“You did it again.” Ignoring all the action around them, Nina stared up at Thomas, her heart beginning to slow down, her pulse less jumpy now.
“Yep. Just can’t seem to stop myself from protecting you.” He grinned, but she saw the darkness in his eyes, along with something else that made her want to hold him tight. “I’m sorry the boy is dead, but I had no choice. He could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t. I had my weapon and I had Sam.” Instead of fussing at Thomas, she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the jaw. “And now I have you.”
She turned to get back into the fray, but his hand on her arm stopped her. “Are you sure about that? I mean, I don’t back down.”
“Neither do I, cowboy. As soon as we tie up these loose ends, we’re going home for Christmas.”
Thomas watched her walk away, that tough-girl stride colliding with the softness of her gentle kiss.
“We’re gonna need your statement and...well, you know the drill,” Max West said without preamble from behind Thomas.
“Understood,” he answered, turning to find the man’s eyes wide with realization. Thomas wondered if Max had witnessed that quick breach of protocol. “I’ll call my people and explain. I know the routine. I hate this part of the job, though. I killed that young man.”
“Yes, because he had a weapon and he pulled it out after both Nina and you warned him.” Max looked to the patrol car where a shocked and dazed Senator Richard Slaton sat with handcuffs on his wrists. “The irony is that they hired a known assassin to kill three innocent girls—all to protect their good name and the status quo. In his desire to shield his son, the senator broke the law and tried to cover it all up. Now his only son is dead, and the senator will probably be in prison for a long, long time.
“Russo’s talking now and Slaton is beyond caring about his precious image anymore,” Max finished. “We’ve got reports to file and then we can close this one out.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he added, “I’ve got to move on to these possible-arson fires. Tim’s taking the lead on that one, thankfully. His K-9 partner’s expertise is in sniffing out accelerants.”
“Tim’s a good agent. But then, your whole team seems solid.” Thomas hesitated and then said, “If you’re done with us, Nina and I want to go talk to Kelly Denton and let her know she’s safe.”
“Okay,” Max said, turning to get back to work. Then he pivoted and gave Thomas a hard stare. “Don’t take her away from us, Deputy Marshal.”
Thomas pondered that for a moment. “You mean Agent Atkins? Hadn’t planned on it. I’ve always had a hankering to live in Montana. Now seems like a good time to act on that notion.”
Max cracked a quick, fleeting grin. “Does Agent Atkins know that yet?”
“No, not yet, but I aim to fill her in real soon.”
A couple hours later, dawn started a gentle approach over the mountains, coloring the snow-tipped peaks in a shimmering pink-gold light.
Thomas stood with Nina at the door of her room at the inn. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and tell her he’d never leave her. But that would scare her away...
They’d gone to tell Kelly Denton and her parents that Allen Slaton was dead and that both Russo and the senator were in jail. Even if the senator got out on bail, Kelly would be safe. The FBI and US Marshal Department would make sure of that.
Right now, he was concerned about Nina. She took helping people to heart.
“If you ask me again if I’m okay, I might deck you,” she said, reading his mind with all the precision of a high-powered flashlight.
“Are you okay?” he asked anyway.
She fisted her hand and knocked on his biceps twice. “I guess that didn’t really hurt you at all, did it?”
“Told you I’m tough,” he said, gathering her into his arms. “I’ve died a thousand deaths since I met you, but I sure like being around you.”
Nina knew that feeling. Wanting to protect him and take care of him and never let him go out there again. But then, he was big and brawny and...beautiful. Why did love hurt and heal all at the same time?
“Think you can handle me, cowboy?”
He tugged her close and grinned down at her. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll give it my best shot.”
“Then kiss me like you mean it,” she quipped.
He did, and then he followed her inside and held her close on the love seat by the fire. “Let’s watch the sunrise coming over the mountaintop,” he said. “Then I’ll let you get some sleep.”
Nina stirred and sat straight up, remembering where she was and why she wasn’t at her little house anymore. She’d have to get that fixed soon. Then she smelled fresh coffee and bacon. A knock at her door made her hurry and freshen up while Sam’s ears perked up.
“Come in,” she called, stepping out of the tiny bathroom, her warm robe cocooning her.
She was having a good dream.
And in it, a tall Texan was standing at the door with breakfast and a red rose on a tray.
“Can I keep you?” she asked in a husky squeak of delight.
Thomas smiled at her. “I don’t come cheap. I like a lot of groceries. Even Penny’s complaining about that.”
“I think I can manage buying more food,” Nina said, getting up and wishing she’d brought pretty clothes to the inn with her.
Then she glanced around. Sam sat watching them probably amazed at the sizzle of something more than bacon moving through the small space. “Ah, Thomas, where did you sleep? Not out in front of my door, I hope.”
“I went to my room and was out like a light,” he said, while he arranged the tray on the bistro table by the bay window. Then he petted the rottweiler on the head. “But Sam told me I really missed out on a lot. Said you snore. Told me it’s the cutest thing, so delicate and—”
A throw pillow hit him upside his head. Dodging it, he said, “Hey, don’t mess up this wonderful breakfast Penny and I prepared for you.”
“I don’t snore.” Nina marched toward him and glanced at the clock. “It’s late. I should get to work.”
“Max said your vacation officially starts today, remember?”
She let out a little breath. “I’d forgotten I have five days off. And it’s two days until Christmas. No wonder my mom’s been calling.”
“You might want to let her know you’re safe and sound and you’ll be home for Christmas,” Thomas said as he set out plates full of eggs, bacon and toast. With some fruit on the side. Then he held out the rose with a flourish.
The man was full of surprises.
Nina took a sniff and let the sweet scent surround her, then sank into a chair and tried to drain her coffee. Putting down the dainty Christmas cup, she said, “Uh, Thomas...”
He stood across from her and stared down at her. “Yes, I’d love to go home with you for Christmas and meet your family. And no, you can’t back out of it now because I’m pretty sure one day in the future, they will become my family, too.”
Was he proposing to her?
Did she want him to propose to her?
“You’re kind of confident,” she said, hoping she didn’t look as confused as she felt, and wishing she could be as confident as him. She’d never been impulsive, but now she wanted to dive right into breakfast and into being with Thomas.
He sat down and grabbed a piece of toast. He looked fresh and alive, and he smelled like the pines in high country. He wore a button-up shirt and jeans.
Off duty but on the prowl.
She liked him. Loved him. “Are you sure about all of this?”
How was she going to survive having him around her judgmental, outspoken family?
He leaned back and chewed on his toast, his eyes moving over her in a catlike fashion. “I’m pretty sure that I want to spend some time with you, no guns and no regrets.”
“I have to figure out things, Thomas.”
“About me? About us?”
“Yes, and about my house. It’s a mess. I need to go by there and probably meet with the landlord and the insurance people.” She stared at her bacon. “This is happening so fast.”
“Eat your breakfast,” he said, as calm as a sleeping lion. “Call your mom. Your landlord is aware of what happened to your house. He promises to have someone out to look at it today. You can figure out the insurance stuff and get with your landlord and then grab what you need to go home for Christmas.”
“You talked to my landlord?”
“Max had Dylan talk to him, since you were kind of busy.”
“Five or six days busy,” she said. “We’ve only known each other a week. Isn’t that kind of strange?”
Thomas stopped eating and stood up. “Okay, if you’re not comfortable with me going with you, I’ll understand. It won’t be the first time I’ve spent Christmas alone.”
Nina’s stomach roiled. She’d invited him. She didn’t want him to be alone during the holidays. Was he walking out on her? Well, she had told him she wasn’t sure.
Feeling like the worst kind of tease, she said, “Thomas?”
“Nina, if you’re not ready for this, we can try again once things settle down. I get it. We’ve been through a lot this past week and you need some time to debrief. Then, of course, I’m a lot to deal with. I have a dangerous job and I travel at the drop of hat. It works for me, but it’s never worked in a relationship.” Putting a hand on the doorjamb, he added, “Or at least, it hasn’t before.”
Then he was gone, moving fast for such a big man.
She waited a beat or two and then glanced over at Sam.
The dog looked at the door, woofed, and then set his doleful eyes on her. “Go after him.”
Nina’s heart took over her common sense. Grabbing suede booties to protect her bare feet from the snow, she stumbled down the stairs, still tugging one on.
Thomas was headed for the front door.
She rushed toward it and slammed it shut, then turned to see his surprised expression. “You big oaf, I want you to...be my date for Christmas. I’m scared and stupid, and I thought you’d be like my brothers and dad, but you’re not. You accept me, Thomas. You get me. We both have the kind of careers that scare normal people, so I’m okay with you having to leave.” Grabbing him by the collar, she added, “But don’t you ever walk away from me again.”
He let out a breath, his gaze softening with relief. “I had to be sure.”
She yanked him into her arms and kissed him.
“Did that make you sure?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a few more times.”
Kissing him again, she breathed a thankful prayer.
“Will it always be like this?” she asked.
“Probably worse.” He kissed her back. “And better.”
“Okay, I can live with that,” she said. “Let me get changed and we’ll get going. We’ve got lots to do today.”
Nina showed Thomas the turn to the winding road up the mountain. Her entire family was waiting for them.
“They’ll try to pick you apart,” she warned, her tone shaky. “We could go somewhere else for Christmas.”
“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” he asked, still amazed that she’d taken a leap of faith. “I mean, we brought gifts and I’ve got on my game face.”
“No, I want you to be here. I want to be here with you. But you’ve heard how my brothers are. They’ll test you to the limit.”
“Bring it.”
“My dad will do a background check on you.”
“I don’t mind that a bit.”
“My mom will ask you fifty questions.”
“I’ll give her fifty answers.”
The big cabin was a solid, rambling, worn, towering structure that looked as if it had been carved into the mountainside. Snow-covered and decorated with pine wreaths draped in bright red bows, it looked like the perfect Christmas card.
“They’ll all be staring out the window,” she said as the two of them got out of the truck.
Thomas met her by her door and whispered, “Then let’s give them something to talk about.”
He kissed her and then turned to face the house. “Nina, in spite of the horror that brought us together, I’m thanking God right now. This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
Sam danced around while they kissed again. Then the big dog woofed and stared up at them. It’s about time.
Before they could part, the front door opened and one tiny woman and five domineering men rushed out to greet them.
Thomas grinned and shook hands and felt as if his heart had been rearranged and tied up with one of those bright red bows.
“Welcome home,” Nina’s mom said, hugging her daughter tight. But she was looking at Thomas.