The Yuletide Rescue

by Margaret Daley

  When her car pulled into his driveway, David headed for the front door. The sight of her as she walked toward him accelerated his pulse rate. He leaned toward her and gave her a kiss, then ushered her inside.

  “It’s so good to see you, especially outside the hospital,” he said in the foyer, drawing her closer to give her a kiss that expressed his newfound feelings.

  She turned away and walked into the living room. “Where’s your dad?”

  “In his room resting, or so he told me after he heard you were coming.”

  “He’s not upset with me, is he?”

  “No way. On the contrary, he thought we needed some alone time.”

  She blushed and averted her gaze while she took a chair.

  That left David the choice of the couch or the other lounger, neither next to her, which was where he wanted to be. Definitely something was going on, and he couldn’t blame Bree with all she’d been through. He eased down on the coffee table, not far from her.

  “How have you been?” she asked, busying herself with placing her purse on the floor next to her.

  “Recovering.” He shrugged. “What’s a little pain when we’re responsible for bringing down a smuggling ring?”

  She finally lifted her gaze to his. “You were shot. Your dad was, too.”

  “And you were kidnapped. That’s the past. I’ve looked back on my past too much. Not anymore. I’m moving forward. Dad told me this morning about your concern with us getting hurt helping you. Please don’t. The alternative was letting you get killed. That is unacceptable. I would never have forgiven myself. I’m not carrying around that kind of guilt again. I finally got over my feelings of responsibility with Trish’s death, and I’m putting the last mission in perspective. The only thing you control is your actions, your attitude. Not mine or my dad’s. Or even Gail’s.”

  She flinched. “You’re certainly blunt.”

  “Only the truth between us. I’ve held my feelings inside for so long. I don’t want to with you, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to with me. I love you, Bree. I don’t need months to decide that.”

  Her shiny eyes widened. “I...I don’t know what...” She bolted to her feet and started for the foyer. “I need to see Gail, then meet the lawyer at the bank.”

  He moved the fastest he had in the past couple of days and clasped her arm before she opened the front door. “I’m not pushing you into anything, but I did want you to know how I feel. I realize this ordeal has taken a toll on you. I’ll give you all the time you need.”

  She twisted around to face him, his grasp on her slipping away. “Don’t. I care about you and that’s the problem. Whoever I care for—love—dies. You nearly did, along with your father.” She grabbed the handle and thrust the door open. “Goodbye.”

  “Bree, Melissa will be here in a couple of days. I hope you’ll meet her and join us for Christmas dinner. Dad’s cooking.”

  Her back to him, she shook her head and descended the steps, her strides long as she hurried toward her car.

  When she disappeared from view, he came back into the house and shut the door.

  “Since she didn’t stay long, I gather it didn’t go well with you two.”

  David looked up to see his dad in the hallway. His observation was an understatement. “I think I blew it. I told her I love her. It didn’t mean anything to her.”

  “Oh, I think it meant something to her, and that’s the problem.”

  * * *

  John let Bree into his house with a big smile. “Gail’s been expecting you. Now that you’re here, I’m gonna run to the store. I shouldn’t be gone more than twenty minutes. She’s in the den.”

  Bree made her way to the den while John left. Her friend sat in a lounger with a blanket over her legs. “It’s great seeing you at home.”

  “I know. That’s how I feel. Come, sit in John’s chair. How are you doing?”

  “Me? I came to ask you that. You’re the one who has been in the hospital.”

  “Because my injuries were physical, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have wounds that need healing.”

  “I’m fine. I ran into a branch that left this on my noggin,” she gestured to the knot on her forehead, “but other than that I wasn’t hurt.”

  “So it was no big deal you were kidnapped? It was to me.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Yes, of course, it was a big deal.”

  “It’s okay to admit you’re hurting emotionally. That you’re scared. That you never felt that much fear before. That the only thing that kept you going was you knew God was with you every step of the way.”

  “That’s how you felt?”

  Gail nodded. “Still do. It makes me feel vulnerable, but also I realize the Lord is there for me—and you.”

  “But look at what happened to you, David and Don, and it all started with me being in a plane wreck. It snowballed so fast my head is still spinning.”

  “Yes, exactly, but John told me how you felt. You. Did. Not. Do. This. If you have to blame someone, blame the men after you or even Jeremiah.”

  Jeremiah. “As his activities in the ring unfold, I’m stunned I didn’t know the man really.”

  “You knew one side of him. He worked hard not to reveal the greedy side to you. Thomas told me he built up a nice nest egg for himself. You know what? I believe that last day he realized he wasn’t right. He didn’t want you involved with the diamonds he was transporting so he hid them at the cabin. He planned to fly you to Anchorage, then come back for them later.”

  “I don’t know. I want to think he was trying to protect me. But what he did for years was wrong.”

  “Yes, and he needs to be forgiven.”

  “Can you?” Bree asked, her feelings still too bruised to know how she felt about Jeremiah.

  “I’m working on it.”

  “That’s all I can do, too.” Is Jeremiah the real reason I pulled back from David when I love— Her thoughts pulled up short. I love him? The realization sent a tidal wave of joy through her that she couldn’t—didn’t want—to stop.

  “Bree, what’s wrong?”

  Bree smiled. “I just realized I’m in love with David. How’s that possible? I haven’t been with him for long and certainly that time wasn’t reality. I was so wrong about Jeremiah, who I knew for years. What if I make that kind of mistake with David?”

  “You think he’s smuggling diamonds?”

  “No. I mean...” Bree tilted her head and stared off into space for a moment. “I don’t know what I mean. I’ve seen David under difficult circumstances, and it’s hard to disguise your true self when you’re running for your life.”

  “Yeah, it does kinda strip life down to the bare bones.” Gail shifted in her chair. “To answer your questions, all we can do is our best when making decisions, but life is a risk. We’ll make good decisions and bad ones. There is no way around that, but search your heart and go with that. Love sometimes comes fast, sometimes slow. Snatch it when it does, either way.”

  John stood in the entrance into the den with a brown sack in his hand. “I’ve got the ice cream you wanted,” he said, then disappeared down the hall.

  “Ice cream?” Bree teased her friend. “It’s twenty degrees outside.”

  “My indulgence, no matter what the weather is like. Want to join me?”

  Bree chuckled. “Normally, I’d jump at the chance but—” she glanced at her watch “—I have to meet Mr. Anderson at the bank in half an hour. I’ll come back another day for some.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal. It probably won’t be this carton since I doubt it will last more than a day or so in this house.”

  Bree came over to Gail and hugged her. “I’m praying for your fast recovery.”

  “I’m praying for you, too. Reme
mber, David has been there for you, and I never got the impression he didn’t want to help you.”

  “Thanks.”

  As Bree drove toward the bank where she was meeting Mr. Anderson, she thought of the last time she’d gone there with David. That was when she had realized the possibility that Jeremiah might not be who she thought he was. Maybe in the paperwork the lawyer needed there would be an answer. For all she knew Jeremiah had stolen the Eurobonds. Was he planning to leave the United States?

  She wished David were with her for this. Going to the safety-deposit box even for a short time wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now. Too much, too soon.

  She pulled into the parking lot, switched off her car and sat gripping the steering wheel. She thought of calling David, but with his arm disabled, how would he even get here? She could do this. It would probably only take about ten minutes to photocopy the bonds for Mr. Anderson and the police to help them investigate their origins. Then she would give the lawyer the deed to the cabin, Jeremiah’s insurance papers and anything else he needed to work on the estate. Ten minutes. I can do this.

  When she entered the bank and walked to the area to check in, Mr. Anderson rose from a nearby couch. Carrying a briefcase, he approached her with concern on his face.

  “You’ve had quite an ordeal over the past couple of weeks. I won’t keep you long. I know this can’t be a pleasant task, but I want to move forward on the estate and get everything wrapped up.”

  “Frankly, at the moment I want nothing to do with Jeremiah’s estate, but I’m sure I can come up with a way to use any money from it for good use.” The one thing that consoled her was the clinic she worked at could use the money to treat more people who couldn’t afford medical care. Maybe out of all of this some good would come.

  “I don’t blame you. I talked with the detective handling everything. He filled me in on the past few days. He wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else he was missing concerning this case. I hope not. I want to give the detective a clear picture of Jeremiah’s estate. Like you, I’ve discovered the man wasn’t who we thought.”

  “You said you two were friends. How long did you know him?” Bree signed the card and gave the woman her key to the box.

  “I’ve known him for years on a casual and business level. I always handled anything legal for him.”

  After the bank employee unlocked the large box and slid it out, Bree took it and followed the woman to the small private room for the patrons. “Let’s get this over with.”

  When the woman left, Mr. Anderson backed up to the door while Bree opened the box. She picked up the ten Eurobonds and turned to the lawyer. He held a gun on her.

  * * *

  David sat on his couch and reread the same page three times. He slammed the book closed and set it on the coffee table. This inactivity was driving him crazy. He was stuck in the house, not able to drive or fly his plane. Ella was keeping him informed about Northern Frontier SAR. But the worst part of all of this was he wanted to be with Bree, helping her through her pain and disillusionment with Jeremiah. But she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. The tight pressure in his chest expanded.

  David’s cell phone rang, and he rushed to answer it. He needed to be distracted from his thoughts. “How’s it going, Thomas? Got everyone?”

  “Almost. That’s why I called you. I tried Bree’s cell phone first, but it went to voice mail. She isn’t with you, is she?”

  I wish. “No, she left a while ago and went to see Gail. What’s up?”

  “I’ve had one man who dealt with the head guy of the smuggling ring finally accept a deal. Mr. Anderson, Jeremiah’s lawyer, is who he claims ran everything. He has for years. I wanted to warn Bree since she had dealings with the man. I’m leaving the station and on the way to his office to arrest him.”

  As David listened to Thomas, dread hardened in his gut. He was on his feet and striding toward the kitchen, where his dad was, as he said, “After seeing Gail, Bree was meeting with Mr. Anderson at the bank.”

  “Then that’s where I’m going.” Thomas hung up.

  The sense of urgency pushed David. He was much closer to the bank than Thomas was. “Dad, do you think you can drive? Bree is in trouble.”

  “Sure.” His father grabbed his crutches and started toward the hallway to get his coat. “I only need my right leg. But what are you going to do with a bum arm?”

  “I don’t know. But she needs to be warned and protected from Mr. Anderson. He runs the smuggling ring.”

  “The one time we have to be injured,” his dad muttered as he slipped on his coat and headed for the exit.

  David retrieved his revolver and followed after his father from the house.

  After all that’s happened, I pray I’m not too late, God. Protect her.

  * * *

  Bree’s heart thumped against her rib cage, her gaze glued to the gun pointed at her. “Why?”

  “Because it’s only a matter of time before one of my men the police have been rounding up let them know I’m the head of the smuggling ring, especially since they caught one of my top guys. I’m practical and a survivalist, and that means I have to leave the country now.” He gestured with the weapon at the safety-deposit box behind Bree. “Eurobonds worth a million is a good start for me. You don’t even want the money, so don’t make this difficult. You’ll go with me to the airport, where I have a plane ready to take me to a country where the United States can’t touch me. If you cooperate, I’ll leave you in the trunk of my car, where I’m sure the police will find you eventually.”

  Like Gail who nearly froze to death. The thought shuddered down her length. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Hand me the Eurobonds. Carefully. The rest I don’t care about.”

  She did as he said, and he slipped them in an inside coat pocket.

  “The one thing I love about these is they are easy to transport. Let’s go. Stay right next to me and remember I have a gun pointed at you. I don’t think you want someone innocent to be hurt because you did something foolish.”

  As they walked side by side with Bree slightly in front of Mr. Anderson, she felt the barrel of the weapon pressed into her ribs. When they stepped outside and made their way to the parking lot, every muscle tensed in Bree. She calculated her chances of getting away from the lawyer now that they were outside and fewer people were around. But she couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t end with him shooting her in the back.

  Nearing a white sedan, Mr. Anderson slowed his step. “That’s my car. I want you in the front seat driving until we get away from the bank. If you try anything, I have nothing to lose if I kill you.”

  Fear swamped her, and she stumbled on a clump of ice.

  The lawyer’s grasp tightened. “Keep moving.”

  “I’m trying,” she said through clenched teeth.

  When Bree was a few feet from the driver’s side, she reached to open the door.

  “Drop the gun or I’ll shoot you.” David’s voice came from behind them.

  A calmness she hadn’t experienced in days washed over her.

  Mr. Anderson shoved the gun barrel into her back. “Not if you don’t want me to kill her.” He swung around with Bree plastered against him with one arm across her chest to hold her in place. “I’m leaving with her.”

  David lifted his arm and pointed his revolver at the lawyer’s head. “In the military I won many awards for my marksmanship. Normally a shooter goes for the biggest body mass on a person, the chest, but not me.” His lethal tone conveyed his determination. “You won’t survive.”

  “Neither will she,” Mr. Anderson retorted as the parking lot filled up with patrol cars and officers getting out and aiming their weapons at him.

  “You won’t get away.” David’s tense, fierce bearing showed
him to be a man used to combat.

  Bree heard the lawyer’s breathing increase. She felt his chest rising and falling rapidly. This wouldn’t end well unless she could think of something to end this stalemate. She stared at David, so focused on Mr. Anderson, and wanted to tell him she loved him, no matter what.

  Then an idea came to her, and without another thought Bree totally went slack, her body sinking to the pavement as though she’d fainted. When her body touched the parking lot, she rolled into the lawyer, throwing him off balance.

  David charged the man, while he tried to recover command of the situation, and knocked the gun from Mr. Anderson’s grasp. The officers were all over the lawyer, putting him in handcuffs and dragging him away. David helped her to her feet and with one arm drew her against him.

  “I love you, Bree. I’ll wait as long as you want, but I need you in my life.”

  She leaned back, words escaping her at the moment. All she could do was stare at his dear face and thank the Lord for bringing David into her life. “So much has happened and I feel like my head is swimming with it all.”

  “I understand—”

  She pressed her fingers over his mouth. “But I do know I love you. We can work the rest out later when we’ve both healed.”

  He bent down and kissed her, a perfect one that told her everything she needed to know. David was her soul mate.

  EPILOGUE

  “You’re up before Grandpa,” David’s daughter said as she came into the kitchen on Christmas day.

  “I told Dad I would put the ham on.” David slipped the roaster into the oven and shut the door.

  “You?” Melissa said with a laugh.

  “Yes, only because Bree and Dad prepared it last night before we went to midnight service.”

  “Oh, that explains the offer.”

  “Want some coffee?”

  “Did you make it?”