The Soldier's Mission (18 page)

She touched her hands to his face and smiled. “I'd say, let's go to the Grand Canyon.”

“You're kidding, right?”

“No,” she replied. “I think I'm finally ready to get close to the edge.”

He pulled her up and held her, his gaze moving over her face. “You are an amazing woman, Laura Walton.”

“Don't you forget it, Paco Martinez.”

 

A few minutes later, Gerald Barton stood at the head of a long table, his smile proud, his eyes misty. “We started CHAIM all those years ago to do good in this world, to serve the Lord in battle and to protect Christians who needed our help. We've made mistakes
and lost a few fights, but we're still here and we're still kicking. And tonight, after all the hoopla and excitement, and now that we have our own Laura back safe and sound, we raise our voices in thanks to five brave men—Devon Malone, the pastor, Eli Trudeau, the disciple, Brice Whelan, the shepherd, Shane Warwick, the knight, and Paco Martinez, the warrior. We thank each of you for your service.”

Then Delton Carter stood. “And in light of the events that brought us all here tonight and in light of how these young warriors have changed into strong family men, we'd like to announce a new venture. We want the five of you to run a brand-new branch of CHAIM.”

“I'm retired,” Devon reminded him with a smile.

“I'm thinking about opening a fishing charter in Grand Isle,” Eli said.

“I'm going back to Whelan Castle,” Brice shouted out.

“And I'm going to remarry the woman I love,” Shane reminded them.

They all looked at Paco. He took Laura's hand and glanced around the room. “I'm going to show this woman that I can be a good husband and… I haven't thought much beyond that.”

Everyone clapped, but Delton raised a hand for quiet. “This venture will be different. We'll still be security, but we'll mainly market and sell a line of security products for business and homes. Safe, honest work, but with a bit of challenge now and then.”

The agents all stared at each other then Eli shrugged. “
Oui,
and how long do you think that will last, Delton?”

Delton grinned and reached for the carving knife.
Looking at the big turkey waiting to be cut, he said, “Oh, it was worth a try, right, fellows! And anyway, my wife suggested it.”

Everyone started laughing at once. Then the food was blessed and passed around the table.

Laura looked over at Paco and smiled. Then she reached up to touch his chest. “You've found your heart, Paco.”

He nodded, kissed her fingers then leaned over to kiss her. “Yes, and I'm looking at it.”

Shane raised his water glass then winked at Paco. “Mission accomplished.”

Dear Reader:

This is a bittersweet book for many reasons. It's the last in my CHAIM series of secret agents. Who knew that one workshop at a conference would bring about five different stories! I'll miss these characters but…maybe one day I can revisit CHAIM and see how things are going.

I actually got the idea for this book from a dream where a soldier came to me and told me his father died in Vietnam, his brother was wounded in Desert Storm and he'd just returned from Iraq. He said he needed someone to talk to. I woke up crying and jotted down his request. And this is his story. This is a story of every soldier who is hurting or afraid. Luke needed someone to talk with, but he was so afraid of letting go of all the horror of war. Laura Walton wanted to help Luke but she learned a few valuable lessons along the way. And she slowed him how to love again. When I researched this story, I found a poem about a heart hunter. It talked about a man who went around searching for a true heart—he wanted to understand why things happen and he wanted to find love so he could feel his heart beating again. I think Luke was such a man. And I'm so glad that he found his heart again.

Thank you for going on this adventure with me. Let me know what you think by visiting my website at www.lenoraworth.com. I love hearing from readers.

Until next time, may the angels watch over you. Always.

1. Why did Luke call Laura on the hotline? Have you ever had such a midnight call in your life?
   
2. Was Laura right to track down Luke? Did she go too far?
   
3. Why do you think Luke turned away from Laura at first? Have you known someone who held all emotion inside? How did you help that person?
   
4. Laura's faith kept her centered. Her presence calmed Luke. Do you have someone like this in your life?
   
5. Luke loved his family but it seemed they had a bleak life. Have you overcome adversity in your life? How did your faith help?
   
6. Laura liked helping people through emotional crisis but this often caused her to see the worst in people. How do you deal with friend or family in crisis?
   
7. Soldiers often hold in the things they experience during war. How can we help them?
   
8. Do you know someone like Luke? Have you experienced some of the same emotions and frustrations as Laura?
   
9. Luke was trained to kill. Soldiers have to deal with this on a daily basis. Do you think being a Christian makes this even harder for a soldier?
   
10. The CHAIM team was very close. How did this closeness help Luke in the end?
    
11. The women who loved these men learned how to deal with a lot of danger and uncertainty. Is there a lesson there for all of us?
    
12. Did you like the ending of this book? Do you think the CHAIM team will ever break up and take on different careers?