The Ranger's Destiny (Army Ranger Romance Book 6)
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The Ranger’s Destiny
A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Six
Bree Livingston
Edited by
Christina Schrunk
The Ranger’s Destiny
Copyright © 2019 by Bree Livingston
Edited by Christina Schrunk
https://www.facebook.com/christinaschrunk.editor
Proofread by Krista R. Burdine
https://www.facebook.com/iamgrammaresque
Cover design by Victorine Lieske
http://victorinelieske.com/
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Bree Livingston
https://www.breelivingston.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
The Ranger’s Destiny / Bree Livingston. -- 1st ed.
ISBN: 9781653904921
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
Sneak Peek! Her Pretend Billionaire Boyfriend Chapter 1
Sneak Peek! The Cowboy’s Fake Marriage Chapter 1
Also by Bree Livingston
About the Author
Chapter 1
Rolling his neck, Mason stretched and then took a drink of water. He grabbed the towel hanging on the nearby weight bench and wiped his brow, grateful for the gym at the Guardian Group’s home base. The exercise was good for him, and he enjoyed it…although lately it wasn’t working out his frustration.
Over the last couple of years, his friends had found love and peace. Now that it was almost daily in his face, it was hard to push down his heart’s want to have the same despite the solid reasoning his brain gave him. He hadn’t been dating material before his career in the Army, and after being captured and tortured, he was even less so.
A knock came at the door to the gym, and Mason looked over his shoulder. “Hey, need a workout?” he quipped.
Noah, his former commanding officer and now boss, leaned against the doorframe with a folder in his hand. After they were all dishonorably discharged, a woman named Pam had come to Noah and offered him a job. In turn, he brought the entire company on board—Kolby, Gunner, Ryder, Elijah, and Mason.
When Pam’s husband was killed, she’d found herself with a sizable fortune. To honor his memory, she’d formed the private security company, Guardian Group, to help those who’d run out of other options.
Chuckling, Noah shook his head. “No, I have a job for you. Ryder requested help for a friend of Kennedy’s. Holly’s a veterinarian and runs a dog rescue out of it as well. Mostly abandoned dogs she rehabs and trains.”
Ryder asking a favor for his wife’s friend wasn’t a shock to Mason. His friend was so smitten he’d do anything for her, something Mason had no experience with and probably never would.
Noah smirked as he continued, and Mason braced himself for whatever was coming. “I need someone with a brand-spanking-new physician’s assistant certificate to hang out for a while in the small town of Chester, Virginia.”
During one of Noah’s assignments, he’d been shot, and Mason only had field medic training to go off of. After that, he’d taken it upon himself to study and get his physician’s assistant certificate so he’d be better prepared to help his friends and clients in the future.
Mason took the file folder his boss offered and flipped it open. Holly Blake, mother to three-year-old Jack. He glanced at the photo paper-clipped to the front of the folder. Pretty. Black curly hair hanging in ringlets, with wide hazel eyes, and a heart-shaped face gave her the appearance of being much younger than the twenty-seven listed as her age. The chocolate Lab her arm draped around seemed to be smiling for the camera too, and both were framed by a building with a “now open” sign.
He looked up at Noah. “Okay…a vet and dogs. What’s this have to do with my PA?”
Mason knew from the way his old friend’s smile widened that he was in for some trouble. “As it turns out, the town’s beloved doctor won an all-expenses-paid fishing trip to Alaska. He leaves today.”
“I’m going there as the town physician?” Mason asked, pointing to himself. Sure, he’d wanted to put the training to use, but as a small-town physician? “That still doesn’t answer my question, though. Why does Holly need protected? Why the physician?”
“Seems there’s some strange activity going on in their small town just outside Richmond. Three dogs have gone missing, all of which were trained by Holly.”
Mason raised an eyebrow. “I’m still a little confused. Why is she in danger?”
“Evidently, there have been rumors of a dogfighting ring having set up shop on the outskirts of town. Holly voiced concern with the local police over whether the dogs were taken as part of this ring and was rewarded with a threatening note. You’ll find a copy of it there.”
Mason flipped to the next page in the file. “‘Keep your mouth shut about things that don’t concern you,’” he read aloud from the typed page. “‘Or we’ll shut it for you.’”
Noah crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s spooked. Enough that she sent her son to live with her mom. That’s what got Kennedy’s attention. Holly tried to brush it off, saying she could handle it. We both know Kennedy wouldn’t let that fly.”
No, she wouldn’t, not after her own scare with her ex-husband and his loan sharks. Being kidnapped made her consider things like threatening notes serious—which they were. Even if Kennedy hadn’t been concerned, Ryder would have, and he’d have brought it to the group. “What about her son? Who’s watching him?”
“Holly’s mom lives in a gated retirement community about thirty minutes away, and she has a brother who works at the fire department. I’ve spoken to him,” Noah replied. “He has friends in the police department, and they’re stepping up patrols. They’ve given the gate guard instructions to card anyone coming in. Should anything suspicious happen, they’re to call it in before allowing anyone through.”
“So, what exactly am I to be doing there? If I’m the town physician, I can’t be protecting Holly twenty-four seven.”
“We’ve set up cameras in the vet clinic both inside and out, as well as her home. You’ll be able to keep tabs on her with that. She has a vet tech, and as small as the town is, we didn’t want anyone getting suspicious.”
Mason nodded. “Okay.”
“Unfortunately, our usual shadowing bodyguard methods won’t work in this situation since we don’t want to draw any more attention to her. Y
ou’ll have to protect her from a distance. Hopefully, going in low-key and trying to blend in will allow you to get more insight into who these guys are.”
Now Mason was getting the full picture. “So, we’re sending the doctor on the trip while I set up camp undercover as his fill-in so I can keep an eye on Kennedy’s friend, Holly.”
Noah smiled. “Exactly. You’ll also be trying to track down who the dogfighters are so they can be stopped. Your plane will be ready as soon as you can get packed.”
Shutting the folder, Mason stood and handed it to Noah. “I’ll get Ryder to send the information to my phone so I can study it in the air.”
“I figured as much. You should have everything by the time you reach the plane.” Noah pulled out his cell phone and looked down at it, raking his hand through his hair, a goofy smile spreading on his lips. “In the meantime, apparently, I’m making a craving run. I can’t believe the baby will be here soon.”
Again, Mason was hit in the chest with the desire to have what his friends were blessed with. He was tired of being alone. Tired of the emptiness he felt. Maybe it was time to let go of the past like Noah, Kolby, Gunner, and Ryder had. They weren’t perfect, but they were happy. If they could be, couldn’t he?
Perhaps this assignment was an opportunity to figure out how to have what they had. It was worth a shot anyway. At least, maybe he could try.
Chapter 2
“You have nothing to worry about.” Kennedy’s voice was warm and confident through the phone. “These guys are the absolute best, and Mason’s a sweetheart. You’ll love him.”
“I don’t need to love him.” Holly Blake sighed, looking out over Main Street through the plate-glass front window of her office. With the morning just beginning, it was quiet.
Love was the last thing on her mind. Even before all this mess, she’d been too occupied with her son and work to allow a man into her life. One of the challenges of being a single mom. And one of the reasons she hated having their lives intruded upon. They’d just settled into a life together.
“I’m still not sure about the whole protection thing either. It was just a stupid note. I’d rather he was here to catch the dogfighters.”
Kennedy groaned. “He’s going to catch them, and it’s not just a stupid note. They make a lot of money off those dogs, and if they think you’ll get in the way, they’ll hurt you.” She paused. “What about Jack? Hasn’t he lost enough?”
Holly’s shoulders rounded as she thought about her three-year-old son. He’d already lost one mom. Was it fair to him to put herself at risk and chance him losing another? All it took was thinking of her sister, and the answer was easy. No, it wasn’t right or fair. As much as Holly hated the invasion of her privacy with cameras in her clinic and home, she hated the thought of hurting Jack even more.
Plus, it wasn’t like Kennedy was even really giving her a choice. The only reason she’d told Holly was so the camera people could get everything put in place. But Holly understood why. Kennedy’s kidnapping made her quick to take action if she thought someone was in danger.
Holly groaned. “All right. You win. It wasn’t like I really had a choice, anyway, did I?”
Kennedy chuckled. “No, but it’ll make things easier on Mason if you cooperate. It’ll be hard enough for him to try to blend in with the small town as it is. Try to act natural and pretend you don’t know who he is.”
“I don’t know who he is?” Holly repeated, one corner of her lips quirking up.
“Because he has to stay anonymous. Those guys, whoever they are, would be curious about a new presence in town with a background in security. Very curious.”
“I get that. You don’t have much faith in me, do you?” Holly was only teasing, though her anxiousness had led her to cringe-worthy lapses in patience since receiving that letter.
Just the thought of it made her palms clammy. She tucked them under her arms, her cell wedged between her shoulder and jaw. “I haven’t even told Fiona who he is. Or my mother, for that matter. I’m the only person in town who knows he’s not just coming in to fill in for Irv Klein’s practice.”
“It’s important it stays that way.”
“You’re making me nervous.” Holly took another peek at the clinic across the street.
“There’s no need to be. I’m just concerned for you. I’m glad you decided to tell me about the letter rather than keeping it to yourself, even if I had to pressure you into accepting security for yourself. You know you do that entirely too much, right? Thinking you can take on the world all by yourself?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to shrink me.” Holly giggled.
Ever since Kennedy had first picked up a rehabilitated rescue dog from Holly’s office, they’d been fast friends. Kennedy was still her go-to person when it came to finding the dogs a home, as Kennedy’s work with Rescues for Vets meant she was usually on the lookout for new animals to pair with veterans in need.
“Me? Never.” Kennedy was laughing as she added, “Mason was supposed to come into town last night and get himself settled. He’ll be checking out the office today, so you’ll be able to get a look at him.”
“Is that excitement I hear in your voice? I thought you were too busy being head-over-heels for Ryder that you couldn’t be bothered to give another man a second glance. What’s so special about this guy?”
“You’ll see when you meet him,” Kennedy informed her in a tone heavy with unspoken information. “In the meantime, keep your chin up. He’ll keep you safe. I know it.” She paused. “Remember to give him a key to the clinic and your house. There’s no point in all those cameras if he can’t get to you.”
“I won’t, and thank you, Kennedy.” Holly did what she could to keep emotion from pouring into her voice, but it was impossible to keep it from trembling just a little. She ended the call then, before she could make an idiot of herself and force Kennedy to jump in the car and drive all the way to Chester.
Mason Andrews. An Army Ranger who’d served as a medic and was now a PA. He’d be a good fit for the town so long as he could handle colorful characters who frequented Dr. Klein’s office. Like clockwork, certain residents could be counted on to appear at the good doctor’s front step with sniffles and sneezes.
Funny, but the thought of his arrival did lighten Holly’s spirits.
The front office phone rang, and she answered with genuine enthusiasm. “Chester Animal Hospital and Rescue, this is Holly,” she chirped, and the day took off from there. She fielded two calls regarding stray dogs spotted roaming the town, advising both callers to contact Animal Control—they’d send the dogs over once they caught them, she was sure—and was in the process of cleaning the pens in the back room when Fiona arrived.
“I’m so sorry,” she gushed, blowing in through the back door and immediately giving hugs and kisses to the dogs who ran to her, tails wagging. There were currently a dozen already spayed and neutered rescues cooling their jets, awaiting adoption, and all of them adored Holly’s receptionist and assistant.
“Don’t sweat it.” Holly brushed back an errant curl that had escaped her ponytail. “I guessed it had to do with—”
“Dad. Yeah.” Fiona frowned in spite of the loving she was getting from a cocker spaniel they called Lady, after the dog in Lady and the Tramp. “He had a bad night.” Which Holly knew meant Fiona’s night had been bad too. It was never easy for a caregiver, especially when the person whose care they oversaw had dementia.
“It gets worse at night,” Holly said in a soft voice filled with concern.
“Yeah, putting it mildly.” Fiona gently but insistently took over the cleaning, leaving Holly to fill the food and water bowls. “He was convinced after watching some police procedural show that I was about to be arrested for murder. It seems he gets reality mixed up with what he sees on TV. I have to talk to his doctor about it during their next appointment. Maybe his meds need adjusting.”
It had been three months since Fiona�
��s father had left rehab following a brain hemorrhage. The damage had left him with memory loss, aphasia, and the inability to tell dreams from reality. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, convinced an accounting client of his was about to be audited and needed his immediate help. The fact that he hadn’t worked in more than half a year didn’t matter one bit.
The strain was clearly taking a toll on the normally bright, sunny Fiona. She’d never been late for work before her dad’s stroke, but Holly had covered for her countless times in the months since. She’d keep doing it since none of this was Fiona’s fault. She needed all the friends she could get.
“Hey.” Holly grinned, remembering the call with Kennedy. “The new doctor’s getting settled in the office today. We’ll have front-row seats.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “Right. He’ll probably be in his mid-fifties, balding with a paunch.”
That was not the case as far as Holly knew, but she wasn’t supposed to know. While she hadn’t set eyes on Mason yet, she figured he had to be roughly Ryder’s age since they served together. This meant Mason would be young, and according to Kennedy, he was single. Which meant there would be more patients than ever darkening the good doctor’s doorstep.
The bell above the front door chimed, which always got the attention of the four-legged critters in the back room. “Down, down,” Holly called out, laughing as she slipped into the front.
Whoa. Now Holly understood what Kennedy meant about “you’ll see” because Holly was definitely seeing Mason. Tall, red hair, and green eyes.