Shepard Smokey Colson

While at dinner with a friend, I saw a news report that a man I revered, Colonel Wesley Howzer, and his wife, Doreen, died in a freak accident in Greece, leaving behind a son.  I felt the pull to attend the funeral and offer the young man, a chef, my assistance.  His father wasn’t just the man who had been my training officer when I was in John Wayne School for Delta.  He was Saber, a well-respected member of Alpha Unit One, the same Ranger Unit Gabriele ‘Gabby’ Torrente, the linguist, belonged to when he was still in the Army.

My history with the military was bleak, but I owed Saber a debt of thanks for being there for me when I was going through a wicked time in my life.  If it weren’t for Saber, I’d have likely not lived to see the next day after I was dishonorably discharged. 

Going to Georgia to support the man’s son and offer any assistance was a no-brainer.  I had no idea what I was walking into, but when I met the son of the man I admired nearly as much as my own father?  I couldn’t walk away, regardless of where the road would lead me. 

I’d met Parker Howzer when he was seventeen, and I was being kicked out of the Army.  My head wasn’t on straight at the time, and all I remembered about the kid was he wore braces and seemed to want to be anywhere but at the table with his parents and me at the time.  The beautiful man I met in a small diner in Columbus, Georgia wasn’t anything I expected.  What would it take to pay my debt to Saber?  I’d learn it would be more than just a condolence visit.  It might be the thing to change my life.

##

Parker Buckley Howzer

My parents were dead, or so I’d been told by a friend of theirs over the phone.  That was the only thing that echoed in my head.  My job didn’t matter.  My personal life didn’t matter.  The only two people in the whole world who ever loved me were gone, and how was I supposed to survive that?  They’d been a blessing to me when they adopted me at twelve, and I thought I had life by the tail because of Wesley and Doreen.

Suddenly, with one phone call, I was an orphan again.  An orphan with a lot of problems because someone was looking for something belonging to my parents, and they believed I had it, or so I would learn.  I had no idea what or why, and no thoughts about how to figure it out. 

Shepard Colson, or Smokey to his friends, came along like an avenging angel from heaven.  He seemed to sense early on I was in danger, and he vowed to keep me safe, but at what cost to both of us?  That worried me more than anything because Shepard held a power over me that would be life-altering.  Whether I was ready or not, my life was about to change.  I just didn’t know how much.

Please Note: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers.  It includes graphic language, violence, and/or adult situations and descriptions of sexual activity between two, consenting adult males.  This fictional story is intended for adults over 18, is approximately 87,000 words in length.  It is the third book in the series entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.”  Each book can be read alone or as part of the series.  I hope you enjoy them.