Page 94 of Wandering Souls

He rubbed the back of her hand. “Don’t let it get to you. It’s Christmas. The more the merrier, right?”

She shot him a tight smile. “You’re so sweet. Thank you.”

“I’m right by your side.”

Though he didn’t understand her nervousness. She’d met all of the Shadow Soldiers at some point over the last couple of weeks, Damien had made sure of it. Like he was welcoming her into his extended family and trying to show her where she belonged. Ray had the sneaking suspicion all it did was prove to Abi that he hardly had any time for her, and while that wasn’t true, Abi seemed to be looking for excuses to lure her back to Queensland.

“I feel like they’re all watching me. Expecting me to screw up.”

He squeezed her hand to try and reassure her. “That’s fear talking. They’re not, trust me.”

She frowned. “I’m his daughter. I have big shoes to fill.”

Ray shook his head and brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles. Her self-doubt worried him.

“It’s true,” she snapped before he could answer. “I mean, look at my family. Army legend. UN medic. And Stevie? Can you say awesome? She beat the bounty hunters who came to kill her.”

He refused to hear her question herself. “And you survived a helicopter crash. You walked away from a warzone.”

Doubt flashed in her eyes. “Yes, but I got shot down.”

Ray sighed. He wasn’t going to win this argument. “Listen.” He leaned in close and caught a hint of her sweet perfume. “You might not think you’re badass, but you are, and if anyone belongs in the McCafferty family, it’s you. If someone argues the point, you send them my way. I’ll set them straight.”

All her tension melted away and she smiled at him. “My knight, my champion.” She kissed him quick. “I owe you another hour.”

Heat licked at his insides as he let his gaze wander over her floral dress. It ended at her knees, giving him the opportunity to appreciate those slender calves. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

A blush flourished over her neck. “Thank you.”

“I mean it.” He kissed her cheek. “You’ll get through this, Abi. You’ll come out the other side of this gathering and wonder why you ever doubted yourself.”

“Promise?”

Ray pressed his forehead to hers. “I guarantee it, babe.”

The minute they entered the marquee, Damien greeted her with a bear hug and whisked her away, leaving Ray to his own devices. Making the rounds, he shook the hands of the former soldiers and their partners. He reserved a special hug for Julie, Magnus’s fiancé, who he’d helped rescue after her abduction earlier in the year. He high-fived her son, Jack, before checking in with Grace.

“Where’s Millie?”

She waved a hand to the end of the marquee that had been turned into a child’s playground. “She said she wanted to be queen of the kids, and there she is.”

Ray studied his sister. She’d arrived at the end of the school year with deep, worry lines etched into her forehead. Her eyes were tired, her body exhausted and her energy reserves non-existent. A few days in the Crossing had changed it all. The fresh air, sunshine and mountains had done everything he’d hoped. Possibly more.

“What?” She blushed.

He wrapped an arm around her back. “You finally look relaxed. Come with me.”

He led her across to the other side of the marquee where Ben’s fiancé, Beth, was peering through the windows of the rotisserie ovens. Tall and slender, Beth had grown up here and returned after spending the better part of seventeen years teaching in Melbourne. If anyone had anything in common with Grace, it was Beth.

“I see you spying on those chickens,” Ray chuckled as he neared. She pulled back with a guilty look on her face.

“There are like ten chickens cooking in there.” She sounded surprised. “I mean, I know these boys have big appetites, but there are going to be left overs.”

“Beth, I’d like you to meet my sister, Grace. She’s a high school teacher in Melbourne.”

The two women shook hands and exchanged greetings.

“I’ve turned to tutoring now,” Beth explained. “It’s much less stressful and gives me the day to spend with the kids.”

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