A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series (18 page)

Ric was very excited about this party for some reason, using all his minutes on the ships phone to call her constantly and make sure everything was planned.

She'd spent the last week assuring him everything was ready and now she couldn't wait to see him.

The patrol boat hadn't been able to make it back to Cairns for Christmas and she'd had to settle with video-chat to see him. She missed him. They'd been together for over a year now, and she honestly couldn't imagine her life without him by her side.

Ric had mentioned he'd like to get married and have more children, but it hadn't gone further then that.

Sometimes, Jessi found herself wondering if he'd meant it or not.

The clock in the living room chimed eight, pulling Jessi out of her thoughts and kicking her back into gear.

She jumped into the shower and washed, then dried and styled her hair before pulling on the dress Ric had bought her back from Samoa, the simple sleeveless design elegant yet casual at the same time while the blue coloring reminded her of the sky just as dusk hit. She fussed with her make-up, added perfume and was just stepping into her shoes when the doorbell rang.

Her heart jumped into her throat and she walked as quickly as she could down the hall to answer it.

As soon as the door opened, she found herself swung up into the arms of the man she loved as the people behind her laughed and entered the house.

Ric kissed her without consideration for their audience and Jessi felt her heart stutter in her chest.

“
Hello.” She said with a smile when he let her up.

“
Hi. You look fabulous.” Ric said. He kissed her again before setting her on her feet and asking, “Where's Ash?”

“
Asleep.”

“
That's fine. Gives me time to do this...”

Right there in front of everyone, Ric dropped to his knee and pulled out a black box, opening it with a slight crack to reveal a beautiful engagement ring.

Jessi stared at him in shock, her heart in her throat and tears in her eyes.

It would seem he'd been very serious about marriage. 

Not one for grand speeches, Ric kept the proposal simple and to-the-point.

“
Jessica Lawson, will you marry me?”

A big smile split her face and she dashed away a tear that dropped to her cheek as she nodded and whispered, “Yes. A thousand times yes!”

The people behind them burst into cheers and applause as Ric slipped the ring onto her finger and stood, sealing the deal with a kiss. He brushed away her tears with his thumbs and kissed the tip of her nose before whispering, “Merry Christmas, Jessi.”

She laughed through her tears and replied, “Merry Christmas, Ric.”

“
Let's go get our beautiful daughter and finish the celebrations.”

As they brought in the new year, Jessi counted her blessings with every minute that passed.

Ric had saved her more then once this past year.

Now he was the love of her life and the man she was going to marry.

She couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

Rebekah Westmore is a federal agent who takes time off from the

agency to be with her family. She heads home to Cairns, ready to indulge in some well-earned R&R.

But her plans are thrown out the window when she gets a call from

her boss and learns an escaped felon is hot on her trail,

looking to get some revenge.

In need of assistance to keep her family out of harms ways,

Rebekah enlists the help of Steven Leigh, an officer in the Navy. He's only too happy to help keep them safe, but will his assistance turn out to be a deadly distraction?

One

AFP Agent Rebekah Westmore arrived in Cairns nearly twenty hours after leaving the AFP's Queensland HQ in the Brisbane CBD. She was tired, in desperate need of a shower, but she was happy to be home. It'd been five years since she'd been back here, her job with the WPP unit keeping her extremely busy.

She'd been working alongside Agent Michael Blake, and lately, their cases had involved fellow agents going rogue and breaking every law to get to the women who put them away.

After that, Rebekah had decided it was time to take some time off.

As she drove through the city, she saw that the place hadn't changed much since her last visit. Some new buildings had been erected or were currently being built, and the streets were still filled with the traffic of locals' and tourists while police moved amongst the crowds on foot, horseback or in their patrol cars.

Rebekah was glad she was off duty for the next two weeks.

It would give her a chance to unwind and just be Rebekah Westmore, not Agent Westmore.

It'd also give her a chance to catch up with her sister, Claire, who she hadn't seen since her last visit. She was looking forward to catching up with her big sis.

And it seemed Claire was looking forward to the visit, too, because as soon as Rebekah parked her Ford FG rental in the driveway, Claire came racing out of the house and launched herself at Rebekah, giggling like a little girl as they embraced.

“
Oh, it's so good to see you again!” Claire said, her hold on her baby sister tight.

“
I know. It's been too long.” Rebekah replied.

Claire pulled back but kept her hands on her sisters shoulders as she took in her casual jeans-and-tee appearance. “You look different. Where's the gun and badge?”

“
I'm on holiday. No gun. No badge. No bad guys.”

“
That's good to know.” Claire said. “Come on inside. Everyone is dying to see you.”

Rebekah locked the car before walking with her sister inside. At the door, Claire's twin boys – James and Andrew – launched themselves at her, laughing as they greeted her in unison, their little arms going around her neck as she picked them up, one six-year-old in each arm.

“
Aunty Becky! You're here!”

“
Hey, guys.” She said, a smile on her face as she carried them into the living room. She sat down on the floor and let the boys take up a spot on her lap as she smiled at them and said, “It's good to see you again.”

She talked with them for a few minutes, learning what they'd been up to in school and play before Claire told them to go wash up for dinner.

Rebekah stood and asked her sister, “Do I have time to take a shower before dinner?”

“
Go ahead.”

“
Thanks.” She headed out to the car to grab her suitcase before going upstairs and into the guest shower, wasting no time in stripping out of her clothes and stepping under the cleansing spray of a hot shower.

As she washed away the grime of a twenty-hour-long car trip, Rebekah smiled and thought, “It's good to be home.” 

Chief Petty Officer Steven Leigh – the Radio Operator for the HMAS Sydney – climbed out of his Ford XR8 ute and headed up the front steps of the Hawkins residence. He was fresh in from a patrol and ready to mingle with some friends he hadn't seen in a few months.

Benjamin Hawkins greeted him at the front door and handed him a beer before leading the way into the living room, where Steven could hear laughter and talk. Ben's wife, Claire, sat on one of the couches, talking with a woman who sat opposite her.

The resemblance was unmistakable and he knew right away this was Claire's sister.

She was a stunner.

Red hair the colour of fire. A body that was showed off to perfection in jeans and a grey shirt. A full mouth that he wanted to kiss.

He hadn't been with a woman for what seemed like forever, and this one was tempting him like he'd never been tempted before.

“
Oh, hi, Steven.” Claire said, smiling up at him. She pointed to her sister and said, “This is Rebekah. Becky, this is Steven, a friend of Ben.”

Rebekah smiled up at him and he almost groaned in sexual frustration. “Hello, Steven.”

“
Rebekah.”

He downed the rest of his beer in one gulp, knowing he'd need something to do with his hands least he haul Rebekah off that couch and kiss her like he so badly wanted to.

Claire was a beautiful woman and had kept that beauty after two kids.

But Rebekah?

She was a knock-out. Smokin' hot with the power to drive a man crazy with desire without even trying.

Claire headed into the kitchen to check on dinner and Ben went upstairs to check on their sons, leaving Steven alone with Rebekah.

She looked at him as he took a seat and asked, “You're in the Navy, right?”

“
That's right.”

“
Have you been RAN for long?”

“
Over twenty years.” He told her. “I joined just before my eighteenth birthday.”

“
Impressive.”

“
Have you ever served?” He asked, figuring that was the politest way to learn what she did for a living.

“
No. I'm AFP.”

“
You're a fed?”

Rebekah looked at him and asked, “Is that a problem?”

“
Absolutely not.” He said. “Have you been one for long?”