Remember Joy Read online

  Praise for Ginny Sterling

  What can I say except I absolutely loved this story, I laughed out loud and I shed emotional tears.” – Amazon Reviewer (Lawfully Gifted)

  “This series has quickly become one my favorites. Love the storyline, love the characters, love the back stories and love the sweet romance between each couple.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Love)

  “What an amazing start to a new series, Healing Hearts, a clean contemporary and extremely emotional tale. I loved the characters, the angst, and the honest discussions, along with the chemistry and interactions. The people are broken, but with encouragement, friendship, and the added benefit of animals, it is the beginnings for healing.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Hope)

  Remember Joy

  Healing Hearts

  Ginny Sterling

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Afterword

  Lawfully Gifted

  Remember Fate

  Remember Love

  An Agent for Gillian

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Cora Dillion thrives on control. After being abandoned and homeless on the streets, it had taken everything in her to climb back to a life she recognized. A self-proclaimed workaholic, she remains focused to prevent anyone from disrupting the existence she’s built for herself. When she receives a flurry of emails from a soldier, she realizes that the man pouring out his soul could be dangerous to her structured world… and her heart.

  Mike Cooper lived for the moment. Reckless and arrogant- that was the image he presented to his buddies in the barracks. Deep down inside, he needed a friend to keep him focused and was desperately afraid of the nightmarish world he existed in. Envious of the relationships around him, Mike puts his very heart on the line hoping that Cora will be the one to snatch it up.

  Will Cora realize that Mike could be the very man she needs to come out of her shell? Can both of their hearts find strength in each other’s weaknesses? Will the spirit of the season remind them both how to remember joy?

  Each book is a stand alone story in the series. You can meet other characters, read their stories, and fall in love with them in any order.

  Chapter 1

  June 2015

  Ghazni, Afghanistan

  Mike could see his CPO standing near the table under the tent awning. The man was hard on them all but there was a sense of control that commanded respect to Griffin. No one ever questioned him or talked back – until Mike had arrived. He’d always been the smart-aleck in high-school and not much had changed in the last six years that he’d been in the military other than hopping from base to base. Unfortunately, this landed him smack in the middle of Afghanistan. He loved serving his country but truly hated it here. It was so foreign and so far from home that he felt isolated even when surrounded by other men in his group.

  They were planning to head into the hills tomorrow to sweep for more mines. There had been an insurgence last week and several threats against them, making the whole team extremely antsy. It was times like these that made him think about his future and what he was going to do with it. When he’d signed up and took his ASVAB test, they’d joked in the office about the ‘goofball kid being the newest grunt in the military’. He’d scored so high that his choices were to go into the nuclear field or to go into explosives.

  He chose explosives in a heartbeat – and Mike was still that goofball kid at heart, but was surrounded by a bunch of men that acted older than their ages. He was one of the youngest in their group and felt like he didn’t quite fit in.

  “Griffin! When you finish, they need you in berthing,” Mike announced, his head peeking in the tent, interrupting several other officers that were talking nearby.

  “Is it an emergency?”

  “Nawww, but me and the guys –“

  “Then you need to wait, like I’ve told you before,” Griffin snapped and turned back to the map. Mike knew from the past few outings that there were caves and trails throughout the hills that were being used for munitions and hiding.

  “Here and here, so we don’t get pinned down,” Griffin suggested, pointing at the ridge just off to the left of the map. “We can sweep West to East and hold it with far less resistance or chance of casualties. If we go in here, there are too many civilians close by. I don’t want to risk my men nor anyone else. Go on, Cooper – I’ll be back shortly.”

  That is what endeared him to Mike – the fact that this crusty older man seriously watched out for them and considered them family… even if Mike felt like the red-headed stepchild of the group.

  A while later, Mike’s CPO walked into the tent and glared at them. The rest of the team had received some letters a few months ago but apparently Griffin hit the jackpot. Whoever had written him had continued to write, sending box after box of treats. From what he’d heard, Griffin had a box of twinkies sent to him in the mail and Mike thought that was great.

  No one ever expected the Hostess inquisition, he thought wryly as he eyed the box sitting on Griffin’s immaculate bunk. It looked like the man practically ironed his sheets. The CPO seriously put them all to shame on how a soldier should behave and made them strive harder to be like him. He could have had officers’ quarters but declined saying that ‘loyalty made a man watch your back for you when no one else could’.

  Griffin ate, slept, and talked with them on a daily basis.

  “What?” Griffin barked at them. “C’mon Radar,” he called, whistling and patting his leg to call his K-9 dog to his side. Radar fell in line like clockwork. “Why can’t more people be like you? You don’t question, you don’t talk back,” he muttered, ruffling the dog’s head affectionately as he strode towards his bunk space.

  “Deodorant is a necessity, boys - Use it. It’s too hot here for you ‘ladies’ to go without,” Griffin muttered, letting the door drop behind him. In this tent, they were equals and brothers. Mike and several others began to jeer the older man playfully. Jamie Post had bragged about the care packages and it made Mike a little envious.

  “Got a little something sweet on the side there?”

  “Ol’ man’s got a little missus back home waiting for him!”

  “Is it your birthday? Who gets to do the honors for the spankings?”

  “Got yourself a lady friend, Griff?”

  “What are you morons prattling on about?” Griffin asked and then looked at the box sitting there on his bunk in the corner.

  “Well, I’ll be…” Radar sat beside Griffin, her tail wagging happily before barking. “What? You think this is for you? C’mon up here,” he ordered, patting on the bunk as the dog took her seat beside the officer.

  “It’s from the kid. You guys want to see if she sent more Twinkies?” Griffin suddenly smiled making him look a bit more approachable. Everyone quickly surrounded Griffin and leaned over to see what was in the box as he opened it before a chorus of groans rose up around Mike.

  There were puppy treats, drawing pencils, paper, envelopes and stamps. The bottom of the large box revealed another box of Twinkies – but there was also Chapsticks, a large bag of beef jerky, a few lottery scratch-off tickets and toiletries. Pine scented body wash, deodorant, and shampoo. Small packages of chewing gum had been hastily shuffled everywhere in the mix of goodies.

  The box was large and barely anyone got packages, much less letters anymore. Mail was precious and packages were infinitely more so. Generously, Griffin b
egan handing out packages of gum to everyone until he ran out. Mike accepted the pack of gum and a scratch ticket gratefully.

  “If you win? I’m mailing it back to her,” Griffin ordered with a pointed look, before sitting down to read the letter in the envelope that had been stuffed inside. Mike popped a piece of cinnamon gum into his mouth and sat down there on the metal footlocker beside Post.

  “Read it out loud!” was shouted and Griffin nodded.

  Mike watched stunned and in utter fascination as a bevy of expressions crossed the older man’s face before he smelled the paper. Was it perfumed? Gosh there was nothing better than the scent of perfume on a woman, Mike sighed and realized it had been a few years since he’d been out with a girl.

  “That’s not from a kid, is it?” Post asked suddenly beside Mike, staring at Griffin.

  “No.”

  “Read it out loud, Griff.”

  Griffin cleared his throat and began to speak. Mike listened utterly fascinated and a little jealous that having a pen-pal brought such happiness to the whole group. He wasn’t sure that he could share his letters, feeling suddenly selfish and realizing again what a giving man that his commanding officer could be.

  Mr. Griffin and Radar,

  I truly enjoyed your letter and drawing. It almost looked like your shepherd signed the paper herself, I was so impressed. I am glad you and your friends enjoyed the Twinkies – they are a favorite of mine. I am a teacher at the elementary school that sent the letters out, so I will accept your thanks as well as pass on your story to my parents and my students. Perhaps you can use the drawing pencils and pad to hone your skills drawing. You truly have a gift for it. I hope you can use a few of the items, if not, please distribute them out and know that we all pray for your continued safety back in the States. Is there anything you particularly need or would like? You mentioned greenery from home, so I’ve included a few things that made me think of trees. I’ve enjoyed your letter and it brought a smile to a dull day.

  Thank you again- and be safe.

  Lily

  P.S. I’ve included some postage for you as well as paper/envelopes in hopes that we might continue our correspondence. God bless.

  Several of the men began patting Griffin on the shoulder and laughing, teasing him about the drawing skills that he apparently had hidden deep down inside. Post gave Griffin a high five and muttered about how Annabelle, his fiancée, never wrote him anymore. Feeling exceptionally happy and a part of the group, Mike saw Griffin was practically blushing at the attention he was receiving. Standing up, Mike grabbed his CPO and kissed him on the cheek playfully, mocking him as he sang “Oooooh Griffin, you ol’ stud, you!” in a sing song voice.

  Mike never saw Griffin’s fist coming until it connected with his nose.

  Stunned, Mike felt the sharp explosion of pain and nearly blacked out before muttering several curse words that was garbled by the blood he suddenly tasted in his mouth. Mike felt a strong hand grab him by the scruff of his shirt as he was practically dragged out of the tent into the blinding sun, making the pain ten times worse. He blindly walked along, afraid to touch his nose. A sudden veiling of darkness revealed that they’d entered another tent causing Mike to crack open an eye as he saw the corpsman, Houghton, standing in front of them with a frown on his face.

  “What happened?” Houghton questioned.

  “I had a problem and took care of it,” Griffin said evasively standing nearby.

  “Cooper - is that correct?”

  “Yes sir, I jumped in front of his fist,” Mike smarted off with a bloodied smile, looking at his CPO, who was now grinning at him.

  “And you? Your hand magically discovered his broken nose?”

  “Oh no sir, it was worse. I fell into his face when I tripped.”

  “I see,” the nurse rolled his eyes and handed them icepacks. Mike gingerly touched the cold surface to his nose and flinched, causing it to scrunch up again involuntarily, causing more pain. “You two are incorrigible and will be hurting something fierce.”

  Houghton walked off in disgust. Griffin turned to Mike, chuckling lightly the moment they were alone. Mike was certain that the older officer absolutely hated him but now he wasn’t so sure. It was like they were finally developing some sort of camaraderie and for Mike – he sincerely hoped so. Deep down inside, he wanted to be a part of something greater than he was and to fit in – both of which he felt was strained right now. He was the new guy, the kid of the group, and the pest.

  “Let’s get one thing straight: You ever kiss me again and I will break both my hands next time. Are we clear?”

  “Sir? May I speak freely?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Chicks like men with character but no more playing around, I swear it. The ladies like rugged and I figured you scored me a girl next time I’m on leave, eh?” Unfortunately for Mike, due to the broken nose it sounded almost unintelligible as he spoke. ‘Mix wike men wif character. Ice wear id. Core me a curl ex time I’m on weave’.

  “Sure kid.” Griffin smiled. “Now, you might have two black eyes if you don’t keep that icepack on there and stay quiet.”

  “Got it,” Mike mumbled erratically and put the icepack against his face again. “Are we good?” he asked and then frowned as he heard himself. It sounded like he’d said ‘arf we wood?’

  “Yeah, Cooper – we’re good,” Griffin admitted quietly. Mike opened his eyes momentarily to see the respect in the other man’s eyes. He put the icepack back on his nose and gave a blind thumbs up to his CPO before groaning at the pain in his face.

  Chapter 2

  2015

  “Becca? Becca? Are you here?” Cora said aloud to the nearly empty apartment that she shared with her roommate. She’d taken on the tenant in order to help make ends meet as a suggestion she’d seen online. It worked for other people, why not her? Problem was that Becca was consistently late with the rent the last three months and Cora suspected her of doing drugs. She didn’t plan on renewing the contract nor allowing her the chance to stay the other nine months. She’d drawn up eviction papers just to be on the safe side in case things got ugly.

  They were ugly now.

  Cora didn’t have a lot in her life and what she did have, she scraped together the funds to make sure it was paid for. She didn’t need extra expenses or a ton of bills. That just ate at her and made her feel anxious knowing it would be coming due. She liked to pay for things outright and was so proud of her apartment. It was small, clean, and furnished with things that made her feel good about herself. Her home was her haven – and now it was gone.

  Horrified, she stared at the scattered remaining contents of her apartment and the damage that had been done to the walls, flooring, and even the ceiling. The large gouges in the wood laminate was the first thing that drew the eye but then the gaping holes and missing light fixtures completed the masterpiece of destruction before her. Everything was gone. Her couch, her end tables, her television, her computer - everything.

  Her knees gave out as her mind raced. Cora fell hard onto the flooring and winced as a splinter drove right into the skin of her knee. Rising to her feet, she absently looked in Becca’s door that was ajar, praying for some sort of explanation. Her room was empty and the walls were spray painted with graffiti. How could this happen, Cora wondered in shock. She’d been stressed all day about forgetting her purse at home only to come home from work to suddenly discover this!

  Looking into her own bedroom, she collapsed again in a cry of sheer disbelief. Her full-size bed had been dismantled, the windowpane looking out on the alleyway was broken, and everything else was gone – including her chest of drawers that contained a pouch with a few pieces of costume jewelry she’d collected over the years at garage sales. If everything was gone, then so was her checkbook and her only credit card.

  “No,” she whispered in the silence and reached for her cellphone in her pocket. Pulling it out, she called 911. “My name is Cora Dillion and I’ve been robbed.”
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  Cora was still sitting in the same place on her bedroom floor when the police arrived. They took photos, recording everything, and took Cora’s statement. They asked for photos of Becca but she didn’t have any. The copy of the rental contract was gone, as well as any possible information she had to give them.

  “Miss, I would recommend you contact your bank, the complex, and your insurance immediately. Get a hotel room for the night and see if you can get yourself settled into another place with different locks. They are going to want to get this apartment repaired immediately so they can rent it out again. You won’t want to stay here with it like this,” the officer told her kindly.

  Cora nodded, stupefied, and felt panic welling up inside of her. She called her bank and listened numbly as they told her that she’d just closed her account. Cora shut her eyes against the surging pressure that was throbbing behind her eyes. She was going to have a migraine. Becca had her license, her social security card and her cash now.

  The property manager came walking in, claiming to have seen the police lights in the parking lot. She took one look around and focused right on Cora.

  “Have you called your insurance company?”

  “I don’t have rental insurance,” Cora whispered blankly. She’d cut it off six months ago because she was having a hard time making ends meet. Desperation had made her jump at the opportunity to save fifty bucks a month, which still wasn’t enough to get by. Financial woes were the reason she’d taken in a tenant.