Heart of a SEAL

by Dixie Lee Brown

  “That part’s entirely up to you, but don’t test me. I don’t think you really want to leave Clive’s grandchild behind, do you?” With his free hand, he motioned toward the bedroom.

  “Grandchild?” Luke stared at her.

  “She didn’t tell you?” Greg laughed. “Yeah, it’s her old man she’s been hiding from all these years.”

  Oh God. It’d taken Greg only five seconds to out her in front of Luke. Five seconds she’d never live down. Shame and humiliation swamped her. The shock and revulsion in Luke’s expression as he turned his face away left her empty and aching. “I’m sorry, Luke.” The words were barely a whisper, and he gave no indication he’d heard them.

  “Do as he says, Sally. Get dressed and go get Jen.” Luke’s gaze locked on the marshal. The bitterness in his voice cut her to the bone. “Tell Daniel and Ellen you couldn’t sleep without her—anything to get her out of there without bloodshed.” His gaze dropped to the gun in Greg’s hand.

  Sally stared at Luke until he looked toward her. She wanted him to know she was sorry…for everything. His dark scowl and the muscle that worked in his jaw wasn’t conducive to explanation. Would he ever forgive her for betraying him?

  Her heart beat wildly and weakness spread quickly through her limbs. Light-headed, Sally labored for her next breath, each inhale becoming harder and shallower than the last. The all-out panic attack had come from nowhere. The more she tried to calm herself, the less oxygen reached her lungs. Feeling faint, she looked around blindly for a place to sit before she made a complete fool of herself by passing out. Regulating her breathing was key to retaining consciousness—and now wasn’t the time to keel over. Managing only short gulps of air, she fumbled her way past a bookshelf to a straight-backed chair along the wall.

  A quick glance at Greg’s worried countenance told her he’d noticed her distress…and that was when the idea came full-blown. She sagged in the chair, emphasizing the wheeze that was already present with each inhale. From beneath lowered lashes, she saw Luke sit forward, uneasiness furrowing his brow. Greg paid no attention to Luke; concern for his witness displayed on his face.

  “Stay put.” He tossed the warning to Luke. Greg holstered his weapon and stepped toward her. “What do you need? Got any paper bags around here?” He gently rubbed her back as he leaned closer.

  “I don’t…know. Maybe…some water?”

  His gaze swept the cabin’s interior, zeroed in on the sink and started that way. Sally rose silently to her feet as soon as his back was turned. A foot-tall sculpture of a bear on the bookshelf beside her caught her attention. Without daring to glance at Luke, she clutched the metal statue in both hands. Greg was filling a cup with water when Sally swung. At the last instant, she flinched and swung short, hitting him a glancing blow from the back of his head to his left shoulder.

  He grunted and sagged over the sink, spilling the water down his front, and his free hand flew to the back of his head. As she recoiled in horror, Luke was beside her almost instantly, taking the marshal’s gun and retrieving his own. Then he jerked the man up by his jacket and forced him down on the couch.

  Greg swore under his breath as he held his head in his hands. “This is going to go badly for both of you.” A groan punctuated his statement.

  “You’re probably right…unless we can come to some kind of understanding.” Luke stood on the other side of the coffee table.

  Suddenly, the door burst open and three huge, camo-covered men stormed the room, weapons drawn.

  Sally started, still trembling from the idea of caving in someone’s head with a piece of art, but neither Luke nor Greg flinched.

  “What the hell, man? Are we late? Looks like you’ve got it under control.” Travis lowered his weapon, looking strangely disappointed.

  A smirk appeared on Luke’s otherwise stony face. “Sally took matters into her own hands.”

  The men chuckled, but Luke didn’t join them.

  “I knew there was more to the little woman than met the eye.” Travis ran an appreciative gaze over her.

  “Sally, you might want to get dressed now.” Luke gave her a cursory glance, as though he was embarrassed by her.

  Wasn’t that just the whipped cream on top of their reunion sundae? Heat flooded her cheeks as she dropped her gaze, unwilling to meet the uncomfortable glances of Luke’s friends. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life by angering Greg? Too late. The marshal didn’t look like he was in to second chances at the moment. First order of business: get dressed. Second: find Jen. Then decide on the third thing.

  “Would you boys mind staying with Sally for a bit? Marshal Lambert and I need to have a conversation.” Luke glanced at each of them in turn.

  Sally didn’t expect him to look at her for approval, so she wasn’t disappointed.

  “Marshal?” The usually quiet Coop was the first to voice the question.

  “Shit, Luke. What the hell?” Apparently, Travis was just getting up to speed, worrying about his involvement in obstructing justice.

  “Marshal Lambert is in charge of protecting Sally.” Luke turned back to Greg. “But the witness protection program is voluntary. Isn’t that right, Lambert? You can discourage her from quitting, explain the danger and try to persuade her to accept the new identify you’ve procured for her and disappear. Kidnapping—removing her forcefully by threatening to leave her daughter behind—that’s low. I’d think that would be frowned upon by the US Marshals Service.”

  Greg glared at him from the couch.

  Luke nodded his head toward the door. “We need to talk about how this is going to end.” He turned his back on Greg and stepped toward the door. Travis, Coop and Matt parted to let him through and then watched distrustfully as Greg rose and followed him from the cabin.

  Sally quickly disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Her emotions were all over the place. Anger, humiliation, frustration and dread—all playing hopscotch on her chest. If she’d thought it was possible to hide away in this room forever, she’d have given it a shot. Anything not to have to face the three men in the front room. And she wasn’t so hot on encountering Luke anytime soon either.

  She shook her head and her chin came up. She’d hidden long enough. It was time to take a stand and face things head-on. Starting with getting dressed and making a pot of coffee for the men who’d been left to babysit her. Sally pulled on jeans and a sweater, removing Luke’s shirt and tossing it on the bed.

  When she stepped from the bedroom, Travis was positioned by a front window, obviously on sentry duty. Coop sat on the couch, reading a magazine he’d picked up from the coffee table. Matt, bless his heart, was already brewing coffee. Sally nodded to each of them in turn and stepped toward the big man arranging five coffee mugs on the counter.

  “How do you take yours, Sally?” Matt poured steaming hot liquid in four of them.

  “Black is fine.” She forced a smile as she gratefully accepted the coffee he handed her.

  Coop and Travis sauntered over and each grabbed a cup.

  Travis grinned at her, lifting his coffee in salute. “That marshal should have known better than to threaten Baby Bear. Mama bears never stand for that shit. Way to go, Sally.”

  Coop and Matt mumbled their agreement.

  She grimaced, uncomfortable with their praise when Luke was so obviously displeased with her involvement. “Thanks, guys, but I can’t help thinking I shouldn’t have come here. It wasn’t my intention to bring trouble into Daniel and Ellen’s home. And you guys shouldn’t have to take care of me either.”

  “Oh, hell. Daniel would do anything for Luke. He can take care of what’s his too. If he’s even half as tough as his brother, Ian, he’s one tough mother. Pardon my French. Any friend of Luke’s is a friend of ours.” Coop glanced at the other two, who nodded their agreement.

  Sally smiled half-heartedly as h
eat seared her cheeks. Luke wouldn’t even look at her before he left with Greg. What would his friends think of her once they found out she’d managed to upset him to the point of turning his back on her?

  Travis returned to his station by the window and Coop kicked back in a tweed recliner nearby, nursing his coffee. Sally glanced up as Matt stepped closer.

  “Want to talk about it?” His voice was low, as though he purposely spoke so no one else would overhear their conversation.

  Of Luke’s three friends, Sally had been instantly drawn to Matt “MacGyver” Iverson. His compassion, his honesty and his obvious respect for Luke instilled trust in her for the dark-haired man. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him of Luke’s anger.

  “About what?” Sally met his gaze.

  Matt chuckled. “Luke and I are tight. He wouldn’t let a little thing like that marshal showing up here bother him overmuch. But he definitely had a mad on, so I’m betting something didn’t go the way he planned.”

  Sally opened her mouth to deny having any part in it when Matt’s eyebrow shot up and he crossed his arms, watching her expectantly. She snorted derisively. Matt might talk slow, but he didn’t miss much. Still, she couldn’t tell him the whole truth. Not the part about Clive Brennan being her father. And especially not how she’d betrayed Luke—betrayed them all—by withholding that information. She turned her back to Travis and Coop just in case they glanced her way.

  “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Luke told me to stay in the bathroom, but I started to have a panic attack trapped in there, so I opened the door. I just needed some air, but then I heard voices, and I snuck closer so I could hear. I overheard Marshal Lambert say he didn’t think I knew what was best for me and Jen.” Sally paused and raked a hand angrily through her hair.

  Matt leaned closer. “Made you mad, didn’t it? I don’t blame you. How long have you been making decisions for yourself and that little girl? Nobody else knows what’s best for the two of you. My guess is, that marshal only said it to get you to show yourself.”

  “Well, it worked. I went barreling out into the front room, not realizing what I’d done until I saw the expression on Luke’s face. He looked so angry. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got in his car and…” Sally took a small sip of coffee, needing a little time to fight back the tears that suddenly threatened.

  Matt scoffed. “Ah, angel, Luke ain’t goin’ nowhere. That man’s got it bad for you. He carried that picture of you and little Jen everywhere. He needs you like he needs air. He’ll be back. You can take my word on that. He gets all tweaked sometimes—we all do, but he’ll get over it. He knows you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him…even if you don’t follow directions very well.” He gave her an exaggerated wink.

  Laughter bubbled from her throat. “I may be lousy at following directions, but why do men think their instructions are irrefutable?”

  Matt grinned broadly and clinked his cup with hers. “Because, darlin’, we’re always right.”

  With a roll of her eyes heavenward, Sally lifted her mug in silent appreciation for his friendship, a smile sliding easily over her face. It slipped away just as quickly as Luke strode through the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A stab of possessiveness hit Luke hard in the abs as he watched her interacting with MacGyver so free and easy, like she hadn’t just met him today. And that asshole was eating it up. As quickly as the suspicion clenched his jaw, Luke shook it off. They had more important things to worry about than petty jealousy.

  Travis walked toward him, and Luke shook his hand. Coop and, eventually, MacGyver joined them and huddled around the doorway. “We all good?” Travis’s gaze swept over him, probably to determine if he’d gotten his ass kicked tonight.

  “Everything’s cool. I’ll fill you all in later—after I talk to Sally.” Luke glanced toward her, where she leaned against the sink, a coffee mug clutched tightly in both hands. She blinked and looked away.

  The men started to file out. Coop clapped him on the back as he came alongside. “You got us up at o-dark-thirty…for nothin’, man. It was all over before we got here. You owe us a skirmish, Bro. Don’t forget.”

  Luke grinned. “You’re supposed to be on vacation, Coop, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  MacGyver stopped directly in front of him, his height giving him two or three inches of lean-over on Luke. His expression was stone-cold serious, though the bond between them shone in his eyes. “She’s hurtin’, Luke. Take it easy on her, huh?”

  Luke nodded minimally, and MacGyver followed the other men outside, pulling the door closed behind him. Luke hung his head for a moment. His friend had spent all of ten minutes with Sally and picked up on the pain that he’d been blind to. Should have known better than to suspect the big man of making a play for his woman. MacGyver was one of the most honorable men he’d ever met.

  Suddenly, the cabin was bathed in silence thick enough to butter bread. Luke turned toward Sally and caught her watching him again. Abruptly, she pivoted toward the sink, and her coffee cup landed a little too hard on the countertop. Damn! He’d give anything to know what she was thinking, but the only way to determine that was to have the conversation he was justifiably dreading.

  He covered the distance between them and leaned against the counter a few feet from her. The smell of freshly brewed coffee grabbed his attention, and he claimed the last remaining cup, reached for the carafe and poured it full. A large swallow of the hot liquid braced him somewhat.

  “Is he gone?” Sally spoke without looking at Luke.

  “Yep.”

  “Is Jen all right?”

  “She’ll never even know the marshal was here.” He should have known she’d be worried about her daughter. Luke set down his cup, his gaze directed out the small window over the sink, same as hers. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice distant, her words clipped.

  She was angry with him. What had he done besides try to protect her? He’d been surprised and furious from the instant she’d appeared in the room, in essence turning herself over to the marshal who wanted to whisk her away from him. Then finding out Brennan was her father had tipped him over the edge. After cooling off, Luke had realized it was only the fear of losing her that had jump-started his temper. But there were things they had to discuss. The conversation he needed to have with her was going to make her angrier. He knew that. It might even make her decide she didn’t want him around. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Still, he had to know he could trust her completely.

  Luke took a deep breath and plunged in. “You were supposed to stay in the bathroom. We talked about why that was important. Remember? What the hell happened, Sally?” He strove to keep his voice from sounding harsh but was only partially successful.

  She tensed and remained silent.

  Luke sighed. “I thought you trusted me. If you don’t, tell me now and I’ll find someone else to protect you.”

  Sally flinched and crossed her arms over her stomach. She opened her mouth and closed it twice before any words came out. “I know I screwed up, but don’t treat me like a child, Luke. I’ve been living this life a lot longer than you have. I didn’t come out of that room because I didn’t trust you or because what you said wasn’t important. It doesn’t even matter why. I just…had to.” Her voice cracked, and she paused, pulling herself up even straighter.

  Luke’s heart constricted and his simmering anger fizzled and dissipated. All he wanted to do was fold her in his arms, the revelation that Brennan was her father temporarily pushed aside. When he took a half step toward her, she stopped him with a raised hand and a terse shake of her head.

  “When I heard Greg talking about me as though I was an empty-headed bimbo who needed a man to make her decisions, I lost it. It was foolish. Greg might have hurt you…or worse…and it would have been my fault. I don’t blame you for bei
ng furious. And I’d totally understand if you wanted me to leave.”

  Luke closed his eyes for a minute, relief washing through him like floodwaters in a dry creek bed. If she was leaving that decision up to him, damn sure she was staying right here. He tried to hide the grin he couldn’t seem to wipe away. “I’m proud of you.”

  Sally glanced at him, clearly surprised, then looked away again.

  “You used what you had—the beginnings of a panic attack—to cause a diversion that put us back in control of the situation without anyone getting seriously hurt. I had to go through Navy SEAL training to learn to think on my feet like that.”

  Luke stepped toward her, close enough he could brush back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. She was trembling, and her arms crossed in front of her seemed to be the only thing holding her up, but she didn’t scoot out of his reach.

  “I get it. No small rooms for you. I had a feeling it was a bad idea from the start. I was a little disappointed—okay, maybe irritated—when my plan fell apart, but I’m nothing if not adaptable. I can adjust if need be. We’ll work out a better plan next time.”

  She huffed as she turned away from him. “First, the word you’re looking for is sullen. Next time? I don’t think so.”

  “Wait.” Luke stepped in front of her and forced her chin up with one finger. “What’s that mean?”

  “It means you and everyone else will be safer if Jen and I leave.” Sally’s eyes filled with tears, and still he wouldn’t let her look away.

  Luke’s sense of relief and well-being melted away and trepidation coiled like a snake in his stomach. For a few seconds, words escaped him. The idea of her leaving him was unthinkable. Hell no…he wouldn’t let her go without him—plain and simple. Perhaps they had brought danger too close to Daniel and his family. With Travis and the boys here, though, Luke would bet on them coming out on top in anything short of a full-scale enemy attack. Surely Sally could see they were safer here.

  Was she looking for an excuse to bail? He tried to clear the lump from his throat, but it still lodged there. “I see. So…you’re still mad at me.” His voice hardened slightly.