Chapter Four

Rascal walked over to check the podium and the cords for the sound system one more time. Neither he nor Meg needed to trip on anything. He moved the cords under the rug Bear had added to the stage.

They'd transformed the park today. The commemoration monument was right as you walked into the park from the street. Winnie and Remi had agreed that it would be the perfect place for people to stop for a picture when they visited it. The park covered one square block and had several large trees that offered shade but left plenty of area to soak up the sunshine. Usually, there were several picnic tables around the area.

Today, they'd added a stage along with a couple canopies with chairs set up in rows. Numerous tables and chairs dotted the area to provide plenty of seating. A food and drink tent was set up for the meal they were providing from the diner. Although the shop portion of the diner was open, food was only available at the park today for lunch.

The vacant lot beside the park kept drawing Rascal's eye. It was an eyesore. It had originally been a grass parking lot for a business. The business had closed, and no one was taking care of the area. Maybe he should find out if it was for sale. Regina and Stella had been talking about how they wanted to learn to play pickleball, but there wasn't anywhere available. Their high school was small enough that it didn't have a tennis team, so there weren't any courts in town.

He'd rather see the land used than just sit vacant. He'd put that on his list of to-do's to check on. He glanced around the area again. He was on pins and needles, waiting to see Meg again.

"Watching for your lady friend, Dad?"

He scooped Joey out of Bear's arms and then pulled his son in for a hug.

"Maybe."

Bear nodded with a tiny smirk on his face. His son wasn't quite so grumpy since he'd fallen for Winnie and had kids.

"Well, she seems really sweet. I'd love to see you have somebody to come home to."

"Are you getting sentimental, son?"

"I know how much Winnie changed my life. You've had enough heartache. It's time for you to have some love in your life."

Rascal nodded at his arms. "I have love."

"I'm not talking about that. I couldn't ask for a better Papa for my kids. I just want more for you."

Rascal marveled at the change in his son. It choked him up a little. "I appreciate that."

Rascal was saved from saying more as the SUVs with the women showed up. Bear took Joey out of his arms. "Go get your woman."

"I'm not sure she's ready to be my woman yet."

"Then convince her."

Rascal chuckled. Bear had certainly changed, and he was grateful his son had a family and a woman he loved deeply. Rascal could admit he was a little jealous and hoping that Meg was the one for him. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to tie her to him and never let her go.

She stepped out of the SUV. If he thought she looked beautiful in jeans, she was stunning dressed up. She had on a long jean skirt paired with a red three-quarter sleeve blouse with cutouts along the neckline. He wasn't sure what the shirt was called, but he definitely wanted to buy her more of them. They highlighted her bustline and her full figure. The shirt was tucked in to the jean skirt. She had a wide white belt with silver stars on it, which matched a white headband holding her hair back from her face. She had dark sunglasses covering her eyes. She was quite the stylish woman and so not what he'd pictured for himself, but she had him falling for her.

He grinned and walked over to her. "You look gorgeous."

She smiled and pulled her sunglasses off. Her eyes ran down him and back up. "You look pretty hot yourself. How am I supposed to concentrate on my speech when you look like that?"

He chuckled. Her time around the women had relaxed her, and he was thankful for that. He tugged her closer and decided who the heck cared who saw them. He captured her lips, letting her know how pleased her words made him.

Meg fanned her face and took her place on the stage. After Rascal's kiss had set her on fire, she'd had to calm down so she could help get all the bags to the registration table. People had started arriving in the last half hour. She was speaking first, then Rascal.

She hoped her speech was okay. Speaking in front of crowds wasn't her forte. In front of her classes, she was in her element. Here, she already had sweat forming on her back from her nerves.

War and Remi stepped up to the mic. "We, along with all the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC family, would like to welcome you to our commemoration ceremony of the 80 th Anniversary of D-Day. We'd like to welcome our speaker, Dr. Margaret Jamison who teaches American War history and is an expert on the history of D-Day. Please help us make her feel welcome."

Meg made her way to the podium and let the clapping die down.

"Thank you. I was pleased when I received a call to come speak at this commemoration ceremony. As a lover of history and especially conflict history of our troops, I'm always happy to talk about my favorite subjects. I think making history real to others is one of the greatest ways we can teach future generations. Others earned for us the rights we have.

I wanted to start today with some statistics. On June 6, 1944, approximately 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy from the air and from the sea. To date, it is still the largest seaborne invasion in history. It included six thousand ships and landing crafts, fifty thousand vehicles and eleven thousand planes. American troops counted for about 73,000 of those who stormed the beach. Of those troops, approximately 13,100 American paratroopers from the 82 nd and 101 st Airborne divisions, along with 3,937 glider infantrymen, were dropped in.

I'd like to put it in perspective for you. If the 73,000 American troops came from cities in Kansas today, you would need all the people in the following cities: Bluff Creek, Dodge City, Meade, Medicine Lodge, Coldwater, Greensburg, Emporia and my hometown of Slate City. It was a massive undertaking. To me, in this age of computers, it boggles my mind that they accomplished this huge undertaking without the technology we have today. No drones or satellites giving up to the minute changes.

Estimates total that of the 160,000 Allied troops storming the beaches, more than 9,000 Allied troops died on day one. They were sons. They were fathers. They were brothers. They were patriots and heroes.

Without D-Day, we might be standing in a different America today. It's credited with turning the tide of the war. I personally believe that the sacrifices of these brave individuals need to be taught in every high school in America. Without their brave service, who knows what would have happened. Although eighteen was the minimum age for enlistment and seventeen was allowed with parental consent, younger individuals signed up because they felt called to serve, faking their age to enlist.

D-Day had to have the right conditions to have a chance at succeeding. It needed clear weather with a near full-moon to guide ships. D-Day was actually set for June 5 th , but a weathercast showed that the day didn't have ideal conditions. General Eisenhower moved D-Day to the next day, June 6 th . I wonder, thinking about all those who served, how they dealt with the letdown of postponement. Did worry fill their minds, or did they spend time with the men they were friends with? Did they sleep, or was the night plagued with thinking through what they would do the next day? They would have done all the things the military does before deployment, including making sure their life insurance beneficiaries were up to date because surviving the day wasn't guaranteed.

D-Day also didn't go quite as planned. With over fifty miles of shoreline, the areas were divided into beaches. US troops were in charge of taking Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. Thousands of US paratroopers died during their drop to Utah Beach. Some were shot out of the sky and others died by missing landing spots or being dragged down in marshlands. Some seaborne forces also missed their landing spots due to strong currents.

Despite all this, US troops were still able to advance and make headway. For some, this was the first time they'd ever seen combat and still they pushed through.

Today, we commemorate the eightieth anniversary of D-Day. When individuals answered the call to fight back against a dictator and brave individuals turned the tide and changed history so that others may be liberated. May we always appreciate their sacrifice and never forget their bravery."

Meg nodded at the applause and walked back to her seat.

"You did a great job." Rascal patted her shoulder as he took her place at the podium.

"Thank you, Dr. Jamison. My name is Rascal Carter and I'm a member of the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC. I'm not usually one to speak in front of crowds, but this was one of those times when I couldn't stay quiet. Today's activities started as a conversation. I decided to give up a storage building I'd had for years since my parents had passed. I took a truck, loaded all the stuff in, came home, and did what most men would do. I piled it all in another storage area and ignored it. Then, my daughter-in-law asked about pictures from when her husband was younger. You know where this is going, right?" Rascal paused for the laughter to die down. "I'd put the older boxes in front of all the things of my son's. Luckily, my daughter-in-law, who I consider my daughter, is one of five sisters. These fierce women are a part of my family, so I ended up with bonus daughters. They took pity on this old man and decided to organize my stuff. Honestly, one of the reasons I'd never touched the boxes was because my parents died in a car crash while I was overseas serving. Going through their stuff brought back how much I missed them. It was the second day of them sorting through my stuff. Winnie, who was the one that started all this, walked in with an old picture.

When she asked who it was, I remembered my dad talking about his brother that I'd never met. My uncle served and died during WWII. He was eighteen when he died. He wanted to serve his country and wasn't going to let an age requirement hold him back. He'd joined when he was sixteen.

I thought about how he, along with so many other men, had such a profound impact on my life. This man who should have still been in high school had helped change the world for me. If these young men had not answered the call of a nation, our world could look very different today.

Later that evening we were enjoying barbecued ribs and chicken with so many sides the table was groaning. We'd been discussing the items we'd found. Beth, another of my bonus daughters, brought up how not only had they served but as the war went on, they'd served in conditions they weren't prepared for. There wasn't enough food because supplies were hard to come by. Their uniforms weren't made for cold weather, so when it turned cold, they did what they had to do to survive. They persevered.

We can't go back and tell them how much their sacrifices meant to us. So many gave their lives for us, and those that didn't give their lives, came home forever changed. What we can do is commemorate the sacrifice they made so that we, and others, might live free.

As you participate in the activities planned for this weekend, I ask that you pause and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy today because of the courage of so many people who didn't know us but knew freedom was worth fighting for."

Meg followed Rascal down off the stage as he and the others from the MC handed out the commemoration plaques to those that had family members who served on D-Day. She fought back tears as she listened to some of the stories the family members told about their loved ones.

When she'd said yes to this speech, she'd never imagined the impact it would have on her. She'd been fighting tears back since the first story she'd heard. She was normally the one teaching, but today, it was a treat to observe the interactions and bask in how thankful everyone was.

After they finished chatting, Rascal was planning on them eating lunch and then enjoying the patriotic concert this afternoon. Tomorrow's activities were a poker run to raise money and then an evening dance with a live band.

In such a short time, she'd fallen in love with this small town and the people here. She wasn't sure what she felt for Rascal, but whatever it was, it was growing stronger the longer they were together.