Sergeant Sarah Metlin gazed out the window of Regan Hall’s F-150 at the ranches slipping past her window. Her friend had collected her at the airport and was bringing her home to the ranch she now called home. Sarah had been surprised that Regan had given up her city lifestyle to marry a cowboy, but she was beginning to see the draw. The Absaroka Mountains shimmered in the distance to the south like guards on sentry duty. There were few vehicles on the road, but she could see cattle in the closest pasture grouped together at some sort of feed station. After her latest tour overseas, it was hard to realize that no danger lurked in her surroundings. There were no soldiers concealed in the barns and outbuildings, and the broken-down Chevrolet they had passed a mile or so ago wasn’t wired with explosives.
Still, she couldn’t relax. There was more than one kind of enemy and some of them were concealed in plain sight. She hoped Hall family Christmases weren’t anything like the pitched battles she would find at her own home. She sighed, knowing more than likely they would be. The Halls were military men, just like her brothers and father, and like them they served in the elite branches. She’d been competing with men like that all her life. Her father and brothers were all in the Special Forces, while she was nothing but regular Army; a distinction she’d heard about every year since she’d joined the military.
It wasn’t that her family didn’t love her—they did. But men were men and women were women in the Metlin household. Men served their country, and women served their men. Sarah had broken all the rules.
If women were allowed in the Special Forces, she was sure she could have changed that bias. She was strong, fast, smart, fearless—except when it came to celebrating holidays with strangers—and she had always been at the top of her class, or unit, as the case may be. But women weren’t allowed in the Special Forces, which left her brothers plenty of latitude to lord their superior status over her, even though she’d served in plenty of dangerous situations. Hell, she’d driven convoy trucks along some of Iraq and Afghanistan’s deadliest corridors. She was sick of the distinction between her and the rest of her family, and she dreaded having it flung in her face this Christmas by the Hall brothers, too. How many times did she have to fight the same battle?
Still, she hadn’t turned down Regan’s invitation to come for Christmas. She and Regan, a petite brunette whose slim body was nearly lost inside a thick down parka as she sat in the driver’s side seat, had been classmates back in Middleton, Wisconsin, years ago. They’d lost touch for a long time, but had recently found each other online and reconnected. When Regan found out Sarah had joined the military, she’d begun to use her as a sounding board as she became accustomed to all the military men who were now in her family. Regan’s husband, Mason, was a Navy SEAL, and Mason had three brothers. Austin had been in the Special Forces like Sarah’s father and brothers, but had now left the military. Zane had recently left the Marines, and Colt was a Combat Control officer in the Air Force. Sarah had been able to explain many strange military customs that baffled Regan, and Regan had been a real support when Sarah began to think about ending her military career, something she definitely couldn’t discuss with her own family. Lately, she wasn’t satisfied with her limited options. She longed for more latitude with her job and a chance to shine without any restrictions placed on her. She had no idea what she wanted to do next, though, so when Regan offered her a stay at Crescent Hall, Sarah had jumped at the invitation.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Regan said, keeping her eyes on the icy road, but smiling.
“It’s beautiful here.”
“It is, isn’t it? I’ve grown to love it. At first when I left New York I thought I’d miss the city. I couldn’t wait to leave Wisconsin when I was young, remember?”
Sarah nodded. They’d both been brimming with plans to leave their hometown when they last saw each other.
“After ten years in the city, though, I got tired of it. It’s been so easy to become part of the community here in Chance Creek. I know more people now than I ever did when I lived in New York. And I wouldn’t want to raise a child in the city. On the ranch there will be so much room to run and play.” She dropped a hand to her belly.
“Boy or girl? Do you know yet?”
Regan’s smile widened. “It’s a boy. I’m so excited. So are Mason and his brothers. You should have seen them when we found out.”
Sarah clamped down on a twist of jealousy deep inside her heart. “It suits you here.” She wished she felt a similar sense of belonging somewhere.
“How about you?” Regan asked. “Have you given more thought to leaving the military?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. My brothers will have a field day when I do. According to them, I never should have been allowed to join.”
“That’s stupid. You’re a Sergeant. You must be doing something right.”
“I could be a General and it wouldn’t change a thing. I suppose Mason and his brothers will feel the same way.”
Regan turned to her in surprise. “I don’t think so.” She returned her focus to the road. “I told Mason all about you. He was really interested in your career. He has a friend coming to stay for the holiday, too. Dan Hemmins. An ex-SEAL. Dan’s starting a business. I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it.”