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same, Cora, honey. You’ve come to mean a lot to me.’
    Although this thrilled her, it made the fear of discovery all the more of a problem. She really liked him, respected him, and if he found her out, she would be devastated.
     
    The following morning, Hank’s division was sent to Salisbury Plain on exercise for a week. On the third day, he was standing in a queue for food at the kitchen that had been set up, when the soldier who had seen him with Cora in the bar came and stood next to him. They were both covered in dirt as the rain had made the terrain a mud bath.
    ‘Geez,’ exclaimed the soldier, ‘that was a hell of a morning. I’m soaked through to my underpants!’
    ‘Me too,’ agreed Hank. ‘Man, I can’t wait to get under a hot shower.’
    They took their food over to a long table with bench seats and sat down to eat.
    ‘I wonder how long it’ll be before we get shipped out,’ his companion said.
    ‘Pretty soon, I guess. In one way I just want to get it over with, in another I dread the idea.’
    ‘Know what you mean. Southampton isn’t a bad place. The folks have treated us well.’ He grinned broadly. ‘I’ll sure miss seeing Cora, I guess you will too?’
    Hank’s eyes narrowed. ‘You seen much of her then?’
    The soldier laughed. ‘Every damned inch of her! Great body. For a whore, she’s a great girl.’ He rose from the bench. ‘Gotta go. See you!’
    Hank was in shock, unable to move. Cora, a whore? Not his Cora. The girl who had kept him at arm’slength all the time he’d been seeing her. It couldn’t be true … could it? He felt sick to his stomach.
     
    Hank didn’t have much time to dwell on his predicament over the next few days as the exercises continued. Fake battle lines were drawn and, as he walked behind a tank, slowly driving over the terrain to meet the supposed enemy, the realisation of what really lay ahead became apparent to all and sundry. It was a wake-up call. One that focused the mind and when the men piled into trucks to take them back to camp, they were a silent bunch as opposed to the air of jollity that had been uppermost on the outward journey.
    They gathered ready to wash mud-packed uniforms and shower the dirt from their aching bodies after attending a debriefing with senior officers; they went over the results of the exercise then told the troop to get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow they’d be off again.
    There was a murmur of disappointment from the troops who had been hoping for a rest and a pass into town.
    The officer glared at them. ‘We’re about to fight a war and you need to be ready or you won’t be around to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh with anyone. Dismiss!’
     
    Jackson Butler was on exercises in a different location. Crawling over rain-soaked ground, hiding from the other troops who were supposed to be the enemy. He jumped into a dugout only to find it was several inches under water which came up to his ankles and flooded his boots.
    ‘Holy shit!’ he exclaimed and yelled as another of his company threw himself into the hole, landing on top of him.
    His comrade apologised as he untangled himself. ‘Sorry, Jackson! Jesus Christ! This ain’t no fun at all. I’m so fucking angry that if one of them Krauts came up here now I’d kill the bastard with my bare hands, I swear I would!’
    Looking at the mud-spattered man beside him, Jackson started to laugh. ‘You should just see yourself, man. You’re covered from head to foot in mud. Hell, I doubt either of us will ever be clean again! Here …’ he handed him a cigarette from a pack. ‘I think we both deserve a smoke.’
    At that moment, one of his officers appeared looking down on the two of them.
    ‘What the hell are you playing at? This is not a fucking tea party, we’re supposed to be fighting a war! Get up off your black arses and follow me.’
    Jackson and his comrade dumped their cigarettes and, muttering beneath their breaths, clambered out of the dugout,