Protected by a Hero

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

  He managed a nod. He owed those fallen Marines everything, and in a way he owed John too. John wasn’t here to love and honor and cherish Austen, but Wyatt was. He didn’t take that responsibility lightly, and would make sure he looked after her.

  Austen gave him a tender smile that almost shattered him. “I love you. I never expected to fall for anyone again, but then I found you—or you found me, on my front porch,” she teased. “I refuse to let you pull away now, because I need you and I want you in my life. Bottom line, I’m not letting you go, so just deal with it.”

  Her words pierced the most deeply buried part of him, cracking him wide open. He’d lived with the guilt for so long, that pain had been far worse than anything he’d endured physically. “I need you too,” he said in a rough whisper as his eyes filled up. “And I love you so goddamn much I don’t even know what to do with it.” It would kill him if he lost her.

  Her smile widened and he could see the joy sparkling in those pretty silver eyes as she brushed the tears away before they could fall. “You do this,” she told him softly, then covered his lips with hers. “And this,” she added, wrapping her arms around his back and squeezing hard, her face nestled in the curve of his neck. “Life and love are precious. When you find someone worthy of giving your heart to, you hold onto them and never let go.”

  Wyatt crushed her to him, pressing his face into her scented curls. “I won’t let you go,” he promised, and the moment he said the words the aching pressure in his chest disappeared. For the first time in hours—no, years—he felt like he could finally breathe again.

  Austen was right. Life wasn’t perfect, but he had it better than a lot of people on this earth. It was high time he dropped the burden of guilt he’d been carrying on his shoulders for so long, and start savoring every moment he had left.

  With Austen as the prize, there was no way he was failing that mission.

  EPILOGUE

  Two months later

  Austen could barely contain her excitement as she waited at the airport for Wyatt to pick her up. This was a big day.

  She’d spent two weeks down in Mississippi visiting her mom, and the last four days in Philly, catching up with old friends. Though her mom hadn’t met Wyatt in person yet, she was totally in love with him based on the things Austen had told her about him, and their few phone conversations.

  While in Philly she’d also visited John’s grave. She’d sat there on the grass before his headstone and told him all about her move to Sugar Hollow and what had happened there.

  Mostly she’d talked about Wyatt, and how much John would have liked and respected him. She’d always love John, but she wasn’t done living yet and had been lucky to fall in love again with a man like Wyatt. In her heart she knew John would be happy for her.

  Wheeling her suitcase away from the luggage carousel, she headed for the automatic doors at the end of the baggage claim area. The doors swished open and her heart leapt when Wyatt appeared, wearing a black Stetson, a deep blue button-down shirt and jeans.

  And at his side trotted Grits, using his new artificial leg.

  The little guy’s gait wasn’t perfect, but just the sight of him walking with his new prosthetic and his tail wagging turned her to mush. Wyatt had kept her updated with the dog’s progress during her trip and sent pictures, but this was the first time she’d seen him in person since he’d gotten his new leg.

  A wide smile split her face and she rushed toward them. “Look at you guys!”

  Wyatt grinned back and caught her to him with one powerful arm, swooping down to crush his mouth to hers.

  I’m finally home, she thought to herself, kissing him back just as hard. It had been too long since she’d felt his arms around her and his mouth on hers.

  She was a little breathless when he finally raised his head, his hazel eyes warm. “Miss us?”

  “Terribly.” She planted another kiss on his tempting lips then bent down to greet Grits. “Hey, little man, look at you! You look so awesome.” She ruffled his ears, shot a smile up at Wyatt. “You’re like a matching set now.”

  “Kinda, yeah,” he answered, his smile full of pride. “He’s doing great. We’ve been going to the pool four times a week to swim, and his muscle’s building up nicely. His prosthesis is fitting really well. The vet’s thrilled so far.”

  “We’re so proud of you, Grits,” she told him, laughing when he jumped up to rest his front paws on her chest and lick her like crazy.

  Less than an hour later they reached Sugar Hollow. But rather than turn right to head toward his place, he turned left. “Where are we going?”

  “Don’t you wanna see the progress I’ve made on the house?”

  “Well yeah, but I thought—”

  “Trust me, you wanna see it,” he said.

  She’d left the project in his capable hands while she went on holiday. In the aftermath of the attack the entire town had been abuzz with what had happened. The rest of Wyatt’s crew had been horrified about Scott. Wyatt had insisted upon new background checks for all the remaining workers, and everyone had checked out just fine. “Okay.”

  Her heart beat a little faster when he turned down the driveway. It was still hard to come here and be reminded of what had happened, but she was determined to get past it and hoped that over time it would fade completely. She’d sunk her heart and soul into this house, into her life, and she’d be damned if she let Scott—may he be repeatedly burning in hell—take that from her.

  “Wait, I need you to put this on first,” Wyatt said, drawing a blindfold from his pocket.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Are we planning to christen one of the rooms with some kinky bondage sex?”

  He cracked a laugh. “Later. I can’t wait for you to see this.” He tied it over her eyes and took her hand. “Small steps. I’ll lead you through.”

  Grits hobbled up the front steps with them, and the familiar scents of sawdust and wood stain greeted her when Wyatt opened the front door. “Come on through,” he said, and the excitement in his tone told her he was looking forward to her reaction.

  She allowed him to lead her through to the kitchen.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Ready.”

  He pulled off the blindfold, and when her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness she let out a gasp, both hands flying up to cover her mouth. She wasn’t sure how it was possible in such a short amount of time, but the kitchen was finished. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful!”

  With a sense of wonder and pride she strode forward to run her hands over the granite counters, smoothed her fingertips over the cabinets she’d worked so hard on. The white apron-front farmhouse sink was installed, along with stainless steel appliances and the faucet she’d picked out. “Oh, Wyatt.” She was speechless.

  He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his chin on the top of her shoulder. She loved how they fit together so easily, like two pieces of a puzzle. “Like it?”

  “I love it. I love you,” she added, turning to hug him. “God, you must have worked like a dog to get this done while I was away. How did you manage it?”

  “Called in a few favors. There’s more. Come see upstairs.”

  More? He took her hand and led her upstairs, the sound of Grits’s new foot on the treads putting a bittersweet smile on her face.

  Wyatt stopped outside the master suite with his free hand on the knob, the anticipation on his face contagious. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” She was practically dancing in place. “Let me see.”

  He swung the door open and stepped back to let her through.

  “Oh! Ohhhhhh,” she breathed, hands on her cheeks as she took it all in. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but the entire room was finished.

  The walls were a soft buttercream, the moldings and baseboards painted bright white. A four-poster bed graced the largest wall, covered in a sumptuous bedspread. Two night tables with matching lamps flanked it, and a gorgeous crystal cha
ndelier hung from the ceiling. Even the fireplace and mantel were all done, a log set already placed inside, waiting to be lit.

  “Take a look in the bathroom,” he urged from behind her.

  Near tears, she walked through into the master bathroom, and bit her lip. Everything was completed in here too. New tile floor, double vanity, new cabinets, a pretty crystal chandelier…every last detail was done the way she’d wanted, right down to the claw foot tub he must have had refinished during her trip.

  “It’s perfect,” she whispered in a choked voice as the tears began to fall.

  With a low chuckle Wyatt came up and drew her into his arms, kissing her lightly. “I’m glad you’re happy with it.”

  “Happy? Oh my God, that’s not even close to the right word. It’s amazing, Wyatt. Truly, unbelievably amazing.”

  “The decorative stuff is all Piper. I just oversaw the construction and did a few projects here and there.”

  She shook her head at him, wanting to cry, it meant so much to her. “You’re unreal. You know that?”

  “I know how much you wanted to get the kitchen and master suite done, so you could move in. I wanted to have that much done by the time you got back.”

  And he’d managed to do all that on top of helping his dad with the farm and taking Grits back and forth to all his appointments. She pushed back to gaze up into his eyes. This was beyond any gift she could ever imagine. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” His grin told her that her reaction and thanks were all he needed. God, she loved him.

  “But I only want to move in if you move in with me. Since it’s your house too.”

  He looked surprised by that. “You sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure! I thought about it a lot while I was away. I could never sell this place, and I want it to be your home too.” She shot him a saucy grin. “So. Wanna be roomies?”

  “Wanna get married?”

  What? She stopped and stared up at him, shocked. They hadn’t really talked about this and she’d never expected Wyatt to ask her so soon. He grimaced and laughed at himself. “That wasn’t even close to how I planned to ask you. Hold on.”

  Dropping to one knee, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a square velvet box. Then he shot a look at Grits. “Grits.”

  The dog’s floppy ears perked up and he wagged his tail.

  “Sit.”

  Grits sat.

  “Paw. Just like we rehearsed.”

  Oh my God, they’d rehearsed this? Austen was torn between tears and laughter. They were too damn adorable.

  Grits lifted one white front paw in the air and waved it up and down, his big brown eyes staring up at her.

  Wyatt took his cue. He opened the ring box to reveal a round diamond ring that sparkled in the light. “Austen, will you make us the happiest man and dog in the world and be my wife?”

  Grits gazed up at her in encouragement, paw still raised, his tail swishing back and forth on the glossy floorboards.

  There was no question that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this sexy, endearing man. Austen dropped to her knees and flung her arms around Wyatt’s neck. “Yes!” Wyatt hugged her to him as she sought his lips with hers.

  A second later, little paws landed on her left thigh and then a wet tongue was licking at her cheek. She laughed and let go of Wyatt long enough to scoop Grits up into her arms. “This means I get to be your mama for real,” she told him, grinning when he licked her chin, his entire body wiggling with the force of his wagging tail.

  “Upstaged by a dog during the most important moment of my life,” Wyatt muttered, his eyes warm with amusement.

  “I’ll make it up to you right now,” Austen promised, setting the dog down to clasp her arms around his neck. “Now slide that ring on my finger, put Grits out in the hall, and then take me to that bed over there so we can christen this room properly.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Wyatt answered with a grin, and covered her mouth with his.

  “Oh, and Wyatt?” she whispered against his lips.

  “Hmm?”

  “Don’t forget the blindfold.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading WYATT’S STAND. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you’ll consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books.

  If you liked WYATT’S STAND and would like to read more, turn the page for a list of my other books. And if you don’t want to miss any future releases, please join my newsletter.

  Complete Booklist

  ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

  Colebrook Siblings Trilogy

  Brody’s Vow

  Wyatt’s Stand

  Hostage Rescue Team Series

  Marked

  Targeted

  Hunted

  Disavowed

  Avenged

  Exposed

  Seized

  Wanted

  Betrayed

  Reclaimed

  Titanium Security Series

  Ignited

  Singed

  Burned

  Extinguished

  Rekindled

  Bagram Special Ops Series

  Deadly Descent

  Tactical Strike

  Lethal Pursuit

  Danger Close

  Collateral Damage

  Suspense Series

  Out of Her League

  Cover of Darkness

  No Turning Back

  Relentless

  Absolution

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  Empowered Series

  Darkest Caress

  HISTORICAL ROMANCE

  The Vacant Chair

  EROTIC ROMANCE (writing as Callie Croix)

  Deacon’s Touch

  Dillon’s Claim

  No Holds Barred

  Touch Me

  Let Me In

  Covert Seduction

  Acknowledgements

  A shout out to all my wonderful readers, for supporting this new series.

  And as always, a huge thanks to my editing team, cover artist, formatter and DH, for all their help in whipping this baby into shape. It takes a village!

  About the Author

  NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.

  You can visit Kaylea at www.kayleacross.com. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please join her newsletter.

  SWEETEST SURRENDER

  The Serafina: Sin City Series

  Katie Reus

  A woman on the run…

  Angel has been on her own for two years, moving from place to place to outrun her past. With no family and few friends to lean on, she’s managed to keep her secrets and stay safe. But when her past suddenly catches up to her, she has a choice to make. Run or stay and claim her life once more.

  He’ll stop at nothing to protect her…

  Vadim has never let anyone close to him—until Angel. From the first time he met her, everything changed. As a private consultant for Wyatt Christiansen, he’s good with computers and he’s got connections to unearth people’s deepest, darkest secrets. When Angel’s life is threatened Vadim steps in and uses all his resources to end the threat once and for all. As the danger closes in, he lies to her in an effort to protect her, not realizing that even once the threat is eliminated, he might lose her anyway.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Angel clutched the brown paper bag filled with the boxed up leftover food she’d planned to take home tonight. It didn’t matter that it would have been thrown out, what she was doing was stealing. Something she’d never thought to do
. Ever. Stealing was wrong. Something she’d learned before kindergarten.

  In the last two years, however, she’d learned to live in shades of gray, not black and white. The world simply wasn’t so nice and tidy—those who thought it was viewed life with rose-colored glasses. Okay, that sounded a little bitter. But it was how she was feeling.

  She hated that she’d gotten to a point where she was actually stealing from one of her employers. She paused at the back door of the restaurant that would lead to a long hallway on out to the dumpsters behind The Serafina Hotel. No, she just couldn’t do it. She turned and headed back to the main kitchen. She’d planned to leave the bag out there and grab it after she’d clocked out. Pretty much no one was left at Cloud 9 this late. She’d been the closing server; the bartenders had already gone home while she finished cleaning up the kitchen.

  As she stepped back into the galley of the main kitchen, she froze. Sierra Archer was standing there cataloging salad dressing. The petite woman had her long black hair pulled into a ponytail; she wore plain clothes, not her normal chef’s jacket. Normally she didn’t work on Thursdays and it was after hours so Angel was more than surprised to see her.

  Sierra glanced up, smiling. “Hey, Angel. You getting out of here?”

  Unable to find her voice, she nodded, clutching the bag.

  Sierra lifted a dark eyebrow, her smile faltering. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she managed to rasp out, hating the guilt suffusing her.

  “You want me to ring you up?” her boss asked, nodding at the brown bag. “I’ve still got a register open. Haven’t gone through the night’s drink reports yet and it’s gonna take forever.” She made an annoyed face.