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Luke exited the vehicle and strode toward Daniel. All six feet of his rugged build exuded the friendly welcome Luke had expected. When they reached each other, Luke grasped the extended hand, but Daniel pulled him in for a bear hug anyway.
“It’s about time you showed up, Luke. Did you have some trouble?” Daniel’s brow creased in concern.
“Some, but we can talk about that later. I want you to meet some very important people.” Luke held his gaze for a moment.
Daniel nodded and a lazy grin appeared. “So that’s how it is, huh?”
“Now, Daniel, don’t you embarrass that girl.” The woman who had followed Daniel from the cabin hooked elbows with him and reached to shake Luke’s hand. “We’re so glad you’re here, Luke. I’m Ellen, Daniel’s better half.”
“True, that.” Daniel nodded vigorously.
Luke enjoyed her teasing banter. “Nice to meet you, Ellen. I hope it’s okay. I brought some friends.”
Sally approached, her arm around Jen’s shoulders.
“We love having company. The more the merrier, I always say. Right, Daniel?”
“That’s the way of it around here.” He patted his wife’s arm.
Jen quietly slipped her hand into Luke’s and her uncertainty came through loud and clear. “Daniel, Ellen, I’d like you to meet Sally Duncan and her daughter, Jen.”
It always amazed Luke how quickly women made friends. Within sixty seconds, they were deep in conversation, headed toward the main cabin for a cup of tea. Of course, Sally had been reluctant to leave Jen, but he’d latched onto her hand and smiled his assurance, hoping Sally would get the message he could handle one nine-year-old girl. An instant later, the small blond-haired child, the spitting image of Daniel, stepped closer and fastened one spindly arm around her father’s leg. He introduced Luke and Jen to five-year-old Bridgett, whose first words were, “Do you want to see my pony?” After a brief reminder from Daniel about safety, they ran off toward the corrals, visible behind the cabins.
Abruptly, a shrill whistle shattered the serenity of the valley, and everyone, including Sally and Ellen, stopped to stare in the direction of the river as a loud shout reached them. “Hey! Guys! He’s here.”
Luke recognized the voice at the exact moment he noticed the terror in Sally’s eyes. Quickly, he jogged across the grass to her side, vaguely aware of Daniel following him.
“Where’s Jen?” Panic strained her voice.
“She’s okay. Listen to me.” He placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “It’snotBrennan. Remember my friends—the ones you saw at the hospital? The one doing the yelling is Travis. I assume theguyshe’s referring to are MacGyver and Coop.” He glanced sideways at Daniel, pacing nearby. “And this must be what you didn’t want me to go apeshit over?”
Daniel nodded.
“Shit, man. You gotta do something about your cell service.” Luke swallowed the groan building up within him. It wasn’t that he minded his friends showing up at the same time he did, but fuck, given what Sally had been through, it would have been nice to have a little advance notice.
Daniel spoke up as though he’d read Luke’s thoughts. “I tried to warn you.”
Luke sighed. Yes, he had. Too bad it hadn’t worked. Seeing his friends approaching from the corner of the cabin, he turned back to Sally.
“Ready to meet them?”
She stood a little straighter, and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Luke took that as a good sign. “They’re a little rough around the edges, but they’re good people. You’ll like them—just don’t believe everything you hear.”
Chapter Eleven
Sally’s gaze darted to the three tall, wide-shouldered men quickly approaching. Each had big biceps and broad chests, as though they spent their free time working out. Dressed similarly in faded, worn jeans and T-shirts stretched to fit, a seven- or eight-inch knife, matching the one Luke carried, hung off each man’s hip. She could easily have mistaken them for a team of mercenaries on the set of some movie…except for their easy smiles, just like at the hospital. They wore their humor like pranksters. That must be why Luke warned her not to take them too seriously. Her face relaxed into a smile. Luke would no doubt be the brunt of their ragging and joking. Men being what they were, they’d probably say anything to get a rise from him. Her presence would most certainly be the fodder for their teasing.
Luke strode forward to greet them in typical male fashion. Lots of laughter, swearing, feigned shoulder punches and grunts preceded a round of handshakes and high fives. When the ritual was over, all three strangers turned as one and stared at her, a look in each set of eyes that seemed slightly suspicious.
The handsome black man who stood in the center of the group flicked his gaze over her. “You’ve been holding out on us, Harding. Who’s this?”
Feeling much like a side of beef that these scoundrels hadn’t found worthy of speaking to, even though she stood right in front of them, anger sparked to life, effectively trumping the embarrassment she’d been fighting. Sally stood straighter, lifted her head and returned their appraising stares.
“Hey, Travis.” Luke’s hand shot out, connecting with the man’s abs. “Be nice or we’re going to have a problem.” His tone was friendly enough, but Sally detected an underlying thread of warning.
Obviously caught by surprise, Travis grunted and dropped back a step.
