A CALLAHAN CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

by Tina Leonard

  * * *

  GALEN STARED AT the text from Rose, his heart literally seeming to jump for joy. Riley may get to come home for Christmas! He’s gained four ounces!

  That would be the best Christmas present ever—and moreover, it would make his wife the happiest woman on the planet. She’d asked him to take her Christmas shopping, but he hadn’t wanted to tire her. Now he felt the Christmas spirit himself, and it had nothing to do with Fiona’s ball tonight.

  He gazed up at the moon, grateful beyond words that his son was beginning to thrive. It had been such a hard battle to see that tiny body behind the glass, and know there was nothing he could do to help him. How powerless he’d felt. Galen had fought many battles in his life, had seen many hard things, and as a physician, he was no stranger to both the frailty and strength of the human body.

  It had been so devastating to know that his son hovered between life and death, and only the spirits of his ancestors and his own fight for survival were his tools. “My strong-hearted son,” Galen murmured. “Like a lion.”

  He wrote, What a miracle that would be, and sent the text, his soul no longer heavy and foglike. He felt strong again, hopeful.

  After he helped at the charity ball tonight, he was going home to his wife and children. Tomorrow he would take her shopping in Tempest—Santa Fe, if she wanted—and let her browse to her heart’s content.

  He heard a sound behind him as he dismounted from his horse, and glanced around at the shadows. His imagination flared with suspicion. As Grandfather had said, there were so many people on the ranch now. The tunnels really had been a shock to the Diablo community as a whole, not just the Callahans.

  Galen took the saddle and blanket off his horse, replaced the bridle with a lead rope. Washed just the saddle area because of the cold, keeping the bath brief, then dried the horse thoroughly before putting a nice warm blanket on him for the night. A groom came to take over, and Galen nodded his thanks. He stepped out of the barn, noticing that the snow around the entrance was well-trampled despite the fresh flakes falling. There was red splattered about, drops of it, a strange thing to see in glare of the yard lights. He bent down to look at the spots, and pain exploded in his head.

  * * *

  ROSE SMILED AT the text she received from Fiona. Tell Galen duty calls.

  She wrote back, He won’t let you down. Try to keep the ladies away from my husband.

  He’s not here. Late as usual, I might add.

  Rose shook her head. Galen had left Tempest hours ago. She couldn’t imagine why he wasn’t already helping set up at the Christmas ball. Glancing at the clock, she went to check on the babies. They’d been fussy for the last hour, which was strange for them, because neither Mack nor Ross were fussy babies. “What is going on with you two tonight? You’ve cried more in the last hour than you have since you were born!”

  She rubbed their tiny backs soothingly and they relaxed a little, curling toward each other a bit more. They were so darling and sweet. Rose couldn’t wait until Riley came home and the three of them could sleep together. She’d made an appointment with a photographer to come and take a family photo the day after Christmas—just in case Riley did get released from the hospital.

  She jumped when her cell phone rang. “Hello, Fiona.”

  “Is Galen there?” his aunt demanded without social niceties—which was very weird for chatty Fiona. Rose glanced at the digital clock beside the bed. It was ten o’clock.

  “He’s not, Fiona. He left hours ago. Isn’t it time for the bidding?”

  “Yes! And that’s why I need him here. Someone’s got to help me corral these folks. We’ve got a bumper crop of attendees, and Galen’s organizational skills are needed. There are brides and bidders galore.”

  “Okay,” Rose said, trying to soothe the obviously frazzled aunt. “Have you tried his cell? Because we texted each other not that long ago. Maybe an hour.”

  “Of course! He’s not answering, he’s not picking up. If you hear from him, will you tell him he’s out of my will if he doesn’t get here pronto?”

  The phone went dead, and Rose smiled. “Your great-aunt is in quite the froth tonight. Kind of like you guys. Must be something in the air.”

  But the babies were calm for the moment, so Rose went to the other room to try Galen’s phone again. He didn’t pick up, but sometimes cell service was spotty in some areas of Diablo. She sent a text, and settled in front of the fireplace with a scarf she was knitting for him for Christmas.

  Thirty minutes later, she received another frantic text from Fiona. Hear anything from my tardy nephew?

  Unease crept into Rose. She glanced at her father when he walked into the den to toss a couple logs onto the fire.

  “Galen’s not at the charity ball.”

  Mack looked up at her, then went back to situating the logs the way he wanted them in the grate. “Probably got caught with some ranch duties. The place is crawling with Feds and reporters and gawkers, too, I imagine, with the shindig tonight. Folks from out of town are always curious to see the Callahan castle.”

  Rose nodded. “I know you’re right, and yet I can’t help being uneasy. And the babies were restless tonight. They’re not usually cranky.”

  Mack came to sit beside her, patted her leg. “Babies fuss sometimes. I wouldn’t worry.”

  “Husbands don’t go missing,” Rose said. “At least mine doesn’t.”

  “Now that is a bit more of a curiosity,” Mack said. “Galen’s pretty good about staying in touch, I agree. He usually rings me up if he can’t find you.”

  Galen had been known to send up a flare if he didn’t get a response from her in five to ten minutes. She’d teased him once about being a worrywart, and he’d said that she was his wife and a free spirit—he couldn’t trust what she might do when he wasn’t around to keep an eye on her. Then he’d kissed her, and lured her with his rascal smile, and she’d dragged him off to bed to do things to him she knew he liked.

  “I’m scared, Dad.”

  “Well,” Mack said, thoughtfully rubbing the ankle he’d rested over his other knee, “I can call Sheriff Cartwright over in Diablo. Tell him we’re missing a Callahan. No doubt he and his deputies are at the party. He’ll probably have seen your man.”

  She combed through every possible scenario of why Galen might not be at the ball. “I know he had every intention of helping Fiona with her big event. It’s the Callahan pride and joy, besides their weddings.” The more she talked about it, the more strange it seemed that Galen wasn’t with his aunt. “Even if a horse was foaling, or the house was on fire, he’d call his aunt. Those two get on each other’s nerves, but in the end, they’re like two hands that need each other to clap.”

  He patted her knee and rose. “I’ll give Cartwright a buzz. You sit there and knit that scarf and stay warm. Everything’s fine, I’m sure, but caution is even finer.”

  Rose told herself nothing was wrong—but fear settled over her, telling her something was very, terribly wrong.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Galen looked sourly at the seven thugs surrounding him in the dim cave. He could feel a goose egg knotting at the back of his skull, and his feet and hands were bound.

  When he got free, he was going to kick some uncle ass—no matter what Running Bear said about not hurting Wolf.

  “You’re the first true Callahan we’ve gotten our hands on. My brother Carlos’s bloodline,” Wolf said gleefully. “We’ve been hunting big game, and you’re just about the biggest.”

  Wolf’s right-hand man, Rhein, grinned. “Only Ashlyn or Running Bear would be bigger. Still, you’re a trophy fish, Callahan.” Rhein kicked dirt at Galen, sending puffs of dust over his boots. Rhein had a hearty laugh at his expense, and Galen decided right then and there that his was yet another butt that needed a thorough kicking.

/>   “Don’t know what you’re going to solve having me as your guest,” Galen said.

  “It’s very simple.” Wolf squatted down to where he lay on the ground. “One of you knows where Carlos and Julia are. Maybe you even know where Jeremiah and Molly are. The cartel wants blood since my brothers turned them in, and they’ve patiently waited for it.”

  Galen was the only one who knew where his parents were; even Fiona didn’t know that. Running Bear knew, but he would die before he revealed his sons’ location. And Galen was no different. “I always thought my parents were dead. And I know nothing about Molly and Jeremiah. I never met them.”

  Wolf smiled. “I have the strangest feeling you’re lying, nephew.”

  “What difference does the past make?” Galen asked. “According to a few law enforcement agencies, there are enough tunnels under that farmer’s property to open up interstate commerce. You have no reason to still be concerned with my parents. Clearly, you’ve managed to achieve your goals.”

  Wolf laughed. “You didn’t really think the cartel had gone away just because my brothers had big mouths? They didn’t solve anything when they informed on them. The cartel just went underground, got stronger.”

  “So what’s their game?”

  “This is the easiest route to move goods that they want to get to market.”

  “Drugs,” Galen said flatly.

  “Drugs, weapons, other things.” His uncle smiled. “Once I take over Rancho Diablo, this will be a thriving hub for a business far more profitable than selling a few head of cattle a year.”

  “You won’t get Rancho Diablo.”

  “I’m Running Bear’s last son. Of course I’ll get Rancho Diablo. You have no claim to it. None of you do. It’s in your Callahan cousins’ hands, thanks to Fiona. But they’ve been gone for years, letting you do their dirty work. I’ll eventually get it.” Wolf smiled. “Don’t be surprised when I do, because I told you it would happen. And it will be easier than you think.”

  Galen made no comment. Wolf couldn’t understand the bonds of family. Galen knew his siblings felt the same as he did: they were proud to stand with each other. The Callahan cousins would do the same for them.

  Anything less than a fight would never be an option.

  * * *

  MACK CAME INTO the kitchen, glanced at the teapot Rose had on the table and the fresh bread and blackberries she’d put on some plates nearby. He sat down and took the mug she offered.

  “It’s after midnight. Aren’t you going to sleep?” Mack asked.

  “I can’t, Dad. I’m worried about Galen. I think about Riley. I want my family together.” She shook her head. “I figure if I fall asleep, the babies will wake up soon enough and need to be fed. Might as well not lie in bed and stare at the ceiling.”

  “Heard anything from Diablo?” He helped himself to some of the fresh-baked cinnamon bread.

  “Just that it was a bumper year for bids. The bride-a-thon was very popular. Jace drew quite the crowd, and apparently Ash was the knockout favorite.” Rose smiled. “Somer called to say that Galen had gotten her out of jail, which she wanted to thank me for, but she’s released on her own recognizance and backed by Galen, so it had nothing to do with me.”

  Rose planned to show Galen just how much she appreciated him listening to her and believing her about Somer’s innocence. She loved him all the more for his kindness and loyalty on her behalf.

  “Ash was so annoyed to have to participate she could barely be nice to the bidders” Rose added. “But apparently at the last second, an anonymous bid came in that knocked all the others out of the running.”

  Mack smiled. “Anonymous?”

  “Fiona thinks Ash rigged it, that she had a friend phone in with funds Ash put up herself. She swears she did no such thing, and can’t imagine who the knockout bid could be from.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter in the end. Fiona gets her funds for her projects in Diablo, and Ash doesn’t have to sit through a date with a guy she doesn’t want to talk to.”

  “I guess so.” Rose got up to look out the window, even though it was so dark she couldn’t see a thing. “A woman from Tempest won Jace, but I haven’t heard the name of the lucky winner yet.”

  “I’m sure you’ll hear plenty soon enough.”

  She couldn’t imagine why Galen had never shown up for his family’s big social event. The planning always took months, and since he’d been a participant in the bachelor raffle before, he knew very well how much the Christmas charity ball meant to Fiona. “It’s just not like Galen to be AWOL.”

  “Sheriff Cartwright’s got everybody keeping an eye out for him. They’ll find him. I know he’s never very far away from you and the boys, so I’m not worried.”

  Rose couldn’t be comforted by her father’s words. Turning away from the window, she sat again, trying to breathe through the knot that had formed in her throat. Her nerves were strung tight as wires.

  “So you’re talking to Somer?” Mack looked at her. “Are you that convinced of her innocence?”

  “You say she didn’t attack you.”

  “It wasn’t her,” he agreed. “But Galen’s still suspicious.”

  “Galen’s suspicious of everyone in general, and I can’t blame him.” Her stomach rolled as the minutes drifted by. Somer had also said Galen never made it to the ball, but no one had mentioned seeing him at Rancho Diablo before that, either.

  Which meant he hadn’t made it there.

  “Would you mind if I went to Rancho Diablo, Dad?”

  “I think you’ll feel better if you do.” He got up, reached for her coat. “But I want you to be safe on the roads.”

  “I will be.” She let him help her put the coat on. “It’s not that I think I can do anything—”

  “I know.”

  “It’s the waiting—”

  “I know,” Mack said. “I feel the same way. Go.”

  “There’s frozen breast milk—”

  “Rose, honey, I know. I raised you, and I can watch two little babies for a few hours. Go.” He grinned at her. “The three of us fellows are going to bond a little while you’re gone. And there’s a couple of football games I taped that I wanted to review,” he added with a teasing smile. “Me and the boys are going to take in some games and get our strategy on for the next playoff. It’s important that they learn early about football, rodeo and ranching.”

  She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “It’s fine,” Mack said, following her to the door and walking her out to her truck. He helped her knock some of the snow off it and made sure the windshield wipers weren’t frozen. “Galen’s going to yell my ears off for letting you go, but a woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do.”

  “He’ll probably yell my ears off, too.” She couldn’t worry about that right now. “I’ll be back soon.”

  * * *

  ROSE DIDN’T BOTHER going to the ball in Diablo’s town square. She went straight to Rancho Diablo. If Galen wasn’t at Fiona’s big party, then he was at the ranch and out of reach.

  The sheriff could have overlooked the attic or the basement or a hundred other nooks and crannies in the huge castlelike mansion. Galen’s siblings would have been more thorough in their search, but Ash had been at the ball being bid on, as had Jace, and the rest of the brothers had been stretched thin.

  Rose would feel better if she could check Rancho Diablo for herself. She combed his room, the attic, the basement and everywhere in between. The house was quiet with everybody at the ball. In the living room, a Christmas tree glowed with tiny colored lights and tons of ornaments—a testament to Fiona’s love of the holidays.

  Rose went out to the barn and checked for his horse. It was in its stall, which meant he was somewhere on the massive property.

 
Maybe she was overthinking this. Wolf had been inclined to kidnap women—and Galen wouldn’t be an easy target. He was big, wide-shouldered, strong.

  An uneasy tickle ran along her spine.

  She dialed Jace’s mobile phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Jace, it’s Rose.”

  “Hello, my sister-in-law. I did the family proud. The ladies bid me up to—”

  “Jace,” she said, interrupting his bragging, “have you seen Galen?”

  “No, I haven’t, and Fiona’s none too pleased. She was expecting all hands on deck tonight.”

  “His horse is in the barn.”

  “That’s odd,” Jace said. “Hey, Ash! Do you know where our knuckleheaded big brother is?”

  “Galen?” Rose heard her say. “He’s not been here all night, and the plucky aunt is fit to be plucked.”

  “I’m really worried,” Rose said. She glanced around in the dark, seeing a few ranch hands walking around, but none she recognized. “It’s not like him to not be in touch.”

  “Where are you?” Jace demanded.

  “At Rancho Diablo.”

  “Alone?”

  “Yes,” Rose said. “And I feel like something’s wrong....”

  “I’ll be right there,” Jace said. “Stay in the house and lock the doors.”

  He hung up, and she hurried to the main house, locked herself in and waited, her heart pounding. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her after the stresses of the past few months. Her father had warned her in the beginning that life with a Callahan wouldn’t be easy—but actually, life with Galen was very easy in so many ways, one being that he was never hard to reach by phone. As Mack had said tonight, if Galen couldn’t get hold of her for five minutes, he rang her dad to check on her.

  She sat in front of the fireplace near the Christmas tree and tried to concentrate on the pretty ornaments and the many splendidly wrapped presents. Most were for the Callahan children, given that there were so many kids in the family.