A Soldier's Love

Chapter 3

Henry's leg was bothering him something terrible today. He wasn't used to be on it so much, but it felt great to do something besides sit in a wheelchair or lounge in a hospital bed. The bakery was busy and Henry was constantly moving around helping take orders and package things up. It had been discovered a long time ago that Henry was no good at baking. All of his attempts had ended up burned beyond recognition. The only thing that ever ate his baked goods was the trash can.

Things were going well in Honor. Henry loved the town and he felt good that he had served his country. Henry was always surprised by how people treated him when they found out he was a veteran. The ones that hurt the most were those who spit at him calling him a murderer. That didn't stop Henry from being proud of his service.

"Morning Henry."

Henry turned at the soft voice behind him. His breath caught in his throat like it always did whenever he saw Elizabeth. He was surprised to see her back behind the counter. She was wearing one of the shirts that his aunt and uncle had the help wear. It was a red shirt with white lettering that said Roos' Bakery.

"What are you doing here?"

The words were a little gruffer than Henry intended them to be, but he couldn't help it. It still hurt to see Elizabeth after the way that she hurt him. The wounds from that break up were still so raw that Henry found it hard to be around her.

Elizabeth fidgeted slightly before she squared shoulders like she always did when she needed to say or do something outside of her comfort zone. Henry's eyes narrowed slightly at that small gesture.

"I work here. Today is my first day."

Henry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh. What did you get hired to do?'

Elizabeth's fingers went to her hair and she started to twirl a strand before she stopped. It had once been a nervous habit of Elizabeth's that Henry had found endearing.

"Your aunt Heather hired me to help with ordering."

"Huh." Henry said sounding completely clueless.

"You didn't know did you?"

Henry shook his head as he shifted weight off of his bad leg and crossed his arms. "No, but that's not surprising."

Elizabeth fidgeted nervously before she looked up at Henry from beneath her lashes. "I'll try to stay out of your way as much as possible since I know that you don't like me."

Surprise flickered through Henry. He gaped at Elizabeth as she turned and walked away from him without a backward glance. People moved around Henry, but he barely noticed. His thoughts were still on Elizabeth's words and how they resonated within him.

Henry's eyes strayed to the gentle sway of Elizabeth's hips as she walked away. He'd always liked the way she walked and right now his body was reacting against his wishes. Henry moved out of the way as a stacker's rack full of rolls was carried through.

As Henry went back to work he muttered a few choice curse words under his breath cursing his wayward body. The front of his button fly jeans was getting uncomfortable tight and Henry tried not to let others see the evidence of his arousal. There were several female employees who would jump at the chance to help relieve him of his painful ache. Just the thought of anyone other than Elizabeth taking care of his needs sent a shiver of revulsion down Henry's spine. Elizabeth was the only woman Henry had ever lusted after.

A sigh escaped Henry causing one of the teen workers to look at him. Henry hated to admit it, but he still had feelings for Elizabeth. She had hurt him. That hurt had been his constant companion throughout his years of service, but it had started to fade away until he saw her again.