Page 5 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)

Amber smiled again, not ready to tell her baby sister she hadn’t been sure she’d be brave enough to make it. Although the threat continued in Chicago, the city was the only home she’d known since they’d lived with Fox.

She’d loved Chicago and the people she’d worked with, but living in hotels where she’d worked didn’t make any of those places home.

Now, feeling her sister’s joy and the welcome from Ford had her feeling more at home than she’d felt in a long while.

When they broke apart again, Jolie studied Amber’s eyes seriously. Amber didn’t want her to look too closely, so she turned her attention to her dog. “You haven’t met Boomer yet. Boomer. Heel. Meet Jolie and Ford. Friends”

The dog moved instantly to her left side from where he’d been hanging out with Hemsworth. He studied the two new humans and sniffed them. Learning that theirs were scents he could trust. She repeated the word Friend, knowing the dog understood.

Jolie knelt and hugged the dog. “You’re a beauty, Boomer. And so well-trained. When did you and Amber become friends?”

Amber loved the picture of Jolie hugging Boomer. “I’ve had him for over a month now.”

Jolie grinned up at her. “He’s a big dog for a hotel room. Does this mean you’re moving here for good?”

Amber shrugged, not quite sure how to respond to that.

Ford’s phone beeped with a message, and he laughed. “It’s the day for welcoming new arrivals. Santa Claus is here.”

Amber blinked. “Santa Claus? Isn’t it a bit early in the season for the big guy to make an appearance? It’s autumn and the leaves aren’t even fully turned yet.”

Ford laughed. “Not that Santa. This Claus is a guy we worked with in the Army. He was more of a specialist and moved from team to team, helping with strategic planning.”

Jolie looped her arm through Amber’s. “Come on and meet him. He’ll be helping with the plants and the gardens on the property. Then I’ll show you the farmhouse and help you pick a room.”

Amber went along with the group, the dogs walking at their sides. She’d been prepared to meet Ford and Thea, but she hadn’t built up shields for meeting a new person. Strangers were hard.

Reinforcing her protective shields was something she did automatically before each shift at the hotel or when she walked anywhere in Chicago, but she hadn’t expected to do it here.

Thankfully, it was a skill she’d practiced so often, it was automatic. Even without a command, Boomer moved to walk alongside her, and she wondered if he’d sensed her rising tension.

But the chances of meeting anyone connected to the threat in Chicago on her family’s apple farm in Vermont had to be almost zero.

When they rounded the farmhouse, she spotted a tall man standing beside a shiny black car, studying the gardens. His tall figure was imposing.

Sexy.

Familiar.

Her heart rate thundered.

Then he turned to look at the approaching group, and her steps faltered. The chances were apparently larger than zero.

Dark Eyes was here on the farm.

G ray stretched as he climbed from his car. He enjoyed driving, especially through a place as pretty as Vermont in late September, but he was stiff as hell.

His army buddies had sure lucked into a corner of paradise.

A paradise that could be Gray’s permanent home now.

After the mess at The Sidderlight Hotel, Gray had tendered his resignation at Cassidy Protection. Norm had cajoled him into helping with a few jobs since then, but making the cut had felt right, as had leaving the state.

He’d reached out to Knox Malssum and found out he was living on an apple farm in Vermont. He, his sister, and their partners were trying to improve the biodiversity of the property and had been looking for someone to take on the gardens.

Flowers. Herbs. Vegetables.

All with the aim of reconnecting with nature and improving the land.

It was precisely the kind of change Gray had been looking for. His time in the Army and at Cassidy Protection had been good, but he didn’t want to be close to the violence anymore. His soul craved peace.

Since Sidderlight, the dark dreams he’d experienced after leaving the army had returned. Nightmares where he couldn’t save the people. Couldn’t help.

Most of those dreams featured the strong and sexy Amber Malssum.

He hadn’t mentioned the incident to Knox. That wasn’t his place. But he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t searched his buddy out in part to find out how his sister was faring. He hoped she’d put the entire mess in her rear-view mirror.

He hadn’t, and she’d been the one suffering in the situation. But he could hope she was dealing well.

Knox had told him he was hoping to lure all his siblings to the farm.

He wanted his family together, and he could see the venture expanding as they all brought their skills.

He’d mentioned Jolie being there, but hadn’t brought up Amber.

Maybe Gray could help him nudge her along.

He’d love to see her again. Make sure she was coping and healing.

Right. That was the only reason.

He sent a text letting Knox and Ford know he’d arrived. Gray had worked with both men overseas and it would be great to work with them again. Especially when that work wasn’t connected to violence.

While he waited for his buddies to text back, he checked out the part of the property he could see. He’d passed one forlorn farmhouse. The other one in front of him was in much better shape. Several windows were open to let in the crisp autumn breeze.

Burgeoning apple trees were everywhere, but he couldn’t keep his eyes away from the space between the buildings—the space where gardens had once thrived.

Weeds and native brush covered the field. His mamma would have been disgusted at the state of the space. Rosina Santoro’s garden wouldn’t have dared become so overgrown.

Now it would be Gray’s job to improve it. To eliminate the weeds and make a plan for plants to thrive.

His sister would have loved the time required to build and tend it. “Maybe a moon garden for you, Angelina. Or a sensory garden. Can you already smell the basil and oregano? Feel those prickly succulents?”

Of course, his sister didn’t answer his whispered question, but he could imagine her squeal of delight. She’d have loved everything Gray had seen so far. The scent of apples, the leaves turning to burnished gold, the worn red barn, and the yellow farmhouse.

Angel would have been content to sit in the sun and listen to Gray’s stories while he pulled weeds and planted seeds.

Yep, this place was going to work.

He heard a group approaching from the direction of the farmhouse and blinked to reorient himself in the present.

When he turned, he spotted his buddy Ford, two women and a couple of dogs marching his way. An Australian shepherd and a large German shepherd. Gorgeous animals.

His gaze moved to the women and his heart stuttered like an IED had exploded nearby.

Amber Malssum.

With a woman who had to be Jolie, the other sister. He didn’t spare her a look.

His gaze was locked on Amber’s and he saw recognition there.

And panic.

Why? He’d been one of the good guys. She couldn’t be afraid of him.

Gray walked toward the group with a smile. Ford reached for his hand and then pulled him into a hug. “Claus. It’s so good to see you. Can’t tell you how happy we are that you’re joining us here.”

Then Ford wrapped his arm around the sister’s shoulders. “This is Jolie, Annie’s youngest sister.”

The switch to callsigns instead of names sometimes threw off civilians, but he’d bet the Malssum women were used to it.

Gray shook Jolie’s hand and he let his gaze turn to where it wanted to go. To Amber. Her smile was strained and worried.

He smiled as Ford introduced them, but her worry nagged him. He wondered if she’d downplayed the incident at the hotel. As he reached forward to shake her hand, he decided to go with a subtle opening. “Hi, Amber. Nice to see you again.”

The worry in her face didn’t dissipate, so he continued. “Amber and I met briefly when she worked at The Sidderlight Hotel in Chicago. One client I worked with stayed there.”

There was a hell of a lot more to the story, but it wasn’t his to tell. He only hoped she’d shared it. The relief filling her eyes told him differently.

Her smile was a bit wobbly. “Nice to see you again.”

When neither Jolie nor Ford reacted with anything more than a smile with a hint of curiosity, Gray figured she hadn’t glossed over the incident. She’d told them absolutely nothing at all.

“Santa’s here!”

Knox’s shout came from nearer the farmhouse and had Jolie and Ford turning that way. Gray kept his gaze locked on Amber’s, waiting for her cue.

She shook her head slightly, letting him know his guess was correct. She hadn’t told her family about the trauma she’d experienced.

How had she got through that without support? How had she fooled her family?

He couldn’t stop his eyebrows from shooting up, but he nodded to let her know he understood and wouldn’t tell her secret.

Then Knox and his Thea arrived. He learned Amber had arrived on the farm only minutes before. She’d surprised her family with her appearance. More hugs and introductions followed, including to the two dogs.

The Australian shepherd’s name was Hemsworth, which made Gray laugh.

The German shepherd belonging to Amber was Boomer.

And Boomer was highly trained. Amber repeated the words ‘Friend’ and ‘Free’ several times. Overseas, Gray had worked with multiple K-9 officers and recognized the commands.

Amber may not have told her family about the attack, but she’d taken steps to protect herself. He’d bet Boomer was a hell of a deterrent to anyone who wanted to mess with her.

The group laughed and chatted as they moved to grab luggage from his and Amber’s cars and then moved to the farmhouse.

Upstairs, he and Amber were told to choose a room, but not before checking out the attached bathrooms. The pastel colors from the seventies made him laugh. Blue, yellow, green, and pink. Who the hell chose pink fixtures to put in a bathroom?

With Jolie sharing a room with Ford, and Knox with Thea, there were still plenty of choices. The room belonging to the great-uncle who’d left them the farm wasn’t an option, as the family hadn’t faced cleaning it out yet.

They said they’d been too busy, but he suspected it was more than that. He’d have to learn the entire story one day.

Jolie grinned at them. “Don’t choose the pink bathroom. We’re hoping it’s the only one available when we finally get Burke here.”

He laughed. “Boss Man will love that.” He’d worked with all the Malssum men overseas, and Burke was a leader in every sense of the word. The man wore responsibility like a cloak, and his men would follow his lead straight into hell, knowing Burke would have a plan to lead them right back out.

Two of the rooms required new windows, which narrowed the choices. He chose the one across from Amber, hoping to add another layer of protection and comfort for her.

He’d have chosen it even if it had pink fixtures, but he was happier with the blue.

As he settled his clothes into drawers and the closet, his mind wandered to Amber. Boomer had followed her into the farmhouse, ears and eyes alert to his new surroundings. As a working dog, he would need to know every corner of his new home.

Hoping to grab a few minutes alone with Amber, he hurried through setting up his room, but her door was closed, and she didn’t answer his knock.

The doors were decades old and had wimpy locks with no deadbolts.

He wondered if he should suggest it or if that would raise suspicions Amber didn’t want anyone to have.

As it was, despite the heavy wood of the doors, anyone could break into the bedrooms in seconds.

At least the dog would alert Amber and Gray to any danger. He doubted anyone would get through Boomer, but he wanted her to feel as safe as possible. He hoped his presence across the hall would have that effect.

Not that she’d told him she didn’t feel safe. The woman had barely said a word as the group had moved from the driveway to the upstairs.

Somehow, some way, Gray was going to draw her out. Find out how he could help.

And that was all altruism.

His bullshit had him smiling as the sound of a dinner bell filled the house.

The scent of marinara and bubbly cheese drew him down the stairs. None of them were Italian, and he worried that the taste wouldn’t live up to the delicious aroma.

Then he’d try to find a few minutes alone with Amber.

He was still smiling as he followed his nose to the kitchen.