Discovering Rafe

by Sara Blackard

  “We’re here.” His voice croaked as he pulled up to the gate and punched in the code.

  Her small gasp pulled his lips into a smile. “Rafe, what is this place?”

  “Silver Wolf Ranch.” He drove down the drive through the trees. “My friend Zeke bought this and started Stryker Security. It’s pretty insane, all fancy-shmanchy. It works for us, though.”

  “You live here?” She leaned forward between the seats and moved her body around to try to peer out the busted windshield.

  “Yep.” He pointed down the road that broke off from the main driveway. “My place is that house down that road. This house here is where Zeke and his family live and where our clients stay when they need sheltering.”

  “Both these houses are enormous. Why would anyone need two houses this big on one property?”

  “I think originally it was some kind of guest ranch where people vacationed.” Rafe shrugged and he pulled to a stop. “Works for us though.”

  “Will you give me a tour while we’re here?” She winced as she turned her head his way.

  What was he doing, sitting out here in the cold? He needed to get her inside and get her settled. He turned off the car and opened the door.

  “Sorry, honey, but it’s a long walk up to the front door.”

  “It’s okay.” She smiled up at him weakly. “I’ve been bolstering myself since we left the hospital, telling myself not to be a wuss.”

  “You’ve never been a wuss. You were always right there with us in the thick of things growing up.”

  She groaned as she moved her legs out the door. “That’s because I didn’t want to be left behind.”

  He helped her out of the vehicle, her words pinging through his head. She had gone along with their antics because she didn’t want to be left behind? She laid her forehead on his collarbone, her stuttering breath blowing hot air down his shirt. He loved that her height kept him from bending over. He liked that neither of them had to be uncomfortable when they held each other.

  “I wanted to be baking and reading, but I didn’t want to be alone. I always had fun, though, so …” She shrugged, took a deep breath, and huffed it out. “Wow. That hurt.”

  “Let’s get inside.” Rafe kissed her on the forehead and pulled away.

  She grabbed the open flaps of his coat. “Thank you for getting us here safe.”

  “What happened?” Zeke’s barked question startled them apart.

  Piper winced, and Rafe slid his arm around her waist to lead her inside. Zeke rushed down the steps, skidding to a halt as his gaze took in the vehicle. His eyebrows flew to his hairline.

  Rafe glanced over his shoulder and almost stumbled. The entire side of the SUV looked like a semi had hit it. It was a miracle Piper wasn’t hurt more than she was. He shook off the lightheadedness that came with that realization and continued up the stairs to the front door.

  “Rockslide.” He clapped Zeke on the shoulder as he passed. “Almost spent the night in a pile of rubble.”

  Piper whimpered, then cleared her throat. Why did she think she had to hide her discomfort from him? From her comment, it sounded like she hid a lot from all of them. He didn’t like that thought.

  “Are you guys okay?” Zeke asked as he followed them to the house.

  “Mostly. Piper took a beating on her back when the rocks decided they wanted to be in the car rather than out.” He brought Piper over to the kitchen island and placed her on a stool. “Zeke, I’d like to introduce you to Piper Fields.”

  Piper gave a small smile, though her face was pale and pinched. “We met a few years back when I came to see Davis.”

  “I remember.” Zeke pushed his lips up into that smile that made women swoon at his feet.

  If Zeke wasn’t happily married, Rafe would’ve decked him. He shook his head. Why was he so jealous?

  Piper glanced around the room. “Did Chloe head to bed? What time is it anyway?”

  She pulled up her sleeve to check her watch and winced.

  “Maybe we should just get you upstairs so you can sleep.” Rafe pushed her hair back behind her ear, and she leaned her head into his touch.

  Zeke cleared his throat, drawing Rafe’s attention to Zeke’s uncomfortable shifting. “We have a problem. Chloe and Jake didn’t make it back.”

  Rafe was glad Jake had turned back to Steamboat. That storm had blown in much quicker than either of them expected. Piper stood up slowly, bracing herself against the stool.

  “So are we sending a team up in the morning? I-70 will probably be closed with that slide, but we could get to Steamboat through Meeker.” Rafe ran his hand across the back of his neck, exhaustion pulling at his shoulders.

  Could he persuade Piper to stay here with him? He peeked at her. Doubt it. Concern had replaced the pain written across her face.

  Zeke shook his head. “They didn’t turn back. ATC received a mayday call. They had to do an emergency landing.”

  Piper’s hand grabbed Rafe’s coat flap. “What do you mean? Like at another airport?”

  Zeke’s skin bunched around his eyes as he shook his head. “No. They put down in the mountains.”

  “Mayday, as in crashed?” Piper’s voice rose, and she pulled on Rafe’s coat.

  Zeke nodded, and Piper’s grip on Rafe’s coat released. Her eyes grew wide with fear, and she buckled next to him. He led her to the couch so she could sit.

  “Get her water,” Rafe commanded Zeke, not taking his eyes off Piper’s face. “What happened with Jake?”

  “Not sure, but they both made it. ATC said the call came in with a location and two survivors.” Zeke set the glass of water on the coffee table.

  “Rafe?” Her voice broke as her eyes darted from him to Zeke as a single tear tracked down her cheek. “Chloe? Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, Pip.” He leaned forward and brushed the moisture away with his thumb. Zeke’s eyes went wide in Rafe’s peripheral, but he didn’t care. “They’re both fine. Jake called in their location and as soon as the storm passes, we can go get them.”

  She collapsed against him, burying her face in his neck. Her sobs caused a sharp pain in his heart. How much worry could one person hold before they crumbled? He’d take care of this, have everything planned so they could head out the minute the storm lifted. While they waited, he’d track down this guy that stalked Chloe so Piper wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore either. Then when he finished that, he’d figure out what he’d do with the desires raging in his chest. Desires he shouldn’t think about, like holding Piper close for the rest of his life.

  Eight

  Piper’s eyes opened and skipped around the unfamiliar bedroom, trying to remember just where she and Chloe were now. She stretched and stifled the movement as pain ratcheted through her body. The night before, and the realization that Chloe was missing, hit Piper anew. She needed to get up, see what she could do to help.

  She groaned as she rolled off the mattress. Her suitcase sat on the bench at the foot of her bed. Rafe must’ve brought it up last night after she’d fallen asleep. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment at how she’d fallen apart. Goodness, she hadn’t even been able to walk up the stairs. How Rafe had carried her giant self up here still shocked her. She placed her hands on her hot cheeks. How humiliating.

  She reached into her suitcase and hissed with pain. She blew out a long breath. Maybe a hot shower would help ease the muscles. Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the shower, the pain not any less than it had been before. A knock on the door had her scrambling to wrap herself in the robe that hung in the bathroom.

  “Piper, it’s Sam, Zeke’s wife. Rafe said you might need some help.” A sweet voice came through the door, relaxing Piper’s shoulders.

  Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked them away. Rafe’s attentive care had made the panic of Chloe’s crash not escalate too far. After bringing Piper upstairs, he’d lain with her while she bawled like a baby. She must have fallen asleep in the middle of her breakdown.

/>   She couldn’t do that again. She needed to be strong. Needed to be someone others could count on, not someone needing to be taken care of.

  She put her pep talk to action and called through the pain as she reached into her suitcase for clothes. “Come in.”

  The door opened, and a beautiful woman with the kindest smile came in carrying a steaming mug. She wore a loose sweater over her long torso that accentuated her long legs. She had to be as tall as Piper, but somehow Sam pulled off looking like some kind of goddess. Why couldn’t Piper have that slim grace instead of the lumbering form she did?

  “Please tell me that’s coffee?” Piper pushed her self-loathing down to smile back at the woman. It wasn’t Sam’s fault Piper’s thoughts always brimmed with self-consciousness.

  “It is, and I brought our secret bruise ointment with me.” Sam’s eyes twinkled. “Rafe’s been pacing with worry over you. When he heard the shower running, he just about jumped out of his skin, then started commanding us all around.”

  Piper shook her head. Rafe wouldn’t have done that over her. “You’re exaggerating. He’s probably just deep in a game on his phone or something and doesn’t want to lose.”

  Sam shook her head, her black curls that had fallen out of her ponytail bouncing against her dark cheeks, and handed Piper the mug. “Rafe is not in Rafe-form this morning. You’ve somehow pushed all his boyish charm out to reveal a very bossy man.”

  Piper squeezed her hands around the mug, telling herself not to allow those words to go to her head. “I doubt that. He’s just worried about Chloe and Jake.” Piper cringed at her desperate tone and hurried on before Sam could say anything else. “What super-secret ointment do you have for me? Please tell me it’ll heal my back, and I’ll be good as new by tonight.”

  Sam laughed. “I wish it worked that fast. It’s just an ointment Zeke’s stepmom Jodi makes up. She’s into essential oils and natural healing.” Sam sighed. “She has all the guys using oil blends. It’s funny, but the crazy stuff works.”

  Sam opened and sniffed the jar. She froze, her eyes winging wide as her dark skin turned a grayish tint. She pushed the ointment into Piper’s hands and took off for the bathroom. When sounds of retching came from the other room, Piper set the ointment and coffee down and rushed after Sam.

  Sam hunched over the toilet, and a sharp pain pinched Piper’s chest at the woman’s sickness. Piper grabbed a washcloth from the counter, ran cold water over it, and knelt next to Sam. Piper pushed Sam’s loose curls out of her face and laid the cool cloth on her neck.

  “Do you want me to go get Zeke?” Piper asked softly.

  Sam’s tiny shake of her head had Piper’s shoulders relaxing. She didn’t want to go out there until she had armored herself with the confidence her new wardrobe gave her instead of looking like a barbet dog wrapped in a tortilla. Guilt washed over her at the selfish thought. How could she worry about that right now when Sam was so sick?

  Sam grabbed the washcloth from her neck and flopped against the glass shower stall. “I’m so sorry.” She wiped her face and took a deep breath. “What a great way to greet company. Hey, nice to meet you, now I’m going to throw up in front of you.”

  “Think nothing of it. I’m just sorry you aren’t feeling well. Are you sure you don’t want me to go get Zeke?” Piper twisted her hands in the robe’s tie.

  “No, please. He’ll just worry and make me go back to bed.” Sam rolled her eyes, but her smile held a secret tenderness that made Piper’s throat thick with envy. “Ever since we found out I’m pregnant last week, he’s been impossible. Like lifting a pencil or walking down the stairs is suddenly too much for me.”

  The joyful news caused Piper’s eyes to fill with moisture that she blinked away. “Congratulations. That’s such exciting news.” One she wondered if she’d ever get to share herself.

  “It’s still early in the pregnancy, so we aren’t telling the guys yet.” Sam groaned. “They’re all so protective, I’ll probably be rolled into bubble wrap for the next thirty-four weeks. Sosimo’s wife, June, and I have talked about how we may have to disappear to Zeke’s island when the protectiveness becomes stifling.”

  Piper swallowed at how wonderful that sounded. She hadn’t felt that way since her parents’ deaths. Sure, her brother and Rafe had protected her and Chloe growing up, but it hadn’t been in a way that made her feel cherished. More like an annoying big brother way, which had broken her teenage heart on more than one occasion with her crush on Rafe.

  Piper forced a laugh. “After last night’s storm, an island escape sounds tempting.”

  “Last night’s storm is still raging.” Sam’s soft whisper snapped Piper’s stare up from where it had focused on the patterned tile floor.

  She scrambled up, wincing at the sharp pain radiating across her back. Dashing to the window, she threw open the curtains. Snow whipped so thickly on the other side of the glass that Piper could barely see light from the windows of another building farther out. The window rattled and pinged as the storm assaulted it. How would Chloe be able to survive in this? Piper had to do something, anything, to try to help her.

  She spun from the window and flew to her suitcase. She pulled out the first pair of leggings and sweater she found, hoping they looked half decent together and untied her robe.

  “Let’s get your back looked at.” Sam’s voice caused Piper to yelp and grab the edges of the robe before it fell to the floor. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  Piper shook her head. “I just got tunnel vision and forgot you were here. Sorry.” She gathered her clothes, getting ready to change in the bathroom now that Sam wasn’t there anymore. “Don’t worry about my back. I don’t want to make you sick again. It’ll be okay after I get something in my stomach and take some painkillers.”

  “Oh, no. Rafe will kill me if I don’t get this stuff on you. I’m fine now. It’s usually just the first scent that does it to me.”

  “Rafe won’t care—”

  Sam’s snort interrupted Piper. “Rafe cares. Cares a lot by the way he’s acting.”

  “No, I mean, yes, he does care, always has, but it’s like a big brother care.” Though the way he’d kissed her last night wasn’t a brotherly kiss.

  Of course, after the kiss, he had gone back to his let’s-look-after-Piper self from growing up. More than likely, he had returned her kiss because of the intensity of the moment, not because his thoughts toward her had changed. That shouldn’t have happened. His words slammed back into her mind. He was right. Kissing him had been a colossal mistake.

  “Hmm. Is that how you see him?” Sam’s guarded tone had Piper swallowing.

  She didn’t want to tell her new friend her deepest secret. Piper had spent half her life covering it up. She could get through a few hours being stuck here until the storm passed and they could get to the plane crash, pretending like her heart hadn’t firmly wrapped itself around Rafe.

  “That’s what I thought.” Sam smirked.

  “Wait, what? I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to. You’re in love with him. It’s written all over your face.”

  Piper collapsed onto her bed, squeezed her eyes shut, and buried her face in her hands. “No, no, no. I can’t … he doesn’t.” How had her world crumbled so fast? “He can’t find out.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ll never be anything more than just Davis’s little sister to Rafe,” Piper muttered through her hands.

  “From what I’ve seen, and what Zeke told me about last night, Rafe isn’t thinking you’re his little sister. Far from it.” Sam turned her finger at Piper. “Now turn around and let me get this stuff on your back before Rafe barges up here in a frantic huff.”

  Piper turned around and lowered the robe in a daze over what Sam had just said. The possibility of Rafe finally noticing her still seemed slim, especially after his comment when she’d kissed him. It didn’t matter to her heart though. It beat like hummingbird wings at the pr
ospect.

  Sam sucked in a sharp breath, steering Piper’s mind from its crash course. “Oh, Piper.”

  “It’s okay. It could be a lot worse.” Piper flinched at Sam’s soft touch on her skin. “We could’ve been buried alive in the landslide.”

  “As long as rescue came, that might not have been a bad thing.” Sam chuckled. “I know I wouldn’t mind being trapped with Zeke.”

  Piper sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to stay relaxed and not jerk with each painful touch. “Yeah. I guess that wouldn’t have been so bad.”

  She told her brain not to think about what could’ve happened in the dark confines of the SUV. It didn’t listen. In fact, it brought up all kinds of memories from the day before that just fueled her minimally subdued attraction into overdrive. If she didn’t watch it, she’d tumble herself headlong into heartbreak again. This time, she didn’t know if she would survive.

  Nine

  “How long does it take to put a little ointment on and get dressed?” Rafe paced in the kitchen and pushed his hand through his hair.

  “Man, what’s with you?” Zeke laughed as he scooped up another bite of cereal.

  “What? Nothing. I’m just worried about her is all.”

  Rafe went to the coffeepot and poured himself another cup, though, from the way his body jittered, he’d drunk enough. Zeke didn’t know that. So Rafe took a deep drink to distract his friend from asking questions.

  “It’s more than that.” Zeke shook his head. “You’re acting strange. Plus, you forget I saw the way you were with her last night. Davis is going to freak.”

  Rafe’s shoulders slumped as he turned to face Zeke and leaned against the counter. Zeke was right. Rafe felt much more than just worry over Piper. The coffee soured in his stomach, and he clunked the mug on the counter.