Page 43 of Landon

As soon as they neared, he was engulfed in man-hugs and back slaps, first with Devil and then Frazier. Turning, he made the introductions. “Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Ms. Noel Lennox. And this is Tad and Penny Fugate.” Waving his handin the Keepers’ direction, he continued, “These are two of my coworkers, Jim Devlin and Frazier Dolby.”

Handshakes ensued with a smiling Noel, an awestruck Tad, and a blushing Penny. Chuckling, he looked over at his friends. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”

Devil glanced at the others, then settled his gaze back on Landon. “All okay?”

He lifted his chin. “Ready to get back home to Montana, but yeah… all okay.”

“All right, then,” Frazier said, waving his hand toward the large SUV. “Let’s hit the road. I’m sure you all are hungry, tired, and ready for food and a hot shower.”

Agreeing, the group moved past the row of other vehicles lining the road. Throwing open the doors, Frazier stood to the side and said, “Tad, can you and your sister squish in the back seat?”

“Sure, no problem.” Tad climbed in and slid to the far side.

Frazier stepped back, and Landon knew his friend had considered Penny’s ordeal, not wanting to overwhelm the much smaller girl. Stepping up, Landon offered his hand to Penny, pleased when she accepted his assistance into the SUV. She clambered into the back seat with Tad, taking the middle of the bench seat. Frazier started to offer Noel his hand, but Landon moved closer. “I’ve got her.”

Frazier grinned widely, then climbed into the front passenger seat. Devil had walked to the other side and settled behind the steering wheel. Landon took the remaining space on the back seat and patted his lap. Noel rolled her eyes but sat on his lap.

They hit a pothole as Devil turned the SUV around to head back down the mountain, and Noel laughed. She turned, and her face was so close to Landon that their noses were almost touching.

“You’re going to severely regret having me sit on your lap if we keep hitting potholes,” she said with a smile.

His arms tightened around her, and he shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He turned his head so that it looked like he was staring out the window when he was moving his mouth closer to her ear. He whispered, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather you be than where you are right now.” To punctuate his words, he gave her a little squeeze. Leaning back, he watched her eyes widen, and he could’ve sworn they twinkled.

“Oh, my gosh,” Penny said. “Look at this.”

It was the first chance that Landon, Noel, and the kids could see the evidence left from the storm. Some trees were blown over. Wooden structures had lost their roof. And some of the lower streets were still draining water. The Jamaicans were out and about with shovels and brooms, sweeping, and cleaning.

“They’re smiling,” Penny said with a touch of wonder.

“This was just the outer edges of a hurricane—really only a tropical storm for these people. They’ve lived through many and know how much worse it could’ve been.”

Both kids' heads swung back and forth to look out the windows, taking it all in.

Landon was impressed—for twelve years old, they were smart and intuitive. It seems they had much more of their father than their mother.

As they neared the resort, Tad asked, “What’s the plan?”

“We’re going to your mom’s place, where you will see her, also Mike. I know you’re hungry and would love to take a shower and have clean clothes. I know you want to return to Montana, but there’s no rush. You’ll have a chance to talk to your dad, and once you’re ready, packed up, have eaten, and said goodbye to your mom, then we head to the airport.”

Looking toward the front, Landon asked, “Is Cole with the plane?”

Devil nodded. “Yeah, he stayed at the airport. He wanted to ensure the plane was safe, even though it was in the hangar. He’ll be ready whenever we are.”

It was strange, the feeling that moved through Landon. At the end of each mission, he was always glad when it was over. But now, with his arms around Noel’s waist as her ass was settled in his lap, thoughts of her lips and the way she felt remained firmly in his mind. And the idea that they would say goodbye and never see each other again struck him.

Deciding not to worry about that now, he determined he’d make sure he’d see her again.

20

The SUV pulled into the resort house driveway and barely stopped when the front door opened. Mike rushed out, followed quickly by Pamela, both shoving each other out of the way. It was easy for Noel to see that the two of them could barely stand to be in each other’s company, both vying for the kids’ attention simultaneously.

Pamela pushed by the older man and screamed as she raced down the walk. “My babies! My babies!”

Tad opened his door and alighted. Pamela tried to grab him, but he turned and helped Penny down. Pamela continued to scream their names as her arms encircled them both. Frazier opened the back passenger door and lifted a brow at Landon. If she wondered why Frazier didn’t offer his hand to her, it was apparent when Landon grunted, “I’ve got her.”

Frazier grinned. “Figured you did.”

A smile curved her lips. She never thought the caveman approach was sexy but was about to change her opinion. Once she was out of the vehicle, all thoughts of the sexy Landon were set aside as she rounded the vehicle to stand with the kids. Mike hugged Tad and Penny while Pamela had blessedly stopped screaming as she stood to the side.

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