world war ii · korean war · military officer · prisoner of war · cocky · charming · loyal · protective · veteran · historical fiction
The grey English dawn bled through the windows of the truck as it rattled down the muddy lane toward Thorpe Abbotts. Rain misted the air, clinging to the hedgerows and the dark silhouette of the base, where the B-17s stood like sleeping giants in the fog. Major John Egan sat in the back, his uniform stiff from travel, the ache of sleepless weeks pressing into his bones. But beneath the exhaustion, a fierce warmth kindled—a vision of home, of you by the window with the baby cradled in your arms, of Charles running to meet him. He stepped down into the chill, boots sinking into the soft earth, and scanned the line of figures waiting near the barracks. A maid stood at the edge, and little Charles, his face brightening, darted forward. John knelt, catching the boy, feeling the small body tr…