Embattled SEAL (16 page)

Cat took the knife and tested the fit in her hand. It was too big for her, but it would fit Harper’s grip perfectly. The blade was straight and strong. When the clerk took it back he showed her how sharp it was by skimming a piece of paper over the edge. It split into two halves immediately.

She had to admit she was impressed. “Maybe this could be a late Christmas present?”

Dillon nodded, wide eyed. “He would love it. He would appreciate that the guy that made it is a Master.”

Cat grinned, wondering if Dillon even realized what that meant exactly. Though it was expensive, she nodded to the clerk to wrap it up. It also came with a handmade leather sheath by another local artist.

They were grinning when they left the store, the knife securely wrapped and snugged in her purse. Cat refused to think about the money she had just spent. It would be worth it just for the expression on Harper’s face. They could give it to him over dinner.

Holidays had always been difficult because they never knew if he was going to be home or not. Over the years Cat had bought many Christmas and birthday presents that were never gifted on time. He would get them eventually. She had a boxful at home now, just waiting to be unwrapped. It was another little disappointing tradition she would like to be done with.

The thought of waking up and seeing his face every day was unfathomable to her. For so many years they had been ships passing in the night, sometimes literally. She could remember a couple of instances over the years when he would make it home then be called out again almost immediately. The government didn’t care if they were in the middle of eating dinner or making love. They expected their men to come when called.

Chad and Duncan had seemed like much more understanding bosses. She knew Harper would be called away working for them sometimes, but surely not months at a time.

Cat paused on the sidewalk and stepped close to the wall to call Harper. They were at the end of a block trying to decide which way to go. Cańon City wasn’t very big but she thought they had walked what they wanted to.

“Mom, I don’t like the way that guy is watching us.”

Cat looked at Dillon, then toward the nod of her head. A man sat on a bench across the street but he was looking at the phone in his hand.

“As soon as I said that he looked down,” Dillon murmured.

Cat found Harper’s number and dialed. When he picked up she had to stop and look at the phone for a second. This was the first time he’d actually answered the damn thing in months.

“Hey, we’re at the corner of Seventh and Main. Can we arrange a pick-up?”

“Absolutely,” he promised. “Give us a few minutes.”

“Okay. We’re going to start walking back toward the prison.”

“I’ll be there as quick as I can. I love you, Cat.”

Tears started in her eyes and she could barely open her mouth to respond. “I love you too, Harper.”

She shook her head and shoved her phone into her pocket. The entire call had been strange and nostalgic all at once. “Let’s walk back toward the prison.”

Dillon was looking the opposite direction, though. “Is that a pet store? Can we go in super quick?”

Cat looked across the intersection. There was indeed a pet store sign hanging above a store. “It’s getting a little late. I don’t think it’s open.”

“The light is on.”

True. “Okay, but just for a minute. Your dad will be upset if he can’t find us.”

They jogged across the street and into the pet store. The older man was getting ready to close up but he smiled when they walked in and leaned the broom against the counter. Dillon listened, rapt, as he told her about the animals he had in his cages. Cat felt guilty taking up all his time then not taking one of the residents, so she bought a dog toy for Hooch before they left the store. “We need to start back.”

The evening light had faded and now the street was mostly lit by streetlights and a couple of bars farther down. They crossed the intersection and were heading toward the prison when a man stepped out of a doorway, bumping into them. Cat felt the tug on her purse strap and jerked away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let go.”

“I just need a little money.” The guy had a hand on her bag, refusing to let go.

Cat jerked but the guy was strong. “Let go now!”

They tugged back and forth. Cat was extremely glad the purse she carried had a heavy-duty strap because there was no way she was letting go.

In the background Cat heard a slight bark of tires but she didn’t dare hope it was help. “Dillon, run!”

Dillon didn’t get a chance to. Cat heard thumping footsteps on the pavement as somebody pounded up behind her. The thief must have sensed he was in mortal danger because he suddenly released the strap. But he was too late. A massive shape flew by her and slammed the guy against the wall. Harper drew his massive fist back and let loose. She heard bones break and the man went down like a ton of bricks, out cold. Cat staggered but Harper caught her. He dragged her into his arms, squeezing. “Are you okay?”

Cat nodded, a little dazed. That had been the craziest sixty seconds of her life. She wasn’t even sure it had been that long.

The guy moaned on the ground but didn’t wake up. Which was probably a good thing because Harper was ready to kill him. He took a step toward him, but Cat pulled him back into her arms. Tension thrummed through his heavy muscles.

They called the police and a cop arrived within a few minutes. Officer Green seemed young but competent as he took in the scene and recognized the man on the ground. Cat urged Dillon to get back in the truck with Tate as they dealt with the report.

“So you were playing tug of war with him?”

Cat nodded. “I had called Harper a few minutes ago to come get us, then we went to the pet shop. When we left the store we didn’t see anyone, but he was hiding in that doorway.” She made a motion with her hand to a shadowed area.

“How long did you wrestle with him?” the officer asked.

Cat shook her head. “I think it felt longer than it actually was. Maybe a minute.”

Officer Green turned to Harper. “You arrived then, correct?”

Harper nodded.

“How many times did you hit him?”

“Once.”

The officer frowned at the short answer, then looked Harper up and down. Cat knew she couldn’t have withstood one of Harper’s heavy fists. She doubted the officer could have either.

“Sounds pretty straightforward to me. In future though, if somebody tries to take your purse just let it go, Mrs. Preston. You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt.”

Fuck that.
Harper’s present was in that bag and there was no way she was going to lose it.

An ambulance had to be called because even a few minutes later the man still hadn’t regained consciousness.

The ambulance arrived quickly and checked him out. “Well,” the older paramedic told them, “he’s definitely got a broken nose but I think you just rung his bell. He’s high on something so that’s helping to keep him under too. We’ll transport him.”

Officer Green gave them each a friendly look. “He’ll be in jail for a while. We have a bench warrant out for his arrest too. Dan is one of those guys that gets released from prison then lingers. He’s had a string of minor incidents but nothing like this. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, Mrs. Preston.”

Cat nodded. “Me too. Thank you so much, Officer Green.”

Cat and Harper were free to go. As they climbed into the Yukon they looked at each other in disbelief. “What the hell?” Cat murmured.

Shoving the truck into gear, Harper began to drive. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Wait!” Dillon pointed down the street. “I called in pizza because I knew you two would want to go home. I hope that’s okay?”

Cat could have kissed her daughter. If the truck had been any smaller she would have reached back and done exactly that. “I think pizza sounds perfect. Good job, Dillon. Great thinking.”

Pizza Madness was only two blocks down and on the opposite side of the street. Harper went in to get it while the rest of them stayed in the truck. Cat was happy to let him do that. She honestly didn’t feel like doing anything right then.

When the rear door started to open Cat jerked, but it was only Harper putting the pizza in the back. She looked down at the subtle trembling in her hands.

Harper climbed behind the wheel and must have realized she was a little shocky. He gripped her hands with his own. “Cat, you did fine. You did exactly what I would have done if I had been in your position. You held out until help could get there.”

She nodded, wondering how the hell he’d known she’d been replaying the scene in her mind. “I’m so glad you got there when you did.”

Cat wouldn’t cry over the creep that had attacked her; she was better than that. But the relief she felt that Harper was close was significant. For the first time in their marriage
he
had come to
her
rescue.

Harper seemed to realize that as well. “It felt amazing being the one to save you, Cat. I can’t remember ever doing that before.”

As they left town, driving past the old and new prisons, he held her hand all the way home.

Cat brushed off the incident and they managed to have a fabulous night. After they ate pizza and were lounging on the couches in the den, Cat retrieved her battered purse.

With a laugh, she drew out the boxed item. “There was a reason why I wouldn’t let him have my purse. Yes, replacing my ID and bank cards would have been a pain in the ass, but he also would have gotten your late Christmas present.”

Harper looked down at the wrapped box in his hands and for several seconds didn’t say anything. When he looked up at her his expression was rueful. “You know, getting boxes from you overseas was the highlight of my deployment. Seriously. And even when I couldn’t let you know I received them I always appreciated them. Thank you for that, Cat.”

The kids went to their knees on the floor before him to watch the paper come off. When he lifted the lid from the box and pushed the tissue paper away he stared down at it for several long seconds. Then, pulling the sheathed knife out, he let the box fall to the floor.

Cat loved the reverence he used when he removed the knife from the sheath. “Wow,” he whispered.

Harper loved the knife; she could tell before he even said anything.

“That’s from the kids and me.”

He looked up at her, his normally intimidating gaze softened with appreciation. “It is truly beautiful. Thank you.”

Dillon then told him the background of the knife and that the artisan was local. Harper absorbed every detail, nodding when she pointed out details. Then he carefully sheathed the knife and pulled them all in for a hug. “You guys are amazing. Thank you. This is an excellent post-Christmas gift.”

As they loved that night, Harper seemed especially solicitous of her. “If anything had happened to you I think I would have gone crazy. I love you, Cat.”

“I love you too, Harper. And I can’t tell you how happy I am that you came to my rescue.”

Once again Harper took control of their lovemaking, sending her crying out to the heavens several times before he sought his own pleasure. And as he held her in the night Cat hoped that they would be this in sync always.

The next few
days flew by. They hiked the mountain, played the video games and pool in the basement and basically relearned living together. Harper still got up every night to keep watch, new knife at his side, but she didn’t get after him for it. She didn’t want to rock the boat.

Dillon was the one that did that. “When are we going home?”

Cat looked at Harper. He’d just taken a huge bite of ham sandwich and he swallowed heavily. They had talked a little about the path their lives were going to take but they hadn’t gotten down to specifics. They had had their heads in the sand, Cat supposed. It was just so perfect right now…

“Well,” Harper said slowly, “I think we need to be a family again. I have a good job here. What do you guys think of moving to Colorado?”

Dillon’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “We wouldn’t be going back to Virginia? What about Grandma and Grandpa?”

Cat sighed. She had known this was coming. That was probably why she had avoided bringing it up. “Virginia is a beautiful place, but your dad has a new job up here that he really loves. And he has to get back to it soon now that he’s pretty much healed. And your grandparents like to travel. They would love to come see us in Colorado.”

Both kids looked at her with frowns on their faces, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not. Her parents had been around for all of their young lives. It would definitely be a transition.

“Just think about it guys. And if you have strong feelings about it we can talk.”

They nodded and were subdued the rest of dinner. Cat felt bad, but they had to have known things were going to have to change. Even if Harper came back to Virginia with them it would be a shake-up.

Later that night as they got ready for bed, Harper stroked a hand down her back. “You know, we don’t have to go back to Colorado.”

Cat looked up at him in surprise. “Why do you say that? I thought you loved your job.”