by Tina Leonard
“I think Mack is done. He wants his diaper changed. This is one child who doesn’t like to be wet for very long.”
“Don’t blame him a bit.” Galen got to work, efficiently changing his displeased son, then pressed him to his chest. Mack calmed down instantly, and Rose thought it had to be wonderful to be held against Galen’s broad chest, feeling warm and protected.
“So the magic wedding dress really isn’t magic?” Rose asked. “It’s just a fairy tale Fiona tells to help you guys get to the altar?”
“Not me,” Galen said cheerfully. “I don’t need fairy tales. I deal in reality only.”
She held Ross tenderly, stroking his head with one finger while he nursed. “Then how is it that the dress looked different on every one of the Callahan brides?”
“Fiona’s extremely handy with a needle,” Galen said. “Don’t let her feed you that malarkey about it transforming itself to fit each bride. There’s not a dress on the planet that could be magic to all the brides the Callahans have seduced.”
“Seduced?”
“That’s what they did,” Galen said. “Almost to a man. I, however, didn’t put the cart before the horse. If you recall, I asked you to marry me almost immediately. Once I make my mind up, nothing stops me.” He looked really proud about that.
“I always wondered about you and Somer,” Rose said. “I’m pretty sure she had a thing for you at one time, and sometimes I thought you might not have been entirely reluctant.”
He shrugged. “Now you’re telling yourself a dark fairy tale. Somer’s not my type, beautiful.”
Rose nodded, knowing he was being honest. “What ever happened to Somer? I truly did consider her a friend.”
His gaze slipped away, as did his relaxed demeanor. “I don’t really know.”
Rose’s eyes widened. She looked at her sexy husband, his face turned away, focused completely on Mack as he held him. “Galen?”
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“Tell me.”
A long sigh escaped him. “Rose, the night that she knocked your father out—”
“We don’t know it was her. She says it wasn’t.”
“The only two operatives on the ranch that night were Sawyer and Somer,” Galen pointed out.
“Dad says he’s sure a man hit him.”
“Let’s not talk about this while you’re feeding my son.” Galen got up, put sleepy Mack in his bassinet. “It can’t be good for his digestion. I want sons with happy digestion.”
She laughed. “Galen, does this child look like he’s suffering any kind of distress?” Rose realized what she’d said, and her heart grew heavy again. “Riley needs to be here so I can feed him with his brothers.”
Galen kissed her on the forehead. “Peace. Calm. Happiness, babe. Only happy thoughts when you feed the boys. A man really enjoys his mealtime—didn’t your dad ever tell you that? It’s the only time of the day a guy really needs to have his soul at peace.”
She tried not to smile and failed. “Before you go...”
“I really don’t want to leave you.”
“I know.”
He knelt down next to her and rubbed her arm as he gazed at his son.
“Just keep in mind that I feel almost positive Somer was set up,” Rose murmured.
His dark blue eyes met hers. “Set up?”
She nodded. “It makes sense.”
“By who?”
“Wolf. Through Storm. That’s what I think,” Rose said, feeling a strong need to defend her friend. “None of it makes sense otherwise, Galen. I just don’t believe in my heart that she would try to hurt my father.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll admit I like your loyal side. You’re a sweet thing.”
Her brows furrowed. “I’m not being sweet. I’m telling you that the conclusion everyone has drawn is too obvious. Somer needs to be let out of jail at once. I know that’s where she is, and that you don’t want me thinking about it. But she doesn’t belong in prison. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Shaking his head, Galen rose, then put his hat back on. “It’s not up to me, babe. Are you sure you’re going to be all right? I have to get out to Fiona’s shindig. I’m so happy I’m not up on the block this year, I can barely contain myself. I’m going to enjoy needling Jace and Ash about doing their civic duty as Fiona’s raffle bounty.”
“Along with about ten other brides. I want a full report when you get home,” Rose said eagerly. “I heard that even Storm Cash is on the block this year, and that Lulu Feinstrom said she’s ready to outbid any woman who dares to make an offer on him. And that if a bidder from out of town wins him, Lulu vows to go on the date with them.”
“I can see you admire Lu’s attempt to keep her man,” Galen teased.
“You remember that tonight when you’re around all the pretty, man-hungry ladies wearing their costumes and waving their money around.”
“It’s okay, beautiful. You got the cream of the Callahan crop and you didn’t have to spend a dime for it.”
Rose sniffed. “Careful, Callahan. Your head may expand so much you won’t be able to fit through the door.”
He winked at her. “I wasn’t going to bring this up, but I have a long memory—and I recall you bidding handsomely for me year before last. I was very disappointed when you let Sawyer outbid you at the end. Just between you and me, that was the least fun date I ever had. It wasn’t really even a date—more of an outing. I’m pretty sure she was just using me to get to Jace. Truthfully, I think you would have been a lot happier if you’d taken me home with you that night. We would have probably been a year ahead in our relationship.” He grinned. “Still, in a few weeks, I intend to make up for lost time with my sexy wife.”
Rose got up to put Ross down next to his brother, and kissed both their heads. They settled into their blankets, happy and satisfied. She went to her closet, retrieved a new blouse. Came back out and stood in front of her vanity mirror, and brushed her hair. Pulled her top off and then her bra. Galen watched her hungrily in the mirror.
“I think I’ll take a shower,” she said. “I’ll see you later. Wake me when you get home.”
In the bathroom, she pulled off the rest of her clothes, turned on water hot enough to steam the bathroom and knock the chill out of the air, and stepped into the stall.
A moment later, Galen joined her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “You tempt me, Mrs. Chacon Callahan. I may stay here for our own party.”
“You’re going to be late,” Rose said, turning to kiss her husband. He had a very obvious situation going on, and Rose put soapy hands around him to solve the problem. Galen groaned and held her to him, kissing her forehead, then her lips.
“I’ll be late, but I’ll be smiling,” he said. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re trying to soften me up about speaking to the sheriff about your friend being in jail.”
Rose melted against him, enjoying the feel of her husband close to her again. “I just want you to keep an open mind.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I hope I don’t regret it, but I’ll mention your theory.”
“Thank you.”
Galen kissed her long and sweetly, brushing his hands gently over her breasts, holding her against him, and Rose thought everything was just about perfect.
Once Riley came home, they’d be a family—and then everything would be absolutely perfect.
Chapter Fourteen
“Looks like a hundred men or more over there,” Galen said. Wanting his grandfather’s advice, he’d stopped here first, and stood with Running Bear at the edge of the canyons, looking through binoculars at the land he was in the process of finalizing paperwork on. “That’s a lot of men in uniform. Part of me thinks Rancho Diablo is safer now that we’ll be up to our ears in law enforcement. The oth
er part of me knows we’ve stirred up a hell of a hornets’ nest.”
Running Bear shifted beside him. “Now that reporters are here and the whole country’s watching, Wolf will find another way to achieve his goal.”
“Yeah, but what?” Galen looked toward the neighboring ranch. “This is exactly why Storm wanted to sell to me. He realized he’d gotten caught between a rock and a hard place. In the end, he chose to bail out, and I understand.”
“Your aunt and uncle are going to buy Storm’s land. They’ve decided they want a place of their own. They’ve put in their own paperwork to stop you buying the acreage.”
Galen blinked. “Buy it? Why?”
“You told them to leave.”
“You and I discussed it, decided them leaving would be best, Grandfather. I don’t think either one of us meant they should move next door.”
Running Bear nodded. “Fiona does as she pleases.”
“Did you post guards on Storm’s place?”
“Yes. Fiona sent them off. She said they were needed elsewhere, considering how thin Rancho Diablo’s resources are stretched.”
Galen sighed. “I’m not having much luck convincing Rose to take the kids and her father and go away for a while until everything cools off.”
“Because it might not cool off for years, and Rose knows this. She had to make a choice. Stay with you or go. She doesn’t want to take her children away from their father. You automatically assumed she would go, because you’ve seen that with your own parents. Rose sees little danger to herself, or she would not have allowed you to drop her into that cave. How many women would do that?”
Galen smiled at the memory. “I could barely get her to come back out. She was like an archaeologist down there.”
“It is not that your parents, or your Callahan cousins’ parents—my sons and their wives—were afraid. They knew what they were battling. Mack has kept Rose safe. She doesn’t recognize fear because she’s never been—”
“Out of her ivory tower,” Galen said, with dawning comprehension.
“Something like that. She has not met real danger. So she does not know it.”
“She wasn’t even really afraid the night her father was attacked. She’d pulled on her boots to go outside and warn us.” Galen looked at the men and horses on the land he’d bought, and had an idea. “Wouldn’t it be safe at Rancho Diablo now? Now that there’s reporters and all kinds of activity? She’d really like to be here with me, if she could.” A family all together—that was what his wife wanted more than anything.
“Less safe. Every single person—even a reporter—could be the enemy in disguise. Before, we knew who the enemy was. Now,” Running Bear said, pointing to the men scattered across the canyons, “a disguise will be easy. Now there is no safety for anyone.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” Galen’s stomach tightened. “Any of those men could be on Wolf’s payroll, too.”
“I see many faces, but few I trust.”
Galen turned away, mounted his horse. “Now what?”
“Only the Great Spirit knows.”
“Have you ever noticed that all of this seems to be heating up under my watch?” Galen glanced toward the main house. The seven chimneys of Rancho Diablo rose majestically in the distance. “All this trouble coming here now. Maybe I’m the hunted one you told us about, Grandfather,” he said softly. He turned to look at Running Bear. “Am I?”
The old chief shook his head. “I do not know. I just know the prophecy. The hunted one will bring danger and destruction to Rancho Diablo. Will you do that?”
“I hope not.” Galen had tried to do only good.
Yet so much had turned out badly.
* * *
GALEN WENT OVER to see Fiona and Burke, needing to set things right between him and his spry aunt before her big charity event. He felt bad that she was living in Storm’s house, and it was eating at his conscience that they’d had harsh words between them.
“I’d like to say it’s nice of you to come by,” Fiona said when she opened the door to him, “but you’ve probably come to annoy me, so I’ll skip the pleasantries, nephew.”
He stepped inside Storm’s house, the first time he’d ever crossed this threshold. “Come home, Aunt Fiona. You don’t belong here. And you don’t want to buy this place.”
“You wanted me to leave, so I did.” She went into the kitchen and began loading cupcakes she’d baked into containers for carrying.
“I didn’t want you to leave to go next door. I wanted you to leave Rancho Diablo to be safe. There’s a difference. This isn’t any safer.”
He felt his aunt’s glare. “Nephew, Burke and I are doing fine. We were fine over there, but we’re just as fine here.”
“Says the woman Wolf kidnapped not too long ago. Aunt Fiona, you know very well you’re on Wolf’s bad list because you sent his hideout to the moon.” Galen sat on a leather-covered bar stool to try to further his case. “Doesn’t Burke see the situation as dangerous?”
“Burke disagrees with you as I do,” she said sharply. “But then we’re fighters, Burke and me, if you recall. We were fighting for the cause in Ireland before we came to take care of the Callahans, and before you ever came to Rancho Diablo.”
He sighed, sensing he was in very hot water with his aunt and not getting out of the pot anytime soon. “Fiona, I wouldn’t feel so strongly about this if I didn’t love you so much.”
She waved a spatula at him. “We can take care of ourselves.”
It was the same thing Rose said. “I hate being the bad guy—”
“Then don’t be,” Fiona said.
“Wolf just attacked our home, sent Storm in to keep you locked down,” Galen pointed out.
“And look how that turned out for Storm. I believe I acquitted myself well that day, as did Rose. I really think you’re not giving your wife sufficient credit for her survival instincts.”
Shaking his head, he got up and snagged a cupcake, earning himself a stinging smack with the spatula. The cupcake was worth it, and he raised it in salute to Fiona as he departed from Storm’s kitchen.
“Just a minute, nephew,” she called after him.
He turned at the door, and she brought him a glass of milk. “You’ll want milk to go with that. And I expect I’ll be seeing you tonight at the ball, ready to be a help and not a hindrance?” She raised a brow that lifted nearly to her white hair, pulled back in what she called a “bird’s nest” hairdo.
“You know I’ll be there, Aunt Fiona. I only want the best for you and Burke.”
“I’ll expect you to act like it this evening. Now off with you. I have a thousand things to do and no time for idle chatter about nonsense.”
He left, milk and cupcake in hand. Fiona wasn’t totally furious with him if she was feeding him—but she hadn’t forgiven him, either.
The most important females in his life were deeply annoyed with him at the moment, but he didn’t know what to do about it. They all had to leave.
He’d never forgive himself if Wolf got to anyone Galen loved. The thought was entirely too terrible to bear.
* * *
ROSE MADE SURE the boys were still asleep as she lay their baskets next to her father. Mack sat on the sofa in front of a nice fire, watching a television show. “Thanks for agreeing to watch little Mack and Ross, Dad. I won’t be gone long.” She tucked a wool scarf around her neck, buttoned her coat and headed to the door.
“I don’t mind watching my grandsons. I’m just not sure you should be going out tonight,” Mack said, his face lined with worry.
“It’s okay. I want to be with Riley when they feed him. So I won’t be gone more than an hour.”
“What if Galen calls?”
“He can call my cell. But he’s at Fiona’s charity ball
, so he’ll be busy. Bye, Dad.” She left before her father could voice more objections.
No one really understood how horrible it felt to leave one son behind, while the others were at home with family, surrounded by love. It was the Christmas season, and yet Rose didn’t feel happy. She felt sad and somehow lonely, as if a huge piece of her was missing.
It was too hard to believe that Riley wouldn’t be home with them Christmas morning.
She drove to the hospital and signed in at the desk. In the nursery Riley lay in his bassinet, surrounded by nine other babies and several nurses. Yet tears jumped into Rose’s eyes because he seemed so small, and despite the company, so alone. She knew it was silly, because Riley was a baby; he’d never know he was separated from his brothers. When he was grown he wouldn’t remember that his first holiday season had been spent in a hospital.
She hurt so bad it felt as if the pain never left her chest, as if strings that tied her to her child stretched but never let go. Would never do so until she could hold him in her arms, place him in his own bassinet at home.
The doctor saw her through the glass, came out with a smile.
“Hello, Mrs. Callahan.”
“Good evening, Doctor.”
“Your son’s doing fine. He’s put on another couple of ounces.”
“Really?” Rose felt some of the darkness lift away. “That’s great news!” It was the best she’d had in a long time.
The doctor smiled sympathetically. “Four whole ounces.”
Rose felt hope bloom inside her. “You don’t suppose Riley might come home for Christmas, do you?”
“I’m much more hopeful than I was a couple of days ago. And I believe in miracles. Good night, Mrs. Callahan.”
“Good night.” Rose watched as Riley was gently stroked by a nurse. Tears of joy jumped into her eyes. “I believe in miracles, too,” she murmured, and turned to leave.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Rose saw a dark form. She turned to look at the stranger watching her, and he stared back at her. Obviously, the man was one of the guards Galen had hired; he had on a dark blue uniform with a security badge. Rose relaxed a bit and then walked out into the parking lot. The wind picked up, teasing her hair with damp, cold gusts. She couldn’t wait to text Galen and tell him the good news.