by Geri Krotow
Alastair couldn’t read Halle’s expression, couldn’t see what she was thinking. Until Brannigan jerked at Jimbo’s voice.
“Listen to him, Brannigan. Let her go or you’ll have nothing to deal with.”
“Do you think I care?” Brannigan sneered and tugged on Halle again. This time she didn’t make a sound. Alastair fought back panic that he was cutting off her air. And the baby’s oxygen, too.
Alastair’s hands ached to be around Brannigan’s throat. He watched the coward talk, made eye contact with Halle. She could read his thoughts, he knew it.
You’re safe, babe. I’ve got you and the baby.
“You all think you can talk your way out of this.” Brannigan snarled. “Look at you, Jimbo, all full of yourself in that scout uniform. If you were doing your job right I wouldn’t be able to get around the county the way I do. While you were all conducting criminal investigations, I was helping to plan my boss’s next move. I’m making myself a millionaire. Do you think I’ll give any of that up for you? Do you think it would pain me to knife Halle Ford and leave her here?” He used his knee to hit Halle’s leg, making her stumble as he held her neck tight. She coughed.
Alastair raised his rifle and took aim.
“Go ahead and pull the trigger, Buchanan. I’ll move her so that you hit her just right.”
He looked at Halle’s eyes. What did she want him to do?
“Hang on, Alastair. Halle knows what to do.” Jimbo’s quiet murmur reached him and he prayed the sheriff was right.
* * *
Halle allowed the vile creature holding the knife against her throat to keep talking as she consciously forced her limbs, her body, to relax. It was a risk, as the knife’s blade could easily slip into her skin if Brannigan lost control. But he was too wrapped up in his argument with Alastair and Jimbo, which was to her advantage. She caught the frightened yet determined energy in Alastair’s eyes and made sure he was staring at her when she winked. She knew Jimbo understood what she was going to do.
Exactly what he’d taught in community workshops every spring since he’d been deputized.
As Brannigan shouted at Alastair, she pulled on his forearm with all her might, bit into his wrist and landed a solid heel dig to his instep. His grip on her loosened and the knife hung loosely from his hand. She used the millisecond to knock the knife away and drove her free elbow into his solar plexus. When he doubled over, she turned and kneed him in the groin. The beefy thug who was Brannigan teetered on his boots and Halle shoved his shoulder to hasten his topple.
She didn’t wait to see him hit the dirt but instead turned toward the men and ran straight for Alastair, who was already there, already scooping her up in his arms, his fingers through her hair, holding her to him.
Chapter 22
The next few hours were a blur to Halle. She witnessed Brannigan James placed in handcuffs and into the back of the sheriff’s car while EMTs tended to her scrapes and insisted she go to the ER. Alastair’s worried expression punctuated it all. He never left her side, even when the EMTs put her in the air ambulance as a precaution.
She watched her husband’s face as the flashing lights on the ground grew tiny and the helo’s lights emphasized the grooves around his mouth, the grim set of his shoulders. Halle squeezed his hand, as he’d not let go of hers since she’d wrapped her arms around him after escaping Brannigan.
“Hey.” Her voice was too soft for Alastair to hear over the din of the rotors. She slid a quick glance to the EMT, who was tending to her IV of saline solution. They’d told her it was a precaution, more for the baby than her.
Their baby. He or she appeared to be okay. They had to be.
“Hey, Buchanan.” She spoke up this time, and was rewarded with the glint of his eyes, the initial warmth that flamed bright before something darker dimmed it. “Want to tell me what you’re thinking about?”
He looked out the window before returning his gaze to hers. “There’s nothing to say. You’re alive, the baby’s safe, that’s all that matters.” Alastair spoke like a robot, as if the lines were part of a script.
What about us? Will we be okay? She wanted to ask him but it wasn’t fair to do so when there was only one answer that would work for her.
“We saved ourselves with your help, Alastair.”
“You had no help from me. None at all.”
“Is that what’s bothering you? That you weren’t able to take out Brannigan with a single shot? That would have been insane, Alastair. You could have hurt the baby doing that.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
She moved her free hand to stroke the top of his as he held her other hand but was brought up short by the IV line.
“Please keep your arm here for now. Once we’re at the hospital, you’ll have a regular line and usual mobility.” The EMT was young, but her voice was backed by professional training and experience.
“I understand.” Halle looked at Alastair, willed him to meet her gaze. But his eyes remained resolutely on the bright lights of Austin as they flew in toward the hospital’s landing pad. Her billionaire Scotsman was upset and wouldn’t let her inside his thoughts. If he wouldn’t give her a glimpse of what was going on in that brilliant mind of his, how was she ever going to break into his heart?
“Here we go. Hang on, just a few more secs.” The EMT spoke as the chopper touched down with the barest of bumps. It was certainly smoother than the ride in Brannigan’s old car had been.
“And we’re home.” The pilot spoke over his shoulder as he powered down the blades and Halle was whisked off and lifted onto a full hospital bed atop the roof. She knew it was probably the best view of Austin anywhere but Alastair was all that mattered to her.
“You’ll stay with me, right?” She tugged on his sleeve.
“Of course.”
True to his word, he walked alongside the gurney and into the elevator. Harsh fluorescent lighting only emphasized the obvious distress he was under, written in every line on his face. His dear, dear face.
She had to get through to him.
* * *
“Everything looks great with you, Mrs. Buchanan. All that remains is to do an ultrasound of the baby.” The attending physician snapped her electronic tablet closed. “They’ll be coming to take you to Radiology within a few minutes.”
“Thank you. I was due for one next week, anyhow.”
Attendants came and unlocked the brakes on her bed. As they wheeled her gurney into the ultrasound room, Alastair let go of her hand and stood aside. She’d hoped to get him to agree to find out the sex with her. As soon as the orderlies left them alone Halle turned to him. “Should we find out if it’s a boy or girl? I told your Gram I’d wait to find out, but now I’m so excited to know.”
“It’s up to you.” His clipped tone broke something inside of her.
“Damn it, Alastair, it’s up to you, too. We’re a family.” She reached for him and he held her hand. Whatever he was going to say had to wait as the ultrasound technician entered.
“Evening, folks. Let me get my machine warmed up and as soon as we have an image I’ll call the doctor in.” The tech busied herself with the equipment and Halle watched Alastair, waited for him to respond.
“You’ll feel the cold, slippery gel now.” A squirt of the ultrasound paddle fluid was spread over her growing belly and Halle blinked back tears. Fine. She’d been on her own long enough. If Alastair wanted this arrangement to go back to strictly business, she’d do it.
“Here we go.” The tech moved the paddle around on Halle’s belly, which put pressure on her full bladder. She grimaced.
“Are you okay?” Alastair was right there, his hand again grasping hers, his face near enough to kiss.
“Fine. I just have to pee.”
The tech smiled. “Sorry
about that. A full bladder allows us to see the baby more clearly.” She glided the paddle to a spot and then enlarged the screen. “See that? That’s the heartbeat.” She pointed, and then explained the various organs that Halle could only make out as shadows and shapes. “We’re ready for the doctor in room three.” The tech spoke into a mic attached to her smock.
“Do you want to know the sex?”
Halle sucked in a breath and took the biggest risk yet. She looked at Alastair. “Do we?”
“Why not?” He had his CEO game face on, staring at the screen.
“Here we go. Here are the legs,” the tech droned on. Halle would look at the photos later. Right now the best show in the house was her husband’s face. As they waited for the baby’s sex to be revealed, his demeanor morphed from steely to tough, inquisitive to interested, and then, miraculously, to awe.
“Oh my God.” His voice was husky, all masks dropped. But that wasn’t what had Halle transfixed. It was the tear that wound its way down his cheek, over his chiseled jaw, and dripped onto their joined hands. “It’s our baby, Halle.”
“Yes.”
He tore his eyes from the baby’s image and looked at her. “Will you ever forgive me? Will you give me a second chance?”
“Forgive you? For not shooting at us and risking everything? There’s nothing to forgive. You saved us. But I won’t forgive you if you walk away from this.”
“I could never leave you.” His lips met hers in a tender, sweet caress that meant more than any legal documents or even their wedding vows. “I love you, Halle. You’re not getting rid of me.”
“It’s mutual, Alastair.”
A cough as the tech cleared her throat. “Um, would you like to know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
They both startled, then laughed.
“It’s up to my wife, but I’d sure like to know. Unless you still need incentive to make it through labor.” North Sea blue eyes on her, lit with the same hope she felt blossoming in her heart.
“Are we sure we want to know?” Her voice came out as a whisper.
“Absolutely.” He kissed her, and she wished they were alone. Except they did need an answer.
Tears ran down Halle’s cheeks. Tears of joy, of the hope that burst open her heart as she’d never experienced.
Hope for the future. A future with Alastair.
* * *
“Here.” Alastair placed a paper cup of tea in her hands the minute Halle exited the sheriff’s conference room. It had been a long two weeks but she’d made her last statements, signed all the paperwork needed for the county DA to put Brannigan away for good. She sniffed the steaming liquid.
“What kind is this?”
“Lemon ginger. They have a surprisingly large assortment of herbal teas. And yes, I checked for any unsafe-for-pregnancy ingredients. And no, there weren’t any.” Alastair took the plastic bucket seat next to hers and put his arm around her shoulders as she sipped, her mouth dry after giving her report to the investigators. “How are you holding up?”
“Besides the Frankenstein bandages?” She referred to the butterfly wrappings that dotted her throat where Brannigan’s knife had dug. “I’m good.” Halle allowed herself to lean into Alastair. His strength, warmth and promise of tomorrow. Not that she needed that—oh, who was she kidding? She snorted.
“What’s so funny?” He nestled his chin atop her head, pulling her closer.
“I thought the way we got together, then married, was unique, not to mention quick. But what’s been incredible is how we’ve finally come together as a team and as husband and wife. When you think about it, a lot has happened over the past couple of months.”
“Try the last two weeks.” He’d already apologized and she wasn’t going back to how poorly they’d both behaved.
“Why don’t we do something a little different? As soon as we can, I’d like to have our closest friends and family over for a sex announcement party.”
“Okay, you’re losing me here—I think they know we’ve already had sex, Halle.”
She fake-punched his shoulder. “You always have sex on the brain. No, a sex reveal party. Where we all find out the gender of the baby.”
“Is it okay if my family comes?”
“Of course, but that’s an awfully long way to come for a small get-together.”
“They won’t mind.”
“You know what? With Christmas in two weeks, it will be a perfect time to do it. Can you have them come for the long weekend? Do they like roast beef or ham? Or is anyone vegan, gluten-free? Wait—where will we put them all?” Gram was down-to-earth enough, as were Alastair’s parents, but still, she didn’t think they’d fancy bunking it in the barn. They’d have to stay at a hotel in Austin when they visited.
“About that. I wanted to wait until we solved all of the drama, which apparently we have.” He looked guilty.
“What is it?”
“I never want you to think I didn’t tell you what’s going on, ever again. My lawyers have assured me that SullaXS is directly linked to Brannigan and Livia Colton, and that they’re going to have to relinquish the shares they gobbled up. The district attorney is forcing Brannigan’s hand in exchange for a plea bargain against Livia Colton. My lawyers are weighing in and part of his plea bargain will be to sell the shares back to me. Once we catch Livia Colton.”
“That’s great news! And she will be caught.” Halle kissed him but he still had a closed look on his face. As if he was afraid to tell her something else. “What is it, Alastair?”
“I took the liberty to hire an architect.” At her widened eyes he held up his hands. “Don’t worry—she’s local and familiar with the kind of house you like.”
“A new house? This is the only house I need.”
“Of course it is. But as our family grows, I thought you might prefer something with modern conveniences. Especially when you come back from a trail ride.”
“Go on.”
“We can keep the ranch house as it is, and it can still be the center of your business. Or it can be converted to guest quarters. It’s your call.”
“You’re right. I can’t talk about this now.” She spoke as Jimbo walked up and stood in front of them.
“The boss is happy with your statements, so you’re both free to go.”
“What about Brannigan?”
Jimbo’s features were stamped with exhaustion. “He’s going to be behind bars for a long while if I and the county judge have anything to do with it.” He wiped his face with his huge hand. “We’re close on the trail of Livia, too. I don’t want you to worry about your safety anymore, Halle.”
“How can she not when that crazy woman is still on the loose?” Alastair’s voice was steady but the lethal note wasn’t lost on Jimbo.
“I hear you, Alastair, and believe me, we’re going to have her in custody sooner than later. Halle’s not the only one with needed resolution from the crimes committed by Livia Colton.”
Halle put her hand on Alastair’s forearm. “He’s right. She’s hurt a lot of people in Shadow Creek.”
“It stops now, Jimbo. Whatever assistance you need from me and my security detail, you’ve got it.” Her Scotsman looked prepared to fight.
Jimbo nodded before letting a Texas-sized grin split his features. “We’re always happy to accept donations for new equipment. We’re hoping to start our own K-9 unit. As it is now, we rely on the K-9 in Austin.”
“Don’t waste any time, do you, Sheriff?” Alastair stood up and held out his hand to Jimbo. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. The other night could have ended so differently without you and I’ll never forget it.”
Halle watched in fascination as her big, strong Scotsman spoke with such emotional intensity to another man.
Jimbo clasped Ala
stair’s shoulder. “We’re family around here, Alastair. You may be called on to do it for someone else in the future.”
“Right.” The men shook and Jimbo offered Halle a quick wave before he left.
Alastair held his hand out.
“Let’s go home.”
Halle gratefully placed her hand in his and allowed him to tug her to her feet. They left the sheriff’s office arm in arm.
Just for today she wasn’t going to stress about the fact that even though they seemed to have forged their bond in steel, there still remained the question of where Alastair would want her and the baby to live. He knew she wasn’t going to give up Bluewood, but he’d said nothing about wanting to settle down in Shadow Creek.
Three weeks later
“Okay, everyone, you’ve survived your first American Christmas. Now are you ready for the grand reveal?” Alastair spoke as if he’d been to dozens of similar parties in the past, as if this were a matter of course.
The puzzled expressions on his parents’ and grandmother’s faces proved otherwise. Their friends Jeremy and Adeline, and Maggie and Thorne had shown up, making the event even more special.
“Halle?” Alastair looked to her expectantly.
“Here we go.” She faced the small group, happy to see her best friend and her husband as well as Jimbo, a few of the ranch hands, and her aunt. “Please help yourselves to a cupcake, but don’t bite into it yet.” She walked around the room with a silver platter that she’d placed a doily on. A couple dozen cupcakes were stacked on it, the white creamy frosting in a perfect swirl, sprinkles of blue and pink dusted over them.
“These look too pretty to eat!” Gram was in awe of the perfect minicakes.
“Our bakery is the best. Folks come from Austin to get their wedding cakes made in Shadow Creek.”
Halle handed out the cupcakes, all the while aware of Alastair’s constant attention on her. He’d become quite the doting father-to-be since his admission that he’d fallen in love with her. Not that she minded.
“Okay, everyone. Now go ahead and bite into your cupcakes as Alastair and I cut the cake.” She lifted the crystal-handled cake knife and moved next to Alastair. “Put your hand on mine.”
