To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,38

between chasing crabs, sniffing every scent he could gather, and loping along with them.

“How long have you been out here? Or were you raised here?”

“No, I was raised in the western part of the state, near Blacksburg. My grandfather was a country veterinarian. He saw some small animals but worked mostly farms, especially with their cows.” A bubble of laughter came forth. “That old truck that you keep rescuing was my grandfather’s. I remember riding with him as he bumped along backcountry roads to farms in that old truck.”

“It means something to you.”

Joseph’s statement was simple, but her heart squeezed at the memories. “Yeah… it does. He was a good man… a good vet… kind and loving to two-legged friends as well as all four-legged ones. It’s like his soul is in that old truck as well as a lot of memories.”

She sent out a ragged breath then continued. “My father followed in his footsteps and went to the Virginia School of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg and joined his practice. For a while, he did mostly farm animals but now has a few younger vets that do that while he sees the small animals in-office. I, of course, took up the family mantle, but I had a different path to take.”

“The Army.”

Nodding, she said, “I love the mountains around that part of Virginia. But, I suppose, like so many young people, I felt the need to forge my own career. The Army gave me a way to settle all my vet school debts, perform service, and I felt like I was doing something important. The IED dogs saved so many lives, and if I could keep them healthy and safe, I felt like I was saving lives, too.”

“You absolutely did.”

They were quiet for another moment, the sounds of the Bay filling the silence. She felt his gaze on her, and she turned to see him peering closely.

He reached over and tucked a windblown strand of hair behind her ear, and it struck her how often she’d wanted to do the same thing to him but had been afraid.

“So, how did you end up out here?”

Still in her trance, staring at him, she startled when he spoke. Blinking, she looked toward Frodo to give herself something else to look at.

“My mom was raised in Virginia Beach, and I loved to visit my grandparents when I was a kid. I’d often look across the Chesapeake Bay and wonder what was on the other side of the long bridge. My grandmother would tease me and say it was ‘the land beyond’. They’re gone now, but when I got out of the Army, I took a trip to the place of my wonderful childhood memories and sat in a little bar overlooking the water. On a whim, I drove over the bridge to see the land beyond for myself and was sold. The draw to the Eastern Shore had been strong, and considering North Heron County was one of the poorest counties in Virginia, I knew my services would be needed. The only vet in the area wasn’t much older than me but had run his clinic for almost ten years. He gave me the freedom to work in the clinic and take trips out to some of the area farms to work with their smaller animals as well.”

“That sounds like what I did. Went to a little bar on the Bay and looked out at the bridge. I had two Navy buddies, Zac and Jason, that had written to me and told me about this place. Decided the time was right for a visit.”

“Where did you serve?”

“Zac and I were firemen aboard an aircraft carrier that was running drills in the Orient. Then we both landed on the Abraham Lincoln carrier and spent time in the Middle East. That was where we met Jason.”

They had turned and started back along the beach, the sun moving across the sky. Frodo galloped over, and she laughed as he sniffed Joseph’s pants once again. As though both having the same thought, they plopped their butts down onto the sand, allowing Frodo to lay near their feet.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Afghanistan.” She opened her mouth to say more, to give details, then decided against it. Some of her memories were held close to her heart. She swallowed deeply, wondering why her service time was so hard to talk about. Not that she wouldn’t share when the time was right or the listener was right. Glancing to the