Rescued by the
Ranger
By: Dixie Lee Brown
Releasing September 8, 2015
Avon Impulse
Protecting those
in trouble is what Army Ranger Garrett Harding does best. But after helping a
feisty redhead toss a couple of losers from her Idaho bar, the woman is
anything but grateful for his assistance—in fact, she seems to know him. Worse,
she almost certainly hates him.
The only thing
Rachel Maguire wants is to send this smart-mouthed, muscled military man
packing. She knows Garrett has his own reasons for staying, so when he offers
Rachel a deal—two days to prove his worth or he leaves—she reluctantly agrees.
Despite wanting to loathe him, Rachel finds herself drawn to his quiet
confidence…and the way he fills out a t-shirt.
A wave of anger hit Garrett hard
as he watched the red-haired woman school her expression into patient
nonchalance, yet she couldn’t hide the fury that burned in those green eyes.
Garrett, taking his cue from her, forced a smile and shifted his weight to one
of the barstools. “Huh! They just left the place unlocked?” He stared directly
at the kid. “Seems reckless. Any slimy piece of riffraff could wander in and
sit himself down.” A faint smile crossed quickly over Rachel’s face, but
apparently the idiot beside her was too stupid to take offense. Garrett would
have to try harder.
The kid leaned back in his chair,
and a black scowl twisted his features. “I won’t be tellin’ ya again to clear
out. A fella stickin’ his nose in around these parts is askin’ for a beatin’ .
. . or worse.”
Garrett’s gaze shifted to Rachel
as she slowly lifted her eyes to his. She studied him curiously for a second
before the slimeball squeezed her hand cruelly and she bit her lip, muffling a
small sound. The tautness of her body and the determined set of her jaw
telegraphed her intention ahead of her movement, and Garrett started toward
them seconds before she jumped to her feet, sending her chair flying backward.
Rachel fisted her right hand and flung a haymaker at the punk’s nose. Obviously
quicker than he looked, the kid saw it coming and easily caught her wrist,
yanking her arm behind her back. With one foot, he pulled the closest chair
into position and forced her to sit, then turned to face Garrett with a
make-my-day smirk on his face. Clearly enjoying himself now, he twisted Rachel’s
arm higher, bending her over the table, and a cry escaped her this time. “As I
was sayin’, it’s time for you to go.”
Garrett held his ground. The
woman’s eyes still flashed with fire, but fear seemed noticeably absent, if the
instinct to knock the kid on his ass was any indication. Maybe they were a couple and this was their idea of
Saturday-afternoon foreplay. Damn. He hated getting involved in family matters,
but he’d never been able to abide violence against women.
A deep breath later, he’d committed
himself to what was likely to follow. “Thanks for the warning, but I think I’ll
hang around for a while. Unless you want to let this pretty little bartender
here sell me a drink.”
The guy took a step toward the
edge of the table, still grasping Rachel’s wrist. “Hey! You hard of hearin’ or
somethin’? You’ve got two seconds to git back on the road or I’m gonna kick
your ass.”
Garrett laughed, then let his
forced humor fade as he squared his stance. “You can try if you want.”
The guy roared like a wounded
rhinoceros, released the woman’s wrist, and lurched around the table toward
Garrett. Rachel didn’t waste a second. She darted away from the table, vaulted
over the top of the bar, and dropped out of sight on the other side.
Garrett braced for the lunatic’s
clumsy attack, but with three strides still separating them, he heard the
distinctive sound of a Winchester lever-action rifle. The charging bull in
front of him obviously recognized the sound as well.
He skidded to a stop and threw his
hands in the air. “Now, Rachel, baby. You don’t wanna do that.”
“I sure as hell do, you sorry
excuse for a single-celled amoeba. I told you if you ever laid a hand on me,
I’d kill you, and I meant it.” Rachel’s voice was silky smooth and hard-edged.
Hunky alpha males, loyal dog, sexy scenes and mysteries to be solved kept me entertained from beginning to end, I couldn't put it down until I had answers! Garrett and his dog Cowboy made a great team and their bond was amazing. I fell for them right from the start and the feeling intensified throughout the book. Rachel took a bit to warm up to and although they had some sexy scenes, I didn't feel the love between them as much as their chemistry. The mystery surrounding her stalker was well played out and I was surprised by who it turned out to be. I wish we would have gotten a resolution to the issue with the letters Garrett's mom wrote to him and his brother Luke, but perhaps that will be resolved in a future book about Luke? There are a few other characters in the story that I would like to see have their own HEAs.
I received an ARC via Edelweiss for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
DIXIE LEE BROWN lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by what
she believes is the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. She resides with two dogs
and a cat, who make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she’s not
writing, she enjoys reading, movies, and trips to the beach.
Thank you for hosting RESCUED BY THE RANGER
ReplyDeleteThanks for featuring my new book on your blog today and for the lovely review!!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
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