Tina Leonard - His Callahan Bride's Baby

The big man on the ground began to revive, which seemed to encourage the man who’d removed his boot to stare at his bleeding foot. “You shot off my big toe,” he told Taylor. “You’ll be sorry.”

She shrugged. “You’ve got one big toe left for balance. Keep talking, and I’ll fix that.”

“She’s a tough one,” Falcon told the four glaring at them. “I could have told you that. At any rate, we’ll be going now. Would like to say it’s been a pleasure, Uncle Wolf, but as always, it really hasn’t.”

He dragged Taylor from the cave.

“They’re going to follow us,” she said, gasping as they ran.

“It’s okay. I’ve got some discouragement.” He fired a few rounds from a gun she hadn’t realized he was carrying, so Taylor concentrated on getting to the truck.

“Give me your keys,” Taylor said. “I’m driving.”

“I like a take-charge woman.” Falcon tossed her his keys and they jumped into the vehicle. Taylor shoved the key into the ignition, roared the engine to life and took off, praying no shots hit their tires or windows.

“This date didn’t turn out the way I’d planned,” Falcon said. “It’s usually a little more exciting.”

“I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“Take me to the ranch,” Falcon said. “My family will fix me right up.”

She hit the main road, barreling toward Rancho Diablo. “Whatever you say.”

“You know you want to go out with me again.”

He was incorrigible. “Did I hear you call that man ‘uncle’?”

“Yeah. Uncle Wolf is the black sheep of the family. Don’t concern yourself with him. We don’t have to invite him to the wedding.”

She tried not to laugh out loud. Falcon was just so ridiculous. “I’m not marrying a man whose uncle tries to kill him.”

“Why not? We make a great team. Has it occurred to you that maybe you’re meant to be my guardian angel?”

Taylor pulled into the Callahan ranch, stopped the truck and looked at him. “You’re bleeding a bit more than your aunt Fiona is used to seeing, I’m sure. Have a towel in the truck?”

“It’s all right. Fiona’s used to a few bumps and bruises. She doesn’t panic.”

Taylor could believe that. Between the six Callahans, and now their cousins, Fiona had probably seen her fair share of scuffed-up men. Taylor followed him into the house. “I guess that’s good.”

“Stick with me,” he told her. “Life is an adventure.”

“You don’t say.” She stared at Falcon, who was bruised and bleeding, but still the most handsome rascal she’d ever laid eyes on. “How could I ever refuse that offer?”

She wouldn’t—and he knew it.

* * *

S O AS FIRST DATES WENT, it was a bit of a bust. Falcon readily admitted that. Still, Taylor had surprised him, even though she was known to be a capable, spirited woman.

He didn’t think he’d made a great impression tonight. Of course he hadn’t. And when Taylor told her mother and Jillian what had happened, he wasn’t exactly going to come off as knight-in-shining-armor material.

“That’s enough henpecking,” he told his brother Galen, who was stitching the split skin above his right eye, where Wolf apparently had delivered a decent shot. “It’s just a little knick.”

Taylor leaned close. “Maybe more than a knick. Better sit still. Your brother’s doing a pretty good job.”

He smirked sourly, but minded the advice. He liked Taylor standing near him, and maybe if he sat still, she’d stay close.

“What did Uncle Wolf want?” Ash handed him a glass of whiskey he didn’t really want, but when Taylor accepted a goblet of wine, he decided to be a good sport, too. Couldn’t hurt to appear social; this was supposed to be a date, after all.

“He shared some dissatisfaction about the treatment he received from Sloan.” He glanced over at his brother, who shrugged. Sloan was uncharacteristically mellow, despite the reference to Wolf kidnapping Kendall months ago.

Kendall smiled at Taylor. “Did Wolf have his dynamic duo with him? Two women who are generally unpleasant and have a thing for stealing great footwear?”

“Two women and another man. They didn’t inquire about my boots, but honestly, plain brown Ropers might not be their thing.”

Taylor leaned in to look at Galen’s handiwork again, and Falcon caught a whiff of a sweet floral fragrance. He batted his brother away so only Taylor was close to him. “Let’s go for a drive.”

She looked at him, and he felt a tingling sensation way down in his soul.

“Again?” she asked. “Haven’t you had enough adventure for one night?”

“I still want to count some stars with you.” He didn’t have much to offer her, but he was throwing a lasso around hope, anyway.

She smiled. “I need to get home to Mom.”

He hadn’t expected her to say yes, not after what had happened. “You’re brave, you know.”

“I know. Come on, drive me home.”

His brothers shot him sympathetic glances, knowing he was batting zero. Falcon got up, resigned to the fact that she was never going out with him again, and trying to keep his disappointment off his face, which was sore enough at the moment without adding the persona of Droopy Dog to it.

Fiona sailed into the room, full of her customary good cheer. “Hello, everyone!” She enjoyed the chorus of hellos from her family, then glanced at Falcon.

“Rough night?” she asked.

“Perhaps a bit,” he admitted.

“Well, we have those around here,” his aunt said cheerfully. “Good to see you, Taylor. I talked to Jillian today.”

Falcon glanced at Taylor, who was smiling at Fiona. He loved her smile. Just seeing Taylor looking happy made his face feel better.

“I understand you have a big date tomorrow night,” Fiona said, “courtesy of Jillian.”

Falcon’s heart just about stopped. Taylor nodded.

“Not really a date,” she said. “More like a cattle drive.”

“With a state senator’s son,” Fiona said. “That’s big game in these parts.”

The whole room went silent. Falcon could feel his heart jump with a painful, stuttering beat. As if it was dying.

“It was great to see everybody again,” Taylor said. “Falcon, can you drive?”

Of course he could—to the ends of the earth if she wanted. He grabbed his keys, trying not to look at the expressions of sympathy on his family’s faces.

“Good night, everyone,” Taylor said.

“Thanks for rescuing our brother,” Tighe said.

“Yeah,” his twin, Dante, said. “Falcon usually needs bodyguarding from the ladies. He wasn’t expecting to get jumped by family.”

This was all just great, Falcon thought with disgust. His own clan, helping his case not at all. He waved a hand to hush them, and he and Taylor left.

“You shouldn’t have told them I shot your uncle’s friend’s toe off,” Taylor told him as she got into his truck. “You exaggerated. I barely nicked him. Saying I got his whole toe makes me sound kind of mean.”

“It makes you sound like a helluva woman,” Falcon said.

“It was no big deal.” She looked out the window, but Falcon knew it had been a big deal. Taylor had been honest when she’d said his gnarly family tree precluded serious consideration of marriage.

He really couldn’t compete with the level of eligible bachelors Jillian was going to throw at his sharpshooting gal. He knew his wily aunt too well—she was in on it, too.

Everybody loved Taylor.

“I don’t understand what they wanted with you.”

Falcon wasn’t certain, either. There was a possibility that Taylor could have been the target—like Kendall had been—but he doubted it. Wolf didn’t usually make mistakes. “Wolf will do anything to get the ranch. If he could pick one of us off, or someone we care about, maybe we’ll get scared and give up.”