Ranger Bear (Rogue Bear Series 1)

R
anger Bear

Published By Ally Summers

Copyright © 2015 Ally Summers

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.

Cover art by Satyr Designs

I
t had been two weeks
. Two weeks since Kyle had been back on US soil. Sometimes he felt like the desert sand was still in his nose, in his lungs, clogging his throat. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do stateside with clean air to breathe.

Sure it was a hell of a lot nicer being back. There were things like showers and beds, but he had a mission in Razastan. That mission wasn’t over until the target was taken out. The problem was the target kept moving. He kept switching the plan. Making it impossible to capture him.

Kyle had been tracking the target for over a year. He was the highest ranking member of Razastan’s regime, and he was well guarded and well funded.

It hadn’t been Kyle’s choice to back down, but they needed fresh intel if they were going to succeed. For now his team was scattered, waiting on orders before they could go back into the country.

He didn’t want to leave. They had to force him out. If he hadn’t made a promise it probably would have taken the entire Army to remove him.

While he waited, he had another mission. One he would rather never have to complete. It was the kind of mission every Ranger dreaded.

Kyle turned on the windshield wipers on his Jeep, and made another turn. He had been driving for hours, trying to find his way on Oregon’s back roads. When Sam told him he lived in the middle of nowhere, he meant it. There was nothing here but tall trees and rain.

He slowed the car when he saw the last name on the mailbox: Collins.

He groaned and pulled in.

“I can’t believe you made me promise this,” he muttered.

He parked in the driveway, staring at the house in front of him. This was it.

He slammed the Jeep’s door behind him and climbed the stairs. There was a wreath on the front door. A yellow ribbon tied to the base.

He pulled his shoulders back, ready to knock. Ready to fulfill his duty. Ready to try to right some of the wrong that happened to Sam’s family.

W
hitney climbed
the rocky steps cut into the side of the cliff that led back to the house. She wrapped the sweater around her shoulders, pulling the edges tight against her chest. The wind picked up the ends of her auburn hair.

The waves crashed fiercely against the sand. Even with her back to the ocean, she felt the chill cut through her.

It was good to take a break. She needed to get out of the house. The memoires were almost suffocating. But she didn’t know if watching the waves made things any better. All she could think about were the summers when she and Sam played on the beach.

When she didn’t think she could take the icy winds anymore, she decided to pack more boxes. They weren’t going to pack themselves.

The last month had been the worst of her life. Her restaurant had burned to the ground. Her brother had been killed and no one would give her any answers. She was left with a house that was falling apart, just like her.

As she reached the top of the cliff and made her way through the path that opened to the house she saw a Jeep parked in the driveway.

She crossed the yard, keeping one eye on the Jeep. She tried to open the gate, but the latch was stuck. The damn thing had been broken longer than she could remember.

She rattled the handle until it finally let loose.

She looked around for the driver of the Jeep. She wasn’t expecting anyone. No one drove out here. Sam’s memorial service was a month ago. The flower deliveries had stopped.

She took one step and then another before she saw her visitor.

“Hello?” she called?

His back was turned to her. He was staring off the edge of the porch, looking over the cliff. From there you could see the waves crash and hurl on top of the rocks.

When he turned around she almost tripped over the last step. It didn’t help there was a loose board.

“Whoa.” He ran over to grab her before she landed face first on the porch.

His hand circled her waist, catching her as if she were light as a feather. He stood her upright.

“Hi.” She stared into his deep blue eyes. She thought she saw flecks of amber.

He cleared his throat.

She tried to wiggle free, but his hand was clamped to her waist. His grip was firm.

“Thanks.” Her hands landed where his fingers were wrapped against her. They were wide strong fingers.

“You’re welcome.” He finally released her, his chest expanding.

“Can I help you with something?”

His brow furrowed. He took a step back. “Holy hell,” he whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry. It’s just…” He held out his hand. “Brake. Uh, Kyle Brake.”

She took his hand, noticing how rough it felt closing around her palm. “Nice to meet you. I think.”

He nodded. “It is.”

“Are you lost? Or are you selling something?” she asked.

She tried to figure out why this man was standing on her doorstep. She didn’t know faces like that existed. His jawline was square and his cheekbones high. His hair was dark, almost black, which was a dangerous combination with those eyes.

“Neither.” He smiled.

Oh shit. He had a gorgeous smile too. The kind that would melt the panties off any woman. She twisted her bottom lip under her teeth.

“Then what could have possibly brought you out here?”

Whitney waited for his answer.

“Sam sent me.”

Her eyes widened, and she reached for the column. But she wasn’t looking. Her eyes were fixed on the tall stranger, and she missed her mark, landing back in his arms.

H
e caught
her before she tumbled down the stairs. His hands snaked around her waist, pulling her against him.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t why he was here.

He set Whitney back on her feet.

“S-Sam?” She looked into his eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes full of warmth and light. Something he had forgotten existed in this world.

He nodded. “I’m here to see his family.”

He tried to sound official. But right now his blood was pumping. He felt the energy in his body surging at an all-time new level. His bear was awake. This beautiful curvy vision had just changed the entire game.

“Are you with the insurance company?” She took a step back.

“No. Nothing like that. But I need to meet with his family. Are his parents here?”

She shook her head. “No. They’re not. It’s just me.”

Kyle looked at her. How was that possible? “Only you? Sam said ‘family’.”

“Well, I’m his sister. And our parents have been gone for years. I’m the only family Sam has.” She lowered her eyes. “Or had.”

Fuck. She was Sam’s sister? He had always envisioned Sam’s little sister with freckles, braces, and glasses. Not curves and lips so full he had to remember to blink.

“Can we talk?” He motioned toward the front door.

“Would you like to come in?”

Hell yeah he wanted to come in. The mission had changed. Everything had changed. The minute she landed in his hands and he looked in her eyes, he knew he had a mate. Kyle Brake had a mate.

“That would be nice.”

He followed her inside, noticing the boxes stacked along the walls.

“Sorry it’s a mess. I’m packing up Sam’s stuff, and trying to sort through what I can sell.”

She led him to a living room and he sat across from her. “What are you doing with all of it?”

“I have some boxes to donate. Some to try to sell online. The rest can just go with the house.”

Kyle’s eyes shot to hers. “Sell the house?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to sell it.”

He tried to remember what Sam had told him about the house, but he was having trouble remembering all the conversations. Sometimes they talked just to try to keep each other awake. They would be out in the field for days with no sleep. It passed the time.

“Anyway.” She smiled. “You said you needed to talk.”

“Does Sam’s sister have a name?” He smiled, desperate to hear her name pass over her lips. Lips that were so lush and soft. He stopped his bear from growling in front of her.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s Whitney. Whitney Collins.”

Even her name was perfect.

Kyle reached into his pocket, retrieving the letter he had guarded for the past month. He held it toward her.

“This is from your brother. He asked me to deliver it.”

She reached forward, taking the envelope in her hand. She stared at it, blinking rapidly.

“I don’t think I can read it.” Her eyes lifted to him.

He shook his head. “Whenever you’re ready,” he offered. He didn’t know when Sam had written the letter, and he had no idea what was on the pages, but he swore he would get it to his family.

It wasn’t the only promise Sam got out of him.

“Thank you for bringing it to me.” She placed it in her lap. “Were you in his unit?” she asked.

“Yes. We were in the same Ranger unit.”

“So you’re like him, then?”

“Depends on what you mean by that.”

“Reckless. Fearless. Determined.”

Kyle noticed how her eyes blazed when she talked. “Yeah, important Ranger qualities.”

“I left out idiot.” She rose from the couch, clutching the letter in her fist.

“Your brother wasn’t an idiot.” He wanted to steady her and calm the emotion surfacing.

“Really? Then why is he dead?” Her eyes narrowed.

Kyle wanted to pull her toward him. The need was almost unbearable. He didn’t know it would feel like this when he found his mate.

“I can’t talk about what happened on the mission. It’s classified. But I can assure you, your brother was not an idiot.” He stared into her eyes, but all he saw was anger.

“Well, thanks for dropping this off. You can check it off your list.”

She walked across the room toward the front door. “It was nice to meet you, Kyle.”

None of this was going right. She was ready to toss him out.

“I can’t leave.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I swore to Sam I would help his family. And I can’t leave until I know you’re ok. That you don’t need anything.”

“I doubt Sam took it that seriously.”

Sam’s instructions were clear. Kyle would never forget the look in his eyes or what he said. His family was in Kyle’s hands now. It appeared that meant Whitney.

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m fine. Really.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Your steps are falling apart. You got locked out of your gate. If you lean over that porch railing you’ll fall down a hundred foot cliff. You’ve got a leak in the hallway and…”

“Ok. Stop. I know the house is falling apart, but that’s not your responsibility.”

He looked in her eyes. “It is now.”