Ranger Bear (Rogue Bear Series 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

down her face.
    “What happened? What’s wrong?” His chest puffed forward and his eyes immediately darted to the window. He scanned the room.
    She shook her head. “I’m fine. I thought I’d pack up Sam’s things, but maybe I shouldn’t. It’s too soon, but I’ve got to clean this stuff out of here.”
    “Oh.” He lowered his voice. He took a step toward her, crouching to the floor so they were eye level.
    She caught her breath when he reached for her face and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “What did you find?” he asked.
    It was tender and sweet. His skin was warm.
    “Maybe you can help me.” She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The world had felt dark and sad, and then he walked into the room. His wide shoulders making her feel protected. His eyes full of concern. His touch gentle.
    “Sure. What do you have?” He sat next to her.
    She shoved the manuals in his lap. “Do I need to save these?”
    He looked down at the manuals and chuckled. “He kept these?” He flipped open the first one.
    “Are they important?” she asked.
    “Not really. It’s just basic intro school stuff. It’s not like there are any classified secrets in here.” He seemed to enjoy looking through the manual. “Man, I forgot our instructor’s name.”
    “Were you in this class with Sam?”
    “Yeah. It was our first class together. Who knew we’d end up on the same team?”
    “Was anyone else from that class on your team?”
    “No. Half of them didn’t make it through the training. Then after that one, there was another Special Forces school. The graduation rate isn’t very high.” He eyed her and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
    “Sam didn’t tell me much.”
    “I’m sure he wanted to. We can’t share much about we do.” His voice was thick and husky and sitting this close to him, she was feeling her skin begin to tingle.
    She picked up a stack of pictures from the box. “Do you know who any of these guys are?”
    Kyle shuffled through them, pausing every once and awhile. “Yeah, I knew a few of these guys.” He handed them back to her.
    “Do you want them?” she offered. “I don’t know who they are. You can keep them if you like.”
    “No. It’s better if I don’t get attached to things. I travel lightly. Everything I have fits in my Jeep.”
    Her forehead creased. “Well, that’s kind of a sad way to live. You don’t keep pictures? Or what about books? Family mementos? You must have at least one Christmas ornament.”
    He shook his head. “Tools and clothes. That’s it. I can’t afford to put down more roots than that right now.”
    Suddenly her chest felt heavy. If Kyle Brake wasn’t the definition of unavailable she didn’t know what man was.
    “Oh. All right.” She threw everything back in the box and tossed the manuals on top. “I think I’ll do this another time.”
    “You sure? I can take it to the burn pile for you.”
    “I can’t burn my brother’s things.” She knew how angry she sounded and she didn’t care. How could he even suggest it? The fury had surfaced before she could even think about controlling it.
    “Sorry. Sorry.” He put his hands in the air. “I think I’ll just get back to the roof. I’ve got to get the flashing up before it rains again.”
    And before she could apologize he was gone.
    “Damn it,” she whispered.

11

Whitney
    A nother week passed and Whitney decided she couldn’t take it anymore.
    Kyle would walk in a room and her body would light up like a Christmas tree. He’d walk out and she’d feel the disappointment wash over her.
    There was a moment, sitting on the floor in Sam’s room when she thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn’t. He hadn’t touched her again. It was all she could think about.
    She had to put a stop to it. Now.
    She sat across from him at the kitchen table.
    She watched his expression as he took a bite. She wanted to see that grin. The one that said he loved the way it tasted on his tongue. The