Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“I don’t care,” Nell replied in a firm tone. “I do not care. I want my husband. I want John Bishop and Henry Flanders, and throw in the former Mr. Black if you want to, but get over here and hold your baby. You didn’t get to hold Poppy for long. I expect you to do your part with this baby.”
That got Henry moving. John. He was both. He was his past and his present and his future, and in each he would love Nell. The dark side of Henry loved her as much as the jovial, kind man they all knew. Henry’s beast was Nell’s mate, too, but he rarely got to do the tender parts of love. She was sure John Bishop showed up for all the violence and likely some of the sex, but it was obvious this was new to him.
Brooke cried as she watched John take the baby into his hands. She watched as his jaw clenched but his eyes went soft.
“She’s beautiful, baby. Little Justice,” he whispered. “I know I said I thought we should try some other names, but it suits her.”
“I changed my mind. She’s Lucy Brooke Flanders, after the woman who helped bring her into the world and the one who protected us while we did it,” Nell announced.
“Uhm, am I chopped liver?” Noah asked with a grin and then he winced because he’d obviously moved too much.
Henry ignored him. “Lucy Brooke. I like it. It suits her. Hey, baby girl. I’m your dad. I’m going to be with you for everything. I won’t ever let you down. I might not be perfect, but I’ll try for you.”
She felt Bay’s arm go around her waist, pulling her back against him. Shane moved in so he was touching her, too.
She heard the sound of sirens and knew she was safe.
* * * *
Bay stared at the copy of the drawing that had gotten them into so much trouble. He’d handed the original over to Nate.
“So her name was Meli?” Brooke set a beer in front of him. They were back in the foreman’s house after hours and hours of talking to Nate and Elisa. They’d called in the Creede PD to help with processing the scene since there were so many bodies.
He couldn’t forget the way Caleb had walked straight up to Henry and thanked him for what he called all the atlanto-occipital dislocations. Henry had stood there with his newborn and told Caleb not to thank him until he saw what he did in the basement.
Then there had been lectures on blood and autopsies, and Brooke had been praised for her duct-taping skills and Zane had shown up with sandwiches and they’d all cleaned up the G so Miranda and her brothers wouldn’t come home to a killing zone that would traumatize them for life.
“What did your brother say?” Bay looked up at Brooke. There had been that perfect moment when she’d told them she loved them, but there was something of a distance between them now. Because they hadn’t finished the vows they’d made in the barn. The real world had forced them apart for a while, but he wouldn’t let it much longer. He glanced over at Shane, who gave him a nod.
Which meant he’d been downstairs and everything was in place.
They had plans for their woman, their future wife.
She stopped, and a soft smile hit her face. Rye and Rachel had shown up with Nate, holding hands and breathing sighs of relief when they found Brooke. Rye and Max talked to her privately, and she seemed much calmer.
“He apologized,” she explained. “He told me he loved me and he’s not handling things well. He’s overwhelmed, too, but the last thing he wants to do is lose his family when he’s trying so hard to keep it all together. So Stef is giving them a loan for the new equipment, and they’re going to sit down and figure out a solution for all the work because Rachel needs something outside the home. Even if it’s volunteer work. I’ve heard the Farley brothers are thinking about offering nanny services. I don’t think Fuber is bringing in the cash they hoped for. Now tell me about the woman. I was in Elisa’s office when you went over everything. What did Nate find out?”
It had been simple in the end, though it required a couple of police departments to handle the whole thing. Once the Wyoming police found out Kingman was dead, they talked to his wife who gave the bastard up wholeheartedly because she thought she would get to keep everything.
She was about to learn.
“Her name was Meli Smith when Shane and I knew her, but her real name was Meli Greybird. She ran away from her parents at seventeen after a fight.” It hadn’t taken Nate long to put everything together. “She was a hand when we met her.”