Page 2 of The SEAL's Duchess
Inside the brightly lit bay, a flurry of coordinated motion took over. Ryder stepped back, letting the trauma team work. An expert team. Andrew would be okay.
The pediatric surgeon glanced up after her assessment. “Surgery required to repair the tendons, but circulation's good. He'll keep full function.” She nodded at Ryder. “Clean dressing, textbook IV. You probably saved his hand.”
Harry Taylor, still soaked and gray-skinned, gripped his son’s other hand as they prepared to wheel Andrew toward pre-op. His voice broke around the edges of his thank you as he waved his goodbye at Ryder.
Ryder nodded once in acknowledgement, already running through post-op protocols in his head. He had somewhere else to be.
Two hours later,he pulled his truck into the driveway of the house that his brother Caleb shared with his wife Grace. Golden light spilled from the windows, and smoke curled from the chimney. His chest loosened in a way that had nothing to do with the successful rescue.
“Daddy!”
Three-year-old Ellie barreled toward him the second he stepped through the door. He barely got his boots off before she launched herself into his arms.
His Ellie. Safe.
The knot in his chest loosened.
“Tantie pan-makes! Yosie eat hand.” She shook her head. “Silly Yosie.”
Ryder laughed, caught her against his chest, breathing in her scent of apples and maple syrup.
Ellie was what mattered—the only thing that did.
“Did Josie eat her hand, bug?”
“No, silly Daddy.” Ellie giggled so hard she hiccuped, the sound filling every hollow space in him.
“Ryder.” Grace appeared in the doorway, Josie perched on her hip, the baby’s fist tangled in her hair. “Sounds like you’ve heard all about our pancake making.” Her smile came easily—motherhood suited her in the quiet, everyday ways he knew she’d feared she might never experience.
She and Caleb had fostered Josie just after Christmas and were planning to adopt—the happiest ending to a hard chapter.
“Rough day?” Grace studied him with the perceptive eyes that made her such a good fit for his brother. She'd watched Ellie multiple times over the past year, fitting it around her hours as a veterinary surgeon, never making him feel like he was imposing—always treating Ellie like her own.
“Long one.” He set Ellie down as Caleb came in from the kitchen, Dolly his dog padding close at his heels. The smell of casserole and wood smoke wrapped around them.
“Got dinner ready.” Caleb dried his hands on a dishtowel. “You staying, or just collecting your shadow?”
“Just collecting,” Ryder said with a tired smile.
Caleb gave a quick nod—a quiet, brotherly I’ve got you that didn’t need words—and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Grace lingered, bouncing Josie gently. “She had a good day. But she missed you. Always does.”
“Yeah?” Ryder’s voice came rough as Ellie twirled in front of the fireplace. “Guess she’s getting used to the drill. Daddy’s out saving people again.”
Grace’s smile gentled. “She’s proud of you, you know. Even if she can’t say it yet.”
He managed a half-smile. “I hope so.” He was doing everything he could to build stability for Ellie.
“I know it’s difficult.” Grace said. “But you’re doing an amazing job with her, Ryder. Look how happy she is.”
Ellie spun in a circle, mimicking a dance she’d seen on TV. She toppled over, shrieking with laughter, legs akimbo.
She was happy. That had to mean he wasn’t failing her.
“You’ve been working doubles all month.” Grace shifted Josie to her other hip. “You know we can watch Ellie more, right? Give you a night to yourself. Maybe even meet someone new?”
Ryder rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, tension coiling through his shoulders. “Grace?—”
