First Instinct

by Suzie O'Connell

  “Do we have any particular destination in mind, or are we just going to ride where the wind takes us?”

  “I have a destination. Something I want to show you.”

  They followed the fence line of Remington’s pasture and cut across the wide-open hayfield beyond, then turned their horses onto Aspen Creek Road. They passed the foreman’s house, which had sat empty most of Nick’s life, then the house with rough wood siding and deep red trim with a commanding view of the ranch and the eastern Northstar Mountains that belonged to his Uncle James—the second oldest of Nicholas and Ruth’s four sons after Nick’s father. After James’s house, the road dropped down to and crossed over Aspen Creek and rose again toward the aspen grove at its end. Leafless, their smooth black-flecked white trunks gleamed in in the sharp morning sunlight. A spot had been cleared and leveled for a house at some point in the past, and it was easy for Nick to envision the house he wanted to build for Beth.

  They dismounted, and Nick walked her around the site, describing his vision.

  “I know your grandparents plan to give you the house up behind the Bedspread Inn when you get married, but would you settle for building a house right here… with me?”

  She glanced sharply at him. “What?”

  “I know we’ve only been dating for a few weeks now, but I know how I feel about you will never change. I told you before that I’ll wait as long as you need, but I want you to be certain that I will wait.”

  Pulling off his right glove, he unzipped his pocket and took out the ring box.

  She removed her gloves and took the box with trembling fingers. When she opened it, she asked, “Is that… your grandmother’s ring? The first one?”

  “Yes, it is. She and Grandpa Nicholas offered it to me. For you. You’ve always been in my life, and I want to keep you in it for the rest of it… as my best friend and as my wife. Marry me, Beth.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “Yes. Unreservedly yes! Just make sure when you build our house that we have enough room for all the Winters and Autumns and Remingtons we’re sure to find.” She laughed, and it was the most incredible sound he’d ever heard and so much sweeter for having been so rare in the weeks following the rape. “Cats, dogs, horses, kids… I want them all. With you.”

  * * * * *

  Epilogue

  Blissful warmth radiated from the roaring fire in John and Tracie Hammond’s living room fireplace, but it was the warmth of love that Beth felt most keenly. As was tradition, Beth was helping her mother-in-law decorate for Christmas while they cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Her husband was outside helping his father split enough firewood for the afternoon and evening, and she glanced periodically out the window at him.

  Nick had been absolutely right that waiting to make love until their wedding night would make it that much more exciting. The two years of their engagement while they built their house together at the end of Aspen Creek Road had kindled a fire so insatiable that it was still burning bright four years after their wedding. With each passing year, it only intensified, finding new fuel as their love and appreciation for one another deepened.

  Her face heated as thoughts of what she wanted to do with him tonight when they went home danced delightfully through her mind. Tracie glanced at her and must have noticed the direction of her thoughts because she shook her head with a bemused smile.

  “I’m glad to see the passion is still blazing,” Nick’s mother remarked. “And knowing that, I’m surprised it took you two so long to start working on my first grandbaby.”

  Beth skimmed her fingers absently over her growing belly and smiled fondly. “We decided long before our wedding to take our time and enjoy every step of the way.”

  “I know from experience that when you get to be my age you’ll be glad you did. It took John and me four years, too, before we decided to have Nick, and I think our marriage has been stronger for the time we had with just each other. I also believe we appreciate our sons all the more for it.” Tracie started draping lights around the tree. “I know you’re planning to wait until dinner to break the news, but I’m dying to know what you found out yesterday.”

  “The Hammond curse has struck again. We’re having a boy.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “He showed it off pretty proudly this time,” Beth replied with a laugh. “Sorry we got your hopes up when he didn’t cooperate two weeks ago.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You’ll love having a son. I would have loved to have had a girl, but I adore my boys, and raising them has been one grand adventure after another. I wouldn’t trade even a second of it.” Tracie draped an arm around Beth’s shoulders. “Especially now that I have such a beautiful daughter-in-law.”

  A buzzer went off in the kitchen, and Tracie excused herself to go check on the turkey. Beth set the string of mini-lights she’d been untangling on the arm of the Hammonds’ couch and stepped over to the big bay window. She gazed out at her husband, as mesmerized as ever by his enticing grace and power as he swung the ax. Her initial appreciation of his body had only been heightened by her intimate familiarity with it and even more by her pregnancy, and just when she thought she couldn’t possibly love him anymore, this new life had given her another reason and another way along with the promise of an entirely new adventure.

  As with everything else in their relationship, she was in no hurry for April to arrive. She was excited to meet their son, but she was enjoying each and every day too much to wish they would go by faster.

  The rape had changed her, she knew. She was quieter and more thoughtful but also stronger and more confident. Some might say the rape had stolen her innocence, but she believed differently. It had, once she’d healed from it, shaped her into a self-possessed woman capable of appreciating the good in her life on a level she couldn’t have before. The girl she’d been before would have impatiently counted down the days until her child was due, but the woman she was now knew how to cherish each moment, and she could say with complete honesty that she was happy with whom she’d become.

  She and Nick had bumped into Trey a few times in the last few years, and other than the stress lines that had begun to show in his face, Trey hadn’t changed a bit. The first time they’d seen him had been right after he was paroled early shortly after they’d returned from their New Zealand honeymoon. He’d tried to taunt her by saying he was still waiting for round two, but his words had bounced off the cocoon that her love for Nick and his for her had woven around her. She’d felt nothing at Trey’s insults—not fear or shame or even annoyance. Well, that wasn’t entirely correct. She’d been amused by the shock on this face when Nick had told him, Do yourself a favor and stay very far away from my wife.

  Beth was very well aware that it wasn’t the insinuated threat that surprised him but rather the words my wife. He’d glanced between them with eyes rounded and brows raised. So far, he’d obeyed and left them both entirely alone. The few other times they’d seen him since, he’d only glared in their direction.

  Neither Trey nor his parents had apologized for the rape and harassment, but she hadn’t expected them to. And honestly, she didn’t need an apology. None of it mattered anymore. He was her past, the antagonist in a chapter of her life that had been concluded and closed, and she had stepped away from it to fully embrace her life with Nick.

  A gust of frigid air swirled into the living room as her husband stepped through the front door with an armload of firewood. He stacked it in the rack near the fireplace, brushed snow and bits of bark off himself, and gathered Beth into his arms.

  “Hi, gorgeous,” he murmured before he ducked his head to kiss her.

  Their son stirred from his nap at the sound of his father’s voice, and Beth laughed softly. “You woke him up.”

  “Sorry, love.”

  Though the tone of his voice wasn’t remotely apologetic, she said, “Don’t be. It’s incredible to feel him move.”

  When she took Nick’s han
d and settled it over the spot where their son was currently nudging her, the most beautiful smile softened his face. It was one of amazement and adoration. She tilted her head and studied him, and her love for him and for everything he’d given her nearly overwhelmed her, so she threaded her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Familiar contentment enveloped her when he tucked his arms around her and held her close.

  The front door opened again, but Beth didn’t look to see who it was, figuring it was her father-in-law bringing in more wood.

  “It’s nice to see nothing has changed between you two.”

  Grinning, Beth lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. Michelle stood just inside, brushing snow from her jacket. Beth let go of her husband to embrace their friend and welcome her back to Northstar.

  “Well, almost nothing has changed,” Michelle remarked. “You’re getting quite a bump there, Beth. You’re a little past the halfway mark now, aren’t you?”

  “Yep. Twenty-two weeks. Where’s Sam?” she asked.

  “Right here,” Michelle’s husband replied, walking inside with an armload of logs. “Thought I’d give John a hand.”

  After he’d stacked his load, he hugged Beth and shook Nick’s hand.

  “It’s so good to see you both again!” Michelle said. “I’m sorry we haven’t been down this way to see you in so long, but the beginning of the school year is always so crazy.”

  “Hey, congratulations again on the job, Sam,” Nick said. “How’s it going so far?”

  “I love it,” Sam replied. “Sometimes I still really miss the ranch, but so far, I’m really enjoying teaching. And since I’m teaching ag, it feels like the ranch is never far from my heart.”

  “That was too bad about your land,” Beth said. She recalled how heartbroken he’d been when his parents had ended up divorcing and, in a heated battle over their property, had finally decided to toss the towel in on the whole thing. “But it sounds like selling off the ranch is turning out to be the best thing for you.”

  Sam nodded. “Sometimes the things that seem like a terrible blow end up opening the door for something so much better.”

  Beth looked up at her husband and took his hand, smiling. “I agree with that one hundred percent.”

  “Is that Sam and Michelle I hear?” Tracie called from the kitchen.

  “Hi, Tracie,” Michelle replied. “Thank you again for having us.”

  Nick’s mother joined them in the living room for a moment to embrace Sam and Michelle and to say hello. “I’m glad you came. You know you’re both always welcome here, so I expect to see you both a lot more now that you’re living in Butte.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sam replied with a laugh. “That shouldn’t be a problem here soon. We close on that cabin up the road behind the Bedspread Inn on the twelfth of December, so not quite two weeks left. Your son wasn’t the only thing in Northstar Michelle fell in love with. She fell in love with Northstar itself… and so have I.”

  “Which cabin are you buying? There are a few up there.”

  “The one just north of the house that was going to be mine,” Beth replied. “The one with the red roof.”

  “Oh, I know which one you’re talking about now. Sits on forty acres, right?”

  “Yep. I know it’s probably a bit much for a simple vacation home, but we wanted enough room for a couple horses,” Sam said. “And plenty of space for kids to run.”

  He glanced at his wife, and the same smile that had graced Nick’s face not ten minutes ago now spread over his. Michelle lowered her gaze but not before Beth caught sight of a shy grin.

  “I know those smiles,” she remarked. “So out with the real news.”

  Michelle’s face reddened, confirmation of what Beth suspected, and a moment later, she said, “Yes, Beth, I’m pregnant. Due in early August.”

  Beth hugged her tightly. “Congratulations!”

  “That’s wonderful!” Tracie said without waiting for Beth to step back before she too embraced Michelle. “I am so happy for you! Congratulations are definitely in order… for both the baby and the house.”

  After Tracie left them to check on dinner again, they gathered around the Christmas tree, and worked on decorating it while they chatted. Beth was amused to note that Sam and Michelle were every bit as goofy and infatuated with each other as she and Nick were, and thought again that everything had turned out for the best. She stepped back to watch the other couple flirt, pulling Nick behind her and folding his arms around her. When he lowered his head to press his lips to the curve of her neck with his hands knitted loosely around her belly, she leaned her head back against his shoulder and sighed happily.

  “You were right,” she murmured. “This is where I belong. Right here in your arms where I’m safe and happy and loved.”

  “You are most definitely loved,” he whispered. “Always have been and always will be.”

  * * * * *

  Thank you for reading First Instinct. I hope you’ve enjoyed it! If you have, please…

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  All done? Turn the page for a sneak peek of the next book in the Northstar series, Mountain Angel!

  MOUNTAIN ANGEL

  A Northstar Novel

  Now available!

  A strong-willed woman, a heart-weary deputy, and a cozy mountain cabin. What could possibly go wrong… or right? Aelissm Davis and Pat O’Neil are about to find out.

  * * *

  A talented crafter in a male-dominated field, Aelissm is perfectly capable of managing her own affairs, but when it comes to an obsessive friend, she may be in over her head. When returning home to Northstar doesn’t get her point across, she swallows her pride and calls in reinforcements. Unfortunately, her meddling uncle’s solution—send his best deputy “on vacation” to protect her—could be an even bigger complication. With sad eyes and a gentle heart, Deputy O’Neil is definitely that.

  * * *

  For three years, Pat has buried himself in his work to get past a violent relationship, and it hasn’t done him any good. Maybe this assignment to protect his boss’s niece will give him the perspective he needs. Aelissm is an irresistible breath of fresh mountain air and like no woman he’s ever met, but as his heart learns how to breathe again, her past entwines with his and trouble comes knocking. Will she let him do his job, or will her stubborn independence put them both in danger?

  Chapter One

  Any day that involved closing a case or didn’t involve opening a new one was a good day. By that rule, today had been a good day, but from the moment he’d opened his eyes with that long-familiar tension coiled tightly in his neck, nothing else about today had been particularly agreeable. It was just one of those days that had no reason to be bad beyond the inexplicable fog of depression. Pat was eager to go home, fix himself something for dinner, sit on his well-worn couch with a book, and wait for the day to be over.

  He was just getting ready to head out the door when a request from his boss put his grandiose plans on hold.

  “Pat, meet me in my office in a minute.”

  Pat, his boss had called him, not O’Neil. Whatever Bill Granger wanted to discuss, it was personal. Anxiety curled more tightly in his gut. One subject had been flirting with his mind all day, and he had no desire to be dragged down that road right now. On a good day, a trip down that bleak alley was a painful experience, but on a day like today, such a trip would leave him exhausted and incapable of doing more than pulling the covers of his bed over himself with a prayer that sleep would relieve him from the bitter memories and empty stomach.

  To pass the time, Pat studied the photographs in Bill’s office. In a log frame on the wall behind the desk was a poster-sized photograph of a two-story cabin illuminate
d by filtered rays of golden sunlight. The structure was nearly an A-frame, but the peak was not as steep as the sides. In other photographs, Pat recognized Bill’s incredible, dark-haired wife and his sister and brother-in-law. There was a new picture of a beautiful young woman with strawberry-blonde hair and striking, deep green eyes wearing a DayGlo orange vest and matching stocking hat. There was a rifle slung over her shoulder and a triumphant smile on her face as she knelt beside a magnificent four-point whitetail buck. She gripped the antlers with long, graceful fingers to hold the animal’s head up for the camera. Pat knew she was his boss’s niece and had seen her face smiling from a multitude of other photos, but he hadn’t yet met her.

  Pat turned his attention from the pictures to the matching pair of four-tiered, wrought-iron filing shelves. He hadn’t seen them before. The craftsmanship was stunning and, along with the collection of rustic picture frames, did a lot to reduce the beige sterility of the room.

  Bill’s boisterous laughter rumbled through the closed door from the workroom. With his back to the door, Pat smiled as his boss entered noisily.

  “Afternoon, Pat,” was his greeting.

  “Afternoon, Bill,” Pat replied as the older man sat down behind his desk.

  “Sorry about the delay, but Garrity made another smart remark about my age, so I had to remind him of how thoroughly I trounced him at racquetball over the weekend.”

  Pat chuckled. Bill was only fifty-three and still had the body he’d had during his enlistment in the navy. His rich brown hair was only starting to gray on the sides and in his short beard, and he looked anything but old.

  “He’ll learn one of these days,” Pat remarked. He inclined his head toward the filing shelves. “Did your niece make those, too?”