by Liliana Hart
“I guess so.”
“Well, I know so. There are a lot of MacKenzies, right? And I’ve got room to love them all. But you and your mom are special. I love you guys more than I ever thought possible. Just like I know your mom loves the both of us. And she may not know it, because your mom likes to handle things on her own and she’s a little bit stubborn.” Jayden snorted out a laugh and Dane smiled. “But she needs the both of us to help take care of her and love her too.”
“So what do you think we should do?” Jayden asked, repeating Dane’s earlier question.
“I think I should marry your mom and you should be my best man. MacKenzies always stand up for each other.”
His face brightened a little. “If you marry Mom, am I supposed to call you Dad?”
Dane’s throat tightened but he tried to play it casual so Jayden didn’t know how badly he wanted it. “Only if you want to.”
Jayden nodded and changed the subject. “How are you going to get Mom to marry you? She can be pretty stubborn about that stuff.”
Dane remembered the ring he’d stuffed in his pocket and maneuvered around until he managed to dig it out. He opened the box so Jayden could see the square-cut emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. It was delicate and beautiful, but also sturdy and made to last.
“What do you think?”
“I think she’ll get grease all over it when she’s working on cars.”
Dane laughed and snapped the lid closed. “Hopefully she’ll take it off before she works on them. Maybe I should get her a chain so she can wear it around her neck.”
“Good idea.”
“Are we good here, Jay?” Dane asked, holding out his hand for the boy to shake, man to man. He stared at it a few seconds, unsure what to do, and then he put his smaller hand inside his and squeezed.
“We’re good. And I’m sorry I left the house without telling anyone.”
“Just be prepared to face the consequences when we get back. Come on, kid. Let’s go home and face the music.”
“Can we still look for the gold another time?”
Dane helped him to his feet and repacked their supplies. The snow had stopped at least, but it was still a couple miles back to the house and they had a long walk ahead of them
“You bet. As long as you keep the gold and the map to yourself. It’s a MacKenzie family secret.”
CHAPTER SIX
It was mid-morning by the time he and Jayden made it back to the house. They parked the snowmobile at the base of the hill and walked the rest of the way. They were both cold and wet, but there was an easiness that hadn’t been there between them. Dane walked with his hand on Jayden’s shoulder as they made their way to the house.
And there was Charlotte, waiting on the front porch for them, a heavy coat thrown over her nightgown and her winter boots laced up tight. She held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and a thermos sat on the railing in front of her. There was no telling how long she’d been outside waiting for them, probably since he’d left a few hours before.
“Oh, man. She’s going to kill me. I know that look.” Jayden slowed his steps once he got sight of his mother.
“It’s Christmas Day. Maybe we can talk her into going easy on you.”
“You think so?”
“I think we’ll give it our best shot. I’ve got just the thing to distract her.”
By the time they made it halfway to the steps Charlotte was already rushing out to meet them. She dropped to her knees in front of Jayden and pulled him into her arms, hugging him tight.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” she said, not letting him go. “You know better than to go out after dark by yourself. Dane and I were worried sick about you.”
“He found me, Mom. Don’t cry. I’m sorry.” His voice pitched higher as he saw Charlotte’s tears. She hardly ever cried, so when she did it was all the more effective. “Don’t hate me.”
“Oh, baby. I could never hate you. We’re a team, right?”
Dane gave his shoulder a squeeze and said to Charlotte, “It’s all right. We’ve got it all worked out. He won’t do anything like this again. He promised. And a MacKenzie always keeps his word.”
He felt Jayden straighten with pride beneath his hand, and Charlotte pulled back, looking at them both closely. “I feel like I’m missing something important here.”
Jayden gave his mom a quick hug and grinned. “It’s just between us men. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, yeah?” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“Uh, oh. She’s got that look on her face again. You’d better fix it quick.” Jayden pulled out of her embrace and ran toward the house. “Hey! It’s Christmas! I want to see what Santa brought me.”
Dane helped Charlotte to her feet, and they stood arm in arm as Jayden headed toward the screen door. It opened before Jayden got there and Dane’s brothers all stood there to razz him for taking off like he had, though the relief on their faces was plain to see.
Jayden turned back before he went inside and stared at Dane and Charlotte for a long while before he spoke. “Good luck, Dad.” And then he went inside and the screen door slammed behind him.
“Jesus,” Dane said, dropping his head to Charlotte’s shoulder. “I’m going to be crying like a baby here in a second.” In truth, his eyes were already brimming with tears. He never thought he’d hear Jayden call him Dad.
“Merry Christmas,” Charlotte whispered, taking his face between her hands and placing a kiss softly on his lips. “I couldn’t ask for a better one than this. Thank you for bringing him home.”
“We came to an understanding.” His heart felt lighter than it had in months, and he smiled when the snow began to fall again. “He gave me some pretty good advice.”
“Oh, really?”
“He told me you could be pretty stubborn about things and if I wanted you to marry me then I needed to ask you the right way.”
Dane dropped to one knee right there in the snow, and Charlotte let out a startled laugh, covering her mouth with her hands in surprise.
“This was his advice?”
“He’s a sharp kid. He gets that from my side of the family,” he said deadpan.
“What else did he say?”
“That he wants us to be a family. I want to be a family. I love both of you with everything I am.” Dane reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small black box. “You’ve made me the man I never had the courage to be before.”
Charlotte’s lips trembled at the sight of the box, but her gaze was steady and dry as she looked at him with love.
“I was going to wait and give this to you after you’d set a date for the wedding, but Jayden thought it would be good to give it to you now. As long as you don’t wear it while you’re working on cars.”
She grinned and said, “Good advice.”
“I was foolish to make demands and not give you the romance of it before. You deserve that and more. Marry me, Charlotte. Love me forever. And let me give Jayden my name. Let me give you more children.”
She laughed and dropped to her knees in front of him, kissing him with all the love and passion she had inside of her. “Are you going to show me the ring?”
“Are you going to set a wedding date before we hit retirement age?”
“We’ll definitely be getting married some time before next July. I can promise you that.”
“What happens next July?”
“You said you wanted to give me more children. It looks like you’ve already succeeded.”
Dane dropped the ring box in the snow and grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders. “What? You’re pregnant?”
“Either that or I’ve been having morning sickness for the past month for no reason.”
“Past month? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was just waiting for the right moment. Put the ring on my finger, love, and let’s live happily ever after.”
Dane dug around in the snow until his hand covered the ring
box. His eyes were too blurry with tears to see. He didn’t deserve this second chance, but he was going to take it anyway and be grateful.
He opened the box and his hands steadied as he took the ring and placed it on her finger. The sounds of cheers and whoops coming from his brothers and his son made him grin. And then he kissed the woman of his dreams and all was right with the world.
EPILOGUE
Dane wasn’t sure a man was built to have so many emotions at one time—from excitement to fear, to absolute terror, and then back to a happiness so fulfilling he felt he’d all but burst with it.
Thomas had just placed his daughter in his arms, her tiny body wrapped in a soft pink blanket. She stared at him out of wide blue eyes that seemed to see all the way to his soul. He couldn’t get over how perfect she was. He and Charlotte had made this incredible child.
“Everything looks good,” Thomas said. “I’m going to grab a shower and a change of clothes and then I’ll be back to check on you.” He left the room quietly and shut the door behind him.
“You gave us a scare, love,” Dane whispered, leaning down to kiss his daughter’s bow-shaped mouth. “Let’s hope you’re not as impatient to grow up as you were to get here. I don’t think my heart will be able to take it.”
Charlotte’s doctor had told her she had at least another two weeks before the baby would come, but the baby had had other plans. Charlotte had gone into labor right in the middle of the Fourth of July party his family put on every year.
The yard had been filled with friends and neighbors from Surrender. Food had been piled high on picnic tables and different games were being played. There was a live band and they’d just started the last song before the fireworks when her pains started. At first she’d thought it was something she’d eaten, but in a matter of minutes the pains were one on top of the other, and it was obvious that there was no way they’d be able to make the drive to the hospital in the next town.
Dane had never been more thankful for Thomas. He’d gotten Charlotte settled in one of the spare bedrooms and prepped, all the while giving Dane instructions to keep him busy and out of the way.
Dane had been frozen in terror at the thought that something might go wrong, but a scant thirty minutes later, their daughter had made her appearance into the world with a lusty cry while fireworks exploded outside and people cheered.
The baby started to fuss a little and Dane looked at Charlotte. She lay exhausted in the bed, a half smile on her face as she watched them. Her hair was dampened with sweat and her face was pale, but she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.
“She’s hungry,” Charlotte said, holding out her arms to take the baby. “Why don’t you go find Jayden and I’ll feed her. He’s probably worried.”
Dane handed the baby over reluctantly and kissed Charlotte softly on the lips. “Thank you for our daughter. Every day I get to spend with you just makes me more in awe of you. I love you.”
He felt her lips curve in a smile beneath his. “I love you, too. And don’t worry. I won’t hold you to your promise to never touch me again.”
Dane grinned as he backed toward the door. “I don’t remember ever making a promise like that. I believe it was you who was screaming you were never going to allow me to touch you again.”
Charlotte adjusted her clothes so the baby could latch on, and he watched with fascination. The color had come back into her cheeks and the tiredness had left her eyes. She looked energized. And waiting six weeks before he could touch her again would be the longest weeks of his life.
He groaned at the thought and opened the door before he found himself in an embarrassing situation.
“I didn’t mean it, Dane.”
“Didn’t mean what?”
“Six weeks.” Her lips twitched, and it was obvious she’d read every thought that had just gone through his mind. “It’ll be a long wait for me too. Now go get our son so he can meet his sister.”
“You’re a hell of a woman, Charlotte MacKenzie.”
“You better believe I know it.”
Dane shut the bedroom door quietly and made his way down the long hallway to the family room where Jayden had been told to wait. He was surprised to see the entire family there waiting, considering there still seemed to be quite a party going on outside. There was a hush of silence and dozens of eyes watched him with excited curiosity.
He realized Thomas wasn’t with them and so they hadn’t been updated yet.
Dane walked directly to Jayden and kneeled down in front of him. “Would you like to meet your sister?”
A cheer went up around the room at the announcement that a new and healthy MacKenzie had made her way into world.
“Thank God it’s a girl,” he heard his Aunt Mary say. “I’m not sure this family can take any more testosterone.”
“Amen to that,” his cousin Darcy said. “I’ll make sure to take her under my wing and show her how to deal with all you overbearing males.”
A chorus of groans was met with that statement, but Dane never took his eyes off his son’s face.
“Is Mom okay?” Jayden asked.
“She’s doing great. She wants to see you.” Dane held out his hand and Jayden automatically took it.
“Let’s go. I want to meet my sister.”
“Here you go, Dad,” Cade, said, handing him a cigar. “For later.”
Dane nodded his thanks and ushered Jayden back to the bedroom where the two most important women in his life now rested. He knocked on the door once before opening it, and Charlotte waved them both inside.
“She’s just finished her dinner. Perfect timing.” Charlotte patted the bed beside her for Jayden to come sit. “You want to see her?”
“I don’t want to hurt anything,” he said, taking a step back. “She’s pretty small.”
“You won’t hurt her. You’re her brother. She’ll always know you’ll protect her.”
Jayden scrambled up onto the side of the bed beside Charlotte, and she pulled him close into her side while she cradled the baby in her other arm. Dane went to the other side of Charlotte and looked down on his family with pride.
“What are we going to call her?” Jayden asked.
Charlotte looked up at Dane so he could be the one to answer. “Her name is Rose. Rose Isobel MacKenzie, after your grandmother.”
“Rose,” Jayden repeated softly. He leaned closer so his face was only inches from his sister’s. “Hi, Rose. You’re a MacKenzie now. And MacKenzies always look out for each other. Welcome to the family.”
CHAPTER ONE
The soft click of the grappling hook hitting the roof was like music to her ears.
Cat MacKenzie grinned as she tested her weight against the rope and then hooked it to her belt. She flexed her gloved hands and took a deep breath, glancing around once more to make sure no one had seen her. An occasional car passed on Main Street, but the risk of being caught wasn’t a deterrent. Just the opposite, in fact. It made her blood sing.
Traffic was minimal on a Saturday afternoon in Surrender, Montana. Most people stayed home or drove into the city on the weekends since all the businesses except Lucy’s Diner and Duffey’s Bar and Grill were closed. Small town living didn’t lend itself to much excitement.
She hoisted herself up so her feet rested against the building and began to climb. She wore black jeans, a black sweatshirt, and her Vibram-soled boots. A black ski cap was pulled over her flame red hair and thin black gloves covered her hands. Her muscles burned and beads of sweat dotted her temples despite the freezing temperatures. Since her retirement, she’d kept her body in rigorous shape. A girl never knew when she might need to scale a building.
February was still considered the middle of winter in Montana, and deep snow banks lined the buildings. At least she’d have a soft place to land if she plummeted to the ground. The sound of a car door slamming some distance away had her scurrying the rest of the way to the top of the two-story building and heaving herself ove
r the edge. She stayed low and listened to make sure she was in the clear before she finally allowed herself to take a breath.
Cat curled up the rope and looped it to her utility belt. Leaving the same way she’d entered and announcing to the world that someone had broken into the building wasn’t the plan. And she always had a plan.
She stayed low and made her way to one of the skylights that had been newly installed with the renovation. Skylights were one of the easiest ways to break into a place. They were rarely attached to secondary alarms and the locks were flimsy at best.
The mini drill was Velcroed to the back of her belt and it took her little time at all to remove the screws at two corners of the skylight. It was a brand new skylight too, so she didn’t even have to jimmy it open.
“Piece of cake.”
She lifted one side of the skylight and looked into the office below. The desk was positioned just below her. Perfect.
“Out of practice, my ass.”
She slid through the opening and hung onto the edge for a few seconds before dropping softly onto the desk. A computer was the only thing on its surface. It was too big and bulky for her to want anything to do with, but a common thief would probably try to make off with it. She’d never been common. Any time she did a job, she had one item on her list and she never strayed from her plan. That was what separated the amateurs from the professionals.
The skylight dropped back into place as soon as she let go of the edge and it made more noise than she would’ve liked. A minute was all she had to get downstairs and disarm the security system, so she moved to the door and opened it softly.
The building creaked and settled around her. She held her breath, her heart thumping in her chest and blood rushing in her ears, and she slipped out of the empty office and into the hallway. The surge of adrenaline was almost as good as sex.
Smells of fresh paint and the carpet glue made her eyes burn, though it dissipated as she made her way down the wrought iron stairway. The renovations had most recently been done to the second level.