Soldier's Embrace: Honor Valley Romances, #4

By Shanae Johnson

With an uneven stride, can he waltz his way into her heart? 

 

With his injured leg, Zack Thorn is assigned to a desk job that puts him in charge of base events. Feeling sidelined due to his injury, his life takes a vibrant turn when he crosses paths with Lily Bennett, a talented dancer teaching classes on the base. As the new events coordinator, it's Zack who'll determine if she can permanently have the space on the base to hold her dance classes. But it's his heart that demands he twirl this amazing woman in his arms.

 

Lily Bennett is on a mission. With her heart set on a permanent place for her dance classes on the base, she's determined to use her upcoming recital to prove her worth. But when her fiery spirit catches the eye of the enigmatic Zack, she finds herself in a whirlwind of emotion that goes beyond the dance floor. She'll have to waltz past nosey dance moms and a temperamental dance partner, before she can decide if Zack should have a place on her dance card.

 

When their personal and professional lives get entangled in an intricate dance, Lily and Zack find themselves at a crossroads. Can Zack embrace his vulnerability and change his rhythm to match Lily's? Will Lily trust Zack's intentions and let him take the lead?

Soldier's Embrace is a heartwarming small town, military romance that explores the power of love, growth, and healing. With the office romance, wounded hero, and fish out of water tropes at its core, this story will sweep you away and leave you rooting for Lily and Zack's happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Those Johnson Girls
• Release date: Aug 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223381327

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Zack Thorn clenched his fist tightly around the document that officially declared his new duties on the base. The muscles in his arm contracted painfully, a familiar sting that had nothing to do with the healing bullet wound in his thigh. He forced himself to unclench his fingers, smoothing out the paper with an unsteady hand.

Before the world shifted beneath him, Zack had been a special operations officer. The job was a lifeline for him, an adrenaline-charged world that was demanding as hell but gave him a sense of purpose like nothing else. He had been in the eye of the storm—planning, coordinating, executing high-risk operations, leading men and women into the heart of danger and safely back. The challenge of the role, the demand for quick decision-making, and the reliance on his tactical abilities gave him an incomparable sense of accomplishment.

But a bullet had ripped that world away. When he was able to stand and put his life back together, it was at a much slower pace, largely due to the fact that he moved at a snail’s pace. The cane that rested against the side of his desk was a testament to that fact.

Zack still worked in special operations. But those operations were events that took place in the recreation room of the military base in Honor Valley.

Looking down at his new order, the words event planning seemed to mock him, a stark reminder of the step down from his previous role. He tried to swallow down the bitter taste of disappointment, but it clung stubbornly to the back of his throat.

He looked around the spacious room, cluttered with the detritus of his new assignment. Folders full of schedules, budgets, and logistics lay scattered across his new desk, while a whiteboard displayed a sprawling calendar of events.

In the corner of the room, a poster for the upcoming dance recital shimmered under the harsh office lights. Its bright colors clashed against the military drabness that defined the rest of his world. He glanced at it distastefully.

Dance, of all things.

A blast of cool, conditioned air hit his face. Just another reminder that he was no longer in the hot desert air alongside his team. He was no longer making life-or-death decisions. His new office was a cavernous room, much like the caves he’d taken shelter in in Afghanistan. The fluorescent lighting was much more forgiving than the desert sun. The echo of his boots on the polished concrete was a stark reminder of how empty the room was—a far cry from the cacophony of his previous life. He’d traded the rush of the battlefield for this, the uncertainty of a dance recital.

Zack rose from his new desk and went out to look over his new domain. With each step he took, a sharp jolt of pain shot up his leg, making him wince. It was an unwanted reminder of his new reality, the unwanted gift from his last deployment. He leaned heavier on his cane, pushing through the discomfort. He hated the cane, hated the weakness it represented, but it was necessary. Each step was a battle, an act of defiance against his own body.

Zack’s leg throbbed with a constant, unrelenting ache. The doctors had said it was likely permanent, a life sentence he hadn’t been prepared for. It was a hard pill to swallow for someone used to pushing his body to the limits, trusting it to carry him through the most challenging situations.

Though his leg was out of commission, his mind was as sharp as ever. Just down the hall from his office was the event room. Zack’s gaze swept over the expanse of the room, mentally calculating and determining a course of action, a shadow of the strategic planning he’d done in the past. Yet the purpose was far removed from his usual. Instead of plotting tactical maneuvers, he was figuring out where to place the stage, the seating arrangements, the best angles for the lighting.

A wave of irritation welled up in him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. This wasn’t where he wanted to be, wasn’t the fight he wanted to be battling. He was a soldier, a leader, not an event planner.

He looked down at his cane gripped tightly in his fist, and for a moment, he felt a crushing wave of helplessness. He pushed it away, locking it back in the box where all the frustration and fear resided. He couldn’t afford to break, not yet. There were things to be done, responsibilities to fulfill. His body may have