Eternal Vows by Rochelle Alers

Author:Rochelle Alers [Alers, Rochelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

With the cocktail hour winding down the assembly was ushered into the mansion’s ballroom. There were ten round tables with seating for eight, set with china, silver and crystal, on red, white or blue tablecloths. Peyton was pleasantly surprised when she discovered Jesse and his parents were seated at the table to which she and Nicholas had been assigned. Another soldier with his parents also joined them. She chatted comfortably with Jesse’s mother and the others at the table, while Nicholas spoke quietly with Jesse.

He’d talked about hiring her and Jesse. Peyton had heard talk that Nicholas was a member of one of the wealthiest African-American families in the country. She’d gone online to research his family, but found very little personal information on him or ColeDiz International, Ltd., the privately held family owned conglomerate. Celia had mentioned that Nicholas had planned on a career in the navy, but was forced to retire because of an accident. Physically he appeared to be healthy, so she wondered how serious could it have been for him to give up his military career.

Conversations faded when Judith Bronwyn tapped a handheld microphone. All eyes were trained on the woman whose unwavering support of servicemen and veterans had begun when her grandson, who’d survived burns over fifty per cent of his body returned home only to die by his own hand. She’d set up the not-for-profit foundation to meet the needs of returning servicemen who’d served in the Middle East.

The foundation contracted with licensed therapists to address the issues of dealing with depression and PTSD. Several contractors donated their time and materials to renovate homes to make them wheelchair accessible and the latest focus was job training leading to employment for returning men and women.

Judith flashed a wide grin. “I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight. I’d like to get my speech out of the way so everyone can eat in peace. Our foundation would not be possible without your financial support. And events like this would not be possible without the people who volunteer their time and energy to support our servicemen and wounded warriors.

“I’ve heard some grumbling when we raised the price of the tickets for our biannual fund-raiser. Come now, my friends and neighbors. Nearly everyone here owns at least one horse, and you are more than aware of the cost of feeding a horse for a month. My comeback is if you can feed a horse then you can feed a veteran.” Thunderous applause followed her pronouncement. “One of the reasons we decided to hold this event every two years is to give you enough time to save your spare change.” She paused when there was a chorus of laughter and moans. “Our focus for the next two years will be to hire a vet. I don’t have to tell you that no one is better disciplined or has a better work ethic than a serviceman or woman. I see my husband giving me the signal to end this, so again I thank you for your ongoing generosity.

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