Page 93 of Montana Freedom

“And I’m happy you’re coming back with us, and I fully reserve the right to make fun of you both later.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Was there even a chance you’d do something else?”

“No.”

I laughed quietly, but the rest of my brothers weren’t laughing. “I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t the right call.”

“Damn right, it wasn’t,” Noah snapped. “We could have gone with you, Daniel. We would have had your back.”

“I know.” I didn’t point out that he’d gone in alone against the Riders multiple times. Every one of the men who worked at Resting Warrior had made risky decisions to help the people we loved. And it was their right to call me out for it. He was angry, but it was also a reaction to the fear.

“Once Lucas gets back, if you guys think we need a meeting to reevaluate our roles at the ranch, I accept that.”

I felt Harlan’s eye roll in his voice. “No, Daniel. I don’t think anyone wants that.”

Noah didn’t contradict him.

“But we do need to talk about it. A lot has happened with all of us, and every single one of us has more on the line now than when we first came to Garnet Bend. We have our rules, and they’re good ones. But we need to talk about it.”

“I agree,” Jude said.

The others nodded in the faint light of the helicopter.

“You got it,” I said. “We’ll have a meeting once Lucas comes back from his honeymoon.”

Everyone got quiet then, and I pulled Emma closer, nearly into my lap. It felt like a miracle we were both here and together. Alive, without the danger hanging over our heads. And now that we were free, we could finally start planning a future.

Epilogue

Emma

Five Months Later

I ducked through the chattering crowd and into the kitchen, looking for the extra candy I’d bought. I knew it was here somewhere, but I was still getting used to this new, much bigger kitchen.

“Need any help in here?” Evelyn asked behind me.

“I’m okay,” I said with a laugh. “Just trying to remember where I put the extra chocolate.”

“Sign me up for that.”

I glanced at her while she took a glass and filled it with water. “Do you want me to grab you a chair?”

“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.” She downed the glass of water, cradling what was now a very visible baby bump. The Halloween party we were having was loud, but I could and would find a quiet corner for her if she needed.

“This place is really beautiful,” she continued. “Makes me want to have Lucas do some updates to ours.”

“Probably a good idea,” I laughed. “Might keep him busy.”

The men of Resting Warrior, particularly Lucas, were more worried about the pregnancy than any of the women were. Evelyn was doing amazing, and everything was proceeding picture-perfectly, but that didn’t stop Lucas from treating her like spun glass. Some of the time, she liked it. Sometimes, she kicked him out of the house and refused to let him in unless he relaxed. Which meant he ended up in the lodge with Daniel and me.

I was still figuring out what I wanted to do, exploring different options. With what had happened already, I didn’t necessarily want to get a job in computers, and Daniel insisted I didn’t have to work at all. I wanted to, but I was grateful for the time to figure it out. In the meantime, I still helped Mara around the ranch and was learning everything I could about every job we had.

And true to his word, Daniel had built this house for us. We’d only been living in it for a week, and a housewarming Halloween party had seemed like a good idea, but now I was exhausted.

Lucas found his way into the kitchen. He was dressed as the Grim Reaper, and Evelyn was dressed as a ghost. Her pregnant belly made for a fun ghost shape under the billowing white dress. “There you are.”

“Here I am.”

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