Ranger's Legacy

by Vella Munn

  “Even if you might have chosen something else if there’d been less pressure?”

  She’d wondered that, just hadn’t told anyone. “I love to sing and play the guitar, but I can’t support myself doing those things.”

  “Have you tried?”

  “No and don’t tell me I’m selling myself short. Music lovers are better off not having to listen to me.” She’d worn sandals. As a consequence, her feet were getting numb from the cold. “I hate to say this, but my blood’s too thin for this temperature. Give me a few months and my system will adapt.”

  He nodded and extended his hand. If anything, touching him now did even more fascinating and alarming things to her than earlier.

  “I hope you bought clothes for a Montana winter,” he said as they started retracing their steps. “Even if you’re just here into fall, what worked in Sacramento probably won’t here.”

  A flash of movement overhead made her start. “What’s that?”

  “A bat. Probably going after mosquitos.”

  She’d never seen a bat though obviously Garret was comfortable with the little creature’s presence. Determined not to embarrass herself, she didn’t lean into him. A few seconds later something zipped by not far above her head.

  “What’s happening?” She kept her voice calm.

  “It’s a bit of a feeding frenzy. Because of their metabolisms, bats have to eat more than their body weight every night.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  He chuckled. “Stick with me. I’ll tell you all kinds of nature-centric things you’ll probably never have a use for. So you majored in archeology because—did the subject interest you or was it because your parents approved?”

  Just like that, she was no longer sure she wanted to spend any more time with him. “Why are you asking?”

  “Because I need to know who I’ll be working with.”

  “I know what I’m doing if that’s what you’re getting at. I worked for a museum while I was in college and for the first year after.”

  “You haven’t answered my question.”

  It took her a moment and a couple of deep breaths designed to minimize his impact on her before she recalled what he was talking about. “I would have changed majors if I’d felt this wasn’t something I could do. So far it’s working out. No one can see into the future.”

  “No, we can’t.” His hold on her fingers tightened then relaxed. “Maybe if I’d picked up a golf club, I’d be a pro. Wealthy.”

  Guessing he was determined to get past an awkward moment, she nodded. “And maybe if I’d insisted on guitar lessons, I’d be famous and rich. You forgot to mention the famous part when it came to your golf career.”

  “I’m not interested in fame. Are you?”

  She shuddered. “Hell, no.”

  He stopped which made her do the same. “There. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

  “What is?”

  “The woman can cuss. Believe me, the ability will serve you well here.”

  “Oh, I swear all right. I just don’t let my parents hear.”

  “What brings out the swear words?”

  “Slow drivers who won’t get out of the fast lane,” she said as they reached the parking lot. She added that she hated robo-calls, reality TV, and loud car ads. He agreed with her list then added he felt the same way about being treated like a sardine when he flew and hikers who littered.

  She was sober—at least when it came to her ability to drive. Putting Garret into perspective was another story, one she wanted to continue to explore. Neither of them had so much as touched on relationships past or present. She hadn’t because she didn’t want him thinking she was putting a move on him. Either he felt the same way or he had no personal interest in her.

  “I’ll be at the office tomorrow,” he said. “At least for a few hours. What about you?”

  “Yes.” She pulled out her keys. “I’m afraid to look at my email.”

  “I’m convinced they breed. If you’re cold, turn on your heated seat.”

  “I will.” She pushed the fob that unlocked her door. “I enjoyed tonight. Now I know a place to go for a quick, decent meal.”

  “Is that all?”

  She’d been trying to convince herself to get into her car, but his words pushed the thought away. Despite her crazy busy life, she’d dated enough that she thought she knew when a man was saying something personal. She’d wanted to hear that from Garret, hadn’t she, so what was so hard about answering?

  Maybe because choosing the right words was important.

  “No,” she whispered. “Spending it with you was the best part.”

  “You might change your mind. I’m far from perfect.”

  “Neither am I.”

  “My ex-fiancée will tell you I want to always be in control.”

  Ex. “Do you agree with her?”

  “No.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I have a strong sense of responsibility. It isn’t the same thing.”

  “Responsibility’s good. It’s a necessary part of being an adult.”

  He unfolded his arms. “I just thought you should know.”

  “Thank you. I have a tendency to procrastinate; at least that’s what my parents say.”

  “Everyone puts off certain things.”

  She reached for the door handle. “Again, thank you.”

  “Amber?”

  “Yes.”

  Somehow she was facing him instead of her vehicle. Somehow the keys slipped from her fingers and landed on the ground. Somehow she lifted her arms and placed them around his neck. He pulled her against him.

  This was insane and incomprehensible, an act she hadn’t fantasized about since she was a teenager, but she was lifting herself onto her toes and tilting her head. His mouth met hers, strong and soft, not questioning or insisting. Simply being.

  So was she, a drifting, accepting woman embracing a summer night in Montana. Pressing her body to a man’s potent one, parting her lips, closing her eyes, dismissing everything except him.

  Yes, him. Garret Houle, who’d spent his youth exploring a Native American reservation, a man who understood grizzlies and bats and knew how to kiss.

  Something that was either a groan or a sigh filled her throat only to fade before it could free itself. Her breasts pressed into him and his hands were on her back, but she felt him everywhere, down her spine, his essence enveloping her thighs and between her legs. Making her dizzy and delirious. Killing her awareness of anything except him.

  In many ways he was still a stranger but that was what made what was happening between them magical. Neither of them had asked permission, hadn’t so much as foreshadowed. It had happened, that blending of their former separateness, the trust that a kiss represents.

  When she swayed, he eased her back onto the balls of her feet. Then he leaned over again, she tightened her hold on his neck, and their mouths met once more. She felt drunk, joyously so. And her body—oh, lordy, her body longed to take flight. Tears leaked. She wanted him to move his hands from her back to her buttocks and bring them even closer. She needed the impact of his growing erection and his mouth on her breasts. Needed her fingers tracing his chest before moving to his belly and from there to his cock.

  She’d never gotten this hot this fast.

  “I think...” She struggled to remember what, if anything, she’d been going to say.

  “I know. Too much, too soon. I’m sorry.”

  I’m not.

  Chapter Four

  Because he didn’t punch a time clock, Garret didn’t note the time when he got to work. It was early, not because he had more to do than usual but because sleep had been elusive. He’d spent the night vacillating between degrees of awareness, much of it dictated by how deeply Amber invaded his mind. She’d been there constantly, which had further complicated the hours until daylight.

  It didn’t make sense. He’d had women in his life, had nearly married one. Even when the sex was so good
his mind blew, he’d been able to separate reality from fantasy, but Amber Baum’s presence was blurring the lines.

  “Shit,” Jake said when Garret walked into the so-called break room where they kept a coffee pot, refrigerator, and microwave in addition to a four-person table. “Did you break a leg or something? That’s the only reason I can see for you being in here.”

  After glowering at his friend, Garret reached for his cup and poured himself some coffee. Jake had broken several ribs and bruised his spine when he’d fallen off a ledge last fall while looking for a lost hiker so a comment about a broken bone was understandable. Jake was six plus feet tall with a football player’s hard-muscled body. The forced inactivity following the fall had made Jake a little crazy. No surprise, he’d started working out before the doctors said he should. Someone who didn’t know what had happened would have no idea he’d been injured. If he still felt pain, he kept it to himself. That wasn’t all the man bottled up.

  “If you didn’t have dementia from hitting your head so many times,” Garret said, “you’d remember that our jobs call for spending the majority of our time in the field.”

  “Yeah? I saw that fishing pole on your backpack. I tried calling a couple of times to see if you’d gotten anything, didn’t get an answer.”

  “I was out of range.” He debated adding cream to his coffee, but the expiration date on the carton stopped him.

  “That’s what you always say. I saw your grandmother yesterday when I was grocery shopping. When I told her she looks fantastic, she asked what I was doing Friday night.”

  Trying to suppress a smile, Garret groaned. “What’d you tell her?”

  “That I’m treating her to dinner and a movie, if we can find one worth watching. Otherwise, we’ll go either to her place or mine. She’s a kick.”

  “She conned Hunter into sneaking her deep into the rez last week for some night fishing. Even though she has a boyfriend she might be playing you two against each other.”

  “Looks like I’ll have to turn on the charm.” Jake brushed his thick, dark hair back from his forehead and made a stab at tucking in his shirt. “A woman like her doesn’t come along very often.”

  Garret had no intention of pointing out that pursuing his grandmother was easier for Jake than getting involved with another woman his age. Although Jake had been a widower for over a year, he showed no indication of being ready to risk his heart. Given the facts behind Harmony’s murder, Garret and Hunter didn’t expect anything different. They’d wondered if Jake’s grief might have played a role in his accident.

  At least Jake was getting back his sense of humor. He couldn’t have chosen a better date than Grandma. Beneath her teasing was a compassionate, perceptive woman with unruly gray hair and an arthritic hip she refused to acknowledge.

  “Say,” Jake said, “I understand the historic survey woman is here.”

  “I crashed her meeting with the Flathead homeowners’ association.”

  Jake broke off a chunk of protein bar and popped it in his mouth. “I wondered if you might. How did she take it?”

  “I kept it low-key so she could focus on the homeowners.”

  “And you filled her in on how they’ll probably react to her agenda, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Did you warn her about Sig?”

  “No.”

  “Hmm. Maybe you told Henry and his buddies to shut up followed by running interference as she made her escape.”

  Jake, Hunter, and he had no intention of telling Henry and his friends what they thought of the four cabin owners because they had to work with them from time to time. However, in private was a different story. “I may have said something.”

  “May?” Jake stared at his bar. “Tastes like cardboard wrapped in more cardboard. Do I have to point out that the new hire doesn’t need a big brother?”

  The comment about a big brother hit too close to home, but if he called his friend on it, Jake might bring up some things Garret didn’t want touched. Jake didn’t talk about losing Harmony. Garret didn’t talk about what had happened when his sisters were in junior high.

  “What do you think of her?” Jake asked. “There isn’t much to her. I hope she can hold her own.”

  “So do I.”

  Frowning, Jake broke off another piece. “So you thought about that?”

  “What are you up to today? You’re wearing your uniform.”

  Jake pretended to adjust a nonexistent tie. “Hunter and I are going to talk to some profs from your and his alma mater about the Missions’ geology. We’re meeting at the high school so we can use the AV equipment. I’m looking forward to being with people who at least know what uplift is and the impact of an ice age.”

  “Will you take them into the mountains?” he asked even though he didn’t care. Amber hadn’t said when she’d arrive.

  “That’s the plan. You want to join us?”

  “Nah. Hopefully you won’t get lost. Just remember not to scratch your crotch.”

  “I’ll try.” Jake glanced at the wall clock. “Hunter probably spent the night at Kicking Horse. He’d better get here soon.”

  “He will.”

  Hunter didn’t own a watch. He had an internal clock that was right down to the minute. In addition, he was correct about the weather ninety-nine percent of the time. His grandfather had taught both Hunter and Garret how to track, but Hunter understood the wilderness in ways Garret envied. Hell, there was a lot about his friend he envied; like Hunter’s keen eyesight, and hearing, and thick black hair that showed no sign of receding. No surprise, women lusted over Hunter. Hunter had done his share of lusting until he’d fallen in love with Tala Steele. He’d bought the beautiful half-Salish woman an engagement ring and they’d set a wedding date. Then two weeks before the wedding, she’d called things off and fled Montana. The pain in Hunter’s voice and eyes still had Garret hurting for his friend. If he ever got his hands on Tala—

  “Are you going to be around the office today?” Jake asked. “The new hire—”

  “Her name’s Amber Baum.”

  “Is it now? She might appreciate your company.”

  “Liz will be here.”

  “And on the phone or dealing with visitors,” Jake said of the fifty-five-year-old office manager. “She won’t have time to show Amber how things work, or rather don’t work, in here. Besides, maybe Amber wants to talk to you about how you conducted yourself last night. You didn’t scratch your crotch, did you?”

  No, but I wanted to scratch something.

  Before he could come up with a reply that wouldn’t get him in trouble with Liz, Hunter walked in. Broad as his shoulders were, the break room seemed to shrink whenever he was in it. While Jake reminded Garret of a football player, Hunter was the classic baseball catcher. At a little under six feet, he was built like a brick, a powerful, fast-moving brick.

  “Well, shit.” Hunter frowned at Garret. “There goes the neighborhood. Jake, I thought you were going to change the locks while what’s his name was gone.”

  “He snuck in before I could get it done. Fortunately, he’s bound to take off again to befriend more grizzlies. We could build a moat and stock it with alligators.”

  The three men’s relationship was unique, a friendship that went deeper than blood but was never spoken about. He’d risk his life for them and had no doubt they’d do the same for him. They read each other’s expressions, knew when to talk and when to be silent. His mother didn’t get why Jake and Hunter didn’t press for details about the nightmare involving his sisters any more than she got why he didn’t push Jake to open up about Harmony’s murder or why Hunter thought Tala had broken up with him.

  “So, how are the grizzlies doing?” Hunter asked. “How many cubs did you see?”

  “The sow with the missing ear has twins. They look good, unlike Betty’s lone cub.”

  “What’s wrong with it?” Jake asked.

  “Hopefully nothing, but it’s smaller than the twins.
”

  Hunter nodded. “Betty’s getting long in the tooth. Only one of her twins made it last year.”

  Hunter had found Betty’s dead cub when he’d decided to try to find out what had attracted vultures. Judging by the body’s condition, Hunter determined the cub had died of natural causes. Because bears were Hunter’s guardian spirits, the Salish Indian had removed a claw and fastened it to a strip of leather he wore as a necklace. Hunter had had no doubt it was Betty’s cub because he’d spotted her not far from the carcass.

  Knowing Hunter had studied the grieving grizzly instead of getting the hell away said a great deal about how his friend saw his life. Hunter lived with one foot in the world dictated by his profession. The other was securely planted in his heritage.

  “What’s her name?” Hunter asked as he held up the coffee cup.

  “Amber Baum,” Garret said.

  “Amber. Tell her I approve.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be delighted to hear that. Have you met her?”

  “I have not had the pleasure. Do you think she can handle the work?”

  Because they’d discussed the new employee’s job requirements, Garret had no trouble determining what Hunter was talking about. “Too soon to tell. She did all right with the cabin owners last night.”

  “Which Garret knows because he crashed the meeting,” Jake said. “Superhero to the rescue.”

  “That’s not—hell, never mind.” Garret glared at Jake, not that it would do any good. “Don’t you two have to get going?”

  “Do we?” Jake asked Hunter who looked at his naked wrist.

  “We have five and a half minutes before departure,” Hunter said. “I’m extremely sorry that doesn’t give me time to power up my computer and check my email.”

  “You could check via your cell,” Garret said.

  “But I’m not going to. Say, I’ve been asked to do an oral narrative for the museum about what I know of my great-great-grandmother’s experience with Lewis and Clark. The story probably isn’t historically accurate but no one’s going to correct me.”