The Sergeant's Christmas Mission. Joanna Sims

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      “What is your beef with Shane?” Rebecca crossed her arms in front of her body. “He was good to Aunt Ginny and, so far, he’s been good to me and the boys.”

      “I don’t have a beef with Shane,” Kelly retorted. “I’ve known him for years. He’s a nice guy.”

      “So? What’s the problem?”

      Kelly sighed in irritation. “You know I don’t like to gossip.”

      Sure you do.

      “But I know for a fact that Shane has brought drugs onto the premises.”

      The way her sister said the word drugs, with a dramatic flair, made it sound as if Shane was operating a drug ring out of the garage apartment. Kelly had, as far as she knew, never experimented with drugs and didn’t drink. But Rebecca had experimented in her youth. And even though drugs weren’t a part of her life anymore, she certainly didn’t sit in judgment of those who did use them, for whatever reason.

      “I’ve already handled that, Kell. As far as I’m concerned, he’s welcome to stay as long as he follows the stipulations of the new lease. He’s a veteran and that matters to me.”

      Kelly rolled her eyes in annoyance. “It’s always about Dad with you.”

      They had both been close with their father, but Kelly was still bitter about his behavior after he came home from war. He could be mean at times, especially when he drank. And he would disappear for days sometimes, only to come back as if nothing had happened. Rebecca forgave her father years before he passed away, and she was glad now that she had.

      “I’ve got to go.” Her sister checked her phone again. She paused at the door. “I know you don’t think this is true, Becca, but I worry about you and my nephews. You’ve already put them through so much with this ridiculous move. You wanted to fix Tim, and look where that got you. A divorce. Let’s face it. You’ve always been attracted to broken people.”

      * * *

      “Hi.”

      Shane was in the middle of a sneezing fit when Rebecca showed up at his door. Top had been home for a couple of weeks and one of her favorite places to sleep was curled up in the space between his shoulder and neck. He tried many different sleeping configurations—Recon and the kitten in the living room and him in the bed, or Recon with him in the bed—but nothing worked. Someone was unhappy unless they were all together. So Shane had given up and given in, and the kitten got to sleep where she wished. And he just dealt with the sneezing and swollen, itchy eyes. It wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever dealt with in his life.

      “Hi.” He sneezed again.

      “Bless you.”

      “Thank you.”

      “Kitten?”

      He nodded as he blew his nose.

      Rebecca showed him a pile of papers in her hand. “I have the new lease for you to review and sign.”

      He nodded. “Come on in. I’ll look it over and sign it now.”

      Shane was proud of the fact that, in a short amount of time, he had turned his environment around. He didn’t have a moment of hesitation inviting Rebecca into the garage apartment. It was clean and organized and, currently, full of balls and stuffed mice for a crazy kitten named Top. But the change wasn’t just about Rebecca and the kitten. It was about Rebecca’s boys. Carson and Caleb both wanted to regularly visit with Top and it was important to Shane that the boys had a clean place to spend time with the kitten they had a hand in saving. It was unexpected how quickly Rebecca and her sons had breathed new life into the old house. Ginny had been great, and he missed her, but she had left him alone to his own devices. She had rarely visited the courtyard and never entered his apartment. And he had appreciated the privacy and the quiet. Now he looked forward to hearing the sound of Carson’s and Caleb’s voices as they got off the school bus. Every weekday, he listened for them. And every weekday, they stopped by to see what he was doing before they headed inside. It was true—in a short period of time, they had changed his life. For the better.

      Rebecca handed him the papers and immediately dropped to the ground on her knees to show Recon and the kitten some attention. Shane sat down on a bar stool at the small kitchen bar and began to read over the lease. It was standard—no real surprises. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Top turn upside down in front of Rebecca, her black-and-pink paw pads up in the air, batting at a feather toy the landlady was holding.

      “Top! You’ve already gotten so big!”

      Shane hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, but he had fallen in love with that little rascal of a kitten. Yes, he had to load up on boxes of tissues and allergy medicine, but he didn’t mind. Top was the funniest, sweetest little soul he’d ever encountered. And Recon and the kitten were best friends. In fact, Top had taken to riding on Recon’s back like a jockey riding a horse. Every time Shane saw her do it, it made him laugh out loud.

      Rebecca picked up the high-octane, wiggling kitten, kissed her on the head and then let her go. Top ran between Recon’s legs, stood up on her hind legs, paws waving in the air, and “caught” Recon’s tail. The dog didn’t react.

      “I can’t believe how Recon treats her,” she mused.

      “Surprised me,” Shane agreed. “It was love at first sight for those two.”

      “You’re the reason they’re still together,” she said to him. “You saved her life.”

      “It was a group effort.”

      Rebecca stood up and wandered over to a bookshelf he had made in high school—it was a sturdy bookshelf that was carved from a fallen tree at Sugar Creek Ranch. It was one of the few things, other than his truck, motorcycle and his pets, that he cherished.

      He was initialing the lease when Rebecca held up a picture frame. “Are these the men you served with?”

      Shane didn’t have to look at the picture; he knew which picture it was because it was the only one in the apartment. His fingers tightened on the pen until they ached, his heart began to race and he began to perspire, even though the AC was cranking. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, not wanting to draw attention to his reaction, swallowed hard and then said, “Yes. Those were my boys.”

      As if the dog sensed his discomfort, Recon moved to the spot by his feet and lay down. Top, who had run out of steam, sprawled out across Recon’s back and promptly fell asleep. Shane signed and dated the lease and held it out for Rebecca to review.

      “Do you have any questions? There were a couple of changes.”

      “It’s all good.”

      Rebecca took the lease. “I’ll make a copy of the signed lease for your records.”

      He walked her to the door and held it open for her.

      Just outside the door, she paused. “’Bye, Recon. ’Bye, Top.”

      Almost on cue, he sneezed.

      “If you’re going to keep her, you’re going to have to go to a doctor.”

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