Until now, Gary Tucker’s life had been one of privilege and wealth. His long-lost brothers figured he’d had everything handed to him on a silver platter. But he’d had struggles of a different kind—like the struggle to break free of Gareth B. Tucker, Sr.’s iron-fisted control—to be his own man. No one really understood what it was like to be Gareth Tucker, Jr....no one that is, except Julie. Julie Banks was beautiful, wholesome, smart and funny—and his brother’s little sister. Gene thought of her as just a kid—but Gary saw her as the woman of his dreams. Therein lay the problem. Were they destined to remain best friends, never taking their relationship farther than that?
Overshadowing all of this, however, was the War. More than anything, Gary wanted to join the conflict and fly bombers over Germany and Japan. Would he get the opportunity?
Could he find a way to become the man he knew he was called to be—and would the woman he loved be by his side when it was all said and done?
If you love stories about WWII and the “Greatest Generation” that read like you’re watching a classic movie, with handsome soldiers and beautiful girls-next-door, then Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant is for you!
This is the third book in the Soldiers of Swing series, and like the others, it contains no profanity or illicit sex.
Excerpts from “Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant
Until now, Gary Tucker’s life had been one of privilege and wealth. His long-lost brothers figured he’d had everything handed to him on a silver platter. But he’d had struggles of a different kind—like the struggle to break free of Gareth B. Tucker, Sr.’s iron-fisted control—to be his own man. No one really understood what it was like to be Gareth Tucker, Jr....no one that is, except Julie. Julie Banks was beautiful, wholesome, smart and funny—and his brother’s little sister. Gene thought of her as just a kid—but Gary saw her as the woman of his dreams. Therein lay the problem. Were they destined to remain best friends, never taking their relationship farther than that?
Overshadowing all of this, however, was the War. More than anything, Gary wanted to join the conflict and fly bombers over Germany and Japan. Would he get the opportunity?
Could he find a way to become the man he knew he was called to be—and would the woman he loved be by his side when it was all said and done?
If you love stories about WWII and the “Greatest Generation” that read like you’re watching a classic movie, with handsome soldiers and beautiful girls-next-door, then Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant is for you!
This is the third book in the Soldiers of Swing series, and like the others, it contains no profanity or illicit sex.
Excerpts from “Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant”
-Viv glanced at Julie and suddenly suggested, with a playful sparkle in her eyes, that they all take a ride in the park’s tunnel of love. To Julie’s delight, Gary was the first male to agree, and she barely stifled a hum of anticipation. All day long, he had been treating her more like a sister, or what he probably considered her—his best friend and pen pal.
Her heart sped up triple time as he held her hand and assisted her into one of the two-seater boats, and she wondered…nay hoped—he had plans. They settled in and the operator gave their boat a push, chuckling, “Have fun, kids,” causing Julie to glance at her shipmate as he shifted his gaze toward her. He smiled—and winked! She felt heat instantly surge into her neck and face.
Once past the entrance, they floated within the guideways of the mini canal, gently propelled by the flowing water. Compared to the summer heat outside, it was cool, damp, and quite pleasant within the tunnel—like a different world. Soft music lulled from unseen speakers as the water quietly lapped against the side of their boat. The noise, laughter, and sounds of the park soon faded away.
“Mmm, it’s so nice in here,” she let out a contented sigh.
“Yes it is…a little bit like a gondola in Venice, huh?” Gary responded with a smile in his tone.
“Yes…it’s so relaxing, I could stay in here forever,” Julie returned, drawing in a deep breath of cool tunnel air.
They drifted along, and once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, both perused the tunnel’s smooth walls decorated with fading, painted likenesses of couples strolling along or sitting on benches; images that an unknown artist had put there decades before.
About a minute into the six-minute ride, Julie heard Mary June giggle from somewhere up ahead, around a curve of the dimly lit tunnel.
She could guess what prompted her friend’s giggle and she shivered in hopeful expectation.
Gary noticed, and whispered, “Cold?” She answered with a delicate, “Kind of,” and he slipped an arm around her shoulders.
Nestling her head comfortably against his jaw and breathing in the pleasant lingering scent of his aftershave, she couldn’t help thinking she fit there as if they had been made for one another. Of course, that wasn’t a new thought, she reminded herself. She had known that since she had walked down the aisle on his arm at Gene’s wedding.
This could be the moment she had waited and hoped for all day…although the entire day had been enchanting from start to finish just to be with Gary, receiving his attention, laughing and talking with him. It was the stuff of dreams, and Julie knew she would never forget that day…or the man with his arm now around her. Even if these ten days were all she ever had with him, she would take them and be grateful. The only thing that could make the day better, she mused, would be for the man at her side to tell her he wanted her to be more than just a pen pal and best friend—more than just his number one cheerleader.
“I’ve enjoyed today,” he murmured, giving her a tiny squeeze. “You?”
“Yes, very much,” she nodded against him, wishing she could put this six-minute interlude on repeat like a jukebox full of nickels and only one button to push. Oh Lord…why can’t he see me as a woman…and not as Gene’s little sister…
A dozen heartbeats went by and he whispered, “Julie…I’d like very much to kiss you…”
-Ten minutes later, Gary stormed through the door of the plant. Oblivious to the salutations of employees and office workers, he bounded up the interior steps and stomped down the hall to the executive office. Seething, the familiar surroundings seemed to have taken on a red haze.
Passing Mabel without much of a glance and ignoring her greeting, he stormed into the office and threw the paper down on the desk in front of his father.
“Do you know anything about this?” he demanded. Breathing hard from the emotion and the blocks traversed on foot, his heart hammered in his ears and thudded in his chest. He was so angry; at that moment he could have pummeled the man behind the large desk, because although Charise hadn’t known the details, she had admitted that her husband might have somehow had something to do with this sudden change in his orders.
His father, holding the telephone receiver, said quietly into it, “Something has come up. I’ll have to get back to you with that information. Yes, thank you. Goodbye.”
He replaced the handset into the cradle and then calmly, as if he wasn’t surprised to see his son crash into his office like a Sherman tank, Gareth, Sr., picked up the paper and read it thoroughly. Then, he placed it back onto the surface, folded his hands over it, and looked up at his son.
Gary’s consciousness registered through the misty, red fog of anger that his father seemed to have aged quite a bit in the past three months. However, he ruthlessly pushed that thought aside and glared into the man’s passive face.
“Well? Are you going to tell me what you did and how you did it? Or just sit there and look at me,” Gary flung at him, not caring that it was the first time in his life he’d ever raised his voice to his father without fear of a resulting reprimand.
His father drew in a breath and let it out, but didn’t speak.
Gary swore under his breath, clamping his hands on his hips. “How in H…Hades did my orders get changed from Texas to Louisville? From Advanced Bomber training to…to I don’t know what at a tiny regional air base in the states? What is this, father? Meddling in my life the way you always have?” When would he get out from under this man’s thumb? Gary had always admired and even been amazed at the contacts his father possessed and the power he wielded in the business world. However—wielding power over Gary’s life was stepping over the line and he’d had a belly full of it. He’d decided on his angry march to the plant that if his father had, indeed, been instrumental in this, it would be the last meddling the old man would do.
“Please sit down, Gareth,” his father replied softly.
Swearing again and calling his father a slang term he’d never used in his presence before, Gary shot back, “Answer my question!”
A spark of something ignited in his father’s eyes, but he merely said in a controlled voice, “I am still your father, Gareth Bradley, and you will give me the respect that position demands.”
Totally unlike Gary’s normal persona, his face twisted in rage and he sneered, “I’ll respect you when you quit interfering in my life and derailing my plans! Tell me what you did you lowdown son of a—”
“Gareth!” his father thundered as he shot to his feet, matching Gary’s volume and barely glancing over as Mabel silently closed the door to give them privacy. “I’ll not answer questions delivered in a tone such as that!”
Gary spun away with a growl of fury, his hands gripping his head as he fought not to tear his hair out by the roots in frustration, before stalking to the familiar window overlooking the river. Breathing heavily and using every ounce of self-control he could muster, he forced himself to stare at the mile-wide, smoothly flowing body of water and counted silently until he could feel the thumping force of his pulse begin to ease. Minutes passed.
Finally, he turned and lowered his arms, his movements measured.
Meeting his father’s eyes again, he ground out, “I apologize for my profanity, sir. I respectfully ask for an explanation.”
Drawing in a deep breath and letting it back out, much like he had before, his father reached up to press his fingers to his forehead, and then swung the hand toward one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. “Please, sit down Gareth.”
About Linda Ellen
Linda Ellen lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband of thirty-five years. A lifelong avid reader, Linda tried her hand at writing in 2009 and never looked back. Prior to the release of her debut novel Once in a While, she wrote articles for a local newspaper, The Southwest Reporter. Linda keeps very busy with her work in her church's prison ministry and writing every spare moment she gets. Many more plans are underway for books and series, both historical and modern day.
Linda Ellen's latest release, Her Blue-Eyed Lieutenant, is the third and final book in her Soldiers of Swing series, and her sixth book overall.
Contact Info for Linda
To keep up with the latest news on her books, including tailers, cover reveals, release dates, and book signings, you can visit her social media pages and through her website.
Twitter- @LindaEllen54
Book Info:
Chautona Havig lives and writes in California’s Mojave Desert with her husbnd and five of her nine children. Through her novels, she hopes to encourage Christians in their walk with Jesus.