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

by Bree Livingston

  For the umpteenth time, Sophia glared at Thomas Gun over her menu. The director had called action, and she was still trying to figure out how to navigate the date. She wasn’t mad at Hillary anymore, and if she was honest, she really wasn’t mad at him either. It didn’t take away the sting of betrayal she felt, but she understood he’d been keeping with character in order to keep her safe.

  Plus, when she stopped being mad, she realized that, unlike the other bachelors, he hadn’t been pursuing her. Anytime they’d had a moment, it was her approaching him. But was he keeping his distance, or was he doing his job? He was supposed to be there observing, which meant he’d need to hang back. It made her head hurt trying to figure it all out.

  “Does anything look good to you?” he asked as he lifted his head and his gaze connected with hers.

  Those eyes. They’d almost gotten to her at the house. The way he’d looked so haunted…no, defeated. Like she’d broken his heart or something, which she knew wasn’t true. He was there to catch the person threatening her and the show, not to date her. He’d been charming because he had to be.

  It had taken every ounce of fortitude she had to keep her tough-girl appearance when he’d sounded so hurt. She was a lot of things, but mean wasn’t one of them. And she knew she’d been downright ruthless, or, well, her definition of the word.

  Lowering the menu a fraction, she said, “I think I might go for the seafood risotto. It looks pretty good.”

  The small Italian restaurant the show picked was a little place with an amazing ambiance. Or as amazing as it could be, given they were surrounded by cameras.

  “How about you? Anything good?” she asked. Pretending to be on a date with him was a lot harder than she’d expected it to be. The soft way he spoke to her wasn’t helping at all.

  Thomas shrugged. “Not really big on rice, so I’ll pass on the risotto.” A smile pulled at one corner of his lips. “I think this chicken with pasta sounds okay.”

  She scanned her menu, looking for the dish. “You’re right; that does sound good. Mushrooms, tomatoes, and chicken in an alfredo sauce.”

  “As long as it doesn’t have peanuts, I’m good.”

  “Are you allergic?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, but it came on late in life. I was already in the Army when my first reaction happened.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Really? Is it just peanuts or other nuts as well?” He’d even lied about liking her cookies?

  “Just peanuts. Almonds, cashews, anything else, I’m fine. Peanuts…well, each reaction is worse than the last. I carry an EpiPen everywhere with me, but I haven’t had to use it in a long time because I’m careful.” He paused. “How about you?”

  She chuckled, finding a groove with the easiness of the conversation. “Carbs. Mostly carbs.”

  His smile grew wider. “I’m not sure I believe you. You look great…tonight or anytime for that matter.” The smile faltered almost too quick to catch it, but she did. She had told him to avoid flattering her. Although, he’d said it more than once. Would he have done that if he was lying?

  Their waiter returned, took their orders and menus, and left again. Silence fell over them, lingering to the point that it was uncomfortable and anyone watching would pick it up. Sophia had promised Hillary she’d do her best to fake it, but she was failing miserably.

  What could she talk about? And could she believe anything that came out of Thomas’s mouth? They were on camera. Did it matter? “You said you don’t like rice?” Lame-o question. Eh, she was a baker. Food would pique her interest.

  “No, I don’t care for it. It makes me queasy anymore.”

  She knitted her eyebrows together. “So you didn’t always hate it?”

  He shifted in his seat, looking as though he was trying to find an answer for her, but what was the point in lying about that? It was rice, not a national secret. “I got ahold of some rotten rice once, and I can’t bring myself to eat it anymore.”

  Ew. She’d walked right into that visual. Now she was sorry she’d ordered risotto.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to ruin your meal,” he said softly.

  Had she been that obvious? Wow. And she was supposed to pretend with this guy for seven more weeks, with no chance of eliminating him? No, after the ceremony it would be seven more weeks. Way too long. She was doomed. “I did ask, so that’s my fault.”

  Again, he shifted in his seat. “Yeah, but I should have tried harder to find a better way to say it. You can have my dinner if you want. I’ll eat when I get back to the house. There’s sandwich stuff there.”

  Sophia studied him a moment. When had a guy ever offered to give up something for her? It was small, but still. Most guys wanted her to give up everything. Had Hillary been telling the truth? Had Thomas Gun really threatened to quit? “That’s okay. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  They chatted about this and that until their food arrived. Whatever queasiness she’d felt earlier was gone the second her plate was put in front of her. It smelled fantastic, and the scallops looked perfectly delicious.

  “This smells really good,” Thomas said.

  She nodded. “Really good. Are you okay with me eating rice in front of you?”

  A smile twitched on his lips. “I’m fine.” He twirled his fork in the pasta and lifted it to his mouth. “Cheers.”

  Sophia grinned as she spooned some of hers. She took a bite and melted as the flavors exploded on her tongue. “Oh, this is—”

  Thomas dropped his fork, gripped the table, and held his throat as he gasped for breath. “Something’s wrong,” he rasped. He tipped sideways, groping around on the inside of his suit coat.

  The director screamed cut, and chaos erupted. Shouts of “Call 9-1-1” and “Get the police” sounded like they were miles away.

  As he hit the floor, Sophia came out of her chair, kneeled next to him, and pulled his EpiPen out. It was a good thing she’d watched videos on how to respond to this kind of thing. Being a lifeguard, she’d had to take a lot of classes. She jammed the needle into his thigh and pressed it.

  He sucked in a gulp of air and coughed. The crew was flying around so quickly, and she was in a daze. Thomas had ordered a pasta dish. There was nothing in that to cause an allergic reaction, so what had happened?

  She leaned over him, “Gunner, are you okay?”

  Blinking, he tried to sit up and fell back. “I don’t know.” He touched his fingers to his temple. “I have a headache and can’t think.”

  “Just hold on. An ambulance is on the way.”

  His hand dropped to the floor, and his normally dark-blue eyes were dull and gray as he caught her gaze. “You know, after seeing you tonight, I’m a firm believer that angels exist.”

  She couldn’t stop the smile that spread on her lips. He was delirious. There was no way he was being serious. Even if she did think it was the sweetest thing ever. “Right. I think you hit your head on the way down.” She palmed his chest.

  Covering her hand with his, he said, “It’s true.” He grimaced. “Oh, my head.”

  Yeah, he definitely wasn’t in his right mind. If he’d not just suffered a horrible allergic reaction, she’d be reminding him of their talk at the house, but not when he looked like he’d fought a dragon and lost.

  When the paramedics arrived, she moved away from him and watched as they checked him over. They were taking him to the hospital to observe him. Apparently, the EpiPen wasn’t enough. Allergy symptoms could come back, and with as severe as his reaction had been, they—meaning the show or the paramedics—didn’t want to take any chances.

  She couldn’t understand why her heart was in her throat or why she was holding her breath as she waited to hear that he was officially okay. Maybe she was just in shock and it was starting to sink in that something really bad could have happened. That had to be it. She didn’t know Thomas well enough to be emotionally invested yet. She was just concerned about one of her bachelors. The cutest, sweetest one of the five remaini
ng. The one who gave her tingles just by holding her gaze.

  Shaking her head, she shut down the war going on inside her head. He was a decent guy who was there to protect her. It wouldn’t matter who he was, she’d still want him to be okay. Yep, that was it. Nothing more to it.

  Chapter 14

  Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed in the emergency room, Gunner braced his hands against the bed as he waited to be cleared. He felt terrible, but that didn’t warrant a stay at the hospital. Waking up there in the first place was bad enough. Staying overnight was out of the question.

  “Are you decent?” Sophia’s voice carried through the thin curtain separating him from the rest of the patients.

  What was she doing at the hospital? He thought for sure the show would have gone on much like it did when Blake walked off. Pulling the sheet on the bed across his lap, he let it fall over his legs. He wasn’t ashamed of his body by any means, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be embarrassed to see him in a hospital gown. “Uh, yeah.”

  She pushed through the curtain and stopped a couple of feet away from him. “You certainly look better.”

  He let his head hang down. “It wouldn’t take much.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  Shrugging, he said, “I’m tired. My head kinda hurts. But I’m fine.” Mostly, he just wanted to return to the house and lie down. Or better, pack and go home. He didn’t want to be on the show anymore. That little speech Sophia gave before their date had sunk its claws in him further and further. He’d felt terrible all the way to his marrow and still did.

  Not a second passed before she stepped closer. “I’m sorry.”

  “The burden of this doesn’t fall on you. I have a feeling our writer is behind this and they haven’t taken ownership yet.”

  And then she did something he would have never expected. She brushed the back of her hand along his cheek and stretched her fingers into his hair. “Why do you always sound so sad?”

  How could he answer that? He wasn’t sad; he was confused. Without looking at her, he said, “I…I didn’t like lying to you. I thought you’d be preoccupied with the other bachelors. I didn’t know you’d be so…”

  “What?”

  He lifted his gaze to hers, and it was as if his brain had no direct control over his tongue. “You’d be someone I was looking for. Aside from being just…beyond beautiful. Nothing I said was a lie except for my occupation. I meant every compliment. You’re kind and sweet, and there’s this peace I feel when I’m around you. I’ve only felt that once before.”

  With another half-step forward, her essence wrapped around him. She was so close. There was nothing but him and her, and the outside world was gone. “And that’s what makes you sad?”

  “I’m not someone you want. My job is dangerous. I travel a lot. I’m…” He hung his head again. He was saying more than he’d ever said before in his life, at least about himself. Who he really was. Everyone saw him flirting, joking, never serious. He’d kept busy to keep the spotlight off of how lonely and miserable he was. “I’m more than a little broken—not that you want anything to do with me, but you deserve better.”

  “Don’t you think I should get a say in that?”

  Yes? No? He had no idea how to answer that. “If you care about someone, you want what’s best for them, and that’s not me.” What was he saying? He cared about her? It was true. Yes, the conversations he had with her were brief, but he’d liked her from the beginning. Now he only liked her more.

  “I suspect that’s not exactly true.”

  He lifted his head, and those intense bright green eyes were trained on him. If he wasn’t under the spotlight before, he was now.

  Her eyebrows knitted together as she took his face in her hands. “I was furious when I found out you were here undercover, but I think it was because I liked you the moment you stepped out of the limo. I don’t think I was mad as much as I was hurt because I’m so drawn to you.”

  As fast as his heart was racing, if he still had the heart monitor on, it would be a solid noise. “You can do—”

  The sentence died as she bent forward and lightly touched her lips to his. His fingers dug into the hospital mattress to keep himself from falling over with the unexpected touch. Her lips were just as soft and sweet as he’d imagined. She pulled back a fraction, their gazes connecting, and he held his breath as he waited for her to kiss him again. He knew she deserved so much better than him, but the mustard seed of hope that she didn’t agree kept him rooted in place.

  Her fingertips skated across his cheek a second before her lips brushed across his, and he was lost in her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close as the kiss deepened. It quickly turned from soft and sweet to hard and demanding. He wanted her more than anyone or anything he’d ever wanted. The high school love he’d had was nothing compared to the desire he had for her.

  “Excuse me?” A nurse stuck her head in.

  Sophia broke the kiss and stepped away, a light blush blanketing her cheeks. Oh yeah, Sophia Parker was it for him. The chill of her absence was immediate, and no other woman would ever come close to her.

  “Uh, you’re almost ready to go,” the nurse said, handing Sophia a letter. “And this was dropped off for you.”

  Sophia reached out a shaky hand to take it.

  “Who left it?”

  The nurse shrugged. “I don’t know. It was on the desk at the nurse’s station.”

  Gunner nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

  As the nurse left, Gunner grabbed the letter and ripped it open. He read the few lines once and then again. He’d been right. The writer was responsible. Mentally, he began checking the list of people with them at the restaurant.

  “What does it say?” Sophia asked.

  He caught her gaze and held it. “You don’t want to know.”

  She lifted a lone eyebrow. “Don’t pull that with me. Tell me.”

  “‘Dinner with a charmer, but is he for real? He has friends in high places with a lot of pull. Will he stay when there’s more danger than pleasure?’” He shook his head as he looked at her. “I don’t know what to make of this. Friends in high places?”

  “Hillary said you were a friend. That’s how she got you on the show.”

  “I had no idea.”

  Sophia shrugged. “It happens more than you think.”

  Gunner lifted his head and locked eyes with Sophia. “I need to get this to Ryder. Although, so far we’ve gotten no leads from the letters.”

  “Ryder?” she asked as she closed the distance between them. “Who is he?”

  “He’s a computer expert at the Guardian Group.”

  Her arms circled his neck, and he set the letter on the bed next to him. A small smile played on her lips. “I see. He should definitely get a copy of that letter.”

  He nodded, setting his hands on her hips. “Definitely.”

  She touched her lips to his. “We’ll do that soon.”

  “Wait.” Gunner pulled back. “How is this going to work? I’m not really one of the bachelors and…I…you…kissing the other—”

  Sophia cut him off with another kiss. “I haven’t kissed any of them, and this actually works better than before. We won’t be pretending.”

  This had gone from complicated to nuts in a blink. He was there to catch a creep, but here he was, staring into the eyes of someone he could see himself falling for. But to do that on national television?

  The thought flitted away as she brought her lips to his again. He was going to fall for this woman. It was going to be hard and forever and life-changing. And if something happened to take her from him, there’d be no chance of ever putting his heart back together again.

  Chapter 15

  Another date with Gunner. Sophia hadn’t expected one so quickly, but she should have. His date had been ruined, and it was only fair to give him another chance. She wasn’t complaining either. After the kisses they’d shared, she definitely wanted another chance
to spend time with him.

  Running her hands down her jeans, she anxiously waited for Gunner to pick her up. Her head dropped back as she closed her eyes, trying to get control of her crazy thoughts. The last time she’d waited for him, she’d been so angry that it was a wonder he didn’t see flames shooting out of her ears.

  Now, she was so excited she didn’t know how to contain it. She groaned and hung her head as her shoulders rounded. So much had changed since that first date with him. All because of a peanut allergy of all things.

  Sophia jerked her head up as a knock came at the door. In an instant, her heart was racing, and heat spread from her neck to her ears. She quickly walked to the door, paused to take a breath, and then opened it.

  “Wow, you look great,” Gunner said.

  His smile was scrumptious and only made his lips that more noticeable…and so, so kissable. He smelled great, and she caught herself before leaning in and taking a deep breath. Talk about a disaster. It would be one thing if her dates were just dates, but doing that while being filmed? She’d have been so embarrassed.

  “You do too.” But sadness still hung on him.

  She’d walked into that hospital emergency room only to check on him, but seeing him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head hung low and telling her he didn’t think she’d take interest in him, she couldn’t help but go to him. When he’d looked up at her with those haunted dark blue eyes, something inside of her melted. He called her beautiful, sweet, and kind. That he felt peace when he was around her? No one had ever said that about her. And she had no idea why, but she’d believed him.

  He looked down. “Jeans and t-shirt?”

  “I think it’s the person in them.” Her cheeks heated as she realized she’d spoken her thoughts. It was true, though. Plus, she suspected he’d look hot in just about anything.

  Chuckling, his cheeks turned pink. He was blushing? Like he hadn’t heard that before. “Uh…” His smile widened, and when they locked eyes, his deep pools of blue sparkled. “Are you ready?”