taste, though. I don’t want to take more than my fair share from the boys on the roof.”

“There’s plenty to go around.”

Listening to the staccato rhythm of nail guns stapling the roof tiles, she made her way up the gray cobblestone pathway to the freshly painted white steps leading to the front door.

“Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll bring out a tray.”

Karly lowered into one of the white wicker chairs with colorful flowered cushions faded from years out in the sun. She could hear a lawnmower in the distance, and spotted a robin in the elm. A few minutes later, Patricia, Margaret’s twin, came out carrying a crystal pitcher, followed by her sister carrying the glasses and a plate of small square sugar biscuits that made Karly’s tongue tingle with anticipation.

“Here we are.” Margaret poured the pink concoction and handed her the glass. The zest of fresh-squeezed lemons and pomegranate circled on the gentle breeze. “There.” She gave Karly a napkin. “Now, why don’t the three of us put our heads together to see about helping Thad?”

Karly stared at the two women.

“Close your mouth, dear, or you’ll let the flies in.”

She leaned back against the flower print and took a sip of the tangy-sweet drink.

Maybe helping Thad wasn’t going to be as hard as she thought after all.