No Surrender (16 page)

Epilogue

S
EAN
D
RYDEN
HAD
been gone for two weeks.

It seemed like the longest two weeks of his life. Every second
he spent away from his new family was like a year. He wondered what new things
Anna had learned while he was gone. He wondered if their home would still seem
like the haven it had been before he left.

He pulled up to the front door of the yellow house and the
porch lamp was a beacon lighting his way home.

When he stepped outside, the last vestiges of winter were
fading and he inhaled the first scents of the coming spring. Of Kansas. Of
home.

As he opened the front door to the new house in the Pleasant
Grove development, he was hit with the clean, homey smell of vanilla, baby wash
and chocolate chip cookies.

He wandered into the kitchen, where a plate of cookies sat with
a folded piece of paper with his name on it.
Missed
you
,
flyboy. Come up to bed after your
cookies.

Kentucky’d made these for him after he’d texted to tell her
he’d be home the next day.

He popped one into his mouth and it was homemade heaven.

The house was mostly clean, he noticed. Even the clutter of
various things required for a baby was organized. The downstairs changing table
was stocked and neat, and all of Anna’s toys were in the small tote, as were her
pacifiers.

Sean could only imagine the work it had taken to keep
everything so perfect. He wondered when Kentucky slept.

He considered just sleeping on the couch to let her rest, but
he ate another cookie and held the note up to read it again.

She wanted him to come to bed. Told him to, even. She knew he
wouldn’t want to wake her, since she got so little sleep as it was.

He got a glass and the milk out of the fridge and poured
himself some to dip a few more cookies in. He’d been eating nothing but
dehydrated rations on this mission. They were easiest to transport to the
jungle. So he appreciated the texture, the scent, the subtleties of the cookies
in a way he hadn’t thought possible.

It made him think about her hands in the dough. Made him wonder
what she’d been thinking about while she made them. If she’d done it while Anna
was sleeping or if she’d been “helping” somehow. Most likely just gurgling in
the bassinet. Before he knew it, he’d eaten the whole plate.

They were damn good. A few extra days in the gym would be
totally worth it. Not tomorrow, though. Tomorrow was all about Kentucky and
Anna. He wanted to remind himself why he did this job and to be actively
grateful for this amazing life.

He went to go put his plate in the sink and he saw that there
were a few bottles that needed to be washed.

Sean unloaded the dishwasher and inspected each item to make
sure it was clean before he put it away. Then he loaded the dirty dishes from
his cookies and the bottles and ran another load. He wiped down the counters and
even prepped a bottle for when Anna woke up in—he checked his watch—probably an
hour.

He walked up the stairs slowly to their bedroom and tried to be
quiet as he opened the door and peeled off his clothes, watching Kentucky as he
did so, drinking in the sight of her. She was beautiful, lying there in their
bed with her hair spread out behind her like a fan, the bare pale skin of one
shoulder exposed to his view.

He liked the silhouette of her curves against the blanket and
couldn’t wait until he could touch her again, really touch her. Make love to
her. But for now, he was content to hold her close. Sean slid in bed next to the
woman who would be his wife and pulled her close carefully. She stirred, sleepy
and warm, scooting back against him.

The nape of her neck smelled like cookies. He pressed a kiss to
that tender place, inhaling the sweet cookie scent.

And Kentucky, well...she felt like home. Being close to her,
having her in his arms like this, it was home; it was family. It was
everything.

He loved this house, this home they’d built together, but it
would be nothing without her.

“Missed you so much,” she murmured.

“I missed you more,” he whispered into her ear.

Her fingers laced with his. “Nuh-uh.”

“I missed you so much I did the dishes,” he teased.

“Mmm. ’Kay. You win.” She squirmed against him. “Did you think
about me?”

“Every night.” More than that, but he knew what she was asking.
If he still found her desirable. If he still wanted her. His cock was hard for
her right now, but he was happy just being close to her.

“It’s been four weeks.” She moved her hand to slide between
them and cup him.

Her touch was sweet torture. “It has, but the doc said six to
eight.”

“I’m dying, Sean. For real.”

“Baby, give your body time to heal. I’m not going anywhere.
You’re still beautiful and sexy as hell.”

She started moving her hand over his cock, determined to get
her way. He allowed the caress, because if she wanted to pleasure him, who was
he to argue?

Maybe it wasn’t yet time for sex with penetration, but he could
damn sure give her some attention with his mouth. He’d longed for the taste of
her more than her cookies.

His hips bucked up into her ministrations and she laughed,
turning over and sliding down his body, pausing to press her mouth over each of
his very defined ab muscles—which wouldn’t stay that way if she kept making him
cookies—on her way to his cock.

Then Anna’s small cries echoed into their room.

Kentucky leaned down and pressed her forehead to his stomach in
a kind of surrender with a sigh.

She flopped over onto her back. “Duty calls.” Kentucky began to
get up.

Sean pinned her beneath him and he kissed her lips hard. “Ah,
but, my love, the other sweet girl who has my heart calls. It’s my turn and my
pleasure to answer.”

Kentucky laughed. “Yeah, I guess she gets dibs.”

“Especially since that means you get to stay in bed and go back
to sleep.”

“Are you sure? You must’ve pushed hard to get home this early,”
she said even as she snuggled under the covers.

“I can sleep when she’s a teenager and hates me.” He pressed
the blanket in around her.

“Unlikely. When she’s a teenager and hates you, she’ll be
dating inappropriate boys to piss you off. So you’ll be sitting outside cleaning
your Beretta or something.”

He laughed. “No, I won’t. We’ll give her the tools to make good
choices even if she does hate me for a year or two.”

“I’m so happy it’s a little gross,” she confessed.

“Me, too. I never thought a life like this would be a slice of
heaven, but it is. When I think about all the ways it could’ve gone wrong, all
the chances we had to screw it up...” He shook his head.

“I can finally say that I got something right.” She rolled over
and untucked herself so she could reach out and cup his cheek. “I love you,
Sean.”

“You get a lot of things right.” He kissed her again. “I love
you.” Sean pulled the covers back up over her. “Now get some rest. I know you’re
exhausted.”

He slipped into his boxers and padded to Anna’s room. It was a
happy yellow with pink flowers and cartoon-character cars on the wall.

She fussed and wiggled her hands and feet, moving all of her
limbs faster when she saw him.

Sean reached into the crib and picked her up, the weight of her
precious and sweet. He held her up to his shoulder and she turned her face into
his neck, still fussing softly.

“Oh, how I missed you, my princess.” He stroked her back
through the pink terry cloth onesie.

He carried her back downstairs to the kitchen and prepared the
bottle. Sean settled into the recliner with his daughter in his arms and thought
again, yeah. His life was kind of perfect.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
COWBOY AFTER DARK
by Vicki
Lewis Thompson.

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Cowboy After Dark

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

1

L
IAM
M
AGEE
PULLED
off the road, shoved back his hat and peered through the windshield of his truck. “That’s a helluva steep driveway, Grady.”

“Yeah.” His brother studied the incline. “You should probably come around again and make a run at it. I’m pretty sure if you hang a right at the corner, you can circle the block.”

“I know I can. I used to date a girl who lived on the next street over. Whenever we had a fight, I’d drive that loop more than a few times until I cooled down enough to apologize.” He looked at the slope and calculated how fast he’d have to be going when he started up. At least it was July. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would create a driveway like that in Sheridan, Wyoming, unless it doubled as a toboggan run. “You’d better check the hitch and make sure the tie-downs are tight.”

“Will do.” Grady hopped out and loped back to the flatbed they were towing.

Liam wasn’t going to say it and upset Grady, but they were courting disaster hauling the loaded flatbed up that hill. His big-hearted brother had made a spectacular wedding present for his foster brother Damon Harrison, and he was determined to deliver it when nobody was home. He wanted it to be a surprise.

Years ago, Damon had been a significant role model for Grady—likely still was, judging from this wedding gift. Damon had been one of the older guys at Thunder Mountain Ranch, formerly a home for foster boys and now a student academy for everything horse-related.

Located a few miles outside Sheridan, the ranch had once provided a temporary haven for Liam and Grady while their mom recovered from a bad car accident. Damon’s determination to become a master carpenter after high school had inspired Grady to learn a trade. He’d chosen welding, a skill that had landed him a job in Alaska working on a pipeline.

He’d come back to rejoin Liam in Cody a couple of years ago with a new dream. His recycled metal sculptures had taken the local art world by storm, and he was making money hand over fist. Liam couldn’t be prouder of his little brother.

Naturally Grady had wanted to create something special for Damon and his bride Philomena. He’d welded about five hundred pounds of scrap metal into a ten-foot sculpture. Although a gallery would charge thousands for the piece, discussing the market value of his work always made Grady laugh.

He created for the love of it. When the price of his sculptures had skyrocketed, he’d asked Liam to invest the money that kept pouring in because dealing with that aspect of success wasn’t his thing. Surprises
were
his thing, though, and he desperately wanted to surprise Damon and Phil.

Liam had asked some of his river-rafting coworkers to help load the gift onto the flatbed in Cody. The trailer had a tilting mechanism, so if Liam could get it up the hill, he and Grady should be able to install the sculpture somewhere in the yard. If the spot didn’t suit Damon and Philomena, Grady could enlist some of the guys from the wedding party to help move it.

Grady climbed back in the cab. “Everything looks good. I spotted an SUV and a truck parked up by the house, though. Are you sure nobody’s there?”

“Shouldn’t be. Damon told us to meet him at the ranch, and Phil’s supposed to be in town at her bachelorette shindig.” Liam felt a stab of guilt. He’d been afraid the happy couple wouldn’t welcome a gigantic wedding gift, so he’d secretly warned Damon that something big and metallic was coming his way. Turned out Phil was a huge Grady Magee fan, so Damon heartily approved of the gift.

Grady wouldn’t have wanted to alert Damon, but Liam was used to paving the way for his kid brother, a habit he wasn’t likely to break anytime soon. Damon wouldn’t be surprised, but Philomena would be, and that was the compromise Liam had made with his conscience. “The women probably carpooled into town for Philomena’s bachelorette party.”

“That makes sense. Okay, let’s do this thing.”

“Keep your eye on the trailer.”

“I will.” Grady focused on the side mirror as they went around the block. “So far, so good.”

“Yeah, but I’ll really punch it the minute I see that driveway. If anything looks wonky, yell out.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

The driveway came into view. Liam stomped on the accelerator, and his F-350’s engine roared. He would make it up the hill, by God. Grady was counting on him.

* * *

H
OPE
C
ALDWELL
HAD
taken her glass of white wine out to the front porch swing. She was thrilled to have been invited to the wedding and to have been asked to house-sit while Phil and Damon honeymooned. It would be a fun little vacation, her first in more than a year.

She and Phil had been close in high school, but then they’d drifted apart, so reconnecting after all this time had been wonderful. She hoped Damon and Phil would spend the rest of their lives basking in wedded bliss in this adorable cabin Phil had remodeled.

In fact, the cabin had charmed the bachelorette party guests so much, they’d changed the plan. Instead of going into town, they’d made a wine run, ordered pizza, turned on some music and settled in right here. The added privacy and cozy ambiance seemed to suit everyone as wine and laughter flowed.

Hope had been fine with all of it. Then, partway through her second glass of wine, the joyous celebration morphed into a painful reminder of her crushed and mangled dreams. She’d quietly slipped outside to regroup and put her happy face back on.

While swinging lazily and sipping her wine, she heard what sounded like a heavy-duty truck stop at the end of the drive. It sat there, engine idling, as if the driver might be scoping things out. It could be the beginning of a prank orchestrated by Damon’s foster brothers, but none of them knew that the bachelorette party had changed locations.

After one and a half glasses of wine, Hope’s imagination shifted into high gear. The house was filled with wedding presents. What if some bad actors knew that and were planning to rob the place? If they had inside info, they’d think no one would be home this afternoon.

Then the truck moved on. Okay, so much for that theory. Maybe the driver was just lost. But moments later, she heard the truck again, only this time the engine was cranking.
They’d gone around the block to get a faster start up the hill.
Setting down her wineglass, she raced to the door and wrenched it open. “Phil, call the cops! Someone’s coming up here to rob you!”

Then she barreled down the steps toward the drive. Chances were they wouldn’t run over her if she stood in their way, plus they’d realize the house was occupied. She’d heard that most burglars robbed houses when the owners were gone. Throwing her arms wide, she yelled at them to stop.

The driver slammed on the brakes, both he and the other guy looking as if they’d seen a ghost. Oh, yeah, those two had definitely been up to no good! They were towing a loaded flatbed covered with a tarp to hide the stolen merchandise underneath. No doubt they’d planned on adding some wedding presents to their pile of booty.

Fists planted on her hips, she smiled in satisfaction as the truck rolled slowly backward, pulled by the weight of the trailer.

“What’s happening?” Phil’s red hair swung against her shoulders as she walked quickly over to Hope. Buzzing with excitement, the other guests followed.

“I’m positive they were after your gifts,” Hope said. “Did you call 911?”

“I did, but—”

“Robbers?” Edie, Phil’s stepmother, stared at the truck with wide eyes. “In broad daylight?” She and Phil looked enough alike to be mother and daughter, especially because Edie had colored her hair to match Phil’s.

“They thought nobody was home.” Hope watched a police cruiser pull up to block the thieves’ escape. Small towns usually had speedy law enforcement. “Caught in the act. That’ll teach them.”

Both men got out of the truck.

“Cowboys?” Lexi Simmons, one of Phil’s good friends, gazed at the two guys wearing hats, boots, jeans and yoked shirts.

“Cute ones, too,” someone added.

“Wait a minute.” Rosie Padgett, Damon’s foster mom, moved to the front of the crowd. “Those boys look mighty familiar.”

“Yeah,” Lexi said. “They look a lot like the Magee brothers.”

“Good Lord, it’s Liam and Grady!” Rosie started down the hill.

Phil gasped.
“Grady?”
She trotted after Rosie. “Are you saying I called the cops on
Grady
?”

“Isn’t Grady Magee that sculptor you love so much?” Edie hurried down the drive after them.

“Yes!” Phil tossed over her shoulder. “And a wedding guest, besides! This is
so
embarrassing.”

“But why would they just show up like this?” Hope observed the scene with growing dismay. She’d heard of Grady Magee. Everyone who lived in Cody had. She’d known he’d be at the wedding with his brother Liam. That probably meant one of Grady’s sculptures was under that tarp and
not
a bunch of stolen goods. If they were trying to bring the tarp-covered object up the drive, it might even be a wedding present for Damon and Phil. Damn it.

“Don’t feel bad.” Lexi gave her a quick hug.

“Too late.”

“Hey, they
could
have been robbers.”

“But they weren’t. And one of them is famous.” Her vivid imagination had gotten her into trouble a lot as a kid, but she hadn’t embarrassed herself like this in a long time.

“You didn’t know that, and you were bravely defending the castle. That’s admirable.” Lexi smiled. “Let’s go find out what they’re up to.”

“Okay.” Heading down to meet the Magee brothers was the last thing she wanted to do, but refusing wasn’t an option. She needed to apologize for interfering. She’d never met Grady, but she’d seen his picture in the paper. She picked him out as the one with collar-length brown hair.

He and his brother didn’t resemble each other. The closer she came to the group at the bottom of the drive, the more familiar Liam seemed. She remembered that jet-black hair and those blue eyes from somewhere. She also recognized his warm smile.

Then she placed him. He’d stopped in a few times after dropping off his rafting clients at the hotel in Cody where she worked at the concierge desk. From his subtle flirting, she’d thought he’d ask her out eventually. Even though he was temptation on a stick, she’d been rehearsing her refusal. She had no intention of getting involved with a guy. Not now, anyway, and maybe not ever again.

She probably wouldn’t need to refuse him after giving him a heart attack by standing in front of his moving truck and then bringing the law down on him. She’d be lucky if he didn’t chew her out. But what in hell had he been doing delivering a sculpture when presumably no one was home?

Unless it was supposed to be a surprise, doofus.
She sighed. That would explain everything, wouldn’t it? But spoiling the surprise wasn’t all on her, not with the party guests in the cabin this afternoon.

By the time she and Lexi had joined the gathering, the cruiser had driven away. Phil was having an animated conversation with Grady, and Liam stood there smiling with one arm around Rosie’s shoulders as everyone gave him advice about getting his truck and the loaded flatbed up the hill. Except if Hope hadn’t stood in his way, he’d have accomplished it by now.

Liam’s gaze fell on them, and he brightened. “Hey, Lex!” He moved toward Lexi, but he sent a quick smile Hope’s way as if to acknowledge that he recognized her, too. “Grady, Lexi’s here!”

As both guys converged on Lexi, Phil hurried over and put her arm around Hope. “It’s fine. They’re not upset.”

“I feel like an idiot.”

“I know, but please don’t worry about it. They’re good guys. Let me introduce you. Liam, Grady? This is my friend Hope Caldwell. We’ve known each other since ninth grade.”

“Nice to meet you, Hope.” Grady smiled as he touched the brim of his hat in a typical cowboy greeting. “I have to admit you scared the daylights out of us.”

“I know, and I’m deeply sorry. I thought—never mind what I thought.”

“Oh, we’re well aware of what you thought.” Liam’s amused voice matched the laughter in his blue eyes. “The cops made that clear. Hello, Hope. Good to see you again.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

“No, I mean it.” His gaze held hers.

Phil blinked. “You know each other?”

“Not really.” Hope scrambled to get her bearings. The warmth in Liam’s expression when he’d looked at her spoke volumes. Instead of being upset with her, he saw this coincidental meeting as a bonus. “Liam has rafting clients who stay at the hotel where I work. We’ve seen each other a few times because of that.”

“Hope’s part of the concierge staff,” Liam said. “She’s been kind enough to recommend our rafting company to hotel guests.”

“That’s because everybody raves about the experience.”

His blue eyes lit up with pleasure. “Glad to hear it! Just say the word and I’ll take you on a complimentary rafting trip. Then you can know firsthand what you’re recommending.”

Unless she was mistaken, he’d just asked her out. Sure, it was kind of business-related, but she was getting a vibe from him that was all pleasure. Even more problematic, her body was responding to that vibe. “I, um...haven’t thought about it. Maybe sometime.” She cleared her throat and glanced pointedly at the flatbed with its mysterious cargo. “Do you still want to get that up the hill?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her.

Her stomach fluttered and her pulse rate shot up. She’d have to be careful or this tall cowboy would slip right past her defenses.

“I’ve figured out it’s a surprise wedding gift for Damon and me,” Phil said. “And I can’t
wait
to see it. Oh, my god, a Grady Magee piece on my property! Can you believe it?”

“It’s the least I could do,” Grady said. “After all the encouragement Damon gave me right when I needed it.”

“Should I call him?” Phil held up her phone. “I know you wanted to surprise us, but now I think he should be here when you take the tarp off and set it up.”