Chapter 1

November 11 2004

I had been thinking for days that maybe I was due for a change. Life in the Army was really starting to suck. The day to day grind was achingly slow and quickly driving me mad!

I have to make it two more days. Just two more days!

In two days I would be flying home to Michigan for the Holiday. Many people thought, me leaving on the thirteenth of November was to get a jump on the Thanksgiving Holiday. Close! I liked Thanksgiving and my Aunt Judy's turkey dinner is something not to be missed if at all possible. The Holiday I am most interested in however is November fifteenth, The Opening Day of Michigan's Firearm Deer Season.

As many other men and boys that grew up in the great lake state, I am an affirmed deer hunter. Even though these last ten years have been spent in the Army I still have always made it home for the annual deer hunt. Well except for last year.

No matter where in the world I had been, I've had always tried to get home for at least the opening week, before returning to my duty station. Then I would usually return home the end of December for the Christmas Holiday.

Well that was the past. I hadn't been home for Christmas in three years. Losing my folks at Christmas time had really made it hard for me to be home.

I had arrived in Grand Rapids early in the morning on DEC. 23rd expecting to see my folks waiting to pick him up. My father Earl was tall and slim, with a full head of silver hair and liquid blue eyes, this above a warm, easy, country Gentle man's smile.

My mother Ruth was your typical mother. She would have the beaming smile that tells everyone around her, that I had been missed. In those days much of her red hair came from a bottle but no one seemed to notice. I'm sure when my father married her; the curvy redhead had been built for speed. These things I had never noticed, all I ever seen was the mother that had doted on me my whole life.

Instead of an overly proud Earl and Ruth, I had been confronted with a Very saddened Uncle Hank and a weeping Aunt Judy. The bottom had fallen out of my heart and I instantly expected the worse. Fate didn't let me down. It was worse than I could have imagined.

The old farm house had nearly burnt to the ground by the time the volunteer fire department arrived. It wasn't their fault, it is just the response time that is available out in rural areas is so slow as to be a waste of time.

So as it was I just went home for Deer season. Staying with my Aunt and Uncle, I would go hunting with Uncle Hank and my cousin John Henry.

Uncle hank didn't want a Hank Williams Jr. So he named his son John Henry, but all his friends, me included, just called him Hank. My coming home had just been incorporated into part of the deer season hoopla. It was an excuse for the boys to get together and drink, all under the guise of deer hunting. Two more days!

I had joined the Army for adventure that I had not received. I had graduated from jump school, gone to ranger school, and at great pains, had even learned German while in Germany. I had trained my way into Special Forces meeting all the requirements to become a greeny beanie. I was hard core, I was a green beret. I was disillusioned and unhappy with my current situation, is what I was.

I was tired of being a soldier. I would have thought strongly about putting in a request to go back to Iraq. The only thing truly stopping me was that I only had 51 days left to my enlistment and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to reenlist. Oh they had been on me to re-up, hugging me, kissing me on the ear, making all kinds of promises that I wasn't interested in.

I wasn't actually interested in going back to the farm, but I was tired of the military way of life.

Right now I was sorting my field gear, making sure ever thing was in order and fit for duty. I can't tell you how tired of this shit I was. Wasting time doing nothing, It's the Army way.

Nov. 14 2004

"ADAM! ADAM!" I heard John Henry's voice just as stepped off the bus.

"Over here!" I looked to see my cousin with his arm raised, waving at me. Standing next to him stood my Aunt Judy.

Aunt Judy is a slightly younger version of my mother. I loved her dearly, but it also brought the bittersweet memories of my mother to my mind.

Smiling I headed their direction. Taking my cousin's outstretched hand I shook it. "Hank, it's good to see you.

"Dam fine to see you too Adam." Releasing his hand I turned to my Aunt Judy. Taking her into my arms, I hugged her tightly. Releasing my grip a smidgen, I looked into her eyes. They sparkled with moisture. "Adam, we have missed you so much!"

"Your uncle Hank would have come too, but he is trying to get the corn on your north field picked today."

I knew that Uncle hank was trying to get it picked, just to suit me. My favorite hunting spot overlooked that north field. Uncle Hank knew I liked to have it picked before opening morning. I would have to remember to thank him.

The drive to the farm was uneventful. We talked and laughed, reminiscing about old times. We very carefully hedged our way around my folks except for the very happiest memories.

We pulled into the drive that ran alongside the two-story farmhouse and stopped in front of uncle Hank's workshop. "Oh by the way, Kate is home," my Aunt Judy taunted with mischief in her eyes.

Katerina Marie Williams is a fire haired bombshell. She had her father's blue eyes and her mother's red hair. With the beauty of a Goddess and the poise and grace of a cat.

Kate had always had a crush on me. Try as I might I never knew what to think of it really. I always kind of thought it was sweet. She acted like I was the only guy in the world. I never tried to push her away nor did I try to encourage it. So I thought.

It turns out taking a young girl out riding, even if it's your cousin, is a date. I thought I was just being nice, I thought she was so happy because she liked horses. Turns out the horses weren't the only thing Kate liked, nor were they her favorite. Hank was merciless in his ribbing me about it, but I was blind to the truth. I never did understand the smug smiles I got from Mom and Aunt Judy.

I had always enjoyed Kate's company when we were younger. Being older as I was, I thought it was more a case of me being her freedom wings than anything else. I often asked her to ride along if I had to go to town. I never knew that taking a pre-teen girl for ice cream after going to the hardware store was considered a date either. Evidently Kate did

It seems there was also the time when I was 17 and she was 11 that I took her to the county fair. It was Friday night and I was going to go. I had called to see if Hank wanted to go; Kate had answered the phone. It seems John Henry had already left for the fair and refused to take her. You would have thought I was giving away hundred dollar bills the way she acted when I invited her to ride along with me.

The following year would be our last fair together. I had joined the Army, and left that fall. Kate had written me at least once a month for the last ten years. It was usually more like once a week, sometimes more. I shamefully never wrote her back near that many times. She was lucky if I wrote her once every other month.

Then there was the prom...

It really started to sink in then. I was home on medical leave. I had taken a round to the shoulder in a skirmish that never happened. On a mission that never existed. After being released from the hospital I was given 30 days medical leave to heal. So I was shipped home to Michigan. My family doctor was sent a medical packet and that was that.

Looking back, I can see how completely and perfectly I was set up.

The first week I was home I spent a lot of time just sitting around doing nothing. I still had a fair amount of pain in my shoulder.

As was usual when I was home, Kate spent every minute that she wasn't sleeping; doing choirs or in school joined to my hip. By this time, even though pleasant, it was a little uncomfortable having my cousin still paying so much attention to me.

Kate was a senior in high school and she was gorgeous!

It seemed that after being home for a couple weeks Kate was really in the dumpers. I had heard that she wasn't going to the prom the following week. My mother had casually mentioned it to my Dad a few nights ago at dinner. The very same night that Kate was mysteriously not at our house for dinner. So I asked her if that was what was bothering her.

Now I was a quick study at military tactics, but the U. S. Army had never prepared me in the field of female tactics. To this day it shocks me to know that my mother was part and party to this plot. Kate is my cousin for cryin' out loud.

Kate had told me that she was a little sad about not being able to go to the prom. Her date had backed out and she already had this beautiful dress and...

With a hiccupping sob, and tears in her eyes, she flung her arms around my neck. Her voluptuous body shuddered against mine. All it took was one more sob and an "Oh Adam." I was out flanked just that quick.

The next thing I know, it's a week later. My medals are polished and placed with my ribbons on my dress greens. Trousers bloused into the tops of my jump boots, with my good beret set rakishly atop a fresh hair cut. And I have a date to take my cousin to the prom. This isn't a real date is it?

I had picked Kate up and drove to the school, arriving fashionably late. As we walked in I had Kate on my arm and she was aglow. If I wasn't so dense I may have questioned why Kate seemed like she was in heaven. After all this was just a mercy date with her cousin wasn't it? Half the kids in this Gym knew I was her cousin.

It amazes me to this day that I could be so clueless. What an idiot! And to think the Country entrusts me with its security.

So there I was, clueless and dancing away with my cousin. I have to admit I had a good time as I had always enjoyed Kate's company.

When we had left, Kate hinted that she didn't want to go home, mentioning a big party out in the power lines. I had been to many a party out there in the old days. They ran straight through 10,000 acres of federal and state land.

So I told her I would just as soon not drive my car out there (it's a 72' Dodge Challenger after all!). But we could swing home and get my truck. That had her as happy as I had ever seen her.

When I shut the car off I noticed that the house was dark and Dad's truck was gone. I mentioned it and Kate said, "Oh they are over at my house. Mama told me they were playing cards tonight." It was awful late for my folks to still be out but I didn't think much of it.

I decided while we were here. I want to get out of the monkey suit. So we headed for the house. I was just getting ready to pull on a pair of jeans when Kate stepped into my room.

"KATE!! Get the hell out of here! I had yelled." Instead of leaving Kate firmly closed the door. Turning she walked up in front of me, put her arms around my neck and stared into my eyes. There was this strange buzzing in my ears as I watched her lips move. All I could hear was that buzz and my own heart beating. My heart was beating so hard, my pulse pounded like thunder in my ears.

When Kate's lips touched mine I thought I had just been jolted by electrical current. For a moment I was powerless to move. Hell my brain wasn't even working. Kate had pushed me back on the bed and had crawled up on top of me. When she kissed me again my brain started working against me!

As soon as her lips touched mine I was kissing her back against my own will. My erection was poking out the top of my briefs. As soon as my treacherous hands reached up and touched Kate's magnificent breasts the alarms started going off.