Classified Christmas Mission

by Lynette Eason

  And she was going to make sure he had the chance to do that. Her phone pinged and she looked down at the screen. A long text from Kat. Nice job on stopping Pirhadi. Our techs got into the virus and it was a doozy. It was geared toward crashing the banking system nationwide and had they succeeded, it would have been an economic disaster for the United States. Tell Sam he’s a hero. You both are.

  Amber sank back onto the bed.

  Her job was important. She did good work and she helped people. So, what was she going to do? How was she going to manage to do her job, keep her cover and take care of Sam?

  “Merry Christmas! Anyone awake?” Clay called. She heard the door slam. “Hey, Mom.”

  She rushed from her room to the top of the stairs. “Clay?”

  Her brother appeared at the bottom. He looked pale and worn and his arm was in a sling, but he was alive and had a smile on his face. She raced down to hug him. “You’re all right?”

  “They tell me I’ll live.”

  “If Sabrina doesn’t kill you for getting shot.”

  Clay’s wife appeared beside him and smiled up at Amber. “I told him he gets a pass on this one, but if it happens again, he’s toast.”

  “Are the kids with you?”

  “Of course,” Clay said. “Mom told them that they could make a beeline for the tree and try to guess their presents. They didn’t hesitate.” Jordan, Tony and Maria were the children Clay and Sabrina had adopted three years ago. Eighteen-month-old Hannah crawled over to Sabrina and pulled up on her jeans. Sabrina picked her up and kissed her cheek.

  “Let me get Sam and we’ll be down in a few minutes.” She returned to the room and looked down at the little boy she’d agreed to raise. “Oh Lord, please help me be what he needs,” she whispered. “Show me what I need to do.”

  Sam stirred, and Amber went to him. “Ready to go celebrate with your new family?”

  He blinked up at her. “Christmas. Presents.”

  “Yes, I’m sure there’s something under the tree for you.”

  “Game.”

  “We’ll see.” She uncovered him and touched his forehead. No fever. “Let’s get dressed.”

  Thirty minutes later, she and Sam walked downstairs to find everyone at the breakfast table. Including Lance. He smiled at her and she returned the unspoken greeting.

  Sam went to the vacant chair next to him. Amber took the one across from him. Amber’s mother smiled a brilliant smile. “I can’t believe we’re all here.”

  Seth and Tonya had joined them with their son, Brady. Amber’s veterinarian brother Aaron had arrived with his wife, Zoe, and ten-year-old Sophia. Zoe looked radiant—and about to deliver her and Aaron’s new child at any moment. And her cousin, Becca, who now held Clay and Sabrina’s toddler on her lap.

  The family was growing by leaps and bounds.

  “I can’t believe you managed to fit us around this table,” Clay said.

  Amber agreed. It was definitely getting to be a tight fit.

  Her father laughed. “I can’t believe Amber is here with us for Christmas.”

  A hearty amen echoed through the room and Amber felt their love wash over her. They teased, but they meant well. “Hey, I was here for Thanksgiving.”

  Her mother let out a very unladylike snort. “Last year! You missed the last one. I hope the story was worth it.”

  Amber looked at Sam. “It was,” she murmured. Her parents had accepted Sam without too many questions. She’d told them about Nadia, her friend who’d died and left her custody and while they’d expressed their sorrow at the loss of her friend, they’d simply welcomed Sam into the family.

  Lance caught her eye and smiled.

  Clay patted her shoulder.

  “Well, she’s here now.” Her father waved a hand at the older children. “We’ll let the kids take their food into the den in just a minute. Your mother set up a table for them in there. But first, let’s say grace.”

  Her father asked the Lord’s blessing on the food and thanked Him for keeping them all safe. Amber blew out a breath. If he only knew. She added her silent thanks to the prayer. Once dinner was over and she’d helped her mother in the kitchen, Lance motioned for her to get her coat. Curious, she did then checked on Sam. He seemed happy enough to be playing chess with Jordan. She caught the teen’s eye and gave him a thumbs-up. Jordan smiled and went back to the game.

  Lance was waiting for her on the front porch. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and joined him. “Your parents aren’t disappointed you’re not there today?”

  “No, my sister and her family were at my brother-in-law’s folks, so they couldn’t make it until tomorrow anyway. Mom and Dad are fine with delaying the celebration a day. I’ll drive in tomorrow morning.” He paused. “They said they were going to a Christmas church service.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful, Lance.”

  “Yes. Maybe they’ve been listening to me after all. When I mention God and the fact that they need Him.”

  “It sounds like it. I’m happy to hear that.” She looked around and her gaze landed on the barn. The temperatures were still in the fifties today and the snow continued to melt. “Hey, follow me.”

  “What?”

  “Come on.” She headed for the barn and heard him follow. Once inside, she went to the ladder and crawled into the loft. Hay drifted down but she ignored it as she spotted the area she was looking for, and bent at the waist, walked over to it.

  Lance stayed behind her. When she came to the wall with the hidden area, she ran her hand over the wood until she felt the small hole. She slid a finger in and pulled. The eight-by-ten piece of wood fell onto the hay. Amber reached in, pulled out a small box and opened it. She held it up for Lance to see. “How hard was that to find?”

  “Too hard for Clay it seems.”

  “Hmm. I’m guessing he didn’t find it on purpose.”

  A small smile played around his mouth. “Could be.”

  She couldn’t be mad at him. She had to admit she didn’t know where she and Sam would be right now if it wasn’t for her brother and Lance.

  She settled her back against the wall and sighed.

  “How’s your head?” he asked.

  She grimaced. “It still aches, but it’ll pass.”

  “That was too close, Amber. You could have been killed.”

  “I know.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  She shook her head and looked across to the other side of the barn. “I don’t really know what I’d do if I didn’t work for the agency. I mean, it’s not that I don’t have options, but I just...don’t know.”

  “So, you’ll stay with the agency?”

  “For the moment. Clay’s offered to help with Sam if I decide to stay.”

  “I see.”

  She fell silent. And wondered what he was thinking. “I love you, Lance,” she said softly, “I always have in a schoolgirl-crush kind of way, but our recent little adventure has just shown me the kind of man you really are and that love has managed to grow in spite of the danger and the craziness.” He didn’t say anything so she clasped her hands together and watched the horses in the stalls below. She’d laid her heart out there, taken a risk and was glad she’d done it.

  But she couldn’t deny the swarm of butterflies she now had trapped in her stomach. She pressed a hand against her middle and blew out a low breath.

  Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  * * *

  Lance knew he was probably an idiot for not jumping on Amber’s words, taking her in his arms and kissing her silly. He wanted to, but the memories of his wife’s betrayal were deep. And Amber planned to walk out of his life and back into a job that could get her killed.

  But...

  He lifted a hand and cupped
her chin. “Thanks for sharing your heart, Amber.”

  She locked her gaze on his and nodded. “You don’t have to tell me you love me—”

  “But I do.”

  The words slipped from his lips. And once they were out, he realized how true they really were. All of a sudden the hesitation was gone and relief filled him. He smiled. “I really do.” Krissy’s betrayal was but a distant memory. Amber’s pure heart and unconditional love had swept it away.

  Joy exploded in her eyes then faded. “But?”

  “But nothing. You’re just going to have to help me. We’re going to have to figure out how to make this work.” She nodded and he swiped a stray tear from her cheek. “We can do this, can’t we?”

  “I think so.” She sniffed. “I want to.”

  “I want to, too.” He leaned down to kiss her then pulled back. “Do you and Sam want to go to my parents’ house tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with them?”

  Amber’s brilliant smile nearly blinded him. “We’d love to.”

  EPILOGUE

  6 months later

  Lance spotted Amber standing ankle-deep in the water of the man-made lake just beyond the steps of the cottage. She was renting the place from her parents while she figured out what she wanted to do with her life.

  She’d returned to the agency and completed one mission with them before turning in her resignation and returning home to Wrangler’s Corner. She’d said it just wasn’t for her anymore. And Lance had to admit he was glad. At this point, he knew he would have supported her no matter what she’d decided to do, but was relieved she wasn’t going to be putting her life on the line on a daily basis.

  He grimaced. He knew that was a double standard. Being a deputy wasn’t exactly guaranteeing he’d walk in the door at night, but still...he wouldn’t deny he was happy with her decision. And Sam seemed to be flourishing, as well.

  Sam, slathered from head to toe in sunscreen, played on the sandy beach area with Becca, Amber’s cousin whose purchase of the Updike ranch had finally gone through three months ago.

  Amber pushed her sunglasses up on the bridge of her nose and turned. When she spotted him, her smile lit her face and she waved. “Lance!” Her reaction warmed his heart as surely as the sun heated his skin.

  Sam looked up as Lance approached and a smile flickered at the corners of his lips. “Lance. Play chess today, okay?”

  Lance flung his towel to the sand and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Sure thing, little man. Hi, Becca.”

  “Hi, Lance.” Her auburn curls had turned to fire in the sun and he thought she might have a few more freckles across the bridge of her nose. “How’s the horse business?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s fine.” But a shadow crossed her face and Lance wondered at it. Then she shot him a smile and stood. “Speaking of horses, I’ve got to get back to it. I have a class starting in an hour.” She gave Sam a hug and Lance was happy to see the boy let her.

  Becca said her goodbyes to Amber and Lance turned his attention to Sam once more. “Hey, kiddo, what’s one hundred fifty-seven times sixty-three?”

  Sam looked back at the sand. “Easy. Nine thousand eight hundred ninety-one.”

  Lance shook his head.

  “Do you really think you’re going to find a problem he can’t solve?” Amber asked.

  Lance laughed. “No, not anymore. It just never ceases to amaze me that he can do that. It’s fun to watch him do his thing.”

  She smiled at Sam. “He’s pretty amazing, isn’t he?”

  “Amazing is a good word for him.”

  “What brings you by?” she asked.

  He reached out and hooked a gentle hand around her neck and brought her in for a kiss. He’d never get enough of her. Her taste, her smile, her quirky sense of humor that he’d discovered she had once all the stress had been lifted from her. And her loyalty, her sense of doing the right thing no matter what. Taking responsibility for Sam was no small thing, but she’d promised her friend and she’d keep that promise to the best of her ability.

  Once he’d realized that he felt the way he did, his decision to come see her today had been fraught with excitement and a nervous anticipation. He pulled back and smiled into her eyes.

  “Lance?” she asked. “What’s going on? You look funny.”

  He laughed. “Let’s just say, I realized something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “That I like having you and Sam in my life.”

  She sucked in a breath. “Well, good. We like having you in ours.” She paused. “It took you this long?”

  He chuckled. “Of course not. It just took me this long to come to my senses. Which is why I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Okay.” She blinked up at him. “What?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  * * *

  “Yes,” Sam said while Amber gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. All the air seemed to have been sucked from the atmosphere. She looked down to see Sam standing next to her and Lance. “Yes,” he said again. “Say yes, Number One Mom. Say yes... Mom.” He stared at the sand even as his words floated upward.

  Amber gasped then laughed. She thought she might cry. Sam had been much more verbal over the last several weeks. She wasn’t sure why, but thought it might have to do with the fact that he felt secure now that the adults around him were much less stressed. And he loved the horses on her family’s ranch where they’d been living for the past six months. He’d also made a couple of friends at the church they’d started attending. He would always be autistic, but he was growing and learning and it thrilled her to see it.

  She raised her eyes to look at Lance. “I’ve loved you for what seems like forever, you know. And now you’ve gone and made me speechless. Why ask me now?”

  “Because I’m sure. I don’t want to live without you or Sam in my life. I can see the contentment in your eyes and the fact that leaving the CIA isn’t something you regret.”

  “No, I don’t, but I didn’t think you’d ever marry again. Not after Krissy.”

  He sighed. “I didn’t think I would either. Then God dropped you and Sam into my universe and rocked it off-kilter.”

  She knew her face was flushed from the sun, but she felt the heat from his words add more pink to her cheeks. “And that’s a good thing, right?”

  He kissed her again and Amber wanted to simply melt into him. She could kiss him all day. But he had other plans. “It’s a very good thing,” he murmured against her lips. “I love you, Amber. And I love Sam.” He pulled back. “So? Do you need time to think about it?”

  The sudden anxiety in his eyes and around his lips grabbed her. “No, I don’t need time to think about it.” She smiled at the sight of Sam back at his sand creation, working on expressing what only he could see in his very special mind. “Sam and I would be thrilled and honored to marry you. We love you, too.”

  He grabbed her in a bear hug and the air whooshed from her lungs. “You scared me there for a minute.”

  “I did not,” she mumbled against his chest. “You knew I’d say yes.”

  His laughter rumbled against her ear then he was looking down at her again. Amber felt a small arm go around her waist. Sam had come back and had one arm around her and one around Lance. Tears choked her then fell freely from her eyes. Hope was a wonderful thing. Happiness and hope. Gifts from God. Lance was blinking rapidly and she sniffled a laugh.

  Lance picked Sam up in his strong arms and Sam went rigid then relaxed. “Chess now?” he asked.

  Lance nodded. “Chess now.” Sam looked at Amber with a quick glance then back at the sand. “Wedding soon?”

  She laughed again. “Yes. That sounds like a great plan.”

  “I know,” Sam said. “I’m amazing.”

  Yes,
yes he was.

  And so was God. Amber decided her life was complete.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed CLASSIFIED CHRISTMAS MISSION, look for the other books in the WRANGLER’S CORNER series by Lynette Eason:

  THE LAWMAN RETURNS

  RODEO RESCUER

  PROTECTING HER DAUGHTER

  Keep reading for an excerpt from CHRISTMAS CONSPIRACY by Susan Sleeman.

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  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed reading Lance and Amber’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I loved writing Lance a healing story. He’d been through so much pain with the betrayal and eventual death of his first wife that I knew it would take someone super special to make him give up on the idea that he should be alone the rest of his life. And I knew that someone special was Amber. Of course she had her own baggage to deal with, but who doesn’t? We all have our issues, but it’s how we handle them that determines what the future will hold for us. Lance was still somewhat bitter about his past and yet coming to an acceptance of it as well when the story began. He had found some contentment when Amber dropped into his world and rocked it to the foundation. But Lance stood strong and his true character came out and he behaved like the hero he was meant to be, not based on his own power, but because he relied on God to be his strength. I pray that if you find yourself in a tough situation where you are faced with choosing bitterness or letting God heal you, I pray you choose God.

  And thank you for choosing to read this story. I pray God’s blessings over you.

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

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