“Move it, or else I’m coming up to get you.”
Petra hauled herself upright. With an effort, she slung her leg over the railing. Flames were reaching toward her from inside the house and from below. She let go of the railing and fell into Brady’s waiting arm. Holding her close, he carried her away from the fire. “Are you all right?”
“Been better,” she said. “You can put me down now.”
“Not yet.” He kissed her lips, the tip of her nose, her forehead. “I’m never going to let you out of my sight again.”
“I’m glad you’re here, but why? Did you see the smoke?”
He allowed her feet to drop to the ground but continued to hold her against him. “I felt it.”
“Felt what?”
“I knew you were in trouble. It was a pain, a stabbing pain in my heart. And I knew. I could hear you calling me as clearly as if you were on the phone. I had to come for you.”
“Like a mind reader.”
He frowned. “And if you ever tell anybody we can read each other’s mind, I’ll deny it.”
She remembered thinking of him, reaching for him with her mind and her heart. “I love you.”
“And I love you back. Twice as much.”
Swallowing hard, she asked the question that might destroy their relationship before it began. “Do you love me even if I can’t give you what you want? Even if I can’t get pregnant?”
“There are a lot of kids who need awesome parents like us. When the time comes, I’ll put together a flowchart of all the options.”
“A flowchart?”
“It’s the ultimate in family planning.”
She should have known that he’d rise to the challenge. He wasn’t somebody who turned his back. “Did I mention that I love you?”
“You did, but I like hearing it.”
She looked past his shoulder. The officer had already cuffed Francine and shoved her into the back of Petra’s truck. Margaret had dismounted and stood beside her horse.
There was something Petra needed to do. She stepped out of his embrace and walked toward Margaret. “Thanks for what you did.”
“I didn’t do this for you,” she said peevishly. “I don’t even like you.”
“Well, I appreciate it all the same.”
“I had my own reasons.”
“Francine is your mother.”
“To my regret,” Margaret said. “She ignored me for the first eighteen years of my life. When I had Jeremy, she kept me around to be her handmaiden, insisted that I call her Miss Francine. And she was going to do the same to my son, raise him as her servant. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Brady stepped around Petra to give Margaret a hug. “I’m going to make sure this turns out all right for you and Jeremy.”
She looked up at him and grinned. “This wasn’t exactly what I wanted from you, Brady, but I’ll take it.”
An SUV with the sheriff’s logo on the side pulled into the driveway. In the distance, Petra heard the siren from a fire truck.
“We should get out of the way,” Brady said. “The firefighters need to get through.”
She’d be happy to step back and let him take the leadership position. “Are you going to get everyone organized?”
“Not my job.” He ducked his head and kissed her again. “There’s only one thing I want to organize.”
“What’s that?”
“My life with you.”
She grinned. “That might take a lot of work.”
“I’m up for the challenge.”
And so was she.
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459226333
Copyright © 2012 by Kay Bergstrom
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