“We do. A lifetime team.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Knox approached the two of them and slapped Seth on the back. “Good job, Babs. Glad you’re both okay.”
Seth nodded, swallowing the emotions that rolled through him.
Knox continued. “Marcus is on his way from Phail. He’ll come in soft, without the sirens and lights, seeing as you and Mara contained the situation.”
Seth almost managed a smile at that and then thought of the device. “Was it a homemade IED?”
Knox sighed. “We didn’t take it apart, knowing Marcus will want it for evidence, but that’s what it looks like.”
Shit, he could have killed her. Rage ran through his veins again, and he tightened his hands into fists to help control it.
Beside him, Ford growled. Reading them both, Knox spoke again. “She’s okay. She’s safe, and MacNeil won’t be a threat again.”
Was that true? He sure as hell hoped so.
He turned to check on MacNeil, who was still sitting talking with Nash and Gray. The two had been special forces strategists. They had serious skills and read people better than anyone Seth knew. They’d be able to give everyone a good idea of Blake’s mindset. No one could fool the two of them .
Although Blake wouldn’t be able to fool many right now, the man was running with his feelings wide open. Mara’s words had reached him.
Seth would always be thankful she’d named the chickens after their team. That Maki had the position of honor within their coop. The hen was never going to lack treats for the rest of her life.
It could have gone wrong in so many ways. Because of his conversations with Maki, Seth knew his brother was a good man at heart. He’d been able to use that until Mara had joined in and melted the man’s anger, turned it into the sorrow and guilt that was at the core of his actions.
Blake might not be a veteran, but he was dealing with many of the same emotions veterans did. Getting help in working through those emotions would be key to the man’s future.
Seth had been lucky. He’d had his team. A solid family background. Another career choice. His new team here.
And Mara.
She’d been the key in turning Seth from a grumpy bastard into someone looking forward to the future, to decades of making love to the woman who’d healed him. Years of listening to her sing, dancing with her, making babies and helping them grow into good people, all here on this farm.
It would be a good life. Better than he’d ever imagined.
After another visual check of Blake, he returned his gaze to Mara. The other women were helping her smile, but he could see the exhaustion from the adrenaline dump seeping through the smiles.
He strode forward to lift her into his arms again. “You need to sit.”
She patted his chest. “I’m okay.”
“You are.”
She settled herself against him and sighed. “And so are you.”
Even as he strode toward the farmhouse, he nodded. “You’re right. As long as we’re together, I am.”
Mara rubbed her hand over his chest. “Agreed.”
Chapter 24
People Will Say We're In Love
Seth set Mara in a chair at the kitchen table and filled the kettle. She needed something warm to help with the adrenaline dump. He did too, and while he’d prefer coffee, it would be a terrible choice this late at night. Or this early in the morning.
As soon as someone else arrived, he’d get a blanket for her, but for now, he put the kettle on the stove and returned to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her.
