Page 11 of Homecoming

“Can you let Angela know that this coming Saturday is our Christmas festival? The baby would probably love to see the lights and the big holiday blow up dolls. Santa will be there with his reindeer and there will be a lot of activities for the kids.”

Owen glanced at her. “Real reindeer?”

Grace grinned and nodded. “Our local veterinarian has an assortment of rescue animals, and she has two reindeer that were abandoned on Black Mountain. Or escaped and were never claimed. Either way, she brings them out every Christmas.”

Owen snorted. “Not something you’d expect to find in the mountains up here.”

“Oh, she has a mountain lion and two bears, several bobcats as well as half a dozen regular deer that can no longer be released into the wild for one reason or another. She’s a state certified rehabber, so she sees a lot of interesting things.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll be sure to tell them about it.”

Silence settled between them, and she was a little sad the job was done. As of right now, she had no more reason to come up here. And it was probably the last time she’d see Owen for a while.

The thought was disheartening. Owen Black was like candy to her, and she wanted to know more about him.

So, say something, girl!

“If you need a guide for the festival, just give me a holler. Or if you’re ever at loose ends and would like a dinner companion…”

Grace couldn’t believe how forward she was being, but she didn’t want this to be the last time she saw him. A lot of timeshe would email her an order for something he wanted and she would get it shipped in to her store, then somebody from the Foxhole would pick it up.

Incredibly, she thought his cheeks might have turned a little dusky. He glanced at her quickly, then back to the road. “I appreciate that, Grace, but I’m really not into dating right now. I have more responsibilities than I can tell you, and it wouldn’t be fair to anyone to try to squeeze more in.”

Grace took a steadying breath, trying not to show him how much that had hurt. “Okay. I get it. If you change your mind, you know where I am.”

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before she started chatting to him about the other cabins. It was random, desperate chatter, but she couldn’t just sit there, stewing in her own misery.

She’d never been turned down before. It was usually men pursuing her, and she’d had to let a few guys down easily. Personally, she was more traditional, so she believed that the man should be the one asking. Grace couldn’t remember ever asking a man out, and certainly not being turned down. Owen was different, though.

When he pulled up in front of her store a few minutes later, she gathered her stuff and slid out quickly, tossing him a wave without making eye contact. She let herself into her store and dropped her bag to the ground, huffing out a breath and giving a little scream.

“Are you okay?”

Grace jerked in surprise, then winced. Her part-time girl, Andy, was looking at her strangely. They had a wedding in a few days and she’d asked her to come in and sort out a delivery.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Just feeling humble. The next time I tell a guy no, I’ll have to take a second to appreciate the courage it takes to ask.”

Andy winced. “Oh, no. Did you ask that manager guy out?”

“I did,” she admitted. “He let me down nicely, but it was still a definite no.”

“I’m sorry, Grace,” she said, coming around the counter to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Want to help me with wedding stuff? That usually puts you in a good mood.”

“Yeah,” she said, huffing out a breath. “Maybe I need to change gears. Let me run my stuff upstairs and I’ll be back down.”

Owen calledhimself ten kinds of idiot as he pulled away from Grace’s shop. She had looked so sweet asking him to dinner, and it had broken something inside him to tell her no. There was no way he was going to involve her in their mess, though. They had legitimate killers stalking them, and guilt was already chewing at him because it was probably only a matter of time before danger found the laid-back town of Whisper Hollow.

FIVE

It was hard saying goodbye.

Just a few years ago, Aiden had been living on the street, trying to protect his brother John in Colorado. And trying to protect the men he’d escaped the torture camp with. He’d lived rough, barely eating enough to stay mobile, with no friends. No one to turn to. His enhancements were unreliable and untrained.

What a change to today.

Thirty men and women stood in the garage of the Elton Building, wishing his little family goodbye. They were some of the most dangerous, unique characters in the world, and he loved them all. He knew they weren’t all here for him. Angela was a favorite, and baby Fallon had wrapped many of these tough men around her little, grubby fingers.

They were family. Aiden felt like he was going away and they would not see them for a long time. But that was ridiculous. He was still a part of the Omega Team, though he’d pulled back from the day-to-day training to care for his family. Fallon was the most important thing in his life, next to Angela, and he had to protect her at all costs. Which meant disappearing.

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