Range of Motion (Ranger Ops Book 4)

by Em Petrova

  “Hi there,” he said. “I’m glad you answered your phone.”

  “Hi. I got your messages. They were cute.”

  He closed his eyes, envisioning her, and then opened them and looked at the article and photo still up on his tablet. “So… you need a job?”

  “I’m looking for something, yes.” He heard the strain in her tone loud and clear. He was trained to hear things others didn’t.

  “Maybe we can talk in person then.” He had to see her, just to make sure she was all right. Things were too odd and coincidental for his liking. Her photo made the headlines, she looked too much like the senator’s relation and now she was in need of a lowly job he had on offer?

  He bit back what he really wanted to say.

  “Can you meet me, Edie?” he asked instead.

  A heartbeat of silence passed.

  “Edie?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Something’s wrong. Where are you?”

  “My apartment.”

  “Give me the address. I’m coming for you.” His commanding tone wasn’t something most people scoffed off. Edie hesitated, though. Damn, the woman was a hard ass.

  “Edie.”

  I saw the photo and I’m making a guess at who you are and why you suddenly need a job.

  “I really could use a reliable person for my dog.”

  “Ranger,” she said.

  “That’s right. I’m coming by now. I just need the address.”

  She gave it to him, and he locked the doors and set the alarm before heading out to his truck, taking long strides. She was located only about thirty minutes from him, but he hoped the interstate wasn’t blocked with traffic like it normally was. On a Sunday morning, it might be smoother cruising.

  He had to get to her fast. He didn’t like this one bit.

  I can protect her.

  How to explain all he’d avoided telling her about his line of work the other times they’d gotten together?

  Edie wasn’t the only one with secrets. But he had a feeling it would take some hefty explosives to shake them out of her.

  Especially since it seemed she had a lot of reasons to bury them.

  * * * * *

  She’d believed herself safe—too far removed from the Arthur family to be afraid.

  But she’d made a bad decision in going onstage at the speech.

  Journalists died all the time getting stories, even when they weren’t connected to politicians with hate groups threatening him.

  She regretted giving Lennon her address, or even picking up the phone. She didn’t want him involved. But that note slid deep in the pocket of her jeans seemed to scorch her skin.

  Stay out of sight. Don’t go out.

  How was she supposed to function under these conditions? If she didn’t go out, she couldn’t run from her current life.

  At least she had the bit of cash the senator had given her. A little over five hundred dollars would see her through for a while until she figured out if she could even draw on her bank account without somebody noting her activity and locating her.

  As someone who knew what human beings were capable of, she finally felt what the Arthur family must have been feeling all this time—terrified and helpless.

  You’re the last person I can’t protect. Her father’s hopeless words rang through her mind, louder now that she understood what he meant.

  How had all this happened in such a short time? Days ago, she was only worried about getting the best story, landing that full-time position at Notable News. Now, she was considering giving it all up and going off with a cowboy she’d only made out with one time with the prospect of becoming his dog sitter?

  She dragged her fingers through her hair, wishing it wasn’t such an unusual and prominent color. She should have dyed it before going up on that stage.

  She threw a few items into a bag—jeans, tees, sensible shoes in case she did become a dog’s caregiver instead of the hard-nosed journalist she had worked hard to become.

  When she reached into her underwear drawer, she touched on the sexy pair she’d been wearing under the red dress at Jake’s wedding. Lennon had never gotten a chance to see them. She hooked the lacy thong with a finger and dropped the panties into her bag along with her comfier cotton ones.

  Then she rushed to the bathroom, grabbing any trial sizes of products she had on hand and tossing in her toothbrush too.

  Back in the living room, she spotted the papers Hallie had brought. Those went into the bag as well, along with her phone charger.

  She stopped and looked around her apartment. If she was bugging out of her life for a while, she needed to make some calls to those who would notice.

  Her boss. Hallie. And her mother.

  Her mother was overseas right now. She might not have seen the article yet, being in a different time zone.

  She shot off a text to her, giving her the bare minimum of information. I’m okay. Laying low for a while. I’ll be in touch. Please don’t worry. I love you.

  Then her boss. Had a family emergency. Will be out of town for a while. Hope to see you soon.

  Lastly, Hallie.

  The door buzzer sounded, alerting her that Lennon was here. Her heart raced as she looked at the security camera. Even from the overhead angle and in black and white, Lennon was big and sexy.

  She ran her hand over her face. Was she really drawing him into this?

  He was a good means for her to stay hidden, though. She wouldn’t leave a paper trail with a paycheck for dog sitting. Her own place would still be here when she returned, the rent and all her bills paid from direct withdrawal, and she had a small savings built up.

  She didn’t see any choice. The universe was giving her a safe haven in Lennon.

  She pressed the button to unlock the door for him.

  * * * * *

  God, he just wanted to scoop her up and never let go.

  Lennon’s initial reaction to seeing Edie again wasn’t among the normal ones for him. Besides wanting to press a thumb over the skin of her brows to smooth it, he felt pretty damn betrayed that she hadn’t confided in him. Which left him pissed off as well. All that heaped onto his protective urge to hide her away.

  He stepped inside and immediately swept a glance around the place. It was his usual way to scope out danger, but all he saw was a homey place with lamps, mirrors, knickknacks and comfortable pillows.

  He reached out to take her hand. She let him have it, and he closed his fingers around hers, feeling an electric bolt run up his arm.

  “It’s good to see you,” he said.

  She tried to smile but failed. “You too. Thanks for coming.” She shot a look at the security screen near the door as if checking for someone to have followed him.

  His inner protector kicked into high gear. He could be overreacting, but why take chances? He could get her out of here fast.

  “Look, my dog sitter left me high and dry. I’m in a field of work where I travel often, and at a moment’s notice. I don’t have family nearby to watch Ranger, so I’m looking to hire someone. I can give you the spare room in my house. No strings.”

  She blinked up at him, eyes bluer than he remembered. Maybe it was the blue shadows beneath her eyes exaggerating the color.

  “It seems an imposition to you, Lennon,” she said.

  “No imposition. It’s convenience. Like a live-in nanny. For my dog.” He hoped his light tone would earn him a smile, but her reaction was another crinkle of her brow.

  “What if Ranger doesn’t like me?”

  “He likes everybody. Besides, he’s already smelled you… on me.”

  Her gaze leaped to his. A flush coated her cheeks, and his insides stirred with desire.

  She slanted a look at her bag, already packed not far away from where they stood. “It’s a good offer, and one that’s welcome right now. You see, I’m being… evicted.” She gave a sad look around her apartment.

  She was lying, and he knew it. He nodded anyway.r />
  “Then you can stay with me till you get on your feet. I’ll give you room and board and all the long walks you can handle with Ranger. And pay too, of course.”

  “Room and board’s enough for now, Lennon. I’m having a streak of bad luck, but I hope it ends soon.”

  He studied her tense shoulders and the worried light in her eyes. “I live half an hour away. If you forgot to take anything—”

  “I didn’t,” she said at once. “I mean… a friend is going to take over the lease and won’t mind me leaving some things here until I can get on my feet.” She moved to pick up her bag, but Lennon was there to remove it from her hand.

  “Ready?” What he really meant was she ready for him to protect her?

  She nodded and led the way out of the apartment.

  He took over the lead, scanning the area for dangers as he took her out to his truck and put her inside.

  This all felt way too much like one of the Ranger Ops missions to be normal protocol. His radar hadn’t been blaring for nothing. Edie was acting strange because she was in danger. And by his guess, it was due to that photo of her splashed all over the country.

  He wanted to tell her he’d keep her safe, that nothing would get past him.

  But he had a feeling he’d be protecting himself even more. The woman was already tugging hard on his heart.

  * * * * *

  Edie had to start keeping track of the tall tales she was telling Lennon. Good thing she had a strong memory, because she could easily trip herself up.

  She also felt horrible about it. She was no liar—the truth was her life, and she was dedicated to reporting it, even when it would hurt. Lennon was being so nice to her, and if she was honest, he was flat out coming to her rescue.

  She liked him, and lying to him was no way to repay him.

  When he unlocked his house by punching a security code into an alarm system, she breathed a sigh of relief. The security was welcome, especially after receiving that note under her apartment door. She’d believed her building to be one of the safest in the city, yet someone had managed to get inside and deliver that message.

  Glancing up and down the street, she took note of normal houses with normal cars parked out front and pots of flowers on porches. More than one American flag flew, and one was beside Lennon’s front door.

  With a hand on the doorknob, he turned to look at her. “Prepare yourself.”

  She eyed him, heart starting that off-beat, which had started back when she’d read the note. “Okay…”

  He grinned and then opened the door.

  A dog blasted out, leaped at Lennon twice before dashing into the front yard and doing a circle. Then he ran back full tilt, knocking into her legs to reach his master.

  Lennon said a word, and the black lab dropped to a sit, but his butt continued to wiggle with excitement.

  “This is Ranger. Ranger, meet Edie.” He rubbed the dog’s blocky head.

  “Hi, Ranger.” She held out a hand for the dog to sniff. He barely took a whiff before he was leaning into her hand, demanding pets.

  As stressed as she was, the action had a smile spreading across her face. She could see why there were therapy dogs now. Maybe she needed one of her own to combat fear and for bodily protection. This big, strong dog seemed capable of taking down anybody who tried to mess with her.

  She rubbed Ranger’s ear, and his legs went out from under him.

  Lennon laughed. “You found a good spot.”

  “I see that.”

  He looked past her, his gaze sweeping the street in a way that had her wondering what kind of training he had. She’d interviewed her share of law enforcement officers, and they were often behaving the same way Lennon was. He’d told her he worked for a government agency, and now she was questioning what that was.

  “Come inside,” he said.

  She followed him indoors. The cooler air felt good on her hot face. He set down her bag he’d insisted on carrying from the car and turned to her. Before he spoke, a scratching noise came from the back of the house.

  “Ranger wants out back to do his business. Just a minute.”

  She watched him walk away, long legs clad in denim making her think of sneaking off to that creek with him… of how he’d touched her and how she’d wanted to touch him back.

  Now she was going to stay in his house. It was too late to decide whether or not it was a good idea. She didn’t have anywhere else to go.

  She took the precious seconds alone to look at her surroundings. Lennon was surprisingly neat for a bachelor. The small space they’d passed through into the living area had everything in its place—shoes lined up neatly and coats hung on hooks. The living area had wooden floors in a warm chestnut tone. The only furniture was a leather sofa facing a big-screen TV. In one corner of the sofa was a crumpled pillow that looked as though he’d fallen asleep there at some point.

  Beyond that, the area unfolded to what might be a dining room, but he had a desk set up with two computer monitors. She looked closer. Either he was a gamer or his work involved looking at more than one thing at a time.

  He walked back in, a smile on his face belying the crinkle of his brow. Rubbing a hand over his dark brown hair, he said, “It’s not much, but I hope you’ll find it comfortable here.”

  “It’s nice. Neat.”

  “You sound surprised.” He chuckled.

  “Most bachelor pads I’ve walked into I was met by a stench of trash and dirty dishes.”

  “I admit I’m not home enough to accumulate either. But I have to keep the trash out or else Ranger finds something good in the can.”

  She smiled.

  “Come see the rest of the place.” He held out a hand, and she walked forward to take it. The minute his warm, rough fingers enfolded hers, a sense of calm washed over her. He liked her—his voicemails and her times with him said as much. Maybe she was taking advantage of his feelings for her, but she didn’t know what else to do right now. As soon as she discovered which way was up in her life, she’d make things right with Lennon. Until then, she was going to enjoy the safe feelings he shrouded her with.

  The kitchen was surprisingly open and spacious for the size. He didn’t have junk cluttering the countertops, and the only dirt was a few toast crumbs scattered in front of the toaster.

  There were two big windows letting in tons of light, and a door opened onto a back yard. The wood had scratch marks from Ranger wanting out.

  Lennon opened the door, and they stepped onto a small paved patio area. A single chair sat there along with a big manly grill, and dog toys were scattered through the grass.

  “I bet you sit out here and just throw toys for him to fetch,” she said.

  “Yes. That will be your job too now.” He smiled down at her, and her insides clenched. He still had hold of her hand, and he used it to draw her a step closer. “Edie, I want you to think of this as your place too. You have access to everything. Nothing’s off-limits… except the grass. I like mowing the lawn.”

  A wide smile tipped up her lips. “A true country boy.”

  “I have to live here to be close to work, but I like to live the country life when I can. My momma has two acres of land—not much when you consider the size of some of those farms and ranches around her. But it was my job to cut the grass, and I guess it’s stuck with me.”

  “Don’t worry—I won’t take over that duty.” She wrinkled her nose.

  The dog trotted back inside and went straight to his water bowl. He lapped long and loud for a minute before lifting his head with a wet smile. Lennon chuckled. “C’mon, boy. Let’s show Edie her room.”

  She was pleased to hear she wouldn’t have a permanent spot on the couch and followed him down a short hall off the kitchen.

  “This is my room.” He shoved open a door, revealing a king-sized bed with dark green blankets, a wooden nightstand and a lamp. All simple, masculine and more intriguing to Edie than it should be.

  “This is the bathroom.
I’m sorry—we have to share.”

  “It’s a good size,” she said. There was a separate tub and a glass-walled shower.

  Too easily she could picture Lennon’s big body behind that glass… naked, muscled and slick with water. She twisted away.

  He took another few steps to a closed door. When he pushed it open, she stepped inside. The room was small, but what did she really need? A double bed stood against the wall, the mattress bare. The two windows letting in streamers of golden sunlight also were undressed.

  She turned to him. “Your last dog sitter didn’t live here?”

  “No, she lives down the street. I’ve never used this room, never had a guest over.”

  She studied his face, but his expression didn’t give away whether or not he’d had women guests who stayed with him in that king-sized bed. A hard kernel of tension hit Edie’s stomach.

  Lennon released her hand and walked over to a closet. He opened it and reached onto a high shelf. When he turned with a bag of brand-new bedding, he gave her a sheepish grin. “My mother gave me this bedding as a housewarming gift, but…” He set it on the mattress and waved at the pale green set. “It’s not exactly my thing. Besides, I have a king-sized.”

  She nodded. “It’s a little feminine for you.”

  “Yeah, Momma means well.”

  “Most mommas do.” They shared a glance that turned into something intense enough that Edie felt suddenly overheated. She pulled her stare from his. “This will be great. I’ll make the bed.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” He walked to the closet once more and turned with two packs of white curtains in hand. “If you don’t mind hanging these too.”

  “Of course not. Lennon, you’ve been so generous. Thank you.”

  “I’m the one who should be thanking you. You’ve saved my hide by agreeing to watch Ranger.”

  Speaking of Ranger, the dog had found them. He wandered into the room and jumped onto the bed. Edie let out a laugh as he curled up like he owned the room.

  “Ranger, you blockhead. Get down.” Lennon tugged the dog’s collar, but Ranger just laid there unmoving.