Page 65 of Embattled Return

Logan swayed at the verbal attack. It was unexpected, but probably justified, so he would take it. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he told her honestly.

“But you did. You got one of your hunches and you had to go check it out. He had just a couple of months left to go before he got out, same as you, but you got him killed. Trent called me on Messenger just before you left and told me what a wild goose chase he thought it was.”

Logan fought back the words to defend himself. It hadn’t been a wild goose chase. They’d literally been attacked in the place that he’d assumed insurgents were hiding out. Logan didn’t say that though. A mother deserved to be angry that her son had been killed, and he wouldn’t take that from her.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, his voice and heart sincere. “He was my best friend. You know that. I never would have gone on that op if I knew it was going to get them killed.”

Lisa shook her head, tears beginning to roll down her lean, ruddy cheeks. “My baby is gone. Just wiped off the earth like he was never here. The government says they can’t give me any more answers. Won’t, I’m sure. They have to protect their precious secrets.”

Logan forced himself to step forward. “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything, as long as it doesn’t endanger current servicemen.”

Lisa gaped at him. “How can I trust anything you say?”

That struck Logan hard, because he’d never been anything but honest with her. Even when it had been uncomfortable. She knew every sordid detail about his family, because he’d been comfortable with her. All of the guilt for leaving Jana and Clint behind, she knew about, and she’d consoled him about, more than his own mother ever would have.

That’s what hurt the most. Lisa Miller had been damned near a mother to him, and he’d let her down. “I’m sorry,” he said again, his throat tight, not sure what else to do.

“Stop saying that,” she screamed.

Behind him, he heard the door of the Beetle open. He had a feeling Marigold had stepped out to check on the situation and make sure he was okay.

“You show up here expecting some kind of validation for what you did,” Lisa continued, tears streaming down her cheeks, “some kind of absolution. Well, I’m not going to give it to you. You got my son killed. And now you show up looking completely fine, and with a woman to boot. Something my son will never be able to experience. Did you show up here thinking I would welcome you with open arms? In place of my son? Get off my property, Logan. I don’t want to ever see you again.”

The woman turned and left the porch, the front door slamming behind her. Logan looked down, searching for bullet holes or something, because it felt like he was bleeding from the inside. There was nothing there, though, of course.

Very slowly he pivoted on one crutch and turned toward the car, walking slowly back to it. He avoided Marigold’s eyes, knowing that she would see too much.

“Logan!” a voice cried.

He turned just in time to catch Ashley in his arms. She was sobbing as well, but she burrowed into his chest, muffling the sound. When she didn’t feel like she was going to push him away, he wrapped his arms around the girl’s shoulders as they shook. It took several long minutes for her to draw back and look at him, her face streaked with tears.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s been worried about you, too. We knew you were alive, but didn’t know where you were or anything.”

“I should have contacted you sooner, but I was in the hospital up until a few months ago.”

Stepping back, Ashley looked down his body, lingering on the crutches. “We figured that out, eventually. Mom called in a favor with the Army and she got hold of your mom, I guess.”

“Oh, hell,” Logan sighed.

“She said the woman was useless and no wonder you’d always come home with Trent,” the girl reported, with the tact of a teenager. “But she did get that you’d been in the hospital, but your mother didn’t know where you’d went when you were released.”

Logan snorted. “I lived across the county from them.”

Ashley gaped. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “I always planned to come out here, though. I just had some things to do before I could.”

All truth. It just wasn’t what she wanted to hear, he was sure.

Ashley glanced at Marigold and gave her a slight smile, before she turned back to Logan. “I think Mom will come around, but it will be a while. Can I have your number?”

Nodding, he gave her his number while she entered the digits into her phone. She tapped off a quick text. “Now you have mine, too.”

Logan nodded. “I’m sorry, Ashley. Your mom didn’t want to hear it, but I’ll tell you. If there was anything at all I could do to bring him back, I would. I swear that to you. And if I could have known what was going to happen that day, we never would have gone out.”

Tears were rolling down her cheeks again and she bit her lip, nodding, her arms crossed over her belly. “I know, Logan. I know.”

With a final look, she turned and ran back up onto the porch and into the house.

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