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Chapter One
“Inever knew what could have been worse: my son coming home from war in a pine box or my son coming home a shell of his former self,” Andy Harvey said.
The older man looked every one of his sixty years. His hair was completely gray, and experience was embedded on his skin in the form of wrinkles. His father may be older, but he still handled the ranch with every hand who came to work for him.
Draven couldn’t look at his father and he also didn’t want to admit those words stirred something in him. He was afraid of what he would see if he did meet his father’s eyes. Draven would never be considered a coward, but when it came to this moment, he just couldn’t do it. So instead, he staredout at the acres of land that lay before them. Nighttime was upon them, and the dark sky was marred by the tiny twinkle of stars. He inhaled and blew out a deep breath. There was no way that he could look at the person who had raised him, taught him everything he knew about being a man, and see the disappointment in his eyes.
“I don’t know what to say, Pops. I’m who I am,” he replied dryly.
He leaned back against his pickup truck and folded his arms across his chest. Whatever fantasy his father had about who he would be after returning home from multiple deployments and war was just that—a fantasy. This was who Draven Harvey was, and he wasn’t going to apologize either. He’d come home a year ago having retired from the Marines. He’d given his life to his country, and now it was time for him to live his in peace. The day he’d turned eighteen, Andy had escorted him down to the recruitment office so he could sign up to serve. Draven hadn’t known what he wanted to do with his life so it had been suggested he enter the service. It was an honorable thing to do, and he could figure out later which direction he went in.
Twenty-four years he’d given.
Now he lived on the ranch his father hadpurchased when Draven was seven years old. The Silver Creek Ranch had a sole purpose, and it was to help men and women like Draven who had come home from war broken. It was to give them a purpose in life. Help them acclimate back into society. Give them skills they could take and move on to do something else in life besides serve.
Draven had nothing but respect for his father and the ranch he had built. Draven had come home and hadn’t hesitated to join in on working the ranch. The hard work allowed him to stay busy. The exhausting work even helped him escape the nightmares that plagued him once his head hit the pillows. The horrors of war still haunted him.
“You’ve been home for a year, son, and all you do is work. You do know I employ plenty of men and women to run this ranch. You don’t have to do it all.” Andy sidled up next to him. He reached out and rested a hand on Draven’s shoulder.
Draven tensed for a moment. The hand disappeared from him. He glanced over at his father and saw nothing but sadness in his blue eyes that were the same as Draven’s.
“I do more than work, Pops.” Draven ran a hand along his face. He glanced at his watch and took inthe time. If he hurried, he could get his seat at the bar he liked going to.
“Drinking your pain away doesn’t count, Draven.”
His father’s voice was stern and reminded Draven of when he and his brother, Ridge, would get in trouble. Andy had been the disciplinary parent. Their mother, Flo, had been an angel and always felt her boys could do no wrong.
“You need to live life. Find a good woman to settle down with. Start a family. I imagine when I get older you would be taking over Silver Creek. If your mother were here she’d agree with me.”
Thank God, she wasn’t here to see him now. Martha “Flo” Harvey died a little over ten years ago from an aggressive form of cervical cancer. She would be torn up if she saw him. His mother had been a saint. She always had a smile on her face, a big heart, and always made the Harvey men feel as if they could do anything.
Draven struggled with his inner demons. The time in the service had taught him many things, but his father was right. It had changed him. He had joined Marines, and they had trained him to become a weapon for war. His training, the deployments, the battles, the kills…it did something to a man. Changed him. Caused him to lose his soul. Draven just hoped that once it was his time to leave this earth that there was a place in Heaven for him, but he seriously doubted it. The things he’d done for his country would probably earn him a nice cozy spot in Hell.
His father could never understand what he’d been through, what’d he’d done, all in the name of their beautiful country. There were some things he would never want his father to know. If Andy did ever find out, there would be more than sadness in those eyes.
“Believe me, there isn’t enough alcohol to take it away, but dulling it does help.” Draven pushed off the truck and ran his hand through his still-damp hair. He was just going to go down to the Hen House, the popular bar in town that always had decent beer on tap and a pretty good burger. Their televisions were large, and they would have the game on. That’s all Draven wanted to do to wind down after a hard week of working the ranch. It was the weekend, and they normally had a cover band playing on Friday nights. He could ignore them as long as the game was on.
“Why don’t you watch the game here? Come up to the house. Bee has cooked?—”
“I’m good, Pop. I’m going out to unwind and get away for a bit. I promise to be on my best behavior.” Draven smirked. He walked over to the driver’s door of his oversized pickup truck and opened it.
“That’s what I’m worried about. Just shoot me a text when you get home,” Andy muttered. The older man stepped back, away from the truck.
Draven grinned. It didn’t matter that he was forty-two years old, his father still cared about his boys. Andy gave a nod to Draven before turning on his heel and heading toward his truck. Draven watched his father drive along the road that led to the main house. It was the house where he and his brother had been raised.
Draven got into his vehicle and slammed the door shut. He hated the disappointment that showed in his father’s eyes. Maybe he should have taken the old man up on the offer to watch the game with him. It wouldn’t have hurt to have a beer with Pops and watch the game. Maybe next time.
Draven needed to get away from the ranch. He pretty much didn’t go anywhere else. Not that he really complained. Draven enjoyed being back in Ironhaven. It was the small town he’d grown up in and where he felt most comfortable. In the Marines, he’d been based in many cities and towns aroundthe world, but nothing compared to his roots. The place where he had been born.
He started the truck and threw it in gear. He drove along the road on the ranch that led to the main road. His father had wanted his boys to both stay near him. On the ranch, both Draven and Ridge had homes built on the stead. This was their legacy, and it felt damn good to know his father would trust him to continue on his dream.
Draven rolled down the window and enjoyed the wind on his face. The radio was on a country station that was currently playing an old Willie Nelson song. He felt himself relax as the music drifted along the air. His thoughts turned to the cover band that played at the Hen House. They were pretty good. He tried to not pay them too much attention when he was there, but their lead singer was beautiful and had a voice that captured everyone’s attention. He didn’t know her name and didn’t recognize her. She must not have grown up here. Her smooth light-brown skin seemed to glow, her lips were curled up into a wide grin. She always appeared happy, and the crowd flocked to her when she got off the stage.
Draven shook his head. He attempted to push all thoughts of the siren from his head. A womanwas not what he needed now, no matter what his father thought. He grimaced and tried to think of the last time he’d even been with a female. He wasn’t any good for a woman. He was fucked up in the head. Hell, he barely knew how to be in society, much less know how to court a woman.
Draven concluded that he was just going down to the Hen House for exactly what he’d told his father. To get away from the ranch, have a drink with the locals, and watch the game.
That was all.
