Ray of Sunshine Read online

  They’d only moved to Ambrose, North Dakota a few months back and they were as antisocial as all get out. He wasn’t sure he and his brothers had the social skills to be able to attract and keep their human mate.

  Nevertheless, he was going to do his damnedest to inveigle his way into Jaimie’s life and her into theirs. Once he had her where he wanted her, they were going to keep her forever.

  Beckett stood up taller when Airen appeared in the doorway. “Jaimie is asking to see you all.”

  He nodded with relief before meeting Daire’s and Crispin’s gazes. They needed to keep their tigers on an even tighter leash so their animals didn’t escape their rigid control. When he was ready, he strode toward the exam room, following behind Airen, Archer, and Dusty.

  He zeroed in on Jaimie looking so small and fragile with her eyes closed and her face so pale, she was as white as the sheet she was lying on. He eyed her body over, stopping at the stark white plaster cast covering her arm from her palm all the way to just below her elbow. Even though he couldn’t see the rest of his mate’s body since she was covered with a light blanket, he had a feeling her wrist wasn’t the only injury she’d received.

  “They’re here, Jaimie,” Dusty said as she patted her on the shoulder.

  Jaimie struggled to get her eyelids up and Beckett realized why when he saw the haze over her amazing blue eyes. He could smell the drugs Broden had given her to alleviate her pain and hoped they were doing what they were supposed to. While he could still scent that she was hurting, the odor was nowhere near as strong as it had been when she’d first been injured.

  “Thank you,” Jaimie slurred as she glanced at him, his brothers, and back to him again.

  Beckett frowned as he moved to the other side of the bed before clasping her small hand in his. “What are you thanking us for, Jaimie?”

  “For not hitting me hard.” She closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. “I know it’s because of something you did that I wasn’t hurt worse.”

  Beckett shrugged off her gratitude. “You were the brave one, baby. If you hadn’t run after that little girl, she’d probably be dead.”

  “Had to save her,” Jaimie mumbled. “Couldn’t let her go through what I did.”

  Beckett turned his frown toward Broden. “What’s she talking about?” Broden shook his head and shrugged. Beckett turned away from the doctor and Kodiak bear shifter and gently squeezed Jaimie’s hand. “Tell me what happened, Jaimie.”

  He was aware of Daire and Crispin moving closer but kept his attention on his mate.

  “I had to leave,” she sobbed.

  Anger surged into Beckett’s heart when he saw his woman’s tears rolling down across her temples and into her hair.

  “Why did you leave, honey?” Crispin prompted when Jaimie closed her eyes again.

  “The letters,” she slurred. “Showed the cops but they couldn’t do any…”

  Daire brushed the hair back from Jaimie’s face.

  “Don’t know why or who,” she whispered disjointedly. Another sob erupted from between her parted lips before she giggled a little hysterically. “Didn’t matter. He still hurt me. Had to run.”

  Beckett was so full of rage he was breathing heavily. Even though Jaimie was out of it and her words were almost incomprehensible, he’d gotten the gist of what she was trying to say.

  Someone had been threatening her and while she’d gone to the police for help, there hadn’t been anything they could do, and the fucker had hurt her. God knows what this tiny, beautiful woman had been through, but he vowed to the fates then and there that he and his brothers would do anything and everything they could to protect her with their lives. He just wished that she’d let them keep her safe.

  There was only one way to find out, and he hoped like hell she remembered everything after the effects of the painkillers had worn off.

  “Jaimie, look at me, baby,” Beckett demanded.

  She blinked a few times before lifting her gaze up to his. “What?”

  “My brothers and I as well as the rest of the men in this town are retired soldiers. We can keep you safe, Jaimie. Come and stay with us in our home while you recuperate. We’ll make sure whoever is after you never gets to lay another hand on you.”

  “Okay.” She sighed, her eyes closing again before her breathing evened out.

  “Did she tell you anything?” Daire asked the Higgins brothers after meeting each of their gazes.

  “No,” Airen said.

  Archer just shook his head.

  Broden didn’t respond at all, just stood stoically at the end of the bed with his hands in tight fists.

  Beckett glanced over at Dusty when she sucked in a noisy breath. “I’m not bound by the Hippocratic oath and aren’t breaking any rules. While we know just as much as you do from what Jaimie said, I can tell you that she’s been hurt badly before.”

  “How badly?” Crispin asked through clenched teeth.

  “Come here, baby,” Broden said as he held out a hand toward his mate.

  Dusty rushed over to Broden, taking his hand in hers before the doc pulled her up against his side. It was only when she gazed at him again that Beckett noticed she had tears in her eyes. He felt bad for making Dusty cry, but he needed to know what was going on with his own mate. After letting Broden gently wipe the tears from her face, Dusty turned to face Beckett, Daire, and Crispin.

  “From what we saw on the x-rays, Jaimie’s had a busted left hip which required surgical pins to be inserted as well as several other fractures. She’s healed up from those injuries mostly but she probably has a permanent limp and is no doubt in constant pain. She has new bruises on her left hip and a broken wrist.” Dusty paused to inhale raggedly. “I know you asked her to come home with you all and that she agreed. Nonetheless, she is under the influence of painkillers and may not have really understood what you were asking.”

  “But—” Daire stopped talking when Dusty held her hand up, palm out toward him.

  “Let me finish. Please?”

  Daire nodded.

  “If she changes her mind and doesn’t want to stay with you when she’s more with it, give her my cell phone number and we’ll come get her. In fact, you can give her all the women’s numbers. She might want to stay, she might not, but if she knows she’s not trapped, has a means to move on if she wishes to, she’s not going to feel like a prisoner.”

  “Dusty’s right,” Crispin said as he gazed at Daire and Beckett. “We don’t want our mate being frightened of us or feel that she’s being imprisoned against her will without any choices.”

  “Rose is here, baby,” Broden said just before Pixie stopped in the doorway to the exam room with their baby girl in her arms.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Pixie said as she gazed toward the sleeping Jaimie. “But Rose is getting antsy. I think she’s hungry.”

  Beckett’s heart softened as he gazed at the tiny bundle of joy in Pixie’s arms. She was so beautiful, he couldn’t help but yearn for a daughter of his own. He watched as Dusty rushed over, took Rose from Pixie’s arms and kissed her tiny head. There was so much love in Dusty’s eyes as she gazed upon her baby’s face. Dusty glanced at her mates, Broden, Airen, and Archer over her shoulder. “I’m going to the kitchen to feed Rose.”

  Airen shoved Archer aside before hurrying after his woman. Archer wasn’t far behind. When Beckett saw the yearning on Broden’s face, he knew the doc wanted to be with his family, as well, but he turned his eyes toward Beckett instead.

  “Can we take her home with us now?” he asked.

  Broden sighed as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yes, but you need to promise to call me if she’s in too much pain. I will give you some painkillers which she’ll need to take every four hours until she can cope with the soreness. Make sure she keeps her fluids up and make sure she gets plenty of rest. Again, if you want me to check on her, call me or bring her back to the clinic.”

  “We will. Thanks, Doc.” Beckett stepped toward Broden and shook his hand. Daire and Crispin followed suit. Beckett continued. “I think it would be a good idea to get Elsa or Sage to be there when she wakes up.”

  “I’ll try,” Daire said. “But they’re both so busy with the bed-and-breakfast now that it’s open.”

  “I think both women will jump at the chance to visit with our mate and make sure she’s comfortable.” Crispin crossed his arms.

  “All the women would,” Broden said. “Including Dusty, but I’d prefer that she isn’t disturbed at night if at all possible. She’s getting little enough sleep as it is since Rose was born.”

  Beckett nodded. “If we need you, we’ll contact you through the communal link.”

  “I’d appreciate it.”

  “Did someone bring our mate’s bag inside?” Daire asked.

  “I don’t know.” Broden shrugged.

  “Let’s go find out, brother,” Crispin said. With a last lingering glance toward Jaimie, he and Daire left the room.

  Beckett hadn’t thought beyond anything but his mate and getting her the medical help she needed. He’d left his truck sitting in the middle of the road with the doors wide open and the keys in the ignition. He hoped one of his shifter friends had parked it and removed the keys so it wouldn’t be stolen but didn’t really care.

  All he cared about was his mate and how quickly she recovered. If he had his way, he and his brothers would make her theirs as soon as possible so she’d heal up much faster.

  However, he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  Patience was a virtue, or so he’d heard. He just hoped that he found a way to keep his eager excitement hidden and at bay.

  The last thing he wanted to do was scare their woman into running from them.

  Chapter Two

  Gary Henshaw slammed the palms of his hands on the steering wheel over and over again as he stared the entrance doors to the Promise Hospital of Miss Lou. That bitch had taken a leave of absence and disappeared. Rage and grief permeated his heart and soul.

  He was angry at himself and at the world. He shouldn’t have bothered wasting weeks of mental torture by leaving those notes. He tried to kill her once and failed. How she’d managed to evade his truck with only a few injuries was beyond him. She should have fucking died just like his son had.

  All women were fucking cunts in his mind. That slut he’d gotten pregnant hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, had kicked him to the curb when she’d found out she’d conceived his kid. While he didn’t give two shits for her, when he found out he had a son, he tried to contact her to gain access.

  Gary had no idea what she told the fucking lawyer she’d hired, but it had to have been a pack of lies. He’d been denied any right to gain access to his son. The cunt hadn’t even put his name on his son’s birth certificate. She just put unknown.

  Anger bubbled in his gut until he was ready to shout with it, but he breathed deeply to try to quell the fury inside of him.

  He’d never had the chance to even talk to his own flesh and blood. His son, Billy Claymore had died without ever knowing he had a father.

  Nurse Bitch had been the first person on the scene when Billy had been raced into the ER. His injuries had been bad, but she should have been able to save him.

  Whatever she’d done before the doctor had arrived had done more damage than good, he was sure.

  The grief in his heart was so intense, sometimes Gary just wanted to curl up and die. However, then Nurse Bitch would have gotten away with murder. That was something he couldn’t allow.

  He’d tracked down his boy’s cunt of a mother, easily cutting her life short. Shooting her up with drugs, hanging around to watch her flounder as she gasped her last breaths had been a rush. After making sure to stage the scene and to clean away any existence of his presence, he’d walked away without a backward glance. Hindsight after the fact was bitterly sweet. His Billy had suffered for years, no doubt wondering who his father was.

  The reason Billy had gotten into the wrong crowd had to have been because of the lack of a male in his life. His baby had been hooked on drugs. If Gary had been in his boy’s life, he would have been a wonderful role model, but he’d never been given a chance and neither had Billy.

  Yeah, so he might have smacked the slut around a time or two but a lot of men did. She’d been wild and undisciplined, had needed a strong hand. Well, she had gotten her just desserts, and he was determined Nurse Bitch would too.

  He wasn’t going to stop looking for her until she was buried six feet under.

  But this time he was going to make sure she suffered just like Billy had.

  He wasn’t going to kill her easily like he had his ex. He was going to make her scream as he cut her up. He wanted to hear her beg for her life just as he imagined Billy doing, and then plead for him to kill her.

  Nurse Bitch’s time was running out. When he found her, he was going to relish every slice, every scream, every tear.

  He was going to enjoy playing with her, making her think he’d spare her if she begged for forgiveness.

  He was going to love seeing the terror and inevitability in her eyes as he sliced her throat.

  Her death wouldn’t bring his precious Billy back, but it would go a long way in appeasing his son’s soul.

  Revenge was his to dish out, and he wasn’t going to stop until he had it.

  * * * *

  Jaimie groaned as she tried to roll over in bed. She hurt all over but her wrist and hip were the worst. She forced her heavy lids up and gazed about with a frown. She was in an unfamiliar bedroom and while she remembered getting bumped by a truck, again, she didn’t remember much after being carried into a doctor’s clinic on a stretcher.

  Oh, she couldn’t forget all the men who’d surrounded her, looking worried, but three of them stood out in her mind way more than the others.

  She used her left hand to try to push herself up into a sitting position but she was hurting so much, she couldn’t quite manage it. She was just about to fling the covers aside and wriggle her way across the mattress so she could stand, but before she could, the slightly ajar bedroom door was pushed open and in strode the three handsome men imprinted on her mind.

  “Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” Beckett asked.

  She shook her head as she stared gaped mouth at him and his brothers. God, they were all so handsome and huge.

  Beckett had to be well over six feet tall, maybe close to six-five. He had short dark brown hair, green eyes and though he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, there was no way she could miss how freaking muscular he was. The soft cotton shirt clung to his shoulders, chest, and abs, showcasing all the ridges, valleys, and bulges.

  She glanced at Daire and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed he was staring at her intently. He was about an inch shorter than Beckett, maybe six-four, and he was a little leaner than his older brother, but not by much. His eyes were a hazel hue, and he had a dark mustache and neatly trimmed beard gracing his upper lip and chin.

  She licked her lips nervously when she gazed toward Crispin. He was standing at the end of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. He appeared younger than his brothers, but he was so freaking good-looking he could have modeled for any magazine or romance book cover he chose. He was an inch taller than Beckett and maybe two above Daire. His hair was sexily tousled, as if he’d been running his fingers through the tresses, and lighter than his siblings. He was also bulkier than his older brothers, but not in that horrible pumped up bodybuilder kind of way. His eyes were also hazel and right now he was staring at her as if he could see right into her heart and soul.

  When Jaimie realized she was gawking, she quickly lowered her eyes and hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. She was usually pale and whenever she got embarrassed, her face turned bright red.

  “Jaimie?” Beckett asked as he moved closer to her before sitting on the edge of the mattress. Thankfully, she wasn’t too close and didn’t end up rolling toward him when he sat because she wasn’t sure she could handle being jostled right now.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Don’t lie to us, sweet thing,” Daire said as he scowled at her.

  “We know you’re in pain, honey.” Crispin skirted the bed until he was sitting on the edge on the opposite side to Beckett. “You’re far too pale, and you’ve got lines around your eyes and lips. I’ll go and get the medicine Broden prescribed for you.

  Before Jaimie could say anything, Crispin hurried from the room.

  “Do you remember anything about yesterday?” Daire asked, and he shifted on the bed until he was sitting cross-legged facing her.

  “Other than saving that little girl and hurting myself, not much.” Jaimie fidgeted nervously glancing from one man to the other. “Where am I?”

  Beckett cupped her cheek, garnering her attention. The warmth of his large callused hand seeped into her skin, and she had the strangest urge to nuzzle up closer. He smelled so damn good, she couldn’t help inhaling his masculine scent again and again. His fragrance was a mix between wildly spicy and woodsy.

  “You’re in our home, baby,” Beckett answered.

  “We asked you if you wanted to stay with us while you recovered and you agreed,” Daire said brusquely.

  Jaimie wondered why he was being so gruff, but when she looked at him and he shifted uncomfortably, she realized he was uncertain of her. Well, maybe not of her, but of whether or not she was going to change her mind. Now that he’d told her, she had a faint recollection of agreeing to their hospitality.

  While she was nervous herself, she hadn’t had anywhere else to go. She’d barely been in the town of Ambrose for five minutes before she’d gotten hurt, so she hadn’t had a chance to find any accommodation.

  “Th-thank you,” she whispered hesitantly, worried they didn’t want her in the home after all. Having a stranger in their house wasn’t the norm and maybe she was restricting their social lives. They were so damn hot they probably had women throwing themselves at the three Rafferty brothers every time they stepped foot outside their home.

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