Page 81 of Operation Rescue
Cutter warned Rafe long before he himself heard the car coming down the quiet street. He glanced at his watch. They were a few minutes early, but that didn’t surprise him. And Rafe didn’t mind, because they were heading home as soon as this was wound up. Heading home, Cutter to his beloved Hayley and him to his beloved Charlie.
He didn’t get all choked up even thinking those last words anymore, but he didn’t think he’d ever get past the throat-tightening stage. What had seemed impossible had happened. And not just for him, but for Blaine, too. And having some small part in that made him understand why everyone—including himself now—took such glee at Cutter’s matchmaking skills.
Walker came out of his office with the tall, straight-backed man with a touch of gray in his dark hair at the temples who had arrived about twenty minutes ago.
“I’ll leave you to it, Mr. Rockwell.”
The older man smiled. “Someday I’ll get you to call me Marcus.”
Walker grinned back. “You’re my wife’s boss. It’ll be tough.” He looked at Rafe. “You’re heading out when you’re done here today?”
Rafe nodded. Walker came over and shook his hand. “It’s been great working with you.”
“Ditto. You’re doing great work here, Walker. You’ve built a good thing in the last eighteen months.” He paused to give his fellow operative a crooked smile. “And I don’t mean just Foxworth.”
Walker grinned back at him, a far cry from the worn, wary man who had knocked on his sister’s door after years away, only to get decked by the brother-in-law he’d never even met.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Walker said. “And keep working on that word.”
Rafe rolled his eyes before saying, “Tell Amy that Hayley expects you for a visit soon.”
“I will,” Walker said as he waved and left the office, Cutter dashing over to sneak out with him. Rafe saw him pause to talk to the Everetts as they were getting out of Erin’s car, while Cutter greeted Ethan with a furiously wagging tail.
“What word is it you’re supposed to be working on?” Rockwell asked.
Rafe smiled crookedly. “He thinks there should be an official word for the connection between us.”
“Connection?”
“He’s married to his sister’s best friend, so he thinks that ought to have a word. But he thinks we should have a word, too, since he’s also married to my future wife’s brother’s wife’s best friend.”
Rockwell stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “English is an amazing language, but I don’t think that one’s going to get much use if you do come up with it.”
Rafe guessed that the fact the attorney was laughing made the Everetts relax a little when they came in.
It had been several days since he’d last seen them. He hadn’t been in the least surprised when Blaine told him they were going to try again, and if he judged by the look on all three faces—and the ring with the stone that looked like amber on Erin’s left ring finger—it was going well. The change was obvious, and as a man who had recently rebuilt his own life from what he’d thought was unsalvageable rubble, he recognized it immediately.
Yes, he really was starting to like this matchmaking stuff Cutter always seemed to pull off. Especially with people like Blaine and Erin, who were almost as messed up as he and Charlie had been.
When they were all seated near the fire, Rafe formally introduced the man who joined them.
“Marcus has been dealing with the legal aspects of your case,” he said.
Ethan looked suddenly glum. “How much is that gonna cost? Lawyers cost a lot, right?”
“Usually,” Rockwell agreed, unruffled. “But working with and for Foxworth is a privilege I don’t charge for.”
Rafe noticed Blaine relax a little, and guessed he’d been wondering about that himself.
“How’s it going?” Rafe asked, although from the way Blaine and Erin were holding hands he figured he already know.
“Good,” Blaine confirmed.
“Ethan?” Rafe asked.
The boy looked up from petting Cutter. “Great. All I ever wanted was my family back.”
“You got that,” Blaine said, but there was a not stern, but firm note in his voice. “But don’t go thinking you won something by putting us through this hell. You got what you wanted, but like we talked about, it comes with rules.”
