Ranger's Baby Surprise: A Brother's Best Friend Romance Read online

  Ranger’s Baby Surprise

  A Brother’s Best Friend Romance

  Violet Paige

  Head Over Heels Press

  Copyright © 2018 by Violet Paige

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Keep in touch with Violet

  1. Jake

  2. Olivia

  3. Jake

  4. Olivia

  5. Jake

  6. Olivia

  7. Jake

  8. Olivia

  9. Jake

  10. Olivia

  11. Olivia

  12. Jake

  13. Olivia

  14. Jake

  15. Olivia

  16. Jake

  17. Jake

  18. Olivia

  19. Jake

  20. Olivia

  21. Olivia

  Slow Burn

  1. Reid

  2. Abi

  3. Reid

  4. Abi

  5. Reid

  6. Abi

  7. Reid

  8. Abi

  9. Reid

  10. Abi

  11. Reid

  12. Abi

  13. Reid

  14. Abi

  15. Reid

  Epilogue

  Second Chance Doctor

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Sidelined

  1. Sam

  2. Natalia

  3. Sam

  4. Natalia

  5. Sam

  6. Natalia

  7. Sam

  8. Natalia

  9. Sam

  10. Natalia

  11. Sam

  12. Natalia

  13. Sam

  14. Natalia

  15. Sam

  16. Natalia

  17. Sam

  18. Natalia

  19. Sam

  20. Natalia

  21. Sam

  22. Natalia

  23. Sam

  24. Natalia

  25. Sam

  26. Natalia

  27. Sam

  28. Natalia

  29. Sam

  30. Natalia

  31. Sam

  32. Natalia

  33. Sam

  Epilogue

  Epilogue II

  Not Husband Material

  Not Husband Material

  1. Jeremy

  2. Evie

  3. Jeremy

  4. Evie

  5. Jeremy

  6. Evie

  7. Jeremy

  8. Evie

  9. Jeremy

  10. Evie

  11. Jeremy

  12. Evie

  13. Jeremy

  14. Evie

  15. Jeremy

  16. Evie

  17. Jeremy

  18. Evie

  19. Jeremy

  20. Evie

  21. Jeremy

  22. Evie

  23. Jeremy

  24. Evie

  Preview: Not Daddy Material

  Keep in touch with Violet

  Make sure you download the exclusive Violet Paige short, available here!

  The Crown Short

  Stay connected with Violet’s Vixens

  www.violetpaigebooks.com

  1

  Jake

  It had been two weeks.

  Two weeks since I had been back on US soil. Sometimes it felt as if the desert air and sand were still in my nose. In my lungs. Clogging my throat. As if the grit coated my uniform and skin in so many layers it would never come off. Now that I was stateside, I vaguely remembered what breathing clean air was like.

  Sure, it was a hell of a lot nicer being back on this side of the world. There were things like showers and beds. Hot food to eat and phones that worked. I could walk down the street without fear. But in Kiawai I had a mission. I had a purpose. I had a drive that was with me twenty-four seven.

  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.

  I had been tracking the target for over a year. He was the highest-ranking member of Kiawai’s regime, and he was well guarded and well connected.

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

  I didn’t want to leave. They had to force me out. If I hadn’t made a promise it probably would have taken the entire army to remove me.

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

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

  I slowed the car when I saw the last name on the mailbox: Flynn.

  I groaned and pulled in a gravel driveway that crunched under the tires.

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

  I parked and stood staring at the brick house in front of me. This was it.

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

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

  2

  Olivia

  I climbed the rocky steps cut into the side of the cliff that led back to the house. I wrapped the cashmere sweater around me shoulders, pulling the edges tight against my chest. The wind picked up the ends of my auburn hair, no matter how much I tried to tuck them into my ponytail holder. It was pointless.

  The waves crashed fiercely below me, angry and menacing. Even with me back to the ocean, I felt the chill cut through her.

  It had been good to take a break. I needed to get out of the house. The memories were almost suffocating. But I didn’t know if watching the waves made things any better. All I could think about were the summers when Elliot and I played on the beach.

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

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

  As I reached the top of the cliff and made my way through the shell covered path that opened to the house I saw a Jeep parked in the driveway.

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

  I rattled the handle until it finally let loose.

  I looked around for the driver. She wasn’t expecting anyone. No one drove this far out of the city limits. Elliot’s memorial serv
ice was a month ago. The flower deliveries and nosy sympathizers had both come to a screeching halt two weeks ago.

  I took one step and then another before I saw someone standing on the porch.

  “Hello?” I called.

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

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

  “Whoa.” He reached out to grab me before I landed face first on the porch.

  His hand circled my waist, catching me as if I were light as a feather. He stood me upright.

  “Hi.” I stared into his deep blue eyes. I was sure I saw flecks of gold that glinted as he stared back at me.

  He cleared his throat.

  I tried to wiggle free, but his hand was clamped to my waist. His grip was firm.

  “Thanks.” My hands landed where his fingers were wrapped against me. They were thick strong fingers.

  “You’re welcome.” He finally released me, 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. “Crane. Uhh, Jake Crane.”

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

  He nodded. “It is.”

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

  I tried to figure out why this man was standing on my doorstep. I 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. I twisted my bottom lip under my teeth. Already starting to feel my face flush.

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

  I waited for his answer.

  “Elliot sent me.”

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

  3

  Jake

  I caught her before she tumbled down the stairs. My hands snaked around her waist, pulling her against me.

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

  I set Olivia back on her feet.

  “E-Elliot?” She looked in my eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes full of warmth and light. Something I had forgotten existed in this world.

  I nodded. “I’m here to see his younger sister.”

  I tried to sound official. But right now my blood was pumping. I felt the energy in my body surging at an all-time new level. My insides were now wide 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 sister. Is she here?”

  She raised her eyebrows and attempted a half smile. “That’s me. I’m Elliot’s sister.”

  I looked at her. Fuck. She was Elliot’s sister? I had always envisioned Elliot’s little sister with freckles, braces, and glasses. Not curves and lips so full I had to remember to blink.

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

  “Would you like to come in?”

  Hell yeah I wanted to come in. The mission had changed. Everything had changed. The minute she landed in my hands and I looked in her eyes, I knew she was mean to be mine. In what felt like a second, my whole world had changed. Shit like that didn’t happen. Especially to men like me.

  Men who had to stay hardened. Men who had to serve and protect. Men whose only commitment to be to their country.

  “That would be nice.”

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

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

  I led him to a living room and I 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.”

  My eyes shot to hers. “Sell the house?”

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

  I tried to remember all the stories Elliot had told me about the house, but I was having trouble remembering all the details. 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 Elliot’s sister have a name?” I smiled, already knowing it, but desperate to hear her name pass over her lips. Lips that were so lush and soft. I had to physically stop myself from grabbing her waist again and pushing her up against the wall.

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s Olivia. Olivia Flynn.”

  She was perfect.

  I reached into my pocket, retrieving the letter I had guarded for the past month. I held it toward her.

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

  She reached forward, her hand trembling. She took the envelope and stared at it, blinking rapidly.

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

  I shook my head. “Whenever you’re ready,” I offered. I didn’t know when Elliot had written the letter. The only time stamp I had was that it had to be a few weeks before the mission that took his life. I had no idea what was on the pages, but I swore I would get it to Olivia.

  It wasn’t the only promise Elliot got out of me.

  “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 Ranger unit.”

  “So you’re like him, then?”

  “Depends on what you mean by that.”

  “Reckless. Fearless. Determined.”

  I 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.” I wanted to steady her and calm the emotion surfacing.

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

  I wanted to pull her toward him. The need was almost unbearable. I didn’t know it could feel like this when I actually found a woman worth everything I had been through.

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

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

  “I can’t leave.”

  “And why is that?”

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

  “I doubt Elliot took it that seriously.”

  Elliot’s instructions were very clear. I would never forget the look in his eyes or what he said. His family was in my hands now. It appeared that meant Olivia.

  She crossed her arms, still standing in front of me. “I’m fine. Really.”

  I raised my 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.”

  I looked at her
. “It is now.”

  4

  Olivia

  I stared into his deep blue eyes and tried to remember why only two minutes ago I had been spit-fire mad. Right now, the only thing I saw was a man who offered to fix the crumbling mess around me. Offered to make something in my life right when everything else had gone to hell.

  “You can’t be serious.” I shook my head. Things like this didn’t happen to me.