Protecting Naomi-excerpt

Protecting Naomi

Chase Maddox left behind the carnage of war to become the director of his sister’s therapy center, Paws for Caring. Now he’s saving souls instead of extinguishing them. Watching the men and women in his group take their first step toward conquering their fears makes Navy SEAL Hell Week seem like child’s play. Each success restores his faith in the strength of the human spirit. 

Naomi Fields grew up with an absentee mother and never knew her father. After testifying against the person who murdered her best friend, the life she’s built for herself is upended forever. Fast forward ten years and she’s ready to take a chance—new life, new home, and new opportunities. She’s passionate about her work at Paws for Caring, and its handsome director makes her heart sing. But Chase is all that is decent in the world, and Naomi is damaged goods.

Chase appreciates Naomi’s strong will and fighting spirit, which is why the fear she’s trying desperately to hide ignites his protective instincts. The Brotherhood could watch her, but he refuses to let her out of his sights.

When brutality from her previous life comes calling, can Naomi overcome her past, or will her new life and the possibility of a future with Chase be destroyed by her inability to trust? 

Chapter 1

Thunder boomed behind Naomi Fields as she raced from her car, dodging the giant puddles in front of her small porch.

The raging storm had passed quickly, leaving a cleansing earthy smell. A dull gray fog hung like a huge dusting of mist on the trees surrounding her little cabin, giving an ethereal and mysterious feel to the woods surrounding it.

A thunderous clap of thunder startled Naomi, and she stumbled into a pothole she didn’t notice until it was too late. Her new shoes were ruined. It served her right. She wouldn’t have been so on edge and not paying attention if she hadn’t been obsessing about the odd things that were happening in her life.

At least she hadn’t tripped and fallen into the small pool of water. That would have been the icing on the cake.

She shook her fist and screamed to the sky. “Damn you!”

Naomi reached her covered porch and shook like a wet dog, shedding most of the water from her body, but the shoes were another story. They had been so pretty in the window of the chichi clothing shop in town. The pink, buttery-soft designer flats were a splurge she could hardly afford.

The price? Only eight hours of her sparse salary after taxes, but they made her feel like a princess. Except now, she felt like a frog. The shoes were ruined. Just like the last ten months of her life.

She’d never spent that much on a pair of shoes in her life. Hell, what she paid for them could have bought an entire season’s wardrobe at the consignment shop. Naomi hadn’t cared. She’d scrimped and saved all her life, forgoing her dreams just to stay alive. But it was good—all good.

The beating Naomi had endured at the hands of a deranged man ten months ago was a nightmare she’d put behind her—almost. Her body had healed. Her mind had settled, mostly.

But she’d lost everything—her job, her car, her insurance and her self-respect. Naomi had nothing to look forward to but hospital and doctors’ bills. Naomi sighed. She also couldn’t forget the months of physical therapy and surgery on her face.

However, the months of living in a loft owned by Sam Knight, both her nemesis and savior, were cathartic. Having access to grant money from Sam’s friend Claire Willis Harkin to start over was a blessing. Naomi got the therapy and self-defense lessons she needed and regained her independence and courage. But ten months of living off someone else’s dime rankled her.

All her life, she’d taken care of herself. Especially since high school, when her parents washed their hands of their wild child.

Couch-surfing. That’s what her friends called it. She went from house to house, couch to couch, staying only as long as she could before her friends’ parents tired of her and asked her to move on. Then repeat.

Now she was starting her new life here in Haywood Lake, Florida, on the campus of Paws for Caring.

Sam’s fiancé, Mark Stone, was friends with Chase Maddox, the director of the center, and built the cabins and the therapy dog training center on land owned by Chase’s sister. Joy always dreamed of a facility where foster dogs got a new lease on life and trained to become therapy dogs.

The moment Naomi spotted the small cabins set into the woods, she wanted one. The cabin wasn’t as big as Sam’s loft, but it was homey, and most of all, it was hers for as long as she wanted it.

She’d been in her cabin for two months. The cabin wasn’t huge, but she tried to make it comfortable. What did the decorating magazines call her style? Hmmm. Shabby chic. The sofa held throw pillows of assorted colors. Books and little tchotchkes she liked and picked up at thrift stores or bought at craft shows were placed around the small rooms.

It would be nice to have an attached garage for days like this. All the cabins had a dirt driveway connected to the main road to the center.

Chase’s sister, Joy, and her fiancé, Liam McBride, lived next door to Chase.

Naomi had met the bubbly, optimistic woman a couple of times. Joy had hinted several times Naomi would enjoy meeting her friends. Maybe she would sometime.

Naomi sighed. One baby step at a time.

She was drawn to Chase Maddox, the tall, muscular hunk who ran Paws for Caring. Chase oversaw the therapy groups and the center overall. He had short blond hair, bluish-gray eyes the color of the winter sky, and a strong jaw—yum.

It didn’t hurt that Chase Maddox was a good man. And nice. He was nice to everyone. He was also a chaplain and therapist.

So far, Chase hadn’t asked her any personal questions or what her story was. But Naomi caught him observing her more than once. She hoped Sam or anyone who knew about her hadn’t volunteered any information about her past.

However, she couldn’t help feeling she was one of his patients, although he never said as much. Naomi wanted much more from Chase, but he needed someone who wasn’t damaged like her.

Naomi had a decent job waitressing five days a week at the Red Rooster Diner. Because she didn’t want to take charity, she volunteered one day a week in the accounting department at Paws for Caring.

Besides working, she was also pursuing her dream of going to college, one course at a time.

Naomi couldn’t remember who said, “One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.” It could have been Jane Austen or Elvis, for that matter. But it was her motto, along with “without fear, there would be no courage.” She never thought of herself as courageous, but she sure had felt a lot of fear. And yet, here she was. Starting over. Feeling strong. Working toward her goals.

And maybe someday along the way, she’d find a good man to love. One who loved her back.

Oh, having some girlfriends would be cool too. She hadn’t had any girlfriends in ages. It would be nice to have someone to confide in, to join for a drink or perhaps dancing some evening and just forget her worries for a while.

So here she was, in a rent-free cabin, with a decent job and a little seed money to help her get ahead in the short term. Again, thanks to Sam and Claire, but Naomi wanted to make it on her own.

Naomi’s long-term goal was to get a college education to become a therapist and help other women find their courage and get a second chance at life as she had.

Working long hours didn’t bother her. Living alone didn’t either.

Besides, she wasn’t really alone. Chase lived close by in the main house, and a couple of ex-military guys lived in two other cabins. Whenever she saw them, they said hi and exchanged pleasantries, but that was all.

For now, she was safe.

Except for the past month, Naomi could sense eyes on her. Unwelcome eyes. She sensed them but couldn’t see anyone overtly staring at her, but she’d learned to trust her gut. Her gut was telling her to run.

“Naomi?”

Naomi jumped. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard Chase come up behind her on the porch.

“Are you okay?” Chase tilted his head, his brows furrowed.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“I was driving back from town and saw you trip in the puddle.”

Okay, that wasn’t embarrassing. “I’m fine.”

He stared into her eyes. Nodded to himself. “Well, when the rain stops, I’ll get Zach to fill that hole in.”

Chase stood there looking like he wanted to say something else. Naomi’s mouth was dry. What could she say to the man of her dreams? He was smart, accomplished, and she was … carrying a lot of baggage and wondering who was gunning for her.

Chapter 2

Chase “Mad Dog” Maddox sat on the patio of the cracker-style house he was leasing from the McBride family and let his mind wander. Birds chirped or squawked in the trees, but it was all background noise. The cup of coffee he enjoyed a while ago was cold, but he was too lazy to get up and reheat it.

It rained earlier, a deluge that turned small potholes into swimming pools. The Florida weather changed quickly, and the water evaporated once the sun came out. He inhaled the fresh, clean air and let his body relax.

Two of his ex-SEAL buddies were arriving soon from Black Pointe, Florida. Colt “Cowboy” Zander and Finn “Scorpion” Ryder left the teams just after he had. They were moving around the country searching for—what? Chase didn’t know. Colt and Finn were still trying to find their place in the world. They were protectors and needed to find the right place for their skills.

KnightGuard Security was on their list of places to interview. A friend and ex-SEAL, Joe Harkin, worked there.

It would be a perfect place for them to use the skills the military had taught them. They’d make good money, but Chase hoped Finn and Colt were looking for something else. Something that would be more personal and satisfying than protecting people who had money to pay for their skills.

Chase wondered if they would take the job or if he could entice them to look at other avenues to use their expertise. The idea of a coalition or alliance of brothers was floating around in his head.

Ever since Liam mentioned brotherhood at one of their poker nights, that was all Chase thought about: a brotherhood alliance composed of ex-military and others who had unique training. A brotherhood that would step in and take on particular cases for people threatened or stalked. It was his belief that no woman or child should ever feel unsafe or be at the mercy of some pervert because they couldn’t afford to pay for security.

Chase had some money saved. He also had a potential sponsor, Oliver Spelling. He was an old friend Chase helped years ago when a stalker was after Oliver’s sister. When Chase mentioned the idea to Oliver, he volunteered to fund the group. It helped that he came from old money and had more than enough to give away.

Thump!

Chase jumped, then laughed when he saw Miss Kitty stalking him.

Damn cat. He’d inherited the cat with the house when Liam McBride moved next door into his sister Joy’s house. Liam tried to entice the cat to move with him, but she was having none of that. She knew her place in the world. Miss Kitty purred and wove her lithe body around his ankles, then sat at his side. Her little gray body was still except for the swishing of her tail, but her green eyes narrowed.

“Hungry, little lady?”

Meow was all he got, but Chase got the message. He went inside, reached for a can of cat food, opened it, then brought the dish of food and one of water out to the patio.

Miss Kitty sat and observed him with watchful eyes as she ate. She trusted him only so far, just like Naomi Fields.

Naomi volunteered one day a week at the center. She had only been here two months, but the minute he saw Naomi, with her dark hair the color of night, Chase felt an attraction.

She didn’t call attention to herself. But her soft, green eyes observed everything around her. Naomi was quiet, never got flustered, and kept to herself. She also didn’t let people walk over her. While she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, she was pretty, and her face reflected resolve and character.

Something terrible had happened to Naomi. She never spoke about it. He could see it in her eyes. After all, he was an ex-SEAL. He was trained to read people. As a therapist, it wasn’t his place to ask. He was available if she wanted to talk. Chase was convinced if he pressed, Naomi would bolt, and that wouldn’t work at all. He wanted to break down her defenses and get to know the real Naomi. The Naomi who didn’t back down and who gave as good as she got. Chase was drawn to the warrior he saw hidden in her calm façade.

Chase sighed. He had other pressing problems he needed to address. A couple of cabins were still empty and needed occupants. Grant applications had to be processed and supplies ordered.

Oh, he couldn’t forget the group therapy sessions he ran and dinner with Liam and Joy tomorrow night.

Somewhere in there, he needed time to get to the gun range and keep his skills sharp because one never knew when they would be needed.

Most of all, Chase wanted to give more thought to the Brotherhood Alliance. He wanted to write a business plan and bring others on board.

A fellow ex-SEAL, John “Tex” Keegan, kept his fingers in many pots and got tips about people who needed help. Chase had no idea how Tex learned someone needed help.

There was no time to dawdle. There were women out there who needed help. Chase couldn’t help thinking that Naomi was one of them.