His Callahan Bride's Baby (Callahan Cowboys) (18 page)

“Go right ahead, Sheriff,” Taylor said.

“The land where Wolf and his companions were found was on the border between yours and Mr. Cash’s. Storm Cash is of a mind to press charges. He says he’s had all kinds of trouble with trespassers. But Mr. Chacon claims that he’s a Callahan, and therefore, not guilty of anything more than stepping onto a neighbor’s property accidentally in the darkness. He says you can vouch for him, Mrs. Callahan.” The sheriff glanced at Falcon. Ash and his brothers ringed Taylor protectively, but he hung back, not wanting to get in the way of whatever decision she made.

“I did stay with Wolf Chacon for a while,” Taylor said. “And I wasn’t happy about it. He and his people took me from this house and kept me in Montana with them. I doubt that’s the story Wolf wants me to tell you, Sheriff. I’m sure he thinks I’ll repeat Falcon’s story, or that I’ll be too intimidated to tell the truth. But that’s the real truth. He’s an evil man, and the best thing that could happen,” she said, with an apologetic look at Falcon, “is locking him up for a long time.”

It was as if a long breath exhaled from the entire Callahan clan, including Fiona. They all stared at Falcon, wondering what he’d say. He thought his wife’s speech had been a pretty good one.

Sheriff Cartwright looked at all the Callahans. “So he’s telling the truth when Mr. Chacon says he’s your uncle?”

“Not one we officially recognize,” Falcon said. “Kind of the crazy uncle you hope never shows up in your life. He has, and we’re dealing with it.”

“I see.” The sheriff rocked back on his heels for a moment, thinking. “Troublemaker, is he?”

“Mildly,” Falcon said. They weren’t breaking his grandfather’s rules. Running Bear had said they couldn’t kill him—but he’d never said they couldn’t hand him over to the authorities. And Falcon and his siblings hadn’t done it, anyway. Taylor had. She was outside the rules, as he saw it.

This was going very smoothly.

And if it kept going this smoothly, surely he’d get his happy ending. He’d know he wasn’t the hunted one his grandfather warned of, the one who was foretold to bring great trouble to the family. Great sacrifice. A division, unless the hunted one resisted the darkness.

“I see,” Sheriff Cartwright said. “Didn’t you tell me last night that you’d never seen him before in your life, Falcon?”

Falcon nodded. “I did.”

“I’m sure you know that falls under the heading of hindering an investigation. And aiding and abetting a criminal, since none of you revealed that he’s been on your land, and in your home. Hindering an investigation is against the law,” Sheriff Cartwright said sternly.

“I’m sorry, Sheriff. I’m doing what I can to protect my family.”

The lawman’s lips flattened. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to come down to the station with me, Falcon. I’m going to have to place you under arrest, much as I hate to do it.”

“No!” Taylor looked stunned. “Sheriff Cartwright, please. If you only knew what trouble Wolf and his people have caused this family—”

“I know. I know. The Callahans have been fighting the good fight for a long time. I try to be a help as much as I can. I always have. Even when Jonas and his crew were always fighting with Bode Jenkins and the mercenary that made their life miserable back then. That Sonny character.” He shook his head. “But the law’s the law, and Jonas never lied to me outright. That’s hindrance I can’t overlook, Falcon.” He looked at their aunt, who was stubbornly standing with her arms crossed. “I’m sorry, Fiona. I wish I could help, but the law’s the law.”

“Well, this is a fine situation,” Fiona said. “I guess you can put Falcon in a cell next to Wolf and they can play tiddledywinks. Or cards.”

“Sheriff, please.” Taylor’s face was pale. “Falcon didn’t want to say that I’d been kidnapped. I haven’t wanted all of Diablo to know that. You know my family, you know I’ve always been something of a—”

“Daughter of the town,” Sheriff Cartwright said. “I know, Taylor. I love you like a daughter, too. You’re one of our best girls.”

“I wanted everyone to think I was just traveling with Mom,” Taylor insisted. “My way of dealing with what happened was just to forget that it had. I don’t want to be seen as a victim, Sheriff. And I don’t want you to take my husband off to jail.”

“I’m going,” Falcon said. “It’s going to be all right. If you can handle five months in Montana, I can handle some time in jail. Galen, bond me out fast, okay? I’ve got an errand to run.” He went off with the sheriff and his deputy before things could get any more out of whack. Taylor looked as if she was going to cry—and that was the first time he’d ever seen his wife close to anything resembling tears. He felt quite helpless.

“Can I send a lunch sack with him, Sheriff, at least?” Fiona called after them. “And maybe something for the station, as well? I’m sure you’d like a little breakfast, too.”

The sheriff shook his head ruefully, then helped Falcon into the car. “Thanks, Fiona. Another time.”

They left, and Taylor stared at the squad car as it pulled away. She was vaguely aware of Fiona and Ash patting her, trying to comfort her. But she couldn’t be comforted. The last thing she’d wanted was to hurt Falcon. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut?

“It’s okay,” Ash said. “You did the right thing, Taylor.”

“I did?” She couldn’t understand how Falcon was ever going to forgive her. She hadn’t done the right thing for him. “Oh, Emma,” she murmured. “Your daddy isn’t going to like me very much.”

“Pfft,” Fiona said. “If you think that a morning in jail is going to affect Falcon’s feelings for you, you don’t know him very well. It’s all in a day’s work around here, just part of the battle. We deal with it.”

“That’s right,” Galen said. “Falcon’s been in much worse places than a jail cell in Diablo.”

“Yeah,” Jace said. “The sheriff’ll probably let him out on his own reconnaissance before we can get down there to do it.”

Sloan sighed. “As long as he knows you and Emma are safe, Falcon won’t care about anything.”

Ash shrugged. “It’s wacky. We take it one step at a time. But it’s no fairy tale, so don’t look for a happy ending. Not yet, anyway.” She followed Fiona down the hall.

“Thanks, guys.” Taylor looked at Emma, then after the people who were filing into the kitchen to discuss the next step and grab some breakfast. She kissed Emma’s downy head, feeling awful that after a wonderful night of lovemaking, she’d sent her husband to jail.

This was bad. She wondered if Falcon could forgive her for this. But she had no intention of letting Wolf destroy their marriage. They’d barely found each other again, and she wasn’t letting Falcon go now.

“We have a few choices, Emma. We can ignore the situation, see what happens. It’s a bit above our pay grade, this mercenary thing, and we’re obviously not all that helpful. Two, we can go home to Mom’s place for a while, let the smoke clear, think about whether we’re deadweight on your daddy or not. You’d like staying with Grandma, and I’d like pretending for just a moment that it was a standard visit, but it feels kind of cowardly and I’d miss your daddy too much. Three, we can head down to the jail and make sure your father gets sprung with all due haste.”

Emma let out a squawk and waved a fist. “That’s exactly what I thought,” Taylor said. “Let’s go raise a bit of Callahan heck. You might as well start young.”

* * *

T
AYLOR
HAD
EVERY
intention of telling Falcon how sorry she was, and how she had to tell the truth—though the truth hadn’t exactly set them free this time, so there was probably a learning curve involved. But when she got down to Sheriff’s Cartwright’s small jail in Diablo, she heard laughter and general male shenanigans going on. She walked in carefully with Emma, looking for Falcon.

He was perched on the edge of Sheriff Cartwright’s desk. The two of them were playing a card game with two deputies. Wolf and his stooges were nowhere to be found. “Is this how jails are run nowadays?” Taylor asked, walking over to the men.

“Are you here to spring your husband, Taylor?” Sheriff Cartwright asked.

“I didn’t bring a file in a cake or anything, if that’s what you’re asking,” Taylor said, and for some reason, all the men thought that was quite hilarious.

She didn’t think it was funny at all. “What’s going on? Where’s Wolf?”

“Who?” Sheriff Cartwright glanced around the room, looked at his deputies. “Anybody here by that name?”

They all laughed again. Taylor felt as if she was in the Diablo version of a frat house. She looked at her husband. “What’s going on?”

“I was waiting on you to give me a ride home.” He stood, tossed down his cards. “Sheriff, you beat me again.”

“You’ll improve in time. Goodbye, Falcon. Miss Emma, it’s always a pleasure,” Sheriff Cartwright said, kissing the baby’s tiny fist. Emma’s blue eyes laughed, and then she reached for her father, who took her in his big arms.

“Gentlemen, always an honor. Come on, wife. I have an errand to run. Not another day’s going to go by until I get it done, either.”

He waved to the sheriff and his men, then put his arm around Taylor, and they walked out into the warm Diablo day that was already heating up nicely.

“Do you mind telling me what’s going on?” Taylor demanded. “What was all that back there?”

Falcon laughed. “Just making sure we kept Wolf on the straight and narrow. It’s important for him to know that his cover’s blown, and the law is looking for him now, too. Anytime he shows his face, he’s a marked man. Sheriff Cartwright let him off with a warning to get out of town this time, but next time, it’ll be all-out war on him and his cadre of thieves.”

“You’re not upset with me?”

He laughed. “I’m upset with you, darling. I’m so upset with you I’m about to replace that rope ring on your finger with the prettiest ring you can find in Diablo’s jewelry store. Let’s go pick something out for you, and then something for my angel, too.” He kissed Emma’s head. “I’m kind of partial to those silver baby bracelets. What do you think, wife?”

Taylor shook her head. “That you’re crazy, mainly. I don’t understand what happened—”

“You want an explanation or a wedding ring right now?” Falcon asked, kissing her on the lips.

“I really, really want to know what happened, Falcon,” Taylor said. “I was just so certain I’d done the wrong thing by telling the truth.”

“Nope,” he said, kissing her again, “you did the right thing. You’re always going to do the right thing. I love you, Taylor. I love your honesty and your spirit and your bravery. Once the sheriff knew that Wolf had been stalking you and Emma, he sent his deputies to take him and his people to some faraway canyon he’s never heard of. It’ll take him a good while to get back here.” Falcon touched her hair, lingering. “And you did what none of us could—you turned our uncle in. He’ll always be around making trouble, but this time, his plans backfired on him big-time, thanks to you. Only you could do what needed to be done, because of the legend. How awesome is your mother?” he asked Emma, holding his baby up in the air.

Taylor glanced around, seeing faces pressed up against the windows of Diablo’s stores, smiling at them. Occasionally someone waved at her. She saw Jillian shoot her an okay sign from Banger’s Bait and Tackle diner entry. When Falcon pulled her into his arms for another kiss, Taylor thought she heard applause from several of the shops.

Maybe it wasn’t the way she’d ever thought her life would turn out. It was so much better than she could have ever dreamed. And the best part was, there was no place she’d rather be but right here in Diablo with her Callahan man and her daughter.

“About those blue booties,” she told Falcon, and he winked at her.

“This time, the ring first, Taylor Callahan, and then you can fill up all the baby booties you want. Emma wants lots of siblings. She told me she did.”

They kissed their daughter, and then they started walking down the main street of Diablo, a family forever.

And if they heard thunder in the distance on a perfectly beautiful clear sunny day, who was to say it wasn’t the Diablos running wild and free, their spirits forever untamed.

Epilogue

“It’s tradition,” Fiona told her, and Ash laughed as she helped Taylor put the beautiful veil on. “All the Callahan brides get married twice. Besides, an Elvis impersonator isn’t really right for a wedding, is it? I’m positive Emma would like to see photos one day of her parents getting married traditionally.”

“Besides, Aunt Fiona just loves weddings. If you hadn’t heard that already.” Ash smiled at her. “You look beautiful, Taylor. And I sneaked a peek at your new wedding ring. Much better than that rope thing.”

“I kind of liked the rope ring,” Taylor murmured.

“I kind of like the sparkly solitaire heart my brother got you. It’s about time he forked out. I was afraid I was going to have to talk to him, lead him through the steps of romance he was clearly missing. One last finishing touch,” Ash said, putting the final pin in, and then she and Fiona surveyed their handiwork.

“Gorgeous,” Fiona said. “Falcon’s going to sweep you away and we may not see you for a week.”

“Thank you.” Taylor could almost feel magic in the air, a sense of wonder that she, too, was joining the brides of Rancho Diablo. From the upstairs window, she could see guests milling about on the grounds, enjoying the decorations Fiona and her friends had created. The Callahans had come home from Dark Diablo and Hell’s Colony to celebrate, and the homecoming was joyful and sentimental for everyone. Taylor knew how much work and sacrifice everyone was making to protect this land, this ranch, and everything for which it stood.

“Ready?” Ash asked. “It’s time to put on the magic wedding dress.”

Taylor stood, smiling. She’d insisted that the short veil she’d chosen be put on first, then the wedding gown. The legend couldn’t possibly be true, of course. Fairy tales were just that. Supposedly, all the Callahan brides had worn the magic wedding gown, and all had seen their true love’s face. Which wasn’t practical, of course. Just as Ash claimed to not believe in destiny, Taylor had never believed in ghosts, though her husband’s family seemed very inclined to believe in ghosts and spirits and all manner of ancient lore. But no dress could conjure magic.

She’d insisted she put that on last so they wouldn’t be disappointed when nothing special happened. She didn’t know if she was a good enough storyteller to claim that she saw twinkles of stardust or a bolt of luminous lightning or whatever it was that supposedly accompanied the Callahans’ romantic visions.

Ash and Fiona helped Taylor step into the dress.

“Close your eyes,” Fiona told her.

“And click my heels three times?” Taylor teased.

“Whatever helps you focus,” Ash said.

Taylor giggled, excited to see herself in the gown. “Can I open them?”

“Not until I have you all buttoned up. This gown transitions to every bride with its own special magic for her hopes and dreams,” Fiona said, “and I never mess with magic. I follow all recipes with infinite devotion, and this dress is no different.”

Taylor couldn’t wait to see the gown. She felt Fiona and Ash step away from her, murmur how stunning, how fitting, how perfect.

Then she didn’t hear any more.

“Can I open my eyes?”

No answer. Taylor opened her eyes, turned around to look for Ash and Fiona. To her surprise, Falcon stood there.

Her heart leaped with joy. “You’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding. Isn’t it supposed to be bad luck?” Taylor asked, laughing. “Of course, we’re already married, so it doesn’t matter. Not that I believe in silly superstitions, anyway.”

He smiled, his navy eyes admiring, absolutely the most handsome man she’d ever seen, the man who’d held her heart for so long she couldn’t remember when he’d first won it—and then he disappeared.

Taylor gasped, then looked down at the stunning gown in wonder. She touched the tiny crystals and sequins with a joyous smile, then went down the stairs, feeling every inch a Callahan bride.

* * *

F
ALCON
’
S
HEART
NEARLY
stopped when he saw Taylor at the top of the white runner that had been laid down the aisle between the white chairs filled with guests and family. Fiona held Emma, who wore her new baby bracelet and a white, lacy gown and tiny white lace booties, in a front row seat. Burke sat next to them, proudly keeping his wife company.

The music began. As maid of honor, Ash walked first, grinning at Falcon because she knew very well he only had eyes for his wife. Taylor came down the aisle on Galen’s arm, and the world felt perfect to him. Oh, the danger wasn’t over, and the legend still had to come to pass. The hunted one would rise or fall according to events they couldn’t control.

But in this one moment, everything was perfect.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world,” he told her as she reached his side.

“Sweetie, we’re already married,” she whispered back, smiling.

“It doesn’t matter. Feels like the first time all over again. I love you.”

She smiled at him, and his world fell into place. “I got Diablo’s best girl,” he said, bragging just a bit, and his words accidentally got picked up by the deacon’s microphone so that all the guests heard, and applause broke out, and happy laughter.

He kissed Taylor, even though the service hadn’t yet started. The guests applauded again, and he told himself he had to quit or they were never going to get the marriage ceremony started. Taylor touched his arm, and he looked past the deacon into the distance, where Running Bear sat astride a Diablo, watching the ceremony. Falcon took Emma from his aunt Fiona and held his two best girls close, and Running Bear waved, before riding away, the sound of hooves echoing as he disappeared into the canyons.

But the hoofbeats became louder, and Falcon knew it was the sound of Diablos running, too, a reminder of all that the Callahans loved and stood for. Now he had Taylor and Emma, and the blessings were mystical, magical, just as he’d always imagined love could be, if he could find the right woman.

And he had.

They stood arm in arm, and he held Emma as the deacon intoned the marriage ceremony, and the sun shone gently over Rancho Diablo, ever so much like heaven on earth.

Falcon had found his heart, his home, his heaven, and she was standing right next to him, even though he’d never quite believed this could happen for him.

It had. Which just proved that good guys did indeed win the girl, with the help of family and friends and maybe, just maybe, a little bit of magic.

* * * * *

Watch for Dante’s story,

BRANDED BY A CALLAHAN,
coming July 2013,
only from Harlequin American Romance

Keep reading for an excerpt from
Cowboy for Keeps
by Cathy McDavid