The Soldier's Return

Chapter 1

She dreamt about him, awake and asleep, so often that it sometimes seemed impossible that he would never be a part of her life again. She could hear his deep voice, his hearty laugh, and the sounds he made in the heat of passion. Every moment of their one night together was burnt into her memory, from the feel of his hard, smooth body, to his lean face looking down at her as they made love.  She woke from a dream of his long fingers caressing her skin with tears in her eyes, so deep was her longing for him. It seemed that he was a part of her that had been crudely amputated; that by betraying him she had betrayed the core of herself.

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He wondered how it might have been different if he had returned from war to find her waiting for him. There had been so many other women, so many dalliances  in a vain attempt to forget, but nothing, no one, seemed able to take her place in his heart - and in his erotic fantasies. What was it about her that separated her from the rest?  Part of it was the things that some men might not care about -  her common sense, her lack of drama, her dogged determination to reach her goals. But that wasn't all - hIs body yearned for her skin stretched, smooth and soft, over toned muscles, her silky hair and expressive brown eyes; his heart yearned for the experience he had never had with another - the feeling of being completely known, and completely loved, for himself.

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"Mr. Howard?  I'm leaving now." Maggie pulled her purse from the desk drawer, glancing at the clock at the same time. She was going to be late if she didn't hustle. "Mr. Howard?" she called again. When her boss didn't answer, Maggie walked to the door of his office and looked in. "Mr. Howard?" The man jumped and his eyes flew open as he hastily sat up in his chair, trying to cover the fact that he had dozed off. Well, at nearly 70 he was entitled to a nap now and then, and this job had been a lifesaver. She just hoped that he would not decide to retire until she had finished college and was ready to move on to her dream job.

"Hello Maggie," the attorney said, shuffling random papers on his desk. "Weren't you going to leave early today? I seem to recall your boy has his first soccer game." Maggie suppressed her smile; she had been pretending for years that she didn't notice his naps, and she wasn't going to bust his bubble now.

"Yes, I just came to tell you that I'm off."

"Well, I'll see you Monday. Have a nice weekend dear, and wish Jimmy good luck for me." As a rule Maggie did not like to be called "dear" by anyone outside her family, but she and Mr. howard had been through a lot together, and when it came down to it he was like another uncle to her.

There were only two cars in the small lot on this early autumn after; the dentist's office that rented the other half of the building closed early on Fridays. This meant that, for once, she did not have to struggle to get her twenty-year-old Caprice out of the narrow stall, and gratefully she hoped that this was a good omen for the weekend ahead. These first few weeks since her son started at his new school had been hectic and tense, and she hoped the worst was finally over.

The school was only a mile away, and traffic was blessedly light. As she locked the car she sniffed the crisp air and admired the bright foliage of the trees in the park next to the elementary school. She could hear cheers and shouts coming from the soccer field, and grimaced as she realized that she must have missed the start of the game. Not a way to make a good impression on the other parents, she thought grimly. Fortunately she had changed into her sneakers and jeans before leaving the office, and now she began to job in the direction of the voices, her slim legs falling into the easy rhythm of an experienced runner.