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In order to get her brother back, she’d have to relinquish her hold on the man she loved. She’d lost so much in the last week. Could she take the gamble and possibly lose more? There truly would be nothing left if they didn’t recover Reece and Brandon didn’t return.
Her heart, so heavy from the joyful news of her brother, broke into pieces of shard at the thought of losing the love of her life. Her insides felt sliced up at the two directions she was pulled. She wanted her brother back safe, but she didn’t want to let go of Brandon.
Her fingers found his. Slowly he unballed his fingers and clutched her hand in his.
“Is this the only way?” she asked the two uniform soldiers sitting on their couch. Sergeant Chase stood near a window looking out at the ranch. Reegan sat in a wingback chair with Brandon standing over her like some great, protective beast.
“No,” Brandon answered. “I don’t have to be the one to go.”
She’d only known this man for a handful of days, but she heard it clearly in his tone. He was not the type of man to push his responsibilities off on others. To shun this duty would take something from him. That something was a major part of what had made Reegan fall in love with him so fast and so surely.
She gave his hand a tug until he met her gaze. The turmoil in his dark eyes told her she had gotten it right. He wanted to go, but he didn’t want to leave her.
“Corporal Lucas knows the terrain and the logistics,” said the uniformed soldier. “He’s the best man for the job on such short notice. Sgt. Chase said so.”
Chase pushed off the wall and came closer. “I assumed you meant to consult him. I didn’t realize you wanted him to go back.”
“He’s our best chance at getting Private Cartwright back,” said the soldier.
“Which is why he’s going.”
All eyes came to Reegan. But she only had eyes for Brandon. She stood, turning her back and shutting the others out. She placed her hands on his heart and looked up into the face she’d come to cherish.
His gaze narrowed as he peered into her eyes. Words were not necessary between them. Reegan understood this man perfectly. And now she was certain he understood her.
“I have to do this,” he said. “I have to go and bring him back.”
“I know.”
She reached out to bring him into her arms and found herself swallowed up in his embrace. She felt his deep and shuddery inhale. His exhale blew strands of her hair away and caressed the cone of her ear.
Reegan rested her head under his chin. She’d had so much taken away from her, but this was the one thing she wanted to hold onto; the safe place just above Brandon’s heart.
She straightened, looking him in his beautiful eyes. Eyes that knew her so well after such a short time. She felt bared to this man.
They were alone now. At some point during their embrace and intimate conversation, the uniformed soldiers and Chase had left. But she could see them waiting outside the front door. It let her know that her time with Brandon was short. The clock was ticking before he’d leave.
Brandon put his forefinger under her chin and turned her attention back to him. “I need you to do something for me before I go,” he said.
“Anything.”
“Marry me.”
Her breath caught at the fierceness in his strong features. She lifted a hand and ran it down the side of that strong jaw. “I already agreed to do that.”
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“I want to give you my vow before I go.” His dark eyes practically glowed with emotion. His hold on her was firm. If she’d wanted to get away, it would’ve been an impossibility. “Not because I want you to have everything I own before I go. Because I need you to know that you have my heart, you have my strength, you have everything that I have to offer. Reegan Cartwright, you came upon me like a sneak attack, and you broke down all my defenses. I surrender to you.”
She rested her forehead against his. He wiped the tears as they fell to her cheek. “We’re lucky these guys and girls on the ranch know how to throw together a quickie wedding. Let’s do it so you can bring me back my brother.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Brandon opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then he was wide awake. Sleep came to him with ease now that his spirit had found peace.
Nightmares still touched his dreams, but their grip was weaker. Dark thoughts flitted through his mind throughout the day, but he was overwhelmed by the bright blessings now present in his life.
He reached out across the mattress for the source of that wondrous warmth, but the space next to him was empty. It had only been two days since he’d slept with Reegan in his arms. The following two nights had been peaceful as he listened to her sing in their kitchen, as he listened to her hum in the gardens as they tended the soil side by side. She hadn’t been in his bed again, but his body knew that her place was next to him.
