“What exactly are you asking me, Noah Wolf?”
“I’m asking you to marry me. As soon as my shoulder is healed.”
“Why does your shoulder need to be healed?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Really?”
She caught her bottom lip in her teeth. “Yes.”
With a grin wider than he thought possible, he crushed her lips to his and kissed her. He’d found his chance for happiness. A home. Anywhere Mia was, he was home.
Epilogue
Christmas, the next year…
The Wolf family home in Houston was filled with more love than Mia ever thought possible. She’d married Noah shortly after his shoulder healed. Her parents even managed to make time to show up. It had been nice to have them visit, but Mia loved Noah’s family. This was what she’d wanted growing up.
Not that her grandma hadn’t given her a great life; she had. But being surrounded by his family gave her something she’d been missing. A feeling of home and belonging.
She’d moved with him to North Carolina as he took over for Pam. She’d known Noah would be taking over before she married him. He’d promised not to keep things from her, and he’d followed through.
“All right,” Zoe said, digging around under the tree. “I know there’s one more under here.”
The floor was littered with wrapping paper, bows, and partially opened toys. Mia had never been so happy in her life. It was perfect…well, at least at the moment.
Finally, Zoe pulled a card out. “Noah.”
Mia stood across the room from her, working to hold in her excitement. No one knew, and she couldn’t wait to see his expression.
Noah looked around the room. “Me?”
“It’s got your name on it.”
He pulled the card out, opened it, and jerked his gaze to Mia’s. “Really?”
She grinned and nodded.
“What?” asked Harley.
Zach slapped him on the back. “I’ve experienced that look.”
In a flash, Noah had her around the waist, lifting her off the floor and kissing her.
“She’s pregnant!” His mom whooped. “Yes!”
The whole room turned to chaos with cheers and congratulations.
“I thought you made me that happiest man when you married me, but this is shooting for a tie. A baby?”
“A baby.”
Her big, tough, ex-Army Ranger soldier had tears in his eyes. “A baby. How long have you known?”
“A few days. I was feeling sick and there was a possibility, so I went to the doctor and they did a blood test.”
“This is the best gift you could’ve ever given me.”
She took his face in her hands, kissing him. “I love you more today than I did a year and a half ago.”
“You can’t possibly love me as much as I love you.” He smiled.
“Wanna bet?”
“I’ll prove it later.” He winked.
Mia circled her arms around him and held on. Happiness, fulfillment, and now the addition of a baby. It was more than she had ever hoped for.
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Read The Ranger’s Peace
Sneak Peek! The Ranger’s Peace
O f the things Ivy Manning thought she’d be doing with her life, radio talk show host wasn’t one of them. It had never even been on her horizon, but an advice column gone viral four years ago had changed all that. Now, at twenty-eight, she was a household name.
The old adage When one door closes, another opens didn’t apply to Ivy. In her case, it was all the doors flinging wide open and someone shoving her through. Fame had come calling swiftly, and her answer had been muffled by the pressure of her friend’s and family’s idea of success.
Do you know how many people would die to be in your shoes?
Ivy, you’d be crazy to turn this down.
Are you serious? Of course you’re going to take it.
Father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, and her best friend, Missy, who was now her manager. All of them looking at her as though she’d grown a second head at the very suggestion that it wasn’t what she really wanted or, at the very least, that it was happening too fast.
“Ivy? Are you with us? Or are you leaving the GripeVine hanging?”
Her producer’s voice penetrated the chaos of her thoughts. Donna Jones had been with her since the beginning. A year after hosting a segment at the Gatlinburg Radio Station, Ivy had found herself with an offer at a larger station in Nashville. That had been three years ago. She’d been so intimidated at first when she’d moved, but Donna made the transition easy.
Ivy smiled as she pushed all her thoughts away. “Oh, sorry. I’m with you.”
“What are your parting thoughts today?” Donna asked.
Ivy pushed her chestnut hair over her shoulder. “Today, try giving back a little. It doesn’t have to be a holiday or special occasion to be kind to your fellow man. Think of ways you can bring joy to the world. Give someone a compliment. Buy a stranger a cup of coffee. Open the door for that bundle-laden individual. Brighten a person’s day. Not only will you put a smile on their face, but yours as well. This is Ivy Manning. When you need to gripe, come to the vine.”
Donna played the segment’s end credits and music. “And you’re clear.”
Ivy wilted, putting her elbow on the tabletop and her head in her hand. “I’m so glad that’s over. I think if I had to do one more segment, I’d scream.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. We just had to get these done before you go on your book tour.”
“Yeah, it’s not you. It’s me,” Ivy said with a half-smile.
Donna roamed around the studio, getting ready for the next host who’d be on in a few minutes. “Any more from your stalker?”
Ivy nodded. “Yeah, I got one yesterday and another package a week ago. Both were a little rougher than the last few.” And crazy enough, the press from the stalker had catapulted her even further.
“Still being gross?”
“Yeah, with just a few variations. I’ve stopped reading them. It passes through my dad to the Guardian Group. If it’s safe, they send it on to me. Kolby takes care of the packages. So far, they’ve just been dead roses.”
Donna paused her post-show ritual. “And no closer to the person doing it?”
Ivy glanced over her shoulder to Kolby, the hulking Adonis holding up the inside studio wall, throwing a thumb in his direction. “I think he answers that question.”
From the very first letter, her manager and best friend since high school, Missy Lords, had taken it as a serious threat. No way was she taking a chance Ivy could get hurt.
Initially, Missy hired a local company in Nashville, but the guard assigned to Ivy failed to keep a mysterious package from showing up on Ivy’s doorstep. The contents had been harmless—that time a teddy bear and a rose—but it had scared her family enough that her dad had called in a favor from a friend, and a new company was hired. The Guardian Group—a security firm of ex-Army Rangers now headed by a man named Noah Wolf. The next thing she knew, a bodyguard was taking up residence in her spare bedroom since the middle of last April. It was now March, making it a month shy of a year.
Donna glanced at the man over her glasses. “This is going to sound wrong on all sorts of levels, and I’m not discounting the threat, but, man, what I wouldn’t give to be guarded by him.”
Ivy chuckled. “He can hear you, ya know.”
“Oh, I know. I’m single by the way,” she said and winked at him.
“You are so bad.” Ivy shook her head as she stood.
She couldn’t blame Donna one bit, though. From the second Kolby Rutherford showed up at her front door, she’d thought he was without a doubt the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on—tall, lithe, and muscular with a narrow waist and broad shoulders. His t-shirts fit him well, accentuating every inch of his toned chest and arms. The man
was tan, like, crazy tan, with steel-gray eyes, a head of thick blond hair, a jaw that could break concrete, and his backside? The jeans he wore must have been personally made for it. She’d never been more jealous of fabric in her life.
Donna shrugged. “Can’t help it.” She held up a finger as if something had just come to mind. “Did I tell you Newt wanted to see you? He called me during that last segment.”
Ivy leveled her gaze at Donna. “No. Why would he want to see me now?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t a clue, but he sounded pretty excited, so it must be good news.”
Good news to Newt meant horrible news to her. Signing on to do the segment in Gatlinburg had been fun, and watching it grow and expand to other parts of Tennessee was neat, but getting picked up nationally had been a nightmare.
“Better go. Newt said he was grabbing an energy drink and a candy bar before he went to his office,” Donna said.
Ivy groaned. “Great. He’ll be speaking at the speed of light.”
Donna braced her hand on the chair and laughed. “Girl, you are not kidding. Sometimes his voice is so high that I think only dogs can hear him.”
Ivy grabbed her purse out of the chair by the door and stopped next to Kolby. He’d worn her favorite cologne, citrus and sandalwood. Man, he smelled good. “You may need earplugs.”
He grinned. “I’ll be fine.”
Inwardly, she sighed. If only he wasn’t her bodyguard. When she’d first met the man, he’d been rather prickly—almost harsh, laying down the law that he was only a bodyguard and not her friend, as he’d said some eleven months ago. He’d explained that in their line of work, it was easy to confuse professional and personal, and he didn’t want any confusion. As time passed, he’d softened while still maintaining his distance and professionalism. Only recently had she even learned his age, twenty-nine. A year older than her, but the way he carried himself said his age was just a number.
Oh, but that smile. She couldn’t stop fantasizing about those warm, full lips on hers. And she was doing it right that second. With him staring at her. Hot embarrassment grew in her belly and raced to her ears. No doubt he had to be wondering why she was turning sixteen shades of red.
She cleared her throat. “Okay, let’s go.”
He opened the door and stepped out to check the hallway before moving aside to let her pass through. At the end of the hall, Missy waited for her.
“Hey, did Newt call you?” asked Ivy.
Missy nodded. “Actually, I called him, and he gave you the message.”
“You did? Why?”
Missy gave Kolby a glare. Her friend wasn’t thrilled with the man. Not that she didn’t love Ivy and want her protected. It just created a hassle for her with scheduling. He always had to check things out first, make sure they were clear, and do background checks on everyone in attendance.
Missy hooked her arm through Ivy’s as they walked to Newt’s office. “You’re going to love this.”
“Well, if you’re this excited, it’s probably something I won’t like.”
“Oh, Ivy, you can’t tell me you don’t love this. You’re known all over the country. Somewhere out there tonight is someone who followed your advice, and now their lives are better for it. You help people.”
“There’s also someone out there sending me threatening messages.”
Ivy loved Missy and had since high school, but sometimes it felt as though she didn’t hear what Ivy was saying. It was all too much. She just wanted to slow down a second. Take a breath. She went from one promotional event to the next. And the book tour that was lined up only fueled Ivy’s longing to disappear for a while.
“Missy, I’m getting tired. I’d really like to take a break.”
“I know, but we need to strike while the iron is hot, and right now, that iron is you. This book deal is huge. Think of all the endorsements and merchandise that could come from it. You work hard now, and you’ll be set for the rest of your life.”
Yep, same conversation, different verse. How about enjoying life and taking things a little slower?
“Ivy, I’ve worked so hard to get you these things. Staying up late hours, negotiating deals…I mean, I know you want to slow down a little, but all of it’s in motion. If you back out now, it might come tumbling down. I know you don’t want that.”
No, Ivy didn’t want all of Missy’s hard work to be for nothing. The people-pleaser in her reared its ugly head, and she sighed. “No, of course not. I know how hard you’ve worked. I’m sure it’ll be fine. On the next flight to California, I’ll just put my headphones on and take a breather while I’m in the air.” She smiled.
Missy patted her hand. “Exactly. We’re in this together, remember?”
“I remember,” she said as they stopped at Newt’s wide-open office door.
He stood and grinned. “Ivy. My favorite little rockstar radio host!”
Inside, Ivy withered. He was far too happy. Bad news was a bear, and this one was a grizzly. Ivy’s shoulders rounded as she sat in the chair across from his desk, pulling her purse into her lap. “I’m good. Would one of you just tell me what’s going on?”
Newt flicked a gaze to Kolby as he shut his office door. “I’ll let Missy give the news.”
“Okay, spill it,” said Ivy.
Newt moved to his desk chair and sat.
Missy’s lips broke into a huge smile. “You’ve been asked to fly to Seattle and co-host Live with Charla.”
Ivy groaned. “Live with Charla?” Television? A national radio show, speaking engagements, a book tour, and now a television show? She wanted to cry just thinking about it.
“Yes. They’re saying that if everything goes well, they might offer you a spot as her permanent co-host.” Missy clapped her hands and squealed. “It’s so great, right?
Newt grinned and nodded in agreement like a flicked bobblehead.
Ivy sucked in a large breath and let it out slowly. “I thought she had a co-host. Theresa Reid.”
Missy nodded. “Well, she did. Theresa is out. Apparently, she said something on her Chatter account and created a firestorm. The network fired her. That means you’ve got a great shot at taking her place.”
Ivy stared at Newt. “But what about my show here? Why are you so excited about me leaving? I thought you wanted me to stay.”
Newt was entirely too happy for Ivy’s comfort, and she braced herself for a new level of workload. “You don’t have to leave. Live has plenty of breaks. You can do segments in between tapings and keep your job here as well as there. Missy and I have worked it out. There’ll be zero conflict.”
“But I’ve already got all of these other commitments. I’ve been going non-stop for more than a year now. Every time I ask for a break, I’m told just one more thing, and they turn into six, and I get no downtime.” Ivy could feel the exhaustion seeping its way into her bones just thinking about the schedule they were making her for. Her throat began to close up. Gripping the edge of the desk, her stomach turned as the room spun.
Breathe. She just needed to breathe. The panic attacks were new. Another side effect of her fame. She counted to ten then to twenty.
“Ivy, are you okay?” Missy asked. With one more deep breath, Ivy pushed the panic away. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Newt had come out of his chair and now stood next to her. “I’m glad that therapist was able to help you.”
“Me too,” Ivy said, her voice thick. She glanced from Newt to Missy.
“I can’t guys. I can’t keep going. Don’t you understand? I need a break. All this going and doing and never a minute to myself is too much. Please give me a break.” She didn’t care if it sounded like she was begging.
Missy cupped Ivy’s shoulder with her hand. “It’s just one shoot with Live, then I promise I’ll schedule in a break.”
Tears threatened. “When do they want me?”
Missy grimaced. “The network wants you there in two days. You’ll leave at four that morning so you can be at
the studio by six for hair and makeup. They want to do a run-through before they shoot live, too.” She paused just enough to catch her breath. “They’ve even booked you the presidential suite at the Four Seasons.”
“Absolutely not,” Kolby said in his slow Southern country-boy drawl. Oh, man, Ivy dug his accent, even though at times, she had no idea what he’d said, and she’d have to ask him to repeat himself. “We had an agreement. You make the schedule far out enough that I can thoroughly clear people.”
Missy lifted an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t understand that. Could you speak a little slower?”
Ivy could take a lot, but she hated it when Missy was snobby to Kolby, the one side of her friend she’d never understood. Missy could be so sweet and kind, helping Ivy at the shelters, walking dogs, all the community service things that Ivy loved. But it seemed impossible for her to be nice to Kolby. “Missy, don’t be hateful. He’s doing his job.”
“Why did your dad have to hire him? Surely there was someone else…more refined.” Her best friend crossed her arms over her chest. “Someone who could speak a language we understand.”
Ivy twisted in her seat to look at Kolby. “I’m sorry.”
Missy glowered at Kolby. “The network is sending a private plane. They know about the stalker. Their guys would have cleared everyone anyway.”
Kolby’s jaw clenched, and he kept his expression neutral. “But they aren’t me. I’ll need to speak with the security team and have my people do background checks on them as well.”
“Don’t you think that’s overkill?” asked Newt.
Kolby shook his head. “No. Her safety is my job, and I do my job well. Get me the name of the company. I’ll make sure they’re vetted before she gets on that plane.” His gaze lowered to Ivy’s. “That’s if Miss Ivy wants to go.”
Ivy smiled at Kolby in appreciation. Miss Ivy. The way he said it sent a shiver through her. That was as close to calling her by name as he’d get. She was his client; therefore, she deserved respect. Turning to Missy and Newt, she said. “I’ll do the show, but I’m done for a while after that.”
The Ranger's Chance: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book One Page 17