A Hero’s Honor Read online

  A HERO’S HONOR

  A RESOLUTION RANCH NOVEL

  (Book 1)

  TESSA LAYNE

  Shady Layne Media

  www.tessalayne.com

  Copyright © 2017 by Tessa Layne

  EPUB Edition ISBN-13: 978-0-9991980-1-8

  Cover Art by Razzle Dazzle Design

  Published by Shady Layne Media

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, stored, or transmitted in any form or in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations included in critical articles and reviews. For information, please contact the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of copious amounts of wine, long walks, and the author’s overactive imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Meet the Heroes of Resolution Ranch

  Welcome to Prairie!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  About A Hero’s Heart

  About the Cowboys of the Flint Hills Series

  Acknowledgements

  Meet the Heroes of RESOLUTION RANCH

  Inspired by the real work of Heroes & Horses… Chances are, someone you know, someone you love has served in the military. And chances are, they’ve struggled with re-entry into civilian life. The folks of Prairie are no different. With the biggest Army base in the country, Fort Riley, located in the heart of the Flint Hills, the war has come home to Prairie.

  Join me as we finally discover Travis Kincaid’s story and learn how he copes in the aftermath of a mission gone wrong. Meet Sterling, who never expected to return to Prairie after he left for West Point. Fall in love with Cash as he learns to trust himself again. Laugh with Jason and Braden as they meet and fall in love with the sassy ladies of Prairie. Same Flint Hills setting, same cast of friendly, funny, and heartwarming characters, same twists and surprises that will keep you up all night turning the pages.

  A HERO’S HONOR – Travis Kincaid & Elaine Ryder (On Sale Now)

  A HERO’S HEART – Sterling Walker & Emma Sinclaire (On Sale Jan 9th)

  A HERO’S HAVEN – Cash Aiken & Kaycee Starr (Coming 2018)

  A HERO’S HOME – Jason Case & Millie Prescott (Coming 2018)

  A HERO’S HOPE – Braden McCall & Luci Cruz (Coming 2018)

  A HERO’S HEART (On Sale Jan 9th)

  The town superstar has just met his match

  When retired Army Captain and Prairie’s favorite son, Sterling Walker, returns home to join Restoration Ranch, he finds himself face to face with his biggest rival – Emma Sinclaire, the sole daughter of Prairie’s oldest family – all grown up, gorgeous, and glaring daggers at him.

  Will it be winner take all in this battle of hearts?

  A rising star at Kansas City’s internationally acclaimed Royal Fountain Media, Emma agrees to personally oversee the marketing and fundraising campaign for Resolution Ranch. But she never expected to come face to face with her high school nemesis, Sterling Walker, let alone have to work closely with him. As they face off across the boardroom, she can’t deny her attraction to the smart, sexy, soldier who engages her in battle at every turn.

  When a moment of carelessness threatens to shut down the fundraiser before it starts, Sterling will put everything on the line to protect Emma’s reputation. Will it be enough to win Emma’s heart for good? Or will the fallout be the ruin of Resolution Ranch?

  WELCOME TO PRAIRIE!

  Where the cowboys are sexy as sin, the women are smart and sassy, and everyone gets their Happily Ever After!

  Prairie is a fictional small town in the heart of the Flint Hills, Kansas – the original Wild West. Here, you’ll meet the Sinclaire family, descended from French fur-trappers and residents of the area since the 1850s. You’ll also meet the Hansens and the Graces, who’ve been ranching in the Flint Hills since right before the Civil War.

  You’ll also meet the heroes of Resolution Ranch, the men and women who’ve put their bodies on the line serving our country at home and abroad.

  Prairie embodies the best of western small town life. It’s a community where family, kindness, and respect are treasured. Where people pull together in times of trial, and yes… where the Cowboy Code of Honor is alive and well.

  Every novel is a stand-alone book where the characters get their HEA, but you’ll get to know a cast of secondary characters along the way.

  Get on the waiting list for Prairie Devil and the rest of the Cowboys of the Flint Hills

  Additional books in the series:

  PRAIRIE HEAT – Blake Sinclaire & Maddie Hansen (on sale now!)

  PRAIRIE PASSION – Brodie Sinclaire & Jamey O’Neill (on sale now!)

  PRAIRIE DESIRE – Ben Sinclaire & Hope Hansen (on sale now!)

  PRAIRIE STORM – Axel Hansen & Haley Cooper (on sale now!)

  PRAIRIE FIRE – Parker Hansen & Cassidy Grace (on sale now!)

  PRAIRIE DEVIL – Colton Kincaid & Lydia Grace (coming in 2018)

  PRAIRIE FEVER – Gunnar Hansen & Suzannah Winslow (coming in 2018)

  PRAIRIE BLISS – Jarrod O’Neill & Lexi Grace

  PRAIRIE REDEMPTION – Cody Hansen & Carolina Grace

  COMING IN APRIL 2018 – PRAIRIE DEVIL

  He’s the Devil she shouldn’t want

  Colton Kincaid has a chip on his shoulder. Thrown out of the house when he was seventeen by his brother, Travis, he scrapped his way to the top of the rodeo circuit riding broncs, and never looked back. Until a chance encounter with hometown good girl Lydia Grace leaves him questioning everything and wanting a shot at redemption.

  She’s the Angel he can never have

  All Lydia Grace needs is one break. After having her concepts stolen by a famous shoe designer, she returns home to Prairie to start a boot company on her own. But when her break comes in the form of Colton Kincaid, Prairie’s homegrown bad boy and rodeo star, she wonders if she’s gotten more than she’s bargained for.

  They say be careful what you wish for

  To get her boot company off the ground, Lydia makes Colton an offer too good to refuse, but he ups the ante. Will the bargain she strikes bring her everything she’s dreamed of and more, or did she just make a deal with the devil?

  Help a Hero – Read a Cowboy

  KISS ME COWBOY – A Box Set for Veterans

  Six Western Romance authors have joined up to support their favorite charity – Heroes & Horses – and offer you this sexy box set with Six Full Length Cowboy Novels, filled with steamy kisses and HEA’s. Grab your copy and help an American Hero today! All proceeds go to Heroes & Horses

  Visit www.tessalayne.com for more titles & release info

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>   Hang out with me! Join my Facebook Reader Group – Prairie Posse

  CHAPTER 1

  “Uh, Travis?” The sweet feminine voice that had haunted his dreams for months spoke as a coffee pot entered his line of sight. “Did you want some more coffee?”

  He swung his gaze in the direction of her voice, meeting Elaine Ryder’s big blue eyes staring at him with a hint of concern. It never stopped surprising him. How one morning she’d suddenly stopped avoiding his gaze and began meeting his eyes. As if, after two years, he’d finally passed some kind of muster.

  It still rendered him stupid.

  He grunted in reply to her offer of coffee, holding out his paper cup, missing the one Dottie used to hold for him at the diner. Missing the diner. But it was gone. Demolished with half the town in six minutes of devastation wrought by an EF4 tornado. All they had now was a food truck and a handful of picnic tables set up across the street from the flattened remains of the diner.

  Elaine reached to steady his hand as she poured, a new part of their daily ritual thanks to the tornado, and one he wouldn’t complain about. Or the zing that snaked up his arm and spiraled down to his cock. Every. Single. Time.

  Across from him, his deputy chief and closest friend, Weston Tucker, made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat as soon as she left. “Real smooth, dickhead. No wonder you don’t get anywhere with the ladies. Usually, when you like someone, you engage them in conversation. Not growl at them.”

  “You know I don’t date women in town,” he gritted out. How many times had they been over this?

  “Or anyone, because of your damned rules.” Weston held up a finger. “Because there’s the age requirement,” he ticked off on another finger. “And how could I forget the education clause, and the no-sleeping-in rule?” He held up another hand. “Shall I go on? No one divorced or with kids, no one in the military or at work. And you practically have to break down a door to assure yourself it’s really locked. Maybe getting laid would help you lighten up. It would at least fix your crappy attitude.”

  “My attitude is just fine,” he snapped.

  Weston laughed, a rich belly laugh that rang across the crowded picnic tables. “Keep telling yourself that, Chief. Keep telling yourself that.” His face turned serious. “You about bit Elaine’s head off. You may be inept with the ladies, but you’re usually not an asshole. What gives?”

  How could he explain? Even to his best friend? Travis contemplated the dark liquid in his cup, as the memory of his latest bad dream shuddered through him. “It’s nothing.”

  “Let me guess. You overslept again?” Weston’s face softened briefly. “What was it this time? Up all night thinking about Elaine?” he teased gently.

  “If only. More like pulling Warren out of the rubble, except it’s not his face I see, it’s my brother’s. Or McCall. Or Hamm.”

  “When was the last time you talked to someone?”

  Travis shrugged. He’d done plenty of time on a couch, and as far as he was concerned there came a point when it was just a crutch for crybabies.

  “I know someone good.” Weston signaled Elaine for a refill.

  “I’ll let you know.” Travis took a big gulp of the still hot coffee, trying not to wince as it scalded his throat going down. It was stupid, he knew. Weak. He wanted to feel her hand against his again. His coffee consumption had quadrupled since the tornado. But he couldn’t help it. He craved her gentle touch. The innocence of it. That fleeting contact did more to ground him than any of the rules he’d imposed on himself in the years since he’d left his SEAL unit.

  “Don’t be an asshole this time,” Weston spoke low, eyes crinkling with mirth. “Use your words, big guy.”

  Travis took the opportunity to peruse her as she stood over Weston’s cup and poured. She was on the short side, no more than five-five. Slender, but with enough curves to make his mouth water. He’d only ever seen her in what she wore right now – black Converse, slim fitting jeans, and a Dottie’s Diner tee. She had three. A black one, a pink one, and his favorite because it brought out the blue in her eyes, the blue one she wore today. Even though it was slightly baggy, it didn’t disguise her high, perky breasts or cover up the luscious curve of her ass. An ass he longed to cup as he pulled her close.

  Weston cleared his throat, and Travis dragged his eyes to the sound. Weston rolled his eyes and smirked, then mouthed the word dumbass. Travis straightened and flicked a glance at Elaine.

  Shit.

  Pink splashed across her cheeks. Something he’d love if he hadn’t been caught staring, because it made her eyes sparkle. And was that the barest hint of a smile? She rounded the table and opened her hand, silently asking for his cup. “Thanks, Elaine.” He forced his voice into a normal register as he handed over his cup, embracing the zing that traveled up from his fingers when her hand brushed his.

  “How’s Dax doing?” Weston asked, finally rescuing him.

  A look of worry crossed Elaine’s face. She shrugged and gripped the coffee pot a little tighter. “As good as can be expected, I guess.”

  Her voice was so soft and sweet. It slid over Travis and enveloped him like a warm blanket.

  “Where’s he right now?”

  Leave it to Weston to keep the conversation going. Weston was right. He needed to do a better job of talking with her. It was his job, for chrissakes. But at least where Elaine was concerned, Weston had appointed himself the unofficial public relations officer.

  Elaine tilted her head toward the center of the park. “Over at the playground with a few of the boys from his class.”

  Pride surged through Travis as he glanced in the direction of the playground. In the early aftermath of the tornado, the community had determined their top priority would be rebuilding the playground so the town’s children would have a safe place to play during clean-up efforts. It had been the perfect project to bring everyone together around a common purpose, becoming a touchstone of inspiration for the long months of recovery that lay ahead.

  Say something, dumbass. Anything. He cleared his throat. “Well, ah…” Fuck. Why in the hell was he so tongue-tied?

  “You’ll have to excuse Travis, here.” Weston smiled reassuringly at Elaine. “He’s a little short on sleep. He’s not usually such a caveman.”

  She swung her baby blues to him, scrutinizing him with the same worry he’d seen on her face when he’d reunited her with Dax after the tornado. In spite of his discomfort, something in him growled to life under her attention. Made him sit a little taller.

  “Do you prefer tea?” she asked in a rush. “Or water? Sometimes when I’m sleep deprived, coffee just makes it worse.”

  Her concern warmed him. And for the first time that day, a genuine smile tilted up the corners of his mouth. “I’m fine, thanks.”

  Once she’d moved away, he scowled across the table at Weston, who sat shaking with suppressed laughter. “Smooth,” he chortled. “You’ll have to do a better job talking with the ladies if you’re going to run for county sheriff.”

  “No way. We’ve got enough to deal with here. I don’t need to run for sheriff.”

  “Have you seen who’s filed?” Weston’s voice filled with disgust.

  Travis shook his head. “Don’t care. Williams only had, what, eighteen months left? So long as the new guy follows in his footsteps and stays out of our way, we’ll be fine.”

  Weston made a disapproving noise. “This guy’s an asshat. Travis. None of the cops I’ve talked to over in Marion like him.”

  “So he’s an asshat. As long as he does his job, who cares?”

  Weston leaned forward. “Why not run? You’ve got the pedigree.”

  “You do, too.”

  “Maybe I want your job.” Weston grinned and stroked the scruff covering his chin.

  “Give me a better reason.”

  “Fine. Crime’s down since you became chief. Sense of community is up. And you need a new project.”

  Weston had him there. He did need
something new. He’d been feeling itchy for months, even before the tornado hit. Like it was time to make a shift. Problem was, to what? He was settled here. And while his long-term dream was to get the ranch up and running again, he didn’t have the people or the capital tucked away to do it for a few more years. “I’ll consider it.”

  “Hey Travis, you gotta sec?” Hope Sinclaire swung a leg over the bench and took a seat.

  “You bet.” Anything to stop talking about this county sheriff business. And get his mind off Elaine.

  “I’m worried about Dax Ryder.”

  Weren’t they all? The little boy hadn’t been the same since they’d pulled him and Warren Hansen out of the rubble of the tornado. Granted, it hadn’t even been two months, but the kid was obviously traumatized. And Hope’s uncle, Warren, had died protecting him. “Talk to me.”

  “We’ve all invited Elaine and Dax out to the ranch to work with the horses, but they haven’t come. I don’t know why. But I thought since you’re one of the only adults Dax seems comfortable with at the moment, maybe you could offer to bring them out?”

  Weston spoke up. “That would be a great photo-op for someone running for sheriff.”

  “Shut up, Wes. I’m not doing that.”

  “The horses or the photo-op?”

  Travis shot Weston a warning glare and turned back to Hope. “When?”

  “Anytime. I’ve been studying more cases where trauma victims are positively impacted by working with horses. I think it could help him.”

  “It helped me when I was in a bad spot a few years ago,” Weston volunteered.

  “When was this?” Travis asked, intrigued. Weston hadn’t spoken much about the time before he’d moved to Prairie. And Travis had been surprised he’d taken the job offer. Weston hadn’t grown up out west, but he’d taken to the western life like a fish to water.

  “Before you called me to come work for you. There’s a program in Montana at the Triple Bar H Ranch called Horses Helping Heroes. You work with horses, training them, and caring for them. But it’s really about giving you coping skills again. A lot of their guys have gone on to be farriers, or guides, or work on ranches.”