Wounded at Work

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “I wonder if she could give us an idea on how to spruce up the homestead.” Lanie smiled at Shorty as they made their way to the landing.

  “Don’t go there,” Coop put in. “My pockets aren’t as deep as my brother’s.

  Maggie wanted down from Coop’s arms. “Not in here, sweetie.”

  “This is wonderful. I’m glad you moved your collection. I worried Maggie might get in there one day. Guns and children don’t mix.”

  “It was too dangerous. That’s why I was more than glad to move it.” He looked at the smiling faces of his family—at Carrie who was obviously in awe over the house. He would give Dory a bonus. “We had better get downstairs, the others will be here shortly. When you have time, check out the patio and garden.”

  “There’s more?”

  Matt wanted to kiss her. Didn’t. “Lots more, Carrie.”

  Once they were back in the living area, Coop put a squirming Maggie on the floor. She walked up to Matt. “Book…plse.”

  “Of course, Princess. This way.” He took her tiny hand in his and led her to the nook with the child’s table and chairs. “Here you go. Open the toy box.”

  Maggie looked up at him with a questioning turquoise gaze that matched her mom’s. When she lifted the lid, she squealed, “Books.” The box was filled to the top with books of all sizes. The family stood around watching. “I call this Maggie’s corner. Take a pick, Princess.”

  He had deliberately put her favorite book on top. She picked it up with a smile and went to Carrie. “Read! Plse.”

  But Carrie wasn’t paying Maggie a bit of attention. She was looking at Matt.

  They stared at each other. Going to her, he took her hand. “Play hostess for a few minutes, ladies. Carrie and I will be right back.”

  “You’re an amazing man, Matthew Montgomery.”

  “Not nearly as amazing as you are.” He took her to the kitchen, ignored the help, and opened the door to the pantry.

  Carrie gasped. “Food!” She walked inside, turned in circles to admire the rows upon rows of all kinds of canned and boxed food. “You have ten times the space as I have.”

  “And that much more space for anything else you might want.”

  Taking her hand, he led her to the back of the house. “I’m going to ask you again if you will marry me. And I don’t want to hear how poor you were as a kid, or anything about your parents, or any of that nonsense. I love you. You love me. Why waste more time?”

  She stared back at him wide-eyed. “In my entire life I never thought anyone loved me. When I was older, I realized my wonderful neighbor, Ms. Jackson did.”

  “Your parents had to love you.”

  “They loved the booze.” When she saw the look in his eyes, she added, “I’m working on it, it isn’t easy, trying to forgive them, but I’m getting there.”

  Matt struggled not to be judgmental about Carrie’s parents. “I love you. The Brownings love you. So does Doc. She thinks of you as a daughter. Whether you realize it or not, Carrie Sullivan, many people love and care for you.”

  She nodded. “I know. I realized something a while ago, Matt. I fought hard to overcome the deficiencies of my horrible upbringing. And though you grew up in wealth, you don’t flaunt it. You care about your job, you more than care about the Trust put into your hands for safekeeping, and you care about others. Look at Maggie and how happy you made her. You didn’t have to build a corner just for her and the books she loves, but you did.” She moved closer, lifted her lips to his. “I love you, Matt. I tried to push you aside, tried to forget how you touched my heart, but I couldn’t.” She kissed his lips softly. Sighed.

  “You’ll marry me? Have kids like Maggie? Be happy?”

  Carrie laughed and the sound soothed his soul. “Yes. We have a few issues to work out, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a SEAL and FBI agent.”

  “Or a beautiful undercover PI who always gets her man.”

  “The only man I want is right here.”

  He tilted his head back and let out the same Tarzan yell that had frightened the Taliban years ago. Putting a hand over his mouth, Carrie laughed.

  He kissed her soundly. Voices and laughter filtered through the walls to where they stood wrapped in each other’s arms.

  “I think you need to tend to your guests. That is if they didn’t leave when you let loose with that yell.”

  “Our guests.” He kissed her lightly and, her hand in his, walked to the living area.

  Coop and Dirk gave him a hard look. Seeing the expression on Matt’s face, they grinned.

  Doc was there and smiled when she saw them. Matt smiled back. She gave him a thumbs-up and went to talk to some of the others.

  A waiter in dark slacks, white shirt, and black bow tie walked around the room offering appetizers. Another carried a tray of wine glasses with a selection of red or white.

  Sam walked in, looking uncomfortable and out of place.

  “Sam. I’m so glad you came.” Matt was afraid the uber-hacker wouldn’t take the time to show up.

  “Almost didn’t.”

  Dory came to stand beside Matt. “Who is this?”

  “Dory, I want you to meet the best computer guy in the world. He’s a marvel. Sam, this is my sister-in-law, Sky’s sister, Dory Oates.”

  “Do you know anyone here, Sam?” Dory asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Then let me introduce you. There are a few I don’t know as well. So, we’ll just introduce ourselves.”

  Dory took his arm and started to make a circle of the room. Matt watched in astonishment. There was actually a smile on Sam’s face.

  More folks poured in: his partner, Carl Sweeney and his wife; his boss, David Nelson and his partner Carl Sweeney and their wives. Marshall and Buster had both come with their wives as well. Emery Flannery walked in wearing a wide smile.

  When Matt announced it was time for dinner, they moved to the large party room. White damask tablecloths covered several round tables. Flower arrangements sat on each table. Dory did little to this room, but what she had done added to its appeal. Two four-foot-tall bronze pots stood in each corner on the west side of the room. Wide, red silk flowers surrounded by rich greenery reached another foot or so higher. In between hung the sixty-inch TV. On the opposite wall, she had found an antique library table in the attic that she had stripped and re-varnished. On it was an original Frederick Remington Coming Through The Rye bronze she had found there as well. Beside it were photos of the family, Maggie being the most prominent. On the wall above it was Matt’s favorite photo of his brothers with a few of their military dogs.

  The room looked spectacular. Dressed up, but not so elaborate one wouldn’t feel comfortable.

  Dory sat with Sam at the end of the table. She and the computer guru were engrossed in conversation. At the next table, Coop and Lanie sat beside Maggie who was in her high chair. Dirk kept leaning over Sky to see if she was all right. He was going to make a great dad.

  But Matt couldn’t wait for dinner to be over and barely touched his food.

  “Aren’t you hungry, Matt?” Carrie asked.

  He shook his head. “Is the host ever hungry? I’m too anxious.”

  “I don’t know why. The food is delicious. I’ve never tasted such tender mignon and the shrimp is to die for. Take a bite.” She put shrimp on a fork and held it to his mouth. Laughing, he took it between his teeth and gave her a look she couldn’t mistake. He was pleased to see the flush rise in her face.

  When plates had been removed, but before coffee and dessert could be served, Matt stood. Carrie tapped her glass with a knife for silence.

  There were so many here to thank, he hoped he didn’t leave anyone out. “My family calls this a celebration dinner. And it is. I have much to celebrate. With the help of Carrie, the FBI has shut down an up-and-coming sex slavery operation involving Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

  “Carrie was kidnapped by the slavers, but because she is just plain smart and capable, she m
anaged to tuck one of the slavers in a shower and take down another before the FBI ever got there.”

  “Thor took care of the third,” Carrie put in.

  “Carrie’s right. Thor, one of my brothers’ military dogs, took care of the third slaver. I have no doubt that if we weren’t there, Carrie could have taken the guy out on her own.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Carrie blushed.

  “The FBI team lent me the tools to make the operation a huge success.”

  He turned to Sam. “Sam Razi, with his computer skills, put us on the right track and kept us there. He was instrumental in our success. Thanks to him, several of the buyers have been taken in and could go to jail as well. Without him I don’t think any of this would have happened the way it did. Thanks, Sam.”

  Matt continued on to thank those involved in saving the Trust. “Sky was amazing. I’ll never forget all you did.”

  Sky smiled.

  “A big shout-out goes to Sky’s sister, Dory, for her expertise in bringing my house into this century. I’m afraid it was rather stiff and formal before.”

  Everyone clapped and shouted. “Good job.”

  “Finally, I want to tell you the biggest reason for this celebration. He took Carrie’s hand and brought her to her feet to stand beside him. “Carrie and I are getting married.”

  Silence.

  “What? You don’t believe me?”

  “Believe it.” Carrie grinned. “Who could step away from a house that looks like this one?”

  They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

  Matt knew that Carrie didn’t care about his house or his money. She only cared about him. His heart filled with love.

  She reached up and kissed his lips.

  Everyone roared.

  Coop and Dirk were at Matt’s side, slapping him on the shoulder and grinning from ear to ear.

  Sky struggled to her feet, and with Lanie by her side, hurried to Carrie. “We’ll help with the wedding.”

  Lanie took Carrie’s hand and squeezed. “I want to be there when you pick out your dress.”

  Shorty had tears in her eyes, as did Doc.

  “You’re going to make a beautiful bride.” Doc wiped her eyes. “I’m giving the shower.”

  And so it went.

  When Matt could quiet everyone for a minute, he turned to his brothers. “Coop, you and Dirk, along with Sky and Lanie, put in many hours tracking down the information we needed to protect the Trust. There are many charities that would thank you if they knew.

  “Since they can’t, and you would never take anything from the Trust in recompense, I ordered three six-month-old Belgian Malinois yesterday. Two are for you to train and sell to the military. If you will train the third, it’s for Carrie.” At the look on her face, he continued, “You never know when you’ll need someone to watch your back.”

  Everyone laughed. Including Carrie. She threw him a kiss, making him smile.

  “The rest of you have my thanks and appreciation for all you did.”

  If ever there was a successful dinner party, it was this one.

  After dessert and coffee, everyone left.

  Matt and Carrie looked at each other. “I didn’t think they would ever leave.”

  “Neither did I.”

  They fell into each other’s arms.

  Matt picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist. “Where to?” he whispered.

  She laughed. “Anywhere. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I can’t wait.”

  They made it as far as the dining room.

  Epilogue

  In the years that followed…

  Matt and Carrie had a beautiful wedding amid the flowering garden in Matt’s backyard. Everyone important to them came—the Saturday get-together group, Matt’s boss and friends in the FBI, as well as the Trust attorneys.

  Carrie garaged her Harley three months later when she found out she was pregnant with their first son.

  Coop and Lanie had a son, Joshua Cooper Browning. The family calls him Josh and every chance he gets, he’s right beside his dad, helping train the military dogs. Maggie, being the eldest, asserts her authority at every opportunity and has been known to argue with her brother as to which of them will work the dogs with Mom and Dad. She also helps her mother in the kitchen, but isn’t fond of cleanup.

  Dirk and Sky have two children. The oldest, Jacob (Jake) Dirk Browning, seven months older than his cousin Josh, follows his dad’s every footstep, from training the dogs to begging to go to the office. Josh tells them at every opportunity that he’s going to join the Navy and become a SEAL like his dad. The girl, Susan Marie (Susie), named after Dirk’s mom, is the image of her mom, Sky.

  Matt and Carrie are the proud parents of three: two boys and a girl. The oldest boy, Harrison Matthew Montgomery, is called Harry, and he’s so much like his dad there are times Carrie wonders about him. She needn’t worry since she continues to put joy in the serious and sober Montgomery clan. Carrie loved her undercover name so much she wanted her daughter to have it, and Cassandra is as bright and pretty as her mom—with the same red hair and green eyes. Cassie has her dad wrapped around her little finger. Middle child, Nathan Lyle Montgomery, is just as sober and serious as his older brother and they vie for the privilege to go with Dad on days he works on the family Trust. Matt will never have to worry about the Trust falling into the wrong hands.

  With their growing families, Sky and Carrie have cut their workdays down to two or three a week. Lanie insisted on being the children’s sitter as well as their pre-school teacher. She turned the spare bedroom at the homestead into a makeshift classroom and playroom. Sully and Thor accompany the kids, as does Carrie’s Malinois, Jasper. The school-age kids are only too happy to show off their extensive knowledge to the younger ones.

  Shorty is in grandmother heaven with seven grandchildren to spoil.

  Because of the growing families, the Saturday night get-togethers have been cut down to the first Saturday of the month.

  It sounds like the perfect family, but there is always something to bring excitement into the mix. Jake broke his arm playing baseball. Maggie accidently broke her mom’s favorite crystal bowl. Harry forgot to get permission for a field trip and forged his mom’s signature. Coop went in for more surgery on his leg. Carrie had her scar tissue removed. And so it goes.

  Oh, I can’t forget to tell you that Dory and Sam are a twosome. They claim they will never marry; Dory because of her record with men, and Sam because he had never had a woman in his life before, and still doesn’t know what to make of the outgoing, talented woman who brightens his life. The family has hopes that one day they will walk down that aisle.

  A last note: As of this date, Matt has not heard from his cousin. And hopes he never will.

  The love these three brothers, who are totally unrelated by blood, share with each other and their families is a joy to behold.

  I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have.

  A word about the author…

  Mitzi Pool Bridges is a former businesswoman who lives in Texas, has a large family, has traveled extensively, and loves to read and write. http://mitzipoolbridges.com

  ~*~

  Other Mitzi Pool Bridges titles

  available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  FIND MY BABY

  **

  The Callahan Series

  PROMISE KEPT

  PROMISE BROKEN

  PROMISE HER

  PROMISE MADE

  PROMISE RENEWED

  PROMISE THEM

  **

  The Lobster Cove Series

  CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

  ANGEL IN DISGUISE

  **

  The Wounded SEAL Trilogy

  WOUNDED AT THE LAKE

  WOUNDED AT HOME

  WOUNDED AT WORK

  Thank you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

    Mitzi Pool Bridges, Wounded at Work