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To his surprise, she was soft and pliant. Cuddly.
He stroked a slow path down her spine. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he did something he never did with a woman before.
He started talking.
“I joined the Navy right out of high school. I come from a line of Navy men. But I took it further than any of them and became a SEAL.”
“It’s definitely something to be proud of.” Her eyes gleamed up at him.
His chest hitched with a quick intake of air at just how lovely she was. Slowly, he resumed with stroking a path up and down her back. “It is something to be proud of, but the reason why I got further than they did, is because they all died in service.”
“Oh no. I’m sorry.”
“I expected to be the next Bell to die serving his country. Somehow, I was spared.”
She compressed her lips.
“Most of my team died during a strike,” he explained.
She didn’t speak.
“You knew?”
She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his pec. “Meadow told me.”
“I figured she did. I saw her leaving the she-shed more than a couple times.”
“She was kind to me and kept me company.”
He grunted. “Colton found a good woman. I’m happy that they have each other, and that he found a place on the Gracey.”
“You found a place too, right? The ranch needs the help.”
He gave an awkward shrug. “Now that I’m out of the military, I have no idea what to do. I never saw any of this coming.”
He never saw her coming.
For the time being, until the threat was neutralized and the Graceys could hire more ranch hands, he was stuck on the ranch, while Demi jaunted all over the county.
Her career was non-negotiable. She could no sooner stop being a veterinarian than he could stop being an alpha SEAL. After spending the day with her, seeing her in action, he knew that the people in the area needed Demi.
Even if she hadn’t realized it yet, she needed him. But the way she was cuddled up against his chest…plus the way she had turned to him after being sick earlier tonight…he suspected that she might be coming to terms with him being in her life.
He was dug in—here to stay.
A sense of urgency jittered through him. He and his men needed to solve the issues surrounding the Gracey. Securing the ranch came first, and that meant digging deep and finding out more about this investor and what exactly the man thought he’d get by destroying the Gracey and everything on it.
He could only want the land. What purpose did it serve to maim a prized horse other than old-fashioned fearmongering?
Sliding his hand down Demi’s spine, he curled it around her hip, pulling her even closer. For her, he would fight harder against the threat.
For their child.
For them, he would go down fighting.
* * * * *
It was too easy to melt against Ledger’s warm, hard body. To bask in the security he provided.
