Page 15 of Edge of Steele
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Finn unloaded and set up chairs near several tables for the men, his gut churning as he watched Ryleigh and Colin reminisce about their past at the FBI. That after a shared hug. Finn wanted to march over to Ryleigh, stamp his claim on her, and warn this Colin fella off.
Seriously, where had that come from? Finn had never been a jealous guy. No need to be when he usually had no trouble convincing the woman he was interested in to go out with him. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. SEALs were chick magnets and women flocked to them. He didn’t play that up like some of the guys did. In fact, he never put it out there until after a first date. But Ryleigh had been different. She hadn’t succumbed to his charms on that date. Far from it.
He'd met her at church when he was on medical leave and visiting his cousin in Portland. One look at her, and he’d fallen hard. He’d tried to get her attention, but she didn’t pick up on his most obvious signals. He’d had to get the pastor to introduce him. Seriously. She unsettled him so badly that he’d had to ask a pastor to be his wingman. Didn’t matter. Finn was hooked and would do whatever it took to meet her.
Did she care? Nope. She was more interested in what her family was up to than talking with him. Took her sister, Mackenzie, to act as a go-between to procure that first date. Even then, Ryleigh seemed more interested in everything around them than him.
So he broke his hard, fast rule and told her he was a SEAL on that first date. Waited for a positive reaction. Got little to nothing other than respect. What he wanted, right? No. He’d wanted her to be the one to ask for a second date. Or at least hint that she wanted it instead of a reluctant agreement.
He’d learned on the first date that she was an eternal optimist and a real free spirit. Fine. He had to play into that. Plan an adventure together. He did some recon with her sister and found out Ryleigh had never been on a hot air balloon ride. That would be an adventure a free spirit could get behind, so he arranged a flight over the Willamette Valley.
What an afternoon. She finally opened her eyes and really saw him. Well not until they were back on the ground. In the air, she was bursting with joy and wonder at her surroundings. Her big eyes blazing with enthusiasm. Her face filled with astonishment. So beautiful he could barely remember to breathe, and he’d hardly seen the landscape.
He would never forget that day. Her smile. Her passion. Her pure joy.
In fact, he never had forgotten it or her, and after he’d gotten Avery settled, he’d planned to look her up again. He had to apologize for the way he’d left things after the amazing month they’d had together before his leave ended, and he had to deploy again.
Everything came crashing down on him that day. All the rules. The problems. The reasons they didn’t work. Why relationships with a SEAL often failed.
He lived in California when not deployed. She might be a free spirit but family was everything to her, and she was entrenched in Portland. He wouldn’t mind living in Portland again. He liked the city just fine, but he couldn’t leave the team. They were his extended family.
So he’d ended things. Bam. Just like that. Cold turkey. The way he did everything. Decide. Act. Move.
But man, oh, man. He wasn’t proud of how he’d left her, but he’d thought he had no choice at the time. If they’d tried a long-distance relationship, he would just have dragged out the inevitable breakup. Better to rip the Band-Aid off instead of taking a gentle approach and getting more invested in a future they couldn’t have.
Besides, as a free spirit, he hadn’t thought she would be upset. Certainly not hold it against him two years later. But there she was cozying up to this Colin guy and forgetting Finn was even there.
Leave it alone. Move on.
He settled the last chair in place and spotted Reid and Ryan stepping down the driveway, ten other firefighters trailing behind.
Finally.
Soot covered Ryan. His face. Turnout gear. Gloves. All of it. And his facial muscles were tight, his eyes droopy.
The man had just given his all, and he deserved a major thank you. Along with this spread of food and drinks.
But what did Finn plan to do?
Pounce on the guy and pump him for information. Not something Finn wanted to admit, but finding the bomber had to come first. The only thing more important to Finn was not to let it become all-consuming, take over his life, and let little Avery down. Nothing could be more important than the motherless little girl.
Not even following these unwanted feelings and trying to rekindle a relationship with the captivating Ryleigh Steele.
While worn and exhausted firefighters fueled up, Ryleigh shoved her phone into her pocket from calling her family to update the situation and leaned against a logging truck next to Finn. She’d also had a long discussion with Colin about how he could help, and he was fully on board.
He grabbed another platter of chocolate chip cookies from the truck. “Email me all the details for the searches, and I’ll get on it the minute I get back to the compound.”
“I’ll do it right after we talk to Ryan.” She smiled her thanks.
He returned her smile, and she could actually see it as the air had cleared, and they’d ditched their masks. Problem was, she also had a clear look at Finn’s unbearably handsome face, and she kept sneaking glances.
“You’re both former feds,” Finn said, seeming totally ignorant of her struggle. “Does this bombing fit the FBI’s definition of ecoterrorism?”
“It appears to.” Colin uncovered the cookies. “But this situation is odd.”
Finn pushed off the truck, his gaze interested. “How so?”
