Chapter One
Jack
I knock on the door of the bedroom in the Taylor Ranch and wait until I’m invited inside. My sister, Summer, is sitting on a bench in front of a white vanity. Her hair is piled on top of her head in some fancy updo and with the white dress she’s wearing, she looks radiant.
Today she’ll marry my best friend. I wasn’t crazy about the two of them getting married after just two weeks together. But then I saw how happy he made her, and the way Cash would do anything for my little sister.
“What do you think?” She asks in a soft tone. It’s the one she uses when she wants my approval.
Our mama died when Summer was young. Our father was wrecked and lost the family farm, leaving teenage me to raise an eight-year-old girl.
“You look beautiful,” my voice comes out hoarse. I wish more than anything that I could give her back our parents in this moment. That they could see her and wrap their arms around her.
She glances at Riley, her future sister-in law and the two of them have a silent conversation. They haven’t known each other long but they’ve already hit it off like birth sisters.
I scowl and shove my hands into the pockets of my dress slacks. “What’s going on?”
Summer pulls her gaze from the pregnant blonde. “Justice should have been here to help me with my hair and makeup. I keep texting and calling her, but I’m not getting a response.”
“Does she normally run late?”
Justice is Summer’s friend and her assistant at the shop my sister owns. Despite this, we’ve never met. Always missing each other by a few minutes. It probably has something to do with the fact that I’m a private security contractor. I’m usually called out for a job at a moment’s notice.
Once on assignment, I can be gone for months at a time.
Truth be told, the lifestyle is getting old and now that I’ve managed to reclaim the family ranch, I’m eager to be done with the jobs. I want to spend my days on my farm, taking care of my animals and planting my crops.
“Never. She’s responsible and besides, she always answers my texts,” Summer says. “I’m worried something happened to her on the way here.”
The Taylor Ranch is on the outskirts of Courage County. If Justice isn’t familiar with the path, it’d be easy for her to get turned around.
I glance at my phone, seeing we still have plenty of time before the ceremony. “Why don’t I drive around and see if I can spot her?”
Riley lets out a slow breath and gives me a nod. “What can we do?”
“Keep trying her cell. She’s probably lost on the path with no phone reception. I’ll find her and bring her back in time for the wedding,” I say those things to keep them calm. But there’s a sense of unease deep in my gut.
I promise my sister that I’m on it then head to the den where the groom and his brothers are playing poker.
Cash gives me an eager grin. He’s been chomping at the bit to see his bride since they haven’t laid eyes on each other in three days. Some shit Summer is doing to make the whole thing more magical. “Is she all set?”
“Everything’s still a go. We’re just missing the maid of honor,” I explain.
Cash frowns. “Justice isn’t the type to flake.”
I share my theory that she’s lost somewhere along the way and Dean, one of the Taylor brothers, shoots to his feet. He did search and rescue during his time in the military. “What do you need?”
It’s not long before the game has been abandoned and there’s a map spread out on the table in place of the cards.
Meanwhile, I return to Summer and Riley to get a description of the maid of honor and her vehicle.
“Anything else we need to know about her?” I ask my sister.
Summer hesitates. “Well, she’s…different, Jack.”
“Clarify,” I bark the word like she’s one of my men on a job as I yank on the Windsor knot that’s nearly strangling me. I ball up the tie and shove it in the pocket of my black suit coat.
She thinks for a moment before she says, “She’s skittish around people. It’s like she can’t relax or something. So, if you see her, you have to be gentle with her. Promise me.”
I give my sister a nod. I’d laugh at her demand if this situation weren’t serious. I’ve laid siege to cities, fought my way out of hell, and still been the last man standing. Gentle has never been a word that would apply to me.
When I return from talking with Summer, I relay everything she shared. Dean has already created the search grids. He’s assigned each of his five brothers to different locations on the Taylor Ranch and the surrounding areas.
As soon as I get my assignment, I’m out the door and in my Range Rover. I hate thinking about all the trouble a woman unfamiliar with this area might have gotten into.
While I search, I stay in touch with Dean and his brothers. It’s been almost an hour of looking before I spot something glinting in the woods off the side of the road. Several trees are bent and broken at odd angles.
My gut tightens and somehow, I know with the sick feeling in my stomach that I’ve found the woman we’re looking for.
I call Dean to give him my location, telling him to get here as fast as possible and bring Cash, the groom and town doctor, along with him.
Courage County is so rural that we don’t have an emergency response team other than the fire department. But they’re at least an hour away and I don’t know how long Justice has been here.
Outside my vehicle, I peer into the thick tangle of trees. As soon as I see the crushed windshield and the blue Honda, I curse under my breath. That’s the exact make and model that Justice drives.
Common sense dictates that I should wait for backup. But fuck that. She’s alone and she could be seriously injured or worse.
In war, I’ve lost count of the number of injured civilians I’ve seen. But there’s something about coming across the women and kids. Seeing them hurt and traumatized stays with me. Their faces and pain still haunt my dreams.
With a deep breath, I start down the incline. I haven’t lifted up a prayer since that day I was captured behind enemy lines but for some reason today, I do.
The first thing I spot is a cascade of black hair. She’s slumped over the steering wheel, probably unconscious. There’s a small trickle of blood on her forehead.
The trunk of a large oak tree is pressed firmly against the driver’s side door. I won’t be able to get in, but I still try tapping the window.
It’s not enough to rouse her so I try the door behind her. It’s also jammed shut which leaves me no choice but to try for a window. Hurrying back to the Range Rover, I grab a hammer and a blade.
I hit the edges of the front passenger window until the middle gives way and I can climb into the opening.
Justice is still slumped over.
I call her name in a sharp tone. There’s no response but a quick check assures me her pulse is steady. The skin on her neck is soft and smooth.
The blood on her forehead looks like it’s from a superficial head wound but stirring her hair gives me a whiff of her sweet scent. She smells like strawberry shortcake. Good enough to eat.
I’m not sure why I’m noticing these things right now. It has to be because I haven’t had a woman in so long and I’m worried as hell about this one.
But she’s definitely not the type I should be attracted to. For one, she barely looks on this side of legal. For two, she’s my little sister’s best friend.
Forcing the thoughts from my mind, I make sure she’s not trapped by anything other than a twisted seat belt. When I’ve confirmed that, I pull the belt taut and begin sawing through it with the knife I brought along.
“You’ve scared the hell out of me,” I tell her as I work. “I thought maybe you were down here not breathing.”
She groans and I freeze.
Her long lashes flutter and suddenly I’m looking into the bluest gaze I’ve ever seen. It hits me straight in the chest and for a split second I can’t breathe, can’t look away. I’m captivated by a stare that makes me feel like our souls are connecting.
“Hi, beautiful,” she murmurs.