The Ranger’s Heart: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book Three

by Livingston, Bree

  The next five weeks were going to be brutal.

  Chapter 19

  Gunner let out a slow breath as he rolled onto his back, stuffing his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Sleep was as elusive as ever and even more so after spending time on the beach with Sophia. He hadn’t actually meant to kiss her, but she was there, and the moon was hitting her in such a way that her lips were in a spotlight. The temptation was too much to resist tasting them again.

  His plan for the night hadn’t included telling her about Bella, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was supposed to tell her right then and there. And he didn’t care if cameras were trained on him. He wanted Sophia to know him. To trust him. And to do that, he needed to give her a piece of his heart that he fiercely guarded. He hoped she understood what it took for him to confess that on camera. That it meant something…that it meant she had his heart and he was serious about her.

  A knock came at the door, and he sat up. He checked the clock on the nightstand. Three in the morning? He swung his legs over the side of the bed and debated how to answer the door. The letter writer had shown that they didn’t like him. What if that’s who was on the other side? Should he take his gun? What if it was just some lost tourist from another part of the island? He didn’t want to terrify someone.

  He stood, strode to the door, and opened it. “Gwendolyn?”

  She threw herself into his arms. “I think someone tried to break into my cabin. I heard the front door open and footsteps. I crawled out the window.”

  Leaning back, he asked, “Why didn’t you go to security?”

  Tears were running down her cheeks. “Your cabin was the first one I got to.” She pointed to a cabin a few feet away. “That one’s mine. I’m sorry. I’ll find security.”

  “No, it’s okay. Come on. I’ll check it out.”

  He stepped out of his cabin, shut the door, and escorted her back to her cabin. When they arrived, her front door stood wide open. His gut said something was off, but he couldn’t put a finger on what. “You said you heard footsteps, but you didn’t see anyone?”

  She shook her head. “No, I was in my bedroom with my door shut, working on notes for tomorrow.”

  “Do you have your phone on you? We can call security.”

  “No, that’s okay. I was probably just being paranoid. I bet I didn’t get the door shut all the way and the breeze blew it open. I’m just a little paranoid since that letter writer poisoned you.”

  Gwendolyn did have a point.

  Maybe his gut was off after a night of no sleep. “I’ll take a look through and make sure no one is here, okay? Just to be on the safe side. But have that phone ready if someone jumps out and tries to beat me up.” He chuckled.

  She palmed her forehead. “Oh, I feel so silly now.”

  “It’s okay. Better safe than sorry.” He yawned. “I wasn’t asleep anyway.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “I’m so sorry. You have trouble sleeping, don’t you?”

  Gunner rubbed his face with both hands to wake himself up. “Yeah, but it’s okay. I wasn’t even close to dozing off.” He stepped through her door, flipped the light on, and walked through the cabin. As he returned to the small living room, he stopped in the middle with his hands on his hips. “I don’t see anything. It’s probably just like you said. The door wasn’t quite shut, and the breeze blew it open.”

  “Next time, I’ll just check it myself instead of being a scaredy cat.” Gwendolyn walked through the cabin to the small kitchen. “I can offer some hot tea for your trouble.”

  His gut screamed no. What were the odds that someone would see him and tell Sophia he was in another woman’s cabin at three in the morning? “Thanks for the offer, but I should get back.”

  She walked with him to the door. “Well, thank you again. You’re so much better than this show deserves. Most guys wouldn’t have done what you did.”

  Waving her off, he smiled. “Eh, sure they would. Have a good night.” He jogged down the steps and nearly ran to his cabin.

  He pulled his phone out of his toiletry bag and called Ryder. That guy was even worse about sleeping, so Gunner didn’t feel bad calling him. One good thing about having his own cabin was he didn’t have to worry about anyone hearing him on the phone or being subjected to his nightmares.

  “Ryder.”

  “Hey, man, I need you to dig a little deeper on Gwendolyn Shaw. Something tells me we’ve missed something.”

  “Gwendolyn Shaw?” He paused a moment, most likely pulling up her picture. “Oh, wow, she is cute.” Yep, that’s exactly what Ryder had done.

  “Yeah, she is, but I’ve got a weird vibe going on.”

  “Okay. Man, I hope you’re wrong. She’s too pretty to be evil.”

  Gunner laughed. “Yeah, ’cause looks are a determining factor in that.”

  “A guy can hope.”

  “Just get everything you can.”

  “Will do.”

  Gunner ended the call and put the phone back. Stretching long, he walked to his bed and dropped onto it. Now he was tired. Still, that odd feeling about Gwendolyn wouldn’t ease up. She’d done nothing wrong that he knew of, but in the past when he’d ignored his gut, that’s when things went wrong. Like when they were in Africa. He’d known something bad was going to happen and told the guys, but they’d still kept that village from being taken. They were willing to take the licks to keep kids from being hurt.

  Maybe Ryder wouldn’t find anything. Gunner hoped he wouldn’t. He liked Gwendolyn. She seemed sweet. There was nothing there spark-wise, even if he’d met her prior to meeting Sophia. And now that his heart was firmly in Sophia’s hands, there wasn’t a woman on earth that could catch his eye.

  Yawning, he rolled onto his stomach and let his thoughts fade as he drifted off, hoping to see Sophia in his dreams.

  Chapter 20

  A week later as she strolled through the market holding hands with Landon, Sophia feel like she was cheating on Gunner. It was ridiculous because it was expected on a show like this, and she was supposed to be giving both guys a fair chance. The last week she’d spent time with both men, alternating spending a day with them.

  Her dates with Gunner had left her feeling lightheaded and giddy. Holding hands with him, the way he smiled at her. They had so much fun together walking around in Puerto Rico. He made it feel less like a show and more like it was just the two of them.

  It was becoming harder and harder to spend time with Landon. She had no idea how the bachelorettes before her handled it. Had any of them felt the way she did for one of the guys early on? What did they do to hide it?

  Landon had tried to kiss her, but she’d said it was too soon. In reality, her lips were off limits. Gunner’s kisses…just thinking about them made her want to grab on to something to hold herself up. She’d never been kissed by anyone the way he kissed her. What was worse, just thinking about kissing someone else made her sick to her stomach. How much would that hurt Gunner? After that first night on the beach in Puerto Rico, with the way he’d poured out his heart, there was no way she could do that to him.

  There was no way he was responsible for his high school sweetheart’s death either. She’d need proof to believe that. He may have worked on her truck, but as much as he loved her, there was no way he’d have let her drive it if he thought it was unsafe.

  “Sophia?” Landon’s voice broke through her Gunner-obsessed thoughts.

  Heat raced to her cheeks, and she smiled. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  Landon pulled her to a stop, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “Where were you just now? You’ve had this dreamy look on your face several times today.”

  The guy was cute. He was funny. And there was a girl out there who would eat him up like candy. It just wasn’t her. Somewhere between a peanut allergy and the trip to Puerto Rico, she’d fallen for Thomas Gun. She nearly choked right there in front of Landon. She’d fallen for Gunner?

  No, that wasn’
t possible. It was just her crazy heart doing what it always did. Latching on to a guy and setting herself up to be hurt. Plus, she needed to act like she was still very much available. Hillary would kill her if she didn’t.

  She smiled. “Oh, I’m just enjoying the stroll with you. I love markets like this.”

  “Are you sure that’s it?”

  She nodded. “I’m positive.” Landon was sweet, and she felt terrible for daydreaming about Gunner. What could she do to make it up to him? “I have an idea. Do you know how to bake brownies?”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “No.”

  Sophia beamed. “Awesome. Let’s get ingredients, and I’ll teach you. The kitchen in my cabin is big enough, and it’ll be fun.”

  Landon shrugged. “Okay, sounds good to me. I’m never going to turn down a brownie lesson.”

  The director called cut, and the crew scurried around. Candace walked up to them. “That was great, guys. And, Sophia, excellent idea for the cooking lesson. The market is getting a little fuller than I like. We’ll get a few shots of you guys shopping for stuff while the camera crew gets things set up back at the resort, and then we’ll head back.”

  Landon took her hand and kissed the back of it. “That was a good idea. It’ll be nice to spend some real alone time with you.”

  She smiled, but inside she was wilting. “Yeah, me too.” Hopefully Landon didn’t get the wrong idea. She liked him, but her heart was firmly in Gunner’s grip, and that grip was only getting tighter. Poor Landon never stood a chance.

  Chapter 21

  The kitchen was set up, and everything was ready to go for Landon’s cooking lesson. As soon as the makeup crew was done shellacking Sophia’s face one last time, they’d start filming. She was sure once the show was over, it would take a year to actually get all the makeup off her skin. How did actresses put up with this all the time?

  “Okay, Sophia, just do what you’d normally do when teaching someone to bake.” The director smiled. “Of course, a lot of flirting would be great too.”

  Why had Sophia suggested this? She cut a glance at Landon who was grinning ear to ear. She felt terrible, but she kept her plastic smile plastered on her freshly caked face. “I’m sure we can manage that.”

  The makeup team gathered up their stuff and hurried out of frame, and the director counted down. “Action!”

  “This is the first brownie recipe I ever made. It’s super simple, and the only thing I did to make it special was add almond extract.” Sophia floated around the kitchen getting bowls and measuring spoons as she spoke.

  Landon had his hip leaned on the counter, watching her. “Almond extract?”

  She stopped and nodded. “Yep. Just a tiny drop, and it changes the flavor.”

  “I never would have thought of that. Then again, I’m not a baker.”

  “And you don’t have to be. Some of this is just following directions.”

  A commotion caught Sophia’s attention, and a second later, the director called cut. “Uh, Landon, there’s a phone call for you.” Candace walked to him and handed him a phone. “You might want to step away to take it.”

  “That sounds serious.”

  Candace nodded. “Yeah.”

  A few moments later, Landon returned, and Sophia knew by the look on his face that something horrible had happened.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head. His eyes turned glassy. “My dad suffered a massive heart attack this morning. They got him to the hospital, but he’d been without oxygen too long.” His voice broke. “They have him on life support until I can get there and say goodbye.”

  A hush fell over the crew as they stopped everything.

  “Oh, Landon.” Sophia rushed to him and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her. They stood there a moment, and then he pulled away. “I have to go home.”

  “Of course you do. Take all the time you need, and if you need anything, anything at all, let us know.” Sophia looked at Candace. “In fact, we’ll pack your suitcase so you don’t have to. I think the studio jet can be ready by the time you get there, right?”

  Candace nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Landon nodded, but she could tell he wasn’t really there. “Thanks.” He touched his head as he slowly walked out of the house with a few of the crew members walking with him.

  “That was awful.”

  Candace walked to her chair and slowly sat. “I feel like I need to call my baby sister and tell her I love her.”

  Sophia nodded. “I want to go home and spend a week with my family.”

  “Uh, okay…I think we should scrap this, get things cleaned up, and have a group call with Hillary on what she wants us to do.”

  “Yeah, that—” Sophia sniffed the air as she walked behind the island to put things up. She knew the crew could do it, and normally she would’ve left it to them, but her heart was heavy for Landon. She needed something to do. “Do you smell that?” The words barely left her lips when a burst of fire forced the stove door open. She screamed and jumped back.

  In an instant, everyone was on the move. Candace ran to Sophia, took her by the hand, and began pulling her out of the cabin. The crew was grabbing their equipment, filing out of the house in record time.

  Flames poured out of the windows, eating the wood better than termites. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t even turn the stove on,” Sophia said. She gasped, realizing it wasn’t just the cabin being burned but everything she’d brought with her. It was a good thing most of the clothes belonged to the show. Losing her favorite t-shirt would have hurt.

  Gwendolyn stopped next to them. “I found this clipped to my clipboard.” She handed Sophia a letter with her name written in the familiar scroll. “I’m sorry.”

  Tears pooled in Sophia’s eyes. “I don’t know what I’ve done to make them mad, but I wish I knew.” She slowly opened the envelope, wishing she’d never agreed to do the show. “The mistake was thinking just the bachelors were naughty. Tisk tisk tisk, Miss Parker, you’re just as bad. One of these bachelors is too good for you. Can you guess which one before your time has come?”

  “Sophia!” Gunner called.

  She looked up from the letter, searching the crowd for him. Their eyes locked as she found him. He closed the distance before she could blink, wrapping himself around her and crushing her to him. “Are you okay?”

  “No. The fire was set on purpose.” She pulled back, showing him the now-crinkled letter.

  He took it from her, glanced at it, and flicked his gaze back to hers. “This changes things.” He leaned in. “We need to talk to Hillary. I need to get you somewhere contained and safe.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

  Gunner pulled her close again, putting his lips against her ear. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  Sophia had no doubt he would. The conviction in his voice, the hold he had on her…if anyone could keep her safe, it was him. She never thought she’d be grateful Hillary hid something from her, but in that moment, she was thankful…grateful Gunner was there and holding her.

  * * *

  Gunner tugged at the blanket covering Sophia, pulling it over her shoulders. It had fallen off as she slept on the couch in the cottage. Rightfully, she’d been an emotional mess once it hit her that she could have been hurt. On the plane back to California, he’d divided his time between holding her and talking to Ryder. They’d landed after midnight, and she’d finally settled enough to fall asleep.

  Her eyes were still a little puffy from crying, and the tip of her nose was red. She’d been embarrassed, but all he could see was the woman he cared about upset and hurting. Mostly, he’d just wanted to soothe her worries and let her know he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.

  They worked out a plan along with Hillary. Gunner would stay at the co
ttage, with Sophia in the spare bedroom, until filming started back up once Landon returned…if he returned. Things would go back to normal, and everyone would act as though nothing had changed.

  Ryder had also hooked the cottage up with better security, and he’d be monitoring the system from now on. If anyone tripped the alarm, he’d know it, and the police were on standby. It was amazing how cooperative and responsive people were when executive producers got involved.

  He stood and shuffled down the hallway and into his room where his suitcase lay on the bed. After a day of traveling and phone calls, he wanted a shower and some sleep. The shower was a guarantee, the sleep…not so much, but he’d at least try to catch a few winks. If he was careful and didn’t drift too deeply, he wouldn’t wake Sophia with his nightmares.

  Grabbing some comfortable clothes to change into, he went to the bathroom and flipped the water on, locking the door before peeling his clothing off. Once the water was hot, he stepped in and let the water run over his back as he braced his hands against the wall. It wasn’t until the water held a lukewarm tinge that he stepped out, toweled off, and dressed.

  On the way back to the bedroom, he ran a towel over his hair and sat down on the bed, making sure he hadn’t missed any calls. His plan was to go back to the living room to be with Sophia, but now that he was still, he wasn’t sure he could stand up again.

  He stretched out on the bed, tucking his hands under his head and letting his vision blur as he stared at the ceiling. For the first time in forever, he didn’t even feel himself drifting to sleep. One minute he was thinking he needed to get up before he fell asleep, and the next, he was gone.

  Chapter 22

  Sophia slid to a stop as she reached the second bedroom, quickly opening the door. Gunner was on his side, gripping the sheets and gasping for air. It looked like whatever nightmare he was having was awful, based on how pained he looked.