Brotherhood Protectors: Texas Ranger Rescue (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

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  Texas Ranger Rescue

  Brotherhood Protectors Series

  Cynthia D’Alba

  Dedication

  To three awesome authors and my writing retreat buddies––Elle James, Parker Kincade, and Delilah Devlin. Thank you for your support, your encouragement and our long talks at the writing retreat.

  To my awesome beta readers: Teresa Fordace, Shannon Taylor, Debby Watson, Pamela Reveal, and Eileen McCall. Thank for jumping in and reading so quickly. You definitely improved the quality of the story.

  To my editor Delilah Devlin. Thanks for the fast (and awesome) edit. But maybe you shouldn’t start them at three a.m.?

  To my wonderful and loved D’Alba Diamonds. I always know you’re there behind me, supporting me, and encouraging me. You’re there with advice, some of which I actually take!

  And finally, To My Readers! Thank you for buying my books, enjoying them, and posting reviews. You made me smile… a lot.

  Chapter One

  Chase Adams adjusted the Bluetooth earpiece and clicked the start icon on his computer. Fiona Samuels’s honeyed voice filled his ear and flowed through him, acting as a potent drug to his agitated state. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair and allowed her voice to stroke him like the softest, smoothest length of silk. Whatever the story she was telling didn’t matter. He simply needed to hear her soothing tone to take the edge off his current pissed-off mood.

  But, before Fiona’s voice could work its magic, his doorbell rang. He thought about ignoring it. He did that a lot—ignoring the door—but then his phone flashed with a text message.

  Open the door. It’s Hank.

  Chase groaned. Hank Patterson had been like a brother to him, both in war and now back in the states. He pretty much owed his life to the man. The fact he did computer intelligence for Hank’s company might also have played a factor in his pushing up from his comfortable seat.

  “Coming,” he called.

  He stopped the audiobook and let his screen saver take over his monitor. An unexpected smile twisted his lips when he opened the door. Hank was there, but so was his lovely wife Sadie.

  “You didn’t say Sadie was here. You, I can ignore, but never Sadie.”

  Sadie Patterson smiled, her personality as lovely as her movie star face. “Ah, Chase. You say the nicest things.” She rose on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too. What’s going on?”

  “Can we come in?” Hank asked.

  “Sorry. Come on in. Can I get you a drink? Beer? Water?”

  Both Pattersons declined and followed him into his tiny living room.

  “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I know you two. You’re wanting something, so just spill it.” He looked at Hank with an arched brow.

  Sadie sat next to Chase on the sofa and draped an arm around him. “I need a favor.”

  And that’s how Chase had found himself on the road driving to Big Branch, Texas. He’d been played by Sadie Patterson. No doubt about it. Only his friend’s pretty wife could present the situation in such a way to convince Chase that he was, in fact, the ideal man to help Sadie’s friend.

  The fact that her friend in need was audiobook narrator Fiona Samuels, and that Chase was a huge fan, didn’t hurt her case.

  And yeah, it was a helluva drive from Montana to Texas. A little under eighteen-hundred miles, it’d take him a couple of long days of driving, but he didn’t really mind. He liked the solitude. He loved listening to his audiobooks. Well, actually, he ran Fiona Samuels books the entire way when he wasn’t on his phone. He’d listened to all of them before, but this time, he really concentrated on her voice. How her tone modulated. How clear it was. How well she enunciated her words. The way she employed different voices for the various characters.

  He knew from his own experience that as her producer and audio engineer, he had the power to tweak the recording to make her sound awesome, or screw it up and make her sound like a chipmunk.

  Hank had come through with the phone number for Fiona’s previous producer, Harold Byrd. He’d been a fountain of information about the equipment—top notch;—how much he had to correct—very little;—and how hard Fiona worked. He was mum on the narrator herself, only saying, “She’s unique and a real gem. I think you’ll like her.”

  He hoped he did. How many times were people disappointed when they met someone they admired?

  He rolled into Big Branch late in the afternoon, his route taking him straight through the town square. The center was dominated by a stone-constructed courthouse that he would bet was at least a hundred years old, if not older. Not in a hurry to find the Best Quality Inn and Suites, where he’d live until the project was done, he circled the square a couple of times to see what was there. A number of mom-and-pop shops, two cafes and one after-five restaurant. Being after five—almost seven, actually—he parked, entered T-Bone’s Place for dinner, and ate the finest steak he’d had in years.

  T-Bone’s would have a repeat customer in him.

  ***

  Fiona Samuels winced as the doctor sewed the last stitch. He placed a soft, sterile pad over his work, and then pressed a fat width of tape over it to hold the covering in place.

  “This may ache a little when the local wears off,” the doctor said. “I can write you a script for pain if you need something.”

  Fiona shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Ignore her,” Lori Wood said. “Give me the scripts and I’ll make sure they are filled.”

  “Lori—” Fiona begain.

  “Don’t start with me,” Fiona’s assistant said. “I’m getting the antibiotics and we might as well have the pain med filled at the same time. If you don’t need it, great. But if you do, I’d hate to be headed out in the middle of the night to find a pharmacy.”

  “Meet my assistant,” Fiona said to the doctor, her tone dry. “She runs my life.”

  “Someone has to,” Lori joked.

  The dermatology clinic nurse came in with discharge instructions about caring for the small surgical site on Fiona’s back and then she was released. Fiona unfolded her cane and tapped the tip to the floor.

  “You want my elbow?” Lori asked.

  “I’m fine. Lead on.”

  As the two women made their way to the car, Fiona could feel Lori’s presence, as well as smell her perfume, so she was fully aware that her assistant was walking at her side and probably signaling everyone out of Fiona’s way. She loved Lori, but she could be a little overprotective, not that Fiona really minded that much.

  Fiona had lost most of her sight almost twenty years ago in an auto accident. She carried the diagnosis of legally blind, but it wasn’t as if she saw only a black slate. She had some vision, but it was so poor that she mostly saw slight shadows and wavy shapes, and only in gray shades. She missed seeing colors, especially this time of the year when the few Texas trees that underwent autumn change wore their finest fall foliage. Living in Big Branch, there wasn’t much color. One year, before she’d lost her sight, her parents had taken her south to the Texas
Hill Country so she could really experience the full fall foliage. That remained one of her favorite visual memories.

  However, since her accident, she’d also developed an extreme sensitivity to bright lights. Very dark glasses gave her a modicum of relief, so anytime she left the house—and until the sun went down—her eyes were covered, as they were at the moment. Her doctor had given her an explanation about cones and rods, but she’d never understood and hadn’t spent much time worrying about why her eyes were sensitive because it didn’t matter. Understanding all the medical jargon wasn’t going to bring back her vision. She didn’t like the diagnosis of legally blind, but she accepted it.

  Until her mother’s death last year, Fiona had lived in the family home with her. But Fiona needed someone to do her shopping, help pay her bills, even do the laundry from time to time. A team of house cleaners came in weekly, but in between, she needed a little assistance, and so she’d hired Lori Wood to serve as her eyes.

  Having Lori as an assistant was like having a bossy, older, protective sister who was also her closest friend. Now that Fiona had no family left, it was nice to have someone she knew she could rely on in some situations, like noticing the abnormal spot on her back and driving her to the doctor’s office to have it removed and sent for pathology.

  “I’ll drop you off at home and then get the meds. That work for you, Fiona? Huck will be going nuts.”

  Fiona had opted to give her old dog the run of the house while they were gone. She’d assumed it’d be a fast trip. Instead, they’d been gone for a couple of hours. “That works. Thanks again.”

  “When is the new producer coming?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Wish you’d given me a shot at the audio engineering. Harold taught me a lot.”

  “I know,” Fiona said with a sigh. “Maybe next time, but this is an Elle James book. Too high profile for me to screw up. Plus, I’m already behind schedule. I’m sure I’ll be a bitch the entire time. Maybe the next book, okay?”

  Lori sighed. “Okay. I’m just a little disappointed.”

  “You’ll get your shot. I promise. Just not this book.”

  “Nervous about working with someone new?”

  “Sort of. It’ll be weird not having Harold doing my work. I can’t believe he retired.”

  “I know. How rude of him to want to spend time with his wife in sunny Florida.”

  Fiona laughed. “How true. Aren’t I more fun?”

  “Of course you are,” Lori said, patting Fiona on the hand. “Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

  “You’re not getting a raise,” Fiona quipped.

  Lori snickered. “Can’t blame a gal for trying. So, what do you know about the new guy?”

  “Not much. My friend Sadie recommended him so highly, I felt like I’d be a fool to not give him a try.”

  “When he’s not producing audiobooks, what does he do?”

  “No clue. Sadie said he was some brilliant computer whiz who was in the service with her husband. Said there wasn’t much he couldn’t do.”

  “Name?”

  “Chase Adams.”

  “Is he cute?”

  Fiona chuckled. “Gee, I don’t know why I didn’t ask Sadie that question. I guess you’ll have to come over and check him out yourself.”

  “Oh, I plan to. Trust me. Can I do anything to help you get ready to start recording?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve been over the book like a million times. Your notes really helped.”

  The forward movement halted, and Fiona felt the car come to a stop.

  “I won’t be gone long,” Lori said.

  “No problem.” Fiona opened the passenger door and tapped the end of her cane on the sidewalk. “House directly ahead?”

  “Yep.”

  Fiona had lived in the same house since was ten. She made only a few structural changes, so her familiarity with her living environment was keen. In addition, she and Huck had walked the neighborhood since the day she’d gotten him eight years ago, so she felt like she knew every crack, cranny and bump in the sidewalks.

  Even as she made her way to her home, she knew where she was by the change in the sound of her cane made on the concrete. The slight alteration of resonance was subtle and a sighted person would probably never notice or hear it, but she did. Losing so much of her vision when she was twelve had heightened all her other senses.

  The quiet creak of her door opening produced the sound of dog nails clicking rapidly on her hardwood floors. She squatted, ready to greet Huck. Hot, German Shepard dog breath assaulted her face.

  “Hey, boy. I told you I’d be right back.”

  Huck pressed his face into her hands before sitting. She’d gotten Huck as a service dog. Now that he was ten years old, she’d let him retire from his job, but Huck hadn’t wanted to stop work. From his training, she was sure he’d taken his position to her left. He didn’t wear his work harness any longer, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to do his job.

  Inside her home, Fiona was as comfortable walking around as any sighted person. She still had the visual memories she’d accumulated between the ages of and twelve, so in her mind, she had mental recall of what her house looked like. Whether her recollections were completely accurate, she wasn’t sure. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t care.

  The only major change in the house she’d had to learn concerned the recording and production studio she’d constructed for her work. Her home sat on a slight ridge, and from what she remembered and her friends said, had an incredible view. She’d used the third floor of her house for her soundproof booth and production area. Neither of those, of course, had windows and unnecessary views.

  However, since her previous producer had been sighted, she’d built a break room for them that did utilize big windows. He’d never failed to describe what he saw outside the windows on those days. When it snowed, he’d describe the white streets and geometric designs forming from the cold on the glass. In the fall, like now, he’d describe the colors of the trees or how the wind was shaking the leaves. Once, he’d told her that the yellow leaves on her maple tree looked like coins bouncing around on a belly dancer’s hips. She’d never seen a belly dancer perform but his wistful description had made her laugh.

  She was going to miss him. At some point she would need to look for a new fulltime producer but at least Sadie had bailed her out for this book. Lori was keen to try the job, and that might work in the future, however, Sadie was not the most patient person and she questioned if she had the patience to give Lori time to learn.

  A mental debate for another time, she thought.

  She and Huck settled in her office on the second floor near her bedroom so she could read through her notes and get ready for tomorrow’s session. Not that she’d admit it, but working with someone new had her anxious. Harold understood her work process and knew about her vision issues. The new guy was an unknown, and she hated breaking in new people.

  What she really hated was that most people, upon meeting her, felt sorry for her. Harold never had. He’d been the father figure she’d been missing in her life since her father had been killed in the accident that took her sight. Harold had encouraged her and made her work harder than she ever had.

  “I’m back,” Lori called from the rear of the house.

  Fiona leaned back in her chair to shout, “In my office.”

  In a minute, the brush of moving air swept across Fiona’s face, and Lori’s perfume filled the office.

  “Okay, here is the antibiotic,” Lori said. She placed the bottle into Fiona’s outstretched hand. “And here are the pain pills. Are you hurting?”

  Fiona shrugged. “A tad. Not bad.”

  “I’ll get you a glass of water. Why don’t you go on and take a pill and get ahead of the pain. I’ve read that’s better than trying to catch up once the pain gets bad.”

  “I’m not hurting much,” Fiona protested.

  “Yeah, but I’m leaving for the
day,” Lori said, her tone softening, “and it would make me happy if I thought I’d left you comfortable.”

  Fiona snorted, knowing Lori was purposely playing on her guilt to get her way. “Fine. For you, I’ll take a pain pill.” Her fingers worked over the braille labels until she was positive which bottle was which. She fingered out one pill and swallowed it with the water Lori gave her.

  “Antibiotic at ten,” Lori reminded.

  “I’ve got this.” Fiona immediately felt bad for snapping at her assistant. “I’ll be fine, Lori. Really. Go on home to Bobby. I’m sure he’s waiting for you.”

  “I’m going, I’m going,” Lori said, but Fiona heard the laugh in her voice. “I can’t help that I care.”

  Fiona heard the back door close with a slam. She began to read the script aloud, stopping at intervals to practice different voice inflections. When her grandfather clock chimed six times, she was surprised to find a couple of hours had passed so quickly. Beside her, Huck’s fur tickled her leg as he stood. She waited, and it wasn’t long before Huck pressed his cold, wet nose into her leg, his sign for Feed me, woman!

  Once she got his food and water bowls replenished, she leaned against the counter and removed her sunglasses long enough to rub her eyes before replacing the dark lenses. Her stomach let out a long growl, and she realized she’d forgotten to eat. Once she got involved with her book prep, everything else, including food, got shoved to the back of her mind

  Before she could drag something out of the freezer for dinner, her front doorbell chimed. As a single woman living alone, and one with very limited vision, an unexpected caller in the evening put her on alert, which put Huck on alert. He abandoned his food and pressed his large body into her left leg.

  “Stay,” she told him, and made her way to the house intercom. “Yes?”

  “Hi,” a deep male voice said. “I’m Chase Adams. I’m looking for Fiona Samuels. Do I have the right house?”

  Her interest piqued at the same time her stomach clenched. That voice was so familiar, but how could that be? Until Sadie mentioned Chase Adams, she’d never heard of him, but the voice on her speaker? That was eerily familiar, but there was no way, was there?