Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Eyes of a Soldier
    The Eyes of a Soldier
    The Eyes of a Soldier
    Ebook51 pages50 minutes

    The Eyes of a Soldier

    By Bonnie Dee

    3/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Marching home from the Civil War, Logan Albertson is at the end of his strength and will to carry on when he spots the lights of a cabin in the Tennessee woods. Widowed Mae Pike is bone weary and struggling to survive in the wilderness without her husband. When a stranger shows up in the night, she keeps the door barred—until he tells something about himself that gives her a glimpse of the Yankee soldier as a person.

    In two short days, two wary strangers connect in subtle ways. Soon the flickering flame of attraction between Logan and Mae flares into a fire that consumes them both. Is a future together possible for enemies of war, or are mere moments of comfort all they can share?

    This short story was originally contained in an anthology. It’s intended as a free sample of my work. If the “happy for now” ending doesn’t appeal, I suggest reading Scarred Hearts which is similar in theme and tone and is a full length novel.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBonnie Dee
    Release dateOct 14, 2014
    ISBN9781311004864
    The Eyes of a Soldier
    Author

    Bonnie Dee

    Whether you're a fan of contemporary, paranormal, or historical romance, you'll find something to enjoy among my books. I'm interested in flawed, often damaged, people who find the fulfillment they seek in one another. To stay informed about new releases, please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER. Help an author out by leaving a review and spreading the word about this book among your friends. You can join my street team at FB. Learn more about my backlist at http://bonniedee.com or find me on FB and Twitter @Bonnie_Dee.

    Read more from Bonnie Dee

    Related to The Eyes of a Soldier

    Related ebooks

    Western Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Drawn to THE MOORS

      Feb 8, 2022

      Drawn to THE MOORS
      11 min read

    • Article

      Dude’s Last Hunt

      Jul 17, 2023

      Dude’s Last Hunt
      6 min read

    • Article

      Abandoned

      Jun 3, 2021

      Abandoned
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Last Friend on Earth

      May 4, 2023

      It was as if Doreen Saunders had been waiting for me, passing the time until my arrival. She might as well have been sitting in a rocking chair, knitting needles clicking, jam tarts cooling on the side, the door wide open, waiting for the next visito

      6 min read

    • Article

      Practicing

      Mar 15, 2018

      This would have been her favorite season in the Allegheny woods. The shadows of the trees were rickety, and the wind had sap in its scent. But last week, Ty had left; now one day decayed into the next. Their house was abandoned. Only their father, si

      18 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      Abandoned

      May 24, 2022

      Abandoned
      5 min read

    • Article

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION Winners

      Aug 16, 2022

      We’ve been delighted by the huge response to our 100-word-story competition. The entries have flooded in thick and fast during the past few months, but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted t

      5 min read

    • Article

      New Leash on Life

      Nov 16, 2020

      New Leash on Life
      5 min read

    • Article

      Rip Her To Shreds

      Feb 1, 2018

      Rip Her To Shreds
      11 min read

    • Article

      Freedom

      Aug 6, 2020

      Freedom
      7 min read

    • Article

      Intarsia

      Feb 6, 2020

      Intarsia
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reading Guide

      Jan 2, 2022

      Summer Reading Guide
      6 min read

    • Article

      Australia Reads At Home

      May 18, 2020

      Australia Reads At Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      My Mother’s Stalker

      Jan 16, 2024

      My Mother’s Stalker
      24 min read

    • Article

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    • Article

      Strange Season

      Jun 4, 2020

      Strange Season
      14 min read

    • Article

      His Neighbor’s Wife

      May 10, 2023

      The autumn air was crisp as the Subaru idled in the residential street. Despite the early hour, the Enforcers lined the sidewalks, passive as they fulfilled their obligation. They were there to witness the act and were not to engage with the players

      8 min read

    • Article

      Year Of The Rat

      Nov 24, 2020

      Year Of The Rat
      11 min read

    • Article

      Why I’ve Stopped Waiting for ‘The Winds of Winter’

      May 11, 2018

      1. It was my ex who first suggested I read George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. “I think you’ll like it,” he said, pulling his copy from the wooden bookcase in the corner of his bedroom. The shelves sagged under the weight of the epic fantasies th

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cricket Ceague

      Apr 1, 2019

      Penelope Berkeley, age 9 Mars Hill, NC Night had fallen, and Luna awoke from where she had been sleeping in a cornfield. She moved steadily through the stalks with barely a sound, keeping her eyes on the glittering glass rooftop of the greenhouse in

      7 min read

    • Article

      Absolute Best

      Apr 30, 2021

      Absolute Best
      20 min read

    • Article

      Evenings with Clarice Lispector’s Newest Translator

      Apr 24, 2018

      1. “I’ve been working on the translation nonstop—it’s like I’m in a trance,” Magdalena Edwards told me in early March 2017, while preparing a gin and tonic at her house in Santa Monica. I walked there from my place—we live very close to one another.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Tiny Love Stories

      Oct 28, 2020

      Tiny Love Stories
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Stone Piles

      Nov 10, 2022

      Sitting over a plate of scrambled eggs with his orange hunting vest hugging his shoulders, the boy’s father told stories of the hunt. He showed how he sighted a deer in his rifle’s scope and pulled the trigger. The smell of sweat and leaves filled th

      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Eyes of a Soldier

    3/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Eyes of a Soldier - Bonnie Dee

      Eyes of a Soldier

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Bonnie Dee on Smashwords

      Copyright © 2014 by Bonnie Dee

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      License Notes

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      The Eyes of a Soldier

      Right, left, step by step in the sucking mud, Logan watched the patched toe of one boot move in front of the torn toe of the other. The trousers of his Union blues were coated with the red clay of the South. The once shiny boots were red too, stained by blood and clay. Each step forward sucked him deeper and seemed to drag him back. What would happen if he simply gave in and stopped moving? He might fall face down in the muck, let it fill his lungs and put him to sleep. God, he would welcome sleep at any cost right now.

      He dragged his gaze up. He’d been marching with other stragglers, men from different companies, the remainders of destroyed units. Now all of them had disappeared around a bend in the road. If he curled up right over there on that soft-looking patch of grass underneath an oak tree would anyone even notice his absence? Probably not.

      He slogged over to the side of the road and up the slope then collapsed. The fresh scent of grass filled his nose as he took a sip of the tepid water in the bottom of his canteen. Leaves rustled overhead. A bird whistled and another answered. Strange bird calls in this foreign land. Tennessee was a world away from his home in Wisconsin. He didn’t belong here. He just wanted to go home and, with the war finally over, he could—if he could just keep his boots moving until he reached a functional train station.

      Logan closed his eyes. Through the lids he watched the play of sunlight and tree branches, a dance of light and shadow.

      ***

      Mae pulled a bucket of water up from the well, heaved it over the edge and set it on the ground, then lowered another. Two buckets. One for each hand, both so heavy they strained her shoulders as she carried them to the shanty. After all this time, she should have developed more muscle in her arms, but she hadn’t been raised in the country. The hardest labor she’d done, up to age sixteen, was ply a needle and thread or sit behind the counter of her father’s store, ringing up sales on his brass cash register. Back then she’d worn a clean dress every day and bought new shoes whenever she needed them. But with the impetuous nonchalance of youth, she’d thrown away that life to follow Gray Pike up to his mountain home.

      Mae stumbled over a stone and half of the water sloshed

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1