by Violet Paige
“No.” He didn’t turn around.
“Maybe I should leave. I can call a car or something.”
He looked through the small slits in the blinds. “Not yet. We need to stay inside.”
“Brett, what’s going on? Is everything ok? Should we call the police?”
I didn’t know how long we had been back at the cabin. What I did know was he hadn’t touched me since the noises in the woods interrupted their make out session.
I was stuck. He had driven me here. I sighed and leaned into the cushions. Whatever Brett thought was in the woods was more interesting than what I thought we were about to do.
I had felt it. The heat in his hands. The air was thick between us. My core was aching for it. I had felt how hard his cock had been. We walked out to that clearing wanting the same thing—sex. Why else would he have taken me out to count falling stars? Was I so out of practice dating that I didn’t know if a man wanted to sleep with me or not?
“We don’t need the police.” He finally turned to face me. “I just need to keep an eye on things. That’s all.”
I stifled a yawn. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve got this, Gretchen. Don’t worry.” He rotated back to the window.
I stared at his silhouette. His wide shoulders shadowed in the dark. The moonlight, highlighting his sharp cheekbones. But eventually, my eyes grew tired and I couldn’t sit up anymore. I nuzzled into the sofa and fell asleep.
I opened my eyes. I sat upright. I wasn’t on the couch in the cabin. The quilt was gone. Brett wasn’t pacing in front of the window. I looked at the pillow next to me and reached for the note.
Sorry about last night. I’ll call you.
Brett
I crumpled it and climbed out of bed. I didn’t know how he had delivered me home without me waking up. I didn’t remember a single second of him putting me in the car or carrying me to my room. But here I was, wearing the same exact clothes I had chosen for our date. I was in my own bed. In my own room. My own house. How in the hell did he pull that off?
My bag was in the chair by the door. I remembered what he had said about being a part of Delta Force. It gave me chills to think he could have planted me at home without me having any idea. Brett must have been good at what he did. Too good.
I rubbed my arms. This man was full of secrets. Full of dark truths that consumed him in a way I didn’t understand. I walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. God, I was already falling for him. But what was I getting myself into with a man like Brett?
Nine
Brett
It wasn’t easy leaving Gretchen, but I had to figure what in the hell was going on. I drove through the streets of Havenville until I was on the other side of town. I pulled into the driveway of my cousin’s house. Cane was sitting on the front porch.
I slammed the truck door behind me as I strolled toward him.
“Hey, cuz.”
I glared at him. “What was that stunt last night?”
“Stunt? Don’t know what you’re talking about.” He drank from a cup of coffee.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I told you I didn’t want to get involved in family business. Then I hear you and God knows who else shouting in the woods near my house.”
“Oh, you heard that?” He pretended to be surprised.
“Don’t be a dick. You know I heard it. Why were you in the woods?”
“Just having some fun.”
I shook my head. “Fun? You’re lucky you weren’t shot.”
It was the first time I had seen Cane look serious. “Sorry. Some of the guys and I thought it would be fun to get you a little riled up. A little welcome home hazing.”
“Damn it, Cane. Don’t pull that shit again. Not on my land. Do you understand? It could have gotten bloody last night. It could have been a fucking nightmare.”
The only thing that had kept me from patrolling the property was that I had Gretchen with me. I didn’t want to leave her alone and defenseless in the cabin. Cane was an idiot.
“I’m sorry. All right? It won’t happen again.” He lowered his head. “Do you want to stay for some coffee?”
“Yeah. I’ll take a cup.”
He marched in the house and returned with a cup of black coffee. Just the way I liked it. I sat on the stairs.
“Thanks.” It was hot. Exactly what I needed on a chilly morning. “Sorry I bit your head off.”
“I probably deserved it. I might have been a little drunk last night. I wasn’t thinking. I fucked up, man.”
I remembered what Gretchen had said about opening up. About talking to people now that I was home about my experiences at war. But Cane wasn’t that kind of person. Sure, he was someone I had childhood memories with. We shared family. We shared blood. But I didn’t share feelings with him. I’d rather talk to her. I should be waking up with her in my bed right now, instead of having coffee with him. Damn it.
“Since you’re here, maybe we could talk about the details of the lawsuit. I know you’re pissed, and I know you don’t want to get involved, but it might help, Brett. The family could use you. Everyone is scared.”
I huffed. “Tell me.” I sat and drank my coffee.
“Really? I wasn’t expecting that. All right. All right. Since you’ve been gone, I told you the Osborns have launched the suit to contest the land in your dad’s name.”
“I don’t know why they are bringing all this shit up now. This stuff was settled a long time ago.”
Cane shook his head. “You can blame Riley Osborn. He’s the one stirring it up. Since your Dad died and you left, he claims the rest of the family doesn’t have a right to live here and they want us off the land because the land was in your dad’s name.” He clears his throat. “They don't know about the contract, Brett.”
I jumped from my seat, my chest puffed forward. The coffee sloshed to my feet. “They can’t do that. I’m not dead. I’ve just been overseas. Serving my country.” I gritted my teeth.
Cane sighed. “They don’t seem to care. Riley has decided this is the time to take it to court. Your dad is gone. You’re not around. There is no one to prove that you are the rightful heir without the contract. It’s going to be contested unless you step in.”
“What? That’s fucking insane. I’m back. They can’t touch us as long as I’m here.”
Cane’s eyes lit. “So are you saying you’ll stay? You could end this entire thing. You’ll tell the Osborns you’re back? You’ll tell them about the contract? Will you present it in court?”
I grimaced then hung my head. “I didn’t say that.” He made it sound simple. It wasn’t.
“What is going on with you? This is your duty. This is your family. All you have to do is get married and the contract can be honored. The Osborns can back the fuck off. What the hell, Brett?”
Before I knew what I was doing I grabbed Cane by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall. My eyes blazed.
“Don’t question me.”
Cane gasped for air. “You’re willing to fight over there, but you won’t fight here?”
“I said to shut your damn mouth.”
“I’ve done all I could while you were gone, but I’m not you,” he hissed. “You’re here. And you need to put an end to this.”
“I’m not finished over there. I have to go back.” He didn’t understand my mission wasn’t complete. I couldn’t just shift priorities like he wanted. It didn’t work that way. I wasn’t wired to change course.
Cane pushed at my chest until, finally, I let go. Just like when we were kids. I’d always been bigger and stronger. He’d always been the one to joke his way out of situation. He never took anything seriously, and I was the opposite. Sure, he was like the brother I never had. But he was also a pain in my ass.
“I don’t know how you can talk about duty and honor and serving your country while there is a war going on in your own backyard. If you don’t do something, we’ll all be homeless and we’ll lose this lan
d that has been in the family for hundreds of years.”
Cane rubbed his shoulders where I had held him.
“You don’t know what it means to do what I do,” I snarled. “You have no idea what I go through. What I fight for every day.”
“No, I don’t.” Cane glared at me. “But I do know what it means to be a part of this family. If you don’t do something there might not be anything to come home to. There will be no reason to fight. We’ll all be scattered. You do realize we’re talking about kids losing their backyards. Kids not playing in the woods anymore. This family…your family is counting on you to do the right thing.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Cane. You’re asking too much.”
“Don’t be sorry. Be the leader of this family. That’s all I ask. It’s not too much.”
I shook my head. “The thing is, Cane. You are asking too much. I get that you don’t see it. You don’t know it. But it’s too much.”
He sighed. “Delta Force will carry on with or without you. I promise you that. There is always going to be another badass to replace the last one. But this family won’t make it if everyone loses their homes. It needs you.”
I stared at my cousin. I couldn’t sort through everything fast enough. The words fell from my lips. “What if I did have someone who could help me with the contract? What if there was a girl?”
I scratched the back of my head.
Cane laughed. “It’s the hot doctor, isn’t it?”
“Hypothetical someone,” I lied. “If I did have a girl, would that solve this problem?”
“I knew it.” He grinned. “Hell. It had to be her. You’ve only been in town for two seconds. Did you tell her? Did she agree?”
“Wait, what?” I stared at him in disbelief. This conversation shouldn’t be happening right now. Nothing about this felt right. From the family drama to including Gretchen in any part of the legal problems.
“No, I didn’t tell her. What am I supposed to say? Nice to meet you. I’m in Special Forces and there’s a contract my dead father made me sign that says to keep our land I have to be married and have a baby to pass on the family name, so I need you to spend the rest of your life with me.” I glared at my cousin.
“Ok, not an easy conversation. I get it. But you should say something.”
“You’re telling me the neighboring families have found out the land is not technically in our name and want action, which means I have to pull her into it. I just met her. This is the last conversation I should have with a woman I’ve had one date with.”
“I think the timing is fucking perfect.” Cane grinned. “You met her when we need you to get married most.”
“No. It’s not perfect timing.” I shook my head. “My mission isn’t finished. I have a commitment to my Delta team. I’m going back to Razastan. I’m not about to get married in the middle of a mission.”
“I don’t think you have a choice, Brett. It’s the only way to stop the Osborns. Get the land back in our name. Show the families the next generation is on the way. You need to tell her fast. Things are out of control. You can fix this.”
I ran my hands over my head. My hair was starting to grow over the close haircut I had not that long ago. My beard was thick.
“I can’t. I’m not doing that to her. The family can handle this without me.”
“You’ve been gone too long, cuz. I don’t know if you’re more soldier than Brett Jackson right now. The man I knew wouldn’t put anything in front of his family. Who are you?”
I had wondered the same thing. I felt the pull in different directions cutting through my soul. Had I come back the same man? It didn’t feel like it. I was torn between protecting the people I shared blood with versus the men I shed blood for.
“I risk my life every day keeping the country safe. The least everyone back here could do is not stab their neighbors in the back. Fuck. I’m not asking much. Can’t they keep the peace a little while longer? They don’t even know what they are fighting for. If they had seen half of what I’ve seen, they would realize how fucked up this is. It’s not worth ruining everyone’s lives over a few hundred acres of dirt.”
“Maybe that’s true.” Cane sighed. “I don’t know what you’ve been through. It’s shitty no one else is thinking about that right now. They only have one thing on their minds—that’s taking something that doesn’t belong to them.”
“It shouldn’t be like this, Cane.”
“But it is.” He stared at me.
I placed the coffee mug on the porch.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he called to me as I jogged down the porch steps.
I marched to my truck without saying goodbye. I didn’t want to hear anything else about the neighbor wars or what my duty was. I didn’t want to hear about how I was abandoning my family or how I had forgotten who had raised me.
I had to drive. Drive and think.
Ten
Gretchen
I flipped through my third magazine of the day before throwing it in the recycling bin.
“This is stupid.” I huffed.
I read all my emails. Sorted through junk mail. I thought putting my phone face down would help, but it didn’t. I waited for a call or a text, no matter what I did. I had to find a better way to distract myself.
I hadn’t been able to do one useful thing on my day off. I couldn’t do anything but think about Brett and his hands on my body. The way his mouth felt teasing my skin. I’d never felt anything so possessive and hot in my life.
I looked at my phone, annoyed that I kept checking it. He hadn’t called yet, but why should I count on that? Why was I so convinced he was going to call me? He didn’t owe me anything. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t had dates go bad before. Maybe I had misread the attraction cues. Maybe he was only using me to get back in the dating game. I was like a bad test run, and he realized it wasn’t what he wanted.
He wouldn’t be the first guy to use me.
I didn’t want to remember what had brought me to Havenville. It was a small town, with one area hospital that served a fifty-mile radius. Most medical students didn’t exactly classify it as the ideal place to finish residency. The hospital was lucky to get quality students here. But I eagerly applied for the position. It was the only thing I wanted. I couldn’t remember anywhere else I applied. I had to have this residency. In this town. I did it because I thought I was following Mr. Right.
It was hard not to feel betrayed every time I clocked in for my shift. It was something we were supposed to do together. He had promised me we would work and study medicine together in this tiny town. I felt lured and trapped.
I had no one to blame but myself. I fell for it. I bought the promises. I believed him.
Before we were supposed to move, Mr. Right ended up taking another residency in Seattle, leaving me alone in Havenville. I clenched my jaw, remembering how it felt rolling into town alone. How it felt when I told the landlord I was taking the house by myself. How it felt when I only had half the things I needed to set up the house. Mr. Right had been nothing but heartbreak and disappointment.
I wasn’t enough for him—he made that clear. He wanted the perfect wife to give him the perfect family. A family. That’s all he wanted.
My chest tightened. The memory of why he left made me angry and resentful.
Who was he to make that decision? Who was he to discard me as if I were defective or broken.
After I received the diagnosis he took off as if I were toxic. He hadn’t even been willing to try options or give me a chance. I expelled a giant breath. No one had ever made me feel so useless and worthless.
“Bastard,” I muttered.
I needed to get out of the house. I threw on a sports bra and tank top with a pair of cropped yoga pants. I laced up my running shoes and left my phone inside the house as I stepped onto the stoop of a front porch. The only way to stop checking my phone was to physically distance myself from it. I had quickly turned into a phone addict
this morning. It was pathetic.
I rounded out of the driveway, passing my mailbox as I jogged on my regular route.
It had taken years, but I had finally accepted that things were better this way. Better alone. Better making it on my own. Without Mr. Right, I could focus on the medicine. Focus on my patients. Focus on all the things in my life that mattered. I knew I had things to offer in a relationship. More than just bearing children. I was smart and determined. I was caring. I was an excellent doctor. So what if I had a diagnosis that didn’t make me mother qualified. If there was one thing I knew, it was that family could be defined in many ways.
I hopped over a puddle and headed up the sidewalk. It felt good run. It felt good to get away from my phone. It felt to feel the blood rush through my body and the air fill my lungs. I just had to keep running. Keep running, until everything else fell away.
Eleven
Brett
I drove until my truck was almost out of gas. Hours later, the answer wasn’t any different than when I first got behind the wheel. If I didn’t get married, the land and my family’s legacy would be gone before I got back from my next mission. If I did go along with the crazy contract my dad made me sign, I would leave my wife alone to face the feud Cane hadn’t been able to dispel.
On top of that, I needed to get her pregnant. Fuck. I wasn’t ready for any of this.
Neither was a good choice. But I was hungry for Gretchen. Now that I knew her, she was all I could think about. I didn’t know if that meant we should get married. I never expected marriage to come at a cost like this.
There was a time when I ran from my responsibilities. I didn’t want to face the weight of everyone’s expectations. They didn’t see it as a burden. It suffocated me. Corned me. I did the only thing I thought I could do at the time.
I joined the Army after my father passed away and quickly applied for Special Forces school. I knew with my strength and skill I would be able to graduate all the schools. I could file through the ranks faster than most men.
