Blackstone Ranger Charmer
Blackstone Rangers Book 2
Alicia Montgomery
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Alicia Montgomery
www.aliciamontgomeryauthor.com
First Electronic publication august 2020
Edited by LaVerne Clark
Cover by Jacqueline Sweet
0811920
All rights reserved.
About the Author
Alicia Montgomery has always dreamed of becoming a romance novel writer. She started writing down her stories in now long-forgotten diaries and notebooks, never thinking that her dream would come true. After taking the well-worn path to a stable career, she is now plunging into the world of self-publishing.
Also by Alicia Montgomery
The True Mates Series
Fated Mates
Blood Moon
Romancing the Alpha
Witch’s Mate
Taming the Beast
Tempted by the Wolf
The Lone Wolf Defenders Series
Killian’s Secret
Loving Quinn
All for Connor
The True Mates Standalone Novels
Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas
A Mate for Jackson: Bad Alpha Dads
True Mates Generations
A Twist of Fate
Claiming the Alpha
Alpha Ascending
A Witch in Time
Highland Wolf
Daughter of the Dragon
Shadow Wolf
A Touch of Magic
Heart of the Wolf
The Blackstone Mountain Series
The Blackstone Dragon Heir
The Blackstone Bad Dragon
The Blackstone Bear
The Blackstone Wolf
The Blackstone Lion
The Blackstone She-Wolf
The Blackstone She-Bear
The Blackstone She-Dragon
Blackstone Rangers Series
Blackstone Ranger Chief
Blackstone Ranger Charmer
Blackstone Ranger Hero
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Please Review My Books
Chapter One
Gabriel Russel woke up that early spring morning with an urge. Urge to do what exactly, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was terribly hungry, and there was only one thing that could satisfy him.
His inner lion, usually the one to protest when he wanted to get up from bed, nosed at him in an attempt to hurry him up. Somehow it knew where they were headed, and seemed to want to get there sooner rather than later.
“So, chipper today, huh, buddy?” he told the lion. It only chuffed at him. “All right, all right.”
Not many shifters talked out loud to their animals, but he and his lion had always been tight. Maybe because growing up, he’d felt lonely, and it was always there for him. Most people might have thought he was crazy—after all, growing up in a household with five siblings meant he was never alone. However, there was a loneliness that came with being the youngest and the only male in the family that few people would understand.
Springing up from bed, he headed straight to the bathroom to get ready for work. Contrary to popular belief, it didn’t take hours for him to do his hair. Perhaps it was magic or just plain luck that his shoulder-length dark blond hair was easy to manage and seemed to come out looking perfect when he got out of bed in the morning. Of course, if anyone asked his sister, Giselle, she would say it was because she had ingrained in him the importance of good hair care products. In any case, on days he worked, he usually kept his hair tied back as the first time he went on patrol, he ended up with sticks, dirt, and leaves in his hair, which neither he nor his lion appreciated.
Work didn’t start until nine, so that meant he had time for a bite of breakfast before he had to make the nearly one-hour drive up the mountains to the Blackstone Rangers Headquarters. So, after getting dressed in his khaki uniform, he grabbed his hat and headed down to the garage. Though most of his fellow rangers lived up or nearer to the Blackstone Mountains for convenience, he simply preferred his modern loft in South Blackstone. From there, he was near almost everything in town, plus, he liked the collection of shops, cafes, and restaurants that had been popping up around the growing area.
It only took him fifteen minutes to get to his destination—Main Street—and in particular, Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe. As always, the smell of fresh pastries hit him with a nostalgic note. This was one of the places he’d go to with his father when he was still alive. Howard Russel would bring him here, and they would sit together in a booth, just the two of them, away from the chaos of the house. Those memories with his dad would be ones he would treasure forever.
In the last few weeks, however, coming in here gave him a different feeling. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was as if he needed to be here, like this morning. After his father had passed, Gabriel would come to Rosie’s maybe every other month or so, and on Howard’s birthday.
But now he was here three or four times a week. Not that it was a problem burning all those calories; he was a shifter, after all, and his job involved a lot of physical activity. Rosie gave him strange looks, but didn’t question him on why he was here so often. Honestly, even if she did ask, he wasn’t sure he could tell her because he didn’t know himself. He only knew that he had to be here, not to mention, those new pies Rosie had been serving were irresistible. Just thinking of them made his mouth water.
“Good morning, Gabriel,” Rosie, the owner of the cafe, greeted. As usual, the seemingly ageless fox shifter was clothed in a vintage dress, her vibrant red hair pinned up in curls around her head.
“Good morning, Rosie my love,” he replied. Most people thought he was a shameless flirt, but he’d known Rosie since he was a kid, so there was no malice there, just deep affection for the older woman who had been serving Blackstone’s best pies for nearly three decades.
“First one here, as always.” Rosie gestured to the dining room. “Go ahead and sit anywhere. I’ll grab the coffee, and you can tell me what you want.”
Whistling as he walked over to his favorite booth, he sat down and glanced at the large display of pies near the back. Rosie’s had a huge glass counter that featured over a dozen pies every day. Ever since he was a kid, he’d had a standard order: A slice of cherry, a slice of pecan, and a slice of lemon meringue, extra whipped cream. However, recently, he’d been adventurous with his choices.
As Rosie approached, coffee pot in one hand, he opened his mouth, but the older woman beat him to it.
“Our special flavors of the day are frozen pink lemonade, toasted coconut macadamia, and Andouille and Gruyère cheese breakfast pie,” she rattled off. “I assume you want one of each?”
“Thank you, Rosie,” he said. “And maybe a slice of cherry, for old times’ sake.” It had been Dad’s favorite, after all.
Rosie laughed. “All right, kiddo. Be with you in two shakes of a fox tail.” After filling the empty mug on the table, she sashayed back to the kitchen.
Gabriel drummed his fingers, anticipation thrumming in his veins as
he thought of the new pies. For nearly all his life, he’d ordered the same thing. Sure, Rosie would try a new recipe every now and then or there would be stuff that went in and out of season, but mostly, the place served the basics—apple, cherry, blueberry, key lime, chicken pot pie and the like.
But ever since these new flavors had been offered, he couldn’t get enough of them. It was like a taste of heaven—the flavors bursting on his tongue was like the music of angels. They were better than anything he’d had before. The specials changed frequently, but even if the flavors were repeated, he would still order them. Those pies had almost become an obsession. The one day he came late after a shift and they ran out, he nearly threw a fit. It was like he’d been jealous someone else was enjoying those treats instead of him.
“Here you go, kiddo.” She put four plates in front of him. “One pink lemonade, toasted coconut, breakfast, and cherry with extra whipped cream.”
“You’re the best, Rosie,” he said, greedily eying the food in front of him. His inner lion, too, licked its lips.
“Looks like you need some privacy here, so I’ll leave you alone now,” she said with a chuckle, then waved as she sashayed back to toward the display counter.
Gabriel reached for his fork and dug into the breakfast pie first. His eyes rolled back into his head. God, where have you been all my life? The pastry was flaky and buttery and melted right in his mouth while the sausage, herbs, and cheese blended together in perfect harmony. His lion, too, was rolling around in ecstasy.
He took a bite of the two other pies and they were just as amazing, if not better. The cherry pie, too, was great, and though he hadn’t had it in a while, he could swear it was even better than before. He had numerous memories of sitting here with Howard after he picked Gabriel up from school, talking about his classes and friends or nothing at all. He keenly felt the loss of his father, but even more than that, being here brought back all the good things he’d remembered about Howard before his life had been tragically taken in that plane crash along with his mother, Geraldine.
He swallowed the pastry and took a gulp of the coffee, washing it down. His lion was clawing at him, as if it wanted him to do … something. Like it had an itch it couldn’t scratch.
Can’t this wait, bud? He was only halfway done with his meal.
It shook its head. Now, it seemed to say, its nostrils flaring.
But what did it want?
Putting the fork down, he glanced around. There was only one other table occupied, and Rosie was in front of the counter, wiping down the display case as another employee was taking out the apple pie to serve it up. Behind the counter was the door that led to the kitchen. As his gaze focused on the small round window in the door, he could have sworn he saw movement behind the glass.
The lion’s head perked up.
What?
It pointed its nose toward the door.
There?
It nodded, shaggy mane shaking furiously.
Gabriel knew he shouldn’t … but he was already on his feet and striding toward the kitchen door.
“Sir?” someone said behind him. “Sir, you can’t go back there.”
His heart hammered wildly in his chest as he placed his hand on the door.
“What the—Gabriel Russel, get away from there—”
He ignored those words as blood roared in his ears. Something made him push the door open and stepped inside to see—
Nothing.
The kitchen was empty.
What the hell is wrong with you?
His lion protested with a yowl, then lifted its head to sniff the air. It smelled like butter, flour, pastry, and sugar, plus something else in the air he couldn’t quite name. Something sweet and seductively exotic.
“Gabriel?” Rosie dashed into the kitchen, hands on her hips. “What in the world are you doing in here?”
“Huh?” What did he do? “Er, sorry, Rosie.” He scratched at his head. “Didn’t, er, sleep much last night. I’m still a zombie, and the caffeine hasn’t quite kicked in.”
Rosie looped an arm through his. “How about I refill your mug, then?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” As the fox shifter gently led him out of the kitchen, he glanced back at the door as it swung close. A strange feeling came over him, like an emptiness that he never realized was inside him. Huh.
Shaking his head, he allowed Rosie to bring him all the way back to his booth. “Thanks, Rosie my love,” he said.
“I’ll get you that coffee, kiddo. It’ll fix up whatever’s ailin’ you.”
His lion once again protested.
With a last glance back at the kitchen door, he couldn’t help but feel like there would be nothing that could help fill this void that had somehow buried itself in his chest.
Gabriel didn’t go back to Rosie’s again after the day he barged into the kitchen. His lion didn’t like that very much, but with winter behind them and spring in full bloom, he was just too busy. As a Blackstone Ranger, his work involved protecting the mountains and the forests in the area, but also, the people and shifters who came to visit, since it was a park. With the snow melting on the more popular paths, the mountains were busy which meant every one of the rangers had to be on alert for hikers or campers in distress, or even shifters who may have gotten too overconfident in their abilities and needed rescuing.
But aside from that, being deep in the forests meant he could avoid—or ignore—calls from certain people and blame it on the lack of reception. Even now, as he drove to Main Street after working overtime, his phone started ringing the moment it pinged the nearest cell towers.
Glancing at the screen, he saw the caller ID flash his oldest sister’s name and blew out a breath. Genevieve was the last person he wanted to talk to right now. He knew what she wanted, but he was too tired to deal with her.
When the call went to voicemail, he let out a relived sigh, which was short-lived because his inbox now started blowing up. Checking the name of the sender, he groaned audibly. Vicky Woolworth. He’d rather talk to Gen and get a root canal and an appendectomy all at the same time than deal with Vicky. She was, as they said, twenty pounds of crazy in a five-pound bag. While he’d broken up with her years ago, she’d pop up every now and then. He had to keep blocking her and change his number whenever she got a new number or account, but that didn’t seem to stop her from trying. Looks like I have to call my cell company again.
As he stopped at the light, he turned his phone off, glad for the silence. Today was supposed to be his day off, but he got stuck working overtime after helping search for a lost panther cub who had wandered away from its mother. His plan had been to sleep in and meet J.D. and Anna Victoria at Rosie’s after they did wedding stuff. Instead, he had to shower at work and drive straight to Rosie’s. When he got there, Damon was already seated at one of the booths.
“Hey, Chief,” he greeted as he slid into the seat across from Damon. “Girls aren’t here yet?”
Damon Cooper, who was his best friend and boss, shook his head. “Probably running late. Rogers filled me in about last night. Good job finding that panther cub.”
“Yeah, she was pretty rattled, but once we got her back to her mama, everything was fine.”
“I appreciate you guys staying and getting it all handled,” he said.
“Of course, man. You know you can trust us for stuff like that.” He patted Damon on the shoulder. “You’re gonna be a married man soon; can’t leave the Mrs. waiting.”
At the mention of marriage and the Mrs., Damon’s face lit up. “Jeez, I can’t believe it’s really happening.”
Gabriel chuckled. “It definitely is.” And he was glad for his best friend. If anyone deserved happiness with a mate, it was Damon, especially after all the shit he’d gone through. When he returned after being discharged from the Special Forces, Damon had been a shell of who he once was. Therapy and time had helped, but he had been driving himself into the ground with work and keeping all those feelings locked up. When
he met his mate, things had changed—and for the better. “So, speaking of which—your bachelor party.”
Damon groaned. “No. I don’t want one.”
“Ah, c’mon man!” Gabriel pleaded. “You only get married once, which means I only get to be your best man once. Besides, this is your last night of—”
Damon shook his head. “You don’t understand. I don’t need a ‘last night of freedom’, because as far as I’m concerned, the day I met Anna Victoria, she became mine, and me, hers. Besides, my bear would never allow me to even look at another woman.”
Gabriel didn’t quite understand the concept of mates—no one really did. It was just one of those things that shifters talked about, but couldn’t explain. Most shifters didn’t even meet their mates. His own parents weren’t mates. But apparently, from what he’d heard over the years, mating meant a special bond tied you to another person for the rest of your life.
Frankly, it sounded like a bad deal, after all, Gabriel pretty much already knew what was in store for his future. That’s why he was determined to enjoy his life now, while he was still free.
Lately, however, seeing how happy Damon was, he couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to have another person who was the other half of your soul.
Ridiculous, he thought with a mental shake of his head.
His lion, however, mewled in disagreement.
“Morning, kiddos,” Rosie greeted as she walked over to them, coffee pot in hand as usual. “What can I get ya?”
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