Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  Bob would have left them there, not caring who stumbled on them at some later date. Brian was cautious. Thoughtful. Responsible.

  She shook her head. He was a man. A man about to ask how those fireworks had gotten there.

  Cass floored the gas and drove away.

  “So, in other words, you totally blew it?” Logan said when Brian connected with the guys back at USSOCOM via a video link an hour later.

  “No, it gave me a chance to tell her the truth—that I’m not there for the ranch, I’m there for her.”

  “And you expect her to believe that?” Connor said. “This Finchley guy is right; you are there for the ranch.”

  “No, I’m not. Not anymore.” He met the disbelieving gazes of the four other men head-on. “I told you, it’s like the General knew how to pick her out for me. Maybe that’s hard to believe, but—”

  “Yeah, it’s hard to believe,” Jack said. “Because you’ve fallen for your own bullshit.”

  “Watch it.”

  “You’re talking love at first sight. What the hell kind of grown man believes in that?” Jack pressed.

  “You’ve never seen a woman and wanted her?” Brian challenged him.

  “Wanted her? That’s a far cry from loving her,” Jack returned.

  “The real question is, how are you going to get from here to the altar?” Logan asked. “She doesn’t seem to want to date you.”

  The whole conversation unnerved Brian. The last thing he’d ever thought he’d do was debate love with an enigma like Jack. He answered Logan’s question instead. “She’s attracted to me. That’s a start.”

  “Fix the damn house.” Hunter spoke up for the first time, the sniper’s sharp gaze contrasting with his lazy drawl. “That’s what you’re there to do, so do it.”

  “I’m here to marry Cass.” He rubbed his neck, all too conscious of how rapidly things had changed in the past twenty-four hours. Jack was right; he’d come for the chance at the land. And to clear his name. Now Cass filled his every thought.

  “You’ve only been there a day. You’ve let her know what you’re after. You’ve let her know why. Seems like the only other guy in the picture is an ass. So show her what kind of man you are. What kind of life you’re offering her. Let her decide what she wants,” Hunter said reasonably.

  “What if she doesn’t want me?” Brian pushed. “Then what?”

  “Then we’re all screwed.”

  The next video call Brian made was to the General, who answered far more quickly than Brian had expected.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “N… nothing,” Brian said, startled by the General’s face filling his screen. Hell, had he just stuttered?

  “Why are you calling? You married my daughter yet?”

  “No. I’ve been here one day.” Shit, he had to get a hold of himself. Stuttering? Explaining himself like a schoolboy? This wasn’t him at all. “I’ve met your daughters and started working on the house. I’ve got a good idea what it’ll take to get it all done. The big job is the roof. It’s leaking all over the place. We’ll need to take it down to the joists and start over with new plywood.” He named a sum to get it done.

  The General pursed his lips. “The income from the ranch will cover it. Tell Cass what you need and she’ll get it to you.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “What else have you seen?”

  “Not much. Like I said, it’s only been a day.” He decided not to mention his run-in with Bob. Yet. Cass wouldn’t like it if he did and he wanted her on his side.

  The General nodded. “Keep going, then. Report back in a few days.”

  “Don’t you want to hear about your daughters?” Brian asked quickly. Surely the man wanted an update.

  “All healthy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Got rid of their boyfriends yet?”

  “Not yet—”

  “Let me know when you have.” The General cut the call.

  Thank God for Wye. She’d taken one look at Cass’s face when Cass came to find her at her little house in town, bundled Cass into her restored Volkswagen Beetle, made a single stop at her brother’s place and driven far out into the country. They stopped in a pull-out on a little-used road and Wye passed her a paper bag full of cherry bombs. “I know it’s not much, but…”

  “It’s perfect.”

  Cass got out of the truck and lit them one by one, but it was Wye’s presence, not the unsatisfying little pops, that made her feel better as time passed.

  “You know someday you’re going to have to feel that anger,” Wye said when she was done. She had scrambled up to sit on the roof of the Beetle. Cass joined her.

  “You’d better hope I never do. I’d end up taking Chance Creek down with me if I ever let it all out.”

  “I doubt that. People feel things, Cass. They scream, cry, stomp their feet. And then it’s over.”

  But Cass shook her head. “I’m not like that. I’d start screaming and I’d never stop again.”

  “Because of your father?” Wye asked gently. She’d never pried before and Cass figured she owed her an answer.

  “He’s part of it. He doesn’t love us, Wye,” she said tiredly. “He left us as surely as my mother did when she passed away. He bosses us around, sets rules, dictates everything we do, but he doesn’t love us.”

  “I’m sorry,” Wye said, pressing her hand. “I hope someday he realizes what he’s missing.”

  Cass had long stopped thinking that was a possibility, and she’d be damned if she’d sit around and feel this pain. She slid down the rounded edge of the roof, landing hard on the dusty ground. She ached for something big to set off. Wye reached down to hand her another paper bag Cass hadn’t noticed she’d held in reserve.

  “Sorry. It’s all I have.” Wye shrugged.

  Cass opened it and peered inside. More cherry bombs.

  They would have to do.

  “Cass,” Wye called after her as she went to set them off. “Don’t waste your life waiting for things to change with your father. You’re your own woman. Create the life you want.”

  Cass nodded, but the irony was she already had the life she wanted. If only the General would get out of her way.

  It was nearly dinnertime when Cass got back to the ranch. She parked near the carriage house and went inside to find the kitchen dark and empty. Was it too much to ask that anyone else might think to get a meal on?

  “Lena? Alice?”

  She heard a scrape and then a thump from down the hall.

  That had to be Brian. With a sigh, she decided to take the bull by the horns, and headed for the bathroom. She found Brian smoothing a layer of joint compound over the seams in the backerboard she’d fastened to the wall earlier. Brian had shucked off his t-shirt and tucked its tail in his back pocket. Cass’s anger disappeared as she stopped to admire his chiseled muscles and the ripple of his biceps as he worked on, unaware of her presence. The SEAL was… She didn’t know what word to use. Hot? That sounded too shallow. Handsome? Too old-fashioned.

  Incredible?

  Too childish, and what she felt right now wasn’t innocent in the least. A hunger for something left unsatisfied for years stirred within her. She wanted to feel those muscles; feel those hands on her. She wanted…

  “Oh, hey, Cass.” Brian twisted around to look at her. “Didn’t see you there.”

  Caught staring, Cass felt her face heat. “What… Why are you doing that? I told you I would take care of it,” she said to cover her embarrassment.

  “And I keep telling you the General sent me to help.” He stood up and she got the full effect of his low-slung jeans and washboard abs.

  Wow, Cass thought. And then, That could be my husband.

  And then, no. Absolutely not.

  Although, if Brian was going to work around her house half-naked for the next few days—or weeks—she was going to have a hell of a time not slipping up and saying yes to him.

  Brian rubbed his chin with the
top of his hand. “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news. That roof of yours is a mess. It’s going to be a big job to fix it.”

  “I already knew we’d have to replace it.” Her mouth was dry, and her voice was funny when she said the words. Thank goodness Brian didn’t seem to notice. What would it feel like to slide her hands over his biceps?

  Good. It would feel really good.

  “It isn’t just the shingles that are damaged, though. Once I’ve taken them off, I’m going to have to replace all the plywood, too. That makes the job far more difficult and expensive. I talked to the General about it—”

  “You called the General?” That bit of information sliced right through the buzz of desire in her veins. “Why did you do that?”

  “Because he’s footing the bill, right? I needed to get his okay. He said the ranch should be able to cover it, and I should talk to you.”

  “He did?” Hell, that was going to be a problem.

  “He said the cattle operation should be making enough money to cover the cost.”

  His words hit her like a splash of cold water in the face. Of course it should… but it hadn’t since last fall.

  She couldn’t admit that, though. “How much do you need?”

  “For labor and materials?” He named a sum that made Cass cringe. “But I think you and I could do the job ourselves if you’re up for it. That would be a lot cheaper.” He named a lower amount, one she might be able to cover if they economized elsewhere. She swallowed hard, thinking about the height of the roof and its steep pitch. Could she even get out on it?

  “It’s my roof. I’ll take care of it,” she made herself say, although she didn’t have a clue how she’d manage that. She could barely look out the attic windows, and if Brian couldn’t do the job alone, how could she possibly do it herself?

  “You can’t do this one on your own, honey.” Brian echoed her thoughts. “You’ll need a second set of hands.”

  Cass’s heart sank. She knew exactly where this was leading.

  “Luckily you’ve got me,” he added.

  She’d walked right into that one.

  Brian touched her arm. “This is a beautiful house, Cass. It’s got a history I can only guess at but that I hope to hell I’m going to get to know. Let’s get her fixed up so you can put away those buckets I found all over the attic. We’ll get her right and tight for another hundred years.”

  “But—” The whole point was not to let him help her.

  “I’ll be right beside you every step of the way.”

  He was right beside her right now. She could see a pulse beating in his throat. For one strange, almost exhilarating moment, Cass thought about pressing a kiss to it. But that was as crazy as climbing onto Two Willows’s roof.

  “Think about it. You and me making Two Willows a safe home for your family. I know how much this house means to you. Let me help you.”

  Help her?

  No one helped her. Not with her housework, and not with the repairs Two Willows perpetually needed. Not with raising her sisters or running this ranch the way it was meant to be run.

  “I’m not going to marry you,” Cass said. He had to know that. She wouldn’t let him put himself out if that’s what he thought he was going to get.

  “I hope you change your mind.” Brian touched her hand with his fingertips and Cass held her breath, her heart beating hard. “Whether or not you do, I’m going to fix your house. It needs to be done and I’m the man for the job.”

  Cass turned around and strode out of the house. She needed to breathe—to put some distance between her and Brian so he couldn’t read on her face what he did to her when he was near. Out in the yard, she paced the garden paths until Lena met her coming back from the barns.

  “Did you just have sex?” Lena asked bluntly.

  Cass turned on her. “Of course not! Why would you say that?”

  Lena laughed. “You look like some guy blew your mind.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Brian left Cass alone the rest of the day, finding his way into town and grabbing a burger for dinner. He understood instinctively how big a deal it was for her to accept his help with the roof; possibly a bigger deal than allowing him to kiss her. If there was one thing the Reed women valued, it was their independence.

  He woke early the following morning and when he came downstairs he found Lena was the only one up. He thought about his second mandate—getting control of the ranch—and decided he’d work on that today. “I’d love to get a look at the cattle,” he told her, serving himself a bowl of cereal.

  “Oh, hell. How did I know this was coming?” She pushed her plate away and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t tell me; you’re really the new overseer come to replace Bob.”

  Brian scratched the back of his neck. He wasn’t, and he didn’t know if the General planned on one of them being in charge, or if they’d share the work—and the decision making. Taking in Lena’s set jaw, he realized he was being just as chauvinistic as she expected him to be. The General had made it clear he meant for the men to be in charge.

  Was that fair?

  On the ranch his father had lost, men had handled the cattle, but he knew of several husband-and-wife teams who ran things together in the area where he’d grown up. It hadn’t really registered when he was a kid. If his father hadn’t lost the place when Brian was fourteen he’d probably know more about how those dynamics worked. Men were certainly stronger, and lots of the work on a ranch took the kind of strength women lacked.

  Lots of it took brains and organization—and determination.

  He bet Lena had plenty of that.

  “Look,” he said. “I’m just asking a favor. I used to live on a ranch as a kid. Before my father gambled it away.”

  “I’m not buying your sob story,” Lena said.

  “It’s not a sob story. It’s an explanation. I haven’t gotten to ride much since I was a teenager, and I miss it like hell.”

  She studied him. With her no-nonsense hairstyle, and her work clothes on, he could tell she wanted to appear tough, but Lena didn’t fool him. She loved this ranch as much as Cass did—maybe more, because she understood the blood, sweat and tears that went into maintaining it. She worked it; Cass just lived on it.

  “C’mon. Let’s go for a ride so I can really see the place,” he urged her.

  “And report back to the General.”

  “I’m not trying to hide that. He definitely wants an update on the state of the ranch.”

  “Maybe he should come here himself sometime and see.”

  Ah. She missed the old man. “When’s the last time he was by?”

  Lena rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

  He shook his head.

  “Wow. All right, come on, then. You’re definitely no spy if you don’t even know that much.”

  “Thanks a lot.” He dug into his cereal, unconcerned. He’d taken far worse from buddies in the military. When he glanced up again she was waiting by the door. “Oh, you mean right now?” He stood up and took his bowl with him.

  “Better bring that back when you’re done. Cass’ll have a fit.”

  “I’m done now.” He scooped up a last bite and set the bowl on the counter as he followed Lena out the door. “I’m still curious, though. The General has to visit sometimes.”

  “Does he?” She led the way toward the outbuildings. “Someone should tell him that.”

  “What’s it been, a couple of years?”

  “More than that.”

  “Five? Ten?” Now he was kidding, but the set of Lena’s shoulders told him she didn’t find it funny. “When was it then?” he asked, becoming serious. He knew all too well what it felt like to lose one parent—and have the other let you down.

  “I haven’t seen my fa—the General since the day we buried my mother,” she told him bluntly. “He was at the grave site, and then he was gone. The only time I’ve seen him since was on the other side of a video screen.”

&
nbsp; Brian stopped in his tracks. “That can’t be right.” The General’s wife had died over a decade ago.

  Lena kept walking. After a moment Brian strode quickly after her to catch up. “He’s never come back. Not once?”

  She shook her head.

  “But you go to him, right? On visits?”

  “Cass did a few times. So did Alice. Sadie did once or twice.” She shrugged. “He never asked me. I’m not exactly cut out to be a spokeswoman for the family.” She must have read his confusion in his expression, because she added, “He could depend on Cass and Alice to behave themselves at military functions. At least for a little while. When he stopped being able to count on that, the invitations stopped coming.”

  “Got it.” He remembered the rumors around the base—that Cass had pitched a fit at an event and the General’s daughters had never been seen there again.

  Lena tossed her head as if it was all no big deal, but Brian knew it had to be. Why the hell wouldn’t the General come and see his girls? He wanted to strangle the man. “It’s his loss, you know.”

  “Whatever.” She increased her pace. At the stables, she led out two horses and Brian helped to saddle them, filing away the problem of the General’s absence to mull over later. He couldn’t stop from taking deep breaths to convince himself he was finally back on a ranch, with a ride in front of him and a chance—a small chance—to one day own a part of this. The fragrant stables took him back to his youth. “Did you give me the horse that likes to buck everyone off?” he asked Lena.

  “Thought about it,” she admitted. “Decided that was too predictable. Instead I gave you the one you’ll miss the most when you’re gone.”

  “Ouch.”

  “You’re the one reporting back to the General.”

  What Brian saw over the next hour left him uneasy. Lena was knowledgeable about every aspect of the ranch and cattle raising, and from the way her sharp gaze scanned the pastures as they rode, he knew she cared about her job.

  But some things didn’t add up. Broken equipment. Half-assed repair jobs. His gut told him Lena wasn’t responsible for the overall air of dilapidation around the place. So who was?