About Taction
by J. Rocci
29 pages / 11400 words
ISBN:
978-1-60370-921-7
Available file types -
html, lit, pdf, prc, epub, Sony Reader pdf
After Evan Miller is severely wounded in combat he finds himself with a
medical retirement from the Army and no idea as to what he’s going to do
with his life. Fortunately, Evan’s grandparents offer him a temporary
job at their horse farm and the chance to rehabilitate a rescued
Thoroughbred seems like just what he needs.
Cam Jackson, their stable manager, takes exception to the grandson who
hasn’t visited his folks in over eight years. Only once Evan arrives and
Cam gets to know him better, the two find they have more in common than
they thought and their friendship morphs into something deeper. Evan
just needs to decide if the new direction his life is taking is what he
really wants.
Sample
After being in the safe haven of the Army hospital, where everybody had
been through similar situations, Evan found himself facing the loud and
busy world as a civilian. Just going into the gas station, he drew some
second glances and stares. He bought a new pair of wrap-around
sunglasses, tugged on his Army baseball cap, and resolved not to look
back.
The enormity of what he was doing, what his current situation was,
didn’t really hit him until he was through Maryland and almost to the
West Virginia border.
He pulled his old truck over to the side of the road to hyperventilate
for a good ten minutes, panic crushing his chest. Then he threw up in
some bushes and reminded himself that if he could survive combat
conditions and physical therapy, he could handle anything.
Evan turned a normal nine hour trip into two days after his roadside
meltdown and didn’t pull into Glenhaven Farm until sunset. His old
pickup truck creaked and groaned up the long driveway to the farm house,
and each bump made him grit his teeth and focus on the yellow lights of
the porch.
Getting down from his truck was tricky with exhaustion, and he managed
to manhandle his new leg and not fall on his ass, so he counted the
mission successful. But he took his time reaching for his cane, because
having his mom see him in a hospital bed, prepared beforehand by doctors
and nurses, was a mite different than showing up on his grandparents’
doorstep. He didn’t even know how much his mom had told them, really.
All he was thinking about was how it had burned his pride the previous
night at the pity in the eyes of the lady behind the motel counter when
she saw his cane and his dog tags, even as she shook his hand and gave
him a military discount.
God, he just wanted to go to ground something fierce. Not come out till
winter.
A throat cleared behind him. Evan startled but carefully turned around,
letting go of the truck door when he realized the man in front of him
wasn’t Opa -- Not by a long shot.
The stranger tilted his head. “Hi there. Can I help you?”
This had to be the much-lauded Cam that Opa had hired on the summer
after Evan joined the Army. Pleasant voice, but highly suspicious of
Evan. His face was hard to see in the porch light, but Evan could make
out a strong jawline under the battered white cowboy hat. Guy had to be
at least six foot, maybe six foot two, in stained jeans and a dark
t-shirt.
“Evan Miller--” He was interrupted before he could say anything more.
“Thought you were due in yesterday?”
It took a moment for the blunt question to register. Same with the
hostile tone. Evan blinked, then narrowed his eyes.
“Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name…”
“Cam Jackson. Stable manager.”
Evan nodded, reining in his temper. Catching flies with honey, and all
that crap.
“Well, Mr. Jackson, I heard a lot of good things about you from my
grandparents. I’m glad they’ve had someone like you looking out for
them.”
“Yeah,” Cam drawled. “I have been. Funny how I haven’t met you before
now.”