Page 1 of Caspian (HC Heroes #14)

I f there was ever a moment for Caspian Taylor to question his return home, it was the one where Harper Quinn stepped out of the van.

He stood in his father’s backyard, the familiar scent of barbecue and freshly cut grass filling the air.

It was a bittersweet homecoming—his father, bandaged and bruised but smiling, was finally back from the hospital and safehouse.

The celebration was just as much for Cas and Dale, who had left the Navy and were now back home for good.

The details of his father’s accident still gnawed at him.

The thought that someone had deliberately spooked the horse made his blood boil.

But knowing that Dale and a few of his military buddies had tracked down the culprit and put him behind bars helped alleviate some of his anger and need for justice, but not his guilt.

He was going to have to work on that.

Right now, though, he was intrigued by Harper’s arrival at her cousin, Sadie’s, house next door. Since Sadie happened to be his brother’s girlfriend, the party had spilled over into her yard too. If he were smart, he’d turn around and return to shooting the breeze with some of the guys.

But he must’ve left his smarts at the base, because he sipped his beer and studied the pretty newcomer instead.

The memory of the carefree girl he once knew clashed with the guarded woman who now stood in Sadie’s driveway, her beautiful eyes hinting at a story she wasn’t ready to tell.

Something flickered through Cas’ chest, but he ignored the unwanted feeling.

Still, he couldn’t help but notice how much she’d changed—and how much more developed her sweet curves were now, even though he was determined not to get involved.

The last time he’d seen Harper, she’d been a teenager, all bright smiles and cheerful laughter as she watched him, Dale, and a few of their friends exercising horses at the McCall ranch.

She and Sadie would hang out with Loni and Lori, giggling as they tried to catch the boys’ attention.

Back then, Harper was the picture of innocence—sky-blue eyes that sparkled with mischief, dark blonde hair that shone like gold in the sun, and a smile that rivaled that sunlight.

But as he regarded the beauty now, he could see a change in her.

There was a weariness in her eyes, a heaviness in the way she carried herself.

She was still stunning, with those same mesmerizing blue eyes and golden hair, but there was something else—an air of vulnerability that tugged at something deep inside him.

Damn. The woman had done it again.

That was the second time she’d caused tingling in his chest, a tingling that hadn’t occurred in a hell of a long time.

Sixteen years as a Navy SEAL, witnessing atrocities, seeing and doing things he’d worked hard to forget, had hardened his heart into dust. But almost losing his father, then his brother and his brother’s girlfriend to a madman bent on revenge because of him, had jolted a few pieces of that dust back into life.

And now, he had to credit Harper for jolting several more.

That was enough. The rest could remain a pile of ash, at least for now. He was still coming to terms with his recent split from the teams, dropping his packet, and returning home of his own accord.

What the hell?

He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he’d actually done it.

For as long as Cas could remember, he’d wanted to be a Navy SEAL, inspired by his uncle even before the guy had been killed in action when Cas was thirteen.

The only way he’d planned to leave the teams before retirement was in a body bag, like Uncle Carl.

To depart by dropping his packet had never crossed his mind.

That was quitting, and he was no damn quitter.

And yet, that was exactly how he’d gone out.

Part of him was disgusted with himself, but the other part—the bigger part—was at peace with his decision because he’d done it for family.

Ortega might be behind bars and no longer a threat to his family, but Cas had helped stop dozens of men that were far worse.

What if one of their relatives decided to seek revenge too?

No, he needed to be home to protect his family, to clean up his own damn messes, and not let his father or kid brother and his woman get caught in the crossfire.

Still, even though he didn’t regret leaving the Navy, he hated leaving on those terms.

A quitter.

Swallowing his disgust down with the rest of his beer, Cas watched Harper adjust the hem of her T-shirt, a nervous habit he vaguely remembered from years ago.

She was still stunning—dark blonde hair catching the late afternoon sun, those sky-blue eyes that had once been so full of life now clouded by a weight that hadn’t been there before.

A disturbing pang of something he wasn’t used to—protectiveness, maybe—drifted through him, but he pushed it aside.

He wasn’t the right person for her, not with everything she seemed to be carrying.

Hell, he wasn’t the right person for any woman.

His sorry ass was way too cynical and damaged to burden anyone.

But the longer Harper hesitated by the van, clearly unsure of how to approach the groups in either yard, he couldn’t stop himself from stepping forward, determined to make her feel welcome and to cross off his good deed for today.

A task he’d given himself upon returning home.

In order to remove the darkness from his soul and try to reclaim it, he’d made a pact with himself to perform a good deed daily.

No better time to start than right now.

He tossed his empty can in a recycling bin and brought a smile to his face. “Hey, Harper,” he said as he walked in her direction. “Long time, no see.”

She glanced up from inspecting her sneakers, her eyes widening slightly as if she hadn’t expected anyone to notice her so quickly. “Cas? Wow, it’s been ages. Thought you were in Virginia. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“Yeah, well, neither did I,” he admitted with a shrug. “I just moved here too.”

Her gaze softened slightly. “Oh…then welcome home.”

Cas wasn’t sure if it was her tone, her gaze, or her words, but something sent an unexpected wave of warmth through his chest. He lifted a hand to rub the spot, unsure if it was to keep the pleasant sensation in or to get it the hell out. “Thanks. Uh, you, too.”

“Harper! You’re finally here!” Sadie grinned as she rushed over from his dad’s yard where she’d been lip-locking with his brother. “I’ve missed you!”

Harper laughed “I missed you too, Cuz! It feels so good to be here.”

Squealing occurred from his flank. Cas turned to see Loni and Lori sprinting over, excitement lighting their faces.

The beautiful, dark-haired twins were identical and married to former SEALs, Dean and RJ, currently talking to Carter and the sheriff manning the grill in his dad’s yard.

“Harper!” Loni called out, waving enthusiastically as they approached.

“Welcome back,” Lori added, practically bouncing on her toes. “We’ve been counting down the days!”

The pretty blonde grinned, releasing Sadie just in time to catch a double hug from the twins. “It’s so good to see you both. I can’t believe I’m finally moving here.”

“We can’t believe it either,” Lori said, laughing. “It’s like we’re getting the band back together.”

Loni nodded. “It’s a big step. We know, having finally moved here ourselves a few years ago. But it’s so worth it. You’ll see.”

Cas watched a shadow cross Harper’s expression before she upped the wattage of her smile and nodded.

Sadie slid an arm around her cousin’s shoulder. “And don’t worry, we’re here to help with anything you need.”

“Especially the snacks,” Lori added with a wink, making everyone laugh.

The twins ran Champion Bakery in town, and their baked goods were legendary. Cas knew it was only a matter of time before Harper got to taste their popular treats herself.

A half second later, Dale approached, with a bunch of the guys on his six. His brother sidled up to Sadie and slid an arm around her shoulder.

“Hey, Dale.” Sadie’s gaze softened. “You remember my cousin, Harper.”

He smiled and nodded at the pretty blonde. “Of course. Nice to see you, Harper.”

“You, too, Dale.” Her smile was hesitant, her usual spark a bit dimmer, but there was still some warmth in her baby-blues. “’Bout time my cousin caught you.”

“Damn straight,” Sadie muttered, tugging his brother closer.

Cas’ chuckle mixed with the others before Loni and Lori introduced their husbands, who’d joined them.

Harper nodded to the men, her smile growing a little stiffer. “Nice to put faces with names. The girls have mentioned you.”

“And this is Mac, Cooper, and Gabe, who’s the sheriff,” Dale said, introducing the rest of the guys who’d followed him over. “And the guy taking over grilling duties next door is Carter.”

Out of the former military in town—not counting his brother—the only one Cas knew personally was Cooper because they’d gone through boot camp and then BUDs together.

After receiving their Tridents, he was sent to the east coast and Coop to the west. They’d kept in touch though, and he knew of the rest of the men through Cooper and his brother.

Most of the guys at the party worked for ESI—Eagle Security and Investigations—the company Mac owned and operated in town.

Half the employees were former Delta Force like Mac, but Cas didn’t hold that against them.

They were good guys, and he was currently considering Mac’s job offer to join them.

In fact, he fully intended to once he took a few weeks to get his head on straight and acclimated to civilian life again.

The pace was a lot slower—too slow—and going in hot carried a different tactic.

Yeah, he was going to need to work on that before Mac put him on any kind of detail.