Black Raven's Pride

by Aimée Thurlo

  “Then move everyone away from the door. I’ll have to break it down.” He heard Mrs. Chino yelling at the children to get behind her and quiet down.

  Waiting only a few more seconds, Nick kicked the door with everything he had. It took two tries, but he smashed through and kicked away the burning wood. As he forced his way into the tiny, smoke-filled room, he could see Mrs. Chino cowering in the corner, with two little children tucked under her arms. All were coughing from the smoke.

  Then he heard shouts out in the hall. Nick spun around, and saw Jake step into the kitchen, a handkerchief over his mouth. “I’m here, brother and I’ve got two men with me.”

  “Grab the kids,” Nick said, grabbing the two toddlers Mrs. Chino pushed in his direction. Jake helped Mrs. Chino stand, and Rick came in, moving her out of the kitchen as Jake scooped up another child.

  They got outside quickly, but as Mrs. Chino counted heads, Nick’s worst nightmare suddenly became alarmingly real. Christopher wasn’t among the kids they’d rescued.

  “I’m going back in,” Nick said, heading for the front door quickly.

  “No!” Jake tried to grab his brother by the arm. “The fire’s spread all over the hall, and into the front room. The smoke and heat are too much. Wait for the fire department.”

  “Christopher can’t wait, and neither can I,” Nick said, pulling free of his brother. As he stepped through the doors, he made himself one promise. Either he’d come back out with Christopher or they’d be carrying him out, too.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The air was hot and thick as Nick entered the house. The fire was spreading, but most of the problems were still in the kitchen area. Breathing through his handkerchief, he moved into the living room and then the hall.

  Nick squinted, trying to see through the dark gray haze that stung his eyes, keeping in a crouch and searching for movement. Nick ignored those rooms with closed doors and worked his way back to the pantry. The smoke was thickest there.

  Working on instinct fueled by hope, he dropped to his knees and continued to search around the perimeter of the room. The air was better down here, and he could see more clearly. Still, Christopher was nowhere in sight. Fear ripped at him, pushing him to the edge.

  He called out Christopher’s name, but all he heard were the sharp snaps of burning wood and crackle of flames licking new tinder. He was just about to leave the pantry again and check the bedrooms when he heard a soft shuffling noise.

  Closing in on the sound, he hurried toward a shelf of canned goods and, as he drew near, he saw that the space below the bottom shelf and the floor was occupied. Christopher sat between a gallon jug of apple juice and an empty plastic waste paper bucket, chewing on a small stuffed dinosaur.

  “Come here, buddy. We have to get out of here.”

  Taking off his jacket, Nick wrapped the baby in it. Instead of protesting loudly, something he’d fully expected, the baby was soothed by the cool satin lining.

  Nick began to feel his way out of the house, now so thick with smoke he couldn’t see more than a foot in front of him. As he was forced back into the hall, he heard the firemen breaking a window somewhere ahead, and felt the cool water from the spray of a fire hose.

  As light streamed through the smoke, he found the opening he needed. Nick ran through the pocket of smoke, sure of the safety on the other side. In a few seconds, he was outside, the baby squirming in his arms. As he opened the jacket Chris suddenly squealed, and tried to cover his eyes with his arm.

  “Too bright, huh guy?”

  Hearing his name, Nick looked up and saw Eden running toward him. In a heartbeat, she threw her arms around his neck. “I knew you’d find him and bring him back to me.” Her eyes were shimmering with tears as she looked down at her son then back at him.

  “I had to find him,” he answered truthfully. “He’s your little boy, but he’s gotten under my skin, too. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

  “For once, those are the only words I need to hear.” Eden cupped his face and pulled him down to her.

  Her kiss was soft and exquisitely tender. It sent its shock waves spiraling all through him. Nick reached out and pulled her close to his side. Holding Eden against him with one arm, and the baby with the other, he felt complete.

  A heartbeat later a paramedic came up. “Deputy. We need to check you and the baby out. Will you step over here?” he asked, leading them toward the back of the emergency vehicle.

  Nick saw that Eden stayed with Chris and him, unwilling to be separated from either of them for even a short time. The realization pleased him. The bond that had always existed between Eden and him was now even stronger. As she looked up at him, she seemed less guarded and more vulnerable. The impact of that soft look slammed all through him.

  “We have to talk,” she said.

  “Yes, we do,” he answered.

  “But not right now, folks,” the paramedic interrupted. “We need to have everyone transported to the clinic so they can be checked out again by the medical staff. The deputy and the baby have to ride with us. The mother will want to take her own car, or get a ride. With the attendants and all the patients, there’s just not enough room for another adult.”

  Nick’s gaze never left Eden’s. “Will you trust me with Chris a little while longer?” he asked, holding the baby as he climbed into the ambulance.

  “For as long as forever takes,” she answered.

  Her words touched him deeply. But before he could answer, the paramedic shut the ambulance door, and she disappeared from his sight.

  Nick glanced down at Chris, who was now holding on to his little finger with a tiny grip. “If hard work and determination count for anything in this investigation, little guy, then someday you, your mom and I will be a family.”

  AN HOUR LATER, they were all discharged from the clinic. Before they could leave, however, Captain Mora questioned every one of the adults who’d been at the crime scene.

  Despite what both Mora and Nick had hoped, there wasn’t much to go on. They knew that the kidnapping suspects had escaped out one of the bedroom windows, but had only vague descriptions to work with because the perps had both worn masks. The pueblo was being searched for strangers, and Torres was interviewing each outsider he found before allowing them to go on their way. But, so far, they were coming out empty-handed.

  Finally, after all the questions had been asked and answered, Eden and Nick, who was holding Christopher, walked to the side doors. There, they waited for Jake to bring the Jeep around.

  Eden’s eyes misted as she looked at their son, then at Nick. Today, Nick had risked everything, including his own life to come and help them. When she’d needed him he’d been there, saving the baby from kidnappers and the fire.

  She owed him everything and, from that moment on, she would never again hold anything back. She’d already given him her heart, but, now, the time for the truth had come. No matter what the cost, even if Nick never found it in his heart to forgive her, tonight he’d know that Chris was his son.

  As Jake pulled up, Nick reached for Eden’s hand. “I want you and Christopher to move to Black Raven Ranch. It’s just too dangerous elsewhere for you.”

  She nodded slowly. She wouldn’t deny him anything now, not after all he’d done without even knowing the truth. “But we have to talk. I’ve got something important to tell you.”

  “We’ll have time—and privacy—once we’re home. Can it wait till then?” he asked, then waved at Jake, who was approaching.

  She nodded. She wanted no distractions when she spoke to Nick.

  On the ride back they all agreed that she and Chris would use Nick’s old bedroom in the main house, and Nick would remain in the bunkhouse. For the first time Eden let go, allowing Nick to make the decisions for her. If only for now, she wanted to let him take care of her. Most of her life she’d fought hard for everything, and, at the moment, all she felt was tired.

  Almost as if sensing her thoughts, Nick pulled he
r against his side, letting her lean on him. With his strong arm draped over her as she held Christopher, Eden felt loved and protected.

  Nick tilted her chin up and gave her a light kiss. “You belong here in my arms,” he whispered.

  Love filled her heart. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow. She didn’t even want to think about what the next hour would bring. Fate had given her this one perfect moment, and no matter what else happened, she’d always have this memory.

  “Would you have someone go to Eden’s house and pick up some of her things as well as Christopher’s?” Nick asked Jake. “I’m going to help her get settled in.”

  “I’ll go with Annie. Another woman is more likely to pick up the things she and the baby will need.”

  Once at the ranch, Nick led Eden to his room upstairs, then brought in an extra crib from the nursery.

  Chris was already fast asleep as she set him down. “Poor baby. He’s had quite a day. He’s exhausted.”

  Christopher barely stirred as she covered him with a blanket, kissed him lightly, and moved away.

  “What about me?” Nick said with a smile as he reached for her arm, drawing her back to him. “I’ve had quite a day, too. Do I get a kiss?”

  Eden wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his. He was a tall man, all muscle and sinewy strength. His large hands pressed on the small of her back, pulling her into him, letting her feel his manhood. The gathering of heat stoked new fires inside her.

  “You were meant to be mine, Eden,” he said, his voice a raw, dark whisper.

  Heat and desire coiled around her, making it difficult for her to think. Following the leadings of her heart, she drew his face down toward hers and kissed him deeply, filling his mouth with her tongue and letting him taste her.

  His grip tightened as shock waves traveled over him. Her aggressiveness sparked every male instinct he possessed. He wanted to take her now, hard and fast, until all she could do was cry out his name in helpless surrender.

  Then suddenly Christopher woke up, his loud wail filling the room.

  “He’s hungry,” she said, stepping out of Nick’s embrace. “I was hoping he’d sleep through the night, but I guess he has other plans.”

  “I’ll see if Annie has a bottle we can use,” Nick said and hurried out.

  It took several minutes to find the right formula, warm the milk, and bring it back to Eden. By the time he returned, Eden had placed the baby next to her on his bed. Her shirt was open, and the baby was suckling on her breast. Nick almost groaned at the rightness of it.

  Eden took the bottle. “He’s been weaned for a while, but he still likes the extra attention.” Christopher fussed at taking the bottle, but then settled down as Nick sat beside him.

  As Eden started to button up her blouse, Nick reached out and stopped her. “Don’t. It’s just the three of us.”

  Nick ran the tip of his finger down her breast and smiled as a shiver coursed through her. “We belong together, you, me and Christopher. Someday, after the investigation clears our families, he could be the son I never had.”

  “No.” Seeing the pain that flashed in his eyes, Eden reached for Nick’s hand. “You don’t understand. Chris is the son you did have. He’s yours, Nick.”

  He stared at her, a stunned look on his face. “But you said I wasn’t…” He looked down at Christopher.

  A lump formed at the back of her throat as Nick touched the baby’s soft skin almost in awe. Eden saw the emotions playing on his face. Surprise had turned to wonder, and now to a gentle love that all but tore her breath away.

  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth before?” He carried Christopher, who was once again asleep, to his crib, then sat on the easy chair, facing the bed.

  Eden saw the savage battle taking place behind his dark eyes as he struggled to understand. The news she’d just given him had redefined his world.

  “I want the whole story, Eden.”

  She nodded. “I left you that day in Arizona because I knew I had to return here. Then, later, when I discovered I was pregnant, I wanted to tell you, but you’d been very specific about never wanting a family, Nick. I didn’t think it was fair for me to rope you into becoming a father, and then force you to come back to the pueblo, a place you hated at the time. And, truthfully, I wanted far more for my child than a dad who’d only see him as an unwelcome responsibility.”

  “Back then, because of the circumstances, I may have seen it in that light, too,” he admitted slowly. “To be honest, I would have done my best to keep you and my son from returning here also, and I would have never agreed to come back myself.” He paused then added, “But time has a way of changing everything. After we both found ourselves at the pueblo, why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “Many things had changed by then, Nick, but you still seemed glad to be a bachelor. And then there was the fact that you’d become a deputy for the tribal police. I knew what I’d gone through in my life because my dad was a cop. Dad missed almost every function that was important to mom and me, from birthdays to anniversaries. He was never really there for either of us until it was too late, and then he got himself killed, and Mom, too.”

  He nodded thoughtfully but didn’t say anything.

  “I remembered crying myself to sleep after being kept awake for hours hearing their bitter arguments. I always felt torn between wanting to side with one or the other. You can’t imagine what that’s like. It cuts you up into ribbons. I just couldn’t risk putting Christopher through anything even close to that. I wanted him to have a daddy who would put him first, and I wasn’t sure any cop could do that.”

  “I remember talking to you about your dad when you were growing up, and I know what you went through. I know you, Eden, and I know what you need and what you fear. But I can’t make you crazy promises and tell you that you’ll never be disappointed in me. What I can tell you is that nothing will ever be more important to me than you and my son.”

  Nick hadn’t spoken of love, but she could see it in his eyes. He wanted them together and, in her heart, there was nothing she wanted more.

  Nick crossed the room and offering her his hand, pulled her to her feet. With a tenderness that made her weak at the knees, he began to slowly undress her.

  “This is how I want you,” he said in a husky voice. “Naked and vulnerable. For me.” His hands swept down over her breasts, loving the way she responded to him and the little shudders that rippled over her.

  “Your clothes…take them off…I need to see you,” she whispered.

  “In time. For now, just feel,” he growled.

  As his mouth closed over her breast, her thoughts became jagged and she couldn’t speak.

  Nick was relentless, murmuring dark promises as he caressed her, but never voicing the words she longed for most. Eden desperately wanted to hear his whispered words of love but, deep down, knew it wasn’t something Nick would give her. To him, actions had always spoken louder than words and, now, with his every touch, he was showing her what was in his heart.

  Moving with infinite care, he rained soft, moist kisses along the length of her body. Then, kneeling before her, he found and kissed the center of her being. She came apart, shattering into a million stars. As her knees gave, he picked her up in his arms and laid her gently down on the bed.

  Nick stripped off his clothes, casting them aside in a heap on the floor. He then stood by the bed, needing her, but wanting her to reach out to him first. Her surrender had to be complete—body and soul—because that was what he’d be giving her. He waited as Eden’s gaze seared over him intimately, making his body impossibly hard. At long last, she reached out to him and he lay beside her.

  Eden ran her hands over his smooth, hard body, needing to know him in every way. Raw, male strength was there in every flat plane and muscled contour. And, yet, her touch alone was enough to make tremors shoot through him. “I don’t want to hold back anymore, Nick. Tonight, I want everything you can give me.”

/>   “And you’ll have it,” he said, his voice unsteady for the first time.

  Eden pressed her hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating wildly beneath her palm. Holding her gaze, he wound his fingers through hers. He was speaking to her again, though he hadn’t said a word. Letting love guide her, she caressed him, fueling his need until the pleasure became too intense for him to bear.

  Nick shifted over her, pressing her down into the cool linens. Blood thundered through his veins as he entered her in one long, bold stroke. The many sensations that held her captive became like a kaleidoscope of great beauty that revealed a startling new facet with each caress.

  “Look at me,” he said. “I want to see your thoughts and your needs.”

  She cried out time and time again in helpless pleasure as he taught her about passion’s darkness and the wildness of the light.

  At long last, he satisfied her with that final welcome release. The trembling started deep within her, exploding outward. Surrounded by her warmth, he cried out in triumph and followed her over the edge.

  She opened her eyes slowly. Nick lay over her and, enjoying the feel of his body on hers, she remained still. “It was perfect,” she said.

  He nuzzled her neck then rolled onto his back, taking her with him. “Yeah, but it’s going to get even better,” he said in a low, guttural voice. “There are many ways a man can love his woman and we’re only at the beginning, sweetheart.”

  “His woman.” The words wrapped themselves around her heart. They weren’t the words of love she’d longed to hear, but right now was not the time to ask for anything more. It was enough to enjoy the magic she’d found in his arms.

  NICK WAS UP at daybreak, happy and completely at peace. Eden and his son were still sleeping and everything seemed very right. Today, he’d talk to her about getting married. After what they’d shared last night, saying goodbye to her and Chris seemed unthinkable. They’d face whatever lay ahead, no matter what it was, together.