num_pages: 75
description: JimmyReturning from a one-year tour in Afghanistan feels like waking up from a nightmare, but the fear, the pain, doesn’t dissipate, because the losses we had are real.Going home to Pearl Springs after being gone so long makes me question everything—who’s changed? Who’s stayed the same? Where do I belong? What do I do with my life?I became a volunteer firefighter because, maybe just maybe, if I can help save the lives of people in need at home, it’ll wash away what I wasn’t able to do overseas. Maybe if I can make a difference here, it’ll make up for losing the brothers we lost, the civilians we couldn’t save.I need to heal. Problem is, I don’t know where to start.I had no intention of taking the “Pets Adopt Vets” event in town. It seemed pointless, I guess.But then I meet a dog as in need of someone to love and take care of as I am.And I meet Emily, the woman who introduces us, and it’s like I’m seeing the world for the first time. The good parts of it, not the bad. She's beautiful, kind-hearted, feisty, and determined.She's the kind of woman who can heal a wounded heart. The problem is, mine's covered in scars.And as much as I want her to heal it, I might be beyond help.EmilyI come from a family of heroes and healers.The thing about heroes is, they’re not invincible. And despite all our efforts, we can’t always heal them.I moved from Crystal Falls to Pearl Springs to work as a vet tech in my aunt’s clinic and start my animal rescue. My fundraiser, “Pets Adopt Vets,” helps get that ball rolling, but more importantly, it’s a win-win scenario. We give rescues loving homes, and we give veterans companions.One veteran in particular lingers in my mind—the tall, gorgeous, and troubled Marine and volunteer firefighter who just got back from war. I can’t help wondering what truly lies beneath Jimmy's aloof exterior.When a terrible fire breaks out and I’m caught inside, I find out when he saves me—what lies inside him is a heroic heart, one that’s scarred and hurting.He saved me. Now it’s time for me to save him right back.
language: English
title: Walk Through Fire