Harlequin Heartwarming December 2020 Box Set

by Cari Lynn Webb, Linda Warren, Mary Anne Wilson

  “Good shot,” Hutch whispered. “But I didn’t expect anything else.

  “Get the ambulances in here,” Bo shouted, ignoring Hutch.

  The sheriff ran to his men, helping to get them on stretchers and to the hospital. Bo walked into the trailer with Hutch. He paused in the doorway to the bedroom. Hopkins lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Cruz pressed a towel to the man’s shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.

  Bo took a moment to glance around the room. It was full of rifles and handguns. They were stacked to the ceiling with tons of ammunition, enough to be holed up in here for a week or more. A stained mattress lay on the floor, more guns were stacked on it. A broken doll, a toy truck and some Lego were scattered about. Children had been in this room. His gut tightened.

  The sheriff entered. “Oh, man.”

  “Did Hopkins have kids?”

  “Yeah. Two. His wife left him a week ago and that’s what started this rampage. He robbed a liquor store and shot the clerk. There’s been a warrant out for his arrest for days. We finally located him here.” The sheriff stared at the body. “Is he dead?”

  “No. We need another ambulance.” Within minutes they had Hopkins on a stretcher on the way to a hospital.

  “Stay with him,” Laskey ordered two of his deputies. Then the sheriff held out his hand. “Thank you for finding a way to end this nightmare. Now I have to go to the hospital and check on the officers who were shot. Keep your fingers crossed.”

  The rumble of engines sounded and soon Bo and his team were the only ones left, besides those dealing with the weapons and gathering evidence.

  Bo looked around the room and touched the security monitor, which was now black. Hopkins had had a clear view of anyone coming into his back or front yards. That’s how he’d been able to keep shooting for so long.

  “Ingenious. Criminals are getting smarter.”

  Speed stepped over several rifles. “I think his wish was not to come out of here alive.”

  Hutch slapped Bo on the back. “You ruined that, Sarge.”

  “Let’s head back to Austin.”

  They didn’t understand why he didn’t shoot to kill. Sometimes he didn’t understand it himself, but his goal was never to kill. It was always to save lives, even when dealing with a scumbag like Hopkins. But tonight, when he was lying in bed alone, he would relive the moment he’d been in the open, bullets aimed at him, whizzing past his head.

  Yeah, the night after a shooting was always hard.

  * * *

  BECKY GOT HOME a little after five and Luci was soon telling her about her day. She was talking in full sentences and learning more all the time. Her baby was gaining confidence and Becky couldn’t have been happier. Luci had reached all her sought-after milestones and the future looked bright.

  “Mommy?”

  “What?” Becky asked as she put milk into the refrigerator.

  “What does married mean?”

  Becky swung around, puzzled. “Where did you hear that word?”

  “Z’s cousin is getting married and she has a pretty white dress with a long tail. A long tail, Mommy.” Luci called Zia Z because, at first, she hadn’t been able to say her name.

  Luci sat at the table, coloring, and Becky pulled up a chair, searching for words to explain the best way she could. It seemed surreal to be having a conversation about this with her daughter.

  “When two people meet and fall in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together, they get married. He gives her a ring and she gives him a ring and they’re bound together forever.”

  Becky drifted off to la-la land as she thought of all the years she’d planned to marry Bo and spend the rest of her life with him. And now, here they were—friends. Could they really be friends?

  “I want to get married so I can have a dress with a tail.”

  Becky kissed her cheek. “You’re too young to get married. You have to be older and you have to have a boyfriend.”

  “Bo is my friend. I can marry him.”

  Her dream wish. Becky smiled inwardly at all the thoughts of that young seventeen-year-old and how real they’d been to her. The rest of her life had been Bo and that was the reason for so much pain. Becky could see that clearly now. She’d been too young to love that deeply.

  “Why he not come see me?”

  Luci’s question brought her out of her agonizing thoughts. “Bo’s a cop and he’s busy. Why don’t you go play with your iPad while I fix supper.”

  Luci ran into the living room, picked up the remote control to the TV and flipped it on. Becky started to tell her to turn it off, but she noticed the news was on and heard the announcer say something about the SWAT team. Luci wasn’t interested in the news and curled up on the sofa with the iPad. Purr crawled all over her while Pink took her position on the floor.

  Becky walked farther into the living room and listened closely.

  The Austin SWAT team was called to assist a rural community outside of Bastrop where a deranged gunman had officers pinned down behind their cars for over two hours. The SWAT team arrived and had the situation under control within ten minutes. The officer you see in this video is Sergeant Bo Goodnight, who took out the alleged gunman. Video is courtesy of a local rancher.

  No. No!

  Becky watched in horror as Bo stood up with a rifle in his hand as gunfire blasted around him. He fired his gun with an ear-splitting sound. Then there was silence. Was Bo hurt? What happened?

  We’re happy to announce that two of the officers who were injured are in stable condition and expected to recover. The other is in critical condition.

  What about Bo? What about Bo?

  But the announcer went on to another story. Becky stood there, completely numb. If he was hurt… She couldn’t think beyond that. All those feelings she kept inside that were hers and she could control were suddenly zapped by a power much stronger than herself—the fear that she might never see him again.

  She grabbed her purse from the counter and fished out her phone. She couldn’t call her friends because no one knew about Bo. There was only one person who might know something and that was her father. He never missed the news.

  “Hi, Rebecca. How’s Luci?”

  “She’s fine. Did you watch the Austin news tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you see Bo?”

  “Yes. Ava saw it, too. She knew her son worked SWAT, but it was the first time she’d seen him in action and it really upset her.”

  Becky had the same feeling. She just hadn’t realized Bo put his life at risk every day. Maybe she just hadn’t wanted to know that part. But it had been right there in living color today.

  “Do you know if he’s okay?”

  “I’m sure he is, and Ava hasn’t heard anything.”

  “Is Ava there?” Something in her dad’s voice alerted her. He was speaking as if Ava was with him.

  “Yes, she’s here.”

  How much time did they spend together? It was the first time Becky had thought of it. After the accident she supposed they’d hung out a lot. She worried about her dad being alone all the time, but maybe she didn’t need to worry anymore. But her dad hadn’t said anything to indicate otherwise. It would be nice if her dad could find someone, and if that someone was Ava, it would be okay with Becky.

  “Could you call me if you hear anything?”

  “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll call you, but I’m sure he’s okay. I’m just wondering why you’re so worried.”

  Oh, why did parents do that? He’d done that all her life, making her look inside for the answer, wanting her to discover it herself. But she already knew. She just needed… Time was what she needed.

  She hung up quickly, made supper, got Luci to bed and took a shower, and all the while she was wondering if there were any easy answers to her situation with Bo.<
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  She crawled under a sheet and comforter, but sleep eluded her. The scene of the shooting played vividly in her mind. What would she have done if Bo had been killed? She never would have had the chance to say she’d forgiven him. That’s what it all came down to—her stubborn unwillingness to forgive.

  Frustrated, she reached for her phone on the nightstand and called Bo. That was the only way she was going to get any sleep. He answered immediately.

  “Hey, Bec.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I saw you on the news tonight. A guy was shooting at you and they didn’t say if you are okay or not.”

  “Are you worried about me?”

  “Of course I am. I never realized what a high-risk job you have.”

  “I’m in SWAT, Bec.”

  “I guess I try not to think about it.”

  “You haven’t done too badly all these years. You haven’t thought about me at all.”

  “You haven’t thought about me, either.”

  “Oh, Bec, you’ll never know all the times I’ve thought about you.”

  Her heart did a funny dance in her chest and she was falling hard once again. “Luci is asking about you, and since Halloween is coming up I thought you might like to help take her trick-or-treating, just a few houses in our neighborhood. She’s a ballerina with a tiara.”

  “In pink?”

  “You guessed it.”

  “After a shooting, we usually get a couple of days off, so sign me up.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  “Thanks, Bec, for worrying about me.”

  “Call your mother. She worries, too.”

  “My mom is used to my job.”

  “Call your mother. Take my word for it, a mother is never used to that.”

  She laid her cell on the nightstand and with a smile, sank into the covers. Now she could sleep. He was okay.

  * * *

  BO GOT UP from the sofa in his underwear and made his way to the bedroom. He’d been putting off going to bed, but after hearing Becky’s voice he decided to give it a try. Her soothing, soft voice always had an effect on him. With his phone in his hand he decided to call his mother. He never did after a shooting, but tonight after listening to Becky, he did.

  “Oh, Bo, I’m so glad you called. I’ve been so worried.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. I told you not to worry.”

  “But it’s different when I have to see what you’re doing. It made the hair stand up on my arms. I just knew that man was going to shoot you.”

  “It’s a risk everyone takes every day. We never know what’s going to come out of the blue and I’ve been trained to deal with that.”

  “I don’t care how much training you’ve had,” she snapped. “A bullet kills.”

  “I’m fine,” he said again. “I have a couple days off and I might come home for a night.”

  “You don’t have to do that. Just hearing your voice is all I need.”

  He cleared his throat. “How’s Mason?”

  “He’s in a lot of pain, but hospice is taking care of that.”

  “Good. I’ll call you soon.” He couldn’t say one more word. After the day, all he needed was peace.

  He crawled beneath the covers and stared into the darkness for a moment and then turned onto his side. Usually sleep would elude him, but tonight he continued to hear her voice. Not his mother’s. Becky’s. He let it wash over him and the scene of the day disappeared as he got lost in the tangled web of his feelings for her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ON HALLOWEEN BO drove up to the curb in front of Becky’s condo. She didn’t live too far from the hospital. It was a clear, cold night and kids were already out trick-or-treating. He slipped on his jacket and walked to Becky’s front door. Before his hand could touch the doorbell, the door opened and Luci stood there in a ballerina outfit. All pink with long sleeves, leggings, a frilly skirt and ballerina shoes. A sparkly tiara rested on her head. Her eyes beamed behind the pink glasses.

  She darted out and wrapped her arms around his knees. “Bo, you came to see me.”

  He lifted her into his arms. “Hey, little angel. I think you’ve grown.”

  Wiggling down, she waved toward the kitchen and ran inside. Becky stood in the living room in black tights and a blue turtleneck sweater. The blue of the sweater made her eyes pop and he couldn’t look away from her beauty.

  “Bo,” Luci shouted, demanding his attention.

  Walking to her, he saw she was pointing to a ruler attached to the wall. It had red marks at certain heights. “See how I grow.”

  “Yes, I see.”

  “She’s grown another half inch,” Becky said and Bo’s eyes clung to hers. He hadn’t seen her in weeks and he was starved for the sight of her.

  “Look, Bo, I’m a…” Luci glanced at Becky.

  “A ballerina,” Becky said for her.

  “Yes, that.”

  Bo squatted in front of her. “Say it. Say the word. Ballerina. Ballerina.”

  “Bal…la…rina. Ballerina.” Luci lifted her arms above her head and tried to spin around, but she fell.

  “We’re still working on coordination.” Becky smiled and Bo thought he could grow old looking at her smile.

  “I get my pumpkin.” Luci scrambled to her feet. “Mommy made me a pumpkin.” She ran into the living room.

  “She’s changed a lot,” Bo said.

  “Yes. She’s talking up a storm. There are some words she has problems with, but we’re working on that. You can actually have a conversation with her now.”

  “I could always have a conversation with her,” he pointed out in a smug voice.

  “Oh, yes. I remember.”

  “It’s cold out. She’s going to need a jacket.”

  “Okay, magic maker.” Becky reached for a coat over the sofa. “Get her to put it on.” Now there was smugness in her voice.

  “I got my pumpkin. We have to go.” Luci came running and Bo held up the coat.

  “You have to put this on. It’s cold outside,” Bo said.

  “No. It covers up my pretty clothes.”

  “Then we don’t go.” Bo laid the coat back on the sofa.

  “Mommy,” Luci wailed.

  Becky folded her arms across her chest. “Coat or we don’t go. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

  Luci hung her head. “’Kay.”

  Bo helped her into the coat. “When you go up to the door, we’ll unzip it so everyone can see your pretty outfit.”

  “’Kay.” She was all bouncy and excited again.

  Becky slipped into her jacket and they went out the door for the adventure of trick-or-treating. Becky grilled Luci on what to say. When they went to the first house, Bo unzipped Luci’s jacket, rang the doorbell and stepped back.

  A young woman of about thirty answered the door. There was a long pause as Luci didn’t say anything. Becky started for the front door, but Bo held her back.

  “Let her do it,” he whispered.

  Finally Luci said, “My name is Luci. What’s your name?”

  Becky groaned.

  The woman bent over and said, “Aren’t you the sweetest little thing. My name is Marcia.”

  “Trick or tweet,” Luci replied.

  The woman proceeded to dump a lot of candy into Luci’s pumpkin.

  “Thank you.” Luci ran back to them, all smiles.

  Becky’s zipped up Luci’s coat and they walked to the next house.

  “Don’t say anything,” he whispered to Becky.

  “How did you know I was going to say something?”

  “You’re itching to correct her. Don’t.”

  “You don’t know Luci better than I do.”

  “Let her
do it her way,” he insisted.

  “You’re infuriating. I want her to learn the right way.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with her way. I’m guessing trick-or-treat is a little hard for her to say. So let it be.”

  They did the same at the next house. A man answered this time. Luci stood there as if she were searching for words and said, “My name is Luci. What’s your name?”

  “My name is Bob. Debra,” he shouted to someone in the house. “Come see this.”

  A woman in her fifties came to the door. “Oh, my goodness. You’re so cute. Are you a ballerina?”

  Luci nodded and then said, “Trick or tweet.”

  “Go get those cookies I made,” Debra said to Bob. “I want to give her something special.”

  As they walked away, Bo nudged Becky with his elbow. “Told you. There’s nothing wrong with her way.”

  By the time they made it back to the condo, Luci was worn out and asleep on Bo’s shoulder. Her pumpkin was overflowing and Bo even had some stuff in his pockets. The people had been more than generous. He helped Becky get Luci’s clothes off and put her to bed.

  He glanced around the room. “I’ve never asked, but what is it with pink?”

  “I asked the doctor about it and he said it would pass. I’m still waiting.” She poked him in the chest. “With your magic powers, it’s your job to get her off of pink.”

  “No, no.” He followed her downstairs to the living room. “That is completely your job.”

  She pushed hair from her face. “She does so much better with you.”

  Bo sat beside her. “I’m looking at it this way. She’ll outgrow it.”

  A faraway look entered Becky’s eyes. “She’s come so far in the past weeks. The doctor said when she started talking everything else would fall into place and he was right. When I pick her up from Ruby’s, she talks and talks and talks. She’s understanding and putting things together and it is so wonderful to watch.” Becky got to her feet. “How about if I order pizza? I have beer in the refrigerator.”

  “Deal.” He could think of nothing better than to spend the evening with her.

  They ate the pizza at the coffee table. She kicked off her boots and sat on the floor while he took the sofa.