“We need to talk to Carson.”
Carson Malone, Honor’s brother-in-law. The founder of Black Heart Security.
“Okay.” Her whisper sounded hollow, as if she was speaking into a void.
“Drive safe.”
“I will.” She ended the call and turned the key in the ignition. The alley slipped behind her, then Main Street, then the blinking light that told her she lived in a place too small for traffic but not for break-ins.
She barely remembered driving the road to the ranch until she arrived at the gates. She rolled down her window and punched in the code Honor gave her months ago. The metal gates began to swing inward with a low mechanical hum.
She drove through them, squinting at the sharp angle of the sun. She’d been here plenty of times to see her sister, but today every tree she passed made her feel like she was being watched.
When she parked near the house, she stayed behind the wheel for a bit, staring at the barn and the rustic lodge that housed the veterans. It all looked so peaceful it made her chest hurt.
The image of her ruined shop flickered behind her eyes, and she shoved the door open.
She didn’t take three steps before someone came into view.
A man rounded the corner of the barn, tall and built like he’d carried too many burdens for too long. His stride was unhurried, shoulders broad beneath the dark flannel shirt he wore, and hisjeans hugged his long, muscular legs. Sunlight caught on the edge of his strong jaw, a little rough with stubble.
She’d seen him before, passing through the yard or loading hay on a flatbed. A veteran.
He looked at her, eyes shadowed by the ballcap he tugged low over his brow.
Felicity stood there, uncertain which way to go. Her chest ached with leftover panic and the weight of everything she’d seen that morning.
She turned in a slow circle, eyes searching for her sister, for anyone—and found him again.
Gabe was closer now, having crossed part of the yard without her noticing. The breeze carried the scent of pine and hay with him, clean and sharp.
“Hey.” His voice was low and gravelly, but warm like stone in the sun. “You looking for someone?”
Her throat worked before the words came out. “I’m here to see Carson. And my sister. Honor.”
He nodded once. “Probably in the house.”
“Thanks.” Her voice came thin, almost lost to the wind.
He just stood there—solid and quiet, steady in a way that made the ground feel less likely to drop out from under her.
For a moment she stared at the porch, not ready to climb the steps. Then she squared her shoulders and forced her feet forward, aware of him behind her—not following, justthere.
And somehow, that was enough to keep her moving.
Chapter Three
The sight of her punched Gabe low and hard.
He’d seen the look in soldiers trying to stand at attention with blood on their hands. It never stopped hitting him the same way.
Felicity St. James looked like she’d just walked through fire.
He remembered her from around the ranch. Honor’s sister, the one with the bookshop. He’d seen her at holidays, maybe at one of the bonfires. She was always smiling and soft-spoken, with gentle mannerisms that made rough men watch her in hope of being soothed by her.
The woman in front of him wasn’t any of those things. She was barely holding herself together, and it triggered something deep in his chest he didn’t bother naming.
She looked lost—shoulders tight, eyes unfocused. He’d seen people freeze like that before, after explosions, after loss. The body stuck in survival mode.
