“I’m opening the door and turning on the light,” he said, as the light in the room illuminated and she could see his shadow from outside. “Lucas, I’m here to take you to your mommy,” she heard him say, and a moment later she could hear him cry into the phone.
Russell wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his chest into her back. She could feel his sobbing as his body jerked next to her.
A moment later, Phillip walked out of the house with Lucas in his arms.
Lucas hid his face in Phillip’s neck as he walked toward the bright lights.
Without thinking, Chelsea ran from Russell’s protective arms and straight to Phillip. Lucas lifted his head and jumped into her arms.
“Oh, my baby. My sweet baby,” she cried as an ambulance pulled up in front of the house.
“We have to take him to the hospital to have him checked out,” he said.
“He’s fine. Can’t I take him home?”
Phillip turned her to him. “Chels, we have to examine him. Anything could have happened, even though Dominic gave him up that easy. Let’s be real, okay?”
She nodded and started to the ambulance.
Russell watched as Chelsea climbed into the back of the ambulance with Lucas and the doors were closed. Damn, he didn’t even have crutches.
A few minutes later Phillip came back to the car and those members of his family who had kept a vigilant circle, walked toward him as well.
“What’s going on?” he asked, as Phillip moved in.
“They have to take Lucas to the hospital and check him out."
"He hurt him? The son-of-a-bitch hurt him? I'll kill him."
Phillip shook his head. "No. He doesn't appear hurt. Just because Dominic gave him up that easy doesn’t mean Lucas is out of the woods. We’ll know in a few hours.”
“I want to go to them.” Russell pleaded.
“C’mon,” Lydia’s voice broke through the crowd of family. “I’ll take you. I’m parked the closest.”
Russell nodded. “I’ll need help getting over there.”
A moment later he felt his body leave the ground as Eric and Gerald picked him up and carried him to Lydia’s truck.
By the time they got him in the seat, she was climbing into the other side and revving the engine.
“Buckled? Let’s go,” she said, as she sped off down the street leaving the horror behind them.
The hospital was only a few minutes away, but as the sun peeked over the horizon, Russell felt the pain of the drive and wished they could get there faster.
“I hope he’s okay,” he muttered, and Lydia reached for his hand and held it.
“He’s going to be fine. Phillip knew what he was doing, and he was scared to death for him. There’ll be a wrath to pay if anyone did harm him.”
“You knew what was going on, right? I mean, he said we were going to your house when we left the hospital. He said he’d talked to you.”
She nodded as she turned down the next street and gunned the engine to go faster. “I don’t like the man. Despise talking to him. But when he rings my doorbell at five in the morning, I assume he’s not there to harass me.”
“You should give him a chance,” Russell pleaded on behalf of his friend.
“No way in hell.”
~*~
The waiting room in the emergency department was full of Walkers.
Russell took what strength he’d had left to wheel himself out to the room and address his family. Dane walked in just as he came through the door.
“Mom’s doing great,” Dane said. “They might let her go in a few hours. So I’ll stick around and make sure they get home okay.” Gia moved to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Russell looked at his cousins and brothers. They were all weary from the night before.
“Lucas is okay. He doesn’t even have a scratch on him.”
He saw Lydia clasp her hands as if a prayer had been answered, and Bethany put her arm around her and pulled her close.
“We’re staying for observation. Nothing physical was done to him, but…”
Gerald moved in and hugged Russell. “Best to make sure.”
Pearl and Tyson moved to him, and each hugged him. "So Dominic broke parole just to save his kid?"
"My kid," he corrected. "And yes. Seems he didn't want that on his conscience."
Pearl kissed his cheek. “You get some rest. We’re going to postpone the party too. Until you’re all on your feet again.”
“Oh, no. You denied these women a wedding. You’d better keep the party. Besides, I think we’re all ready to celebrate and put this behind us.”
Tyson rested his hand on Russell’s shoulder. “If you’re sure, then New Year’s Eve it is.”
~*~
Chelsea was dressed in a new dress which Pearl had brought for her, and Russell thought that every day she got sexier.
He stood as she walked out of the bedroom and toward him and Lucas, who were dressed alike because Lucas wanted to look like his daddy.
“You two are handsome,” she said, scanning a look over them.
“Two cutest men at the party,” Russell laughed as Lucas ran to her, and she scooped him up.
“I’ll be the luckiest girl there.”
Russell pulled the crutches up and tucked them under his arms. It certainly had been a week from hell, but he was happy to be going out to celebrate with his favorite two people. This new year certainly was going to start off being his favorite one.
Epilogue
The air had the crispness of winter to it, but the freshness of spring. Russell held his wife in his arms as their feet dangled from the back of the pickup truck on their corner of Walker Ranch. Lucas ran back and forth in the bed of the truck, pretending to ride a horse.
Russell let out a cleansing breath as he took in the sight of their new house being secured onto its foundation.
“Do you think it’s big enough?” Chelsea asked.
“Three-bedroom house. What more do we need?”
She shrugged. “I just see all this land and think big.”
He kissed her cheek. “I see a smaller house and all this land that is big. Lucas will grow up here with room to run, play, grow. If Susan and Eric ever get off their asses and have kids, they can run back and forth between houses.”
She laughed at that. “Their house isn’t close enough for that.”
“Sure it is. They can ride horses or bikes,” he offered. “Trust me.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I thought this dream had passed me by. I can’t believe I’m here now with you.”
“It’s where you always belonged. Just like my mother said, it’s fate.”
“You know what’ll be nice? Next Christmas we’ll have our own tree.”
“We could cut our own,” he offered.
“Lucas and I already know what we’re getting you for Christmas.”
Russell laughed as Lucas ran toward him and climbed on his back. “You know what I’m getting for Christmas? That’s months away,” he said, toying with his son.
Lucas nodded and then wrapped his arms around his neck.
“We’re giving you a baby sister.”
Russell laughed. “You’re giving me a…” He stopped and thought about what Lucas had said.
He turned to Chelsea, who was smiling wide, and her eyes lit with love. Then he turned back to Lucas. “You mean you’re getting a baby sister?”
“Uh-huh, but I want a baby brother,” he said before riding off on his imaginary pony.
“Chels, we’re having a baby?”
“Yeah, we are,” she confirmed as she pressed her head to his. “I’m extremely fertile. You’re going to want to make sure you get fixed when you’re done having babies with me,” she joked, and he let out a hearty laugh as he climbed down from the truck and pulled her to her feet.
“You’re right. We might need to add to the house,” he said. “A baby. I think I might be in shock.”
“You’re happy?”
“Can’t imagine I could get any happier.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “My mother is going to cry.”
“Well, Susan and I will tell her at the same time, then.”
Now his eyes grew wide as he stared at her. “Susan?”
She shrugged. “I guess it’s time each branch of the Walker family started to grow.”
He pulled her close and held her. He was right. This might just be the best year ever—for all of them.
We hope that you enjoyed reading
Walker Revenge
By Bernadette Marie
Please enjoy this excerpt from the next book in the
Walker Family series.
Victory
Book 6
Chapter One
Georgia summer beat down on Jake Walker’s neck as he ripped his helmet off his head and climbed from the race car which had slammed into the wall.
The yellow flag of caution waved as his crew ran toward him. The other cars slowed, and it always made him feel as though he were trapped on the highway with busybody onlookers trying to get a glimpse of an accident.
But when the bright pink Chevy passed by, he knew the grin of the driver was hidden behind that equally bright helmet. God, she was a pain in the ass.
“Holy hell, Jake.” His crew chief Bud ripped off his cap and wiped the bead of sweat from his brow with his sleeve. “Get ‘er moving,” he hollered to the crew as they maneuvered the car from the wall and pushed it toward pit row.
It wasn’t the end of the car, Jake thought, as he examined the damage running behind them. But it sure as hell was the end of the race. And didn’t that just piss him off royally?
As his team cleared the car from the track, he turned to see the race resume and that damned pink car pulled into second. She didn’t deserve to be that close to the lead, he thought. Missy Sheridan was a princess with an attitude. The sport didn’t need her.
Her daddy paid for her car and her body paid for the entry fee.
Running his fingers through his damp hair, he shook the thought from his mind. That wasn’t fair to her. That was rumor and of course it circulated in a male dominated sport. But damn it, he was pissed at her, so he’d let it stir in his head that she didn’t belong.
The fact of the matter was she’d pushed him out of three races now, and it was getting old. She was a damn good driver and oh what a looker. But she had a mouth to go with that driving skill, and most of the men on the track didn’t take to it.
As soon as she was pushing her beast to the back of her truck, he’d be right there giving her an ear full. This wasn’t going to be a habit, him being run off the track by some broad in a pink car. No, sir. She was going to rue the day she started crap with him.
Missy watched as Jake Walker’s team loaded up his car. It had been a fine car she thought as she eased hers behind the leader for the next few laps.
The vibration from the speed and the roar of the engine made her whole body come alive. It was no wonder word around the track was she’d slept her way into the race. But it was the race which was her lover and gave her more pleasure than any man could.
As she turned the corner, she saw the sign she’d been looking for. The white flag was up, and this meant she had to make her mark.
Missy focused on team Justice’s car. She got Walker out of the way, now Justice needed to step aside.
The engine revved as she pressed it to go faster, shifting into the next gear and pulling to the inside of the track.
Justice moved to block her, and she quickly adjusted to go high and pass him—but he countered.
Fine, she’d try again. This time, she’d aim high and see what he did.
Taking the next turn, she poised to pass him on the outside, but the red car in front of her mocked her and kept on course as a green car moved in next to her.
“Damn it!” she hollered.
“Missy, what the hell are you doin’?” Her brother’s voice crept into her ear. “Maverick is pushing you out. Get the hell out of there.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” she grunted as she gripped the steering wheel tighter on the third turn.
Her mother would have warned her that karma was a bitch. She’d forced Walker out of the race, so now Maverick was going to secure Justice a win by pushing her out.
Judging the gap between herself and Justice, and Maverick and the wall, she gunned the engine and pushed the car as hard as she could.
She would take Justice going on the outside.
Just as her bumper cleared the back end of his car, Maverick moved in right behind Justice.
With every foot traveled, they pushed her closer and closer to the wall. She gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Just as the checkered flag came into view, she felt the slightest nudge from Maverick’s car which caused her to lose what little control she had. The front end of her car hit the wall and ricocheted her back onto the track backward barely missing Maverick.
The world was spinning now, and her brother’s voice was buzzing in her ears as her car turned from the wall, through the cars on the track, and hit the grass before flipping and landing on its wheels.
Jake watched as the accident unfolded before his eyes. Oh, he’d have wanted her to lose, but not like that he thought as he and Bud ran toward her car along with her crew and the emergency personnel. Just as he drew closer, the engine burst into flames, and he could see her trying to work her way out of the car.
How he made it faster than the rest of them, he’d never know. But he was standing at the side of the car ready to aid her in getting out.
“My foot is stuck in the harness,” she hollered through her helmet.
Jake managed to get her arm around his neck and hold her as she kicked free from the harness and he pulled her from the car just as they got there to put out the flames.
When her feet hit the ground she stumbled, nearly taking Jake down with her. But in an awkward dance, as people rushed past them, they managed to balance.
She quickly pulled her helmet off and looked at the car.
“Son-of-a-bitch! Look what they did to me.” Her voice was lost in the bustle of chaos around them.
“Son-of-a-bitch is right.” He laughed. “Karma huh?”
She spun to face him, and her long dark braid nearly caught him in the eye. “Don’t start with me Walker. What are you, my mother?”
“Oh, it’s okay for you to wreck me out of the race, but…”
“Don’t go there.” She dropped her helmet to the ground and moved in toward him.
“Oh, I went there.” He firmed his stance as she shoved at him.
“You’re an ass!”
“And you’re a…”
Bud came between them and pushed them apart. “Now the two of you stop it. You’re acting like spoiled brats. You both deserve what you got. Now kiss and make up.”
Missy’s eyes grew wide, and she stooped to pick up her helmet. “I’m guessing his mouth is tainted from track trash.”
“And what about you?” Jake countered as Missy walked away from him, her helmet tucked up under her arm.
Bud pushed him in the other direction. “You two should just go to bed with each other and get it over with.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means the tension between you both is always so thick it’s like a wall.”
Jake snorted a laugh. “Trust me. I don’t want any part of that.”
“Sure you do. Everyone does.”
He supposed he couldn’t blame everyone. She was a hot little number, which he verified as he turned and looked at her with her crew.
In stature, she wasn’t a giant, but in attitude, she could hang with the big boys. And when she wasn’t in racing gear, those legs were firm and tan. He’d often thought of running his fingers through those long brown stands of hair, but usually, in the end, he figured he’d just give them a good yank to give her pain. The tho
ught made him chuckle. Bud was an idiot saying there was sexual tension between them. There was animosity and a competitive streak, but sexual tension—nah. Bud was a dreamer.
Jake headed back to his truck where his wrecked car sat. Maybe he’d head to the bar and find him some sexual tension. He could use some of that and an ice cold beer.
Meet the Author
Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because she lives it.
When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.
A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too. Bernadette Marie is also the CEO of Illumination Author Events.
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www.5princebooks.com
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Wanderlust Bernadette Marie
Holiday Past Jessica Dall
Christmas Blitz Amy Gale
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A Romance for Christmas Bernadette Marie
Walker Revenge (The Walker Family Series Book 5) Page 18
