A Memory Worth Dying For Read Online Free PDF

tired—that’s when crazy thoughts entered his head.
    After he dropped Veronica off at the Duke ranch, he drove the rest of the way home at a slower pace. Not a car was in sight as he made the two-mile trip home, and it gave him time to think.
    His dad didn’t like Veronica—at least, he didn’t like their dating each other. Growing up, Gerald had encouraged their friendship, but since Daniel’s loss of memory, his dad had taken a strong disliking to Veronica. Gerald said he didn’t think Veronica had Daniel’s best interests at heart. Since that time, when Daniel talked about Veronica, his father moped around the house with a frown on his face.
    Daniel always respected his father’s opinions, but his dad didn’t understand the relationship he had with Veronica. Daniel was ready to settle down, and his father needed to understand.
    He walked the pathway from the garage and saw the lights in the den shining brightly. It was after midnight. Surely his dad wasn’t still up. He must have gone to bed and left the lights on again.
    Daniel reached inside the den door to flip the switch when he heard his father’s voice.
    “Daniel?”
    “Dad, what are you doing up so late?”
    “I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to look at some old photos.”
    Daniel sat down on the sofa beside his father. “What do you have there?”
    The aged photo of his mom still revealed her beauty. Sitting on a horse, she wore bright red riding boots with a cowboy hat perched crazily on her head.
    “She was beautiful, wasn’t she, son?”
    “I was thinking the same thing.”
    Gerald’s deep breath came out on a long sigh.
    “You really miss her, don’t you, Dad?”
    Gerald nodded. “Yep. Our marriage was a rare and special thing—just like your marriage to—”
    “Dad . . . don’t start, okay?”
    Gerald placed the photograph back in the old photo album and closed the book. “All right, Daniel. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but Veronica is—”
    “You’re right, Dad, I don’t want to talk about it. Good night.” Daniel stood up.
    Gerald rose with him but froze when a newer photo fell from the pages of the book. Daniel bent to pick it up and hand it back to his father. The picture was of another horse and rider, but the young woman in the picture wore the same color boots and hat as his mom.
    “Who is that?” Daniel asked as his father grabbed the photo and glanced at it before sticking it back in the book. He slipped the book under his arm and turned toward the door.
    “Just a friend of the Rushing family. I’m tired now, son. I think I’ll go to bed. Will you slide the rest of those albums back in the closet and get the lights?”
    Daniel rubbed his chin and watched his dad leave the room. He picked up the photo albums on the floor beside the couch, but when he stuck them back on the shelf in the closet, he noticed a wooden box sitting on the back of the top shelf. For some reason, a wave of warmth filtered through him.
    He vaguely remembered his dad showing him some of the contents of that box after he’d come home from Iraq . It was full of memories—memories of his marriage and his ex-wife. Memories he’d blissfully forgotten after the IED explosion.
    Curiosity had him reaching for the box, but a nervous charge traveled through his body. Secretly, he wanted to explore, but he was afraid it would bring back painful memories—memories he might be glad he’d forgotten. He laid it on the table and stared at the polished oak containing a direct path to his heart. Even if he couldn’t remember the keepsakes, the impression they made on his heart might linger. He reached for the box and opened the lid decisively.
    The first thing he saw was a small jewelry case with a ring inside. The two-carat diamond sparkled back at him as if trying to shed light into his dark memories. He laid the box aside and pulled out a velvet cloth folded into a square. Lifting each corner, his hand shook when he opened the last