free spirit in our family tree.”
“I’ll always be that way.”
“Ash, I have no doubt that the right man will tie you down sooner rather than later. Not that I’m in a hurry to see my baby sister scooped up by a—”
“Jace, I don’t want to talk about it,” she interrupted, wheeling her horse around and kicking it into a full gallop back toward Rancho Diablo.
Whoa. She was hurting bad. He felt terrible about his awkward approach at comforting her. Jace wished he could fix it for her, force Xav Phillips to love her. But just like with him and Sawyer, love played out the way it was going to. You couldn’t make another person love you.
Jace thought about his parents, and wondered how they’d ever managed to find each other, fall in love, make their relationship work. Seven children, and then witness protection.
He thought about the cozy house in Colorado and felt a little peace. He, Galen, Dante, Tighe, Falcon, Sloan and Ash had done all right for themselves, thanks to the care of Running Bear and Fiona.
But it could have all turned out so much differently.
They’d been blessed. Fortunate. Watched over by angels or spirits, whatever one called the heavenly supernatural that guided them. So had their cousins, the Callahans, who now resided in Hell’s Colony, Texas, until they could one day come back home.
When we’ve got this ranch locked down for our cousins, they can come back here, and we Chacon Callahans can go our way. Back to where we came from.
They really had no home, though. Home was where your family was.
His family was at Rancho Diablo: Sawyer and their children, Jason and Ashley. Jace smiled, thinking about his impending offspring. He’d felt them move inside Sawyer last night when he’d touched her stomach, almost afraid to make love to her. She’d urged him on, telling him it was fine. She’d whispered sweet words to him, tantalizing him, drawing him in.
The worst part was that he went into the trap so easily.
She was his family. He’d stay with her and the children no matter what.
No matter how much it hurt to know she might not be playing him straight.
* * *
J ACE RODE BACK to the ranch slowly, deep in his thoughts, until he realized Fiona was waving frantically at him from the back porch. He rode toward her, his heart catching at her worried face.
“What is it?”
“I couldn’t reach you on your cell! Sawyer’s having stomach pains! She didn’t want anyone to tell you, but you need to get her to the hospital now! ”
He slid off his horse and handed it over to a groom, rushing past his aunt into the house and hurrying up the stairs. “Did anybody call the doctor?”
“Yes, but I think we’re past Doc Cartwright now. She needs to go straight to the hospital!” Fiona’s face was pale. “Galen’s looking her over.”
Jace went into Sawyer’s room to find his brother in full physician mode, checking her heart rate, her pulse, gently trying to keep her calm. Sawyer looked up at Jace the moment he walked in the door.
“Jace! I think the babies are trying to come. It’s too early!”
“It’s okay,” he said, trying to soothe her. He went to sit beside her. He noted the pain on his wife’s face, glanced to read his brother’s.
“Let’s take her in,” Galen said softly, and Jace’s blood turned cold. Granted, his brother was no gynecologist, but he was a skilled general practitioner of allopathic and holistic medicine. If he said a hospital was required, then something was wrong.
“I’ll get the car. Don’t worry, babe, it’s going to be fine.” Jace kissed her and then hurried down the stairs.
Fiona and Burke had already pulled the family van around. Jace gratefully nodded and hurried inside to carry his wife down.
To his surprise, Sawyer was already downstairs, being helped out of a walled-off pantry in the kitchen by Ash and Running Bear.
“What is this?” Jace demanded.
“A secret,” Ash said. “A joint this large has hidden
“I’ll always be that way.”
“Ash, I have no doubt that the right man will tie you down sooner rather than later. Not that I’m in a hurry to see my baby sister scooped up by a—”
“Jace, I don’t want to talk about it,” she interrupted, wheeling her horse around and kicking it into a full gallop back toward Rancho Diablo.
Whoa. She was hurting bad. He felt terrible about his awkward approach at comforting her. Jace wished he could fix it for her, force Xav Phillips to love her. But just like with him and Sawyer, love played out the way it was going to. You couldn’t make another person love you.
Jace thought about his parents, and wondered how they’d ever managed to find each other, fall in love, make their relationship work. Seven children, and then witness protection.
He thought about the cozy house in Colorado and felt a little peace. He, Galen, Dante, Tighe, Falcon, Sloan and Ash had done all right for themselves, thanks to the care of Running Bear and Fiona.
But it could have all turned out so much differently.
They’d been blessed. Fortunate. Watched over by angels or spirits, whatever one called the heavenly supernatural that guided them. So had their cousins, the Callahans, who now resided in Hell’s Colony, Texas, until they could one day come back home.
When we’ve got this ranch locked down for our cousins, they can come back here, and we Chacon Callahans can go our way. Back to where we came from.
They really had no home, though. Home was where your family was.
His family was at Rancho Diablo: Sawyer and their children, Jason and Ashley. Jace smiled, thinking about his impending offspring. He’d felt them move inside Sawyer last night when he’d touched her stomach, almost afraid to make love to her. She’d urged him on, telling him it was fine. She’d whispered sweet words to him, tantalizing him, drawing him in.
The worst part was that he went into the trap so easily.
She was his family. He’d stay with her and the children no matter what.
No matter how much it hurt to know she might not be playing him straight.
* * *
J ACE RODE BACK to the ranch slowly, deep in his thoughts, until he realized Fiona was waving frantically at him from the back porch. He rode toward her, his heart catching at her worried face.
“What is it?”
“I couldn’t reach you on your cell! Sawyer’s having stomach pains! She didn’t want anyone to tell you, but you need to get her to the hospital now! ”
He slid off his horse and handed it over to a groom, rushing past his aunt into the house and hurrying up the stairs. “Did anybody call the doctor?”
“Yes, but I think we’re past Doc Cartwright now. She needs to go straight to the hospital!” Fiona’s face was pale. “Galen’s looking her over.”
Jace went into Sawyer’s room to find his brother in full physician mode, checking her heart rate, her pulse, gently trying to keep her calm. Sawyer looked up at Jace the moment he walked in the door.
“Jace! I think the babies are trying to come. It’s too early!”
“It’s okay,” he said, trying to soothe her. He went to sit beside her. He noted the pain on his wife’s face, glanced to read his brother’s.
“Let’s take her in,” Galen said softly, and Jace’s blood turned cold. Granted, his brother was no gynecologist, but he was a skilled general practitioner of allopathic and holistic medicine. If he said a hospital was required, then something was wrong.
“I’ll get the car. Don’t worry, babe, it’s going to be fine.” Jace kissed her and then hurried down the stairs.
Fiona and Burke had already pulled the family van around. Jace gratefully nodded and hurried inside to carry his wife down.
To his surprise, Sawyer was already downstairs, being helped out of a walled-off pantry in the kitchen by Ash and Running Bear.
“What is this?” Jace demanded.
“A secret,” Ash said. “A joint this large has hidden
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