Battlefield of the Heart (29 page)

Alex chuckled and switched to another video. “Danny did much better with sand surfing than cement surfing.”

“Oh, man!” Danny threw back his head and laughed. “Someone posted that?”

“Shoot, dude. Of course they posted it. It's not every day your average soldier gets to embarrass his sergeant.”

Another desert scene appeared on the screen, along with another group of soldiers. This time, they stood on a sand dune and had a large piece of heavy cardboard. Although many of them ended up rolling down the dune beside the cardboard, Danny stayed upright all the way down.

Cindy smiled sweetly and patted his chest. “And this is what we're so thankful to you guys for doing — serving your country by practicing your surfing skills.”

Laughter filled the room, and Danny kissed her temple. “Oh, yeah. We had to keep our sand surfing skills honed. We never knew when we might have to go after a land shark.”

After a few more videos of the veterans in the group and their friends doing everything from dissecting MREs to playing chicken in rolling office chairs, Alex pulled up a video labeled, “Soldier vs. Kids Soccer.”

Cindy lifted an eyebrow as they waited for the video to load. “So, who's the soldier?”

“I am.” Danny gave her a brief smile. “William Barnett is manning the camera. We were on patrol, and he decided we should work on community relations.”

“Where were you?”

“Afghanistan. Those kids had been through so much, but they loved the chance to play some soccer with us.”

As Cindy watched, Danny, armed and in full combat gear, came onscreen and spoke to a group of boys in a dusty square. A few hand gestures and a mimed soccer kick had the kids grinning and tossing their battered soccer ball toward him. It didn't take long for the kids to show their superior soccer skills, but everyone obviously enjoyed the normalcy of the moment in the middle of a war.

When the video ended, Alex closed the computer. The guys discussed some of their experiences with kids while deployed, but Danny seemed unusually somber, given the levity of the conversation. She leaned close and whispered, “You okay?”

He nodded, even though his arm tightened around her shoulders and the haunted look to his gaze remained. “That was a good moment in the midst of so many terrible things. Just a few days later, the Taliban set off a bomb near there, killing and injuring dozens, including a couple of the kids I'd played soccer with.”

“I'm so sorry.” Tears stung her eyes as she understood his sober mood.

He shrugged, his embrace loosening a little. “That's war. It has no discretion.”

Josh walked in and joined the group with a questioning look. “What are we talking about?”

“Doing PR with kids while we were deployed,” Alex said.

“I had some good times with that.” Josh's expression took on a faraway look, but he quickly shook it off and scanned the group. “What do you guys think about moving tonight's meeting to a place we can get some food? Maybe the diner?”

The group agreed, and Danny put in a quick call to Lacey to let her know of the change while some of the others called the rest of the regulars to notify them. As everyone headed for the hall, Josh scrawled out a note and stuck it to the outside of the door.

He grinned at Cindy and waved a hand at his makeshift sign. “On the off chance any newcomers pick tonight to check out a meeting, we want them to be able to find us.”

As they walked to their favorite diner just off campus, Danny was back to his normal self again, talking and laughing like nothing had ever happened. She knew better than to believe a week in the psych ward had cured him, but that didn't prevent her from enjoying the good days.

The other veterans met them at the diner. They took over three tables at the back, and a pair of waitresses came to take their orders. Once their drinks had been delivered with the promise of their meals arriving soon, Josh called for everyone's attention.

“There's really not anything new we need to discuss tonight. I assume things are under control with the donation jars and card boxes?”

“Yeah,” Halbert said, swirling the straw in his glass. “We checked over the weekend to make sure they were still in place. Everything looks good, and there were already a few donations and Christmas cards.”

“Good! Let's hope people keep up with the giving spirit we've seen in years past.” Josh looked around the group. “Is there anything else we need to discuss? Concerns anyone has? Difficulties?”

A couple of the guys mentioned trouble concentrating on their homework, and Halbert volunteered to meet with them a couple of nights a week. From what he said, he'd had the same trouble when he first started college and had learned a few tricks to overcome it. After their meals were delivered, Josh put out one last call for anything they needed to discuss. To Cindy's surprise, Danny lifted his hand. He'd been fairly quiet since they arrived, but that wasn't unusual. She wasn't sure if she should be concerned about his subdued expression as he spoke, however.

“By now, I'm sure you've all heard that I'm taking the rest of this semester off. I couldn't have lasted this long if it hadn't been for this group. Thanks for helping me out and for being such great friends. It means a lot to me.”

Cindy reached over and gave his hand a squeeze as Alex and Josh exchanged a look. They had to know how hard it was for him to bring up his inability to complete the semester. Danny glanced at her and laced his fingers with hers.

Alex focused on him and lifted an eyebrow. “Dude, you better not think going on sabbatical gets you out of spending time with us. After everything you and I have been through, you can't get rid of me that easily.”

“He's right,” Josh said and looked around the group. “I move we make Danny an honorary member of the group. He might not be a student right at the moment, but he's still a veteran and he's a good friend to all of us. Anyone want to second the motion?”

Halbert seconded the motion, and everyone voted unanimously in favor of it. Cindy met Danny's gaze with a smile. This was true friendship at its best, and she prayed he'd accept it and believe he was worth it. He scooted his chair closer and slung his arm around her neck before giving the other veterans a grin.

“I accept the honorary membership. I mean, how can I refuse when my girlfriend, who isn't even a veteran, is a member?”

The group laughed, and Josh called an end to the meeting. The conversation and camaraderie continued to flow over dinner, and Cindy was glad to see Danny relaxed and happy. Maybe his easygoing mood would continue for weeks, maybe it wouldn't. Either way, she knew their friends would stick by him and her, too.

He still had his arm around her, and she leaned against him. When he glanced at her, she smiled and whispered, “I love you, Danny.”

His eyes lit up, and he held her closer. “Love you, too.”

He dropped a light kiss on her lips then turned back to the conversation. She straightened and reached for her fork. She'd never take his admission of love for granted. How could she, when he cared so much about her he was showing improvement just by spending time with her? That and his determination to overcome his PTSD reinforced her belief that with God's help they could make it together. Danny's caseworker had been right; love was enough.

She started to laugh, but then realized he was serious. Her heart raced as he took her hands in his, all teasing fading from his gaze only to be replaced by love.

“What do you say, Cindy? Will you marry me?” He lifted her left hand and kissed her fingers. “We can wait until after you graduate. But I love you, and I want you to be my wife.”

Her mind whirled as she realized the enormity of his proposal. He'd opened himself up to her and left himself vulnerable to devastating hurt if she said no. But did she want to commit to a lifetime with a man who might never be able to hold a steady job? Could she imagine life without him?

Guide me, Father. Help me make the right decision.

Peace filled her. She pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, tears stinging her eyes. He held her close as she whispered, “Yes, Danny, I'll marry you.”

His arms tightened around her, and he gave her a kiss that left her breathless. She loved this man, and regardless of what difficulties the future brought, they'd weather them together and come through a little wiser and a whole lot stronger.