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Garon s shoulder. Come on. Trust me.
You ll call me, if there s any change? Garon asked Coltrain unsteadily.
I promise, the redheaded doctor agreed.
I got you a room, too, Cash told Coltrain. He handed him a key. Don t argue. I have friends you
don t want to have to meet.
Coltrain chuckled. Okay, then. Thanks. I ll take advantage of it, in a few hours.
We ll be right back, Garon promised.
Cash didn t say a word.
AN HOUR LATER, Garon was passed out on the sofa in the suite Cash had registered them into. It
wasn t quite fair, he knew, but his brother seemed to be on the verge of a coronary. Cash had filled him
full of scotch whiskey and soda. Since Garon hardly ever took a drink, the combination of worry,
exhaustion and alcohol had hit him hard. He went out like a light.
Cash wondered at the depth of the man s feelings for his young wife. He hadn t spoken a great deal
about Grace in the past few months. They d both come to the house for dinner a few times, and Tippy
and Grace had become fast friends. Grace loved to hold their baby, little Tristina, whom they called
Tris, and cuddle her. Garon had watched his wife with the little girl, and an expression of pure delight
had radiated his normally taciturn features. Garon didn t speak about Grace very much, but when he did,
it was with pride. Perhaps he hadn t known his own feelings until this tragedy unfolded. It was impossible
not to know them now.
Six hours later, Garon awoke. He blinked, looking around the room. It was a hotel room. Why was he
here? There was his brother, Cash, on the phone. He didn t remember& .
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He sat straight up on the couch, horrified. What time is it? Have you called the hospital? Grace& What
about Grace? he exclaimed.
Cash held up a hand, nodded, and said, We ll be right there. He hung up, smiling. Grace is out from
under the anesthesia. She s awake.
Awake. Garon shuddered. She s alive!
Yes. She isn t responsive yet; she s still pretty much under the anesthesia. But the doctors are
cautiously optimistic. The new valve is working perfectly.
Garon got to his feet and held his head. Damn! What did you ladle into me?
Scotch whiskey, soda and a substance I m not allowed to own or explain because it s classified. He
grinned.
Garon couldn t help a chuckle. His brother really was a devil. But he d become a good friend, as well.
He paused by Cash and clapped him on the shoulder with rough affection. If you ever get in trouble and
need anybody arrested, you can call me.
I ll remember that. Let s go.
GARON WAS ALLOWED in to see Grace, but only for a couple of minutes. She was white as a
sheet, but her breathing was steadier and the blip on the monitor was fairly regular. He brushed back her
hair, loving the softness of it, the quiet beauty of her face.
As if she sensed his presence, her gray eyes opened and she looked at him, a little blankly.
You re going to be all right, he said softly. Very soon, I m going to take you home.
Her lips tugged into a faint smile before she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Garon touched his
finger to her dry lips, loving just the sight of her.
He went back out into the waiting room feeling more optimistic. The fear was still there, but he d deal
with it. He stopped when he saw six men surrounding Cash. They were colleagues from theSan Antonio
office, all except one who was the former leader of their Hostage Rescue Unit. His heart felt lighter as
they came to greet him, asking about Grace and offering help. He had to choke back overflowing
emotion. He really did work with the best group in the world.
GRACE IMPROVED DAILY. They had her up and walking the day after surgery. It horrified Garon,
but they insisted that this was what had to be done in order for her to recuperate and, more importantly,
not develop a respiratory infection to go with the side effects of the surgery.
Garon walked her down to the nursery with painful slowness. He pushed the pole where her IVs hung.
She held on to his arm and felt lighter than air, despite her ordeal.
They stopped at the nursery and the nurse held up little Tory for them to see. Garon didn t know it, but
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Cash had snapped several photos of him holding the little boy and shown them to Grace. If she had any
doubts about his feelings for his son, the photos erased them. Grace was fascinated by his love for the
child.
He looks like you, Grace whispered, in tears as she saw her child for the first time. He s beautiful.
Like his mama, he whispered, and bent to brush his mouth over her dry lips with breathless
tenderness. Thank you for risking so much to bring our son into the world.
You gave him to me, she replied, her eyes full of softness.
He kissed her hair. I ve given you a hard time, Grace. I m glad I ll have the opportunity to make it up
to you.
She gave him a wry look. Penance, is it?
He smiled. In spades.
That sounds interesting.
He nibbled her lower lip. When you re back to yourself, in about two months or so, we ll explore some
sensual pathways together.
His wicked tone amused her and she giggled like a girl. You stop that, she told him firmly. Right now
it s all I can do to walk. They did split me right down the middle, you know, and I m going to have even
more scars now than I did to start with.
He grinned. I like your scars. They re sexy.
Her eyebrows arched. Well!
We ve got the whole world, Grace, he added, glancing back into the window of the nursery, where
their child lay sleeping. The whole wide world.
She smiled. Yes. And she slid her hand trustingly into his.
THEIR FIRST CHRISTMAS together was the most wondrous of Grace s entire life. Garon went out
and got a tree, brought it home and had several of the wives of his ranch hands decorate it for him. The
result was a delightful triangle of color and light. The baby could focus now, and he seemed to find the
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