“Well, that explains why they’re looking at me, wondering what our relationship is.”
“Honey, that’s not why they’re looking at you. You’re a gorgeous woman, always have been. You’ve never seen yourself that way. Probably too busy working, saving lives and proving you’re one tough-ass Marine.” He winked as they entered the kitchen.
He had a nice spread on the table. Fresh cold cuts, store-baked rolls and potato salad too.
“This is some spread, Red. Is this what having lunch together looks like?”
He smiled.
“I was hoping the others would come on over. I don’t know why I bothered thinking that Stryker would accept an offer of lunch with a guest. He doesn’t leave that cottage. He doesn’t want anyone but us seeing him like this.”
She felt badly for Red. He really was struggling with his son’s lack of enthusiasm toward recouping.
“It’s frustrating I’m sure. Give it time, Red. Some soldiers take longer than others to realize that life is worth living and fighting for. Having his team around, Cash and you makes a world of a difference. You know that, right?”
She hoped he got her drift. Lots of times soldiers could fall into a deep state of depression when trying to adjust to civilian life, never mind doing so with injuries sustained from combat. They could get so angry or even depressed they could take their own lives. That was part of why she did what she did. She wanted to make a difference. She wanted to help save as many soldiers as she could.
“I know exactly what you’re getting at. It’s one of my greatest fears, Cass. I’ve lost enough men serving in the Corps. I don’t want to lose anymore, and definitely not my son.”
“That’s why we’re here, Dad. The team and I have Stryker covered.”
The sound of Cash’s voice made Cassidy turn in her seat. She had heard the footsteps on the porch and knew someone was coming closer, but Red had continued talking. They weren’t hiding the trouble Stryker was in, that was for sure.
Cash gave her a sideways glance, almost as if he didn’t trust her. Maybe he felt his dad shouldn’t be talking to a stranger about Stryker? Whatever it was, she couldn’t get drawn into it all. The last time she’d fallen for the charms of a retired soldier, she’d been blinded by realty and what was right there in front of her. Abuse, violence, and a fearful six months that could have cost her her life.
“I know you do, son. But if anyone can understand the mindset of a soldier, it’s Cassidy.” Red smiled at her. Cassidy gave Red a small grin as he passed her some ice tea.
“Help yourself, Cassidy,” Red said.
“So why is it that you understand so much? Because you were in the Corps?” Memphis asked her, joining her by the table after he washed his hands.
“I guess so,” she whispered, a little taken back by the man’s stern attitude.
He was definitely a forceful type, but at least his cologne was appealing.
“Ah hell, Cass, don’t let Memphis’s attitude bother you. He doesn’t trust easily, like most military men. He’s harmless though.”
“Unless I’m provoked,” Memphis told her, holding her gaze.
She didn’t like the way he said that and stared at her. It reminded her of Blaze and put her on the defensive as well.
“Well then, that’s something we have in common, Memphis.” She then reached for the spoon to the potato salad but heard Red chuckle.
Memphis snorted but then went about making a sandwich. She couldn’t help but wonder if moving out here would prove to be another mistake. But Red was the closest thing to a friend, to family, she had. It would be nice to not feel so on guard at night. Not that she would let her defenses down, but what harm could come being surrounded by retired Marines? She supposed she was about to find out.
Chapter 4
“So let me get this straight. Your dad invited a friend from the Corps to live in the cottage across the way, and she’s younger than Stryker?” Coast asked as he, Orlando, Memphis, Cash, and Stryker sat around the kitchen table having beers after dinner.
Cash looked at Memphis and neither said a word for a moment.
“She’s hot too,” Memphis said then slugged a gulp of beer and looked angry.
Coast wasn’t sure what was happening around here, but apparently these guys were upset.
“You don’t like her? You don’t think she’s good enough for your dad? What?” Coast asked, and Cash sat forward.
“She’s not seeing my dad. They said they’re friends. She was a nurse in the Marine Corps. She fucking took care of Garrett, from Casper’s, when he was rushed in for emergency surgery. He said the doctor saved his leg, and Cassidy was right there taking care of him.”
“Okay, so that’s cool then. She sounds like an accomplished nurse who has a good bedside manner. What’s the deal?” Coast asked.
“She’s got an attitude,” Memphis stated.
“She does not. You put her on the defensive with your comment about being provoked,” Cash said to Memphis.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…slow down and back up. Tell us everything from the beginning so we can understand.”
Coast leaned back and listened to Cash explain about this woman, Cassidy. The more he talked about her, the more intrigued Coast began to get. Especially when he figured out that both Cash and Memphis were attracted to her.
“I get it now. You both like her,” Coast said.
Cash made a sound, and Memphis slowly turned his beer bottle.
“You do?” Stryker asked, sounding pissed off.
“Did you see her while you were looking through the binoculars? What man in their right mind wouldn’t find the woman sexy as damn hell?” Cash stated to Stryker.
Orlando chuckled. “I’m glad I’m not working tomorrow. I have got to see this woman who is turning the place upside down.”
Cash threw a napkin at Orlando’s head.
But Coast was most interested in Stryker’s reaction.
“What?” Orlando asked, chuckling.
“She’s not moving in yet,” Memphis added.
“Oh, so she decided to stay at your dad’s house after all? That’s interesting.”
“No, it isn’t, Orlando. She’s painting the place while Memphis works on the electrical problems in the house,” Cash told him.
“Which means, since you’re not working on the computer, then you can help me out over there tomorrow,” Memphis said.
Orlando rubbed his hands together. “Nice, I get to see her up close and personal. You know once I start talking to her none of you will have a chance.”
That started a whole lot of yelling and teasing then opening up another round of beers.
“Oh, you may want to be careful with the flirting, Orlando. She’s got a collection of guns and knows how to use them,” Cash teased.
“Nice, I like a woman who can handle the wild and intense side of things. Especially in bed.”
“You say anything like that to her, and I have the feeling Cassidy might take a swing at ya,” Memphis teased.
“You guys must have really put her on the defensive. What are you so worried about? That a chick on the ranch will alter the masculinity of the place?” Coast asked.
“We don’t need any women around here. Marine or not,” Stryker said and then slowly stood up with the assistance of his cane.
He painstakingly made his way out of the room, and none of them stopped him. They all pretty much had come to terms with Stryker’s bad attitude and negative outlook on everything in life. But at least he’d sat down and had a few beers with them tonight.
Once he was out of the room, Cash leaned forward.
“If Stryker gets upset with her being around the ranch, then I’ll ask my dad to make other arrangements for her.”
“You can’t do that. Your dad offered her the cottage. Why would Stryker have a problem with this woman being on the ranch? He’ll probably never see her,” Orlando said.
Coast looked toward the doorway then back toward the o
“He could feel like he has to remain in hiding instead of getting out of the house now that the nicer weather is here. You know he doesn’t like the way women react to his scars and injuries,” Orlando stated.
“I don’t think Cassidy would give any negative reaction at all, considering her line of work,” Memphis added.
“I just hope my dad wasn’t planning on having Cassidy here to push Stryker to move on with his life.” Cash finally admitted what sounded like his biggest fear.
“So what if he did hope she could make a difference because of her professional background? If it made a difference in your brother’s life, wouldn’t it be worth it?” Coast asked.
“Of course it would be,” Cash replied.
“Then fuck it. Let the cards fall where they may. Whatever will be will be. We’re a team, a unit, one family. Nothing can break us apart, and we’ll have Stryker’s back like always,” Coast said, and they all agreed.
* * * *
Cassidy was unloading all the painting supplies from her Jeep when she dropped one of the brushes toward the back behind the passenger seat. She bent all the way over and reached for the brush, gripping it just as she heard the footsteps behind her.
“Damn we’ve got good timing.”
She turned to see Memphis standing there with another guy. She felt her chest tighten and her mouth nearly drop at the sight of the handsome cowboy next to Memphis. He gave a wink and then reached for her hand.
“Need some help, darlin’?”
She knew his type. All flirt and only one thing on his mind. A piece of ass. She struggled to get up on her own and then slid off the back part of the Jeep. Cassidy reached for two cans of paint.
“I’m good, and you are?” she asked.
“Oh, how rude of me, ma’am. The name is Orlando.”
“Hi, Orlando, I’m Cassidy.”
“Oh, I know darlin’, and it is definitely nice to meet you.” Orlando winked.
She chuckled. He really had some personality on him. Memphis gave Orlando a shove to his shoulder.
“Quit being an ass and help her get the stuff inside.”
“Oh, you don’t need to help me. I have it. Are you going to be working on the electrical problems?” she asked Memphis as Orlando took the rest of the things in her Jeep and headed toward the door.
She was surprised at how much he carried and how strong he was. The man’s muscles were as big as Memphis’s. All the members of the team so far were sporting some serious athletic bodies. She was glad she kept in shape and jogged eight miles every morning. Living around here, she would have to make sure she stayed in shape.
“That’s the plan. This is a nice Jeep,” Memphis complimented as he held on to the side of the black roll bar on top.
“It gets me to and from no problem.” She started heading up toward the house with both paint cans and brushes in hand.
“Here, let me get that.”
When Memphis reached for the can of paint and the items under her arm, she felt the immediate attraction to him. He seemed to pick up on it, too, as he motioned for her to walk ahead of him.
When they got into the house, Orlando was looking around at the outlets.
“I think we should replace all of these outlets. They’re not really up to par, and since we’re doing the other stuff, why not?”
“I agree. I need to take measurements of the AC unit too. Red said it was on its last leg.”
“Oh, how much will that cost, do you know? I would need to get some money for you guys.”
“Not a problem, Cassidy. Cash’s dad is taking care of everything.”
She placed her hands on her hips and exhaled.
“He doesn’t need to do that. I’ve got money saved for this,” she replied.
Memphis stood closer, reached out, and cupped her chin as he stared down into her eyes. The move shocked her.
“You can take it up with him, but I doubt he’ll accept any money.”
Her eyes roamed over his expression and then darted to his lips and then back to his eyes. She took a retreating step back, feeling the loss of his fingers under her chin.
“I’ll talk to him later then,” she said.
Orlando cleared his throat. “Why don’t we make a list and then head out?”
Memphis brushed by her, and she felt entirely too turned on by the man. She pretended she felt nothing at all and then prepped her workspace for some painting. She couldn’t help but to check out Orlando now too. He was very good looking with clean-cut, dark brown hair, very similar to actor James Franco.
Before he left, he gave her a wink, and she chuckled to herself. She knew the way relationships tended to work around town. It didn’t take being in Tranquility very long for her to realize that ménage relationships dominated the place. But she wasn’t interested in any relationships and definitely not with any soldiers of any kind. In fact, when she’d traveled from Houston to Tranquility, she knew she wasn’t even sure this was the right decision. Surrounded by so many soldiers, it would be easy to avoid another bad relationship like the one with Blaze. She knew better now to think she could change a person by being honest and sincere, which worked when dealing with sane people, not ones out to self-destruct, to become so immediately possessive and controlling that they would threaten life. No, she wouldn’t make that mistake ever again.
* * * *
Coast could hear the music blasting. It was the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s radio station they all enjoyed listening to. Creedence Clearwater’s “Fortunate Son” was playing. He opened the front door to find the longest, sexiest tan legs he had seen in quite some time. His gaze traveled up over the swell of a sexy, firm ass and a short tank top that barely covered her torso. The brunette was using a paint roller to paint the ceiling in the living room, her arms raised up, showing off some seriously toned arms and shoulder muscles.
“Hey, Coast, what took you so long?” Memphis yelled across the room.
The brunette lowered the roller and wiped her brow with the back of her arm.
“Great color. This looks amazing in here.” Coast walked farther into the room, taking in the sight of the cream color freshening up the old puke-green walls. They had gotten a lot done, and it seemed that Memphis and Orlando were taking their time fixing the electrical problems. They were in the kitchen.
“Thanks,” Cassidy replied then wiped her hands on the paint rag she had sticking out of her waist on the other side. The tank top she wore accentuated her large breasts, and when she reached out to shake his hand and introduce herself, he couldn’t help but take a peek.
“I’m Coast.”
“Nice to meet you, Coast. I’m Cassidy.”
She shook his hand and then went right back to working as if he meant nothing and wasn’t here to see her. Poor woman hadn’t a clue. Now he understood why the team was going crazy. Cassidy was a knockout.
He winked at Memphis then at Orlando, who nodded with a big smile on his face as if saying, “I know.”
“You guys need any help?”
“You could grab us some lunch,” Orlando teased.
“I think Red has that covered. I saw him on the way over. He said he would set up the table on his porch and that you should head on over.”
“Great. Let’s just finish these last two outlets, Orlando, then go eat,” Memphis stated.
Coast turned around to see Cassidy finishing up the ceiling. When she lowered the roller and pole, she stretched out her sore muscles.
“The ceiling can be the hardest part,” he said to her.
She looked at him as she squatted down and started unscrewing the roller from the pole. “It’s done, so I’m happy.”
“Looks great.”
“You mentioned that.” She smiled.
He chuckled. “I did, didn’t I?” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and held her gaze.
“You just about ready for a break?”
“You guys go ahead,” she said to them.
“You need some help?” he asked, and she looked him over.
“You don’t seem dressed to help paint, Coast.”
He looked at his dress shirt and dress pants.
“I have to show a house in an hour. Real estate,” he added.
“Oh, like a broker you mean?”
“Sort of. So are you excited about moving in here?” he asked.
“I am, now that the electrical work is updated and the walls freshly painted. Makes a huge difference.”
“Sure does. But then again, anything would have looked better than that puke green color,” Memphis added, joining them.
“Let’s head over for lunch, and then we can finish up the other outlets,” Orlando said, joining them.
Coast watched Cassidy wipe her hands then stand up and stretch. He motioned for her to lead the way, and she did, giving him a better look at her backside. The woman was gorgeous, and she smelled really good too.
As they headed to Red’s porch, Coast glanced at Memphis and Orlando. Both of them were watching Cassidy too.
“There you are. I bet you’re all pretty hungry. Way past lunch time now,” Red said, greeting them from the porch.
“I wouldn’t have even noticed it was if Coast hadn’t come by to tell us. You didn’t have to do this, Red,” Cassidy told him, and as she went by him, Red winked.
It gave Coast a funny feeling inside. Maybe Cash and Stryker’s dad was interested in Cassidy in a romantic way. Sometimes older men lucked out and snagged the heart of a younger woman. It didn’t sit right with Coast, but ultimately, it made him jealous. He didn’t understand why. He didn’t even know Cassidy. It was so odd. It was as though he wanted to stake a claim along with his team. The thought had him stumbling on the step and realizing where his mind was going. Flashes of their friends and the ménage relationships they were involved in went through his mind. Could this be? Could Cassidy potentially be a woman he and his team could share? Did he want to share her with them? What the hell was he thinking? She wasn’t his.
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