Page 1 of The Soldier's Homecoming

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“MOMMY!”

The high-pitched squeal echoed through the overcrowded airport arrivals lounge.

Penny Cartwright dropped her bag to the floor, not caring where it fell. She could have been flying, her feet moving so fast across the ground it was as if she had wings.

“Gabby!” she cried back. “Gabby!”

Her little girl ducked beneath a barrier, brown curls bouncing, the smile on her face so wide it almost broke Penny’s heart.

“Mommy!” The scream was louder now.

Penny forgot everything else. The sounds of too many people talking, flights being announced over the speaker—everything. She dropped to her knees, skidded on the floor as her daughter flew into her arms. Her hands gripped Gabby so tight she thought she might have crushed her.

“Mommy, Mommy!”

Penny inhaled the scent of her, closed her eyes as tears fell onto Gabby’s soft hair. “I’m here, baby. I’m home.”

Her daughter wriggled. “You’re hurting me.”

Penny slackened her grip, laughing as tears started to roll down her cheeks, curling down to her mouth. She didn’t try to stop them. After all these months, these were happy tears.

The kind she didn’t mind shedding. The kind she’d been looking forward to shedding.

“You know what?”

Gabby gazed up at her. “What?”

Big brown eyes looked into Penny’s, open and trusting.Loving.

‘‘You’re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”

Gabby giggled. “Didn’t you have a photo of me at work?”

Penny signed. She’d always called itworkto her daughter. Wanting what she did to sound normal. Not wanting her to know how dangerous it was to have her mother serving overseas.

“I went to sleep each night with your photo beside me.”

Penny had to look away then. Away from the almost-shy expression on her daughter’s face. Away from the innocent way Gabby gazed up at her, not knowing that her mother was lucky to be coming home when so many of her fellow soldiers hadn’t been so fortunate. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t think about you, honey. I amsoglad to be home.”

Gabby wrapped her arms tight around her again. “Me, too.”

Seeing the happy, smug look on her daughter’s face made her heart beat so fast she thought it might actually explode from her chest. Having Gabby in her arms made the hours of flying worth it, even if she was only back for a week.

“Hi, Penny.”

Penny kept her arms folded around Gabby. Took a deep breath. Then slowly released her daughter, dropped a kiss to her head and straightened.

“Daniel.”

This was the only part of the homecoming she hadn’t been looking forward to.

She didn’t want to let go of Gabby, didn’t want this little bubble of happiness to burst. But Daniel’s deep voice drew her to her feet.

Penny made herself look up, forced her eyes to lock on his.

On her husband.

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