Summer's Night

by Cheyenne Meadows

  "Yes, he is." She agreed, not quite sure the direction of his thoughts.

  Dillon flashed a smile. "Take my advice. Hang onto him. He's a keeper and you'll never regret it."

  She dropped her head into her hands. "Good grief. Don't tell me. You're one of those never say die matchmakers?"

  He threw back his head and laughed, deep and loud. "As a matter of fact…"

  A low groan escaped her throat. "I'm doomed."

  "I prefer to say you're one lucky woman."

  Halfway through her meal a customer plopping their tray on the next table drew Summer's attention. Sitting facing the back wall in a booth, she hadn't realized anyone had come near. Glancing over, she found another familiar face.

  Spoon smiled at her before yanking the table closer, butting it up against her and Dillon's. A moment later, the others joined them, Cale scooting his brother over to sit beside him. Night brought up the rear, setting his tray down then sliding in next to Summer, cozy without being cramped.

  Her heart lifted seeing him again.

  He smiled at her, gave her a peck on the cheek, then turned his attention to Dillon. "Has he been harassing you with twenty questions?"

  "Questions, sorta. Harassing, not at all."

  Dillon winked at her, earning a growl from Night. Non-plussed, he stuffed more fries into his mouth.

  "I wanted to take the pretty lady to lunch. Why did Dillon get to instead of me?" Spoon pouted before sipping his drink.

  Night rolled his eyes. "Because Dillon is nearly married and wouldn't be making a pass at her like you would."

  Spoon gasped in obvious drama. "I am a perfect gentleman."

  "Sometimes." Loco tossed in. "Sometimes you can be a gorilla, too."

  "Hey! That was uncalled for, you shrimp."

  "I'm not a shrimp, but Cale is a walrus."

  Cale glared at the man sitting next to him. "Watch it, Loco. I will kick your ass from here to Sunday."

  "Yeah, yeah. Like to see you try."

  Summer's head rotated at alarming speed trying to keep up with the rapid fire bantering. Amusing and entertaining, she couldn't help but smile at all of them and their behavior toward one another. Like brothers, they prodded and poked, but she could see if things got tough, each one would gladly watch the others' back.

  Night leaned close. "See what I have to put up with?"

  She chuckled. "Looks like a barrel of monkeys to me."

  The corners of his mouth twitched. "Something like that."

  "Gives you practice for parenthood," she answered, tongue in cheek.

  His eyebrow shot up. "Is that a hint?"

  Her face heated immediately, much to the delight of the guys, who stared at her with all too-interested expressions on their faces.

  "She's pregnant? Night is gonna be a daddy?" Spoon crowed from the other side of the makeshift table.

  "Oh, good grief." Summer buried her crimson-stained face in her hands, peeking through parted fingers.

  "I don't think so." Night shrugged the comment off.

  Cale picked up the conversation. "Maybe we should stop by a pharmacy, get one of those pregnancy tests."

  "No, no. That's not necessary." Summer sat up straight. Perhaps if she tried to reason with them, they would foray into someone else's personal life. One look at their expressions told her different. They reminded her of a dog after a bone, intent and determined.

  "So, she already knows she's pregnant. When are you due?" Dillon asked from across the table.

  She lashed out with her foot, catching his shin. The scamp only grinned wider. Men.

  "I'm not going to be a father." Night declared in a flat tone.

  Loco's eyes widened. "Oh, so she's pregnant by another man, but you're going to raise the child as yours. That's very noble and caring of you."

  Night swore under his breath. "I'm going to shoot you after all."

  Summer burst out laughing. Who needed television when you had live comedy with your dinner? Night reminded her of a kindergarten child, grumbling with all the teasing, who threatened to take all his marbles and leave. Perhaps men really were kids at heart.

  "Shooting a federal official is frowned upon and will put you in the big house." Loco informed them all.

  Cale snorted. "I'm pretty sure if it's another federal official doing the shooting, it's a bit different."

  "What do you know about it?" Spoon asked, chomping through his double-decker hamburger.

  "I've got fancy cards."

  "I bet I have more than you do." Spoon declared.

  "I have the most." Loco declared. "Marines always have the most."

  "Yeah, right. I'm a Seal. I can match anything you got and top it." Dillon promised, slurping loudly on his empty drink cup.

  Summer blinked, unable to wipe the smile from her face. The more she listened, the more she decided she liked Night and his team. No. More than that. She adored them. All tall and handsome, walking romance novel cover models in the flesh. They took on bad guys, came out the victor, then lived to argue about who had the most identification cards in their wallet over cheeseburgers and a soda. Surely, women other than her dreamed for such a man to ride into her life, pull her into the saddle in front of him, wrap those strong arms around her, and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after. If they paused for a bit of ride 'em cowgirl, all the better.

  They put her at ease quickly, dashing out her remaining fears and pent up anxiety. Night nudged her side, sharing a look with her, one that made her belly flop with its intensity. Those deep cobalt blue eyes bored into her own, as if reading her very thoughts. Not that she minded since she could easily fall into them, lose herself, and let the world go on without her and him for the moment.

  "Oh, boy. They're making goo-goo eyes at one another."

  Summer glanced over, a sudden fact clicked in her mind. "How did you guys get here? Dillon and I took the car."

  The guys shrugged. Night just smirked. "Magic."

  "Huh?" She considered the possibilities for a moment. Sure, they could have walked or run, but where would they stash the bad guy? What driver in their right mind would pick them up as hitchhikers? Granted they were the good guys, but four men dressed in all black, carrying weapons probably didn't make too many people want to pull over and open their door. Nice guns, hop in if you promise not to carjack me.

  "And what did you do with… with… the bad guy?" Though curious, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know many details.

  Dillon chuckled. "Bad guy? Is that the new term?"

  "What happened to criminal?"

  "How about fiend?"

  "Perp?"

  Night cleared his throat. "He's in the hands of the proper authorities. The car is a rental." He stared the others down before whispering in her ear. "You and I get to drive back home alone."

  "What about the children?" She muttered in his ear.

  His lips turned up. "They can drive themselves back. We're going to be too busy making goo-goo eyes at one another."

  Her face flamed once more sending the group into chuckles. Of course, they would have the hearing of a dog. Neanderthals.

  Chapter 15

  "Did you call your mother?" Summer asked from the passenger seat, watching Night drive the rented silver truck.

  "Yeah. On the way to the restaurant. She was relieved and told me to tell you she's very sorry for putting you through this."

  "It's not her fault. I was going to call her, but I wasn't sure. Figured you would do so as soon as you could." She twined her fingers with his when he reached over, soaking up the physical closeness.

  "Are you really okay?" Night asked, his gaze turning to hers for a long second before returning to the road.

  "Yeah. I think so." She considered the question further. The day seemed like a blur of good and evil. Ever since Dillon had whisked her away to force her to eat, she'd perked up, feeling much more safe and secure, as if waking from a bad dream.

  "All the same, is there anyone t
hat you can stay with for a few days?"

  You. She clamped her mouth shut before the word could escape, refusing to appear clingy or needy despite her recent traumatic experience. All her life, she prided herself on independence and smarts, she couldn't lose that now, not in front of the man she so wanted to be with. "No. I have to work and care for my animals. My mother would take me in, but she lives three hours away in a tiny house. No room for the horses." She squeezed his hand. "Really. I'll be fine. I have Murphy to keep me company. Work keeps me too busy to give me much time to reflect."

  He stopped for a red light, turning his full attention to her. "I'm sorry, Summer. If I had any inkling this would happen…"

  She shushed him. "It's not your fault. Who could have known some crazy, desperate man would break in and start such a mess. I'm just thankful you came for me."

  His jaw tightened while his lips thinned. "Of course I came for you. I wouldn't have let the bastard get his hands on you in the first place if I could have prevented it." He sucked in a breath, shoulders pushing downward. "Damn, Summer. You don't realize how I felt when Mother called me. I've never been that scared before in my life."

  Scared? Night? The two seemed to go together like oil and water. Never had she met a man with more ability, confidence, and determination, all well earned. "I don't understand." Certainly, he would fear for his mother's welfare and well-being. Surely, he didn't mean her abduction. You're putting words into his mouth.

  "You mean a lot to me, Summer."

  The soft words buoyed her heart.

  "I know it's only been a few days, but I think we have the beginning of something. Maybe. All I know is when I heard you were taken, I felt like the sun exploded, leaving my world in darkness."

  Lifting their joined hands, Summer kissed his knuckles. "I worried that I would never see you again. That I missed my one and only chance to tell you how I felt."

  He swiveled the wheel of the truck, pulling into a nearby gas station, where he parked. Reaching up with his free hand, he cupped her cheek. "How do you feel?"

  Summer sucked in a breath. "I think I might be falling in love with you." When he sat mute, she spurred forward. "I can't wait to see you again, talk to you. You make me feel special." She waved her hand. "I don't know how to explain it."

  Releasing his grip on her fingers, he pulled his other hand up to bracket her face. His gaze bored deeply into hers. "I think of you all the time. Envision the future with you in it." Leaning in, he meshed his lips to hers in a tender show of affection. "I want to be with you. Now and for a long time to come."

  Summer teared up. "Ditto."

  He smiled, sealing his mouth over hers once more. Before they could get carried away, he pulled back, and set the truck into gear once more. "So, we're officially a couple?"

  "Uh, huh. I think so. We could always run it by the guys to see what they think." She bit her bottom lip to maintain a straight face while teasing. She took his offered hand, clasping tightly. If he didn't insist she wear her seatbelt, she would have plastered up against him for the remainder of the trip. Instead, she made do with handholding.

  Night snorted. "They would either drag us to Vegas for an Elvis chapel wedding or toss us in some oversized closet and throw away the key for a few days."

  Odd, neither option sent panic racing up her spine. She crunched her nose at the idea of a Vegas wedding, but being locked in a room all alone for a few days without interruption, that had definite possibilities.

  "What are you thinking?"

  She smiled wide. "Just wondering what I would do with you for a few days, locked in a room, alone. I guess we could play checkers or card games."

  "You play poker?" His eyebrow lifted.

  "No. Don't know hardly anything about it, to be honest." The expression on his face sent her belly to a slow somersault. "Why?"

  "Remind me to bring a deck of cards along."

  "But I don't have any money."

  "You won't need money, baby. Just a few clothes."

  A heat wave blasted across her face. "Do I get a handicap? Like you half naked to start the game?"

  "Sure."

  Fanning herself, Summer let her mind wander down a few rabbit trails of depravity, all of them naughty and delightful. Her gaze darted to his fine body, lowering to lock on his groin. Wonder if what they say about the size of men's hands…

  Night chuckled. "Yes, it's true."

  Startled, she stared at him, mouth-dropping open. "You can read minds?"

  "Nah. I can read faces, though. Yours is pretty damn transparent, especially when you're looking at me like I'm a side of beef and you've been stranded on a desert island living on seaweed for a year."

  "I bet you're tender and tasty." The words slipped from her mouth before she could filter her verbalized thoughts.

  "You can nibble on me anytime you like," he threw out the challenge, backing it up with a wicked grin.

  Oh, boy. Sometimes Christmas does arrive early.

  * * * *

  Night followed Summer into her house a while later, in no hurry to leave her alone. No matter how many times she claimed to be fine, he knew better. At some point, she would suffer after effects from her experience, either while asleep, during waking hours, or both. He prayed she could overcome this, quickly putting it behind her, in order to return to her peaceful existence. She'd never deserved to be involved in such a violent encounter, but, then again, most victims didn't. Whether it was fate or simple bad luck, they stumbled into something not of their making or fault and suffered for it.

  Murphy bounced happily, plastering kisses across Summer's face, her tail wagging as if she hadn't seen her owner in a couple of dog years. Summer hugged the dog close, returning all the love and then some.

  "Let's go outside, Murphy." Summer took her collar, nudging her to the front door.

  Night brought up the rear, watching her play with the large canine as she headed toward the nearby gate separating yard from field.

  She had called her neighbor on the drive home, explaining in general terms what happened, reassured her she remained fit and fine, and would be able to care for her animals that afternoon.

  Three horses lifted their heads from grazing, spied them, then as a group hurried toward the barn, whinnying in eager greeting. The gray once again led the herd, his motion effortless and beautiful as he flowed across the land. The bay kept abreast, his trot a bit more ragged, but efficient. Domino, the black, cantered along, keeping pace. His swollen, front knees not slowing him down in his bid for dinner.

  The sight took Night's breath away. He could almost imagine what his ancestors saw watching wild herds of mustangs cover the rocky terrain, a strong stallion protecting his harem of mares and foals from predators and other stallions that looked to his group with determined takeover ideas.

  Summer busily poured bags of grain into different colored buckets, adding a variety of supplements to each. She topped the creation with a carrot in two containers and a cut up apple in the third. Lugging the items inside the stalls, she opened the door, allowing each animal to enter their own stall, heading immediately for their docket of food. No one pushed, shoved, or even stuck their head in the wrong room. Instead, they calmly marched into their private dwelling and started crunching away, content and placid.

  With the quiet murmur of chewing in the background, Night watched Summer work. "I have to leave soon."

  She glanced up at him while retying feed sacks. "You should be with your mother right now. She had quite the upset today."

  The corners of his mouth hitched upward. "That's what she said about you."

  Summer grinned, using a piece of twine to secure the final bag.

  "I have to meet the guys early in the morning." He sobered, concerned about leaving her, but finding no other way to track down the man responsible and put him out of business permanently. "We have a job."

  "You do more than simple security, don't you?"

  He released a long sigh. She deserved
to know the truth. After what she just experienced, he trusted her to keep his confidence and not fly into a fit of panic at the idea of his near mercenary status. "What I told you before is true. All the guys have strong special ops backgrounds. Necessary to perform our job."

  She stared up at him, patiently waiting.

  "We're Wind Warriors. A team I pulled together that accepts missions from the federal government to locate and wipe out ugly and dangerous vipers that the government can't soil their hands on or have their name attached to when we rid the world of a deadly criminal and their underground operation. Officially, we don't exist. In fact, only a handful of people in the top tiers of government know about us."

  "What kind of missions?"

  "Mostly taking out high level drug lords, but other assignments as well." He searched her face for any sign of censure or disapproval.

  She stood, meeting his gaze strongly. Her dark brown eyes didn't waver. "Night, I realize now what you do and I'm very thankful for it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you have to pursue the criminals behind this whole mess, the sooner the better before they get wind of what happened. I'm okay with that and I'll be fine by myself. Promise."

  "I wish this time could be different, that I could be with you during the days to come." Even as he respected her for her strength in the face of a difficult situation, he still fretted about her mental health, wanting nothing more than to camp out with her for the next few days to ensure himself she truly could recover from such an ordeal without deeply imbedded, lasting scars. Scars she wouldn't have if it wasn't for him and his family.

  Her lips morphed into a sad smile. "I know. I would like that as well. But, in the real world, other things hold priority."

  He sighed, running his fingers through his long hair, pushing the loose strands from his face. "You should be my priority." His gruff tone reflected the conflict he juggled inside.

  She strode over, stopping right in front of him, her hand reaching out to cup his cheek. "Night, you truly are my hero."

  Her soft words caressed his soul. "I'm just a man."

  She shook her head. "You're an amazing man." Her fingers slid over his lips. "Listen. I'm not some weak woman who will faint at the slightest stench. I'm strong and I can do this. It's what I have to do. The same for you. You have to do your job, track down the bad guys, and bring them to justice before they can hurt anyone else. It's what you do, but more importantly, it's who you are. I wouldn't want you any other way."