The Ranger's Heart (Army Ranger Romance Book 3)

by Bree Livingston

  She should have seen it coming. Sure, he’d shared something sweet and intimate, but…then her mind went back to the beach. He’d played her, starting with that story about Bella.

  After hurrying back to the cottage, she’d bawled her eyes out. Whatever the show needed from her could wait until the next day. Her heart was so broken she was sure pieces of it were scattered on the lawn as she ran from the mansion. The response from Gunner had mangled her, but she was done being the weepy doormat. She’d finished crying and decided two could play at that game.

  And now Hillary was acting like Sophia was the one in the wrong.

  “I was doing exactly what you asked me to do. Pretend.” Sophia stared Hillary down.

  “I’ve known you a long time. And I saw Gunner’s face when you said you’d been told to coax the bachelors to open up. Sophia, he turned green.”

  Yeah, she’d seen it. She’d also seen the look on his face when Landon kissed her forehead—a kiss that meant nothing to her. She also knew what a great actor Gunner was, even when the cameras weren’t rolling. “I didn’t see anything.”

  Hillary crossed her arms over her chest. “That man has real feelings for you. He has since the beginning. Why would you hurt him like that?”

  “He’s here undercover, Hillary. He’s just here to do a job. I know he is because he said it.” Sophia didn’t need to tell Hillary everything.

  “I don’t believe that for a second. You’re not telling me something.”

  Sophia softened. “It’s okay, Hillary. He was just playing a part too. It was all planned. We need Landon to stay. I like Landon. His family was nice. He’s good to me. We have a lot in common.” She wasn’t in love with him in the least, and just thinking about being with him made her want to throw up. But she’d rather be with someone who actually wanted to be with her than someone who was only using her to make his cover look better.

  Hillary closed the distance between them, stopping just a foot away. “You hurt that man. You could see it, feel it. He left this room in pain. And you did it. I never thought I’d witness my best friend doing what you did. No matter what happened, how people treated you, you were always the better person.”

  “Yeah, and how many times did I get walked on? Thrown away? Expected to just deal with it?” Sophia was sick of being the one to always suck it up and deal with being hurt. “I’m not doing it anymore. I’m done being the girl everyone dumps on. I’m not being played anymore.”

  Dropping her arms, Hillary sighed and walked to the door. “Do you feel better? Gutting him? Because that’s what you did. Only this time, deep down, you know you were wrong. I don’t know what happened, but I know you’re wrong, and so do you.” With that, she left the room, leaving Sophia to seethe.

  The nerve of Hillary. Trying to make Sophia feel bad for standing up for herself. The one time she took control, and she was in the wrong? No, not this time. She was glad she’d struck first. For once, she was the one throwing the punches and not the other way around.

  Sophia did care that her heart had been in her throat when Gunner looked absolutely stricken. That her heart still hurt because she loved him. Hearing him call her a job “and that’s all” had made her physically ill. But she was over it and moving on. If she told herself that lie long enough, maybe she’d even believe it.

  Travis had been right. He was her best friend, and she’d picked some random guy she barely knew over him. Not that she wanted something romantic, but she should have been more open to his concerns. The next time she saw him, she’d eat crow and apologize. Of course, she’d hear about it forever, but she’d rather deal with him than a liar.

  Chapter 26

  “Are you all set on the itinerary?” asked Gwendolyn as they flew to Gunner’s hometown.

  The closer the plane got to South Carolina, the more Gunner wanted to tell Hillary and Noah he was quitting. He didn’t want Sophia meeting his family. They’d love her, and he’d barely been handling spending time with her. The last thing he needed was his mom pestering him about why he wasn’t marrying her.

  They’d been filmed getting on the plane, all happy and cozy. Then they’d done individual interviews about their feelings on going to see his parents. Once they’d done that, they’d cut the cameras, and they were allowed to relax. They wouldn’t be filming again until they arrived at his parents’ house.

  “Gunner.” Gwendolyn touched his arm.

  He rolled his head. “Uh, yeah, I’ve got it.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? The last couple of weeks, you’ve been…different. I’m worried about you.”

  No, he wasn’t okay, but he’d tried to put on the best show he knew how, each day acting like nothing was wrong, going on torturous one-on-one dates with Sophia. He’d come back to whatever hotel they were staying in at the time and toss and turn.

  His night terrors had returned with a devilish vengeance. Finding out Sophia had pulled information—deeply personal things—from him for the show had killed him. Emotionally and mentally, he was as dead as he’d ever been. But years of practice had given him the ability to throw on a carefree smile and fake it, at least until he was alone.

  He smiled. “I’m okay.”

  She palmed the side of his face. “I don’t think that’s true, but if you need anything, just ask.”

  It felt all sorts of wrong and off for her to be touching him, but at the moment, he didn’t care. His gut was trying to tell him something, but his focus wasn’t as sharp as it should be. Another thing that bugged him. Not finding who was writing the letters was getting to him.

  “Thanks, I will.” He turned his gaze back to the window.

  “Uh, Gwendolyn, would you mind if I spoke to Gunner just a moment? I wanted to ask him a few things,” Sophia said.

  He closed his eyes and steeled himself. In a second, her scent would cover him and the intense need for her would be almost more than he could handle.

  Gwendolyn placed her hand on Gunner’s arm and squeezed. She stood, and if she was trying to whisper, she failed. “I don’t think he’s feeling very good. He says he’s okay, but I don’t think he is.”

  “Oh, it won’t take long, and he’ll be all yours again.” The air moved as Sophia took the seat next to him.

  Out of his periphery, he watched Gwendolyn walk a few rows toward the front and sit. As soon as she disappeared from sight, Sophia turned to him. “So, what should I know about your family?”

  Keeping his gaze trained on the clouds passing by, he replied, “They’re good people. My mom and dad have been married for nearly thirty-five years. My younger brother and his wife are both accountants, and they have two sets of twin girls. Please don’t…” He took a deep breath. “Please just don’t be too friendly. I don’t want to get their hopes up. I haven’t brought anyone home since Bella. The only reason I’m going through with this is because I said I’d find the person threatening you.”

  When she didn’t speak, he turned to her. “I know you hate me, but they haven’t done anything to you. Just don’t hurt them, okay? They don’t know anything about my time in the Army either.”

  “I’m not going to hurt them.” She almost looked offended.

  “Okay.” He shifted in his seat away from her.

  Minutes passed as the silence stretched until she broke it. “They don’t know about your time in the Army?” she asked softly.

  He shrugged. “No, it was classified. Plus, even if it wasn’t, they didn’t need to know. It would have hurt my mom. Although, they’ll probably find out once it airs on the show. I guess I should tell them before they hear it along with the rest of the country.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It was your job to coax personal information out of the bachelors to make the show feel more real. I didn’t know that, and I offered up my soul like silver pieces to Judas.” He’d not meant to say so much, but thinking about his family being hurt by her and hearing about his time as a prisoner…his tongue wagging was the
least of his problems.

  She touched his arm and leaned across him. “Gunner, that wasn’t recorded. There are no cameras inside the cottage, and I’ll never tell anyone about that.”

  “I guess I believe that like you believe I didn’t use you.” He pulled away. “Look, you stay in your corner, and I’ll stay in mine. I can’t hurt you, and you can’t hurt me. We’ll finish this blasted show, hopefully catch the person threatening you, and we can both go on our merry way.”

  Sophia nodded, but he caught the sight of what he thought were tears. It was wishful thinking. He was pretty sure there was no way he could hurt her since she’d used him the whole time. She’d even pretended to be angry at the beginning. Obviously, she was a much better actor than he was.

  “Sure, Gunner. I promise I won’t hurt your family, and I won’t tell them,” she leaned in and whispered, “about your time as a prisoner. No one will ever hear it from me.” Her voice was so sweet that all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. To tell her how much he loved her.

  Taking a deep breath, he crammed the feelings down. “Thank you.” Not that he believed a word that came from her mouth, but he’d keep that to himself.

  He just hoped he could keep himself together long enough to survive his visit home. All he needed was enough glue to get himself through the next few days with his family and then hers. Then he’d be home free.

  * * *

  The house-sized lump that had formed in Sophia’s throat as she’d talked to Gunner had yet to shrink. Not on the plane and not since it landed, and she was beginning to think it was growing the closer she got to his family’s home. For some reason, she couldn’t stop watching him either.

  He thought she’d recorded their conversation in the cottage. It was your job to coax personal information out of the bachelors to make the show feel more real. The words were like a sword piercing her heart. When she’d said that, she didn’t fathom him thinking it included his months of torture. She should have realized he’d take it that way. She’d been so awful that day.

  In the last two weeks, their one-on-one dates had been awful. There was no way people didn’t feel the chasm between them. They’d smile, act happy, and as soon as the camera stopped rolling, Gunner would walk away.

  It hadn’t escaped her how Gwendolyn had shadowed him lately. It started right after Sophia overheard Gunner. She’d also seen Gwendolyn flirting with Gunner. What she had yet to catch was him flirting back. A few times she’d asked herself why he wasn’t, but the questions had come and gone as quickly as she thought them. Or closer to the truth, she’d shoved them in a box and nailed it shut on a daily basis.

  In a split-second decision, she moved to sit next to him in the limo. “Are you excited to see your family?”

  “No, not really.”

  She knew things were tense between the two of them, but she figured he’d be happy to see his family. “Why?”

  He turned to her, and her breath caught. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and she knew his night terrors had returned. It was the first time she’d allowed herself to actually look him in the eyes since…being cruel. She’d never seen so much pain in a person’s expression before. His eyebrows furrowed together as he worked his jaw. “I’m bringing home a woman for the very first time as an adult, and it’s all fake. I’d never watched this show. I had no idea that visits home were part of it. If I’d known…” He sucked in a sharp breath and returned his attention back to the window. “I just wish I’d never taken this assignment.”

  “Maybe we could call a truce while we’re here. I’ll be on my best behavior, make sure I don’t give any false hope, and—”

  Turning to her again, he said, “Don’t you get it? The second they meet you, it’ll all be false hope. I was barely eighteen when Bella died, and my life was over. I’ve never even shown interest in another woman since. Bringing you home, it’s waving a white flag in front of my mom. And when this is all over, I’m going to be tasked with calling her and telling her it was all one big fat lie.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this.” And she suddenly felt as wretched as she’d ever felt in her life. “We should cancel this.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “No, I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.” He covered his mouth with his hand and turned away from her. “For now…just…just leave me alone.”

  “Gunner—”

  “I told you things I’ve never told another living soul. Things I never thought would pass my lips. I just need a minute to get myself prepared.” He took in a long ragged breath. “When the car stops, I’ll smile for the camera and pretend nothing is wrong.”

  That economy-size lump in her throat she’d been sporting grew until she was nearly gasping for air. Their time had been so limited since she overheard him and Landon talking, and she’d been so angry that she’d worked to not see how she’d hurt Gunner. But sitting in the limo, she was face-to-face with her handiwork. He’d looked at her like she’d felt all those times when she’d been discarded.

  She wanted so badly to apologize to him right that second, but in her heart, she knew it would fall on deaf ears. He was too hurt and upset to listen, and she didn’t blame him. A lame hail-Mary apology would mean nothing coming from her at the moment. No, she needed to figure out a way to really make amends for what she’d done.

  In the meantime, she needed to find out exactly how Landon found out about Gunner staying at the cottage, another question that had been nagging the back of her mind. It was so convenient. That Landon would find out and ask Gunner about it and that she’d show up just in time to hear it. Now that she was finally being honest with herself, she knew something wasn’t right.

  If she’d stopped for a second when it first happened and asked herself these questions, maybe this visit with Gunner’s family would have a completely different tone. Maybe…maybe it would be okay for his mom to be picking out his wedding tux. And maybe she wouldn’t be feeling like a rat in the presidential suite.

  Chapter 27

  When the limo stopped outside the large two-story white Southern home with a portico framing the ornate front door, Sophia was in awe. It wasn’t a mansion like the home in Malibu, but it was old and grand and beautiful. Picturesque with all the trees and a lake spreading out behind it. No, it was more incredible than the place in California because of the age.

  Cameras were already set up and waiting for the limo to arrive. There wasn’t an angle they were going to miss. For once, Sophia wished they’d fritz out.

  Gunner set his hand on the door handle, pausing before he opened it. “They’re kind and generous and welcoming. They’ve never met a stranger. The town is small. Everyone knows everyone. This isn’t California, and they’re not backwoods hicks. They might talk slow, but they don’t think slow. So don’t talk down to them.”

  “I would never.” She slid closer to him. “I will treat them with the utmost respect.”

  He nodded and pushed the door open, stepping out and reaching back to offer his hand. Sophia put her hand in his and let him help her out. How was she going to pull this off when all she wanted to do was cry?

  A heavyset woman with white hair wearing a pink blouse and a flower-print flowy skirt briskly walked to Gunner and took him in her arms, hugging him and swaying back and forth.

  “Hey, Momma. I’ve missed you.” Gunner hugged her back.

  She leaned back, taking his face in her hands. “I’ve missed this face. I swear you are more handsome every time I see you.” The thick accent was hard for Sophia to follow, but she did. The woman turned her gaze on Sophia. “And is this her?”

  “Yes, ma’am, this is Sophia Parker. Sophia, this is my mom, Fiona Gun.”

  Fiona embraced her in a tight hug. “Oh, sweetheart, are you just a picture of perfection.”

  Sophia hugged her back. “Oh, well, thank you.”

  His mom leaned back. “Thomas, honey, she’s got the same green eyes as Bella. Same everything except
the hair.”

  Sophia caught the bob of Gunner’s Adam’s apple, the quick-fire blinks, and the sharp intake of air.

  Gunner nodded. “Yes, ma’am, but that’s all they have in common.”

  Sophia didn’t know how to take that. Was it good or bad?

  Fiona hooked her arm in Sophia’s. “Well, you come on in and meet the rest of the family. I told them I wanted to see my boy first. They didn’t need to be crowding you the second you got out of the car.”

  “You have a beautiful home.”

  Gunner followed behind them.

  Fiona led her up the steps and into the house, stopping in the foyer where Gunner’s family waited. Sophia noticed that Gunner stayed on the porch. “This is my husband, David.”

  Shaking Sophia’s hand, he said, “Nice to meet you.” His voice was deep like Gunner’s, and there was no mistaking this man was Gunner’s dad. The only thing different was their age.

  His mom continued. “This is Thomas’s baby brother, Nathan; his wife, Betsy; and their girls: Nina, Vivian, Lilly, and Carly.”

  Nathan looked quite a bit like Gunner. His wife was statuesque and prim. Their two sets of twin girls, who looked about three and eight, were cute.

  “Hi, Sophia, it’s nice to meet you,” Nathan said as he shook Sophia’s hand.

  “You have a lovely family.” There was such a warm feeling to everyone. How kind they were. She could tell she was going to like them a lot.

  Nathan smiled, and the resemblance to Thomas was accentuated. They both had dark hair and dark blue eyes, but that smile? It had to be a Gun signature.

  “Thomas, baby, get in here.” Fiona waved for him to come inside from the porch.

  Gunner shuffled in, but Sophia could see the weight sitting on his shoulders. This was the last place on earth he wanted to be, and it was her fault.