There was no way he was leaving. He’d sleep in the yard if he had to. He was used to sleeping out in the desert. A night under the Oregon sky would be fine. He’d be close to Whitney, and suddenly that was the only thing that mattered to him.

He shook his head while he rummaged through the back of the Jeep. Sam was a son of a bitch for sending him out here. He had begged Kyle for his help, when the whole time he was just playing matchmaker.

“Well played, brother,” Kyle mumbled.

He didn’t know what his friend would think if he knew Kyle’s secret. If he knew Whitney had awakened his bear. If he knew he couldn’t leave Oregon until she was his in every way.

He grabbed his toolbox and slammed the door. Projects would be good. Working with his hands would keep his mind off putting them all over her. He needed to give her time. Only, he didn’t know how much his bear would let her have.

He knocked on the door, holding his tool box in one hand.

“You don’t have to knock,” she said, opening the door wide enough for him to walk in the house.

“Where do you want me?”

“Uh..I-I…” Her cheeks turned pink, and he smiled knowing he was the reason.

“What’s first on your list? The leak? The railing?” He could spend weeks here fixing all the things that were wrong with the house. He hadn’t even ventured into the barn yet.

“How about the railing? I know better than to lean on it, but you’re right. If someone leans on it they could fall right off the edge of the cliff.”

“All right. I’ll start there.” He turned for the porch. “Do you have any supplies in the barn? I’m going to need some two by fours.”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. I never go in there.”

Kyle placed his toolbox on the porch. “I’ll go check it out.”

He walked across the yard and driveway. The barn was set back from the house. The doors were jammed shut. He turned to make sure Whitney wasn’t watching, before he used extra bear force to muscle into the building.

It was dark, but Kyle’s eyes adjusted quickly. He pulled the string hanging from the ceiling, lighting a small area of the barn. There were more tools here than he could have imagined. Sam had a small workshop. He smiled, glancing over the collection of table saws.

There wasn’t anything here that would help him with the porch railing though. He needed to make a supply run. He walked back over to the house.

“It looks like I need to buy a few things if I’m going to put the railing back together.”

“There’s a supply store about thirty minutes from here,” Whitney offered.

“Ok. Why don’t you give me the address and I’ll find it? Be back in ninety minutes.”

Whitney reached for the hook next to the door, grabbing a jacket. “Why don’t I ride with you? It will be easier.”

He grinned. “Even better. Come on.”

He held the door and watched her climb in the Jeep.

“Which way?” he asked.

Whitney pointed once they rolled past the mailbox. “Turn here and then in another mile make a right.”

He nodded. “Got it.”

He reached for the radio, turning the volume up slightly.

“So, you’re a Ranger and a handyman?”

Kyle tried to remember the last time he had fixed something that wasn’t related to a mission. He had been in Razastan for two years. Two weeks back on US soil wasn’t enough to make him feel like a normal guy. Just driving the Jeep felt foreign to him.

“Natural knack with my hands.” He smiled at her.

“Hmm.” She crossed her arms and stared out of the window.

The rain had let up to a drizzle.

“Why do you live all the way out here by yourself?” he asked. He knew he hadn’t seen another house since they pulled out of the driveway.

“I don’t. I’m just getting it ready to sell.” She paused. “It was a family summer home. Sam and I inherited it. But now that he’s gone, I know it’s too much for me to keep on my own. You’ve seen the place.”

“But do you want to sell it?” Kyle turned when Whitney pointed to the next street.

“No. I love it. But it’s too much house. And the barn. And I’m…” She trailed off.

“You’re what?”

“Single.” She huffed. “At least with Sam he could help, but he’s been wherever you’ve been for two years. And now he’s not coming back.” She fidgeted with the seatbelt. “I kept thinking he’d come back and fix everything.”

There were a hundred things running through his head. He wanted to tell her he could put the house back together for her. She could keep it with his help. She wouldn’t have to worry anymore. But he realized how fucking absurd it sounded.

“It’s right over there.” She directed him to a hardware store on the side of the road.

“This place?” It looked like a warehouse.

“Yep. Lumber. Pipes. And I think they have vegetables in the back.” She laughed, jumping from the Jeep. “Come on.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He never noticed a woman fitting into a pair of jeans like that before. Her hips were round and her thighs were poured into that denim like nothing he’d ever seen. He licked his lips, and followed her into the hardware store.