Ranger's Legacy

By Vella Munn

Determined to prove herself, archaeologist Amber Baum moves to Sweetheart, Montana to focus on her career. She has no room for mistakes and no time for love, so when she meets the handsome forest ranger, she vows to stay clear. Easier said than done...

Garret Haute has dedicated his life and career to protecting the visitors to Montana’s vast wilderness and taking care of his family. He’s still haunted by a tragedy he was powerless to prevent, but after he meets Amber, suddenly he’s thinking about a lot more than doing his duty. When they become involved in a potentially dangerous project, sparks fly and Garret finds himself falling faster than he ever imagined.

Can two people forget their pasts to embrace each other and their future?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tule Publishing
• Release date: Apr 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781948342896

Vella Munn

I'm married, the mother of two sons, grandmother to four, and happily owned by two rescue dogs. My hobby, for lack of a different word, is digging in the dirt. I love going for walks and hate shopping. Also writes as Dawn Flindt and Heather Williams.

Book preview

Author

Chapter One

I could spend the rest of my life here.

Instead of dismissing the unexpected thought and focusing on what had brought her to the large lodge overlooking Montana’s Flathead Lake, Amber Baum clutched the deck railing. She’d first seen Flathead Lake five days ago when she’d stopped for lunch in Sweetheart, so she should be used to the rich turquoise and how the breeze could make the surface dance. However, Flathead was constantly changing, challenging her to stay and study it through the seasons. She understood why so many people were drawn to it.

I’m one of them.

Wondering how she’d come to that conclusion, she studied her long fingers. Unlike her mother and her mother’s colleagues and friends, she had next to no interest in manicures. She kept her nails short so she wouldn’t have to think about them. She’d chosen tan slacks and her favorite white blouse because she thought she looked professional in the outfit. Also the clothes fit as if they were made for her. Tonight she needed a touch of comfort, the familiar.

Voices coming from the lodge served as a reminder of what she was about to do, but she still had a few minutes before the meeting started. Instead of seeking out the host and thanking him for getting the affected people together, she continued her study of a lake so large she couldn’t see across it. She tried to imagine what it would look like come winter with snow falling all around, but summer days were long and warm, the surrounding evergreens speaking of endurance and peace. She wished she could bottle up this moment so she’d have it to look at for the rest of her life.

Several unseen birds started what sounded like an argument, causing her to stare at the evergreens to the left. The birds didn’t care that she was nervous about having to give a speech. Too bad she didn’t have time to run it past the feathered ones, asking them if she’d missed anything or sounded as if she knew what she was talking about.

She knew all right, but deep down in a place she’d never shared with anyone she wasn’t sure how important the rules and regulations she’d be spelling out were in the greater scheme of things.

A new sound, a whisper almost, distracted her. She turned toward the stairs leading to the expansive deck she stood on. A man was coming toward her, over six feet tall with short, dark hair, arms easy at his side, and shoulders meant for carrying whatever life handed him and more. Because he was in shadow, she couldn’t be sure about his age, but he handled himself as if he was in his prime. Thirty maybe.

Thirty with jeans doing what only jeans could do to muscled thighs, long legs, and no belly. Sudden heat pressed against her cheeks, forcing her to focus on his upper half. Tonight’s meeting was important, at least it was to her and those she’d be talking to, but the man was dressed as if he’d come to watch sports and drink beer with his buddies. The dark blue T-shirt with a white outline of Montana over his heart did its job as expertly as the jeans. Neither tight nor loose, the sleeves stretched over his deltoids. The hem ended before his biceps began, leaving those muscles exposed. She wished a lot more of him was naked. That way she’d be able to determine if every muscle was as well-defined as she suspected they were.

She wanted to caress his hard chest, slide her fingers over his arms, press her palms against the sides of his neck, touch her cheek to his belly, work her hands lower and—

Lordy!

Double lordy!

What’s going on? This isn’t you.

Isn’t it?

More than a little alarmed by her carnal thoughts, she concentrated on pulling the cooling evening air into her lungs. No matter that she didn’t want him guessing what she’d been thinking and feeling, she couldn’t keep from clutching the railing.

He was no more than ten feet away now and out of the shadows, not speaking, just studying her as intently as she was him. His eyes, set deep in their sockets, were chocolate brown. It was as if whoever had painted him had used the same hue for his hair and eyes. It was crazy, of course, a thought maybe born from the nonsense she’d been going through for the past few months, but she found herself wondering if he’d come out of the surrounding forest and would return to its wild ruggedness once this evening was over. Leave no sign of his existence—except in her memory.

Henry said I’d find you out here, he said.

Henry Walters owned the lodge behind her, not that the older man mattered. How could he when this arresting stranger’s voice made her long to hear him whisper erotic things to her, preferably in the dark. They’d be naked, lying on tangled sheets, bodies touching, making love.

Lovemaking nothing. She wanted sex with this man.

To fuck.

Is… She worked moisture into her mouth. Are they ready for me?

Almost. He held out a large, tanned hand with several faint scars on the back. I’m Garret Houle, forest ranger. I thought we should connect before we throw ourselves to the wolves.

Amber Baum, she said as his hand engulfed hers. He undoubtedly knew who she was and didn’t need an introduction, but her brain was still hung up on the f-word that had come out of it, thankfully silently.

He continued to hold onto her and those remarkable eyes of his were locked on hers. She wasn’t an expert when it came to the male-female game, but she suspected this contact was about more than a business introduction. He saw something in her that—what?—appealed to him?

In your dreams.

We only have a few minutes so I better get to the point. He released her and positioned himself so he too faced the lake. Warmth radiated from him to add to her awareness of him. After resting his muscular forearms on the railing, he glanced her way. I’d hoped we’d be able to have this conversation right after you got here, but I was deep in the Missions where there’s no reception.

By the Missions he must be talking about the nearby Mission Mountains. Like everything else that made up this part of Montana, she was hoping to find the time to explore the range. As for the fact that she’d never hiked in the wilderness—

What were you doing there? she asked.

Studying grizzlies.

Her mouth started to open, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of anything to say. This man studied monster bears as part of his job? Couldn’t get any more macho than that.

Anyway. He shrugged, which did amazing things to his T-shirt and her libido. Have you had time to settle into your office? I don’t have to tell you the building’s pretty small. We had to clean out a storage closet and add a window so you’d have a place with light.

We? You helped with the work?

He nodded. My office is just off the public area.

They’d be sharing the same structure? When she’d moved in three days ago, only the Native American woman who’d explained she was in charge of cat herding had been around. She’d also said that the rangers were in the field.

Because he’d turned his attention back to the lake, she did the same. Several boats, probably carrying fishermen, were on it. Did Flathead’s size make them feel insignificant? Were any of them uneasy about getting to shore before dark? She would be unless Garret Houle was with her.

You don’t need a guardian.

My guess, he said, is you won’t be spending any more time in the office than I do. You have those old cabins to inventory in addition to who knows what all. He ran his can-do-everything hand through his hair. The show will start in a few minutes. Most of the people you’ll meet are relatively civilized but they aren’t going to be thrilled to hear what you have to say. He turned toward her, bringing his sex appeal with him. I hope you understand that.

She’d suspected that might be the case but hearing Garret reinforce her concerns had her studying her hands as she tried to calm her nerves. These fingers had pounded out the thesis that had led to a master’s degree in archeology. The same fingers had pulled off an engagement ring and created the résumé she’d sent to forest service departments far from California. After signing the contract here, she’d packed her belongings in her SUV, hugged her parents, two older brothers, and their wives, and wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel.

She was taking charge of her life, turning it into what it needed to be.

I don’t think I’ll be saying anything they don’t already know.

Maybe, but people tend to dismiss what they figure’s going to be unpleasant until they have no choice. I’ve dealt with every one of the cabin owners you’ll be meeting tonight so I have a fairly good idea how they’ll react. You’re new to them and a bureaucrat. Your position represents the kind of red tape that gets their hackles up. I always keep in mind that people who own wilderness cabins want and expect to be left alone. I doubt if they’ll ever change their minds.

She wiped her suddenly sweaty palm on her slacks then wondered if she’d left a mark. When she told them where she’d be working, her brothers had suggested she buy a rifle and learn to shoot so she could protect herself against charging moose, elk, and of course grizzlies. She hadn’t let her siblings know their talk made her a little nervous. Right now she wished she was in the mountains with Garret far from humans. He’d let her know which dangerous animals were around and protect her if need be.

However, he couldn’t stand between her and an angry cabin owner. More to the point, she didn’t want him to.

My coworkers—there are three of us rangers assigned to this part of the Flathead forest—told me to mind my own business and let whoever your agency sends our way do his or her job. Believe me, we have more than enough to do. However…

However what?

I looked you up on the agency’s Montana website. Saw how young you are. You can’t have a lot of experience.

In other words, this probably fearless man had concluded she needed a guardian. Darn it, that attitude was precisely why she’d put distance between her family and the man she’d been going to marry. She refused to let his looks distract her from her determination.

I’m twenty-nine. She focused on the lake. And I’ve worked for the Forest Historic Preservation Office for five years starting when I was in grad school. As they say, this isn’t my first rodeo.

But you worked in offices, right, not out in the field.

What difference does that make? Darn it, she had to get a grip.

Garret wasn’t her father, brothers, or Barnes. Even if Garret believed she needed protecting, she’d make it clear she didn’t. However, given his physical appearance, he’d make the ideal protector. And more. Things were complicated.

What are you saying? he asked. That you want me to butt out? Let you take your lumps?

No. She swung toward him. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you, and I appreciate you letting me know I might have an antagonistic audience, but you’re going to be what, counting grizzly bears while I’m conducting surveys? I’ll have to figure out how to work with these people on my own. I want to.

He smiled, a slow and beautiful gesture that took her heart for a ride she didn’t think it had ever gone on. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring—she’d checked. However, the lack of one didn’t mean he wasn’t taken. In fact, with a smile like that and a killer body, he undoubtedly had his choice of women.

Knowing Garret was off-limits would make it easier for her to concentrate on her career.

I don’t do much bear counting. His smile held. Mostly I try to keep idiots from doing something stupid like getting between a sow and her cubs.

I hope I’ll never do that, not that I intend to infringe on their territory.

The entire Flathead Forest is their territory. Amber, their safety is my priority. He shook his head, making her wish she knew what he was thinking about and why he was no longer smiling.

Wondering how a few words and a serious expression could confuse her so much, she pointed at the lake. Are bears good swimmers?

If they need to be, but you won’t see them there.

She wanted to keep the conversation going, but it wasn’t easy. He was close enough that she could feel him, not his body-heat so much as his essence. There was something about him, power and strength to say nothing of sex appeal that kept her nerve endings humming. She wasn’t sure she liked feeling like this, but she didn’t want the sensation to end. That was it. He needed to stay where he was for the foreseeable future so she could take stock of him and her reaction. It might take a while, long past dark, after those in the lodge had gone home, when it would be just Garret Houle and her.

There you are, a masculine voice said. We’re about ready.

Garret looked behind him at where the voice had come from. Hi, Henry. We’ll be right there.

It’s a full house, Henry said.

That’s because they give a damn, Garret whispered. He waited a few seconds then spoke in a normal tone that let her know Henry had gone back inside. I’m here because I figured I could fill folks in on the connection between your agency and mine; let them know our agencies are working together. That way you can concentrate on your role.

He wasn’t apologizing for getting involved with her presentation, not that that should surprise her. A man accustomed to keeping humans away from grizzlies was used to taking a leadership role. Not that she’d tell him, but she was relieved to know she wouldn’t be standing there by herself. The audience probably knew Garret and his role and responsibilities. Hopefully they’d see her in the same light.

Let’s do this, she said and started for the door.

He touched her arm. One thing. If it gets tense, I’m stepping in.

What? Do you think it might? Given how she’d reacted to the contact, she was surprised she could speak.

Hopefully not, but there are a few men who—How about this? If you see me rubbing the back of my neck, that’s the signal that I’m going to try to defuse things.

Garret was determined to take charge. She’d probably have to kick him out of the room to keep him from defending her. The problem was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

*

The lodge’s interior was even more impressive than the exterior, with a large stone fireplace, leather furniture plus the temporary chairs Henry had brought in, peeled log walls, and a floor-to-ceiling window that faced the lake. She’d never be able to afford such a place, but she could dream. In her fantasy, she and her lover-boyfriend-husband would come home from their respective jobs and leave the world behind them. One of them would pour drinks while the other set out cheese and crackers. Depending on the weather, they’d either go outside or snuggle before the fire. They’d catch each other up on their respective day while she massaged his feet or he rubbed her back. One of them would say something about starting dinner but neither would head for the kitchen. Instead, they’d continue to tend to each other, talking less and less, thoughts going to the bedroom.

The mystery man looked a lot like Garret.

With a mental shake, Amber closed herself off from the kind of musing she rarely indulged in and studied the forty-plus people looking at her. They all owned a cabin in a concentrated area or tract in the forest. They leased the land from the forest service, which, along with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, managed Flathead. She didn’t know much about the relationship between the service and the tribes. The cabins plus everything in and around the massive forest were a different story and why she was stationed here for a while.

Henry Walters had set things up so his fellow cabin owners sat in a semi-circle facing the fireplace, which was where she and Garret stood. Whispered conversations continued as she spread the pamphlets she’d brought with her on a nearby card table.

Don’t let them see you sweat, Garret muttered.

I’m not sweating. Much.

Good. See the three men to your left?

Yes.

That’s your problem, if there’s going to be one. They don’t have much use for the government and feed off each other.

She nodded then winced as Henry whistled. Let’s get this meeting over with, he said.

The meeting had been arranged by the district’s forest service supervisor before she arrived. Henry was president of the Flathead Cabin Owners’ Association and owned one of the cabins in addition to this jaw-dropping place. According to the supervisor, Henry’s ancestors had made their money back when the railroad was a major landowner. Henry could be generous when it served him to be, and a formidable foe if crossed. She wondered what Garret thought of Henry and the other way around.

The three men Garret had pointed out teased Henry about what brands of alcohol he intended to break out after the meeting. Then the youngest of the trio announced he’d taken his brother’s teenage sons hiking in the Bob where they’d seen several immature eagles and a mountain goat. Amber surmised