The Brides 0f Purple Heart Ranch Boxset, Bks 1-3

by Shanae Johnson

  But she wasn't a wanton woman. She was a wife. She was a wife who wanted her husband.

  Her phone buzzed. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled it out to see that it was a text message from Maggie wishing her luck on her first day.

  Eva noted there was also a message in her email. It was a picture of Reed, Sean, and Xavier wearing glasses and holding books. In the first picture, they tried to look serious and failed hilariously. In the second picture, they made funny faces. The text below the pictures wished her a good first day.

  She hadn't remembered giving any of them her phone number or email. But she supposed with men who were in the army, and one of them who specialized in technology, that it wasn't that hard to get her information. She was touched that they'd gone through the trouble.

  They were more than just her new family; they were also her new friends. And that's what friends did for each other.

  "Are you lost?"

  Eva looked up to find a guy leaning against a doorway watching her. He looked like what could stereotypically be called a preppy kid with his collared shirt and pleated pants and parted hair.

  "You had this faraway look in your eyes," he said, pushing off from the doorway. "I figure you're either lost or high?"

  "I'm not high."

  He raised his eyebrow.

  "I don't do drugs."

  "Me neither."

  Eva didn't buy it. There was a spark in his eyes. But it was mischievous, not inquisitive.

  "What room are you looking for?" He snatched the schedule out of her hand. "Oh, Professor Newton. He's a snoozer. But I know a guy who can get you his tests so you can ace the class."

  "No, thank you." Eva snatched her schedule back.

  "Why don't I walk you to class." It wasn't a question. He simply fell into step beside her.

  "I'm good, actually."

  "Just thought you might like a friend seeing that you're new."

  Eva stopped in her tracks. She turned to face this guy. "I'm not lost. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I don't buy tests; I do the work. And I have all the friends I need, thank you."

  She scratched at her nose, even though it didn't itch. She let the ring finger of her left hand rub up and down her cheek a few times until the guy got the hint.

  "You're married." The guy frowned.

  "Yes," Eva confirmed. "Happily. And I'm about to be late to class. So, if you'll excuse me …"

  She turned and marched down the hall toward her class. She found a seat near the front. There were quite a few seats open.

  Professor Newton walked in with a folio of papers. Eva took out her pen as the lecture began. Five minutes after the lecture began, more students rolled in and took up seats, all in the back.

  The professor wasn't boring. His voice was a bit monotone, but the picture he painted with his knowledge was fascinating. Eva's pen hadn't stopped moving for the whole class period. She noted that she was one of the only students using pen and paper, if they were taking notes at all. Most had laptops and were typing away as the professor spoke.

  "Excuse me?"

  Eva looked over to see a young woman next to her.

  "Did you happen to catch what he said about coefficients? I got a bit lost."

  "Oh, yeah, sure." Eva shuffled through her papers. She found what she was looking for and handed the document to the woman.

  "Oh, no, no. Would you mind just repeating it back to me? I have a whole system of note taking, and I need to put it in its proper place. I know that sounds weird."

  "No, it makes sense to me. My next class doesn't start for thirty minutes. You wanna grab something to drink and we can compare notes? Maybe a cup of tea?“

  "I'd like that. I'm Jan Collison."

  "Eva Lopez … DeMonti. Lopez-DeMonti."

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Steady there," Fran coaxed both animal and boy.

  Carlos looked like a grown man from his perch on the horse. Fran was certain the boy felt grown up from his high seat there. There was something about being in the seat of a horse that changed a man's perspective.

  Fran led the young man and his steed on a path through the ranch. So much had changed in a week. Fran spied Rosalee working in the garden alongside Sean and the dogs. Maggie and Dylan were necking on the side of the barn, believing no one could see them.

  Carlos had taken to ranch life like he'd been born to it.

  The kid was up at dawn, doing chores before school. After he finished his homework, he was back out helping the other men with errands before sundown.

  Rosalee was often out of the house and by her brother's side. All the signs of agoraphobia and social anxieties had all but disappeared.

  That's what the ranch was all about. It healed everyone who came within the gates be they vet or civilian. The biggest change Fran had seen was with Eva.

  There was a sparkle in her eye each morning when he met her at her bedroom door, or they crossed paths on the way to the kitchen. She was relaxed, unguarded. She'd also stopped frowning and pursing her lips every time he brought a necessity or gift into the house.

  The gifts were small things. He'd discovered what her favorite yogurt was, and he stocked up on two weeks’ worth. He overheard her and Maggie talking about something called bath bombs. He ordered a month's worth online and stored them in the bathroom cabinet. She simply sighed when she saw them and then shut herself in the bathroom for an hour.

  Fran spent that hour chatting with her brother and sister. He couldn't remember a single word that any of them had said. His mind and his entire focus were on the knob of the bathroom door where his wife was immersed in warm, sudsy, salty water.

  "Look, Fran, I'm doing it."

  Fran snapped his attention back to his young charge. Carlos was riding well. He'd figured out his balance quickly. He had control of the horse. The boy's self-esteem was soaring. They came back to the stables and Carlos dismounted on his own.

  "Looks like you're getting your wish, soldier."

  Fran turned to Dr. Patel. The man leaned on the railing as he watched Carlos. "My wish?"

  "You wanted to help those kids back in Afghanistan. That's why you volunteered for the mission to build the school. Many of the inner cities of America are much like war zones."

  That was the truth. The apartment complex he'd taken Eva, Carlos and Rosalee from had all the hallmarks of war; poverty, violence, firepower. Fran had saved two kids, but he thought back to the faces of the boys who'd perked up during his talk at the church. Could he save more of them? Perhaps he could try?

  "I want to provide this for other children back in that neighborhood. I might not have the time to see it through. But I could get it started."

  "You need to stop counting your moments and start counting your blessings," said Patel. "You have friends who literally would go to war for you. You've got these two kids who look at you like you've hung the moon. And you have a beautiful young wife who, as far as I can see, has put life back into you. Most people don't get that in a long lifetime."

  Patel was right. Fran was blessed. His heart was overflowing with blessings.

  "Thank you, Dr. Patel."

  "For what?"

  "For pushing us together."

  "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean?" The man smiled with a twinkle in his eyes as he turned and headed toward the parking lot.

  Fran shook his head as he watched the older man. Even before the edict came that all who chose to reside on the ranch had to be married, Patel had been pressing his case to match each of the soldiers. If Fran had listened, he might've had Eva in his life earlier. But he was happy she was there now.

  She should be home soon. She'd had a late study session that evening and had taken his truck. He'd had to shove the keys into her hand and belt her into the driver's seat so she wouldn't think of taking the bus or a cab. He wanted to present her with her own car keys soon.

  Fran helped Carlos put the horse up. Then the two of them collected Rosalee from the garden. They made
their way to their home, the kids chattering along the way. His truck was in the driveway when they walked up to the door.

  The kids pounced on their sister, regaling her of their day in school and at the ranch. Eva listened with a smile on her face as she set the table and placed a warm meal on each plate. She gazed up at Fran, brown eyes so full of warmth that his heart felt it was immersed in one of her bath bombs.

  The two of them barely got a word in edgewise as the kids chattered on throughout the meal. It was Carlos's turn to clean up after dinner. But Fran took one look at the kid and his drooping eyes and sent him off to bed. Rosalee was equally as tired and hadn't argued when Eva suggested she turn in as well.

  With the kids in bed and the dishes away, Fran plopped down on the sofa. A second later, Eva joined him. This had become their nightly ritual after the kids were in bed.

  Eva scoot closer to Fran. He stretched his arm along the back of the couch. She immediately snuggled into the space between his shoulder cap and his breastbone. She'd claimed that spot the second night of their marriage.

  Though theirs wasn't a physical relationship, he'd promised her hugs, as many as she wanted. They weren't innocent, platonic embraces and he didn't pretend they were. Fran's body was alive each time hers was near. But neither of them crossed the line of intimacy. These shared embraces were still well within the boundaries of friendship.

  "How was your study session?" he asked.

  "It was good."

  The sound of her voice reached his heart before it reached his ears. Fran stared down at the top of Eva's head. The tendrils on the top of her head tickled his nose as he breathed in her scent. The smell of her, the feel of her supple body against his, each night it sent his heart racing.

  Eva was saying more words to him, but Fran couldn't decipher them. His attention was rapt on her knees, which were resting on his thighs. She'd curled her bare feet under her bottom and her knees rested on his legs just as her head rested on his chest.

  The thump-thump of his heart blared warning signs.

  Eva laughed at something—something she'd said or something on the television, he wasn't sure. She threw back her head to look up at him. Her parted lips were a faded red, her lipstick had worn off through the day and then dinner. The muted red silenced the warning signs.

  Fran couldn't take his eyes off her mouth. Her lips had stopped moving. A tremble quivered through the bottom one. She sighed and the sweetness got caught in his throat.

  And still, his heart thumped-thumped. But the warning sounds, the warning signs, both were pointless.

  Fran wasn't sure who moved first. It was likely a mutual decision. They'd been deciding so many things together the last week. It was fitting they decided this next step in their lives together.

  Their lives. Together. That was the only sound he wanted to hear, the only sign he wanted to pay attention to.

  This kiss was even sweeter than the sole kiss they'd shared on their wedding day. That kiss had been the taste of something new. This kiss was the promise of something familiar.

  He felt his blood boiling as he drank from this woman, his wife. Fran's heartbeat raced. Faster than he knew it should. And then there was pain. A blinding pain that robbed him of his breath and wrenched him away from her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was inevitable. They both knew it. They'd been dancing around this moment for a week now.

  Every night Eva came home from school. They put the kids to bed. Then they'd sit in this cocoon.

  She fit so perfectly inside Fran's half embrace. The feel of his hand at her back was steadying. The divot in his shoulder had been made for her head. The sound of his heart was the sound that told her she was safe, protected, cared for.

  Fran's heartbeats whispered promises. Promises that one day this easy friendship, this practical partnership, could turn into something more. Something the heart was made to do.

  Everything in Eva told her that tonight that time had come.

  She tilted her head back to see Fran. He looked down at her as she often caught him doing when he didn't think she was looking. For all he spoke of platonic and practicality, she knew he felt something for her. No man would go through the lengths that he'd done for her and her family without a bit of attraction.

  And so when she reached up to taste his lips, she had her confirmation in his answering kiss.

  Fran swept into her mouth just like he'd swept into her life. He pulled her to him, into the safety of his protection. His kiss only asked to give her pleasure. It asked nothing in return. His lips moved across hers, telling her that he just wanted to see her safe and cared for.

  Eva had every plan to give this man not just her heart but her soul. It hadn't been love at first sight. It was better than that. It had been trust at first sight.

  With just a glance, this man had gained her confidence. She had recognized this man was reliable and filled with integrity. Something she had found lacking in people since her parents' deaths.

  Fran was able. He was strong. He was sure.

  He was pulling away from her.

  "Fran, I want this. I want you."

  "Eva …" He breathed hard, likely from the passion they'd shared in the all-too-brief kiss.

  "Fran, I love you. I do, and I want to be your wife in every meaning of the word."

  "Eva," he gasped.

  He was clutching at his heart and gasping for breath. The kiss had overwhelmed her too. But not to the point of pain.

  Wait.

  He was clutching at his heart in pain.

  His heart.

  "Fran? Fran?"

  But he couldn't answer. His face was contorted in agony. He gulped down deep, lungfuls of air. Just the sight of him in pain sent Eva into the throes of agony.

  "What do I do? Do I call the doctor? Oh, Fran, please. I don't know what to do."

  She could call 911. Or she could call out to one of the other soldiers. But she was afraid to leave him. She wiped the hair from his face. She placed her hand over his heart.

  Fran gripped her hand. Slowly his eyes opened, his breathing calmed. He gazed into her eyes. She'd never seen him look so vulnerable.

  It scared her.

  Fran was strong, unbreakable. But in that moment, he was weak and at the mercy of an enemy he could not strike out against.

  His breath steadying, he tilted his head forward to rest his face against her cheek. Eva curled her arms around his neck. She held him to her, resting his head against her own heart.

  "This is why this can't happen," he said, his voice was pain-laden.

  "Are you saying that kiss made your heart hurt?"

  Fran lifted his head to gaze at her. His eyes were filled with regret. "It's not the kiss. It could happen at any moment. It's set off by anything, by nothing. There's no rhyme or reason to why or when the fragments in my chest move. But one day they'll get too close to my heart and kill me."

  "I know," she said. She'd been doing research on his condition. She knew that fragments often moved or became encased in scar tissue.

  "That could be a year from now," she said. "It could be ten years from now."

  "It could be right now, Eva." He pulled away from her.

  She did not let him go. "That's why I don't want to waste any more time. I want to be with you."

  "Eva …" He turned away from her, but he didn't leave from the couch.

  Eva’s palms came to rest over his heart. Fran clutched her hands in his, but he didn't pull away. He let out an agonized breath.

  "You make my heart beat faster, Eva," he said. "But that's not what's going to kill me. What will kill me is not being here for you after, when you're hurting because of me. The idea of not being able to protect you kills me."

  "Stop trying to protect me," she said. "I did just fine without you. But I do better with you. You do better with me. This may be your plan to keep me safe, but it was my choice to come here and be with you. It's my choice to stay with you. It's my plan to love you
for as long as I can."

  Fran hung his head. His grip on her hands loosened.

  "Let me love you, Fran."

  He rose from the couch. He didn't look back at her. Instead of going to his bedroom, he left out the front door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Everything hurt when Fran woke the next morning. Not just his heart. His back ached from sleeping on the hard, and at the same time lumpy, sofa. His neck spasmed from being raised high on the armrest which had elevated his head too high from the rest of his body. His left foot had fallen asleep from being exposed to the cold draft coming from the living room window.

  He ran his hand over his chest. The raised scars weren't tender, hadn't been for some time. But they bothered him that morning.

  Eva was fond of resting her head over that spot. She'd never come into direct contact with the scars. But every time she cuddled into him, Fran became aware of them. Even more so aware of what lay beyond them.

  He wished he could reach inside his chest and pull out the fragments that kept them apart. He didn't want to jump every time his heart leaped at the sight of his wife. He didn't want to caution her against the affection he couldn't deny was growing between them. He didn't want to shut himself off from the love she'd offered up to him.

  But the barrier remained. Distance was the only thing that would protect her. Perhaps he should move out of the house entirely now before the end came near.

  "How'd you sleep, sunshine?"

  Fran groaned at the sound of Reed's faux cheery voice. The man appeared in his bedroom door. He leaned against the frame with his good arm. The missing arm appeared as a stump in his t-shirt.

  "Yeah, that's because you should be in your wife's bed," said Reed.

  "It's not like that with me and Eva."

  "Then you're dumber than I thought. You've got a warm-blooded, beautiful, intelligent woman who wants you. Although the fact that she wants you makes me question her intelligence. And you spent the night on my couch?"

  "Getting involved with her like that, on a physical, intimate level would only hurt her more when I'm gone."