Carried Away (Montana Miracles Book 1)

by Grace Walton

  An hour into the flight she looked at the rest of the paperwork in the stack. She was shocked to find another letter. This one was from her agent Sid. It was dated two days before the Christmas Pageant. She read it and decided Sid wrote just the way he spoke.

  Hey Babe, long time no see. I’m still waiting for you to buy me that lunch at Chasen’s you owe me. I’ve got a great big grin on my face as I write this Babe. I’m so glad Gage finally found you. It’s taken him years and a lot of globe hopping to run you to ground for me.

  I’ve been worried sick something awful had happened to you, especially after your Dad was killed. You wouldn’t just disappear without leaving me a way to get to you. I knew something was wrong.

  That’s why I got in touch with Gage at Montana Miracles. He’s known for finding the unfindable and helping the hopeless get home. And unlike the folks we work with, he gives his fees away. Modesty forbids I tell you how much I’m giving to a nonprofit of his choice to find you. But Babe, believe me, it ain’t lunch money.

  Come home Carrie, I miss you. And I miss the double digit percentage I get from your modeling fees. Just kidding... Gage tells me you can come back by the end of January. So I’m booking you. To the max.-I love you Babe, Sid

  If not for the date at the top of the page, she’d hold out a faint hope Gage was alive and had just spoken to Sid. But it was obvious Gage had brought the letter with him when he’d come back from LA the day before the Pageant. She lifted Sid’s letter to see another impressive stack of papers.

  She stiffened when she saw the official seals and read the cover sheet. It was a will. The last Will and Final Testament of Gage Black Knife Ferguson it proclaimed. She refused to read it. She laid it on the seat beside her. She tried to ignore it. But twenty minutes later, when she had no tears left to cry, she reluctantly picked it back up.

  Carrie was no lawyer and a good portion of what she read she didn’t completely understand. But one thing was crystal clear. Gage had left everything he owned to her. Even his part of the ranch went to her and the heirs of her body, whatever that meant.

  She was stunned. He’d loved her so unselfishly. It was humbling and painful. Being cut with Sam’s razor was nothing compared to the pain and loss she felt sitting there holding Gage’s will.

  That’s how Agent Hollister found her. Staring like a zombie out the window of the helicopter. Sterling silver eyes clouded with grief. Her signature auburn streaked hair tumbling in a waterfall over one frail shoulder. The will crumpled in her fist.

  “Ma’am?” he said loudly over the noise. She didn’t respond.

  “Ma’am?” he yelled into her face. She turned slowly and with an unnatural stillness towards him.

  “We’ll be touching down in three minutes Ma’am. You might want to gather your belongings.” He indicated the papers scattered in the seat next to her. She nodded as if she understood and began picking them up and placing them ever so carefully into the big envelope. She looked at each one lovingly as she put it safely away. As the helicopter touched down, she checked to make sure the watch’s clasp was firmly shut. It was her last tangible tie to Gage. She didn’t want to lose it. The ranch she’d turn over to his family along with his wealth. But the watch, the watch she was keeping.

  Getting out of the aircraft was easy with the agents’ help. Still in a daze she was settled into a limo and soon was speeding down a highway. Agent Hollister sitting across from her in the spacious vehicle opened the tiny refrigerator, took out a bottle, unscrewed the top, and handed her the water.

  “Here ma’am, you look like you need this.” He got one for himself and drank deeply. Carrie didn’t move. He watched her with a critical eye before speaking again.

  “Miss Cain, you’ve got to snap out of it. You won’t do yourself or anyone else any good unless you put what happened behind you. And snap out of this… thing you’re wallowing in.”

  Carrie sadly smiled. He’d obviously never loved anyone either she thought. There was no ‘putting behind’. Not really, there was only loss and frozen endurance till the end of life. But to humor him she took a sip of the water. Gage’s watch caught his eye as she lifted the water to her lips.

  “Nice Rolex,” he said, laying his hand on his knee so she’d have a clear view of his own. It was a twin to the one she wore. She was startled by that and also by the fact that he was staring at her so intently.

  “It’s just like yours, isn’t it?” she said cautiously.

  “Looks that way,” he answered laconically.

  Something in the tone of his voice made her look at him. And really see him for the first time. He was handsome, in a scruffy sort of way, with the same kind of lazy confidence she’d always loved in Gage.

  “This one has a Bible verse engraved on the back,” she ventured.

  “So does mine.” His expression never changed.

  “Isaiah 6:8?”

  “Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate.

  “Mine belonged to somebody I loved very much.”

  “Lucky guy.” He looked out the tinted window of the limo with a bored expression.

  “What does it mean?”

  “The verse on the watch?” He turned back to her. She nodded, unable to speak.

  “It’s the verse Army Rangers use.” He started to recite in a deep easy voice, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, Here I am. Send Me!”

  “Were you a Ranger?” she asked, wondering why she hadn’t known about the significance of the verse. Her Dad, as a Ranger, surely had known about it. But his Bible had been destroyed in the explosion that killed him. Sadly, now she’d probably never know if the verse had been important to him.

  “Yeah, once upon a time.” He looked back out the window.

  Then she asked the question burning through her heart. “Who gave the watch to you?”

  Hollister looked back at her. “My boss.”

  “Your boss?” she asked, afraid to breathe. The limo turned into a long drive. It stopped in front of small rustic Craftsman era cottage. She was momentarily distracted from him. “What is this place?”

  “Just somewhere we can keep you safe. The sting Ferguson planned was a success. We were able to use Ellison’s computer to trace down the Mexican Drug Lord’s organization. He’s in custody awaiting trial. His entire cartel is broken. CIA is running down the last few loose ends in Mexico. The Witness Protection people are miffed because they got left entirely out of the loop.” He shrugged. “But it’s not our fault they let a known international criminal twist their ‘security’ inside out. They even put Ellison in charge of your local safety. They dropped the ball, big time. Now that the dust has cleared, and heads have rolled, we’re all playing nice. We’re trying to share the wealth. We’ll keep you safe this week and Witness Protection will do your final transport to the trial. You’re the one witness whose testimony makes all the pieces fit together. We can’t afford any more security breaches.”

  He opened the door and turned to help her. Carrie was blinded by the sudden bright sunlight. And she was puzzled by his cryptic comments. She groped for his hand.

  “Hi Boss.”

  She heard him say before a strong hand under her arm lifted her out of the car and straight into hard arms. She was crushed against a wide chest. Unable to see and alarmed, she began to try and fight her way free. Then she smelled it- cloves and cinnamon. Only one person smelled exactly like the combination of those two heavenly spices. She sobbed. She clung to him.

  “Gage?” she cried in joyful disbelief.

  Her tear salty lips were captured by his demanding ones. They would have stayed that way permanently if Gage hadn’t jerked his head up when he heard the conversations of the men standing around them.

  “Wow! The Boss did good! She is soooo hot. Think she’ll give me her autograph?”

  “No, I don’t. Get out of my way. I’ve waited a long time to see him cross-eyed over a chick. I want to enjoy this.”r />
  “Uh, Boss… Boss? Hadn’t you better get back in the chair like you promised the doc?”

  Carrie swore later she saw him blush fire-engine red. He pushed her gently away from his battered body. That was when she finally got a good look at his tightly bandaged chest.

  He was emaciated. And so pale he looked virtually bloodless. Gage wore old faded jeans so loose they barely clung to his tall rangy body. Somehow, he’d gotten into a soft old flannel shirt. But getting it buttoned had been impossible. An impressive array of thick white bandages wrapped his torso. Several surgical dressings were taped to his chest and abdomen. He was tethered by an IV line to a rolling stand. A wheelchair was parked directly behind him. His face was skeletal. Dark bruised circles underscored his topaz eyes. Those same eyes glittered with fever.

  “You should be in a hospital,” she said concerned.

  He lurched unsteadily to one side before Hollister caught him. Even in this altered state, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever seen. And he was alive. Praise God, he was alive.

  “He was in the hospital-until this morning,” the blonde man supporting Gage said with a cocky grin.

  “I’m fine.” Gage wheezed and grimaced. His gaze never left her.

  “Gage you need to be in a hospital,” she said again.

  “Yeah, the doctors who’ve been working around the clock for a month trying to keep him alive feel the same way,” Hollister answered with an angelic expression, impervious to the harsh killing glare his boss shot his way.

  “He checked himself out of the hospital this morning. Said he was fine. He was done with the hospital. And he was going after you.” Hollister was obviously starting to enjoy his explanation. It wasn’t very often anyone had Gage Ferguson at a disadvantage. This was one of those rare times. Hollister might as well milk it.

  “Yeah,” Agent Mills added with an unrepentant grin. “That was just before he blacked out for the third time. Nurses get real funny when stuff like that happens. There were a whole lot of bells and whistles going off. I think every electronic monitor in the joint flipped on. Not to mention all the folks in scrubs running back and forth. The Boss was getting up off the floor for the fourth time when Hollister and I promised to go get you.”

  “Carrie?” Gage, seeing her horrified face, changed the subject. “It’s not quite as dramatic as they’re making it sound.”

  Hollister snorted. “Yeah, you wish. Docs made him sign a release giving them legal immunity in case he croaked in the car on the way over here. I thought he might check out a time or two myself.”

  “Shut up Hollister,” Gage growled.

  “Fine, I’m just sayin’.”

  “Shut up.”

  Hollister grinned. He exchanged a knowing look with the other men. Their boss must be feeling better. He’d become surly. As a unit they turned towards the lovely woman watching them like a mouse watches tom cats. Every one of them looked her over.

  She found herself surrounded by a solid wall of formidable masculinity. Their smiles had the toothy quality of a cohort of prowling Great White Sharks. It didn’t matter. She beamed back. If these guys had kept Gage alive, they were family. And she’d be forever thankful to every one of them.

  Carrie turned to Hollister. “So you’re not with the FBI?”

  His enigmatic expression made his tanned angular face even more appealing. “I work for them sometimes.” He shrugged. “I work for a lot of people. Everything I told you is true.”

  “Why did you give me that dratted envelope?” she asked. “Gage’s will was… it was….” she stopped unable to continue.

  “He gave you what!” Gage thundered. He gathered her back into his arms. “Hollister, you’re a dead man.”

  Hollister grinned. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before Boss. But to answer your question Miss Cain, I’m, we’re all kind of protective of the Boss. We owe him a lot. Most of us owe him our lives.”

  The other men nodded. They grunted their assent.

  “So we had to make sure you were the real deal. You know, super models aren’t known for their fidelity or their character.”

  “Like you’ve ever dated one,” That sarcastic comment came from Mills.

  “I might have dated one or two,” he said it in such an arrogant way, Carrie believed him without question.

  “And I deeply apologize. I can see now you’re everything good and beautiful the Boss said and more.” Hollister’s lips turned up and Carrie noticed the deep sexy dimples denting either side of his face. This one was trouble with a capital T, she thought. Then she turned back to Gage.

  “Gage Ferguson, I grieved for you,” Carrie accused suddenly upset. Now that she’d seen he was safe and alive. Now that she’d kissed him. Overwhelming relief turned to fury.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were working for Sid? Why didn’t you tell me the FBI asked you to run a sting operation on Sam so they destroy the drug cartel? I. Thought. You. Were. Dead.” She punctuated each word with a stabbing finger pointed at his face.

  “Baby, I know, I know. I was more dead than alive until the day before yesterday when I woke up. They kept me knocked out. And the Feds refused to disclose your whereabouts. No matter how hard I leaned on them. They’re taking no chances with you Carrie. I’m surprised they aren’t swarming all over us right now. Hollister bent more than a few laws finding and retrieving you today. And as for the other, it was exclusively high-security clearance, need to know. I was working alone. Once I spotted Matt, I knew he was freelancing. He played you Baby. Sid hired me to find you initially. But ultimately, when I realized Witness Protection was involved, I was contracting for the government too. I wanted you safe. Never doubt that. But I also needed, with federal help, to set up a sting. That’s why I was in California so long. Matt’s specialty was high-tech surveillance. Telling you anything would have put not only the entire operation at risk, but you as well.”

  His deep voice soothed her feelings. His clever fingers began massaging the back of her neck in just the right spot.

  “I don’t care. If I had a gun, I’d shoot you,” she groused, not quite willing to give up her anger.

  “Here, use mine.” Hollister offered with a sexy grin. A little elegant stainless steel gun suddenly appeared in his hand.

  “Shut up Hollister,” Gage ordered him before turning to Carrie. “Baby, you already shot me once. Could we just call it even?”

  He bent his head to kiss her. She rose up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

  “Oh Lord, they’re it again,” Mills groaned.

  The others smirked. Hollister shrugged his shoulders. He started towards the building in a slow lazy amble. The rest fell in behind him.

  “You think she’s got any friends who’d be interested in getting to know me?” Mills wondered out loud as they walked away. The other guys hooted in laughter before one of them made a cynical crack.

  “Not with Hollister around.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Gage hit a button on his laptop and the auditorium lights dimmed. His presentation began. Students filled every seat. Since he’d left California and gotten a job at the University of Montana, his popularity had increased tenfold. But he didn’t fool himself into believing these young people were fascinated with the study of Native American culture. No, this class was an elective and he was known to be brutal when it came to grades.

  So the obvious answer was they were all sitting there on the off chance his famous wife would join him. Caroline was back. And it seemed the whole world was cheering. After their small wedding in Eden in which she carried a quirky bouquet made of wild flowers and a silver spoon, Carrie had gotten busy with all those jobs Sid had lined up for her. Every time Gage was in a grocery store or an airport her beautiful face smiled at him from the cover of a magazine.

  Gage hadn’t complained. The money was going to a variety of good causes. And he’d made sure either he or one of the guys from Montana Miracles was with her
every time she was on a photo shoot. It still bugged him the way those model people and their entourages kissed each other constantly. Good Lord, if somebody went out for coffee it seemed the rest of them had to celebrate their safe return with a round of air kisses.

  He’d almost been thrown out of the first photo shoot, he’d been on with Carrie. It’d started when some pretty boy named Monty had thrown his arms around Carrie. He hadn’t released her fast enough to please Gage. Nobody took liberties with his wife, nobody. Poor Monty, Gage grinned as he remembered the look on the Brazilian’s face when he’d been grabbed and thrown to the floor. The male model should have taken Gage seriously the first time he’d told him to get his manicured hands off Carrie.

  The auditorium’s door opened with a slice of light and everybody looked with expectation to see who had come in late. A ripple of disappointment ran over the crowd as they saw a hard faced man come in and slouch by the back wall. Gage recognized him immediately and gave him a hand sign to come around to the back of the auditorium. The other man nodded and left. Seconds later they were behind the huge screen by the stage door.

  “The Boss says it's time,” the scruffy one hissed. “Mills is waiting outside with the car.”

  “What!” Gage said, alarmed. “It can’t be.”

  The other man gave him a raised eyebrow. “I think the Boss knows when it's time. I told you, you shouldn’t let her do that maternity spread today. But did anybody listen to me? No. I know things about women, Gage. Having too many sisters does that for a man,” he lectured.

  “Shut up Hollister,” Gage growled.

  “Hey, whatever.” Hollister raised both hands defending himself. “But you better go if you don’t want her to name him. This morning she told me she was leaning towards Emory Everette. Emory- Everette- Ferguson.” He shook his head in disgust. “Dude, you need to go save your son. Nobody should suffer through life with a girlie name like that. Kid hits puberty, bam! He’ll get beaten up every day.”

  The door slammed. Gage raced out.