by Elle James
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow
Elle James
Twisted Page Inc.
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow
Brotherhood Protectors Book #8
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
* * *
ELLE JAMES
Copyright © 2018 by Elle James
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62695-137-2
Print ISBN: 978-1-62695-138-9
To my family for having faith in me and supporting me as I follow my dreams. I love you all dearly.
* * *
And thank you to my editor Linda Carroll-Bradd who helps me to polish my work, and to my beta readers who catch the things I missed: Fedora, T.M. Cromer, and Jay. You ladies are great!
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Elle James
Author’s Note
Enjoy other military books by Elle James
Brotherhood Protector Series
Montana SEAL (#1)
Bride Protector SEAL (#2)
Montana D-Force (#3)
Cowboy D-Force (#4)
Montana Ranger (#5)
Montana Dog Soldier (#6)
Montana SEAL Daddy (#7)
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow (#8)
Montana SEAL Undercover Daddy (#9)
Montana Rescue
Take No Prisoners Series
SEAL’s Honor (#1)
SEAL’s Ultimate Challenge (#1.5)
SEAL’S Desire (#2)
SEAL’s Embrace (#3)
SEAL’s Obsession (#4)
SEAL’s Proposal (#5)
SEAL’s Seduction (#6)
SEAL’S Defiance (#7)
SEAL’s Deception (#8)
SEAL’s Deliverance (#9)
Visit ellejames.com for more titles and release dates
For hot cowboys, visit her alter ego Myla Jackson at mylajackson.com
and join Elle James and Myla Jackson's Newsletter at Newsletter
Contents
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Montana Rescue
Chapter 1
About the Author
Also by Elle James
Chapter 1
“I get that Brotherhood Protectors are bodyguards, but what kind of assignments can I expect?” Vince “Viper” Van Cleave had asked earlier that morning. His first time in Montana and his first official day as a new recruit to the Brotherhood Protectors, and he’d now gotten the answer to his question.
“It varies. For instance, I’m covering a wedding at the Brighter Days Rehab Ranch today. Not only am I providing protection for the bride, I’m driving the limousine with the bride and groom to the airport in Bozeman.” Chuck Johnson went through the arsenal in Hank Patterson’s basement, selecting a Glock nine-millimeter handgun and a shoulder holster. “You can come along as my backup and follow me to the airport to bring me back. I’m dropping off the limo there and need a ride back.”
“That’s it?” Viper stared at the array of handguns, rifles and grenade launchers that would make any Delta Force soldier envious. “All you want me to do is go to a wedding and follow you to the airport?”
“Until Hank tasks you with your first assignment, you can hang with me and see what we do…sometimes.”
Viper glanced around at the arsenal. “A glorified chauffeur needs to carry a weapon?”
“And protective service,” Chuck emphasized. “Even the simplest assignments have a way of getting sticky. You never know.”
“Why do you need to provide protection at a wedding?”
“The bride is a Montana senator’s daughter and physical therapist at the ranch. The groom is one of our own…Taz Davila, a former Army Ranger.”
Viper could appreciate the show of support for a teammate. He had been close to the men in his unit and hated leaving them when he’d retired. He was glad to see the brotherhood had each other’s backs. “How long have you been with the team?”
Chuck grinned. “About a month…not long. I resigned from the DEA to come to work for Hank. I wanted to stay in the area.”
“Staying because of a girl?” Viper lifted a rifle and weighed it in his hands, while imagining the amazing woman Chuck gave up the DEA for. A stab of guilt hit him in the gut. If he’d left the Navy when his wife got pregnant, he might still have a little family.
Chuck grinned. “You bet. The prettiest girl you ever met.”
His chest tightened. “Congratulations. You two going to be next at the altar?”
Chuck barked a laugh.
Viper looked at him over the AR15 he held. “What? Not the marrying kind?”
“I love the girl, but I’m not marrying her. She’s only a baby.”
Viper frowned. “What do you mean?”
“While with the DEA, I provided support to the witness protection program. Baby Maya’s mother witnessed a murder. I had to keep the two of them alive for about a year before the bad guys got wind of their location. Then the shit hit the fan, and we came here. Hank helped me protect them until we could flush out the adversaries.”
Protecting innocents from murderers was the kind of work Viper could see himself doing. His interest captured, he glanced toward Chuck. “How did you know about Hank’s operation?”
“He and I go back to our days as Navy SEALs.”
His gaze swept over Chuck. “You were a SEAL?” The man was older than him, but his shoulders were broad and he still appeared to be in good shape.
Chuck snorted. “I know, it’s hard to believe. An old guy like me.”
“Seriously, you’re not that old.”
“I’ll be forty-seven next month.”
“That’s not old.” Viper shook his head. “I never thought I’d live to retire from Delta Force. But I proved the younger men wrong, and here I am.”
“Glad you made it.” Chuck pounded Viper on the back. “Us old guys have to stick together. You’ll like it here. Hank has a great setup. I don’t know anywhere else I could get a job doing what I love and still be close to that kid.” Chuck’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “Maya has me wrapped around her little finger. Never considered having kids of my own, but this arrangement is the next best thing. I get to be Uncle Chuck.”
“What about the mother? Not interested?” Viper asked.
“She’s a beautiful, wonderful woman.” Chuck’s lips pressed together. “But she loves another guy.”
“That sucks.”
“For me, yeah.” He shrugged. “But she’s happy. That’s what counts. And he’s a Navy SEAL. I can’t be too mad about that. She could do worse. She could have married a Delta Force puke.”
Viper frowned. “Watch it.”
Chuck laughed. “Just kidding. I worked a number of missions in the sandbox with Delta Force guys. Next to Navy SEALs, they’re the second-best special operations men around.”
“SEALs being first?” Viper harrumphed. “Not full of yourself much, are you?”
“Damn right, I am. I worked hard to earn the right to be an ass.”
“And while the Delta Force soldier
s are preserving your freedom by fighting the good fight on foreign soil, you’re chauffeuring a bride and groom through their wedding and off on their honeymoon.”
Chuck grinned. “Damn right. I did my part while on active duty and then with the DEA. Being with the Brotherhood Protectors is a damned good job. And I get to be home tonight to watch the Cowboys play ball on the big screen at the Blue Moose Tavern. You’re welcome to join me, if you’re up to drinking a beer.”
“You’re on,” Viper said. “But I’ll be rooting for the New Orleans Saints.”
“Then forget it. I retract my invitation.”
Viper chuckled. He liked the easy camaraderie he’d found with Chuck. When Viper retired from active duty and didn’t know what he’d do next with his life, Hank had given him a job.
Hank and his wife, Sadie, welcomed him into their home while he looked for a place to live in Eagle Rock, Montana. The other members he’d had the pleasure of meeting had all been like brothers. “Hank has all this equipment for the Brotherhood Protectors?”
“Only the best,” Chuck said. “Like I said, you’ll like it here.”
* * *
Later that night, after the wedding of the senator’s daughter to one of his new teammates, Viper followed the limousine Chuck drove. The happily married bride and groom were on their way to their rendezvous with an airplane that would whisk them away to Maui, their honeymoon destination.
Viper wasn’t well-versed on weddings, having only gone through one. His own. But, as far as Hannah Kendricks and Taz Davila’s nuptials went, the event had gone off without a hitch. All of Hank’s team that weren’t deployed to various engagements showed up in force. The wedding was casual, the bride glowing, and the groom happier than any man Viper ever knew. And the groomsmen were an array of rehabilitating veterans with missing limbs, PTSD, and nothing but good things to say about Hannah and Taz in their many toasts.
It did Viper’s spirits good to see so many people laughing and enjoying the celebration of two people who were obviously in love getting hitched. The couple’s joy gave Viper hope for other veterans who were having difficulty finding their way in their post-war civilian lives.
Viper had given marriage a shot, but it hadn’t ended the way he’d planned. While he’d been deployed on a super-secret mission, his wife had died. He’d never quite gotten over the tragedy. He still lived with the guilt of not being there for Emily when she needed him most. From that point forward, he’d committed himself to being a bachelor. Special Forces soldiers had no business being married. They were on call all the time and gone from home more months out of the year than they were present.
Now that he was retired and not subject to long-distance and long-duration deployments, Viper might consider finding someone to share his life with. But he wasn’t ready to jump into marriage with just anyone. His wife had been special. Any other woman would have to measure up, and then some.
He studied the taillights of the limousine in front of him as they traversed the mountain roads, heading southeast to Bozeman.
Viper’s parents had been the model for a happily married couple. His father worshipped his mother. The woman could do no wrong. She was the kindest, most caring woman Viper could have asked for as a mother. And she loved his father completely. His father treated his mother with tremendous adoration and respect and never had a cross word to say to her.
Viper had been lucky to find Emily, a woman very much like his mother. Kind and nurturing. She’d deserved a better man than him. One who could have been there every night.
Viper wanted that perfect union and wouldn’t settle for anything less.
As he considered the woman he could potentially fall in love with, he added more qualifications to the list that started with kind, gentle and loving.
She didn’t have to be beautiful, but petite, with long, flowing blond hair would be good for a start. And well-endowed. Yes. He liked a woman with curves in all the right places.
He focused on the road ahead as the hairpin twists grew tighter, and what he could see of the shoulders of the highway dropped off into darkness. He’d driven the route the day before to arrive at White Oak Ranch, the base of operations for the Brotherhood Protectors.
The roads had been dangerous in the light of day. They were even trickier in the darkness, requiring much slower speeds to navigate them safely.
Viper maintained several car-lengths’ distance from the limousine ahead. He didn’t want to intrude on the newlyweds’ privacy by shining his headlights into their back window.
The limousine rounded a sharp curve, disappearing out of sight for a moment.
Viper didn’t worry too much but increased his speed and then slowed as he took the curve. When he could see the limo’s taillights again, he wondered at the distance between the two vehicles.
They were heading down a mountain, which explained the increased speed, but he couldn’t understand why Chuck wasn’t using his brakes more to slow their descent.
Viper punched the accelerator on the straight stretches in an attempt to catch up to the now racing limo. What was wrong with Chuck? Didn’t he realize the roads were too crooked to take at such a high rate of speed?
The limousine didn’t even slow as it entered the next curve. Nor did the brake lights blink on.
By then, Viper’s pulse had picked up. His gut told him something wasn’t right. He wished he’d opted for some of the radio equipment Hank had stored in his basement. At the time he and Chuck had been looking through the array of devices he hadn’t thought communications equipment would be necessary for a wedding.
But as he raced down the mountain behind the wedding limousine, plunging down the road at an increasingly dangerous speed, he wished he could communicate with Chuck to find out what the hell was happening.
Chuck hit the next curve going so fast the limousine’s backend spun sideways. The rear wheels skidded across the pavement, heading for the guardrail.
Viper held his breath, his foot on the brake, bracing himself for the wreck he suspected would happen in the next second.
Somehow, Chuck managed to keep the limousine on the road, the rear bumper scraping the guardrail as they swung around the curve.
But the descent continued to be steep and the curves tightened.
At the next bend in the road, the limousine wasn’t as lucky.
Viper guessed the limousine was traveling at fifty or sixty miles per hour as it plowed into a curve with caution signs indicating half that speed as necessary to negotiate the turn. With no protective guardrail to keep it on the road, the rear of the limousine swung wide, the back tires sliding off onto the dirt shoulder.
When the back fell off the road, the rest of the limousine followed and the entire vehicle slipped into the darkness.
His heart in his throat, Viper slammed on his brakes in the middle of the curve, pulled onto the narrow shoulder and brought the truck to a screeching halt.
He leaped out onto the ground and ran to the edge where the limousine had disappeared. He couldn’t see anything but a black abyss. Pulse pounding, he ran back to the truck, punched the hazard lights button and fished in the glove box for a flashlight. Thankfully, he found one and ran back to the roadside.
This time, when he looked over the ledge he was relieved to see the limousine about thirty feet down a steep incline. It appeared to be wedged up against a small tree, bent at a dangerous angle.
If he ran down the hill, he could slip and fall, adding to the weight of the heavy vehicle and pushing it against the tree. His weight could be the straw that broke the tree and sent the limo crashing farther down the slope and over the cliff below.
He needed a rope and some help. Back at the truck, he checked for reception on his cellphone and cursed when it displayed No Service.
With no one looking for them for the next couple hours, Viper was responsible for handling the situation to the best of his ability.
He searched the truck bed, under and behind the backseat
and finally found a rope and gloves. He tied the rope to the trailer hitch at the rear of the truck then tossed it over the edge. Stuffing the flashlight into his shirt, he wrapped his gloved hand around the rope and eased his way down the steep hillside to the limo. Surprisingly, the engine was still running.
He reached the driver’s door first and shined the flashlight through the window.
Chuck lay slumped over the steering wheel, the air bag having deflated beneath his cheek. A fine layer of dust covered his face and chest.
Using the hard, plastic end of the flashlight, Viper tapped the window without using too much force. He was afraid even the slightest weight on the vehicle could cause the little tree holding it precariously in place to snap, and send the limo plummeting the rest of the way down the cliff.
Chuck didn’t move.
Again, he tapped the window with the flashlight.
The limo shifted, slipping farther down the hill, bending the little tree practically in half.
Then the back window lowered, and Hannah Davila’s face appeared, her eyes wide, a gash on her cheek bleeding. “Help us,” she pleaded.
“Taz?”
“He’s coming to. But he hit the window pretty hard.” She glanced toward the driver’s seat. “Chuck isn’t responding to the intercom and the glass is up between us. Do you know…is he okay?”
“I can’t tell. He’s slumped over the steering wheel. But the airbag deployed, so hopefully his injuries won’t be life-threatening.” As long as they got him out of the vehicle before it plunged the rest of the way down the hill.
