Midnight Sacrifice
Page 27
“I do.” Huntsville didn’t seem so bad. Philadelphia was only a day’s drive. Maybe someday she could make that trip with Danny.
“Thank God.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. The sun’s heat soaked into her skin, and warmth encompassed her heart.
The dog squeezed his nose between them. Danny lifted his head and laughed. He gave Bear a pat.
Mandy scratched the lab’s head. “Let’s take Bear with us. I think he misses Jed.”
The dog rode shotgun, bowing his head to avoid the ceiling in her little wagon. He would have fit better in Danny’s car, but Mandy needed the company. If it worked for Bill, maybe a little canine therapy would help her work through her grief.
One week later
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
“I am.” Mandy leaned over the side of the boat. She dipped a hand in the rippled surface of the lake. The water was cool and refreshing in the humid summer afternoon.
Danny shut off the outboard motor. Peace descended over Lake Walker. At the water’s edge, a heron stood in the shallows. The boat drifted into a patch of vegetation. A handful of ducks burst from the tall reeds nearby. Bear, standing in the bow, cocked his ears and wagged his tail as he watched them fly off.
“Stay,” Danny commanded. Bear sat down, his butt bouncing in excitement.
She smiled. “Well, look at you, Mr. Dog Trainer.”
“I wish I could take responsibility, but Bear was already trained.”
“He was.” On that note, Mandy reached for the urn at her feet. If she hesitated now, her courage would fly off like a spooked mallard. As Jed had instructed, she opened the top and slowly poured the ashes into the water. They swirled and floated, gradually sinking into the calm water. “Bye, Jed.”
“Are you all right?” Danny asked with the same patient tone that wouldn’t let her shut her emotions down over the past week.
“Yeah. I expected to be bowled over by sadness again, but I’m not.” Mandy set the empty urn in the bottom of the boat. “I feel…lighter.”
“I’ll always be grateful to him for what he did.” Danny reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’ll never forget him, but I’m going to try to focus on the good parts.” She wasn’t letting go of his memory, just the sadness and guilt. Jed would be in her heart forever.
“He would want you to be happy.”
“I know.” Mandy wiped a tear from her face. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to cry.” She’d thought she was out of tears. Danny and Mandy had attended Ashley’s funeral in Boston. A structural defect and the Taser charge had combined to cause the young woman’s heart to arrest. Her asthma hadn’t been the only cause of her shortness of breath. Two days after returning home, the sadness weighed on Mandy’s heart. No parent should have to bury a child. It was unnatural. So was suffering at a parent’s hands, though. Evan was still in the hospital, his sanity and health precarious after four months of imprisonment, watching his father plan to murder people on his behalf. The fate of Carolyn’s son was also uncertain, but a cousin had driven up from Boston to take the boy home with her. With no one to care for him and his disease turning him more violent by the day, Colonel Fitzgerald was being moved to a nursing facility.
“It’s OK.” Danny shifted a seat closer and took her hands in his. The scar on his left arm reminded her that he knew all about pain and loss and acceptance. “Better to let it out than let it fester.”
“I still can’t believe he left me everything. I have no idea what I’m going to do with all his stuff.” Jed’s will had been both recent and very detailed. Honey belonged to Bill. Everything else, from the cabin to the boat to the dogs, went to Mandy.
“So, you’ll know when you know. No rush.” Danny rowed them back to shore.
A small group of people stood on the bank. Victoria and Samantha hugged each other. Swollen, red eyes attested to their grief. Their parents hovered a few feet behind them. Next to them, Kevin gathered with his entire family. The still-gaunt Hunter was sandwiched between his parents.
But they were standing there, alive.
Mandy’s throat tightened. Even if she could speak, she didn’t have words to express the complicated emotions bottlenecked inside her.
Danny squeezed her shoulder. He got it. “Thank you all for coming. I know this is hard, but Jed would have appreciated you being here.”
“We had to,” Hunter said. “Didn’t we, Dad?”
“You bet.” Kevin choked out. “We owe him—and you both—everything.”
His wife stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mandy. Hot tears soaked Mandy’s blouse. Hunter’s mother didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. She hugged Danny and stepped aside. Samantha, Victoria, and their parents lined up for tear-filled embraces. When she’d worked her way through the crowd, Mandy was exhausted but oddly grateful.
Jed’s courage had allowed her to stop Nathan, and Danny to rescue everyone from the flames. All these people were alive because of Jed. His death had meant something.
Hunter tugged on her sleeve. “Dad says it’ll take time to not be scared anymore. Are you going to be OK?”
Mandy put her hand on his shoulder. “Hunter, my best friend gave his life for me. The least I can do is live it.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
August, three months later
Danny leaned back on the blanket. Bear snoozed in the grass next to him.
“We should get going.” Mandy buttoned her blouse. “Your family will be here soon.”
“We have time.” Danny tugged her down onto his bare chest. “And it’s my birthday. They can wait.”
Mandy laughed. “But I want to give you your present.”
“I thought you just did.” Danny kissed her. Yup. He’d been right all along. Some green grass and a pretty girl was all he needed in life. “Anyway, I have something for you.” He reached for his jeans and dug into the pocket. He pulled out a small velvet box. “Will you marry me, Mandy Brown?”
“Oh, Danny.” She sat up and opened the box. A small diamond ring glittered in the sunlight, like tears glittered in Mandy’s eyes when she put it on her finger. “Yes. Definitely, yes.”
“Geez, don’t cry.” Danny sat up. “I wanted to make you happy.”
“I can’t help it.” She sniffed. “I am happy.”
“Could’ve fooled me, but I’ll take your word for it.” Danny kissed her again. One hand strayed to the top button on her blouse. “Wanna give me another present?”
Mandy batted his hand away playfully. “Put your clothes on. We have to go home.”
“Oh, all right.” Danny tugged on his jeans, T-shirt, and running shoes. “I was thinking. What if I convert the garage into a little house? I love your mom and Bill, and I know you need to stay close to them, but a little privacy would be nice.”
Mandy wiped a fresh tear from her face. “I think that would be perfect.”
“Great. Winter will be here soon. While I’m digging the whole outdoor sex thing, it’s going to be less appealing as the temperature drops.”
They packed up the picnic hamper and blanket and loaded the dog into the used SUV Danny had sold his convertible to buy. Well, that and the ring. Worth every penny. Now that he had Mandy, he had no trouble letting go of his old life and embracing the future.
The drive back to the inn was quiet. Danny held her hand and let her think. In the backseat, Bear pressed his nose to the window. They parked behind the inn. Jayne and Reed’s mammoth SUV dwarfed Danny’s new truck. On the other side of it, Conor’s beat-to-shit Porsche looked a little less like roadkill than it had the last time Danny had seen it.
“Your family’s early.” Mandy flipped down the visor and checked her eyes in the mirror.
“You look beautiful.” Danny opened the back door for the dog. Bear bounded up the back lawn.
“Danny.” His tall, redheaded sister bolted out the back door and across the grass. She grabbed him in a fierce hug. “Happy birthday, baby brot
her.”
Danny laughed and hugged her back. Jayne let go of him and moved on to Mandy with the same enthusiasm, then she wrapped an arm around Mandy’s shoulders and steered her toward the house. Happiness vibrated through Danny’s sister.
Reed stood on the back porch, his posture more relaxed now that Nathan’s threat to Jayne was eliminated. “Jayne was dying to see the puppies.”
They went into the kitchen. Bear nosed into the laundry room and trotted to Honey’s box. Six chubby furballs, two yellow and four chocolate, wiggled and yawned. Under Honey’s watchful eye, Bear sniffed his pups and wagged his tail.
“So, we’re making wedding plans.” Jayne peered around the doorframe. “Nothing huge, just a simple ceremony. Are you two going to be able to come or should we have it up here?”
“I don’t know,” Mandy said. “Bill’s pretty good as long as Honey is with him, but we have another four to six weeks before the puppies are ready to leave.”
“We can wait. God, they’re so cute,” Jayne said. Can you squeal and whisper at the same time? “Which one is ours?”
Mandy laughed. “Whichever one you want.”
Jayne leaned over the box and held her iPhone out. She snapped a couple of pictures. “Now for some video.”
“Where’s Pat and the gang?” Danny asked.
“On the way. They have to stop every hour. Someone always needs a pit stop.” The smallest pup, a yellow blob of fat and fur, climbed over her siblings, stood, and hooked her paws over the top of the box. Jayne lowered her phone. “Is the littlest one a boy or a girl?”
Mandy lifted the pup and cuddled her against her cheek for a minute. She set her behind her brothers and sisters. Undaunted, she beelined for the prison walls. “The escape artist is a girl.”
Bill shouldered his way into the fray. “I wanted to keep them all, but Mandy said that was way too many dogs.” He sat on the floor next to the box and stroked Honey’s head. The dog’s tail slapped on the floor. “We get to keep Bear and Honey and maybe one puppy.”
Reed looked over Jayne’s shoulder. “These dogs are purebreds. Honey’s a champ. Why don’t you sell them?”
“’Cause we want to pick where they go to live.” Bill’s voice held a smidgen of duh.
Reed put a hand on Bill’s shoulder. “Are you coming to my wedding?”
Bill hesitated. He looked at the dogs. “If Honey can come with me.”
Lots of new possibilities for Bill.
“Oh my God! That’s a diamond.” Jayne grabbed Mandy’s hand and held it up. “Danny, you didn’t say a word.”
“Well, no one in this family can keep a secret.”
Jayne released Mandy’s hand and hugged her again. “Have you set a date yet?”
“No. We’re taking things slow.”
“A date for what?” Bill asked.
“Danny and I are going to get married.” Mandy tensed.
Danny pulled her backward until her back was against his chest. Warmth spread through his body as she leaned on him.
She needn’t have worried.
Bill smiled. “Does that mean you’re staying forever?”
“Yup. It sure does.” Danny nodded.
“Yay!” Bill rubbed Honey’s head. “Did you hear that, girl? Danny’s staying.”
Mandy turned. Sheesh. More tears. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Back atcha.” He kissed the top of her head. There were lots of new possibilities for everyone.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thanks go to my fabulous agent Jill Marsal for her help on this manuscript, and for all the other countless things she does for me. Another great big thanks goes to my editor at Montlake Romance, Kelli Martin, and everyone else at Amazon Publishing who strives to make a writer feel valued. I consider myself very lucky to be included among their author ranks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Tannock Photography, 2012
Melinda Leigh abandoned her career in banking to raise her kids and never looked back. She started writing as a hobby and became addicted to creating characters and stories. Since then, she has won numerous writing awards for her paranormal romance and romantic-suspense fiction. Her debut novel, She Can Run, was a number one bestseller in Kindle Romantic Suspense, a 2011 Best Book Finalist (The Romance Reviews), and a nominee for the 2012 International Thriller Award for Best First Book. When she isn’t writing, Melinda is an avid martial artist: she holds a second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate and teaches women’s self-defense. She lives in a messy house with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs, and two rescue cats.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR