Embattled Ever After (Lost and Found Series Book 5)

by J. M. Madden

  Duncan chuckled and handed her a bowl of mixed berries. “No problem. I slaved over it.”

  Alex grinned at him, appreciating the sardonic humor. It was obvious Duncan had been up for a while. He was showered and his dark hair had been brushed. The silver at his temples gleamed in the kitchen light, merging into the dark hair. He’d also shaved, the lean skin of his cheeks looking baby-butt smooth. Alex wanted to reach out to see if it was as smooth as it looked, but she forced her hands to stay where they were.

  Today he wore a simple gray long-sleeved sweatshirt, but he’d pushed the sleeves up his strong wrists to cook. Dark hair sprinkled the backs of his hands and his arms seemed very strong.

  When he glanced at her, his dark eyes considering, Alex felt that prickle of awareness she always felt when he looked at her. But was the feeling reciprocal? She’d have given a lot to know.

  Chapter Four

  This was an odd Christmas.

  Duncan was very aware that there was a woman in his house. She didn’t make noise or demand attention, but his focus was on her as she moved through the rooms. After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, she’d gone back to her room for a bit. He heard some rummaging around then she’d walked back out to the living room, iPad Mini in hand.

  The snow outside had slowed, but still fell. They were at about eighteen inches right now. Not a record, but definitely a significant amount of snow that crippled travel in the Denver area. There would be a travel advisory in effect. But then, it was Christmas. People should be home with their families and not worried about going out. Kids should be ripping open presents. Parents should be cradling steaming cups of coffee as they watch the kids gush over whatever Santa had gotten them.

  Duncan remembered Christmases from his childhood with his brothers. Robert had always been the trailblazer, getting all the cool outdoor toys. Duncan had gotten whatever Robert deemed boring. Sam, the baby, had always gotten whatever was left over, which wasn’t always very much. They’d been a rough and tumble group, happiest running through the still developing suburban landscape. They’d played cowboys and Indians and cops and robbers, then they eventually moved to soldiers. It was where his love of the military had been born. His father’s father had been in World War II and he had sat on Pap’s knee listening to his stories for hours.

  Those had been amazing days, when they were too lost in their own adventures to worry about anything else going on in the world. And now as he looked at Sam’s two, and Robert’s three kids, it was easier to remember the times with his brothers.

  Duncan was supposed to go over to his parents’ house sometime this afternoon for Christmas dinner. There were two bags of presents packed and sitting beside the door, ready for delivery to his niece and nephews. The brothers exchanged gag gifts usually, and they always got their parents something. Would Alex be interested in attending his family dinner? He had no idea.

  Limping into the room, he sat in the corner of the brown suede couch. It had a comfortable recliner built into one end. Alex had chosen a smaller settee, folding her legs up and to the side. His gaze rested on her position. It had been years since he’d had even a fraction of that flexibility. He shook his head. “Doesn’t it hurt to sit like that?”

  Alex blinked, her big, bright green eyes curious. “No. I’ve sat like this for years.”

  Duncan pressed a button on the side of the couch and the foot of the leather recliner began to rise. He stopped when his back was still mostly vertical. Reaching down beside him he retrieved his own tablet, in a black leather case, but he didn’t open it.

  “There’s a travel advisory out so we won’t be traveling for a couple of hours.”

  Alex nodded, tucking her long hair behind her ear. In the light of the morning, he could see how vibrant the color was, and there was no doubt it was a true auburn. He’d only seen one other person with hair that color, and he’d been on base at Camp Lejuene years ago. Poor guy had had so many freckles, that it would have been quicker to color in the unmarked skin than the freckled. Alex’s skin was pale, milky smooth. There was a single sexy mole on her lower right jaw.

  Duncan looked away, down at his lap. He had no business studying her this way.

  “I called the hotel and cancelled my reservation for the night. As soon as I saw how much had accumulated outside, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be going anywhere.”

  Duncan shrugged. “The snow plows are probably already out. Even if they aren’t, I have four-wheel drive. My mother is having Christmas dinner later so I have to be able to get out.”

  She gave a slight ‘oh’, her dark pink lips rounding. “Even this deep, you’ll be able to drive?”

  He nodded, glancing outside. “Snow is no big deal. It’s the ice you have to be careful of.”

  She looked doubtful, but when they went out later she would be able to see.

  “You have snow in Kansas City, right?”

  “Oh, yes. Of course. But the hospital is within walking distance of my condo, just a couple of blocks. I don’t drive much. If it’s really bad, I just stay at the hospital.”

  Duncan winced, the smell of antiseptic suddenly filling his nostrils. It seemed so real, but after so many years he knew it was his version of a flashback. He’d heard that smells triggered the strongest memories and he totally believed it. Only with him the reverse was true. He could have a memory and immediately smell the hospital as if he were standing by yet another bedside. It didn’t matter which one, they all smelled the same. Cold, antiseptic, and haunted by pain. “I don’t know how you do what you do. I’ve had my fill of hospitals.”

  “Well, we come at it from completely different perspectives. I look forward to going to work to solve mysteries and help people. While you have obviously had a different experience. I assume you’ve been in a few times?”

  Duncan nodded. “Too many to count. Total accumulated length of time? Probably the better part of a year. Not included the time spent visiting my guys for their own issues.”

  “Oh, shit,” she breathed, leaning forward a little on the arm of the settee. “No wonder you got that look on your face. What was your initial injury?”

  Duncan hesitated. Yes, they were just talking, but did he want to rehash it all?

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “That was the doctor kicking in. Forget I asked. Sometimes I’m too nosy for my own good. That’s personal, I know.”

  Now he felt like a heel. It had happened long ago. “Our rescue helicopter crashed on top of us. I had burns over most of my back and a busted pelvis. I had spinal trauma and a couple of cracked vertebrae. Couldn’t walk for several months. I had skin grafts done on a couple spots on my back. Pins put into my pelvis.”

  Duncan had a feeling Alex Hartfield wasn’t speechless very often, but she was right now. She shook her head slowly and he could see the sympathy in her eyes. Not pity, though. The difference was small but very visible if you knew what you were looking for.

  “Sounds like you made an incredible recovery,” she said finally.

  He snorted, bitterness biting him in the ass. “If you call walking like a cripple recovery.”

  She frowned. “I don’t think you walk like a cripple. You walk like a man who needs a hip replacement.”

  Duncan winced, not surprised she’d hit the nail on the head. “Yeah. Then there’s that.”

  Her legs dropped to the floor and she leaned toward him. “Are you supposed to be going in for a replacement?”

  He should have kept his fucking mouth shut. If she said something to his family or even Shannon, his ass was fried. Nobody knew he was refusing his doctor’s current recommendation. But he found that as he looked into her concerned face, he couldn’t lie to her. So, he changed the subject and avoided the question altogether.

  “Would you like to go to Christmas dinner with me later? Mom always makes way more than we can eat and I’m sure she’d love to have you.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed, but she let the topic change go. “I would love to j
oin you for dinner. As long as it’s not an imposition.”

  He shook his head. “Not at all.”

  Duncan knew he’d blundered the conversation, but he didn’t expect her to be so insightful. She would just have to go without answers.

  * * *

  Shannon fought a yawn as she walked out to the living room. It was early morning and she was curious where John had landed last night. They had two other bedrooms, but he almost invariably ended up on the couch in front of the fireplace.

  And that’s where he was now, curled around the snoring puppy.

  Shannon fought her laughter down and tiptoed back to the bedroom to retrieve her cell phone. Big, badass, John Palmer was sleeping with a lonely puppy. Padding back out to the living room she snapped a quick picture.

  “If that goes anywhere other than your phone, there will be hell to pay,” he growled, sending her into fits of giggles. The puppy’s eyes snapped open and she lifted her head wobbily. When she saw Shannon standing a few feet away, she tumbled to the floor and jogged over to pee at her feet.

  John laughed out loud as he sat up on the couch. “That’s what you get for trying to be sneaky. You can get this one.”

  Shannon groaned and snatched some paper towels from the kitchen. She wiped up the mess, laughing as the pup tried to take the dirty towels from her. “Don’t do that, you crazy thing. What are we going to do with her, John? There’s almost two feet of snow outside. And is this really the right time to be dealing with a puppy? With a baby on the way?”

  “Maybe we can get Shawn across the street to clear a path for us when he does the sidewalks.”

  Shannon nodded, knowing that the teenager would do anything for spare cash. He planned on getting a car when he turned sixteen next spring. “I’ll send him a text message.”

  “And I didn’t know we had a baby on the way when I picked her out. Otherwise I would have waited.”

  Shannon moved to stoke the fire, shooing the puppy away when it got too close to the flames. It seemed to sense the heat though, and pulled back on her own.

  John pulled the wheelchair close and shifted over to the seat, pectorals straining. Shannon smiled at him and leaned down for a morning kiss.

  “Um,” John told her. “You taste good.”

  Shannon felt the belt of her robe loosening.

  “Why don’t you put the pup somewhere and come back to bed for a while?”

  A tingle slid down through her and she leaned into the fingers cupping her breasts. They were exceptionally sensitive right now, but John was being gentle and it felt very nice. “I think that sounds like a fabulous idea.”

  Shannon took the puppy to the kitchen, piled several toys inside a makeshift pen she made by turning chairs on their sides and gave the dog a bowl of food and water. Lily? No, Diego would have a fit if she called the dog Lily. Marigold? Bella? That was kind of cute.

  As Shannon padded back down the hallway, her thoughts shifted to John. This would be the first time they made love knowing she was pregnant.

  And John seemed to understand that it was a special moment. Shannon laid with him as he explored her body and she felt a satisfaction she hadn’t felt in a long time. This was what she was meant to do, be a wife and mother and love her family.

  John was laying on his front, arm draped over her thighs as he explored her tiny baby bump, pressing kisses here and there. “I can’t believe we’re having a kid. I mean, I’m excited but it’s one of those things that I never thought would happen to me.”

  “Well, maybe you never thought it would happen, but I did. I know what a wonderful man you are, and what a great father you’ll be.”

  John’s dark eyes got a little misty and he rested his ear against her tiny bump, as if to listen for a heartbeat.

  “We won’t hear the heartbeat until I go in for my first check-up. I’m only ten weeks along. I called my OB and she started me on prenatal vitamins.”

  He looked up at her and shook his head. “This is surreal. If the puppy is too much we can try to find a home for her.”

  Shannon shook her head. She’d seen how much the pup already meant to John. Yes, it was more work, but they’d get it done. “Just be aware you need to do as much as you can with her. Right now the tiredness just saps my strength. The doctor says that will change in a couple of months, but until then I need to sleep as much as I feel the need.”

  He nodded and his eyes took on a twinkle. “Any restrictions on physical relations?”

  Shannon snorted. “No. Just be careful of my breasts. They’re super-sensitive.”

  John seemed to take that as a challenge. With gentle caresses, and tiny little licks and sucks, he sent her into pleasure just by worshiping her breasts. Then, when he settled between her thighs and rocked into her, he impressed her with his care for her condition.

  Chapter Five

  Aiden felt like time was running out. The deadline to return had long passed, that was why Rector had died. Aiden had avoided his watcher for a long time, but now the man was going to try to draw him out. And he had a feeling he knew how he was going to do it.

  Denver, Colorado was the only connection he had to real life, and it was such a tenuous connection he’d forced it from his mind for a long time. No sense in giving the organization more ammunition than they already had.

  Just because he didn’t acknowledge it didn’t mean they would forget, though. It was in their files in black and white, just waiting to be used against him.

  Well, he was tired of being the victim. He was tired of taking all the shit and not feeding it back to them. His life had been destroyed because men with more money than sense ordered it.

  Things were about to change.

  * * *

  Alex was surprised how comfortable she was in Duncan’s home, and in being with him. She was a doctor, not a woman to be particularly fanciful, but she felt like she was dancing with lightning when he was around. It was trite, but so true. All those damn romance novels the nurses left in the locker room all talked about the ‘spark’. That first touch that sent sensation zinging through your body when you first touch the man you’re attracted to.

  The difference was, she felt it every time with Duncan.

  At first she thought it had been a fluke. With the colder temperatures and the low humidity in Denver, electricity snapped in the air and her hair. It was a constant struggle to keep her thick hair from flying away. She loved her big, loopy waves and wanted them to stay the way she styled them. But she’d noticed the strange touch phenomenon even after she’d gotten out of the shower and her head had been wet. Duncan had handed her a container of orange juice and their fingers had sparked.

  Surely it had to be psychological. Was she actually, physically, feeling a spark? Or was she just so excited to be in such close proximity to him that she imagined a connection?

  Alex had imagined meeting up with Duncan Wilde a lot over the past several weeks since Shannon had called to invite her out. When she’d demurred, worrying it would be too forward, Chad had called her and convinced her to take a chance. She had imagined the meeting enough that thoughts of him had become a distraction in her job.

  Duncan, however, didn’t seem unaffected. His dark gaze had jerked to hers when they’d transferred the orange juice, then just as quickly jerked away.

  Alex wanted to lean over and kiss the hell out of him. If anything would give her information, a kiss would. There was no hiding an elemental response like a body’s reaction in such close proximity.

  But she didn’t want to rush anything either. She could already tell that Duncan was a little spooked about relationships. He was in his mid-forties and wasn’t attached to anyone significantly, other than the men he worked with. Had he ever been married? Did he have kids? She had a feeling she would learn a lot at the family dinner tonight.

  After the talk in the living room when he’d completely shut her down, they’d surfed the net on their tablets for a while. Duncan seemed to be aware he’d kind of dera
iled the day, so he made up for it by introducing other subjects and trying to keep her distracted. They watched TV and found that they liked a lot of the same things, although he cringed when she stopped at a surgery show.

  “I prefer not to see it if I don’t have to,” he admitted.

  Alex nodded and they’d moved on to a home rehab show, which they both seemed to like. Duncan had eventually excused himself to go work in his office for a while, and Alex had headed back to her bedroom. She was still a little tired. She wanted to be fresh when she met Duncan’s family, so she set her alarm to wake her up in an hour.

  Alex woke refreshed and ready. She took a hot shower and blew her hair into tighter curls, fluffing them to frame her face. Surprisingly, her nerves nibbled at her usual self-confidence. These people didn’t mean anything to her, but she wanted to present herself nicely, just in case something did happen between her and Duncan. Pawing through the clothes she brought, she pulled out a hunter green tunic sweater with gold thread woven through part of the cable. Then a pair of black fleece leggings. They shaped her body nicely and would keep her happy ass warm when they went outside.

  Was it too casual? She could put slacks on but they wouldn’t keep her as warm. And she would wear snow boots for this expedition, just in case they ended up in a ditch or something. She slicked on some gloss and penciled on some eyeliner then exited the room, carrying her snow boots to the front door. Duncan looked up when he heard her and Alex was struck again by that feeling that he could be someone important to her.

  She’d felt it when Aiden Willingham had denied Duncan’s help, and Duncan had been forced to leave him in the hospital. As he’d been walking away from the hospital room, she’d felt like something was about to go seriously wrong in her life. And now, as she looked at him across the expanse of living room and they got ready to go out together, it felt seriously right.

  Duncan had taken care with his appearance as well. He wore a burnt orange quarter zip pullover, a pair of crisp, dark blue jeans and a heavy pair of boots. It looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower too because his hair seemed darker than normal. The silver still shone on the sides, but the darker hair seemed almost black. His glasses were perched on his nose. She walked closer, trying to gauge the mood of the emotions in the room. He seemed a little nervous. Was that because he was taking her to meet his family and he didn’t want them to infer something that wasn’t there?