Page 99 of Serenity Harbor

Though he still had Milo on one hip, Bowie wrapped the other arm around her and pulled her to him. He was as wet as she, but in that moment, she didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“Thank you,” he said, then kissed her hard, adjusted Milo to a better position in his arms and raced back up the trail toward home.

* * *

ANHOURLATER, she was warm and dry, wearing a pair of Bowie’s sweats that fit her about as well as her own sweatshirt had fit Milo. The sleeves were rolled up and she had folded the legs of the bottoms up about four times. She didn’t care. They were warm and dry, and that was all that mattered.

Bowie was ushering out the last of the searchers while she sat with Milo on the sofa in the family room off the kitchen, the two of them wrapped in a blanket.

She couldn’t see the boy’s face from the angle she was holding him but had a feeling he was asleep, judging by how still he had become over the last few moments.

Her suspicion was confirmed when Bowie returned, speaking on the phone, caught sight of Milo and immediately lowered his voice.

“Yes. Thanks. We’re all good. Thanks, Aidan. Give Eliza a hug for me and tell her she can stop worrying now...Yes. I’ll tell her.”

He hung up and came over to stand near her. “I’m supposed to give you a message from Eliza Caine. She said to tell you that she’s baking you three dozen of your favorite white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and also has a giant hug with your name on it when she sees you next.”

She managed a smile. “Eliza makes fantastic cookies. And her hugs are even better.”

He didn’t smile in return, just continued watching her holding his brother.

“I’m almost afraid to let him out of my sight now,” Bowie said, his voice gruff. “Maybe I should think about moving a cot into his bedroom.”

She tried to ignore the shivers rippling down her spine at his low tone. “He was pretty scared out there. Maybe he learned his lesson about wandering outside.”

“I hope so.”

“How’s Mrs. Peters?”

“Shaken up. She’s never lost a client before. I told her to go to bed. For now, I managed to talk her out of resigning—especially after I assured her this was totally my fault. I can’t believe I didn’t notice when he slipped right past me.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Bowie. You’re not to blame.”

His expression told her he disagreed, but he didn’t argue. “I guess I need to take him back to bed. I’m sure you don’t want to sit there all night holding him.”

She wouldn’t mind, actually, but Milo probably wouldn’t be all that comfortable.

Bowie stepped closer, and those shivers came back as his hands brushed against her when he reached down to scoop Milo into his arms.

Unable to resist, she followed Bowie down the hall to Milo’s room and watched as he set the boy carefully on the bed and tucked the covers back up around him. Milo didn’t stir, probably too exhausted from his ordeal.

He brushed a hand over his brother’s hair, then bent down and pressed his mouth to Milo’s forehead, and her throat clogged with emotion at the sweetness of the gesture.

Oh, she loved him.

And she loved Milo, too.

She moved past Bowie and kissed Milo’s forehead, too, heart aching. She tried to burn the scent of clean pajamas and his grape no-tears soap and shampoo into her memory.

“I’m so glad he’s okay,” she whispered.

“Thanks to you,” Bowie said.

She knew that wasn’t necessarily true. Someone else would have found him, but she was grateful some instinct had guided her in that direction.

“I should go,” she finally said, after they both left Milo’s side and returned to the hallway. “I have a...long day of travel tomorrow.”

“We need to talk about that,” he said.

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