Remember Honor Read online

  Remember Honor

  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

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Remember Mercy

  Remember Home

  Remember Laughter

  About the Author

  Introduction

  Can the fallen be redeemed?

  Tabitha Mason wants a second chance at love. She’s seen the handsome soldier several times in the past and wishes he would just notice her for once. Nothing has been easy or gone her way, including trying to get the handsome soldier’s attention, but when fate steps in, she realizes that this is her moment to shine.

  Brandon Tobin wants a chance at life. His friends are getting married, finding their special someone, and settling down, while he is still serving in the Afghani desert. He’s proud to serve his country, but when he’s captured, the nightmares are more than he can handle.

  Can Tabitha see through the pain, rescuing the man she’s always cared for? Can Tobin trust their love to keep all the terrifying memories at bay?

  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 (Remember Home-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)

  To my husband… my heart

  Ginny Sterling Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  That smile…

  Tabitha Mason thought to herself, sighing dreamily, as she watched the vibrant, handsome soldier talking with some of her coworkers and their friends. She wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to go to this barbeque at Lily Griffin’s home when the only two people she knew there were Leia Hody and Lily… both teachers at opposite sides of the school where she taught.

  But this dreamy guy…

  He was truly beautiful in a flirtatious, fun way.

  She adored how he worked a room, smiling, laughing, and cutting up with everyone. She had seen the mysterious soldier a few times in the past, but never really got up the nerve to say hello. He obviously looked right past her, or through her, because this was the third (maybe the fourth) time she’d had a chance to observe him with his friends.

  Flirtatious and laughing with everyone – except her.

  Tobin.

  She didn’t even know his first name – only his last, because that was how all the former soldiers addressed each other repeatedly as they talked. They were close, like family, and she was on the outside once again in this game of life.

  Tabitha actually knew what it was like to once be a part of something greater. She’d spent four years as active duty in the Navy, assigned to a ship after attending C-school. She could have made a career of it, or could have been a ‘lifer’, but it just wasn’t her calling.

  She’d needed a place to go when she got out of high school and the military seemed to be the answer to her prayers. Taking classes online, studying as much as possible, had earned her a degree, and she hoped to make officer class.

  …Until she met him.

  Officer Matthew Starks had been assigned to her ship, a destroyer frigate that was stationed at Mayport, Florida. She loved the beaches in Florida, the weather, the seagulls, and the sheer peace that came with watching the waves. She adored seeing the large shipping boats off in the distance and the rock wall that compromised the edge of the basin where the ships pulled in for mooring. Several families could be seen there, fishing and watching the water for dolphins.

  She had been a part of her ship’s family… it had been home.

  Until it wasn’t.

  Matthew had destroyed her good name, and her career, with doubt and sabotage. There was something about him that didn’t sit well with her. Oh, she was attracted to him, but his smile never met his eyes. He was cold to the core, and it was unsettling.

  She had refused his advances over and over again – and he, in turn, reported her for fraud. She couldn’t prove it, but the reports were always right after she’d turned him down. It was when it was reported that Tabitha was seen deliberately sabotaging one of the computers, she was done. Her time to re-up her contract was here, and instead of signing, she opted for a discharge.

  Matthew had been so angry, so hostile, that he’d put her in the hospital. His eyes had revealed the monster that he kept hidden away on the inside. He’d caught her alone and landed several well aimed blows. It was unforgivable, and while she couldn’t prove the lies he’d spread, this attack she certainly could.

  She’d pressed charges against him for assault and battery.

  Her name was cleared, but the damage was done. She wasn’t going to let some bully win or make her cower in fear. She also couldn’t go back to being confined on a ship with people who suspected her or wondered if she’d ruined Matthew’s military career on purpose.

  She’d left her new home, to return to her old one.

  Coming back to Tyler, Texas had brought on a different set of problems. She didn’t seem to fit in anymore. It wasn’t pleasant reunions with her schoolmates that she’d left behind. It was a bevy of questions that she didn’t want to answer.

  Oh, you got out of the military? Why?

  Did you get kicked out?

  Where’s your husband?

  Maybe you should have tried a different branch?

  Maybe you should have just stayed home…

  Tabitha had eventually found herself here though.

  She found a peace that she never realized was missing until she’d accepted the position at the school. They needed a music teacher and she wanted a job. She’d smiled and gratefully accepted the position. Taking lessons, she could play a few instruments passably well and expanded her knowledge to include all sorts of ranges of music. She still took classes online, as to finish a master’s degree and push herself even further.

  There was something comforting in knowing you weren’t trapped in a career and had the freedom to make a change if needed. She never wanted to be stuck in a situation she couldn’t get out of – she’d been there once and grasped at the escape offered to her.

  Shaking her head at the memories, she saw Lily and Leia walking over towards her. They were both teachers at the elementary school she worked at and she had hit it off with both women. Tabitha got to her feet and smiled brightly at the women, who were obviously very close friends.

  “Do you want to come over and say hello to everyone? I’d like you to meet my husband, Jason. He’s the big ornery guy at the end of the table with the straw stuck up his nose,” Leia said happily, rolling her eyes at his antics and smiling at her.

  “I was actually getting ready to head home,” Tabitha replied and hesitated. She wanted to say hello. She wanted to see if the mysterious soldier she’d seen before had kind eyes. She hoped his eyes lit up when he smiled, but she was afraid to be disappointed once again after Matthew.

  Tobin was standing over there talking with the guys, and she felt like a twelfth whee
l… the third wheel had up-and-left a long time ago. She was the outsider in the group, the wallflower, the lone ranger at the barbecue.

  “I’ll come by and say hello before I step out,” she fibbed.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Just have a lot to do. I haven’t touched my lesson plans for the month yet and I am a little behind.”

  “Oh, I soooo get that excuse,” Lily interjected. “I stay that way.”

  “Come join us,” Leia said, waving her over and backing away to head back towards her husband. Tabitha glanced up and saw that Tobin had moved on, working the room and chatting with everyone. He was now talking with another blonde-haired woman, who was shaking her head at him.

  How could she even compete with anyone looking like that?

  That girl looked like a svelte bikini model and she certainly was not.

  Tabitha was about as real as you got. Her roots were showing where she’d tried to color her hair out of a box. Her fingernails were chipped. There was a wet spot on the thigh of her pants where her Tide Stain Stick hadn’t dried yet. No, she wasn’t at her finest right now and the thought of the last guy she admired so very much from afar… well…

  Tabitha sighed as the truth hit her.

  She had a horrible crush on Tobin.

  “No. On second thought, I’m heading out for the night. I really appreciated the invite though. I’ll grab my cake plate from you at work on Monday, okay?”

  Tabitha quickly threw away her paper plate and made an exit, not waiting for either of the stunned women to stay a word.

  She looked up over her shoulder and saw that Tobin actually happened to glance at her before he turned away. Yep, there was no reason to go say hello when he would just look past her once again. She had horrible taste in men, if her past experience was any indication.

  Grabbing her purse, she stepped out the front door into the sunset.

  “She likes him.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “That is a woman with a big’ ol stinkin’ crush,” Lily grinned.

  “Tobin didn’t even glance her way, did he? He’s too busy talking with Marigold over there. He’s lucky Watson isn’t the jealous type or he’d be in real trouble.”

  “Watson is terribly protective of Marigold and most certainly is the jealous type,” Lily corrected, smiling up at John, her husband, as he brought her a soda.

  “Tobin took the bait,” John grinned, winking at her.

  “Good. How do you know?”

  “I asked if he knew where you were at and he said, and I quote, ‘by the pretty girl next to the doorway’. He thinks your coworker is very pretty.”

  “Then why didn’t he say something to her?”

  “Because he’s painfully shy?”

  “No, he’s not! He’s not shy in the slightest.”

  “Maybe he’s scared to get his heartbroken?”

  “Maybe he and Tabitha are too much alike then.”

  “You two are scary, you know that?” Leia said, backing away.

  “No, it’s just a matter of putting two people that could work together in the same location. If they work, great… and if they don’t, we don’t try it again. So, how’s married-life going with your man Hody?” John said pointedly, winking at Leia.

  Lily laughed, knowing that they’d been the ones to help connect the two newlyweds recently through email. Leia had been Hody’s pen-pal and they just happened to fall hard for each other when they finally met.

  “So, how do we do this? How do we set them up?”

  “Keep putting them in the same location every time Tobin flies into town, a little nudge here and there…”

  “Maybe a blatant shove once or twice…?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “I think they are both so nervous about being hurt that it’s going to take some pulling the heartstrings to get the two of them together.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t interfere,” Leia said thoughtfully.

  “Oh no,” Lily interrupted. “We are definitely interfering. He’s asked me repeatedly for a pen-pal and I keep telling him that I’m working on it. If she doesn’t bite soon, I’m going to drop her into his world forcibly.”

  “That sounds awfully calculated and menacing.”

  “Calculated – yes. Menacing – never,” Lily said carefully, watching the soldier that her husband considered a younger brother to him.

  Tobin had been a part of their lives for so long they all considered him family. He kept in touch, offered to babysit, was always smiling and laughing. He was just a good person that deserved someone to love him.

  …Just like Tabitha.

  “I have a huge favor to ask and I need you to hear me out before you say ‘no’,” Lily announced, taking a seat in one of the desks as she glided into Tabitha’s classroom unexpectedly. She’d been listening to her iPod while the kids were in the lunchroom for the next thirty minutes. This gave her time to finish entering grades into the computer and she’d finally be caught up.

  “Why do I suddenly feel alarmed?” Tabitha said easily, folding her hands on one another on top of her desk as she smiled at the other woman.

  “Don’t,” Lily grinned and winked at her. “It’s just a smidgeon of a favor that will actually be fun.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I need you to come with me to a surprise wedding.”

  “Not my wedding, right? ‘Cause then it’s a definitive NO.”

  “Party-pooper,” Lily replied flatly, causing Tabitha to glance at her in alarm. “I’m kidding, Tabitha. Relax.”

  “A surprise wedding huh? Why do you need me to go?”

  “Because we need an even number of people and I need one more girl that I trust to keep the secret. Someone I can rely on.”

  “So, who’s getting married?”

  “Remember the blonde at my barbeque – the one with curly hair?”

  Tabitha closed her eyes and fought the headache that was quick to come on. How could she ever forget? Pinching her brow, she gently shook her head. The blonde woman Tobin had been talking to.

  He was getting married, wasn’t he? she thought sadly.

  “I do remember her, yes.”

  “She’s getting married to Ben Watson, one of John’s friends.”

  The wave of relief was instantaneous. She didn’t know who this other guy was, but the fact it wasn’t Tobin, was a relief. She really liked the guy and wished she wasn’t quite so invisible to him. Maybe this was going to be her chance to finally say hello.

  “And Ben doesn’t know about this mysterious wedding?”

  “Quite the opposite – Ben has been planning this for a while. Marigold doesn’t know he’s coming home to her from Afghanistan. Watson has lined up a minister, rings, the entire ceremony, all via email. It’s terribly romantic and I never thought the ol’ stick-in-the-mud had it in him. The only thing I need to do is get a bouquet – oh! - and get the bride there somehow.”

  “Are you kidding?” Tabitha laughed in shock. “That’s so… so… sweet and romantic!”

  “Right? Who knew Watson had it in him? So?”

  “What?”

  “Can I count on you to come this Friday night?”

  “Yeah I can be there.”

  “Wonderful. It’s in costume too. You need to dress as a princess or medieval woman.”

  “Like costume… COSTUME?” she repeated, laughing. Seriously? Could this get any better? “Bodice, corset, wenches, and wigs?”

  “Yep. All of that. Find something fun and look medieval-ish. It will be great.”

  “It sounds like it.”

  Lily got up out of the small desk and smiled as she stood by the classroom door, pausing for just a moment. The way her friend stood there, it looked like she wanted to say something else. Maybe there was a catch to attending this wedding?

  “Do I need to bring something to eat or a gift for this surprise wedding?” Tabitha asked, feeling a little surprised by the look Lily was giving her.
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  “Bring a little gift, maybe some finger food, oh… and Tabitha?”

  “Yes?”

  “Tobin will be there.”

  Tabitha stared at the woman in chagrin and embarrassment.

  Was it so obvious to everyone that she liked the handsome soldier? Had anyone leaked the fact that she had a crush on him? She sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case. Lily grinned broadly, waving her fingers in a silent goodbye. The bell rang, making Tabitha jump nervously just as she heard a singsong voice echo down the hallway.

  “See you Friday!”

  Chapter 2

  Tabitha felt adrift as the wedding unfolded before her. The ceremony was enchanting, the setting beautiful, and the theme simply adorable. It was like seeing Robin Hood actually marry Maid Marian in some weird way. Just like before and any other normal day, it seemed that everyone was focused on their surroundings… and she just seemed to fade into the background.

  This surprised her, because the costume she’d found itched like crazy and the wig was crazy hot and heavy. She’d seen Frozen several times, but in wearing the wig, if she was Elsa, she would have shaved off the big heavy braid. It was annoying as could be to have a big mop of long hair. She kept sitting on it, snagging it on everything. She’d already dipped it in salsa by mistake, staining the tip of the synthetic wig a pinkish-red color.

  “Having a good time?” Leia said politely, elbowing her.

  Tabitha stared at her, wishing she’d picked out a Princess Leia gown to wear too instead of the velvet nightmare she’d donned. She wondered if the two teachers were in cahoots, knowing that she had a thing for Tobin.