“What happened?”
“Hell happened. I walked into a massacre in progress. The men didn’t care who they shot. Their orders were to murder everyone … leave no witnesses.” He closed his eyes as the most heartbreaking image came to his mind. “A young mother ran toward me, holding her four-year-old daughter.” He still remembered the hope and desperate horror in the woman’s eyes. “Before I could get to them, they were both killed.”
“And you think all of this was your fault?”
He turned to glare at her. “Do you know how many times I could have killed the bastard? I spent years watching shit happen and allowing it to happen because we wanted him permanently … not just for a short run. But if I’d had the balls to take him out years before, do you know how many lives I could have saved?”
“Seth … listen.” She took his hand and held it tight. “Do you know how many people I’ve seen walk out of a courtroom, free and ready to go out and kill or rape again whenever they pleased? And days later, that’s exactly what they did.
“Every time that happened, I was furious, and part of me wanted to hunt the bastard down and take justice into my own hands.”
She shook her head. “Injustice like that sickens me, too, but we don’t get to choose who lives or dies. All we can do is do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Killing one man to save many may seem like an easy answer for some, but that’s not the right thing and you know it.”
Yeah, he did know it wasn’t the right thing, but that didn’t change his regrets. How many times could he have put a bullet through Clemmons’s head in those six years? His only consolation was that the bastard had finally received his just deserts. And though it’d taken more of him than he’d been prepared to give, Seth finally allowed himself to feel peace in knowing that he had been instrumental in the man’s downfall.
“I think about those years … what I wasted.” He kissed the hand that held his. “We could have been married during that time. Had a couple of kids by now.”
Her mouth trembled with the beginnings of a smile. “That’s in the past. It does no good to dwell on what might have been. One of my dad’s favorite sayings was ‘Dwelling on the past is a sure way to ruin the future.’ ” She turned over the hand she held and pressed a kiss to his palm. “Don’t give Clemmons that kind of power.”
Honor was right. He’d been a fool once. And letting the past taint him forever was not only self-indulgent, it was pointless.
Taking the hand that held his, he put it to his chest once more. He might not be the man he’d been when they’d first met, but damned if he’d let her go again. “Marry me, Honor.”
The smile he hadn’t seen in five years brightened her face into an ethereal beauty. With his heart in his throat, he waited what seemed like a lifetime for her answer.
“Yes,” she whispered. “A thousand, million times yes.”
Pulling her back into his arms, Seth claimed Honor’s lips, much the way she had claimed his heart years ago.
epilogue
One month later
Houston, Texas
Honor released a silent, satisfied sigh as Seth rolled the SUV to a stop in front of his mother’s house. The crowded driveway and the cars lining both sides of the street were an indication that the gang was all here—just as Ruth Cavanaugh had promised.
His body tense, his jaw granite hard, Seth stared at the large, white two-story house where he’d grown up and then shot her a small, wry smile. “You’re sure you want to go in with me?”
Honor rolled her eyes. The man was more nervous about this than he’d been about getting shot. “They’re not going to eat you, Seth.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “You’ve never seen my brothers eat.”
“You did tell them you were coming, didn’t you?”
He shrugged. “Not really.”
“So you’re planning to just spring this on them?”
“Calling and telling my family I’m coming for Sunday dinner was never a requirement before.”
She heard the hurt behind the words, and her heart ached for him. Though Seth’s entire family had come to Wyoming when he’d been shot, things were still not easy between them. There was still an awkwardness between family members—a division Seth blamed himself for. But now it was time to put all of that behind them.
His mother was his biggest supporter, but she had admitted to Honor that she hadn’t made her position known as loudly and clearly as she should have. That was about to change.
And Honor was ready for the battle, too. If even one of them made the slightest rude or disparaging remark, she had her plan of attack all set. Seth had suffered more than any man should. He’d brought down Clemmons, an evil man who’d ruined many lives, protected his family even when they’d practically disowned him; then he’d saved his niece from a sick, twisted pervert, and had almost died because of it. Damned if she would allow anyone to say anything against him.
“Uh-oh. You’ve got that look on your face.”
She tilted her head, confused. “What look?”
The grin she so loved brightened his expression. “The ‘mama bear defending her cub’ look. Between you and my mom, I’m well protected.”
“I just don’t want them to hurt you anymore.”
“And that’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”
“Because I’m protective?”
“Because you forgave me and you think everyone else should, too.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure there was anything to forgive you for.”
“Why would you say that?”
She blew out a sigh and looked at the house. Was that drapery being moved aside? Turning back to him, she admitted, “After I almost lost you, I finally got it.”
“Got what?”
“Since I was a little girl, I’ve understood all about the need to protect and defend. What I didn’t understand, until you were shot, was what it felt like to have the need to protect someone you love.” She whispered fiercely, “I would have done anything, and I mean anything, to keep you from being hurt. And it made me realize that that’s what you felt back then. You gave me up to protect me.”
Tears glazed her eyes, blurring the beautiful man in front of her. The man she would literally die for, if she had to. “I’m sorry it took you almost dying for me to understand that.”
“Come here.”
Tugging her over to him, Seth lowered his head and kissed her as if it had been days since she’d been in his arms. They were lost to everything but each other, until a tap on the driver’s side window broke them apart.
They turned to see a little boy of about six grinning at them.
“Who’s that?” Honor asked.
“My nephew Andrew.”
Seth pushed a button for the window to come down. “What’s up, Drew?”
“Grammy told me to tell you that you need to stop kissing and come inside before all the turkey’s gone.”
“Well then, we’d better get going.” Seth turned to Honor. “You ready?”
She nodded and watched as Seth got out and grabbed his nephew into his arms, whirling him around.
She checked her makeup in the mirror once more, then reached for the door, but Seth was there already, opening it and helping her out. She wondered if, at some point, she’d ever take Seth’s manners for granted. The answer came immediately: there was nothing about Seth she would ever take for granted.
Still holding his nephew with one arm, he took Honor’s hand and said, “No matter what, we’ll always have each other. Right?”
“Always.” Squeezing his hand lightly, she matched her steps to his as they headed to the house. No matter what they faced in the future, whether it was Seth’s stubborn family or another dark moment, Honor knew they would face it together.
Seth stood at the threshold of his mother’s front door. He’d walked through this door a thousand times before, but this time, he had to stop and stare in wonder at what was waiting for him. Damned if he would cry. He shot a questioning glance at Honor.
She shrugged and said, “I might’ve mentioned to your mom that we were stopping by.”
Since they’d flown from Florida to Texas this morning with the singular intent of seeing his family, he sincerely doubted the “might be stopping by” part of her statement.
Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to her smiling mouth, then looked around, more overwhelmed than he’d ever been in his life. Every member of his family, all forty-seven of them, was in the living room; they were crowded together under a giant sign that proclaimed,
WELCOME HOME, SETH! WE LOVE YOU!
Realizing that Drew was squirming to get out of his arms, Seth stooped low to let him down. Everyone stood still, silent and waiting. Seth barely knew what to say. He sure as hell wasn’t much for speeches, and the clogging of his throat told him he’d make a garbled mess if he tried.
Drew took off like a rocket toward his daddy, his shrill voice echoing through the room: “Uncle Seth was kissing that pretty lady and I made him stop!”
The entire room exploded in laughter. The tension and silence disappeared, and Seth and Honor were suddenly swamped with hugs, kisses, and “When’s the wedding?” questions.
In the midst of the madness, Seth looked up to see his mother standing several feet away, tears pouring from her eyes. Mouthing the words “I love you,” Seth watched as her face took on a beautiful glow. And at that moment he knew that whatever had happened in the past between him and everyone he loved was all truly in the past.
Lying beside Seth in his old bedroom, Honor snuggled closer to him, relishing this long-awaited quiet time with the man she loved. The last few weeks had been so crazy busy, she and Seth had barely had the chance to hold each other, much less discuss the future.
Much to her delight, as well as her mother’s, Seth had agreed to stay with Beverly Stone while he went through his physical therapy. Not only was her mom a former nurse, but Honor had known nothing would delight her more than to take care of the man who’d saved her daughter. And though Seth had grumbled good-naturedly, she could tell he thoroughly enjoyed the attention.
Honor had been going back and forth between Florida and Paris, and then she’d headed back to Wyoming to give testimony about her experience at Tranquillity. After hearing what some of the others had gone through, she knew she’d been fortunate to have been with Pike for only a few days. The man had been a true sexual sadist. And he’d trained his children to be just like him.
With Pike and his two children dead, hell was now even eviler.
“I spoke with Joel … he apologized.” Seth’s voice vibrated beneath her cheek. “It was awkward for both of us, but I think we’re going to be okay.”
“And Sandra?”
“She finally stopped hugging my neck long enough to say she was sorry.”
Honor sighed her contentment. Ruth Cavanaugh had told her twice on the phone this week that everything would be all right. Not knowing the Cavanaughs that well, she had reserved judgment. Being back in his family’s good graces meant the world to Seth, and since Seth meant the world to her, she couldn’t be happier about the way things had worked out.
“I saw you talking with Kelli,” Seth said. “I only got to spend a few minutes with her … how do you think she’s doing?”
“Remarkably well … considering. She’s in counseling and is probably going to go back to Rice for the spring semester.” Honor propped herself up on one elbow to look down at Seth. “Did you know that she, Anna, and Missy have become good friends?”
“Yeah, Kelli told me. I’m glad, but it was a hell of a way to find friends.”
Laying her head back on his chest, Honor said, “Yes, but at least something good came out of it.”
“McCall told me what Livingston did. Surprised the hell out of me.”
Honor smiled as she thought about the seemingly hard and emotionless Jared Livingston, who had not only accompanied Missy back home to Indiana, but had also arranged for her counseling and found her a nicer apartment and a job at a bank. “I don’t know him well enough to understand why, but I think Jared somehow identifies with Missy. He was furious about how her employers treated her at that pizza place.”
“Guess you’re right that some good things did come out of it. I heard that Anna has moved to Wyoming temporarily and is helping with the Tranquillity residents.”
Honor nodded. She had been there the day Anna had described her escape and survival in the wilderness for four days, only to be brought back to where she’d started.
“She said that there were several people who’d been kind to her, two in particular, and that she wanted to make sure they were treated fairly. No matter what she ultimately decides to do with her life, she’s going to make an impact on this world. She’s a remarkable young woman.”
A thought suddenly hit Honor. Raising up on her elbow again, she asked curiously, “How do you know all this stuff?”
Seth shrugged. “I talked to McCall a few times. He mentioned some things.”
Nope, she wasn’t buying that for a minute. Noah McCall, no matter how grateful he might be to a non-LCR person, would not reveal to them the things he’d obviously discussed with Seth.
Her eyes narrowed in speculation. “You got something you want to tell me, Cavanaugh?”
Seth’s mouth twitched, then curved into a full-fledged grin. “I’m never going to be able to surprise you, am I?”
Little did he know that he surprised her with the depth of his love every single day. Refusing to be sidetracked, she said, “What?”
His expression went from teasing to serious in an instant. “How would you feel about me working for LCR?”
Her breath hitched and tears glazed her eyes. Dammit, how was it he was the only one to ever make her cry? Seth working for LCR had been a thought that’d been going through her head for weeks. She hadn’t mentioned it to him because she didn’t want to influence his decision. His past experience had colored his outlook on so many things. She would never doubt Seth’s courage or skill. What she wasn’t sure about was his willingness to immerse himself again in a world of secrecy, flying bullets, and danger.
There was one thing she had to make sure of before she answered his question. “You’re not doing this for me, are you? Because you’re afraid for me?”
Seth shook his head. “I never questioned your abilities … not five years ago and not on this mission to rescue Kelli. So, the answer is no, I’m not considering joining LCR to watch over you.” He shrugged. “Rescuing victims feels damn good and is a hell of a lot more rewarding that watching people get away with shit that you can do nothing to stop.”
Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her inches from his face and growled softly, “You haven’t answered my question.”
As usual, arousal sprang quick and urgent through Honor’s body. Loving the strength in the hands that held her and the desire on his face, she gave her heartfelt answer: a deliberately brief “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
Lying completely over him, Honor put her lips to his and whispered, “There’s nothing I’d rather do than work with you.”
She felt his smile beneath her lips as his hands cupped her bottom, pressing her against his arousal. “Nothing?”
“Okay,” she said softly, “almost nothing.”
With a groan, Seth rolled her onto her back and devoured her mouth. Breathless moments later, he said, “So when you do want to get married?”
“Next weekend too soon?”
Keeping the steady, deliciously throbbing pressure of his erection against her mound, Seth pushed up on one arm so he could see her face. “You don’t want a big wedding?”
She laughed softly. “It’s going to be big no matter what with your family there, but no, I don’t want a huge, elaborate wedding. Just your family and mine.” And once again, that wave of emotion flooded her eyes as she whispered, “I’ve waited so long for this … I can’t wait any longer.”
Seth lowered his mouth to hers and gave his answer in the best way possible. Once again, the world and its problems fell away.
Honor didn’t know what she’d done to deserve a second chance with this heroic, gorgeous man she adored. Seeing him again at LCR had been a twist of fate, but Seth surviving his wounds had been nothing short of a miracle. Now their future was spread out before them like a bright, shining beacon, and she planned to do everything she could to make the most of the glorious gift she’d been given.