The Ranger's Heart: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Three

by Bree Livingston

  Bret would have loved being lost in a place with willow trees and grass so lush it looked fake. Add to it the picture-perfect powder-blue sky, and it was like being in a different world. That was Texas, though. You could go from a packed city to desert-dry to what looked like something out of a rainforest without ever leaving the state.

  Only, she didn’t have the luxury of being lost or slowing down. Her boss, Yolanda, would kill her if she missed this appointment. Not only did it mean good things for Westhall Interior Designs, it meant Grace might finally get the promotion she’d been working for since she was hired six years ago.

  All the late nights, coffee runs, and lack of social life had led to these clients: a rich couple with a house in need of a complete interior makeover. They’d specifically asked for Grace after seeing one of her homes featured at the Abilene Design Show. Granted, that was before she lost Bret, but it was still her design that caught their attention.

  What would Bret think? Would he be proud of her? She had to think he would. He was always great about cheering her on. She graduated from college with a business degree, but her passion had been design. Instead of encouraging her to get the corporate job, he’d told her to go for her dream. If it weren’t for him, she would’ve never even had the guts to try.

  Rubbing her thumb across her engagement ring, tears pricked her eyes as she thought about him. It had been eight months, and moving on was proving nearly impossible. To the point that she’d been unable to take her ring off yet. How could she move on when she couldn’t get over loving him? It’s not like he’d left willingly. He’d been taken from her, and she felt hollow.

  By now, she would’ve been married. They would still be in the honeymoon phase.

  She swallowed hard and shook her head. There was no point dwelling on it. How many times had she been told to be thankful for the time she had? That didn’t make losing him any easier, but she’d finally pulled out of her funk a few months ago. At only thirty-one, she was determined to live her life. It’s what Bret would have wanted anyway.

  She pulled the ring off and stuck it in her pocket. This time, she’d do it. She’d take it off and keep it off.

  Without warning, a rattling noise came from the engine, and white smoke poured from the hood, yanking her from her thoughts.

  “Oh, great.”

  As she pulled to the side of the road, the car shuddered to a stop and died. She opened the door, got out, and walked to the front of the car. The smoke was even thicker now that she was stopped.

  Grace raked her hand through her shoulder-length hair and twisted around. There were no signs of life anywhere. Would roadside assistance even be able to find her, especially since she didn’t know where she was?

  She walked to the open car door and leaned across the seat to grab her phone. As she straightened, she sighed. “No bars?” What was she going to do now? With another exasperated sigh, she sat down hard in the driver’s seat and leaned her head against the headrest.

  “If anyone is listening, I could really use a break.”

  The blue blur of a pickup whizzed past her. She didn’t know how fast they were going, but it had to be more than the 65 mph speed limit she’d been driving.

  A moment later, the blue pickup returned, facing her head-on as it stopped a few feet away. An average-height man wearing jeans and a denim button-up got out and approached her. If she were to guess age, based on his tanned, weathered face, she’d put him in his fifties.

  “Uh, you need some help?” he asked.

  “Um.” What did she say? Yeah? This was a great place to run into the wrong person and wind up on a missing persons list. Although, he didn’t look like a homicidal maniac. Then again, how would she know?

  He smiled. “I swear you’re safe with me.” Holding up both hands, he chuckled. “See, no weapons.”

  “You could just be saying that.”

  He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “I’m Quincy Bellamy, and I’m guessing you’re lost.”

  Grace chewed her thumb. Indecision gripped her. What should she do? Did she have a choice?

  She stood and put the car door between them as she stuffed her phone in the pocket of her navy slacks. “I’m Grace Maddox, and I don’t think smoke is supposed to be pouring out of the engine.”

  His smile was warm as he closed the distance between them. He stopped at the front of the car and took a deep breath. “It’s a shot in the dark, but by the smell, I’d say your radiator’s busted. If you want, I can give you a ride into town, and you can see about getting your car towed.”

  This man was the first human she’d seen in hours. What if she turned him down? Or better yet, what were the chances of someone else stopping?

  She fanned herself with her hand as sweat began to form along her brow. With as hot as it was, if this man didn’t kill her, the heat would. “Okay. Thank you.”

  “Sure.” He nodded his head toward the truck. “Get in.”

  Grace grabbed her purse and locked the car door before walking to the old seventies pickup. It might not be pretty, but it was running, which was more than she could say for Bret’s—her Mustang. She pulled on the door handle, and it didn’t budge.

  “Oh yeah. I’m sorry. That door is persnickety.” Quincy jumped into the pickup and reached across the bench seat to push the door open for her.

  Well, if Quincy was a killer, at least she knew she could get out. “Thanks,” she said as she got in and shut the door. “I appreciate you giving me a ride.”

  “No problem.” He chuckled. “So, you’re lost, huh?”

  Grace nodded. “Yeah, I’ve never been more lost. I know I put the address in my GPS correctly. I don’t know what happened.”

  “Willow Valley isn’t what you’d call mapped.”

  “What? Willow Valley?” That wasn’t what she’d put into her GPS. How could she have gotten so turned around? She’d even downloaded the app’s newest version before she left home.

  Quincy glanced at her. “That’s where you are.”

  “How far is Abilene?”

  “You’re at least three hours from Abilene.”

  Her eyes widened. “Three hours?” And a broken-down car. How was she going to make her appointment now? Yolanda was going to kill her, raise her from the dead, and kill her again. And promotion? Forget it. It seemed like the last eight months had been one continual shoe drop after another.

  “I take it that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

  Grace shook her head and sighed. “No. I wish I knew what happened.”

  He shrugged. “I guess someone thought you needed a detour.”

  She snorted. “I wish they’d asked.”

  “Would you have said yes?”

  “No.”

  Quincy chuckled. “Then that’s why they didn’t ask.”

  “Funny.” She rolled her eyes.

  “So, where you from?”

  “Houston.”

  “Big city. I stayed there a year one week.”

  Grace wrinkled her nose. “What?”

  “Longest week of my life. I swear those highways and roads were so twisted around that it was like driving on concrete spaghetti.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that. It’s busy, bustling, and crazy, but I love it.” Warmth filled her as she smiled, thinking of Bret. The smile faded, and she looked out the window. “Loved it.”

  Quincy cleared his throat. “Were you going to Abilene to find a new place or…”

  She looked at him. “No. I’m an interior designer. I’m supposed to be meeting a client first thing tomorrow to show them what I have planned for their home.”

  “Uh, well, you may have to postpone that. We don’t have a car rental place. We do have an excellent mechanic, but it takes a while to get parts sometimes since we’re so far out of the way.”

  Great. She looked down at her phone. Still no bars. “Is there better cell reception in town?”

  “Sure, it’s better, if by better you mean only slightly
better than what you’ve got now.” Quincy brightened.

  Grace nodded. Of course. That’s how everything in her life was working lately. Her gaze blurred as she turned her attention to the rolling hills zipping by, and the companionable silence lengthened.

  “Well, we’re here,” Quincy said.

  She jerked her attention forward, looking out the windshield. How long had it taken to get here? No longer lost in thought, she was wide awake and trying to take in everything as they slowly drove through what she’d call Main Street, USA. It was a cute little town. If it were a cartoon, it would remind her of Radiator Springs. “It’s…quaint.”

  “Is that code for old and small?” He pulled the truck into the parking lot of a gas station and parked. A sign that read Q. B. Fix-it was painted on the front of the brick building in black-and-white letters.

  She laughed. “Maybe.”

  He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “All right, I’ll give you that. It’s old and small, but the people here are worth gold. Everyone knows everyone, and there’s something to be said about a community of people who’ve got your back.”

  Grace nodded. “That does sound nice.” And it did. Her community consisted of her two sisters, her mom, and her grandfather telling her it was time to move on all the time, when they actually took time to talk to her.

  As he opened the door, he paused. “By the way, that mechanic I told you about?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That’d be me.” He smiled.

  Her mouth dropped open. “Why didn’t you check the car when you stopped?”

  “It’s only ten in the morning and already hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement. I might be small-town, but I’m not stupid.”

  Grace could give him that. It was hot thirty minutes ago and only seemed to be getting hotter.

  She took another look out the window before opening the door and getting out. “How long do you think it’ll take to get my car running?”

  “I have no idea until I’m sure what’s wrong, but you’ll be here for at least overnight.”

  Oh man, this was not what she planned at all. Her shoulders sagged. Yolanda was going to be furious. And she didn’t have enough reception to call her and warn her or the clients.

  “Is there a place I can stay?” she asked. Maybe they’d have a signal booster or a landline. Something that would give her a way to the outside world.

  The way Quincy grinned, it almost made her nervous. “About ten miles from here, there’s a bed and breakfast. My nephew, Jackson, runs the place. Let me give him a call, and he can give you a lift while I get your car towed to the shop.”

  Now she wished she’d been paying attention when they arrived in town. “There aren’t any hotels?”

  “There’s one, but I wouldn’t stay there.”

  The way he scrunched his face made Grace wonder just how bad the hotel could be.

  “Okay. I guess I don’t have much of a choice.” She paused. “Is there any way I could get my suitcase out of my car?”

  “I’ll bring it by later this afternoon. I’m having dinner with Jackson tonight anyway.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  He waved her off like it was no big deal. “Go find yourself something to drink in the store. My treat. It shouldn’t take Jackson long to get here.”

  Grab your copy of The Cowboy’s Fake Marriage and follow along as Grace and Jackson restore his old home and fall in love.

  Other Books by Bree Livingston

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Series

  Her Pretend Billionaire Boyfriend:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book One

  Her Second Chance Billionaire Sweetheart:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book Two

  Her Broken Billionaire Boss:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book Three

  Her Fake Billionaire Fiancé:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book Four

  Her Stranded Billionaire Mix-Up:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book Five

  Her Secret Billionaire Roommate:

  A Clean Billionaire Romance Book Six

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Series

  The Cowboy’s Fake Marriage:

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Book One

  The Star’s Fake Marriage:

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Book Two

  The Bodyguard’s Fake Marriage:

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Book Three

  The Matchmaker’s Fake Marriage:

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Book Four

  The Beast’s Fake Marriage:

  A Clean Fake Relationship Romance Book Five

  A Clean Army Ranger Romance Series:

  The Ranger’s Chance:

  A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book One

  The Ranger’s Peace:

  A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Two

  Clean Romance Stand Alones:

  Love and Charity

  The Mistletoe Game:

  A Clean Christmas Novella

  COMING IN April!

  The Ranger’s Forgiveness:

  A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Four

  About the Author

  Bree Livingston lives in the West Texas Panhandle with her husband, children, and cats. She'd have a dog, but they took a vote and the cats won. Not in numbers, but attitude. They wouldn't even debate. They just leveled their little beady eyes at her and that was all it took for her to nix getting a dog. Her hobbies include...nothing because she writes all the time.

  She loves carbs, but the love ends there. No, that's not true. The love usually winds up on her hips which is why she loves writing romance. The love in the pages of her books are sweet and clean, and they definitely don't add pounds when you step on the scale. Unless of course, you're actually holding a Kindle while you're weighing. Put the Kindle down and try again. Also, the cookie because that could be the problem too. She knows from experience.

  Join her mailing list to be the first to find out publishing news, contests, and more by going to her website at https://breelivingston.weebly.com.