Brotherhood Protectors_Montana Freedom

by Natasza Waters

  Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Mary Jernigan. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Brotherhood Protectors remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Mary Jernigan, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Montana Freedom

  Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World

  Natasza Waters

  Sensual Romance

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgment

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  About the author

  Other books by Nat

  Dedication

  In times of chaos, heroes and heroines emerge. Laws are not enough to keep a country safe. It is the actions of those who strive to protect a nation that speak louder than the written word.

  Acknowledgment

  Thank you to Elle James for providing an opportunity for authors like myself who write and honor the men and women in the military, Navy and Coast Guard inclusive. These characters represent the brave individuals who protect against foreign or domestic threats. Their selfless acts; their heroism, but most importantly, their belief in a nation regardless if that nation believes in them.

  Montana Freedom

  Natasza Waters

  Chapter One

  Sam thrust the bedsheets from her legs and vaulted to the window, shoving it open. A glowing moon hung high over the Crazy Mountains, announcing midnight on heaven’s clock. The barn, situated a couple hundred feet away, had turned into a cacophony of neighing horses. Excited squeals and thumping hooves echoed off the hills surrounding the ranch. What the hell was going on out there?

  A bang on her door sounded as Tania called out, “Something’s in the barn.” Her footsteps on the old wooden boards of the farmhouse squeaked as her sister ran down the hallway.

  Sam yanked on her pants and thrust open her bedroom door. Thumping down the stairs behind Tee, she zipped her jeans closed. Reaching the utility room, she rammed her bare feet into her chilly leather boots and followed her sister out the front door into the night. Ahead of her, Tania had already reached the barn.

  “Wait,” she yelled out, but Tee didn’t listen.

  Through the cracks in the old wooden boards of the barn, light erupted when Tee hit the main switch. Sam rushed through the open door and immediately reached for the gun hanging on two brass holders attached to the cedar slats. She cocked the loaded weapon. At the other end of the barn, seventy-five feet away, the back door yawned open. Whatever raised the chaos had come through there.

  “Where the hell is it?” Tania yelled out as she turned, looking for the source of the ruckus.

  Sam’s gaze scanned the breezeway between the box stalls, her pulse thumping at a slightly elevated rate. The horses raised a commotion. With thirty of them, it easily raised the blood pressure. Control during trauma had been one of Sam’s first hurdles to conquer as a nurse and ingrained a long time ago.

  She caught up to Tania, the rifle raised and ready. A distinct snarl of a mountain lion from the other end of the barn drew Sam’s attention. She swung the end of the barrel toward the bales of hay stacked twenty feet high against the back wall. With its haunches tucked low and tail twitching, the cat tensed to pounce into the nearest stall.

  “Shoot it,” Tania yelled at her.

  Sam’s finger brushed the trigger. The cool polished wood of the stalk rested against her cheek as she watched the animal’s concentration focused on the hunt.

  “What are you waiting for, Sam? God dammit, shoot it,” Tania screeched.

  Sam ran down the cement breezeway to get closer, the cat in her sight. The mountain lion lifted its rear-end in the air, focused on its prey. The mare inside the last stall thrust her head in agitation, nervous for her spring foal in there with her. Another growl rumbled from the cat’s chest. Adrenaline pumped through Sam’s veins.

  “She’ll kill the foal,” Tania shouted.

  Sam raised the rifle’s barrel, her finger curled tighter around the trigger and the weapon kicked hard into her shoulder. The cat startled and turned tail. With an elongated leap, she jumped to the ground and scampered through the back door.

  Tania let out a deep breath and raised a brow. “Well, that’s great. Now we get to repair the roof.”

  Sam’s breathing slowed to low, steady pants, even though her nerves still sparked. Instead of facing off with her sister, she walked toward the front entrance and tucked the weapon back in the brackets. Handling a rifle didn’t bother her, but the damaging, unfeeling havoc a bullet could inflict on flesh and bone did. She knew this intimately.

  Tania stomped toward her. “Why didn’t you kill it?”

  Sam secured the safety strap through the trigger guard, then met her sister’s gaze. “Because it didn’t have to die.”

  Tania’s irked expression mellowed. “I hope it doesn’t come back.”

  “Doubt that. It probably wandered in because the back door was left open.” With the adrenaline rush over, the long day claimed what was left of Sam’s energy.

  “You can’t reason with instinct, Sam. Predators come around here and they have to be dealt with.”

  “I just did deal with it, didn’t I?”

  “I know you’re done with seeing death, but it’s a fact of life on a ranch.” She paused. “It’s a fact of life—period.”

  Tania stared at her, looking less like a ranch owner in her skimpy negligee and cowboy boots and more like a breathtaking image of some guy’s wet dream. Her fiancée would probably agree.

  “Tucker ever seen you in that designer wear you’re sporting?”

  “Don’t change the subject. I get that you don’t want to talk about your time in the Middle East. But you don’t want to talk to me at all anymore.”

  “That’s not true,” she argued, but there wasn’t a helluva lot of oomph behind her statement.

  Tania shook her head. “You need to get laid, big sister.”

  Sam’s mouth gaped. “Have you lost it?”

  “Not at all, and Tucker’s partner thinks you’re hot. Why don’t we go out this weekend for dinner in Bozeman? All of us.”

  “No,” she said sharply. “I’ll close the doors. You go back to bed.”

  Tania waited for her outside, and they walked across the gravel courtyard to the house where they’d been raised. A sprawling two story with a huge wrap around deck. Whitewashed posts and beams supported the overhanging roof. During the summer, flower baskets hung from the cross rails and bloomed with generous color. Two rocking chairs sat next to the front door. The worn seats and peeled paint adding to their charm. They’d seen many sunsets and been a part of their family for as long as Sam could remember. Mom had told her that Dad made them the first year they were married. He’d brought her outside covering her eyes, and when he lowered his hand, he said, “We have an entire lifetime together. One day when we’re old, we’ll sit in those chairs, holding hands and reminiscing about all the good times.”

  At one time, Sam had wished someone would want to sit on a porch with her, but for now she’d have to settle for running the Bluebell Ranch.

  Tania climbed the four steps to the landing. After p
ulling the screen door open, she turned. “I can make tea.”

  And with tea would come Tania’s slow and tactful attempt at hooking her up with Tucker’s partner. “No thanks. I’m heading to bed.” She kissed her sister on the forehead and bounded up the stairs.

  Just before she closed her bedroom door, Tee’s voice floated up to the second story. “If not sex, how about yoga. I hear it’s great for relaxing.”

  Sam shoved the door closed with a loud bang.

  ****

  Hank Patterson sat at his desk, sipping on a cup of coffee his wife Sadie had deposited next to him. Hoping she’d sit with him for a minute got trumped by a higher priority mission. Their little girl started crying, and Sadie was gone in a flash. He stared at the folder in front of him, about to review it one more time, but a knock on the door stopped him from researching the contents.

  Guess he didn’t need to read the guy’s history when he was about to meet his newest security specialist in person. “Come in.”

  The door cracked open and Cory McGregory filled the space. All six-foot-five of him. He’d been a linebacker as a high school senior and in college. After one year, he’d given up a chance at stardom and accepted Uncle Sam’s invitation to protect his country. Ten years of service, then Cory hung up his weapons and responsibility to the United States.

  This warrior was different from the other specialists Hank hired for The Brotherhood Protector Agency. Cory hadn’t sustained an injury, ending his service. He’d left for other reasons. Least, that’s what this 1st SFOD-D, commonly referred to as Delta Force, had written in the questionnaire Hank emailed to him last week. Before Hank brought him into the team, he needed to know what that other reason might be. Cory had received high recommendations from Bear, A.K.A. Tate Parker, a former Delta Force operator who’d worked with Cory on several operations in the Middle East and stateside.

  Hank rose and shook Cory’s hand.

  “Thanks for seeing me,” Cory greeted.

  “Grab a chair.”

  Cory scanned his surroundings quickly and sat down. The man filled a room with his presence. More so than Hank had ever experienced before. He’d fought beside the best as a Navy SEAL, but this guy had an in-control energy pulsating from him.

  Hank always listened to his instincts. Right now, they weren’t totally at ease. “Just arrive this morning?”

  “Last night. Stayed at a B&B in town.”

  “That’s gonna get expensive. Planning on finding something else?”

  Cory’s sharp blue stare sized him up. “Depends on what you have to say.”

  Okay, so this guy wasn’t into small talk. “Bear says you’re solid. I need to be certain of that myself. The Brotherhood Protector Agency is growing by word of mouth and reputation. Our clients reside here for temporary periods of time. High profile people. Politicians. Folks from Hollywood. Local residents as well. No job is too small for us, and we haven’t found one we couldn’t handle, yet.”

  Cory listened, his expression benign and his posture akin to an unmoveable mammoth chunk of marble. This veteran had an invisible wall ten feet thick surrounding him.

  “We have room for another specialist, but I want to know why you left D-Force before we go any further.”

  Hank’s wife Sadie entered the office with their daughter in her arms, not realizing Cory had arrived. “Oh, hey, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

  Cory stood and nodded. “Ma’am.”

  “Sadie—actually, and this is our daughter Emma.”

  Most people would offer a smile when their baby girl turned her big inquisitive eyes on them, but Cory didn’t.

  “I know who you are,” he said. “If you have family matters, I can wait outside.”

  Hank shared a glance with his wife.

  “No,” Sadie shook her head. “I came barging in here. Please, excuse me. Hank, I just heard from L.A., they’re going to use Bluebell Ranch for the horses on the film. I’m going to head over to Sam and Tania’s to give them a heads-up.”

  “I’ll go with you. Just need a few minutes more with Cory.”

  “Sure.” Sadie backed out of the room.

  “Do you have a family, Cory?” Hank asked after the door closed.

  “No, sir.”

  “Any long term goals?”

  Cory’s gaze remained alert but not aggressive. “No, sir.”

  Hank’s unease hadn’t lessened. “Listen, we’re not working for Uncle Sam anymore. Hank, will do. When did you get your release papers?”

  “Three weeks ago.”

  After a long swallow of coffee and a small internal debate that Cory might need more time to acclimatize to civilian life, he placed his Brotherhood Protectors mug with the company logo on the desk. Sadie was all about branding and marketing. He loved her for the thought, but more so the woman he’d wisely convinced to marry him. “I’m going to add you to the team, but I think you need time in cowboy boots, not combat boots.”

  Cory didn’t agree or disagree. He waited.

  “Before I put you on a case, I want to know why you left the service.”

  Cory shrugged his massive shoulder. “It was time. No other reason.”

  “You’re a man of few words, huh?”

  Cory leaned forward and wove his fingers together. “I have nothing to hide. My priorities are in order. Just want a shot at getting on with life.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team, but for now you can come with Sadie and me to the Bluebell ranch. Tania Dougherty is one of my wife’s best friends, her sister Sam is too.”

  Hank blinked. “Thought Sam was Tania’s husband?”

  “Nope, her older sister.” He paused, then added, “Single—older sister.”

  Small creases formed around Cory’s lips. Couldn’t really call it a smile, but the guy wasn’t totally lost.

  ****

  Sam hitched her boot on the bottom fence board and threw her leg over the top plank. Tipping her head back, she stared up at the deep blue Montana sky. It filled her soul with never ending possibilities. She couldn’t understand how folks lived in the big cities of the great US of A. Too many people. Too much action. Too much smog she thought, inhaling the crisp spring air. Nahtawnie strode up and nuzzled her pocket, looking for the carrot hidden inside.

  She laughed, scrubbing the horse’s forehead under the tuft of hair. Appaloosas could be as stubborn as the day was long, but they carried endurance and personality like no other equine. The other four horses roaming in the corral slowly wandered over, thinking they might be missing out while Nahtawnie happily munched on his carrot.

  Last night’s scare with the mountain lion didn’t faze them.

  Sam gazed across the hills and fields surrounding the ranch. A meandering lodgepole pine fence edged the gravel drive and kept on going for as far as the eye could see. The pond, a couple hundred feet down the slope from the ranch house, had thawed now that the sun warmed the dark blue water. New shoots sprouted their light green leaves from the ground, free of the winter snow. Away for ten years, Sam forgot how God had sculpted the beautiful landscape of Eagle Rock.

  “Hey!” Sam swiveled on her butt as Tania climbed the fence and took roost beside her. “Well, Sis, ya think we’ll hear from Bob Tollie today?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. Don’t really care either way.”

  “What?” Tania barked in surprise. “This is a big break. If that production company uses the horses for their film, you won’t have to worry about where to find funds to fix the equipment this winter.”

  Sam nodded as her eyes surveyed the Crazy Mountains skirting the edge of their ranch, the tips still coated in snow. A thousand acres of lush grazing and growing land belonged to the Bluebell.

  “Guess I should be happy, but I learned in the Army not to get lost in pipe dreams.

  Tania sniffed, her nose red from the chill in the air. “Sadie and her husband Hank Patterson set this up, and you know she has a lot of pull with those movie people. It’s not goi
ng to fail. Might keep us busier than we can handle for six months. But it’s a good kind of busy.”

  “We don’t need handouts,” Sam said, brushing away a curl of dark hair from her cheek. Since returning from the Middle East, she’d let it grow. She didn’t need her conservative hairstyle anymore and loved wearing her hair long and loose. Unlike Tania, who wore her thick blonde locks in a single braid that ran down to the middle of her back. “The tourists have started booking rides already.” She smiled. “Farmer’s Almanac says it’s going to be a hot summer.”

  The ranch’s four rental units were already booked for July and August. People loved staying in the rustic, chic accommodations. A few steps away from the clutch of cabins, her father had built an enormous fire pit with stone benches placed in exactly the right spot for a wiener stick to reach the flames. The views over the flat lands and grazing pastures for the horses always impressed their guests.

  Tania rubbed her horse between the ears. Star nudged her hand, hoping she might have something edible. “And my wedding. Don’t forget that.”

  Sam chuckled. “How can I with all those bride magazines scattered around the house.”

  The crunch of tires on gravel had them both turning a look over their shoulder.

  “Speak of a sexy devil and his wife,” Tee said. A white Bronco came to stop a few yards away with the Brotherhood Protectors security emblem scripted on the door.

  Sam rolled her eyes. She waved as Sadie and Hank stepped from the vehicle. The back doors opened and three more men emerged. Jumping from the top rung of the fence, Sam’s boots squished into the moist soil of the spring thaw.

  “Morning,” Sadie greeted brightly.

  Tania jogged over and gripped Sadie in a hug. Her sister and Sadie had been in the same grade at school. Sadie had left Montana to become a Hollywood star. She’d accomplished her goals, but returned to find not only peace and quiet, but love with her high school sweetheart, Hank.