by Jo McNally
Dan’s eyes burned, and his throat was thick with emotion. “Baby girl, it’s Daddy.” The word broke as it came out. His whole body shook with relief. “Dennis is a friend of mine. I need you to go with him, okay?”
Silence. Then Dennis responded. “Got her. She’s fine, just scared about the woman. On our way to the vehicle now.”
Sam said the words Dan couldn’t form. “Thank God. Now let’s get this son of a bitch.”
“Team Two will grab the vehicles heading out now,” Terry whispered. “Everyone else stay outta sight.”
“Roger that.”
Dan flattened under the shrubs as the two vehicles raced down the drive, throwing up dust and stones. They both headed east, toward the interstate, but he knew they’d never get that far. Using the dust cloud as cover, Dan moved farther up the drive. He could see the remaining two vehicles, but they were blocking his view of Mack and the two men.
Sam came on the radio. “Be advised. Compton said something that pissed off Dan’s girlfriend. She’s up and arguing, dropping f-bombs all over the place.”
Dan grinned through his worry. Thatta girl, Mackie. Give him hell.
“Compton wants her inside the barn, and she is not having it.” A pause. “Be advised, the big guy is heading down the drive in his truck, which is loaded with product. Don’t let him get far.”
Terry chuckled. “I’ll take care of him. Go get your girl, Dan.”
Dan moved up the hill, only stopping long enough to duck when Elliot went by. His eyes narrowed when he saw Wes grab at Mack’s arm.
“Roger the hell outta that. Everyone else stand down. Compton’s mine.”
Chapter Nineteen
Everyone knew that you never let a bad guy take you into a vehicle or an abandoned barn. Mack had read it a dozen times. Don’t let them take you anywhere alone. Wes grabbed her arm again, fingers digging in hard enough to make her cry out. But not so hard that she couldn’t call him every name she could think of while digging her heels into the dirt driveway. His face reddened with anger.
“Damn it, Mack, I’m not going to violate you or anything. I’ll just tie you up in there and let my bosses decide what to do with you after I’m long gone.” He yanked sharply. “You’re not that hot that I’d risk my escape taking the time to do you.”
She tried to pull away, but he wasn’t letting go this time. Fear and fury were fueling her in equal measure now.
“A—I’m totally hot enough, you ignorant ass hat. And B—I am not letting you tie me up in some barn in the middle of nowhere. I’ll die out here!” And who’d save Chloe?
His grip tightened again, and he pulled hard enough to send her stumbling forward. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you what—forget what I said about my bosses. We don’t need to get them involved.” His voice was so smooth and smarmy that she knew he was lying. “I’ll call your boyfriend and tell Dan where you are once I’m at the airport and ready to book outta here. You’ll be fine. Now be a good girl and get moving. I wasn’t kidding when I said I don’t have time for this.”
He pushed again, and she didn’t even try to stay on her feet. Let him drag her if he wanted. She hit the dirt and glared up at him, slapping at his hands when he reached down to grab her.
“I am so sick and tired of men saying they don’t have time for me, Wes. And I am damn sure not anyone’s good girl. Oh, and I’m not going in that barn either, so you can just—”
A glint of rage in his eyes silenced her. Maybe lying on the ground under him wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had. His hand curled into a fist, and he pulled his arm back.
“No wonder Adams dumped your obnoxious ass,” he snarled. “You never know when to shut the hell up.”
Before he could take the swing, there was a roar from her right and a blur of dark motion. Wes vanished under whoever had just tackled him. Mack rolled away from the scuffle, only to have someone’s hand wrap around her arm as she stood. Oh, hell no. She came around swinging, connecting with the stranger’s face right about the time she noticed he was wearing a bulletproof vest and a cap with the letters “DEA” printed on it.
The tall black man shook his head and grimaced, but he was laughing. “That’s a hell of a right hook, Mackenzie. I’m one of the good guys. It’s over.” He let go of her arm and stepped back. Law enforcement officers were coming at them from all over, with the same dark hats and black vests. On the ground, one was wrestling with Wes. She saw a familiar shock of sandy hair. Dan. He was on top now, throwing a flurry of punches at Wes and cursing him in a voice filled with rage. She heard him say something about his daughter.
Chloe...
She must have spoken out loud, and the agent she’d just punched tipped his head at her. “Chloe’s safe. She’s with my team.” He looked over at one of the men watching Dan beating on Wes and raised one brow in question. “Sam, you think you might want to get your friend?”
Sam jumped forward and grabbed Dan’s arm before he could land another punch.
“Enough, man. I think you made your point.”
Dan struggled against his grip for a moment, then stopped, glaring at Wes. “It’ll never be enough for me, but yeah. I’m done. Facedown, asshole.” He spun Wes over in a flash, cuffing his hands behind his back, then standing. His eyes went right to her. And...wow.
Her knees nearly buckled from the emotion swirling in his gaze. Rage. Desperation. Relief. Love. He swept his gaze up and down her body, checking for damage, then pulled her into his arms. He nearly crushed her, but she didn’t object. She knew he needed it as much as she did. She soaked it up, then started trying to explain.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I never would have put Chloe in this—”
His hand cupped the back of her head, holding her against his shoulder. “I know. I’m just glad you’re both okay.” A shudder went through him as he drew in a deep breath. “You’re all that matters to me. You and Chloe. That’s it.”
“Did I mess up your bust or sting or whatever this is? I punched your boss. Will you be in trouble? I’m sorry...”
“Baby, hush.” Another shudder. No, wait. That was a shake. He was shaking. He was...laughing. And so were the agents around them. Mack pushed away, but Dan kept her in the circle of his arms. One of the two female agents spoke up.
“It’s true. She clocked Terry right in the nose. It was pretty sweet.” The woman winked at Mack. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
The man she’d hit—Terry, apparently—rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, very funny.” He smiled at Mack. “No harm done, I promise. And I was in charge today, but I’m not Dan’s boss. In fact, I’m thinking he won’t have any boss before long. After today, I think he’s a shoo-in for that chief of police opening I hear is coming.”
Dan started introducing her around as two agents roughly lifted Wes to his feet and walked him to the waiting black SUV with dark-tinted windows. Just like in the movies. A matching SUV pulled up behind it. As soon as the door closed on Wes, the back door on the second vehicle flew open.
“Daddy! Mackie!” Chloe bolted out of the car and ran to them. Moving as one, Dan and Mack bent and opened their arms to pull her into their embrace. She ended up sitting on Dan’s hip but had a death grip on Mack’s hand. She realized with a wave of sadness that she didn’t belong in this family embrace. But when she went to move away, Dan’s hold tightened around her waist. He shook his head at her, even as he talked to Chloe.
“Baby girl, I am so happy to see you. And I am so proud of you for listening to Mack and doing what she told you.” He kissed her cheek, then let her slide to the ground. “Why don’t you let me thank Mack for a minute, then we’ll go home, okay?”
“But Dad, I have to tell Mack—”
“Just give me a minute, okay, baby?”
Chloe opened her mouth to argue, then shrugged and walked over to climb on the old farm wagon. Mack smi
led. Dan had been right about her—perpetual motion.
“Dan, I really am sorry...” He wasn’t listening, intent on examining her arm where Wes had grabbed her. Rings of bruises were already visible.
“Do you need to have this looked at?” His hands slid up to her shoulders, resting at the base of her neck. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“What? No. I’m fine. I’ll just catch a ride back to my car with someone and be out of your hair. I should never have brought Chloe up here. I wasn’t thinking...”
“Mack, you had no idea this was going to happen. Hell, I had no idea this was happening until a few hours ago. And I never connected in my mind that this place was on the edge of Gilford’s Ridge or that that’s where you were going to be. It’s not your fault. And the way you protected Chloe, at your own expense... Mack, I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you enough for that.” He put his thumbs under her chin and raised it until she was looking right at him. “But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”
Her heart jumped. He didn’t mean it the way she hoped, of course. He only meant they’d be living in the same town, as friends, and he’d be grateful. How nice. But there was something shining in his eyes that made her go very still. Something warm and deep and true.
“Mack, I was an idiot. You were right about me hiding in the job, using it as an excuse, being a coward. All of it. You were right. I love you so much, and when I thought I might lose you...” He swallowed hard. “Everything just fell into place in my head. Like tumblers in a lock. Boom. It was clear as a bell. This job might be my calling. But it’s not my life. You’re my life. You and Chloe.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you. And if it’s not too late, I’d really like you to love me back. It still won’t be easy. I might end up being the local police chief, which is a big job. I don’t know how we’ll make it all work, but Mackie... I need a safe place. I want that safe place to be you.”
He kissed her, and she kissed him back with everything she had. Neither of them cared about the catcalls coming from the agents milling around the farmyard. It was Chloe’s voice that finally pulled them apart.
“Yes!” She shouted from the farm wagon. “It worked!” She gave a little fist pump, and everyone laughed.
“What worked, sweetie?” Dan asked.
“The wishing well! We found it, Mackie, on the way back to the car. Mr. Dennis didn’t want to stop, but I told him it was very important. He carried me over and let me throw my penny in real fast. I made my wish, and it worked!”
Mack had a feeling she knew the answer before she even asked. “What did you wish for, Chloe?”
The girl gave them a wide, gap-toothed grin. “I wished that you two would get married!”
There were more catcalls while Dan coughed and Mack’s face went burgundy.
“Well, I don’t know if I’d say it really worked then...”
But Dan stopped her, sliding his arm around her waist and reaching up to the wagon to hold Chloe, too.
“Actually, baby, I think your wish did come true. Or at least, it’s going to.” He looked into Mack’s eyes with a heated gaze that made her toes curl. “What do you say, Mack? Do you think Chloe’s wish will be granted?”
She settled in the crook of his arm, trying to hold her smile back, but failing badly.
“I do.”
Those two words made Dan straighten with a smile.
“Perfect answer.”
* * *
Don’t miss the next Gallant Lake story, coming in the fall of 2020!
And catch up with the rest of the series:
A Man You Can Trust
It Started at Christmas...
Available now from Harlequin Special Edition!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Daughter on His Doorstep by Teresa Southwick.
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Daughter on His Doorstep
by Teresa Southwick
Chapter One
Luke McCoy was back.
Like a bad rash. Or a bad dream. Everything bad.
From her upstairs bedroom window Shelby Richards had a view of the house next door where he grew up. She happened to glance out and saw a man carrying a bulky duffel bag up the walkway. Something about his loose-limbed, sexy stride was familiar and a shiver of awareness made her look closer. He was broader and more muscular than he’d been ten years ago. But that was definitely Luke.
Don’t panic, she told herself, but it was hard not to.
The man didn’t have any idea she’d had his baby.
All those feelings from a decade ago came back to her now. She’d been seventeen, pregnant, scared and ashamed because she was going to have a baby before high school graduation. She’d wanted to tell him but when you’re a pregnant teenager who broke the rules, you don’t have a lot of choices except to do what you’re told.
“Shelby, what’s wrong?” Her mother stood in the doorway. Pam Richards had a laundry basket resting against her hip. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Luke. Luke McCoy, the guy I used to—”
“I remember who he is.” The temperature of her mother’s voice could freeze water.
“He’s next door. Right now.” Did that thready, whispery voice belong to her? “It looks like he’s moving in. After he left, his mother rented the house. When she moved out a few weeks ago I thought that was it. Why would he be back now?”
“I don’t know.” Pam set the basket down just inside the doorway.
There was an unyielding hardness in her mother’s brown eyes that Shelby recognized all too well. She’d felt the power of it many times but never more than when she’d confessed her pregnancy and admitted Luke McCoy, the one guy she’d been forbidden to see, was the father. What her mother said next was like a slap. If you’d stayed away from that loser like I told you, you wouldn’t be in this mess.
The only person who’d escaped “the look” was Emma. Her beautiful little girl, her pride and joy. She was precocious and independent was her middle name. And her grandmother adored her. Now she was...
“Where’s Emma?” Shelby lowered her voice and glanced toward the empty doorway.
“She’s downstairs in the family room watching a movie.” Pam spoke softly and moved closer. They both looked out the window and watched him carry clothes on hangers into the house.
“Yup. Definitely moving in.” Shelby’s heart was hammering as apprehension trickled through her. “He’s going to be right next door. How can he not see her? And what will happen when he does? You know she looks just like him,” Shelby said.
“Only because you know he’s her father.”
“You should have let me tell him, Mom.”
“He was wild and reckless and headed to hell in a handbasket. You were an honor student with nowhere to go but up. Now you’re a respected high school math teacher but you wouldn’t be if you’d told him. He would have ruined your life. And Emma’s.”
Shelby glared at the man walking back to his truck where the bed was full of boxes. His dark hair was short and his arms tan. The dark T-shirt was snug across his shoulders and worn jeans hugged his lean hips and strong legs. Her memory filled in the dark brown eyes and lean, handsome features. She’d been an innocent rule follower who never defied her mother but resisting Luke McCoy had been impossible. She was a moth to his flame. A bee to his honey—exciting because he was everything she wasn’t. A rule breaker, a rebel. Fearless. Independent.
“But he’s her father, Mom. And he’s moving in next door.”
“Shelby, honey, I’ve always taken care of you. After your f
ather left and started a new family it was just the two of us. And I’m so proud of you.”
“Except when I was pregnant. There was a time you wouldn’t even look at me.”
“I’ll admit it was a shock when you told me you were going to have a baby. But we got through it together. And I couldn’t be more proud of you. You finished high school at the top of your class and went to college. Graduated summa cum laude. And you did it while raising Emma.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Mom.”
But she would never forget the resentment she’d felt. Being forced to keep a secret. Then Emma was born and Pam was there. Always. Her biggest cheerleader. Her support system. Babysitter. Loving grandmother. Shelby had been busy and never let herself think about Luke because it hurt too much.
“I never told you this, but I saw him. Before he left.”
“What? When?” Pam’s voice was sharp. “You said he broke up with you.”
“He did. But he contacted me, wanted to talk. I sneaked out to meet him.” She met her mother’s shocked gaze and braced herself, then looked back at Luke. “I was going to tell him the truth. He had a right to know.”
“But you didn’t.” It was both statement and question.
“Before I could, he told me he enlisted in the army. He was leaving.”
“You did the right thing, Shelby.”
She couldn’t look away as he made trips back and forth from the truck to the house, unloading all those boxes. Never once did he glance over.
Couldn’t he feel her staring? He’d once told her she was all he had. After his dad died in the car accident, his mother blamed him for reasons Shelby didn’t understand. His relationship with his mom was fractured and Shelby promised he’d always have her. And he vowed to always have her back but he broke that promise.
