Sweet Tomorrows by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online

that first night. Shortly after I’d hired Mark to build me the sign for the inn. I don’t mind telling you he was a real pain, cantankerous and unfriendly. As time progressed, he became important to me for more than all the projects I’d hired him to do. Little by little, we found ourselves spending time together, becoming friends, although we often butted heads.”
    Emily nodded, as if she understood the route our awkward relationship had taken.
    “I believe Paul sent him to me in the same way he did Rover.”
    My rescue dog was never far from my side. On hearing his name, Rover raised his head. I leaned over and scratched his ears.
    “What happened?” Emily asked. “What made Mark decide to return to Iraq?”
    I explained as best I could, and when I finished I added, “When Mark left me without giving me any details, I decided to consider him dead. For my own sanity, I had to.” I explained that I’d been left in limbo for a year before Paul’s remains were found and identified. I refused to put myself through the hell of not knowing again.
    Emily continued to study me. “There’s got to be more to Mark getting into Iraq than you’re telling me.”
    Amazingly, I’d never asked myself that question. “How do you mean?”
    “Well, for one thing, Mark can’t simply bring Ibrahim and his family into the States without some sort of visa. That would need to have been arranged long before he left.”
    “You’re right.” It shocked me that I hadn’t considered this earlier. I don’t know where my head was. What Emily said only made sense; I’d been trapped in fear and hadn’t allowed myself to think beyond the consequences of Mark risking his life.
    “One or more government agencies must have been involved, whether he went rogue or not,” Emily continued.
    I sat there stunned, wanting to slap myself for not considering this sooner. Clearly my emotions had clouded my thinking.
    “Mark left the country of his own volition,” I explained. That was my understanding, although now that I thought about it, no one had specifically told me that. “As far as I know, the army didn’t sanction any part of this.”
    “They must know about it,” Emily insisted. “Come on, Jo Marie, think this through. Someone knows something. The army? The CIA? Your guess is as good as mine.”
    Was that really possible? This was one of those epiphany moments. Of course, Mark had help. While he might have gone into Iraq completely alone, surely he’d gotten some form of government assistance.
    Emily set her mug aside and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. “I can almost see your mind churning. What are you thinking?”
    “I…I don’t know what to think.”
    “Isn’t there someone you can ask? Some connection with the military. Your husband was army, right?”
    “Airborne Ranger.” The first person to come to mind was Paul’s commanding officer: Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Milford. Paul didn’t have any family to speak of. His parents had divorced when he was young and Paul had seen his father only twice in his entire life. His mother had died young, when Paul was in his twenties. Paul’s father lived in Australia and they had never been close. As a result, Paul had looked up to his commanding officer as both mentor and friend. The lieutenant colonel might be able to answer my questions. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to ask.
    “Why didn’t I think of that sooner?” I said aloud, although I didn’t expect a response.
    “Love does that to us,” Emily told me in soft tones. “It clouds our thoughts, messes with our heads, makes us think and do irrational things.”
    It sounded as if she was speaking from personal experience.
    “Thank you,” I whispered.
    She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Don’t mention it.”
    —
    I waited until the next morning after my guests had left and I had stripped the beds. Emily was busy weeding my vegetable garden. I’d planted a much smaller garden this year, seeing