makes sense, but it also sounds like you don’t think I can protect you or my own flesh and blood. I assure you I can, and I will.”
It was so true what Xav said. Somehow she’d known he’d find her eventually. Their paths were meant to cross again.
She’d just thought it would be further in the future. Past the holidays, away from sentiment and the longing for home at Christmas that had come over her lately. “Like Mallory said, this is Briar,” she said, pointing to her firstborn, “and her sister is Skye. Skye’s my special one.” She reached a gentle finger to stroke Skye’s back. The baby slept on, undisturbed. “Skye is a Down’s syndrome baby, and my happiest spirit. She rarely fusses, just really wants to snuggle. Skye has Grandfather Running Bear’s spirit. It’s strong in her. Briar is strong physically. She always keeps her head turned toward her sister. I think she’s determined to protect her.” She looked at Xav. He was smiling, his eyes peaceful as he listened, so she continued. “This is Thorn. He was born second, and had some lung issues for a while. But the doctors expect him to make a full recovery. And this is Valor,” she said, gently patting her last son. “It was touch and go for him for a while, and I really thought I might lose him. All of them were underweight, of course, so there was a lot of time in the hospital. They’ve only been home with me for about three weeks. Valor became stronger and stronger, and now I really believe he’s going to be a warrior like Running Bear. I can feel him listening to the world around him, and I know he’s taking it all in.”
“When were they born?”
“October 15. Cesarean section. Briar came home first, then Valor. Thorn and Skye came home together the day before Thanksgiving, so I felt very blessed. Mallory’s been a rock. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Xav got up, stalked to the window. “I wish I’d been here. I should have been here.”
“I wish things could have been different. But everything changed when I shot my uncle. It set things in motion I had no control over. And since you’ve spent the last several years working at Rancho Diablo, you know that as well as anyone.”
Chapter Three
Briar, Thorn, Skye and Valor—all strong names. Xav looked at his children with amazement and some lingering shock. How had this happened? How had he become a father of four, as easily as if a Fiona-style fairy godmother had waved her magic wand at him, gifting him with a full-blown family?
God, he couldn’t blame this on Fiona or even a fairy godmother, even though Fiona had totally and not too subtly plotted to enlarge her Callahan family tree. All the Callahans, every last one of them, had fallen to Fiona’s legendary and epic lures and chicanery to see her family with families of their own, but Ash won the prize for secret babypalooza. He stared in shock at his four offspring, trying to figure out how his world had changed when he wasn’t paying attention.
The “magic” had simply been an old-fashioned condom malfunction and his own raging desire to have the blonde sylph currently sitting on the sofa every which way from Sunday any chance he could reel her in.
She’d not been as reelable as he would have liked, and consequently, he’d spent most of his years with a serious case of unrequited longing. And every time he’d thought he’d had Ash, she’d disappeared again, leaving him satisfied for the moment but drained emotionally because who knew how long he’d have to wait until the next time she showed up in the canyons wearing a smile that made him virtually her love captive?
Undaunted, he’d played a waiting game, slightly uncomfortable because he felt guilty luring the sister of the men whom he considered good friends and employers. So he had to wait for Ash to come to him to lessen his guilt, when he really wanted to ride off with her into the canyons and drown himself in her for days.
“I left the middle names for you,” Ash said, snapping him out of his tangled thoughts. “I thought you’d want to have some say in naming your children.”
So Ash had eventually planned to tell him. He felt a little better. “How did four happen?”
She shrugged. “I wanted them, and they wanted me.”
What kind of an answer was that? Coming from Ash, it was almost reasonable, but he needed more grounding. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“I asked the spirits for a big family. I always wanted four children. I didn’t realize I’d get them all at once, but I feel really blessed.” She smiled, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world to his Ashlyn-starved eyes. “These babies agreed to be my family.”
The answer somehow made absolute sense to him. Whatever Ash wanted, Ash believed she would get—and so her wishes usually happened exactly the way she dreamed them. It was her force of spirit and confidence that commanded the earth and stars around her.
Except for Wolf, who she had no command over, and the reason she was here.
“Look, Ash, I know why you went away. I know you think you’re the hunted one your grandfather always warned about. But I shot Wolf. So you’re not the hunted one.” It was so important that she understand this, because they needed to put their family together.
He needed this family. He needed her.
Xav pulled her toward him, wrapped her in his arms. She seemed so surprised she didn’t fight him, so he took advantage of her momentary lull in willpower and enjoyed the moment. Memories washed over him. “You still smell like peaches, you’re still soft as rainwater and you still fit right under my heart.”
“I am the hunted one,” Ash said quietly. “You’re trying to protect me.”
“Gage, Shaman, Kendall and Ashlyn,” he said against her hair, drinking in the scent of her and the feel of her in his arms.
“What?”
“Those are the middle names I choose. And you should be impressed with my ability to select names when I didn’t even know I was a father four hours ago. Briar Kendall, Skye Ashlyn, Valor Shaman and Thorn Gage. Phillips. Named after my brothers and sister. Have to have the other side of the family represented.”
She moved out of his arms, and he decided not to try to pull her back. “Callahan, not Phillips.”
He hauled her into his lap as he sat down on the poufy old-fashioned sofa. “Here’s the deal. You marry me and you can pick all the names.”
“No,” Ash said, “I like the names you chose.”
“Great. Now,” he said, taking the diamond-and-sapphire ring from his pocket, “here’s what I was going to give you the last night we were together. Put it on your delicate little finger and tell me when and where we’re going to gather for a wedding.”
She stared at the ring. “Were you really going to give that to me before Wolf ambushed us?”
He nodded. “It was a very disappointing interruption, I’ll admit.” Nine months of an interruption. “I would have proposed at some appropriate point after I shot Wolf, but you disappeared. Which I would appreciate you not doing again.” He looked at his children. “I want to give these children my name as soon as possible.”
She handed him back the ring. “As beautiful as this ring is, I can’t marry you.”
“I
