Army officer Scott’s first Fort Hood contemporary portrays the deeply moving reunion of a couple long separated by the instability of army life…Gale and Melanie’s resentment and sorrow are expertly contrasted with simmering desire and their determination to team up to parent Jamie…[T]he intricacies of Stateside military lives are portrayed rivetingly, with fully realized characters who will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Publisher’s Weekly on Homefront
Welcome back to the tiny military community where the men are strong and the women who dare to love them.
To everyone who knows him, Gale Sorren is a grumpy first sergeant who, despite his gruff exterior, cares deeply about protecting those around him. What no one can see is that he’s been running from his mistakes his entire life. He’s never forgiven himself for letting his wife walk out of his life with their infant daughter but because of the war, he’s never had a second chance.
Mel was too young to be an Army wife and when everything became too overwhelming, she ran, thinking it would be easier to keep her heart from breaking every time she thought about her husband leaving on another deployment. Raising their daughter along hasn’t been easy but Mel is wracked with guilt, wondering how much her choices have lead to hear daughter’s struggles. The last thing she’s planning on is bringing Gale back into her life so when he shows up at a company party, she’s completely blindsided with the realization that she’s never stopped loving him.
But now that he’s living in the same small town, he’s forced to make a choice: keep running or face the fact that he’s always loved her. And together, they have to find a way to convince their daughter that she’s worthy of the love she’s always deserved but he hasn’t been around to give.
