Christmas Rescue at Mustang Ridge

“I made a deal with Tanner so he’d leave all of you alone. He might believe I broke that deal.” She lifted her shoulder. “Technically, I did.”

“What did Tanner threaten to do if you broke the deal?” Nell asked.

“To hurt one or more of you.” She had to pause. “I have evidence against his son, so that might be enough to tie Tanner’s hands.” Another pause. “Unless he thinks he can have the evidence negated in some way.”

Or maybe Tanner would let his temper get the best of him and lash out despite the consequences.

“The idea is to get Maggie out of here fast and back into WITSEC,” Jake explained. “Then, I can deal with the marshals.”

Nell practically slammed the cookies onto the counter. “And you’ll be off to jail.”

Jake nodded. “I did what I had to do.”

Tears sprang to Nell’s eyes. “I know.” And she repeated it as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

“I had no choice but to bring her here,” Maggie heard Jake say.

Maggie’s attention shifted to the doorway where she spotted Chet approaching them. Definitely no warm fuzzies from him. He gave her a withering look, cursed and walked away.

“I can go as soon as the test is done,” Maggie assured Jake and Nell. She cleared her throat. “But I’d like to see Sunny first.”

Maggie braced herself for a resounding no from both of them, but they exchanged glances. There was some sibling telepathy going on between them, because Nell lifted her left eyebrow. Waited. Jake waited, too, and then finally echoed the profanity his father had just used.

“Wash your hands,” Jake ordered. “Scrub them clean and take one of the masks.” He pointed to a dispenser box of surgical masks on the windowsill next to the clay pots of fresh herbs.

For fear he would change his mind, Maggie didn’t waste any time. She shucked off her coat, which Nell took, and Maggie hurried to the sink. Jake did as well, and they both reached for the bottle of antibacterial soap. His hand brushed against hers, causing him to jerk back, but they kept scrubbing until Maggie was certain she couldn’t get any cleaner.

“This way,” Jake growled. He took two masks and handed her one. “Keep it short, and don’t you dare say a word about Anna. I’ll be the one to explain it.”

Maggie nodded and gave Nell a silent thanks for urging this, and she followed Jake out of the kitchen, through the great room and to the doorway of the guest suite. Now, here was a room that had changed. It was crammed with Christmas decorations and toys. The bed was the only part of the original furniture that remained, and Sunny was there, in the center of that bed.

Maggie’s heart went to her knees.

Oh, God.

She hadn’t expected the emotion to slam into her like this. Or the tears. She blinked them back, but she doubted she could keep them at bay for long. Anna’s little baby wasn’t so little anymore. A proper little girl dressed in a frilly pink gown and with those dark brown curls haloing around her face.

She looked sick and weak, but when she saw Maggie in the doorway, Sunny smiled. It was more than a smile. Her face lit up brighter than the lights on the nearby Christmas tree.

“Are you my mommy?” Sunny asked. She lifted a weak hand to the picture on the nightstand next to her. It was a shot of Anna holding Sunny when she was a baby. “Did the angels bring you back?”

Because her legs didn’t feel any steadier than her stomach, Maggie held on to the door frame. “No,” she managed to say. She looked at Jake, shook her head. She had no idea how to answer that. She certainly hadn’t anticipated that Sunny would think she was Anna.

“It’s not Mommy.” Jake’s voice was shakier than Maggie’s. “Royce said you were upset earlier,” he continued, changing the subject. He put on his mask, moved Maggie aside and went to his daughter. He kissed her forehead and sank down on the bed next to her.

Sunny nodded. “’Cause you weren’t here to give me a morning kiss. Or read to me. And I saw Grandpa with his gun. I didn’t like that.” She pulled him down for a hug. “Where were you, Daddy?”

Even though Sunny was clearly upset, each word seemed precious to Maggie. Like a gift she’d never thought she could have. Before seeing Sunny, she’d already made up her mind to do whatever it took to help her, but now Maggie was even more determined.

“I had to do some things,” Jake assured the little girl, “but I’m here now. And I brought your aunt Maggie to meet you.”

Sunny looked at Maggie, and the smile returned though her head did ease back down onto the pillow. “My aunt Maggie? Like Aunt Nell?”

Jake nodded. “Except Nell is my sister, and Maggie is your mommy’s sister. That’s why they look alike.”

Sunny frowned. “So, the angels didn’t bring Mommy back for Christmas?”

“No.” Jake swallowed hard. “Remember, we talked about this? Mommy can’t come back. She has to live with the angels.”

Sunny looked over her dad’s shoulder at Maggie. “So maybe the angels sent me Aunt Maggie instead?”

“Maybe,” Jake answered.

Sunny managed another weak smile and motioned toward the book next to the picture on the nightstand. “Then, maybe Aunt Maggie can read to me.” She looked at her dad perhaps for approval and must have seen the surprise, or maybe even the disgust for Maggie, in his eyes. “Just this one day,” Sunny added. “Daddy, you can read to me tomorrow.”

When Sunny continued to glance at the book, Maggie put on the mask, went closer and picked it up. She wasn’t sure what Jake was going to do and was more than a little surprised when he moved off the edge of the bed to make room for her. He’d no sooner done that when his phone buzzed.

“I have to take this call,” he said, looking down at the screen. Then, he shot Maggie a warning glance. “Remember what I said.”

Yes, no mention of Anna. Maggie had no intentions of violating that rule. She waited until Jake had stepped out before she sat on the bed next to Sunny. She opened the first page of the book about baby animals, but Sunny put her hand over Maggie’s.

“It’s okay,” she whispered like a secret. “I know how to read it myself. Some of the words anyway.”

“Then you must be very smart,” Maggie answered.

Sunny gave a shrug that reminded Maggie so much of Jake. In fact, her niece was more McCall than Gallagher.

“You know I’m sick?” Sunny asked.

Maggie nodded, and she tried to push back the tears again. “But you’ll get better.”

Another shrug, and Sunny looked up at her with those big blue-gray eyes that were a genetic copy of Jake’s. “Did the angels send you ’cause I’m sick?”

“I wanted to see you,” Maggie settled for saying. Best not to mention the bone marrow test since she might not even be a match. That broke Maggie’s heart just to think of the possibility.

“Daddy said Mommy lives with the angels. They take care of Mommy now.”

Maggie didn’t trust her voice and just nodded.

Sunny motioned toward the angel ornaments on the tree. “They take care of me, too.” Her voice was weak, and her eyelids drifted down for a moment. “I get tired a lot.”

Since there was no answer to that, Maggie settled for pushing away a curl that had dropped down onto Sunny’s cheek. Like the words Sunny had spoken, that simple touch was precious, too.

“Know what I want for Christmas?” Sunny asked. “I want you to live with me and be my mommy.”

Maggie nearly choked on the quick breath she sucked in, and her reaction didn’t improve when she heard the sound behind her. Maggie looked over her shoulder and saw Jake standing in the doorway. He’d obviously finished his call. He’d also heard what his daughter had just said.

“I need to speak to your aunt,” he told Sunny. Because his mask was off, Maggie could see that his jaw was tight again. Teeth semiclenched, too.