Last Stand in Texas

by Robin Perini

  “Good riddance.” Stefan shot a glance at the closed door.

  “How are they doing?” Daniel asked.

  “Zoe’s a tough kid. Faith’s a tough woman. They’ll get through this.”

  “So what are you doing out here?”

  Stefan shook his head. “Nothing’s changed. Faith has her life back. I never will. I need to rendezvous with Annie soon.”

  The thought depressed him. He didn’t think he’d ever get over Faith and Zoe.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Ransom Grainger walked into the hallway.

  Stefan quirked a brow. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “I’m here for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to meet the woman who put together the research that would’ve nailed Burke Thomas if he hadn’t taken a nose dive.”

  Stefan narrowed his gaze at his boss. “What are you thinking?”

  “I can always use a good researcher in CTC. I’m planning to offer her a job.”

  “Like hell you are.”

  “What’s it to you?” Ransom said. “You’re taking off anyway. Besides, the pay’s great. I don’t think she’ll turn me down.”

  Stefan glared at his boss. “I don’t want her in danger. She needs a normal life. I don’t know one member of CTC who has a normal life.”

  “I do,” Daniel said.

  “You quit,” Stefan reminded him. “And I don’t have a choice. You know that. The Thomases outed me. My cover’s blown.”

  Ransom cleared his throat. “If you weren’t in danger, would you stay?”

  Stefan’s jaw throbbed so hard it ached. “It’s not a choice I have.”

  Ransom started to speak, but Stefan just shook his head. Before his boss could say anything, the hospital room opened.

  “How’s Zoe?” Stefan asked, placing his hands on Faith’s arms.

  Faith shook her head in bewilderment. “A few scrapes and bruises, but she’s not even fazed. She thought the whole thing was a big adventure. And of course, she and Catcher have bonded.”

  Faith smiled at Daniel. “Thanks for coming.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I guess we know where that puppy’s going. I’m glad you’re both okay.”

  Faith frowned. “I haven’t told her about her father yet. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Tell her as much of the truth as you can. Over time, you can fill in the blanks,” Daniel offered. “You’ll know what she can handle.”

  She glanced at Stefan. “She wants to see you.”

  “Sure.” Stefan followed Faith into Zoe’s room.

  “Stefan.” Zoe smiled at him. “I like your new name best of all.”

  He winced at the bruises on her head and the scrapes on her arms. “How you doing, Slugger?”

  “That’s what my mom calls me.”

  “I know. But after you escaped from that bad guy, I’ve decided it’s the perfect name for you.”

  She beamed at him. “Mommy, where’s my backpack?”

  “Here, sweetie. It’s heavy.”

  “I know. That’s what I wanted to show Stefan.” She unzipped the front pouch and pulled out a large rock.

  Stefan let out a low whistle. “Where’d you find that, Zoe?”

  “In the cave. A bunch of rocks fell and there was this tunnel. A big stack of yellow rocks were just sitting there, piled up. I almost went down that tunnel, but the ceiling was coming down.”

  “You did the right thing. Can I hold it?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She shrugged. “I’m going to keep it in my collection.”

  Stefan weighed it in his hand. “Zoe, I think this is a very large chunk of gold. Real gold.”

  Faith gasped. “You’re kidding.”

  Zoe took the stone from him. “It’s worth a lot of money? Enough for me to buy Catcher? Please, Mom. Can I have him?”

  Faith looked over at Stefan. “His bark led us to you. Of course you can keep him.”

  “Yay! I can’t wait to show Daddy. He said I could keep Catcher at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Where is he?”

  Faith cleared her throat. Stefan hurt at her struggle, but this was one thing he couldn’t protect Zoe from. She sat on her daughter’s bed. “Slugger, I have something to tell you.”

  Looking at her innocent face and open expression, Stefan tensed. He placed his hand on Faith’s shoulder and squeezed. He felt a shudder run through her, and then she stilled.

  “Zoe, your daddy was in an accident in the mountains. He got hurt. Really bad.”

  Zoe bowed her head. “Is he in the hospital?”

  “No, honey.” Faith pulled Zoe into her lap. “Zoe, your daddy is gone. He didn’t make it off the mountain.”

  Zoe looked at her, eyes tearing up. “I won’t ever see him again?”

  Faith hugged her close. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  Zoe cried for several minutes. She bit her lip and looked over at Stefan. “Was my daddy a bad man?”

  “What do you think, Zoe?” Stefan asked, his voice quiet. He didn’t want to lie to Zoe, but he didn’t want her to hear the truth. Not yet.

  “He gave me to that bad man. That wasn’t nice.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Stefan knelt down next to her. “My dad did some bad things, Zoe. But I still loved him. It’s okay to still love him.”

  Tears fell down her cheeks and she leaned into Stefan. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on her hair. God, he was going to miss her.

  He met Faith’s gaze over Zoe’s head. He was going to miss them both so much, his heart might never be the same.

  * * *

  FAITH’S HEART BROKE for Zoe. She rested her hand on Zoe’s head as her daughter hugged Stefan. He cradled her daughter close. Tears welled behind Faith’s eyes.

  Stefan had kept his promise. He’d saved them both. She nestled next to them on the bed. They sat there for a few minutes, just being quiet. No words were necessary.

  It was over.

  Faith didn’t know how long they sat there when a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. “Miss Zoe. The doctor wants to do an X-ray of that arm.”

  Zoe lifted her head from Stefan’s chest and bit her lip. “Will it hurt?”

  “Not at all. You just have to lie there and he’ll take a picture.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Faith offered.

  “I have to be a big girl.” Zoe lifted her chin. “I can do it by myself, Mom.”

  Faith didn’t know what to say to that. She and her daughter were so alike. Faith wanted Zoe to grow into a self-sufficient young woman, but not so she wouldn’t let herself accept help when she needed it.

  She looked over at Stefan. He’d taught her that sometimes you could actually count on someone else to have your back.

  Stefan ruffled Zoe’s hair. “You don’t have to do everything on your own, Zoe. We all need help sometimes.”

  “Not you.”

  “Even me. How about your mom and I come with you?”

  “I can do it myself. I’m not scared.”

  Stefan raised his brow. “What if we want to be with you because we missed you?”

  Zoe let out a long sigh. “I guess that’s okay.”

  The nurse chuckled, but Faith caught a bit of relief in her daughter’s eyes.

  Zoe winced as she got out of bed. The large bruise showing from the sleeve of her hospital gown had grown even darker purple.

  “That arm looks like it hurts, Slugger.”

  “It’s okay, Mommy. The water shoved me into the rocks. Or it coulda been when I fell in the hole. Lots of stuff happened in that cave.”

  “You’ve got a tough daughter,” the nurse said.

  “I know.” Faith smiled down at Zoe. “She’s the best.”

  The nurse wheeled Zoe out of the room. Faith
and Stefan followed.

  “Well, it’s clear both of you love her very much,” the nurse said. “I may be old-fashioned, but that’s always the best medicine.”

  Faith’s gaze flew to Stefan’s. Did they really look like a family?

  When they reached the X-ray room door, the nurse stopped them. She wheeled Zoe inside. When the door closed, Faith sighed. “Is she handling all this too well?”

  “I don’t know. She’s something else, that’s for sure.”

  Faith sat down, and Stefan moved a chair around to face her. He took her hands in his. “Look, I don’t know how much longer I can stay. The men who want to kill me will start coming. You and Zoe need to be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

  “You’re leaving? Now?”

  “I have to. I don’t have a choice, Faith.”

  She bit down on her lip. “You know, I’ve just realized my daughter is braver than I am.” She met his gaze. “So I’m just going to ask. If things were different, would you want to stay with us?”

  Stefan touched her cheek gently. “Oh, yeah. You and Zoe brought me back to life, Faith. I was dead inside before you came into my world.”

  She took in a shallow breath. “Then take us with you. Nothing is stopping you.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t let you give up everything. It’s not fair to you. Or to Zoe. She needs a future, not a life on the run.”

  Faith couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. “I love you, Stefan.”

  She held her breath. He closed his eyes, then opened them. “I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know. That’s why I can’t let you come with me, Faith. You and Zoe deserve a normal life. A happy life.”

  “Zoe and I deserve to be loved. And that’s you.” She grabbed his hand and held it to her heart. “I’ve never met a man who was willing to drop everything just to help two strangers. You saw we were in trouble and didn’t take no for an answer. Why won’t you accept the same from me?”

  Stefan groaned, rose from the chair and pulled her close. His body trembled against hers. She couldn’t believe she made him shake with longing.

  He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks and finally her lips before holding her against him. “I shouldn’t. It won’t be fair to you.”

  “Leaving us isn’t fair, either.”

  The nurse wheeled the chair back out. Zoe looked from her mom back to Stefan. She smiled. “I like you like that.”

  “We’ll take her back to her room,” he said as he cleared his throat, his voice rough with emotion.

  “The doctor will be up soon to give you the results,” the nurse said.

  Stefan wheeled Zoe down the hall while Faith walked beside her.

  “Slugger,” Faith asked. “What would you think if we went with Stefan when he leaves here?”

  She frowned. “Could we take Catcher?”

  “Of course.”

  “And you’d be there, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Forever?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Zoe grinned. “I like that idea. He makes your eyes smile, Mom. And you always look happy.”

  Stefan knelt down in front of her. “Zoe, there’s a catch. If you come with me, we can’t see our friends again. We’ll start a new life.”

  “But you’ll be there? You promise? You’ll take care of Mom so she’s not alone and sad anymore?”

  Stefan met Faith’s gaze. “I’ll take care of both of you. I promise.”

  Zoe grinned. “Okay. We can do that. As long as we have a backyard.”

  Epilogue

  The crisp air on the Triple C Ranch was soaked with a hint of pine and cinnamon. Christmas had its own special aroma. Stefan hadn’t thought about such things in, well, ever, but Zoe had brought the fact out to him, so...

  He paced back and forth in the small room where he waited.

  A soft knock sounded at the door and his best man walked in. Daniel Adams grinned. “I’ve seen you waiting to infiltrate a terrorist organization and be less nervous than this.”

  Stefan frowned. “After five months hiding out, testifying against Orren, and learning how many women Burke brutalized over the years, Ransom’s got our second set of new identities ready, but this time it’ll be permanent. No going back. I just don’t know if Faith and Zoe really understand what this change will mean. Zoe will miss her grandmother. The poor woman lost her family and had no idea what was going on. The truth is, I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing taking them away from everything they know.”

  Daniel shook his head. “How about you trust your soon-to-be wife to make that decision?”

  “She loves me,” Stefan said, still unnerved by that fact. “She wants to be with me wherever I am.”

  “Definitely a crazy woman who doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Daniel said with a smile. “And what about you? Can you imagine your life without her?”

  Just the words made Stefan’s heart twist. “She brought me back to life.”

  “Then quit worrying. I’ll tell you from experience, whatever your name is, wherever your life, it won’t be perfect, but it’ll be an adventure.”

  Daniel left the room, but Stefan couldn’t let the doubts recede. He had to give her one more chance. One more opportunity to come to her senses, even if she shattered his heart in the process. He loved her too much not to give her the chance to live a normal life.

  He peeked out into the foyer of CTC’s headquarters. He heard a lot of voices. The house was filled with his friends and coworkers. Surprising how many he’d made over the years.

  Faith was just down the hall getting help from Mrs. Hargraves, Raven and a couple other CTC wives.

  He walked quietly down the hallway and tapped lightly on the door.

  “Come in,” Faith said.

  He walked inside and his breath stopped.

  She stood before him, shoulders bare, lace hugging her body and flowing to the floor in a pool of iridescence. She was his dream. He swallowed and the sound seemed to echo through the room.

  Her eyes grew wide, frantic. “What are you doing here?”

  “I have no idea,” he said. “You are...more than beautiful.”

  She flushed, pink lacing her cheeks. “Thank you. Burke...uh, Burke picked out a poofy, pastry-shaped monstrosity. Marrying you. This is my fairy tale.”

  Stefan knew he should walk away, but he couldn’t. He took her hands in his. “Last chance for a normal life.”

  She tilted her head. “I have no doubts.” She frowned at his transparent expression. “Do you?”

  “Every moment of every day. I want you and Zoe to be happy. What if we have to move during the middle of baseball season?”

  “Then we’ll survive. As long as we’re together. Whatever else happens, we’ll take as it comes.”

  He leaned down and kissed her lips, feeling the warmth under his mouth. “I have something for you,” he whispered.

  “We can’t.” She grinned. “Not before the wedding.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. “I found this for you. I wanted you to have it back.” He tilted the fabric and a small silver ring dropped into his hand. The traditional wedding ring had two small diamonds on either side of a modest square-cut.

  Faith gasped. “It can’t be. I pawned Mama’s ring.” Her gaze flew to his. “How could you have possibly found it?”

  “It took a little searching, and a little bit of digging where you’d been from Zoe.”

  Her hands trembled as she slipped the ring on her right hand. “Thank you, Stefan. I can’t—”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I’d do anything for you and Zoe.”

  “I never had a doubt.” She straightened. “So, are you going to marry me and then disappear into the eth
er? I’m ready if you are.”

  “Well, I’m not.”

  Stefan whirled around. He couldn’t believe who was standing there in the doorway, looking every inch a royal. “Kat?”

  Queen Katherine of Bellevaux grinned and raced across the room to hug him tight. “Did you think I was going to let my big brother get married without the family?”

  Two six-year-olds ran across the room. “Hi, Uncle Stefan. ’Member me? I’m Hayden.”

  “I’m Lanie,” a precious little blond-haired girl said, hugging his leg. “Mama told us all about you. You’re a hero.” She looked up at Faith. “You’re dressed like a fairy princess.” She straightened. “Did you know I’m a princess, too?”

  Stefan froze. “What are you doing here? It’s not safe.”

  “Don’t worry... Stefan,” Logan Carmichael said as he stepped into the room, holding a year-old cutie pie in his arms. The man who’d married his sister, who’d become Prince Consort of Bellevaux.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Ransom Grainger walked in.

  “Well, everyone, just come on in,” Stefan said.

  Logan handed his daughter to his wife. “The last few years we’ve been working to break up the group who put the hit out on you. We captured Chanteaux last week. There’s nobody left who wants you dead, Stefan. You can come home.”

  He staggered back. “Home?” He looked at Faith. She appeared to be in a state of shock. He definitely was.

  “But—”

  “I’ll step aside, Stefan. Logan and I have discussed it. The throne is yours if you want it.”

  Stefan’s mind whirled with shock. Throne.

  “No, Katherine. Our people have embraced you and Logan. You’ve already done so much good. Besides, I never wanted to be king. If I have to legally abdicate, I will, but I want a normal life.” He kissed Faith’s hand. “With the woman I love.”

  “You’re still a prince,” Kat reminded him.

  “What’s going on?” a voice demanded. Zoe stood there, dressed in a tuxedo, not a hint of lace anywhere. A large reddish dog hovered by her side.