Midnight Sons Volume 3 (22 page)

“At least you’re willing to admit it. How do you propose to fill your time? I know you, Tracy, and you won’t be content sitting on your duff.”

“Actually, not having a full-time practice suits my purposes perfectly.”

His eyes narrowed. “How’s that?”

“I want children, and I believe we should start on the project right away.”

Duke’s gaze seemed riveted to hers. “Now, just one minute…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he took in her words. “You really know how to throw a man off center, I’ll say that. I haven’t so much as proposed, and you’re already talking children.”

“I want a big family. I have four sisters, you know.”

“Would you kindly stop jumping the gun?”

“I’d like three, possibly four of my own and—”

“Four kids, in this day and age?” he said, aghast. “You’re not thinking clearly. Couples can’t afford to clothe and educate that many children.”

“We’ll do fine.” The man was nothing if not obstinate.

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

She pretended not to hear him. “I feel it’s important that we be young enough to enjoy them.”

“Tracy,” he said, obviously exasperated.

“Am I answering your questions?”

“You make our marriage sound like a foregone conclusion.”

“You mean it isn’t?” She batted her eyelashes, teasing him. She’d never be a pliant woman who would bend easily to his will—but for the sake of his ego she supposed she could bend every now and then.

“No way!”

She sighed impatiently. “I’m going to tell our children this, you know.”

“Tell them what?”

“That I was the one who proposed.”

“The heck you will!”

Tracy nearly laughed out loud. Instead, she held out her arms. “Just how long is it going to take you to kiss me?”

“In a minute,” he said, “but first I have to figure out how I’m going to do this.”

“Do what?”

He walked over to the sofa and got down on one knee.

Her eyes widened with surprise. Duke was going to propose on bended knee.
Duke?
But then, he’d always been a traditionalist, so it made sense that he’d do this the old-fashioned way.

“Promise me you won’t say a word until I’ve finished,” he said.

“I promise,” she said breathlessly. Duke was actually going to propose. At last. She pressed her lips together hard to show him her sincerity.

“I didn’t want to fall in love with you, and God knows it wasn’t what I planned. You’re gutsy, stubborn, insolent, hardheaded—and special.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “So very special.”

She blinked back sudden tears.

“In addition to all of that, you seem to think you love me.”

She nodded vigorously. The need to talk was so strong she had to bite her lip.

“I don’t know
why
you love me, but frankly I’ve given up trying to figure it out. I’m crazy about you. Yes, I love you. There, I’ve said it.”

She rewarded him by kissing her fingertips and touching them to his lips.

“I don’t understand why you’d sacrifice all this for life in Hard Luck, but you seem to have it squared away.”

Once more she nodded.

“Three kids, possibly four,” he groaned. “Knowing you, you’ll probably talk me into ten.”

She held up four fingers.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m not agreeing to any more than two for now.” He paused and grinned. “That’s advice a good attorney would give.”

She smiled and shrugged. Not speaking was difficult, but she’d promised.

“So you think we should get married.”

She held her breath.

“I’m beginning to believe you’re right.”

Tracy couldn’t help it—she threw her arms around his neck and cried joyfully, “Oh, Duke, what took you so long?”

A grimace of doubt tightened his face. “I’m not good enough for you—”

“Don’t you dare say that,” she interrupted. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Duke Porter, and don’t you forget it.”

“Me?”

“Without you, I’d have spent the rest of my days defending my rights as a woman, pushing love out the door, arguing until I had no voice left while I stood on my soapbox. Without you, life would’ve passed me by. I would’ve missed so many pleasures. I would’ve been so lonely.” She paused, her eyes solemn. “I’ve learned that I can have my principles and love, too. I need you, Duke.”

He blinked, as if he wasn’t sure he should believe her. They faced each other. His love in all its depth shone in his eyes, and it was a reflection of what she felt for him.

“We’re going to fight like crazy,” he whispered.

“And make love like crazy.”

A smile edged up one side of his mouth. “I love you, Tracy.” His arms circled her waist. He kissed her eyes and nose and cheeks and chin, unable to get enough of her. Her senses reeled; her heart raced.

It’d been so long since he’d last held her. She loved the way his eyes darkened before he kissed her. The way his hands moved gently over her body, and the sound of his voice when he whispered her name.

They were going to be very happy—of that Tracy had no doubt. She’d found her man, and he’d found her. A man to love for the rest of her life.

December 1996

S
COTT
O’H
ALLORAN
sat in front of the fireplace at the Caldwells’ lodge. Dinner was over and the adults had gathered in the front room, planning a reception for Duke and Tracy. The other kids were watching a video upstairs; Scott, however, had declined the opportunity to see
Snow White
. He’d decided to stay down here with his dog instead. Eagle Catcher rested peacefully on the braided rug next to him, snoring softly as Scott stroked his fur. With a quiet moment to himself, Scott was considering the changes that had come to Hard Luck since his own arrival a couple of years ago.

“I still can’t believe it,” he told the husky. “Duke married Tracy.” He shook his head, feeling wiser than his years. People tended to see him as “just a kid”—and he couldn’t very well deny it—but he was smarter than some folks seemed to think.

For instance, Scott knew long before his mother and Sawyer did that they were in love. Sawyer had insisted the other bush pilots leave Abbey alone—and then found all kinds of excuses
to spend time with her himself. But he’d almost blown it with that flippant marriage proposal. If it hadn’t been for Susan and him running away with Eagle Catcher, Scott didn’t know
what
would have happened. He didn’t like to think about it.

His mom had married Sawyer, and now there was little Anna. When they’d learned Anna was a girl, Scott had been sorely disappointed. He’d wanted a little brother real bad, but now that she was born and everything, he was glad to have another sister. Not that he’d let Susan know. Susan was a pest. But Anna was all soft and sweet, and when he held her he felt happy and proud. Scott hoped for a brother someday, but if that didn’t happen, he’d accept another sister.

After his mother and Sawyer got married, it hadn’t taken him long to figure out how things were between Charles and Lanni. The day he and Susan had gone looking for wildflowers with Lanni and encountered the bear proved exactly how much Charles liked Lanni.

Charles had been so relieved when he found them that he’d kissed Lanni right then and there. Scott never did understand why they waited so long to decide to get married. Lanni had to move away, and then Charles moped around Hard Luck for weeks until he finally saw the light.

Scott had felt downright sorry for Charles. He’d wanted to say something, but he’d overheard his parents talking, and they seemed to think it was best to let Charles and Lanni sort out their differences themselves. They must’ve been right, because a little while after that, Scott learned Charles and Lanni were getting married the following spring.

Eagle Catcher stretched out his legs and yawned loudly. Scott felt tired, too, but he kind of liked sitting here by the fireplace while the adults talked in the other room. Duke and
Tracy’s wedding had taken place in Seattle two weeks earlier, and they were due back in Hard Luck the day after tomorrow, so folks wanted to give them a special welcome.

He had to admit those two had taken him by surprise. But Mitch and Bethany hadn’t. Scott smiled to himself. He’d seen the look that came into the teacher’s eyes whenever Mitch stopped by the schoolhouse. It was the same look he’d seen in his mother’s eyes after Sawyer kissed her the first time.

Susan and Chrissie, Mitch’s daughter, had played matchmaker—and it had worked, not that Scott approved of their methods. To his way of thinking, Mitch had married Bethany
despite
Susan and Chrissie’s schemes. They all seemed happy, though. He’d heard that Bethany’s baby was due a couple of months before Lanni’s. At this rate, the Hard Luck school was going to need more than two teachers.

Matt and Karen’s little boy was born a week before Anna. Clay Caldwell. His daddy was crazy about him. So was his mother.

Scott felt a little smug about Matt and Karen. He took full credit for those two patching up their relationship. He figured it was his advice that had helped Matt win Karen back.

Not only that, he’d helped Christian and Mariah. He remembered the evening he’d come across Christian sitting on his front porch, looking downright miserable—like he’d lost his wallet or something. The “something” turned out to be his secretary. Scott liked to think he’d helped his uncle that night, but at the time he wasn’t sure Christian had heard a word he’d said. Now Christian and Mariah were married, too, and he suspected it wouldn’t be long before they started having children.

Then there were the surprises. First Ben Hamilton and Mrs. McMurphy. Scott hadn’t known people that old could
fall in love. Ben’s behavior—the way he watched Mrs. McMurphy and the way he snapped at everyone—had made Scott suspicious. He’d talked it over with Eagle Catcher and even his canine friend was skeptical, but Scott knew what he’d seen. Sure enough, a month later, he heard that Ben and Mary McMurphy were getting hitched.

By this time, Scott had been to more weddings than some ministers. He’d wondered what kind of bride Mrs. McMurphy would make, seeing that she was practically as old as his grandmother. What had surprised him was how pretty she looked. Not pretty like his mother or Lanni or Mariah, but different.

Ben, too, although the cook would probably be offended if Scott called him pretty. Ben was a cool guy. Since marrying Mrs. McMurphy he was even more fun. He actually let Eagle Catcher into the café now and then, and his cooking was better than ever.

The other surprise came when Scott learned that Duke was marrying Tracy. He’d been worried when their plane went down in a storm. Not just worried about their injuries, but about the two of them killing each other. Boy, had he been wrong. Next thing he knew, Duke was in Seattle visiting Tracy. Now they were married, and Tracy was going to open up a law office in Hard Luck.

Lots of other people were starting new businesses. Last he heard, Pete Livengood was planning to put in a hardware place. There was even talk about a video store—a whole store—not just a few shelves at the back of Pete’s grocery. That’d be great. A friend of Karen’s from California was moving north to set up a beauty shop, but this would be a place where both men and women got their hair cut. Scott preferred the video store. Oh, and Lanni was starting a newspaper—
maybe she’d let him have his own advice column. “Ask Scott,” he’d call it. He grinned to himself.

Yup, Hard Luck had changed since the day he’d arrived. It wasn’t just a town fifty miles north of the Arctic Circle anymore. Hard Luck was home.

The Present

T
HE FIRST THING
Chrissie Harris intended to do when she saw Scott O’Halloran was slap his face—hard. She might even have the opportunity today, she thought, reluctant to get out of bed on this clear August morning. The man had broken her heart, not once but twice—and she’d
let
him!

The first time she’d been sixteen, and she’d stood at the Midnight Sons airstrip one frigid winter morning and watched him fly out of Hard Luck, Alaska. Unable to get along with his mother and stepfather, Scott had enlisted in the army. Chrissie had thought her whole world would cave in without Scott. She’d been crazy about him from the time she was in grade school, when his mother had moved to Hard Luck with him and his sister and married Sawyer O’Halloran. In third grade Chrissie had decided that as soon as they were grown
ups, she’d marry Scott; she’d been so sure he loved her, too—a belief she’d maintained for the next decade.

She’d been wrong.

A year out of high school he’d clashed with his father and promptly volunteered three years of his life to Uncle Sam. Chrissie had moped around for weeks, missing him dreadfully but pretending otherwise. In retrospect she realized she hadn’t fooled anyone. Least of all Susan, her best friend and Scott’s sister.

Every afternoon Chrissie had beaten a path to the post office, eager for a letter. Every night she’d poured out her heart to him in long missives. In the beginning Scott did write. Boot camp was hell, he’d told her. Following graduation he’d volunteered for Airborne Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Eventually his letters became less and less frequent. Finally they stopped altogether.

What hurt most was that Scott had asked his
sister
to break the news. As gently as possible, Susan let Chrissie know that Scott had met someone else.

That was the first time he’d broken her heart.

The next time happened the year Chrissie and Susan graduated from college. The two families had thrown a huge celebration party in Hard Luck, which half the town attended. Who should unexpectedly show up but Scott O’Halloran? He’d occasionally come home during the intervening years, but Chrissie had always avoided him. After the heartless way he’d dumped her, it was what he deserved. But at twenty-one she was older, more mature. Smart, too. She hadn’t graduated magna cum laude for nothing.

But Chrissie wasn’t nearly as savvy as she’d assumed. It took Scott less than a week to maneuver himself back into her life.
He told her how much he’d missed her, how he regretted the way he’d treated her. He’d gone on to claim that every woman he’d met since paled compared to her. Blah, blah, blah.

Chrissie had swallowed his lies, every one of them. She was so in love with him her brain had virtually ceased to function. Then Farrah Warner had arrived and declared herself Scott’s fiancée. Scott had tried to explain, to apologize, but Chrissie had refused to listen. Before another day passed, Scott and Farrah had flown out of Hard Luck, leaving everyone, including his own family, upset and confused.

Chrissie vowed that was the second and
last
time he’d ever break her heart.

Recently she’d heard that Scott was returning to Hard Luck permanently as a partner in Midnight Sons, the bush plane service owned by his father and his uncle Christian. Chrissie swore she wouldn’t allow Scott O’Halloran anywhere near her. She would
not
give him the opportunity to break her heart a third time.

That determined, she rolled over and turned off her clock radio before the alarm could buzz. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep—what little she’d managed to catch—from her eyes. She’d spent most of the night reviewing her history with Scott, going over and over his betrayals, hardening her resolve. At twenty-five, she wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. The law degree hanging in the office she shared with Tracy Santiago Porter said as much.

When the phone pealed at five minutes after seven, it jolted Chrissie so badly she nearly fell off the bed.

“Yes,” she snapped.

“Scott’s flight is due in at ten,” Susan cheerfully informed her. Despite everything, her best friend continued to believe
that Scott and Chrissie were meant to be together. As far as Chrissie was concerned, it wouldn’t happen in this or any other lifetime.

“Oh, Scott’s coming home?” Chrissie asked, hoping she sounded bored and uninterested. “Is that today?”

“You know it is.”

“Yes,” Chrissie said, faking a yawn. “I suppose I did.”

“This time it’s for good. My brother’s here to stay.”

“Really?” Chrissie feigned a second yawn as if she couldn’t care less. She cared, all right, but only because she wanted to tell him he was lower than a tundra rat—and then follow that with a resounding slap to his face.

“Mom and Dad are thrilled.”

Chrissie tensed, struggling to hide her reaction.

“He’s going to be flying for Midnight Sons. Mom and Dad have been wanting this for years. With Anna and Ryan older now, Dad’s hoping to cut back his hours and…Oh, Chrissie, this is what we’ve
all
wanted!”

Chrissie knew that, but she wasn’t sure Hard Luck was big enough for both of them. Fine, she could deal with Scott living in Hard Luck. It wasn’t as though her world revolved around him. Not anymore. Whether he stayed or moved on didn’t make one iota of difference to Chrissie.

She could certainly be civil if she ran into him, although that wasn’t likely to happen often. Hard Luck wasn’t as small a town as it had once been. Back in the nineties, the population was around fifty—mostly cantankerous men in need of women. The O’Halloran brothers hadn’t been able to hold on to their staff of professional pilots and were losing them at an alarming rate to other commuter-airline companies in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Something had to be done, and quickly.
The best way to keep their pilots, the brothers had decided, was to lure women north.

Their plan had worked, too. Surprisingly well. Abbey, Scott and Susan’s mother, was the first woman to arrive, and a number of others had come soon afterward. In the years since, Hard Luck had expanded, and its population had reached a robust three hundred and counting. More families moved in every year.

Susan’s husband, Ron Gold, and his partner, Matt Caldwell, did a booming winter tourist business, which involved dog-sledding, camping and more. Midnight Sons flew in the adventure-seeking sightseers. But that was only part of their business; they also functioned as a commuter airline and courier company. Actually, they had a corner on the market, because the only way to get to Hard Luck was by plane.

It wouldn’t be long now before the next group of visitors showed up. The last days of summer lingered on, but in early September the weather would start to turn chilly; snow would come by October—and with it, the winter tourists.

“Chrissie! Have you heard
anything
I said?”

“Sorry,” Chrissie muttered. “I kind of drifted off.”

“I want you to be pleased Scott’s moving home,” Susan insisted. “You two make such a perfect couple.”

Chrissie snickered. She couldn’t help it. She and Scott? Not anymore. She didn’t trust him, couldn’t make her heart vulnerable to him again. The first two times had hurt too much. No, she was a sensible attorney now, a woman who wouldn’t be swayed by a glib tongue and a pair of baby blues, even if they did belong to the one and only man she’d ever truly loved.

“Scott could move next door and it wouldn’t make any difference to me,” Chrissie said in as matter-of-fact a tone as she could muster.

“You sure about that?”

“Positive.” Leave it to Susan and her romantic inclinations. But then, Chrissie supposed Susan was entitled to feel optimistic on that score; the year she graduated from college, she’d married the boy she’d loved half her life. “Listen, I’ve still got to shower,” Chrissie said. Knowing Susan wouldn’t be satisfied until she had her way, she added, “When you see Scott, tell him hello for me.” As soon as the words left her lips, she realized her mistake. Scott might consider that an invitation to look her up, and there was nothing she wanted less. Quickly she said, “No, don’t. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t mention my name at all.”

“You know Scott’s going to ask about you.”

“Well, if he does, tell him I’m totally content without him in my life.”

Susan laughed outright. “That sounds like a crock to me.”

“Well, it isn’t,” Chrissie said, praying she wasn’t giving herself away. Hiding her true feelings from her best friend was something she found difficult. But the truth was, she fully intended to keep her distance from Scott.

Resolved to push all thoughts of him from her mind, Chrissie got into the office early. She refused to look at her clock, refused to remember that at ten that very morning, Scott O’Halloran was flying back into Hard Luck—and into her well-ordered life.

At eleven-thirty, just as she was about to break for lunch, Kate, the secretary she shared with Tracy, called her. “Scott O’Halloran is here to see you. Shall I send him in?”

Already? Chrissie’s heart began to race, pounding so hard she had to catch her breath. Scott was here?
Now?

“Ms. Harris?”

Forcing her heart to slow down, Chrissie took a deep breath. “Send him in,” she said.

Half a minute later Scott strolled into her small office. He hadn’t changed. He was still better-looking than any man had a right to be. He’d always had a real presence—a confident quality and a sense of life that invariably attracted people. Especially women. Chrissie made herself stand and meet him eye to eye. For one wild moment all she could do was stare. Furious at her reaction, she lowered her hands to her desk for support.

“Hello, Scott,” she managed to say, proud of revealing no emotion. To all appearances, he might have been a stranger.

“Chrissie.” He sent her a smile bright enough to rival the summer sun.

She inhaled and held her breath. With hardly any effort, he was tearing down her defenses. And, no doubt, he knew exactly the effect he had on her, hide it though she might.

“You’re looking good,” he murmured with a nod of approval.

“Yes, I know,” she said in blithe tones, wanting him to realize she wouldn’t be won over by a bit of flattery and some practiced charm. Not this time. He could fall at her feet and beg her forgiveness, and she’d look down at him and feel nothing but contempt.

“Do you have a few minutes?” he asked.

“Actually I don’t.” How
dared
he assume he could saunter into her office and pretend nothing had happened? He had nerve, she’d say that for him. Well, so did she. “Perhaps it’d be best if we cleared the air now,” she said aggressively.

“Cleared the air?”

“If you think you can walk back into my life again, you’re
wrong. I’m older now. Wiser, too. You made a fool of me twice. There isn’t going to be a third time.”

Scott’s lips quivered with a smile.

“You find this amusing?”

“If you’d give me a chance to explain…” he began.

She laughed lightly, breezily, as if to suggest she had no interest in anything he had to say. “Explain
what?
You’re the one who claimed to be in love with me—and all the while you were engaged to another woman! Frankly, I’m not interested in hearing any explanations.” With great aplomb, she walked around her desk to her chair. Sitting down, her back very straight, she reached for her pen and glanced casually upward. “I think you should leave now.”

“Well, the truth is, Chrissie, I didn’t stop by to rehash old times. I was planning to hire you to draw up some legal papers, since I’m becoming a full partner in Midnight Sons.”

“Oh.” Mortified beyond words, Chrissie wanted to crawl under her desk.

“But that’s okay. I’ll make an appointment with Tracy.”

“Ah…” she blubbered, then nodded, implying she thought this was probably the best idea.

“Good to see you again,” he said on his way out the door, closing it behind him.

Chrissie dropped her forehead to her desk. What was it about Scott O’Halloran that turned her into a complete idiot every time she saw him?