If the Dark Wins (Finley Creek Book 4) Read online

  She was just ribbing Ari about her complete lack of cooking skills, when the Becks’ back door opened.

  Three tall, strong, handsome men walked in.

  Lacy immediately lost her train of thought. Holden-Deane glowered at everyone. The governor, looking all handsome and elegant, smiled at everyone. And hell… their baby brother, Travis, stared straight at her.

  Lacy forgot the knife in her hand; she probably would have cut her fingers off if Ari hadn't reached out and nabbed the knife right before it happened. "Gee…and you say I'm dangerous in the kitchen?"

  "Ari—as much as we love you, sweetie—you're a disaster in the kitchen. Lacy just got distracted by all the pretty men," Jillian said. "I wonder why? Gentlemen, we weren’t aware you’d been invited. But…welcome. More the merrier. The rest of the crew, including your cousins, are out back."

  "Thank you," Marcus said. He smiled, charmingly, at the three of them. Lacy wasn't certain, but she'd almost bet good money on it that the governor’s gaze had just lingered on Ari.

  Interesting.

  Travis stepped closer, and reached out, brushing at the flour she hadn't realized was on her cheek. And every thought left her head. He hadn’t touched her all day. Why did that thought stick out?

  "Saving it for later? Thought you didn't bake?"

  "Oh… I don't. I did hand Gabby some flour earlier though. I must have gotten it on me then." She tilted her head for the kiss she knew was coming. He delivered quickly. In just the way she liked.

  She’d spent the past week practically living with him, after all.

  "Trav, are you coming?" Holden-Deane practically growled from where he stood watching.

  "I told you, Rafe, I'd far rather be with beautiful women—especially my beautiful woman—then be out there with your ugly face. But if you need Marc and me to hold your hands…"

  Lacy studied the trio quickly. To be honest, Holden-Deane was more handsome than either of his brothers. He was definitely larger, by a couple of inches and about fifty pounds. Not that Travis and Marcus were small men, far from it. Travis was probably an inch shorter than Marcus, but other than that they were near the same size.

  They were just not quite as big as Holden-Deane. Which made him look ridiculous standing next to Jillian. He glowered down at her specifically. She picked up the knife used for the coleslaw and wiped it carefully on the dish towel. No one missed the way she eyed the man next to her.

  "Planning to filet something soon, Jill?” Lacy asked. She knew exactly what her friend was imagining. Jillian had a wicked sense of humor, and an even wickeder temper.

  Whatever Holden-Deane had done to set her off originally, Jillian hadn't forgotten it. Every altercation the two of them had just made it worse.

  To have the man in her home, that was bound to make things even more difficult for Jillian.

  "I've always had a very active imagination, Lace." Jillian looked at her and smirked. "But now, I'm just wondering how many more…carrots…to slice for the coleslaw tonight."

  Lacy heard Travis snort behind her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, catching the wicked light of humor in his green eyes.

  He enjoyed watching his brother and Jillian, didn't he? Lacy fought her own smile. The two of them were certainly entertaining. And it was good to see the old Jillian returning. Even if it was just with her and Ari… and Rafael Holden-Deane.

  "Jillian… Your dad’s waiting for the coleslaw," Ari said. She reached around Jillian and grabbed the large bowl but the governor’s hands were there first.

  "I'll get it. You just open the door."

  Nope, Lacy hadn't imagined it. Marcus was looking at Ari in that way. Did Ari even have a clue?

  Talk about awkward. Holden-Deane’s big brother was lusting after Holden-Deane’s little sister. There was no blood relation of course, but it had to be weird. Hell, it seemed weird to her.

  The last man that Ari would let into her life was a man like the governor. Not Ari. She couldn’t handle his fish-bowl lifestyle. It was hard enough for her to be the sister of a billionaire—or friends with Mel and Houghton.

  Ari and the governor took the coleslaw, Jillian tossed the napkins at Holden-Deane. The big man caught them. Jillian looked over at Lacy. "You two, grab the soda. I think that’s all we need to get the shindig going. Soon as it’s over… As soon as some people go back to where they belong… you and I are going to have a chat about the company you keep. Once certain people go back under their rocks…”

  Travis started whistling. Lacy covered a laugh, mostly at the fire that burned in Holden-Deane’s eyes. When the two of them finally erupted… well, she was going to be sure to bring the marshmallows. Because there was no other way to describe the two of them but fire.

  Lacy grabbed a couple of the 2-liters in her good hand, and watched Travis grab the 24-packs. Instead of going to the door like she expected, he sat them down on the kitchen island, and turned toward her. "Come here."

  She knew what the man wanted. Lacy put the soda on the countertop and turned to him. His arms were already there. Lacy stepped into them. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

  "Yeah, well, I've always been tagging along behind my brothers. Never know where I'll end up. Marc made me come babysit Rafe. I didn’t know we were coming here, though. Or I wouldn’t have fought the idea. Marc threatened to beat me up if I refused."

  Lacy stretched up on her tiptoes and met his mouth with hers. She'd known what he wanted. She just let him hold her, right there. In the Becks’ kitchen.

  Before she even realized it, he'd lifted her onto the kitchen island. She stayed in his arms until someone cleared his throat right behind her.

  Lacy jerked back, and looked into amused green eyes. Chance.

  "Better be careful; strange things happen when a guy gets a girl on that countertop. Trust me, I know."

  76

  At least it was just Chance. Travis’s cousin wasn't going to say anything. Not that it mattered to her if he did. Lacy wasn't ashamed of Travis. Confused by Travis, yes. To say she was ashamed of the relationship was wrong. He was a good man, a kind man, one who would treat any woman well. From the very beginning.

  No, she wasn't the least bit ashamed to be with him.

  Not that anyone truly looking at them would've missed it. As the night progressed, Travis was by her side more often than he wasn’t.

  And one thing about Travis Worthington-Deane, the man did not keep his hands to himself.

  Before too long, Lacy found herself sitting on an outdoor couch, pressed tightly against Travis on one side. Ari and Jilly had crowded her on the other side. She thought Jillian was squirming closer just to push Lacy practically into Travis’ lap. Lacy thought about pinching her friend, but she contained herself. And to be honest, his warmth next to her was nice.

  No one seemed to see a thing wrong with it.

  It was almost as if Travis had found a place with the Becks, too. It might be because of how closely he did resemble his cousins. Or the ease those two men had with him and his brothers. It might've been because the governor had already established his place with the Becks.

  It took a couple of hours before she realized the truth of it. They were accepting of Travis at her side because she was. She figured this out when Mel asked her something about Travis, and Lacy answered it without thought.

  Mel was a sharp cookie and her brown eyes narrowed. A smile hit her lips.

  Jillian and Ari were her best friends. No doubt about that. But Mel… Lacy and Mel understood each other. They were a lot alike in quite a few ways. "What did I say?"

  "I think you know."

  Before Lacy could say anything else, someone cried out from across the porch. Brynna.

  Lacy jumped to her feet, and hurried to the younger woman’s side. "Bryn?"

  "I think… I think… I think…"

  Lacy looked down. Sure enough, Brynna’s pants were wet. And she was squeezing Lacy’s good hand tightly. "Bryn, are you having c
ontractions?"

  "I think so." Brynna started nodding. Chance jumped up; cursing, he scooped his wife up into his arms and held her. Everyone on the porch froze, except for Holden-Deane and Jillian.

  Brynna called out again. The hand she had wrapped around Lacy’s fingers tightened until Lacy half feared she'd end up in a cast on both arms. After about a minute, Brynna relaxed again.

  Lacy looked at Chance. "Hospital. Now."

  "Another one, another one, another one," Brynna yelled out.

  And then Holden-Deane was right behind Lacy’s shoulder. He whispered in her ear. "Contractions are coming too fast. With the amniotic fluid…"

  "Yes," Lacy knew what her boss was saying. She looked at Jillian. The fear and worry was in her friend’s eyes. Jillian knew, too. "Jillian, I need whatever you got inside. Holden-Deane…"

  He already had his eyes on his watch, timing. "Thirty-four seconds apart."

  "Chance, I'm not sure we are going to be able to make it to the hospital. But… You've got me, Jillian, and even Holden-Deane knows what he’s doing. Let’s get her inside, I will take a look at what’s going on. Elliot, ambulance. Kevin, Mel, everybody else, just sit tight. We will let you know what’s going on."

  Chance carried Brynna inside the house. And to the guest room that had once been her own bedroom. The walls were still painted the soft blue that they had been. Hopefully the familiar settings would help calm Brynna down.

  That was one of Lacy’s biggest fears—keeping Brynna calm during delivery. It wasn't going to be easy. Jillian got busy, collecting all the medical supplies in the house. With her being a trauma nurse, they had a better stocked first aid cabinet than most homes. At least. Jillian even had a fetal heartbeat monitor.

  She grabbed it and immediately put it on her sister. A steady thwump, thwump, thwump echoed through the room; the heartbeat was fine. Things were just happening a bit earlier than expected. That was all.

  Holden-Deane returned with a black bag in his hands.

  "Bryn, the heartbeat sounds good. The baby’s doing okay. But I think your baby’s going to be joining us sooner than we thought."

  "Okay. Hospital?" Brynna said as she took in deep breaths.

  "I'm not sure we’re going to be able to make it to the hospital in time. If you want, Jillian and I are going to help you get your pants down and off. Jillian can get you a nightgown. And I'm going to check, okay? See if we can get an estimate of when this little one is going to make it here."

  "My baby needs the hospital, right? That’s what you’re supposed to do. To do."

  "Well, look at it this way. You've got three of the best from the ER right here with you. And an ambulance is on the way. This is as good as it’s going to get; and we’re going to deal with it together, okay?"

  Within fifteen minutes, the next generation of Marshalls entered the world. Mel and Gabby had come into the room at Brynna’s insistence. Chance sat behind his wife, holding her while she pushed. Gabby and Mel each had one of her hands. Elliot stood in the corner near his brother’s shoulder, ready to fetch anything they needed.

  And Jillian was there to catch her niece as she slipped into the world and took her first breath.

  Lacy couldn't do it with a cast on her hand. But it was better this way. Right. The way it should be.

  Everything the Beck family had suffered, culminated in this little miracle who had been conceived during the worst of the nightmares. While Brynna and Chance had been missing.

  Through odds so astronomical that Lacy couldn't even fathom them, this little girl had survived. Lacy’s tears made it hard for her to see for a moment. But she knew she would never forget the look that had passed between Brynna and Chance in the moment that Jillian had placed their daughter in Brynna’s arms for the first time.

  Everything with the delivery had gone smoothly, except for the speed of it. Which while uncommon, Lacy had experienced before. Brynna was young, strong and healthy, now. There was no reason she wouldn't bounce back quickly from her first delivery. Chances were high that she’d been laboring all day, and just hadn’t realized.

  Holden-Deane had surprised her by having the necessary supplies in his trunk, of all places. When she looked at him, he shrugged. "In Africa, I delivered more babies than I ever could've imagined. I learned early on to carry what I needed everywhere I went. I never knew what kind of conditions I’d end up in. Some habits die hard.”

  "Well, I have to say… No matter what Jillian says… You came in handy tonight."

  "So did you. Good job, Dr. McGareth. "

  "Well, some things are meant to come full circle. I can't imagine a family better suited to home birth than that one right there." Jillian had wrapped her sister’s newborn in a hand knit blanket that Lacy knew Mel had probably made. And then Jillian stepped outside, to tell her father that his second granddaughter was doing just fine.

  77

  Brynna ended up in private room 404. Usually the 4th floor were general rooms. But on some occasions, since the rooms were larger and more isolated, they were reserved for special cases. The sister-in-law of the wealthiest man in Texas qualified simply because everywhere Brynna and Chance went a guard went, as well.

  At times, whenever there was a strong threat against Houghton, even Jillian had a bodyguard. And if Lacy wasn't mistaken, Ariella’s brother Luc had a guard that followed Ariella occasionally.

  It had already been arranged that Brynna would stay in the far room at the end. They couldn't put her in 403, not willingly, because of the yellow walls. Brynna had an issue with yellow walls. Yellow everything, really.

  After the family was settled in, then it came time for the aunts and uncles and even the cousins to see baby Sara Anne Marshall. Lacy was getting Brynna comfortable and checking on the baby one more time herself when Travis and the governor came in.

  Chance scooped his daughter up, and handed her to Marcus. "Don't drop her."

  "I've held babies before, Chance. Remember?"

  "Yeah, and you dropped Sara practically at my feet. Remember that?"

  "I was ten; you ever going to forget that?" Marcus asked.

  "Chance’s always held grudges. Okay. He’s had his turn. Hand her over." And just like that, Travis cuddled the baby against his chest. Lacy smiled as he made goofy faces that the baby couldn't see yet. "Annie likes her cousin Travis. I'll put her on her first pony. Don't you listen to cousin Marcus, sweetheart, no matter what he promises you. He’s just a silly old governor. But I'm a cowboy. Cowboys are better than governors." He leaned down and kissed the soft forehead once. And then he gave her back to her mother gently.

  Lacy felt a little a bit of her heart turn just a little too gooey for comfort. He turned to her. "Hey Doc, you heading out?"

  "Well, I was going to bunk at Jillian’s tonight, but I have a feeling she’s going to be staying pretty close to here. Or at least close to the rest of her family."

  For once she didn't want to go to Jillian’s. For once, she knew exactly what she wanted.

  She wanted Travis.

  "Need a lift from your good neighbor?" He practically purred as he asked it.

  "I may just take you up on that." She looked back at the family snuggling together on the hospital bed. Brynna was going to be okay. Tonight had turned out good. The way it should be.

  Brynna and Chance’s chapter in the hell they had all gone through had finally reached the epilogue. That meant something.

  She felt a little of the pain she’d experienced, the grief and the anger and the rage at what had happened to her and Jillian and Ari slip a little bit away. For the first time in weeks.

  She would never forget what happened. But maybe… Maybe she actually was starting to heal. Brynna and Chance were. Even Jillian, apparently with help from Holden-Deane, was starting to get some of the fire back.

  Life was going on. All around them. Lacy shocked herself, and probably Travis too, when she held her hand out to him. "I'm ready whenever you are."

  78
/>   She wasn’t home yet. He knew that she had stayed with that damned Worthington-Deane for more than a week, but rumor had it she was back at her ranch now. He’d asked Patel himself if he knew how she was doing. Patel had told him everything he’d known.

  She’d stayed with that damned Deane until yesterday. But she should be home now.

  And she wasn’t.

  Why wasn’t she home?

  He had everything planned perfectly. He’d had eight days to plan, after all. He was going to take her before Deane could ruin her forever; he had enough money to get her to Mexico, where he would keep her safe from that damned Deane.

  If he didn’t just kill Deane outright.

  She had to see. Had to be made aware that Deane was no good for her. This was the only way he could make her understand.

  Logan could not lose her to a damned cowhand. A damned Deane.

  He had a key to her ranch. It had been simple enough. He’d slipped into Ariella’s room and copied her keys, suspecting she would have a key to Lacy’s home.

  And she had.

  He’d been in and out of Lacy’s home over the past seven days, plotting.

  Now he sat in her bedroom.

  And just waited.

  She’d been heading to the Becks’ tonight. She was probably still there.

  Logan forced himself to just sit and wait.

  He rolled another joint, hoping that would calm him. When it didn’t he took a huge gamble and popped two of his Solpalmitraln, even though it was nowhere near time to even take the one.

  He needed something to control how he felt.

  The rage threatened to consume him.

  79

  Lacy didn’t say much as Travis drove the miles between the hospital and their ranches. She just wanted to sit and think. Until he looked at her and then wrapped his free hand around hers. “You delivered many babies?”

  “At last count, I’m averaging two a month since I am often the on-call in the ER now. When I’m fully in the surgical department I don’t get much opportunity.” She filled in when and where she was needed.