Gage nodded again and sent her an embarrassed half grin. “I’ve been in denial, not wanting to put a name to it, but the truth is I have flashbacks, nightmares…guilt.”
She squeezed his hand. “Gage…”
Holding up his free hand to halt her, he swallowed hard and said, “It was my last mission in Afghanistan….”
For the next several minutes, he told her a horrific story of death and destruction and loss. As he talked, Kate realized what reliving the experience cost him. Realized why he was telling her. His revelation of his trauma was a gift to her, an expression of his trust in her, a sacrificial gesture meant to bridge the gulf between them.
While her heart ached for his suffering, for the guilt he’d heaped on himself, another part of her, deep in her soul, rejoiced. By unburdening himself for her, he’d taken the first step in healing, made the first move toward building an open, honest relationship.
“When I got back stateside, the army offered me psychiatric services, but I refused them. I thought I could handle it alone. But…” He paused and shook his head. “Hank…Senator Kelley thinks if I see a counselor now, I can still sort through my guilt and get past the nightmares that haunt me.”
She held her breath, not daring to interrupt him. She offered her support by taking his other hand in hers, stroking his knuckles with her thumb.
“He thinks I’m punishing myself for my team’s deaths by not letting myself be happy, not letting you love me.”
Kate’s heart clenched. “Oh, Gage…”
“He thinks I should give my love for you a chance.”
A beat of expectant silence passed before she risked asking, “And what do you think?”
“I think…” Gage paused, then slipped one hand from her grasp to wipe the collection of moisture from his eyes. “I think he’s right.” He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. “I love you, Kate, and I want the chance to make you as happy as you make me.”
Tears blurred her vision as she laughed and cried at the same time. “You already make me happy, Gage. You show you care in so many ways. And you helped me get Janet free of Larry when no one else would.”
He smiled brighter, blinking and clearing his throat, obviously struggling with emotions he didn’t know how to express. Then he jerked his chin up and sent her a puzzled frown. “Wait, say that last part again? Are you saying—?”
“Janet and Larry had another big fight last night. He hit her again, and she came to my house. I…didn’t let her in.” Kate wet her lips, still having mixed feelings about her act of tough love.
Gage reached for her cheek and stroked his fingers along her jaw. “And?”
“Something we’d been telling her must have finally sunk in. She drove herself to a women’s shelter somewhere in Idaho. I don’t know where, but when she called this morning she sounded…relieved to be free of him.” Kate released a sigh. “For the first time in years, I’m not worried about my sister. I know she’ll find her feet and make a great new life for herself.”
He nodded and lifted the corner of his mouth. “That’s good. Really good.”
She bit her lip and tilted her head, voicing the idea she’d only been toying with before now. “I think I’ll take the Kelleys up on their offer to work for Kelley’s Cookhouse in Honey Creek. It’s a great opportunity.”
“You’ll be great at it. How could you not be? You have baking talent to spare.” His grin faded a degree, and he arched an eyebrow. “But will you have time to spare with your new job? Time to, say…date? Time to get to know a certain ex-Ranger better and build the foundation of a lasting relationship?”
Joy burst into bloom, filling Kate’s chest and bringing a wide smile to her face. “I think the question is, how will I find time for the job? I plan to spend a lot of time with the man I love, planning our future.”
“Becoming a family,” he added, and her heart skipped a beat. As he leaned close and pressed a kiss to her lips, a warmth wrapped around her, a sense of belonging and home. With Gage, she knew she’d found what her heart longed for most.
“Yes,” she said on a sigh, “our family.”
Epilogue
“The vultures are circling,” Cole said the next afternoon with a sigh of disgust as he stomped in from the cold and hung his coat on a peg by the front door. Outside, bright sunshine belied the bite in the air, the dropping temperatures that could spell trouble for Cole’s herd if the snow predicted in a few days arrived.
“Vultures?” Hannah sent her boss a querying glance.
“The paparazzi camped out at the ranch entrance.” Cole glanced to the couch where his father was propped on several pillows with an ice pack on his cheek. “Were they out there when Gage brought you home from the hospital this morning?”
“Afraid so.” Hank readjusted the ice pack and closed his eyes. “News of the attack on me was leaked from the hospital. Didn’t take long for the media to show up, looking for the story.”
“Needless to say, I don’t want anyone talking to the press.” Gage echoed his warning by dividing a stern glance among everyone present.
Hannah nodded. “Goes without saying.” She directed her attention to Cole. “Did you offer Rusty a room in the main house for his recuperation?”
Cole dropped into a stuffed chair and raked his hair with his fingers. “I did. He said he’d be fine at his own place.”
“Then he’s all settled in? Does he need anything?” Hannah asked.
“He’s settling in. I told him to call the house anytime if he needed help.” Cole dropped his gaze to the floor, and his voice grew softer. “When I left him, he was calling Bethany.”
“Bethany?” Gage looked to the others for clarification.
“His daughter in Chicago,” Hannah supplied, though her gaze was on Cole, her expression expectant, worried.
Gage was deciding whether to ask why Bethany was a source of concern to Hannah when his phone rang. His heart leaped, knowing it could be Kate calling to set a time for him to come by her house that evening. He’d had Bart cover for him long enough to escort Kate home from the hospital and get her situated on her couch with the remote and plenty of snacks. Being short-staffed, the diner had closed temporarily, giving Laurie the opportunity to sit with Kate until Gage could bring in dinner and spend the night helping her deal with her injured leg. The first night of many he planned to spend cuddled close to the woman of his dreams.
But the number on his cell was not Kate’s. The caller ID read, Honey Creek Sheriff Dept.
“Prescott? Wes Colton here. Has anyone from the Maple Cove PD called you today?”
Gage frowned. “No. Why?”
Sheriff Colton hesitated. “I have bad news.”
His stomach swooping in dread, Gage mentally braced himself. “Go on.”
“They don’t know how, and they lost video surveillance that would tell them when… In fact, the whole scenario is baffling…alarming, but…”
Gage tensed. “Just tell me what happened.”
Wes Colton sighed his frustration. “Somehow, last night, Gloria Cosgrove escaped without a trace from the Maple Cove jail.”
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Beth Cornelison for
her contribution to The Kelley Legacy miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0955-8
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*The Bancroft Brides
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Special Ops Bodyguard Page 20
