RESCUED BY THE RANCHER Read online

  RESCUED BY THE RANCHER

  SORAYA LANE

  RESCUED BY THE RANCHER

  SORAYA LANE

  Copyright © Soraya Lane 2013

  Edited by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency

  Cover by Mixing Ink Design

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form is forbidden without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Soraya is represented by Bradford Literary Agency.

  To contact Soraya, visit her website www.sorayalane.com, on twitter @Soraya_Lane or email her: [email protected]

  Also by Soraya Lane

  Montana Reunion

  The Navy SEAL’s Promise

  The Soldier’s Sweetheart

  The Navy SEAL’s Bride

  Back in the Soldier’s Arms

  Rodeo Daddy

  The Army Ranger’s Return

  Soldier on Her Doorstep

  Note From Soraya

  Once again, I need to say a huge thank you to Laura Bradford, my agent and self publishing partner, for the enormous amount of work she puts into so many of my books. Laura, your advice and editing is second to none! I also want to say thank you to my super supportive family – my mom, dad, husband and gorgeous young son. Writing can be a very solitary business, and I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by people who willingly support my career as an author.

  I hope you enjoy reading RESCUED BY THE RANCHER as much as I enjoyed writing it. For more information on my upcoming or past releases, I’d love you to visit my website.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Preview – Montana Reunion

  CHAPTER ONE

  JAKE McGregor stretched, eyes still shut against the dark, and reached for his phone. He only left it beside his bed for one reason, and the ring tone told him it was urgent.

  “Yeah?”

  He was exhausted. An entire day of working horses, and now a call-out in the middle of the night. Great.

  “We need you, Jake. Fire in town.”

  Jake threw the sheets off and glanced at the clock. “See you at the station as soon as I can.”

  He hung up without saying goodbye and quickly pulled on his jeans, not caring that they were dirty and crumpled from being on the floor, then tugged a t-shirt on. The longer it took him to get into town, the less likely it was that the fire would be out before sun up. He reached for his sweater and paused to give his dog a rub on the head.

  “Won’t be long, buddy. Sit tight.”

  He left the dog on the bed and ran out the door.

  Part of him hated being a volunteer fire fighter – knowing that the scene could be grisly – but the other part of him wanted to make a difference, whatever the stakes.

  After Rachel had died, he’d realized how important the fire crew was. And with only a small team in town, they needed volunteers when something major happened. Which was why his heart was hammering just thinking about what he might see tonight. He wasn’t often called out, and when he was it was usually for something pretty bad.

  Jake gunned the engine into life and planted his foot on the accelerator. He had to get into town. And fast.

  Faith Walker was determined not to cry. She kept her chin up and held her son closer to her. If Thomas’ wobbly lip was anything to go by he was about to start sobbing, and the last thing he needed was to see her upset, too.

  She couldn’t believe they’d even made it out in time. The thirsty red flames were licking their way around the house, sending dark clouds of smoke billowing up into the air. A small crowd had gathered but no one was coming over to offer support – the curious onlookers seemed more interested in gossiping than helping out a stranger.

  Only she wasn’t technically a stranger around here.

  “How are you feeling now?”

  Faith looked up as a paramedic stood in front of her. She took the blanket he held out, grateful to be able to wrap her son in it.

  “We’re okay, I guess.”

  He smiled and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. “We’re all just pleased you got out in time.”

  Faith smiled, but it wasn’t easy. He might be happy she’d gotten out, but whoever had started the blaze had made their intentions clear.

  “Mind if I take the little guy to check him over?”

  She hesitated, not wanting to let him leave her side. “I’ll come, too.”

  The paramedic gave her an understanding smile. “You might want to talk to the investigator alone. I promise I’ll look after him.”

  Thomas gave her a terrified stare

  “You’ll be fine, honey. I’ll be with you before you know it,” she told him.

  He reluctantly walked off, clinging to the hand of the paramedic like he was never going to let it go.

  Faith watched him shuffle away. Her son was so precious to her, all she had now, and the thought that they could have perished in there…

  Tears pricked her eyes all over again, but she refused to let them fall. It wasn’t even worth thinking about.

  She dropped to the pavement and put her head down between her knees. Her brain felt like it was going to explode, her hands were shaking and she thought she might be sick.

  When she’d moved back here, Faith had known there could be some old hostilities, but she hadn’t expected this.

  “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  Faith squeezed her eyes shut tight. She didn’t want to look up. The pounding had subsided slightly and she didn’t want to give it another excuse to come back.

  “Are you okay?”

  The deep voice made her eyes pop open. She saw a pair of heavy boots and dark trousers.

  Faith sat up, slowly.

  “Ah, yeah. I’m okay,” she said.

  The man frowned, dark eyebrows drawn together as he watched her. Faith stared back. He had dark eyes too, so dark they looked almost black. His hair was damp, messy around his ears, and she wondered if he was hot from working or wet from the hose.

  He wasn’t wearing the official fire fighter uniform like the first guys who’d arrived had been, but he’d obviously been working on the house and he had a helmet tucked under his arm.

  She looked back down at the ground. He was still watching her and she didn’t know what to say.

  “The house is as good as destroyed,” he said, voice more gentle this time. “But what’s important is that you got out.”

  She nodded, but she didn’t raise her head. He was the second person to say it to her and she knew it was true. Losing their possessions was nothing compared to them getting out without being hurt.

  The man dropped to the ground in front of her, resting on his haunches. “Hey.”

  Faith fought the urge to pull away as he placed a hand on her arm, his touch warm on her bare skin.

  “Are you sure you don’t need to see a medic?”

  As she shook her head his hand moved to her face, fingers catching her chin gently and turning her face to one side. She closed her eyes, couldn’t do anything else. Having a man this close didn’t feel right, made her uncomfortable. But his touch was soft, and part of her wished she could lean into it. That for on
ce she had someone beside her who cared enough to be there for her, to be the strong one.

  “I, ah,” she swallowed a lump of emotion away, trying hard to be brave. “The paramedic is looking at my son first. I’ll let them look me over once they’re done with him, and I think I have to speak to an investigator.”

  That made the guy frown again, but he dropped his hold on her and stood up. Even though it wasn’t fully light yet, she could imagine how large his shadow would be if the sun was behind him. He was tall, strong and broad.

  She sighed. He looked like the kind of man capable of putting out a blaze like the one that had taken over her house.

  “Do you have somewhere to go? Someone who can take you in?”

  Faith shook her head, biting down on her lip to stop the tears hovering in the corners of her eyes from falling. What could she say to that? No, I don’t have anyone. Someone torched my house deliberately and we’ll probably have to stay in our car tonight? We have no where else to go.

  He looked uncomfortable. The man raked one hand through his hair, before offering her a hand to pull her to her feet. She could see from the way he was standing, the way he held his mouth, that he wasn’t sure what to say. That he wasn’t entirely comfortable in this situation, either.

  Faith took a deep breath, steadying herself, before she reached for him and let him help her up.

  His warm palm covered hers, the strength of him pulling her gently to her feet and then steadying her as she stood.

  “I’m Jake,” he said.

  “Faith,” she stammered.

  He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close and walking her in the direction of the ambulance.

  She didn’t bother resisting. Suddenly her legs seemed too weak to hold her upright, knees threatening to knock together. And she had that sick sensation back in her stomach. Not to mention the fact that she’d just realized they couldn’t sleep in her car, because the keys were most likely melted into a lump of metal inside.

  “I’m going to leave you with the medic, so you get looked over properly, then I’m going to go back and help my team,” he told her.

  She leaned into him and focused on each step.

  “And then I’m going to come back for you.”

  Faith looked up at him, letting go only when the medic took her arm. She still hadn’t been formally interviewed by anyone from the fire department, but she didn’t care.

  “You don’t need to come back,” she said in a weak voice. “I’ll be fine.”

  He shook his head and did the hand through his hair thing again. He still looked uncomfortable, but he also looked determined. Like he was used to dishing out orders.

  “I’m coming back because you need somewhere to stay, and I’m picking up that no one’s offered you a bed for the night yet.”

  Faith looked over her shoulder as she was led away by another paramedic, eyes not leaving the handsome stranger who was still standing where she’d left him. He wanted her to stay with him?

  She wasn’t in the habit of taking charity from strangers, let alone strange men, but then she wasn’t exactly in a position to turn him down. They had nowhere to go, and it wasn’t like there was a hotel anywhere nearby that she could check into at this time of the morning either. The best she could hope for would be a motel on the outskirts of town and even then she’d have to wait until sunrise to start looking.

  Faith let the paramedic sit her down on the open back ledge of the ambulance.

  “Do you know that guy?” she asked. “Ah, Jake, I think it was.”

  She received a smile in return. “Yeah, we all know Jake. He’s a volunteer fire fighter. Owns a ranch not far away.”

  Faith fought against her headache and tried to place him. “Last name?”

  “McGregor.”

  The name sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t remember how exactly. It’d been a long time since she’d been back in Fairview, Texas.

  She sat and watched as her unlikely rescuer joined the rest of the crew, giving some of the regular fire fighters a well-deserved break.

  “Mom!”

  Faith turned at the call, head snapping around as she heard her son’s voice.

  She held out her hand for him and held him tight as he snuggled close to her. He might be almost eight, and determined to be more mature than his years, but tonight had shown her just how vulnerable he was. How much he needed her.

  They had to have somewhere to stay, and no one else was coming forward to offer assistance. If it was just her on her own it would have been different, but she needed to put Tom to bed and reassure him.

  So if this Jake McGregor was known by the paramedics and helped out in the community, he didn’t exactly sound like a serial killer. Or at least she hoped.

  Jake walked around with the rest of the crew and inspected the site. The house was a goner. It hadn’t burned to the ground, was still standing intact in part, but it was as black as coal and everything inside was either charred or sopping wet from the water used to extinguish it.

  “So you really think this was intentional?”

  The Chief raised his eyebrows. “There’s no doubt about it. Someone torched the place. I’d say a fire bomb thrown through that front window.”

  Jake swallowed. He steeled his jaw against the anger that ticked away beneath his skin.

  “There was a kid in there.” He fought to keep the anger from his voice.

  The other man gave him a look that mirrored his own. “I know, son. Believe me, I know.”

  Jake looked over his shoulder, back towards the ambulance. He wondered if she was still sitting in there.

  “Is there any reason…”

  “Right now it’s anyone’s guess, Jake.”

  “Chief, over here!” someone yelled.

  Jake received a slap on the back. “We’re going to keep investigating, work with the sheriff. You get home and get some sleep. Tell the other volunteers too, okay?”

  He nodded and turned back to the road. He’d offered the woman a place to stay, and he wasn’t going to go back on his word. No matter how much he might want to.

  She was a frightened, worried mother with no one to turn to, and he wasn’t capable of turning his back on her. He’d been brought up better than that.

  Jake saw her sitting in the ambulance as he approached, boy lying beside her, his head in her lap.

  She was beautiful. Even with dark sooty smudges on her face, in pajamas, and with her hair pulled back into a rough ponytail, he couldn’t deny that he wanted to watch her, that it was easy to keep his eyes on her.

  He tried not to look at the boy too closely as he walked up to the open doors. After all this time, he still thought about the baby he’d lost. How old his little guy would be now, what he’d be doing with him, what he’d look like. He wasn’t around children often, but when he was that familiar lump always seemed to creep back into his throat.

  “You ready to go?” he asked.

  A pair of the clearest blue eyes he’d ever seen turned his way. He hadn’t noticed them before, it had been too dark, but under the artificial light from the truck he could hardly look away.

  Jake saw something there, too. Something he thought might have been gratitude, uncertainty, even worry perhaps. But it only lasted a moment, before she smiled and gave her son a gentle prod.

  “Sure, we’re ready,” she said.

  Not for the first time, Jake felt a pang of regret at having asked her. But he’d given his word, and she looked exhausted.

  The little boy started stirring and Jake turned away.

  “Truck’s over this way. Follow me.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  FAITH had no idea why she felt comfortable in a strange man’s car, with her son asleep in the back. Maybe it was simply the shock of what had happened, the trauma of the whole experience. Maybe her head was still filled with smoke or she’d inhaled too much on her way out. But there was something oddly reassuring about her unlikely savior.
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  She chanced a glance at him as they drove. The sky was starting to lighten, but it was still mostly dark, and he was staring hard at the road ahead.

  Faith didn’t turn her head too far towards him, just let her eyes wander in his direction – desperate to watch him, to have a better look at him.

  His face was dirty, soot from the fire making smudge marks on his skin, but he was still handsome. Jake’s dark hair was messy and there was stubble brushing his jaw.

  She gulped.

  Eyes back to the road. The last thing she needed to do was start fantasizing about the man who’d offered her a place to stay. She had enough problems in town already without thinking up ways to make more waves – enough family issues to deal with to last her a lifetime.

  Faith leaned deeper into the seat and closed her eyes. She had no idea what she would do now. She could either get the hell out of dodge or fight for her right to be back here. Being back sure hadn’t worked out for her so far, but the last thing she wanted was to run away with her tail between her legs.

  When her father had died, she’d refused to come back for his funeral, had only known because his lawyer had phoned to tell her of his passing. News of his death hadn’t been much of a blow since he’d been out of her life for years, but being told he’d named her the sole beneficiary of his will had been a shock.

  That was four months ago.

  It had taken her that long to decide to come back, but she wished she hadn’t. Maybe they would have been better off without his money.

  After nine years away, she didn’t particularly want to live here again, but there were loose ends that needed tying up, and it wasn’t like they had anywhere else to be. Not now. She’d been kicked out of her home, underage and pregnant back then, and she wasn’t going to run with her tail between her legs ever again.

  Faith glanced sideways at Jake again.

  Oh.

  Her cheeks burned hot when he glanced back. Caught in the act.

  He turned away again fast, but she caught the hint of a smile as it touched the corner of his mouth.