She smiled, whispered back. “Santa brings me extra presents when I’m naughty.”
* * *
On Saturday morning, Nick and Holly grabbed their winter gear and headed up into the mountains. Neither of them was really in the mood for a barbecue, but since everyone in the gang was going to be there, it would give them both a chance to reconnect. Apart from Laura and Javier, they hadn’t seen any of their friends since the night of the attack.
“I never get tired of that view,” Holly said when they crested a hill in the road and ranch’s great house came into view. “It’s so beautiful.”
Built of stone and logs, it was a mix of Swiss chalet and western styles with a steeply gabled roof and high windows. Several stone chimneys jutted upward, smoke curling toward the sky. The front door was set back from a portico driveway accented by a colonnade of polished logs. They drove up to the front and parked beneath the portico right behind Marc and Sophie’s SUV.
Janet answered the door, welcoming them with a warm smile. “I’m so glad you were able to make it.”
She led them to the living room, where Megan was sitting with Kara, Tessa, Laura, Sophie, and Natalie, three babies playing on the floor at their feet—Jackson, Lily, and Aiden.
Megan saw them, rose, gave Nick a quick hug and then embraced Holly. But she didn’t let go. Was she crying?
“Thank you both for saving my brother’s life. I don’t know what we would do without him.”
Holly hugged her back, felt tears pricking her own eyes. She’d never had a brother or sister, but if Megan loved Marc the way Holly loved her friends, then she could understand. “I’m just happy we were there.”
And she saw it in her mind again.
Marc, shirtless and shoeless on his knees, his eyes wide open. Two men behind him, one of them pointing a pistol at the back of his head.
God, she hated Moreno. That bastard!
When Megan stepped away, Sophie was there. She didn’t say a word, but hugged Holly close, then gave Nick a kiss on the cheek. “You two saved my world.”
“We weren’t going to let them kill Hunter,” Nick said.
Megan invited them to sit, but Nick excused himself to hang with the men on the back deck.
Holly sat next to Sophie, her gaze on the babies.
Well, that’s new.
Normally, she didn’t pay much attention to babies other than to notice that they were adorable—and loud and time consuming.
“Weren’t you scared?” Megan asked her.
Holly nodded. “There was a moment when I was afraid I wouldn’t reach him in time. Nick had the rifle, but I only had a pistol. I needed to get within seven yards or so to be sure I could get the shot. I kicked off my heels and ran.”
Sophie was in tears. “I’m sorry. I swore I wouldn’t cry, but …”
Natalie handed her a box of tissues. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“You all have been through hell,” Laura said. “We understand that.”
Then Sophie told them how she’d heard that shot and had believed that Marc was dead. “When he called my name, when I saw him again …”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Kara said. “Reece and I were sure he was gone, and then Evers, one of the HRT guys, pointed to the door, and there he was.”
Sophie wiped the tears from her cheeks, smiled, then laughed. “When Marc explained what had happened, I shouted to Holly to thank her. She blew me a kiss like it was no big deal. Kill a bad guy, save a good man’s life. It’s all in a day’s work.”
The others laughed with her.
Holly shrugged. “It is my job, you know.”
She picked up Jackson, who gave her a smile, showing off two tiny teeth. “Hi, little guy. Aren’t you cute? How old is he?”
* * *
Nick stepped out onto the deck, the scent of pine and snow filling his head, some of the tension he’d been carrying since last Saturday melting away at the sight of those mountains. Maybe spending the day here hadn’t been a bad idea at all.
Jack and Nate were busy setting up grills, a box of steaks from their own herd of Angus sitting on one of the tables, big patio heaters set at intervals across the deck.
Nick greeted their hosts. “Thanks for the invite.”
Nate smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Andris.”
Jack pointed to his left. “There’s beer over there in the cooler.”
The cooler was, in fact, a big pile of snow with bottles of beer sticking out of it.
“Thanks. I don’t mind if I do.” He grabbed a bottle of Never Summer, twisted off the top, and took a drink.
Oh, yeah.
This was the life.
The older kids were sledding on the small hill that was the Wests’ backyard, their shrieks and laughter making Nick smile. Sheridan was out there, holding Caitlyn’s hand, dragging her sled back up the hill, a broad smile on his face. Corbray was down there, too, busy building a snow fort with Connor, Reece and Kara’s oldest. On the other side of the yard, Tower was also building a fort and, with Emily and Brendan’s help, had amassed an arsenal of snowballs.
Nick wasn’t surprised to see Corbray playing like a kid, but Tower?
To the south of the house on a little rise, Ramirez was shooting photos of the mountains, Harker holding his camera bag. It had to be a relief for Ramirez to turn his lens toward the beauty of nature after photographing mayhem and violence.
McBride, Darcangelo, and Hunter sat in Adirondack chairs shooting the shit, beers in their hands, one eye on their kids.
“Hey, Andris.” Hunter got to his feet, shook Nick’s hand, their gazes meeting. “Thanks, man. I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you and Holly.”
Nick knew that he had never been Hunter’s favorite guy. Hunter and Darcangelo still held a grudge about the way he’d treated Holly when they’d met, and he couldn’t blame them. It felt good to move up a notch in their esteem. “Hey, what are friends for? How are you feeling?”
“I’m good,” Hunter said.
“Right.” Darcangelo stood, dragged a chair over for Nick. “One of the kids ran over and hugged him a bit too hard, and I thought he was going to faint.”
“Hey, Dickangelo, don’t undermine my effort to remain manful in people’s eyes.”
“Dude, please.” McBride shook his head. “If you’re not manful, the rest of us can just give up and go home.”
Nick chuckled, took a seat, shared his news. “I heard through the grapevine that Secretary Holmes has spoken to the president about awarding Hunter the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
“No shit?” Darcangelo said. “That’s fantastic. Irving’s going to hang some pretty ribbons on his chest, too. I’m sure of that.”
“Cut it out.” Hunter glared at them. “Just stop.”
“I have to say that was a badass bit of marksmanship you and Holly did,” Darcangelo said turning to Nick. “How did you manage it?”
And so Nick told them. He’d just finished explaining how he and Holly had timed their shots, when Matt and Joaquin trudged up the stairs, snow on their boots, the two of them laughing about something.
“There’s the man,” Hunter said, raising his beer to Harker.
Harker looked a bit embarrassed. “Oh, knock it off.”
McBride gave a snort. “You’re a hero, Harker. Just accept it.”
Nick got to his feet. “Harker, Ramirez. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Holly when she was unconscious. From what I hear, the two of you and Rossiter risked your own safety.”
“Rossiter’s really the one to thank for that, but you’re welcome,” Ramirez said, nudging Harker with his elbow. “Just say, ‘You’re welcome.’”
“You’re welcome,” Harker said, his obvious discomfort making the guys laugh.
The back door slid open, and Megan stuck her head out, a wide smile on her face. “Kat and Gabe are here with the baby.”
* * *
Kat sat on the sofa, Natalie and
Holly making room for her, her baby daughter in her arms. Her body was still sore from giving birth, so it took her a moment to get comfortable. Gabe held a sleeping Nakai in his arms, while Alissa sat down beside her.
“Oh, she’s tiny!” Natalie said. “How much did she weigh?”
“Five pounds, three ounces,” Kat answered.
“Is she nursing well?” Janet asked.
“She had a little trouble at first, but she’s gotten the hang of it now.”
The back door opened, kids spilling inside, followed by the men.
“Whoa! Chase, Addy—slow down and stop yelling,” Marc told his kids. “You don’t want to scare the baby.”
“Take your boots off, kids,” said Reece. “You’re tracking snow.”
“I saw her on TV,” said Maire, looking over at her father.
“Yes, you did,” answered Julian, who was helping little Tristan out of his coat and snow boots. “Be quiet, okay, kids? She’s sleeping.”
“Have you named her yet?” Holly asked.
Kat nodded. “We named her the night she was born, but we didn’t want to announce her name until we shared it with you.”
She looked up at Gabe, hoped he would carry it from here. She wasn’t going to be able to do this without crying.
“We want to thank all of you who helped Kat that night. Sophie, Joaquin, you were amazing. I watched while you did everything you could to help her, watching over her, trying to protect her from Moreno and his men. You’re going to make a great husband and father one day, Ramirez.”
Joaquin stammered. “Uh … I …”
Matt elbowed him. “Just say, ‘Thank you.’”
“Thank you.”
Quiet laughter.
“Holly, you held Kat’s hand through the birth, even though you were injured and exhausted. It meant a lot to both of us.”
“You’re welcome.” Holly waited a beat. “But what is the baby’s name?”
Gabe grinned. “Her name is Noelle Yanaha.”
“We chose Noelle because she was determined to come at Christmastime,” Kat explained, her throat tight. “And we chose Yanaha as a middle name. It’s a girl’s name that means ‘Brave’ in Diné. You were all brave for me that night.”
“That’s so sweet,” Sophie said, leaning in to get a closer look at the baby.
Gabe grinned, gave a shrug. “We thought having SophieJoaquinHollyMarcNickJulian as a middle name would be a bit awkward.”
“Did they ever figure out why you went into labor early?” Sophie asked.
Kat felt her face flush.
Gabe rescued her. “The doctor said she thought it was a combination of extreme stress and too much activity.”
By activity, the doctor had meant sex.
“How are you doing?” Janet asked her.
“Physically, I’m okay. I’m not getting much sleep. She’s so tiny that she needs to nurse all the time. But we’re doing okay. Emotionally …”
Kat wasn’t one to talk about her feelings with others most of the time, but her friends had been there with her, had lived through the same nightmare. She wasn’t the only one who’d suffered that night.
She did her best to put her feelings into words. “Sometimes the only way to deal with fear and pain is to open your heart to it. Grandma Alice says there’s nothing we can’t overcome, as long as our hearts stay open.”
“Your Grandma Alice is a wise woman,” Jack said.
“Can I hold her?” Holly asked.
“Of course.” Kat laid Noelle carefully in Holly’s arms.
“Oh, God, she’s precious!” Sophie reached out, took one of Noelle’s tiny hands.
“Uh-oh. I’m going to spend the rest of the month talking my wife’s ovaries down,” Marc muttered to Julian, who nodded in understanding.
“Hey, I heard that,” Sophie said.
But she was smiling.
* * *
Nate flipped the steaks one at a time, his gaze on the snowball fight, which Tower appeared to be winning, with the help of several little kids who stood barely taller than his knees. “I got to hand it to you, old man. You were right.”
There’d been a change in the mood of their guests through the course of the day. They’d shed some tears, shared their stories, and they all seemed to be the better for it.
His father grinned. “I usually am.”
Nate had always considered his father to be wise, but he would have to give him more credence in the future when it came to touchy-feely stuff. Then again, the old man had survived two tours of duty as a Army Ranger in Vietnam, lived through Nate’s close brush with death in Afghanistan, and had lost his first wife, Nate’s mother, to an aneurysm. He must know something about emotions to have gotten through all that.
When the steaks were ready, they called everyone to dinner. Plates were heaped with fresh-baked rolls, mashed potatoes, salad, and roasted vegetables, the heaters turned on high to keep everyone warm as they gathered around the picnic tables.
Nate’s father stood, asked for quiet. “I want to thank you all for coming up here today. It’s a hell of a thing you’ve been through, but you all faced it head on and with courage. Your presence in our home honors us. Every one of you is a hero.”
He raised his beer. “To heroes.”
“Hear, hear!”
“To heroes!”
* * *
Marc sat back on the deck feeling more relaxed than he had in days. Darcangelo sat beside him, Maire asleep in his lap, wrapped in a warm wool blanket.
Above the mountaintops to the west, the setting sun had turned the clouds pink, sending Joaquin inside after his camera.
It was the first time he and Darcangelo had been alone since the attack.
The words just came. “There was a moment when I thought it was over. You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes or some shit? I realized I’ve had a damned good life—at least since I got together with Sophie. I wasn’t afraid to die. I just didn’t want to leave her so soon.”
“I get that. Yeah.”
“I’ve always known I’ll die in the line of duty.”
“What? Listen to that shit.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“Okay. You’re serious.”
“When that day comes—”
“If that day comes,” Darcangelo interjected.
“—I hope you’ll watch over—”
“If you finish that thought, Hunter, I’m going to put my little girl down and kick your ass.” Darcangelo glared at him. “You don’t even have to ask. I know you’d do the same for Tessa and the kids if anything happened to me.”
“Right.” Marc let out a breath. “Okay. Good.”
That was settled.
Silence stretched between them.
“I thought you were gone. I thought they’d blown your head off. I came upstairs expecting to find your body.” Darcangelo’s voice got tight. “Man, you’re the best fucking friend I’ve ever had. Don’t let that happen again.”
Marc looked at the man who was like a brother to him, their gazes meeting, words neither of them could say aloud held in that glance. “You got it.”
They clinked beer bottles, drank.
The back door opened, and Joaquin came out and started taking photos. “Damn, look at that sky!”
By ones and by twos, the rest of the gang came out to see the sunset until they all stood together, staring in stunned silence at Mother Nature’s handiwork.
The world was a strange place. Last Saturday, it had been terrorists and death. This Saturday, it was good friends, good food, and a spectacular sunset.
Then the last rays of the sun slipped away, the sky coming alive with stars.
“Grandpa Jack, can we show them the surprise now?” little Emily asked.
“Yes, Miss Emily, I think it’s time.”
The little girl ran to a switch on the side of the house and flipped it, and the forest around the house came alive with light. It was a forest of Christ
mas trees, dozens upon dozens of them, some with lights in mixed colors, some with strands of blue or white or red or green lights, the mountains a shadow behind them.
There were oohs and aahs.
Addy ran up to him, blue eyes that were so much like Sophie’s wide with excitement. “Daddy, do you see?”
Marc pulled his daughter into his lap. “I sure do.”
Yes, the world was a strange place.
But for tonight at least, life was good.
Other titles by Pamela Clare
Romantic Suspense:
I-Team Series
Extreme Exposure (Book 1)
Heaven Can’t Wait (Book 1.5)
Hard Evidence (Book 2)
Unlawful Contact (Book 3)
Naked Edge (Book 4)
Breaking Point (Book 5)
Skin Deep: An I-Team After Hours Novella (Book 5.5)
First Strike: The Prequel to Striking Distance (Book 5.9)
Striking Distance (Book 6)
Soul Deep: An I-Team After Hours Novella (Book 6.5)
Seduction Game (Book 7)
Historical Romance:
Kenleigh-Blakewell Family Saga
Sweet Release (Book 1)
Carnal Gift (Book 2)
Ride the Fire (Book 3)
MacKinnon’s Rangers series
Surrender (Book I)
Untamed (Book 2)
Defiant (Book 3)
Upon A Winter’s Night: A MacKinnon’s Rangers Christmas Novella (Book 3.5)
About the Author
USA Today best-selling author Pamela Clare began her writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor-in-chief of two different newspapers. Along the way, she and her team won numerous state and national honors, including the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, Clare was awarded the Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. A single mother with two sons, she writes historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense at the foot of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Visit her website at www.pamelaclare.com.