by Ally Summers
Kyle had been tracking the target for over a year. He was the highest ranking member of Razastan’s regime, and he was well guarded and well funded.
It hadn’t been Kyle’s choice to back down, but they needed fresh intel if they were going to succeed. For now his team was scattered, waiting on orders before they could go back into the country.
He didn’t want to leave. They had to force him out. If he hadn’t made a promise it probably would have taken the entire Army to remove him.
While he waited, he had another mission. One he would rather never have to complete. It was the kind of mission every Ranger dreaded.
Kyle turned on the windshield wipers on his Jeep, and made another turn. He had been driving for hours, trying to find his way on Oregon’s back roads. When Sam told him he lived in the middle of nowhere, he meant it. There was nothing here but tall trees and rain.
He slowed the car when he saw the last name on the mailbox: Collins.
He groaned and pulled in.
“I can’t believe you made me promise this,” he muttered.
He parked in the driveway, staring at the house in front of him. This was it.
He slammed the Jeep’s door behind him and climbed the stairs. There was a wreath on the front door. A yellow ribbon tied to the base.
He pulled his shoulders back, ready to knock. Ready to fulfill his duty. Ready to try to right some of the wrong that happened to Sam’s family.
2
Whitney
Whitney climbed the rocky steps cut into the side of the cliff that led back to the house. She wrapped the sweater around her shoulders, pulling the edges tight against her chest. The wind picked up the ends of her auburn hair.
The waves crashed fiercely against the sand. Even with her back to the ocean, she felt the chill cut through her.
It was good to take a break. She needed to get out of the house. The memoires were almost suffocating. But she didn’t know if watching the waves made things any better. All she could think about were the summers when she and Sam played on the beach.
When she didn’t think she could take the icy winds anymore, she decided to pack more boxes. They weren’t going to pack themselves.
The last month had been the worst of her life. Her restaurant had burned to the ground. Her brother had been killed and no one would give her any answers. She was left with a house that was falling apart, just like her.
As she reached the top of the cliff and made her way through the path that opened to the house she saw a Jeep parked in the driveway.
She crossed the yard, keeping one eye on the Jeep. She tried to open the gate, but the latch was stuck. The damn thing had been broken longer than she could remember.
She rattled the handle until it finally let loose.
She looked around for the driver of the Jeep. She wasn’t expecting anyone. No one drove out here. Sam’s memorial service was a month ago. The flower deliveries had stopped.
She took one step and then another before she saw her visitor.
“Hello?” she called?
His back was turned to her. He was staring off the edge of the porch, looking over the cliff. From there you could see the waves crash and hurl on top of the rocks.
When he turned around she almost tripped over the last step. It didn’t help there was a loose board.
“Whoa.” He ran over to grab her before she landed face first on the porch.
His hand circled her waist, catching her as if she were light as a feather. He stood her upright.
“Hi.” She stared into his deep blue eyes. She thought she saw flecks of amber.
He cleared his throat.
She tried to wiggle free, but his hand was clamped to her waist. His grip was firm.
“Thanks.” Her hands landed where his fingers were wrapped against her. They were wide strong fingers.
“You’re welcome.” He finally released her, his chest expanding.
“Can I help you with something?”
His brow furrowed. He took a step back. “Holy hell,” he whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry. It’s just…” He held out his hand. “Brake. Uh, Kyle Brake.”
She took his hand, noticing how rough it felt closing around her palm. “Nice to meet you. I think.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Are you lost? Or are you selling something?” she asked.
She tried to figure out why this man was standing on her doorstep. She didn’t know faces like that existed. His jawline was square and his cheekbones high. His hair was dark, almost black, which was a dangerous combination with those eyes.
“Neither.” He smiled.
Oh shit. He had a gorgeous smile too. The kind that would melt the panties off any woman. She twisted her bottom lip under her teeth.
“Then what could have possibly brought you out here?”
Whitney waited for his answer.
“Sam sent me.”
Her eyes widened, and she reached for the column. But she wasn’t looking. Her eyes were fixed on the tall stranger, and she missed her mark, landing back in his arms.
3
Kyle
He caught her before she tumbled down the stairs. His hands snaked around her waist, pulling her against him.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t why he was here.
He set Whitney back on her feet.
“S-Sam?” She looked into his eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes full of warmth and light. Something he had forgotten existed in this world.
He nodded. “I’m here to see his family.”
He tried to sound official. But right now his blood was pumping. He felt the energy in his body surging at an all-time new level. His bear was awake. This beautiful curvy vision had just changed the entire game.
“Are you with the insurance company?” She took a step back.
“No. Nothing like that. But I need to meet with his family. Are his parents here?”
She shook her head. “No. They’re not. It’s just me.”
Kyle looked at her. How was that possible? “Only you? Sam said ‘family’.”
“Well, I’m his sister. And our parents have been gone for years. I’m the only family Sam has.” She lowered her eyes. “Or had.”
Fuck. She was Sam’s sister? He had always envisioned Sam’s little sister with freckles, braces, and glasses. Not curves and lips so full he had to remember to blink.
“Can we talk?” He motioned toward the front door.
“Would you like to come in?”
Hell yeah he wanted to come in. The mission had changed. Everything had changed. The minute she landed in his hands and he looked in her eyes, he knew he had a mate. Kyle Brake had a mate.
“That would be nice.”
He followed her inside, noticing the boxes stacked along the walls.
“Sorry it’s a mess. I’m packing up Sam’s stuff, and trying to sort through what I can sell.”
She led him to a living room and he sat across from her. “What are you doing with all of it?”
“I have some boxes to donate. Some to try to sell online. The rest can just go with the house.”
Kyle’s eyes shot to hers. “Sell the house?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to sell it.”
He tried to remember what Sam had told him about the house, but he was having trouble remembering all the conversations. Sometimes they talked just to try to keep each other awake. They would be out in the field for days with no sleep. It passed the time.
“Anyway.” She smiled. “You said you needed to talk.”
“Does Sam’s sister have a name?” He smiled, desperate to hear her name pass over her lips. Lips that were so lush and soft. He stopped his bear from growling in front of her.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s Whitney. Whitney Collins.”
Even her name was perfect.
Kyle reached into his pocket, retrieving the letter he had guarded
for the past month. He held it toward her.
“This is from your brother. He asked me to deliver it.”
She reached forward, taking the envelope in her hand. She stared at it, blinking rapidly.
“I don’t think I can read it.” Her eyes lifted to him.
He shook his head. “Whenever you’re ready,” he offered. He didn’t know when Sam had written the letter, and he had no idea what was on the pages, but he swore he would get it to his family.
It wasn’t the only promise Sam got out of him.
“Thank you for bringing it to me.” She placed it in her lap. “Were you in his unit?” she asked.
“Yes. We were in the same Ranger unit.”
“So you’re like him, then?”
“Depends on what you mean by that.”
“Reckless. Fearless. Determined.”
Kyle noticed how her eyes blazed when she talked. “Yeah, important Ranger qualities.”
“I left out idiot.” She rose from the couch, clutching the letter in her fist.
“Your brother wasn’t an idiot.” He wanted to steady her and calm the emotion surfacing.
“Really? Then why is he dead?” Her eyes narrowed.
Kyle wanted to pull her toward him. The need was almost unbearable. He didn’t know it would feel like this when he found his mate.
“I can’t talk about what happened on the mission. It’s classified. But I can assure you, your brother was not an idiot.” He stared into her eyes, but all he saw was anger.
“Well, thanks for dropping this off. You can check it off your list.”
She walked across the room toward the front door. “It was nice to meet you, Kyle.”
None of this was going right. She was ready to toss him out.
“I can’t leave.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I swore to Sam I would help his family. And I can’t leave until I know you’re ok. That you don’t need anything.”
“I doubt Sam took it that seriously.”
Sam’s instructions were clear. Kyle would never forget the look in his eyes or what he said. His family was in Kyle’s hands now. It appeared that meant Whitney.
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m fine. Really.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Your steps are falling apart. You got locked out of your gate. If you lean over that porch railing you’ll fall down a hundred foot cliff. You’ve got a leak in the hallway and…”
“Ok. Stop. I know the house is falling apart, but that’s not your responsibility.”
He looked in her eyes. “It is now.”
4
Whitney
Whitney stared into his deep blue eyes and tried to remember why only two minutes ago she had been spit-fire mad. Right now the only thing she could see was a man who just offered to fix the crumbling mess around her. Offered to make something in her life right when everything else had gone to hell.
“You can’t be serious.” She shook her head. Things like this didn’t happen to her.
“Dead serious.” His voice was deep and husky.
She closed the door, shutting the wind outside. He looked relieved. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering this.
“Why?”
“Because Sam made me swear. And I did. I don’t give my word lightly.”
She felt her knees go weak just a little. Kyle towered over her and she was having trouble thinking. His T-shirt stretched over his wide shoulders. It was hard not to reach out and touch the muscles in his arms to see if they were real. He was like a sculpted god. Tall, dark, and athletically built like nothing she had ever seen.
“I’m sure you have better things to do than help me fix this disaster.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m on leave until I hear otherwise. My mission is on hold. So, I can stay and help. I’ll stay as long as I can.”
Oh God. Did he just say he would stay?
“Stay here?”
He nodded. “There’s an extra room over the barn, right?”
She tried to take a normal breath. “Yes. It was supposed to be an apartment, but it never really worked out that way. There is a bed though.”
“Good. I’ll stay out there and I’ll put the place back together for you. And whatever else you need.”
It was the way he said the last sentence that made Whitney question her sense of reality. Things like this didn’t happen. Hot guys didn’t show up on her doorstep begging to be her handyman.
He stepped around her, opening the door. “I’ll get my tools and you can tell me where you want me to start.”
“You brought tools?”
His hand was on the doorknob. “I keep them in my Jeep. I should have everything we need.”
“Right now? You’re going to start working on the house now?” She thought everything she said probably sounded absurd. She couldn’t stop repeating herself.
“Yeah. Now.” Kyle was authoritative and firm. “I’ll be back in a second.”
He walked out of the door, not taking no for an answer. It didn’t take long to be around the man to realize he was used to giving orders. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t debate things. The decision was made and he was going to do exactly what he said.
Whitney watched him from the window. She had a feeling Kyle was going to do what he wanted, whether she protested or put up a fight.
5
Kyle
There was no way he was leaving. He’d sleep in the yard if he had to. He was used to sleeping out in the desert. A night under the Oregon sky would be fine. He’d be close to Whitney, and suddenly that was the only thing that mattered to him.
He shook his head while he rummaged through the back of the Jeep. Sam was a son of a bitch for sending him out here. He had begged Kyle for his help, when the whole time he was just playing matchmaker.
“Well played, brother,” Kyle mumbled.
He didn’t know what his friend would think if he knew Kyle’s secret. If he knew Whitney had awakened his bear. If he knew he couldn’t leave Oregon until she was his in every way.
He grabbed his toolbox and slammed the door. Projects would be good. Working with his hands would keep his mind off putting them all over her. He needed to give her time. Only, he didn’t know how much his bear would let her have.
He knocked on the door, holding his tool box in one hand.
“You don’t have to knock,” she said, opening the door wide enough for him to walk in the house.
“Where do you want me?”
“Uh..I-I…” Her cheeks turned pink, and he smiled knowing he was the reason.
“What’s first on your list? The leak? The railing?” He could spend weeks here fixing all the things that were wrong with the house. He hadn’t even ventured into the barn yet.
“How about the railing? I know better than to lean on it, but you’re right. If someone leans on it they could fall right off the edge of the cliff.”
“All right. I’ll start there.” He turned for the porch. “Do you have any supplies in the barn? I’m going to need some two by fours.”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I never go in there.”
Kyle placed his toolbox on the porch. “I’ll go check it out.”
He walked across the yard and driveway. The barn was set back from the house. The doors were jammed shut. He turned to make sure Whitney wasn’t watching, before he used extra bear force to muscle into the building.
It was dark, but Kyle’s eyes adjusted quickly. He pulled the string hanging from the ceiling, lighting a small area of the barn. There were more tools here than he could have imagined. Sam had a small workshop. He smiled, glancing over the collection of table saws.
There wasn’t anything here that would help him with the porch railing though. He needed to make a supply run. He walked back over to the house.
“It looks like I need to buy a few things if I’m going to put the railing back together.”
“There’s a supply s
tore about thirty minutes from here,” Whitney offered.
“Ok. Why don’t you give me the address and I’ll find it? Be back in ninety minutes.”
Whitney reached for the hook next to the door, grabbing a jacket. “Why don’t I ride with you? It will be easier.”
He grinned. “Even better. Come on.”
He held the door and watched her climb in the Jeep.
“Which way?” he asked.
Whitney pointed once they rolled past the mailbox. “Turn here and then in another mile make a right.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
He reached for the radio, turning the volume up slightly.
“So, you’re a Ranger and a handyman?”
Kyle tried to remember the last time he had fixed something that wasn’t related to a mission. He had been in Razastan for two years. Two weeks back on US soil wasn’t enough to make him feel like a normal guy. Just driving the Jeep felt foreign to him.
“Natural knack with my hands.” He smiled at her.
“Hmm.” She crossed her arms and stared out of the window.
The rain had let up to a drizzle.
“Why do you live all the way out here by yourself?” he asked. He knew he hadn’t seen another house since they pulled out of the driveway.
“I don’t. I’m just getting it ready to sell.” She paused. “It was a family summer home. Sam and I inherited it. But now that he’s gone, I know it’s too much for me to keep on my own. You’ve seen the place.”
“But do you want to sell it?” Kyle turned when Whitney pointed to the next street.
“No. I love it. But it’s too much house. And the barn. And I’m…” She trailed off.
“You’re what?”
“Single.” She huffed. “At least with Sam he could help, but he’s been wherever you’ve been for two years. And now he’s not coming back.” She fidgeted with the seatbelt. “I kept thinking he’d come back and fix everything.”
There were a hundred things running through his head. He wanted to tell her he could put the house back together for her. She could keep it with his help. She wouldn’t have to worry anymore. But he realized how fucking absurd it sounded.