Sweet Callahan Homecoming

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“We didn’t discuss it. But I know it’s time.” Ash wanted her brothers to meet their new nieces and nephews; she wanted to hug Fiona and Burke. She’d been so homesick, though she wouldn’t say that out loud. “I’d like to be home for Christmas.”

“Consider my truck your sleigh, then,” Xav said, and Ash nodded, glad that her children’s father could be with them.

But she had a niggling feeling she’d brought darkness to Xav’s soul.

* * *

MALLORY CAME OUT to say goodbye, and help them put the babies in the SUV the sheriff had lent Ash and Xav to get home with their babies.

“I’ll miss them,” Mallory said.

“Come with us,” Ash said. “I could certainly use the help.” She would miss Mallory, too, and terribly so. The two of them had grown close during the months they’d spent together.

“I would love to come with you,” Mallory said, “but I’m better staying here. Feel free to return whenever you want to. Holidays, weekends, weekdays, whenever.”

Ash smiled and hugged Mallory. “I’ll remember that.”

“Keep up the fight,” Mallory whispered against her ear. “The fight is all that matters. And remember that so often what we think we see hides what we really should be seeing.”

Ash hesitated. “The fight?”

Mallory pulled away and thrust a bag into Ash’s hands. “These are snacks for the road. You’ll find just about everything one needs for good nutrition between here and Rancho Diablo without having to stop for fast food.” She smiled at Xav. “Thank you for keeping an eye on Ashlyn. She’s very special to me.”

“You won’t be worried to stay here by yourself?” Xav asked Mallory. Ash watched his gaze sweep the property before he shook Mallory’s hand.

“No. I’m not afraid. All is well with me here. Drive safely. Let me know when you arrive.”

They got in the truck, waved goodbye. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her,” Ash said.

“I know. She treats you like a long-lost daughter.” Xav started the truck and drove off. They waved to Mallory as she stood on the porch, watching them go.

“She said something about keeping up the fight,” Ash said. The rest of Mallory’s words echoed in her head, but she didn’t repeat them. “She’ll be safe, won’t she?”

“Sure. The sheriff will keep a tight eye on her.”

“I don’t understand where the bodies went. It worries me.” Mallory’s life had been uncomplicated before the Callahans had arrived.

“She’ll call if she needs help. She has my cell number.”

Ash looked at Xav, grateful for his calm strength. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He glanced at her. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. Just a little worried about Mallory.”

“She knew what she was getting into when Running Bear asked her if you could stay there, babe.”

“I wish she’d come with us.”

He put his hand over hers, lightly squeezing her fingers. “We’ll bring the babies back to see her soon.”

She looked at him. “Thank you for understanding. And for being here.”

It felt strange to be in a car with Xav, with their four children, considering the many years she’d spent chasing after him. “You know, in all the years I’ve know you, you never asked me out.”

A smile creased his nicely shaped lips, lips that Ash had loved kissing, wanted to kiss now. “You’re right. I didn’t.”

“Why not?” For so long she’d despaired of ever “catching” Xav. “It always felt like you were avoiding me.”

“I was.” He laughed at her gasp. “I could see no good reason to allow my employer’s wild little sister to seduce me. And it was clear that was what was on your mind.”

“I don’t know that you put up that much of a fight.”

He laughed. “I liked letting you catch me, I’m not going to lie.”

She arched a brow. “I don’t believe for a moment that you were afraid of my brothers.”

“Not afraid. Wary. Then again, I was faced with one tiny, loud, adorable lady who had a penchant for lovemaking while I was on duty. What’s a guy to do?”

Ash looked out the window. “Exactly what you did.”

“That’s right. And now I plan to marry you, make an honest woman of you. I’m not sure that’s entirely possible, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

“I never agreed to that.”

“You will,” he said cheerfully, “or no more lovemaking for you.”

She turned to him. “That’s your best bargaining chip?”

“It was good enough to get you into the canyons, beautiful, it’ll be good enough to get you to say ‘I do.’”

“We’ll see,” Ash said.

“Yes, we will,” Xav said, and kissed her hand like an old-fashioned prince in her personal fairy tale.

But he wasn’t. He’d shot her uncle and his thug, and they’d disappeared. He’d done that for her, and nothing was right about the price he’d had to pay for her.

She needed to talk to Running Bear in the worst way. Only he would understand that she couldn’t bring evil to her own family, and certainly not to the man she loved.

Chapter Five

Xav and Ash spent the night in the first town they hit in New Mexico, but staying in a hotel with four babies proved to be an experience Xav didn’t want to repeat. The entire time they were there Xav had the eerie feeling they were being watched, and he had no good way to protect his family.

Glad as he was to finally arrive at Rancho Diablo, he was somewhat apprehensive about facing the Callahans. According to Ash, she hadn’t told them about the fact that she was pregnant when she’d left Rancho Diablo, nor that she’d had four children—and they didn’t know he’d killed Wolf. The conversation was destined to be Callahan crazy. Xav took a deep breath and looked around, trying to decide if he felt as if he was at home, or in the enemy camp.

He’d know soon enough.

The stunning Tudor-style house with the seven chimneys had always seemed like something out of a legendary tale, a backdrop to the immense beauty of New Mexico. As comfortable as his own compound at Hell’s Colony was—where the Callahan cousins currently resided with their many children for safekeeping, and several of the Chacon Callahan wives and children, too—his statuesque mansion always struck Xav as nothing short of an architectural ode to freedom and spirit. Now Sloan, Falcon, Tighe, Tighe’s twin, Dante, Jace and Galen Chacon Callahan eyed him as Sloan handed him a whiskey in the beautiful upstairs library where the family meetings were always held—his first time to be included.

He almost thought the gesture felt a little ominous, but since he’d texted the brothers to say he was coming home with their sister and would like to request a meeting, maybe they were giving him a courtesy by inviting him into the vaunted private area.

The Callahan brothers took seats on the fine dark leather sofas and looked at him expectantly.

“So, you called this meeting,” Galen said. “We were a little surprised you returned. Hell, we were surprised that you left. Didn’t know you’d left to find our sister until Fiona finally told us.”

“I did give notice of my departure,” Xav reminded the brothers.

“Yes,” Tighe said, “but you didn’t say you were going to find Ash. We figured you were going to visit your family.”

“Or take a well-deserved vacation.” Jace grinned. “Actually, we figured you were going off for a major bender. Or had found a new lady you—”

“No,” Xav said, interrupting to head off that train of thought. Crap, why would they imagine he was looking at anyone besides their sister? He hadn’t since the moment he first saw her. If he counted the years he’d been in love with Ash and waited to have her, he’d certainly put in enough time to grow a beard to his boots. “I did not go off on a bender or with a woman. I went to bring Ash home, as Fiona asked.”

There was general nodding from the brothers. Fiona’s wish was typically her command, and when she gave one everyone jumped. Xav swallowed the whiskey, realizing the atmosphere was tense. Perhaps best to change the subject. “Maybe you’ve heard through the grapevine that I shot Wolf. And Rhein.”

Falcon nodded. “We did hear about that from Ash.”

The room was very still; no one moved. Xav swallowed uncomfortably. He didn’t know if they’d thank him or tell him he’d crossed some huge Callahan boundary. “I know the rule that governs you where Wolf was concerned, but I had no choice. They were kidnapping Ash.” His blood still boiled at the memory.

The Callahans wore grave expressions, displeased by the threat to their beloved sister. He heard a few muttered curse words, some dire venting of temper soaked up by whiskey sipping.

“The problem is, they disappeared,” Xav said. “Wolf and Rhein were dead, as far as I could tell. But when the sheriff went to find them, he said he couldn’t locate the bodies.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Dante said. “It worries me.”

“You got off clean shots?” Galen asked.

“They were taking Ash,” Xav said, his jaw tensing. “I wasn’t going to let that happen. The shots were clean.”

“Ash says they definitely looked dead.” Tighe shrugged. “Ash would know.”

He’d aimed to kill. “They were as dead as I could make them,” Xav said flatly. “Unless they’re immortal.”

“Then you did your job well,” Jace said. “For that we thank you.”

“Do we?” Sloan asked. “Besides the fact that he didn’t let our sister get kidnapped—which I have no doubt would have ended very badly for all—we were told by Grandfather not to kill his son.”

“Xav’s only a Callahan in spirit,” Falcon said. “Whatever Running Bear is worried about should not apply to Xav.”

“Okay,” Galen said, “so why have you returned?”

The question surprised Xav. “Why wouldn’t Ash want to return to Rancho Diablo? It’s the Christmas season. She’s been gone almost a year.”

“Yes,” Galen said, “but it’s still not safe here.”

“Tell your sister that,” Xav said. “I went to go get her, true, but she wanted to come home after Wolf—” He stopped, not really sure how to proceed. “Why did Ash tell you she wanted to come home?”

“She said you found her, asked her to marry you,” Sloan said. “She says she doesn’t want to marry you.”

They looked quite defensive of their sister, and not impressed with his offer of marriage. If he hadn’t expected some blowback, he might have wilted a bit in the face of this lack of enthusiasm for his marriage suit.

But one expected tricky curves in the road from the Callahans. They were totally unpredictable—and proud of it.

“Look, your sister’s in a difficult spot right now.”

“But you do want to marry her?” Falcon asked.

“Of course I do!” Xav glared at the men who would be his brothers-in-law. “Didn’t you want to marry the mother of your offspring?”

They all looked at him curiously.

“Offspring?” Dante asked. “Has something sprung?”

“What is an offspring, anyway?” Tighe asked his twin. “Offspring. That word makes no sense. It has nothing to do with babies, or children, or anything else.” He looked at Xav. “Ash has no offspring, if you clumsily mean children.”