Not too many authors handle the task of taking on and telling the stories of military men and women returning from active service and in many cases battlefront conditions as well as Lindsay McKenna. It is a special talent -- a knack so to speak -- to put these heroes back into mainstream America. McKenna is fair and kind but spot on accurate and honest. NIGHT HAWK in the tenth book in her Jackson Hole, Wyoming series.
In NIGHT HAWK by Lindsay McKenna being honest about her characters doesn't necessarily translate into complimentary. NIGHT HAWK centers on a ranch being run by various ex-military men. I guess the big question is whether they are ever really ex-military. These heroes never fully extricate themselves from the discipline of their previous experience no matter what arm of the military they belonged to. Around the Triple H the ranch hands blend in very well with the neighboring ranchers and are committed to the welfare of theirs. Difficult goal to be sure.
Many ranchers returned from military service to personal problems and that is the case with Triple H. Kai Tiernan has no place to go after leaving the Army but she has great attributes as a mechanic. Surely unusual for a female but Kai's life has been non-conforming. Basically raised by an older brother and a detached father Kai lacked that female influence. Joining the Army was a big step for Kai. It was a break from the harsh reality of living with a father who had no room in his life for a daughter.
So once released from active duty Kai was searching for a job and hopefully a place she could call home. Talon Holt owned Triple H. He was willing to give Kai the chance to start her new life. Kai couldn't have been happier.
Sometimes our past has a way of catching up with us at unexpected moments and Kai wound up facing a part of her past that she truly felt was better behind. Gil Hanford was part of her past. Kai's husband Sam died in service and Gil was his best friend. The three of them shared a wonderful friendship but Gil had carefully hidden a powerful attraction to his best friend's wife. Now both Gil and Kai find themselves at Triple H. Would they face their past and be able to move forward towards something that would benefit each of them. Or would their shared experiences prevent any hope for a future.
Gil is a remarkable guy -- in the beginning he seemed uncharacteristically needy. Kai on the other hand showcases her independence. Kai was blooming at the Triple H. She loved being part of this amazing family. She was willing to put her angst with Gil aside in order to stay put. On his part Gil knew he owed Kai explanations but he was reticent to reopen old wounds. These two people needed time to mend. Perhaps it was a bit of luck or fate that had them both wind up on the same doorstep so to speak.
NIGHT HAWK is the absolutely correct title for this love story written by Lindsay McKenna. It was unexpectedly a very touching tale about love and lost. The ongoing theme affected more than just the two main characters with the supporting cast lending itself perfectly to the message.
ONCE UPON A RANCH IN WYOMINGโฆ
After losing his comrade, Sergeant Gil Hanford thought a
visit to the man's widow would be the decent way to honor
his late friend. But Gil found more than comfort in Kai
Tiernanโhe had always secretly desired beautiful Kai, but
a
sudden, mutual passion helped assuage their griefโฆuntil
duty
reared its head, removing him from her arms, seemingly
forever.
Four years later, Kai is starting over at the Triple H
Ranch
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Born a rancher, she is looking
for
a new beginningโbut her new boss is unforgivably
familiar.
Kai has tried to move past the memory of what happened
between her and Gil, even though she's never forgiven him
for leaving her. But even as they begin their journey
toward
something new and oh-so-uncertain, a shadow emerges,
determined to claim Kai for itself.
EXCERPT
Gil put his hands on his hips, staring at her. โIโm the
foreman.โ
Kai closed her eyes for just a moment, opened them,
feeling the air sucked out of her lungs. โY-you work
here, too?โ No! That wasnโt possible! This couldnโt be
happening! Her mind worked at the speed of light. Her
heart expanded with traitorous emotions, wanting Gil.
Again. God, she could not go there! The bastard had
walked out on her after five days of the most wonderful
loving sheโd ever experienced with a man. Gil had left
suddenly without explanation, never to return. She hadnโt
seen him for four years.
Anger flowed through Kai. Gil had used her as a
convenient sex partner to bury himself in to get rid of
his grief. His brother Rob, a Delta Force operator with
another team in Afghanistan, had been killed. Gil had
seen his brotherโs body to the morgue at Bagram and then
looked her up.
Touching her brow, Kai saw his generous mouth moving into
a resistant, thin line. She remembered that mouth. Far
too well. The pleasure heโd given her. Kai had never
known such tenderness and vulnerability in a man until
Gil had walked into her life for those five days. Sheโd
been a widow for a year. When he reappeared, he said he
needed her. Silly her. Sheโd believed him and they had
ended up in a five-day sexual feast that was the best
thing that Kai had ever encountered with a man. Yet, on
the sixth morning, when she awakened, Gil was gone. No
note. No explanation. No email. Noโฆnothing. She wished
she could have forgotten him, but she never had.
And now, he was towering over her, all six feet of him,
broad, capable shoulders beneath a white cowboy shirt, a
black leather vest stretching across his powerful chest.
His Leviโs were worn and dirty, but from Kaiโs view, his
strong, hard thighs were just as beautiful now as they
were when theyโd captured her legs and held her in place
to give her the most incredible pleasure sheโd ever had.
And then, heโd run. Kai had never felt so used by a man.
Now, the bastard was standing there, defensive,
bristling, and she could feel the energy pouring off him
toward her. She was only five feet seven inches tall. She
wasnโt short, but she wasnโt Gilโs height, either.
What would he do? Try to get her fired? Invent some lame
excuse to let her go? Would he do that to her after what
theyโd shared? She searched his eyes, which were now a
darker, stormy blue. Kai could feel how taut and upset he
was. It felt as if they were two boxers in a ring sizing
each other up, looking for weak spots, a place to get in
and punch, taking the other down.
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