Hero by Night
Page 17
“We’ve called the police,” Eric said. “They’re on their way now. You need to put the gun down, Tim. I know you’re upset, man, but this solves nothing.”
Lena saw the sweat on Tim’s brow. He was nervous, jumpy, and likely to do something stupid. She had a feeling waiting for the police was not an option.
“How the hell am I supposed to pay my mortgage now?” Tim demanded, moving his arms just enough with each word that her instincts screamed, Take him out, but her mind knew to wait for a clear shot.
“You told Eric I was high and I scared your crazy girlfriend who is afraid of her damn shadow,” Tim continued.
“Do I looked scared right now, Tim?” she called, drawing his attention away from Chad, hoping he’d aim his weapon at her—and offer a clear path for a bullet. She only had one shot at this. If she failed, he’d fire on Chad.
“Because you don’t frighten me,” she added, feeling the truth of those words down to her fingertips. She had a mountain of fears, including losing Chad before she had a chance to talk to him. Tim didn’t make the list.
But the intoxicated man with the shotgun ignored her, focusing on Chad. “Eric never would have accused me if you hadn’t gone and tattled like a little girl.”
“He wasn’t the only one who saw you,” Eric said. “Put the gun down and we’ll talk about it.”
With a flick of his thumb, Tim removed the safety. “No.”
Lena focused on her breath. Her finger slipped into position on an inhale, preparing to shoot as the measured breath left her body. She refused to lose Chad when she’d finally realized that the one thing she had to offer him—love—might be enough.
Staring down the barrel of her revolver, Lena exhaled and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 23
THE SHOT RANG out and Chad ran toward the noise. Lena. He saw a swirl of color, her long dress billowing as she raced forward. Relief mixed with adrenaline, but he kept moving, chasing after her. He reached her side as she slid Tim’s gun out away from his bleeding hand.
“Nice shot,” Chad said.
“There are some things I’m very good at, and this is one of them,” she said, her gaze focused on the wounded man at her feet. “I couldn’t let him shoot you.”
“Yeah, I feel the same about you. I was terrified he’d turn his rifle and aim it at you.” Chad looped his arm around her waist. “Maybe I should start carrying a gun.”
“I think your skills lie elsewhere,” she murmured.
Police sirens echoed through the forest, the sound drawing closer and closer to the clearing. Eric, Liam, and Katie joined them, forming a semicircle around the cursing, bleeding man on the ground. Katie threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight as he kept his hold on Lena.
“I’m glad you’re OK,” Katie said. “I couldn’t handle two brothers in the hospital.”
Chad released his sister. “Thank Lena. She’s the one who shot him.”
If she hadn’t fired first . . . no, he couldn’t let his mind go there. Lena was a warrior. He believed in her.
Medics rushed over, lifting the pale-faced Tim onto the stretcher. Police officers, led by Rick Maxwell, a guy who’d graduated high school with Brody, led the pack.
“She shot my fucking hand! She’s crazy,” Tim whimpered as the medics wheeled the stretcher toward the waiting ambulance.
“Here is the weapon.” Lena handed her revolver to Rick.
“It was self-defense,” Chad added.
Rick slipped Lena’s gun into an evidence bag, handed it off to another man in uniform before crouching down beside Tim’s gun. Picking up the unfired weapon, he looked up at the small crowd gathered. “I’m going to need statements from everyone.”
“Yes, sir,” Lena said as Chad wrapped an arm around her. Holding her close, he could feel her breathing shift as she drew air in short gasps. It was as if letting go of her weapon had opened the door to panic. Over the noise at the scene, he heard barking.
“Katie,” Chad said. “Get Hero. Now.”
With Liam at her side, Katie ran to the Moore Timber truck, opened the door, and released the frantic golden retriever. Hero raced to his owner, jumping up, pushing her out of Chad’s arms and onto the ground. The dog lay across her chest, his nose beside her cheek.
“He’s a service dog,” Chad explained to the officers. “Lena served in the army.”
Rick nodded. “We’ll still need your statements, but I can start with someone else. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
Eric clapped Rick on the shoulder. “I’ll start.”
HOURS LATER, THE trucks and police cruisers pulled away from the landing site. The sun had slipped behind the mountains, while Rick and his team had done their job, taking statements from everyone who’d been working at the site and seen the events unfold. The officer in charge had agreed with Chad—self-defense.
Lena climbed into Chad’s truck, sliding across the bench and leaving the window for Hero. Chad claimed the driver’s seat and turned on the truck. Headlights illuminated the helicopter sitting in the middle of the clearing. A physical reminder of what had led them down this path—the common belief that dreams were worth fighting for, even if they seemed silly or small, like surviving the day, or finding a job.
“Chad.” She needed to say this now, before they drove away from this place. “I read your note. Before all of this started. And I realized that by walking away I’d marched headfirst into failure. Even if I struggle every day to get back to a normal life, I don’t want it to stop me from loving you. I don’t want to let the fear win. You deserve more—”
“More than a woman who saves my life?” He took her hand, interlacing their fingers as he turned to face her. “Lena, I think you’re the only person out there who would shoot a nut job with a hunting rifle for me.”
She glanced down at their joined hands as pride swelled. Maybe she couldn’t accept a medal in a cramped, crowded conference room, but when he needed her, she could step up. And it didn’t matter that she fallen apart afterward, her dog pinning her to the ground, because she’d saved him.
“I made a mistake too,” Chad continued. “I’ve spent my whole adult life hiding from heartache, scared I’m going to end up like my dad, watching the door slam behind the woman I love, that I never stopped to think that finding the right woman is worth the risk. Seeing you out there today, knowing a madman might turn his gun on you . . . Shit, I think today proved that I’m not a guy who rushes in and saves the day. If anyone is lacking here, it’s me.”
She placed her hand on his cheek. “I don’t need the strongest man, or the one who is the best shot. I don’t need you to save me from crazy, stupid, stoned idiots. I need the man who makes me laugh, whose wicked words leave me craving his touch—”
“I can be your hero at night, Lena. That I can do.” He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. “But—”
“No ‘buts,’ ” she ordered. “Listen to me, Chad. I need the man who believes in me. I have a long road ahead of me littered with nightmares, and horrible rushes of anxiety that I can’t control. I want the man who believes those things don’t hold me back, even when I can’t believe it myself.”
She rested her forehead against his. “You’re my hero, Chad, and not only at night. Just by being you.”
Alone in the quiet truck, Hero’s breathing the only sound, she let her words sink in before adding the ones she’d been waiting to say to him.
“I love you.” She brushed her lips over his. “Chad Summers, I love you just the way you are.”
He kissed her back, claiming her mouth. Melting into him, she savored the intimate touch. She let out a soft moan, protesting as he stole his lips away from hers. His mouth hovering close to hers, as he said the words she’d been waiting to hear.
“I love you too, beautiful.”
Epilogue<
br />
Five months later . . .
BRODY WEAVED THROUGH the parked cars and pickups searching for the one with the windows fogged up, and the golden retriever standing guard by the passenger side door. Behind him, the party was in full swing celebrating Georgia and Eric. In forty-eight hours, the head of Moore Timber and his girl would walk down the aisle. Brody had no doubt that every detail would be flawless, just like the coed bachelorette/bachelor party his little sister had spent the past six months or so planning. And he would be there to witness the big event—if he made it back in time.
Hero barked and Brody followed the sound to the Chad’s truck. Raising his hand, he knocked on the window. “Chad,” he called.
Brody heard scrambling. The horn honked. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Standing here, waiting for his little brother to stop whatever he’d been doing in the truck—and Brody had a pretty good idea even if it had been too damn long since he’d met a woman he could take to bed—he felt old.
The driver’s side opened and Chad slipped out, careful to close the door behind him. His little brother’s flannel shirt was unbuttoned, but at least Chad had his pants on.
“You’re missing the party,” Brody said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Chad raised an eyebrow. “You came out here to drag me back?”
“No,” Brody said with a heavy sign. “I need to go. A call came in. A group of hikers are lost on Mount Hood.”
Chad shook his head. “You don’t need to take every call. They have search and rescue volunteers in Portland. Take some downtime. You just got back from a rescue.”
“They need more hands on this one. Some of the hikers are kids. They need all the help they can get.”
“You’ll be back for the wedding?”
“Yeah, I should. I’m picking up the new doctor, the woman from New York that you interviewed last week, on Saturday morning. But I should be back for the wedding.”
“Good.” Chad grinned. “Maybe you’ll meet someone. I can ask Lena if there are any single ladies on the guest list.”
“Don’t even think about setting me up.” Brody backed away. “I told Eric I had to take off, but do me a favor before the rehearsal dinner tomorrow and check on Josh.”
“Done. And Brody?”
“Yeah?”
“Be safe out there.”
Brody nodded. “Always.”
CHAD WAITED UNTIL his big brother disappeared from sight. He was tempted to sit Brody down and have a long talk with him about what was important in life. Work and duty were on the list, but not at the top. In Chad’s book, love came first, or at least it did now that he had Lena in his life.
But he had a feeling his big brother wouldn’t listen. He’d been caring for others for so long, he’d forgotten how to take a break and do something for himself—like get laid.
“Don’t tell me you got dressed,” Chad said, slipping into the truck once the coast was clear, careful to keep Hero on the outside.
“No, I’m still ready and waiting for you,” Lena murmured, pulling him close for a kiss as her hands pushed his shirt off his shoulders.
With his mouth pressed against hers, he unbuttoned his pants, and with her help slid them down over his hips.
“We’re acting like teenagers,” Lena murmured, sliding onto Chad’s lap, her back to the steering wheel. “We should rejoin the party.”
“Soon, beautiful. First I need to hear you scream my name.”
Lena rocked her hips against him, letting him feel how wet and ready she was for him. In one fluid motion, she reached over, plucked a condom off the dash, and covered him. Holding his cock with one hand, she took him in, inch by inch.
They rocked together, allowing the pleasure to build. They had all night to make love. And the next night and the night after that . . .
Chad cupped her bare breasts, teasing her nipples, his gaze fixed on her face. This was not the time or the place, but the words slipped out anyway. “Ever think about getting married again?”
Lena stilled above him, her body tightening its hold on his cock. “Chad Summers, are you proposing?”
“No, Lena.” He ran his hands up to her collarbone and down over her arms. Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he pinned them behind her back. “You’ll know when I’m proposing. Right now, I’m just asking if you think about it.”
“Look at me,” she ordered.
He loved the way she vied for control while he held her tight. “Oh, I’m looking, beautiful.”
“I love you, Chad Summers,” she said, her blue eyes shining bright. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So when you’re ready, ask.”
Hope swelled inside him. He didn’t doubt her. He had faith in their love for each other. But he wanted more. He wanted her forever.
Releasing her wrists, he cupped her face in his hands, drawing her lips down to meet his. He kissed her softly, savoring the intimate touch.
“I will, Lena. Count on it.”
Coming April 2015
Wild With You
Book Four: Independence Falls
One night with a hero is just what she needs. But more spells trouble . . .
Growing up on the wrong side of everything, Dr. Katherine “Kat” Arnold left small-town life in Independence Falls for New York City and never looked back. But when she is asked to consult on a case involving a young man who lost his short-term memory following a logging accident, Kat relents. Part of her looks forward to showing her hometown how she has thrived. And she doesn’t have to wait long. Her first night in Portland, before she drives to Independence Falls, she sees him. Tall, dark, and handsome, Brody Summers is a familiar face in a sea of strangers. But he doesn’t connect her polished doctor persona with the girl who watched him from afar in high school. It seems like the perfect opportunity for a down-and-dirty affair with the man of her dreams . . .
Brody Summers saves people. For years, he looked out for his younger siblings and ran the family business. Now he works search and rescue. After a botched mission outside of Portland, Brody heads to the city, planning to take a night off. And he wouldn’t say no to no-holds-barred sex with the blond city girl. But the next day when he returns to his duties as head of the family and meets his brother’s new doctor, Brody realizes the past is returning to haunt him—and it goes back further than one wild night.
The last thing Kat wants is a reason to extend her stay in the town that failed her as a child. But she can’t escape the memory of Brody’s wicked touch, or the desire for more.
Brody is counting on Kat to help his brother. He can’t allow their personal relationship, past or present, to interfere. But as the passion heats up, Brody wonders if he is falling for the one woman who doesn’t need or want him to be her hero. And what would it take to change her mind?
About the Author
After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, SARA JANE STONE bid good-bye to her sales career to pursue her dream—writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children, and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SaraJaneStone.
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An Excerpt from
HOLDING HOLLY
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by Julie Brannagh
Holly Reynolds has a secret. Make that two. The first involves upholding her grandmother’s hobby of answering Dear Santa letters from dozens of local schoolchildren. The second . . . well, he just came strolling in the door.
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“DO YOU NEED anything else right now?”
“I’m good,” he said. “Then again, there’s something I forgot.”
“What do you need? Maybe I can help.”
He moved closer to her, and she tipped her head back to look up at him. He reached out to cup one of her cheeks in his big hand. “I had a great time tonight. Thanks for having pizza with me.”