Army Ranger with Benefits (the Men of At-Ease Ranch) Read online

  And for most of the morning, she managed to do just that, thanks to the task of setting up, then a constant flow of customers. To her amazement, she discovered Vince was just as proficient at peddling their goods as he had been at making them.

  Although, she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was a capable man in every sense of the word. A doer, not a slacker.

  “Emma, Vince, hi.” Chelsea bounded toward them, glancing around. “Is Dom here?”

  Emma’s heart kind of constricted for the poor girl, knowing that if her neighbor had been there, he would’ve hid in the bathroom to avoid the eager woman. “No. He’s not here. Sorry.”

  Disappointment washed the smile from the cute brunette’s face. “Oh. Well, how’s he doing this week?”

  “Improving. He can sit and stand a little longer.” Vince grabbed a container and loaded it with a few items. “He’s at home alone right now. Why don’t you take this to him? I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

  The woman’s face brightened. “Okay. I will,” she said, grabbing the container. “What do I owe you?”

  “Nothing.” Vince grinned. “It’s on me.”

  Chelsea’s smile broadened. “Thank you. Thanks a lot.” Eagerness, once again, ruled her features as she turned around and rushed toward the exit.

  Grinning, Emma slapped his shoulder. “You’re bad. Dom’s going to kill you.”

  Vince chuckled. “He can try.”

  A grin twitched her lips. “Am I bad for wishing I could be there to see his face?”

  “No. I’d say you’re just right.”

  So was he. She held his gaze as he held her hand, and the longer they stood there smiling at each other, the more her chest swelled with warmth.

  “Hi, Emma, dear.”

  Blinking, she tugged her hand from Vince’s and turned to find her favorite octogenarian stepping up to the front of the table.

  “Mrs. Henderson. Hi. Nice to see you.” She smiled at her second-grade teacher. “Do you want your usual?”

  For ten years the woman had come to the fundraiser and bought the same baked goods.

  “Yes, please,” her former teacher replied. “You look beautiful today. Even more so than normal. I’m guessing this young man is to blame?”

  Heat surged into Emma’s face as she introduced the two and started to put the woman’s order together.

  “Emma looks beautiful every day,” Vince said.

  With her heart swelling in her chest, she glanced up at him and smiled. She was really—really—beginning to like him.

  “You’re a very perceptive young man,” Mrs. Henderson said.

  He grinned, exposing his full dimples. “Thank you, ma’am. I try.”

  That hooked Mrs. Henderson. Emma could tell by the gleam in the older woman’s eyes.

  “And you have manners, too. Your mama raised you right. It’s nice to see.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” he repeated.

  “Emma’s mama did, too,” her teacher said. “Emma’s an angel. Do you know she comes over to my house every spring and helps me with my garden?”

  He shook his head. “No. I didn’t know that. But I’m not surprised. Emma has a good heart.”

  “Yes, she does. And she helps my neighbor Mr. Ross with his Christmas decorations because he can’t get up and down the ladder too good anymore.”

  Emma added two brownies to the six chocolate chip cookies in the container. “Sometimes Dom helps, too.”

  In fact, they helped several senior citizens in their neighborhood with outdoor decorations.

  Mrs. Henderson grinned. “That Dominic is a good guy.”

  “Vince is his brother,” Emma said, patting his shoulder.

  The older woman narrowed her shrewd gaze on him. “Yes, I can see a slight resemblance. Are you a military man, too?”

  “Former, ma’am. Now I run a ranch that helps transition veterans.”

  Mrs. Henderson nodded with what looked like approval. “Admirable. It’s so nice to know Emma finally found a man who is worthy of her.”

  Heat returned to Emma’s cheeks. Yes. Vince was certainly a worthy candidate. Worthy enough that she had begun to question her no-military-men policy.

  “Are you two coming back for the movie in the park tonight?” Mrs. Henderson continued. “They’re showing Emma’s favorite Bogart movie out back on their building. Everyone sits on blankets under the stars. It’s very romantic.” She gave them a dreamy smile.

  Vince turned to her. “Would you like to go?”

  She nodded. “I’d like that.” She’d like a lot of things.

  “That’s nice.” Mrs. Henderson nodded toward Vince. “You hang on to this one, Emma. He’s a keeper.”

  Her heart squeezed uncomfortably. Whether that was true or not, by next week at this time, Vince would be gone.

  He wasn’t hers to keep.

  …

  Several hours later, Emma squirmed her sweet ass against Vince’s groin, hugging the arms he’d banded around her. Damn. He held his breath and counted to ten. Ranger training should’ve included this type of torture because he was positive, with this woman, any sane man would break. He was barely hanging on by a thread.

  “You make an excellent chair,” she told him, shifting again.

  Sure was the best kind of torture, though.

  The movie played on the back of the rec center building, while speakers dotted the grassy area full of movie-goers sprawled out on blankets. Theirs was spread out under a tree, and he was leaning back against the trunk with his soft, warm woman nestled in front of him.

  His woman.

  That was a dangerous thought. One he needed to push aside, especially since he liked the sound of it. But was he really worthy of her?

  Mrs. Henderson seemed to think so. And she was well respected. Plus, he did admirable, fulfilling work on the ranch. Still, did that make him worthy? Was anyone?

  “I could sit here all night,” she said on a soft sigh.

  God knew he wanted to be. Tightening his hold, he kissed her head. “Me, too. But if you keep squirming like that, we may get arrested for indecent exposure.”

  She chuckled and turned her face his way. “Then we better save the indecent stuff for my place.”

  “Deal.” He dipped her back and captured her mouth for a deep, tantalizing kiss, savoring her exquisite taste, loving her soft sighs.

  After several thorough seconds, he forced himself not to be too selfish, broke the kiss, and let her settle back against him again to watch the movie.

  The more time he spent with the woman, the more time he wanted to spend with her. Maybe he could leave Texas and come here. The pros would be he’d have Emma and Dom. And Emma and Dom would still have each other, too. She’d also have her friends and her job.

  He didn’t like the thought of her giving that up for him. Hell, he didn’t want her to give anything up. He wanted her happy.

  But would he be happy here, Emma and Dom aside?

  Could he walk away from At-Ease Ranch and all the veterans he’d gotten to know, cook for, listen to? The crew at Foxtrot he supervised?

  His stomach knotted at the thought.

  What about Stone, Leo, and the rest of his Ranger unit? Could he leave them? That knot twisted tighter.

  And what would he do here for work? Construction? Probably. He could contact the base to find some kind of community service or something to help with veterans. But it wouldn’t be a twenty-four-seven thing, and he needed that in his life.

  But asking her to move to Texas meant she’d lose the things she loved, too.

  Was he worth that?

  Tightening his hold on her again, he closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to do. Didn’t know what was right or fair.

  He had no damn clue, other than he had started to suspect he wasn’t going to be able to just walk away from her.

  Christ. Maybe Dom was right.

  You’re setting yourself up to fail, Vince. And for you and her to get hurt.

&
nbsp; He hoped that wasn’t true.

  All week, red flags had constantly gone off in his head. Just like now, he’d pushed them into a dark corner of his mind and tried to ignore how big that pile of red flags had gotten. But sooner or later, they were going to come back and bite him in the ass.

  Emma hugged his arms tighter, tipped her head back to look at him, and smiled.

  He couldn’t help but smile back. “What?”

  “Just enjoying the view.”

  His hollowed chest swelled at the warmth and affection softening her gaze.

  She deserved his undivided attention. He’d worry about red flags and pros and cons later. Holding Emma in his arms was too amazing to ruin with negative thoughts.

  Chapter Twenty

  Emma was falling for Vince.

  Correction. She’d already fallen for him.

  Hard.

  A military guy, albeit former military, but still. Who was she and what had she done with Emma?

  After another night of incredible passion turned into a midmorning romp, she wanted to do something special for him, so when the sexy man headed next door to check on Dom—under the guise of needing to shower and change—she dressed quickly and rushed over there, hoping to catch her neighbor while Vince was upstairs.

  Knocking on the door, she mentally crossed her fingers for luck.

  Dom opened the door and surprise lifted his brow. “Emma? What are you doing here?”

  “Hello to you, too.” She chuckled, stepping inside.

  Smiling, he shut the door and turned to her. “Haven’t you had enough of my brother? He just got back from your place. He’s upstairs in the shower.”

  That brought decadent memories to her mind. With extreme effort, she pushed them aside. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “To apologize for letting Vince send Chelsea here yesterday?”

  She laughed. “Sorry, but I don’t control your brother. And that’s not why I’m here.”

  “He’s an idiot.” Dom snorted. “So what’s this about then? Is something wrong?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Everything is great. Your brother is always doing stuff for me. So I want to cook him dinner tonight, but it dawned on me that he knows my favorite meal, but I don’t know his. I was hoping you did.”

  “Ah.” He headed for a stool. “Besides our mother’s chicken cacciatore, the only thing that comes to mind that he probably doesn’t have often is pierogi.”

  A lightbulb went off in her head. “That’s right. He did seem disappointed when Leo mentioned…I think it was Beth? When she made it last week.”

  Dom nodded. “Yeah. Go with that.”

  Emma happened to have the perfect recipe. A family one. She used to make them with her grandfather, whose mother was from Poland. “Thanks. I will.” Excitement skittered through her. “Think you can keep him occupied for a few hours?”

  He laughed. “I’ll try, but it’s hard to keep him away from you these days.”

  Heat rose to her face. “Sorry. I don’t mean to take up all his time.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” He shook his head. “In fact, I want to thank you.”

  “Thank me? For what?”

  Dom’s gaze turned serious. “For putting the smile back on his face.”

  Why? What had taken away his smile?

  The sound of footsteps on the stairs had Emma swallowing her questions. Now, more than ever, she was glad she decided to do something nice for the guy entering the kitchen.

  “Emma.” His whole face brightened when he saw her.

  Once again, hope stirred in her chest. Maybe he was falling for her, too. “You caught me.” She smiled and walked over to him. “I was asking your brother to keep you occupied while I cooked you dinner.”

  Pleasure lit his gaze. “You’re going to cook for me?”

  “Yes.” She slid her hands up his chest, while his hands settled on her hips. “Don’t look so surprised. I can cook. You just usually have something done by the time I get home.”

  He smiled. “I enjoy it. Please don’t feel like you have to return the favor.”

  Shaking her head, she patted his chest. “I’m not doing it because I have to. I’m doing it because I want to.” Then she kissed him. Once…twice…three times, before drawing back. “Come over around four.”

  He grinned. “I’ll be there.”

  All afternoon, excitement upped Emma’s pulse while anticipation tingled through her veins. It felt good to give back to the man who had given her so much happiness the past dozen days.

  Opening the door to him when he knocked, she smiled and her heart warmed. He stood there, eager expression on his face, holding her favorite flowers. It never ceased to surprise her, but once again, the thoughtful man had remembered what she said during their brief conversation between bouts of great sex the other night.

  “Vince. Thank you. That’s so sweet.”

  “So are you.” Stepping inside, he handed the daisies to her and bent to give her a quick kiss before he straightened. “Pierogi?” He sniffed the air. “You made me pierogi?”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “It’s a family recipe.”

  He shook his head, disbelief rounding his eyes. “I can’t believe you went through all the trouble for me.”

  “I was happy to.” She brushed his cheek with her thumb. “You’re worth it.”

  Lifting his hands to hold her face, he gazed down at her with affection lighting his gorgeous amber eyes. “You are something else, Emma. Thank you.”

  Warm lips covered hers, and moved unhurriedly in a lazy exploration that had her heart rocking in her chest. At that moment, it felt like their hearts touched.

  Weird. Corny. Amazing. It left her feeling appreciated, and needed, and…wanted.

  Something, Emma realized, she’d never felt in any of her past relationships. Sure, he was a military man, but he was different, and she was discarding her rule for him. Vince had a way of making her feel special. He was special, and she decided, then and there, to do whatever it took to keep the incredible man in her life. He was worth it.

  In five days, he flew back to Texas for that wedding. Given the sweet way he looked at her and the emotion she felt in his kiss, he must feel the same way. Even though he’d made it clear it was only temporary when they began, she could only hope he’d want to continue to see her long distance, and wouldn’t break things off.

  Emma didn’t think she could bear it if Vince walked away from her, too.

  …

  Monday afternoon, Vince had an unexpected opportunity to visit Emma at work, thanks to his impatient brother. Dom had called his doctor, requesting his checkup be moved up a few days. He’d tried to tell the idiot it was a waste of time. It was too soon to be cleared to do anything, but his brother had insisted on trying, and got lucky with a cancellation.

  So he sent Emma a text and asked her to meet him on her break.

  Since he was a few minutes early, he set the smoothie he brought her on a windowsill and watched people outside. Several were in uniform. The soldiers brought back memories of his time on the base for both basic training and when he’d returned for Ranger training a few years later. That was when he’d met Stone and Leo.

  A smile twitched his lips. Man, the shit they used to get into.

  “Vince?”

  He turned toward the familiar voice.

  “I thought that was you.” Stephan walked to him with his hand out. “How’s it going?”

  He shook the doctor’s hand. “Good. My brother’s here for a checkup, so I thought I’d meet Emma on her break.”

  Stephan cocked his head. “Still seeing each other?”

  Something in the man’s tone sent his hackles up. “Yes.” He may or may not have puffed out his chest.

  “I see.” The man nodded, gaze serious. “You’re sticking around then?”

  Vince frowned. “Just until the doctor okays my brother to drive.”

  Concern darkened Steph
an’s eyes. “So you intend to leave.”

  “Yes.”

  “Does Emma know?”

  “Of course.” He didn’t like what the man insinuated.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Look, Stephan, what’s this about?”

  The guy blew out a breath. “I know I’m overstepping my bounds, and I apologize, but I’ve known Emma since high school. She’s sweet, and good-natured, and I care about her. I don’t want to see her get hurt, and that’s what will happen when you leave.”

  “If you care about her so much, why haven’t you asked her out yet?” The question was out before he could stop it.

  The doc stiffened. “It’s complicated.”

  “Uncomplicate it.”

  “The timing has never been right.” Stephan shrugged. “Either I was seeing someone, or she was seeing someone.” He looked pointedly at Vince. “Among other things.”

  Vince shook his head. “I’ve only been in the picture for two weeks. You’re trying to tell me you haven’t been single long enough since you started working here?”

  “No, that’s not it.” Stephan seemed to study the floor. “I work with her, and I have this rule not to get involved with a coworker. I broke it once, and it came back to bite me. But, I’ll be honest, I am having a hard time keeping that rule with Emma.”

  Too damn bad. He wanted to tell the guy he’d had his chance, but that wasn’t Vince’s style. Instead, he blurted out, “And if I ask her to come with me?”

  Damn. Where the hell had that come from?

  The other man reeled back. “Emma’s going with you?”

  Vince dragged his hand through his hair. Seriously. What was he thinking? He’d already thought this through and the cons were too overwhelming to consider. “I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”

  “Oh.” The doc frowned, and silence stretched between them. Finally, Stephan shook his head. “Let me ask you this. Do you think it’s wise? Emma’s lived in Columbus all her life. Her home is here. Her father’s buried here. Grandfather’s buried here. Her memories are here. Job is here. Friends are here. That’s a lot to ask her to ditch to follow you to Texas to live in an unfamiliar place with a bunch of strangers, after having only known you a few weeks.”

  Yeah, that would be crazy. And they were all things he’d already thought about.