Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force: The Complete Series Collection (Shifter Nation)
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Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force
The Complete Series Collection
Meg Ripley
Shifter Nation
Copyright © 2020 by Meg Ripley
www.redlilypublishing.com
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quoted passages left in an online review. This book is a fictional story. All characters, names, and situations are of the author’s creation. Any resemblances to actual situations or to persons who are alive or dead are purely coincidental.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; this copy is not available for resale or to give to another reader aside from any transaction through Amazon’s e-book lending program.
Disclaimer
This book is intended for readers age 18 and over. It contains mature situations and language that may be objectionable to some readers.
Contents
Rescued By The Soldier Bear
Protected By The Soldier Tiger
Fated To The Soldier Fox
Baby For The Soldier Cougar
Preview of Secret Baby For The Soldier Bear
About the Author
Rescued By The Soldier Bear
Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force
1
Ash leaned forward over the bathroom sink, trying to get a better look at the gray hairs that were slowly making themselves known at his temples. The light was dim and yellow, making it difficult, and he gave up with a sweep of his hand. He considered a shave but decided against it, then grabbed a coat and headed downstairs.
“Where are you off to today?” Old Jim was a well-known resident in this part of Fairbanks, and even though Ash had only been living there for a few months, he was starting to think of the old geezer as one of his good friends. Jim sat in a chair in the corner of the small lobby of the apartment building, which served as nothing more than a place to pick up mail and maybe harass the landlord about a frozen pipe. The elderly man seemed to take incredible delight in seeing the comings and goings of his neighbors, and Ash couldn’t help but indulge him.
“Just going to look at another property,” he replied as he shrugged into his green Berne work coat. He was never a man who minded the frigid weather, but it seemed a necessity if he was going to spend the rest of his life in a place like Alaska.
Jim squinted, making his narrow eyes little more than slits. “Ain’t you already done that?”
Ash laughed. “Yes, and more times than I’d like to admit. Probably more times than my real estate agent would like to admit, too.”
“Might as well just settle down right here in Fairbanks. We’ve got it all, you know. No need to go anywhere else.” He made a grand gesture with a wrinkled hand to indicate the entire city, as though it was Jim’s to offer. “Many a man has made himself rich here, you know.”
“So I’ve heard.” Ash swiped a hand over his face to hide his amused smile. Jim claimed to be an ancestor of E.T. Barnette, who founded Fairbanks in 1901. Perhaps because of the DNA he felt he shared with such an important man, Jim took it upon his shoulders to educate everyone who happened to come within speaking distance. And he usually didn’t stop at just one rendition. Ash had heard the stories about a hundred times already, and his friendliness and patience could only go so far. “I think I need something a little further outside the city, though. I’m heading out to look at a big ranch today.”
Jim nodded slowly, his gray mustache twitching as he muddled over his next words. “You know, I had a ranch once.”
Oh, no, Ash thought. Here he goes again. If he would’ve allowed him to keep rambling, he’d be late. “I’ll have to catch up with you about that later, Jim. I don’t want to be late, and you know how it is traveling around here.” Ash waved goodbye as he trotted out the door to his truck.
An hour later, he was standing at the end of a driveway looking at an impressive log cabin. The mountains in the distance gave a stark but gorgeous contrast to the flat land of the parcel, where the ground was brilliant green with the beginnings of a crop. Ash wished he knew enough to recognize what it was, but at the moment, it simply looked like a verdant carpet that stretched off into the distance toward a massive metal building.
“It’s currently being operated as a very successful cattle ranch,” explained Mr. Larson, pushing back his sport coat to tuck his thumbs into the front pocket of his jeans. He was dressed like many of the professionals Ash had met during his time in Alaska, who wore button-down shirts, ties, and sport coats over their jeans and boots. “I think it’s just what you’re looking for. Natural water source, flat land, highway access—and you know how important that can be in this area if you don’t own your own plane. Note the equipment shed right over there. It comes complete with everything you need since the owners are retiring and moving to the city. All your tractors and mowers and everything else!”
Ash felt a deep wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. The place was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. It felt more right than the other properties he’d looked at before, but it was still missing something. “Yeah… I don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t!” Mr. Larson enthused, throwing his hands up in the air. “We’ve hardly even looked at the place. C’mon.” He led the way up to the house, where he fiddled with a lock box for a moment until he could get the door open. “This place is just magnificent. I know when you think of a ranch, you’re picturing some bare-bones, barely livable tin shack. But clearly, the Alaskan wilderness has far more to offer than that! Check out this beautiful double-sided fireplace that serves both the living room and the kitchen with this open floor plan.”
“Yes, it’s very nice.” Ash turned toward a large window to check out the view, but also to roll his eyes. Mr. Larson had been recommended as one of the best realtors in the area, but he reminded Ash of a sleazy car salesman. “I’m not sure I need a home this big, though. It’s just me.”
“You never know what your future might hold. A beautiful bride, perhaps? One who would surely appreciate the granite countertops and radiant heating in the floors.” He combed his thick mustache with his fingers and waggled his eyebrows.
“Mm. Doubt it.” Ash left the realtor in the living room and wandered through the home. He didn’t really need to know that it had a separate office area and several bedrooms. The attached storage area for firewood was useful, and it was convenient that most of the furniture and appliances came with the place, but it was too big for just one man.
In all his life, he’d never felt that incessant urge that came from meeting one’s mate. While he was still with Delta Force, it didn’t matter much. He couldn’t exactly worry about settling down while he was busy running down terrorists and rescuing hostages. It was a hard and rough life, one that he enjoyed for the camaraderie and the excitement. There was something special about knowing he was one of the few men the country trusted with those missions, even if they weren’t ones that civilians usually heard about on the evening news.
Over twenty years of that life had been enough, though, and Ash knew it was time to slow down. He hadn’t anticipated the first few months of his retirement serving as such a poignant reminder of just how alone he was. There was no woman in his life, and certainly no children. He didn’t
even know any other shifters nearby, and even in the Alaskan wilderness, Ash was forced to keep the secret of who he truly was.
“Well?” Mr. Larson urged as Ash returned to the living room. “Isn’t it great? The structure of this home is remarkable and it’s very well insulated.”
“Mmhm.” Ash could appreciate those kinds of facts, and he could even appreciate the vaulted ceiling that really showed off the stone chimney. It was the best place he’d seen yet and the one closest to what he envisioned for his future. Something, though, still wasn’t right.
“Okay, you told me you wanted a ranch. So maybe you’re not interested in the house, but you’ll be spending all your time outdoors anyway, right? Let’s go check out the equipment shed. Talk about big boy toys! Have you done any ranching before?” The realtor stepped out the back door and took long, confident strides toward the metal barn.
Ash pursed his lips as he fell into step beside the man. “Can’t say that I have. I’ll have a lot to learn.”
“Good for you, Mr. Cunningham! We need more people like you out here, men who aren’t afraid to take their chances working the land. In this day and age, everyone wants to be involved in technology and the internet. But we need people behind the scenes getting things done.” He pumped his fist in the air as he slid the door to the equipment shed aside with a loud creak.
The place was impressive, with a concrete floor, full electrical, and all the tractors and equipment a man could possibly need to run a ranch. But Ash felt the reality of what he was wanting to do as he perused the big machines. Sure, even though Mr. Larson had been a little hokey about it, there was something exciting and almost noble about ranch life. But to do it all by himself? To run a place this big when he didn’t really know what he was doing? That was asking a lot of himself, but he wasn’t a man to turn down a challenge.
“I see that look on your face,” Mr. Larson said, leaning against a steel beam. “You’re wondering how you’re going to do this.”
Ash immediately hardened his features.
“It’s all right, any man would be out of his mind if he thought he could just dive in and do this. You’ve got a lot at stake here, and not just money. Come on.” He waved Ash to come along with him as he left the back of the shed and led the way up over a small hill. “You’ve got all their lives in your hands, too,” he said as he pointed toward a large cattle barn. The animals milled about within the sturdy fencing, twitching their ears at the sound of the men’s voices.
So this was where they kept them all, far back from the road. Ash inhaled the scent and felt his shoulders relax a little. Maybe this was what had been missing when he’d looked at the front of the property where the house was located. It felt like a luxury cabin at a resort from that angle, but this was what he’d come here for.
“Now, here’s the most important thing you need to know,” the realtor said as he headed down toward the fence, bringing Ash’s attention back to him. “The owners are retiring, like I said. They want the simple life in the city, where someone else comes and digs them out of their driveway in the winter and they only have to walk around the corner to get their groceries. But they really care about this place, and they want it to go into the right hands. They’re willing to stick around and teach you anything you need to know, from operating the tractors so you can grow your own hay, to fixing fencing and birthing calves.”
Ash raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “And how much extra is that going to cost me?”
“Just a little bit of time, really,” Mr. Larson replied, and for once, he didn’t sound like he was trying to get a job as a travel blogger. “This is really important to them. They’ve spent their entire lives creating this place and they don’t want to see it all go to waste.”
“I’ll think about it,” Ash said with a nod.
The realtor heaved a deep sigh. “Look, Mr. Cunningham, I’ve got to be honest with you. This ranch hasn’t been on the market all that long, but I don’t think it’s going to stay on the market long, either. Now, I know what you’re thinking.” He held up a hand to stop Ash from arguing with him. “Realtors say that all the time, and you’re probably right. But this truly is a great place, and if you ask me, it’s a bargain. I’ve shown you big farms with little houses and little farms with big houses. I’ve shown you places close to town and far from town, places near the mountains and places near the water. At every single one of them, you just sort of frown and say you’ll think about it. I understand you want something perfect, but I’m starting to wonder if you’re going to find it.” His amber eyes challenged his client.
He could argue with the man and explain that even as great of a place this was, there was still something that didn’t quite fit. But Ash didn’t feel the need to waste his energy making a stranger understand his reasoning. He just gave a small shrug. “Like I said, I’ll think about it.”
As he headed back to his rental, Ash chuckled to himself. Mr. Larson might not see a difference between now and all the other times he’d said those words, but this time, it wasn’t just his way of being polite. He really was going to think about it.
“Well?” Old Jim demanded as soon as Ash walked back into the building.
“It’s a nice place,” Ash admitted with a smile. “I just might buy it.”
The old man bobbed his head in approval. “Big place?”
“A few hundred acres,” he admitted, his lips splitting in a grin he didn’t expect. “It’s a great ranch. It’s got everything I could ever want and more. I think I might buy it.”
“When you need yourself a ranch hand, you give me a holler. I need something to do all day besides just sitting here on my rump.”
Ash smiled warmly. “I’ll keep that in mind, Jim.” He headed up the stairs to his apartment, feeling good about his decision. Sure, it was a big step, but that was what he’d come there for in the first place. He was ready to get away from the wandering life of a serviceman and settle down. The ranch seemed like a world completely of its own, far enough away from everyone else that he could pretend he was the last man on Earth. He hadn’t been sure at first, but now he knew it was the right choice.
As he drew his cell from his pocket and prepared to dial Mr. Larson—and to hear the elated and verbose response from the man—it rang. The caller ID flashed ‘Restricted’ on the screen and Ash frowned at it. No one should’ve had his number, since he was always careful who he’d given it to. He glared at it another second before answering it harshly. “Yeah?”
“Is this the great Ash Cunningham I’m speaking to?”
Instinctively, Ash began scanning his apartment for the slightest thing out of place. He didn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line. Had someone been watching him? There were a number of terrorist groups that would’ve liked to see his head on a pike. “Depends on who’s asking.”
The man laughed casually. His voice was gravelly and slow, like he had all the time in the world. “The Special Ops Shifter Force. My name’s Flint Myers.”
“All right.” He wasn’t going to allow this strange caller to lead him into offering any information, not even his own name. “What do you want?”
“I take it you’ve heard of us?”
A shiver of energy thrilled up Ash’s spine. Of course he’d heard of the SOS Force. They were an elite group of shifters, all of them trained as Special Ops soldiers. They’d taken the task of handling unusual missions involving shifters of all kinds, all across the U.S. At first, Ash hadn’t been completely certain they’d existed. It sounded like too much of an urban legend, the kind of thing someone made up because it sounded cool or they were trying to come up with a new television show. But another man Ash had served with on Delta Force had told him the team had come and solved a dispute in his home clan’s territory. “Maybe. Not sure if you're real, though.”
“Oh, we’re fucking real alright. And the fact that you and plenty of others have heard of us,” he said pointedly, “is exactly why we need you.”
&nb
sp; “Need me for what? I’m just a rancher.” It was at least about to be true, even if it wasn’t true yet.
“Right.” Another laugh came through the phone as the connection crackled slightly. “Listen, buddy, I know you’re way more than that. And I also know why you wouldn’t want to discuss it over the phone with someone you don’t know from Adam. That’s cool. I just need you to come to Dallas and interview. We’re recruiting.”
Ash’s blood thumped loudly in his throat. A job? With the SOS Force? Was this actually someone trying to recruit him for the most specialized, secretive organization outside of the military? It was hard to tell, but then again, how would anyone know? He could call his buddy from Delta, maybe. “Dallas is a long way from here,” he finally answered.
“Yeah, I know. You should be used to traveling a lot, though, and that’s not going to change once you’re on the Force. We need more people, and we need them to be people like you. You’ll get a plane ticket in the mail and it’ll have all the information for the meeting as well. See you there, brother.” The man hung up, leaving only silence in his wake.
Ash’s face was hard as he stared at the phone. He tossed the device on the couch and paced the room, suddenly realizing just how small and confining this damned apartment was. There’d been plenty of small or uncomfortable sleeping arrangements while he was serving in the Army, and he hadn’t even blinked when he saw the tiny room that was barely big enough for a couch and a TV stand. He laughed to himself as he realized the irony of living in a tiny place in the middle of such big land. But the humor was quickly lost on him as he felt the need to get outside and be in the wilderness alone. The polar bear inside him craved the need to run free; to break through the confines of his human skin.