Colters' Promise

“What could you have done?” she asked softly. “You can’t live her life for her, Max. She has to make her own choices. How could you have known? Men who abuse women don’t wear a sign. A lot of the time they’re outwardly charming. Nice guys. No one would ever guess what they do behind closed doors.”



“It just makes me sick to see her the way she is now. She’s so sweet. Sees the best in everyone. And now she’s full of shame for something that was done to her.”



“She’ll get it back. She’ll come here. We’ll surround her with love and support and she’ll get her confidence back. I don’t know that you’ve ever heard the details of how my mom met my dads, but she was abused by her first husband. She knows what it’s like. She’ll take Lauren in and mother her senseless, and my dads will kick the ass of anyone who comes near her.”



Max smiled. “She loves your family. I think she’s awed by them.”



“You have to go get her, Max,” Callie urged. “Soon.”



He pulled her to him and stroked his hand down her back. “I will, dolcezza. I will. But first, I’m going to get you well again. I’m not leaving you when you’re so sick.”



CHAPTER 3



WARM lips nuzzled her neck, sending chill bumps dancing down her spine. Holly Colter smiled and turned into her husband’s arms.



“Good morning,” Adam murmured just before he captured her lips in a long, tender kiss.



She sighed because this never got old. It was the way he’d greeted her every morning for more than thirty years. She returned his kiss hungrily even as she melted more firmly into his strong embrace.



“I love you.”



He pulled away and smiled. “Love you too, baby.”



They both turned when they heard the back door into the kitchen open. Ethan and Ryan came in, stomping snow from their boots. Her heart melted as their gazes found hers, as if they’d looked immediately for her.



“Is it still snowing?” she asked.



Ethan nodded. “Not too bad. Just steady. Supposed to quit by this afternoon.”



She broke away from Adam and closed the distance between them. Ryan caught her first, pulling her into his arms. His face was cold, his lips colder, but as soon as their mouths met, heat surged through her veins.



He slipped his hand into her hair and curled his fingers around the strands, holding her in place as he devoured her lips.



As soon as he relinquished his hold on her, Ethan tugged her toward him. He kissed her but dropped his mouth down to nuzzle at her neck.



“Are the roads clear?” she asked as Ethan tucked her into his side.



Adam frowned. “I think so. Why do you ask?”



Holly rolled her eyes because she knew what was coming. But she barged ahead anyway. Her men hadn’t changed one iota over the years. She didn’t love them any less but it didn’t mean she paid them any mind when they started in with their worrying.



“I’m going to see Lily. Thought I’d call Callie and see if she wanted to ride over with me.”



“Max is back,” Ryan said. “I saw his SUV before we came in. Doubt we’ll see Callie for at least a day.”



Holly chuckled softly. She was glad Max was back home. Callie had missed him fiercely. She was always glad when her family was where they belonged. Home. On their mountain. Right where she could see them and talk to them anytime she wanted.



“Guess I’ll be going to Lily’s by myself then.”



Adam’s frown grew bigger and he shook his head. “You know one of us will drive you over.”



“Not necessary,” she said lightly. “Lily and I have women stuff to do and you’ll just get in the way.”



Ryan scowled but he didn’t argue.



“Take the SUV and make sure it’s in four-wheel drive,” Ethan said.



Holly sighed. “At what point will I be able to get into a vehicle to drive myself into town without the three of you worrying?”



Adam sent her a quelling stare. “Try never? We’ll always worry when you aren’t with us, baby. That ain’t going to change. And it’s not like you’re taking a drive down some city street or the interstate. The drive down the mountain is dangerous even in great weather. It’s snowing and the roads are wet and messy.”



She broke from Ethan, went over to Adam, and stood up on tiptoe to brush her lips over his. “I’ll be fine. Do any of you need anything from town?”



They all shook their heads.



“Call one of us when you get there,” Ethan said.



She sent him an exasperated look.



“Just do it,” Ryan growled.



She left the room, grumbling under her breath, but as soon as she was away, she broke into a huge smile. Her heart felt as light as it had so many years ago. The love of her husbands was constant. It was true. It was her shelter.



LILY drove aimlessly, her direction unclear. The wipers moved across her windshield, melting the spiraling snowflakes in a wet path across the glass.



Instinctively she turned toward home and the road at the edge of town that led upward to the cabin where she lived with Seth, Michael, and Dillon.



When she pulled into the drive, she parked and sat for a long moment before opening the door. A whoosh of cold air skittered over her. She shivered but plunged out into the chill, needing something to center her.



She dragged her sweater around her and trudged through the snow toward the back of the house where her husbands had built a private memorial to Rose. It had been a gift to her, a place where she could go and be at peace, surrounded by the mountains and the quiet.



The rose of Sharon vine that covered a trellis framing a spectacular vista was brown and withered, the burst of color long gone since winter had descended on the mountains.



She perched on the edge of a wooden bench that Dillon had crafted with his own hands. Intricately carved on the seat was a flowering vine mirroring the one on the trellis. Roses for Rose.



Tears crowded her vision as she looked up. She inhaled deeply, taking in the cold, crisp air. Snowflakes landed on her lashes and she blinked them, and her tears, away.



But they continued, warm trails down her cheeks, quickly turning to ice.



“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “Help me.”



Her chest swelled with grief and sadness. And fear. So much fear that it threatened to overwhelm her.



“I don’t know if I can do this. I know I was angry with you for taking her from me. I don’t deserve your mercy or understanding, but I need your help.”



She wiped ineffectually at the tears that ran in streams down her cheeks. Emotion knotted thick in her throat until breathing was nearly impossible.



Losing Rose had nearly destroyed her. She would still be so very lost if it weren’t for Seth and his brothers. Seth had taken a young woman from the streets and given her so much love. A family. To her bewilderment, his two brothers had loved her as much as Seth had. There were times she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the dynamics of her relationship with the Colter brothers, but she gave thanks for them every single day.



They’d saved her. Given her a reason to live again. They’d given back to her when everything in the world had been cruelly yanked from her.



They’d given her the strength to confront her past. To go to Charles, her former husband, stand up for herself, and tell him he’d been wrong to blame her for their baby daughter’s death.



But nothing could give her back her baby.



And now she was pregnant. Another child. A precious gift.



What if she lost it as well?



It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her husbands. They’d promised her that if and when she was ready to ever have another child, they’d be with her every step of the way and she’d never have to shoulder the burden alone.



But what if it happened anyway?



Sudden infant death syndrome.



Just thinking the words paralyzed her.



How would she be able to sleep for fear of having her baby snatched away in the space of a stolen moment of rest?



“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered again.



She closed her eyes and bowed her head, whispering the first tentative words of a prayer she’d gone long without saying.



Warmth slid over her as the sun peeked from the thick cover of puffy gray clouds. She opened her eyes and lifted her head as a single ray slipped over her, warming her skin, a barrier to the cold.



The wind picked up and the trees rustled and swayed. The scent of pine was strong and the breeze dried the wetness on her cheeks.



It will be all right.



She imagined the nearly silent whisper that sounded as if it was carried through the trees from the valley. But it comforted her, still.



She hunched forward and carefully put a hand over her still-flat abdomen.



A life.



A tiny, defenseless life lay nestled there underneath her fingers. Already precious. And loved. Loved so very much.



She hugged herself and rocked back and forth, willing the fear to dissipate. She was strong. So much stronger than before.



But no matter how strong she was now, she wouldn’t survive another loss.



The peal of her cell phone disturbed the peaceful solitude. She jumped and then reached into her pocket for the phone. It was her mother-in-law’s ringtone and Lily’s pulse ratcheted up.



Someone had probably seen her at the doctor’s, and Holly was likely calling to see if everything was okay. Lily wasn’t ready to divulge such unsettling news. She needed time to come to terms with her pregnancy before she blurted it out to her family.



Family.



She closed her eyes, wrapping herself in the comfort and knowledge that she had the best family in the entire world. They loved her and she loved them dearly.



With shaking fingers, she hit the button to receive the call and put the phone to her ear.



“Hello?”



“Lily, dear, it’s Holly. How are you?”



“F-fine. I’m fine. How are you?”



“I’m on my way over, actually. I hope you’re home! I didn’t even think to call before I left. You know how I am. Once I get an idea in my head, I act. And to be honest, I was more focused on being able to get past the husbands without the third degree. You know how they are about me driving myself into town.”



Lily smiled, picturing Holly rolling her eyes as she always did when she talked about the three older Colter men.



“Yes, I’m home.”



“Oh good,” Holly breathed. “I have a huge favor to ask.”



Lily let a sigh of relief. Her mother-in-law wasn’t calling because she knew Lily had been to the doctor.



She stood rapidly, still holding the phone as she headed toward the back door. It wouldn’t do for Holly to see the mess Lily was in. She’d latch on and there’d be no avoiding the issue.



She wiped frantically at her face even as she murmured a good-bye to Holly. She tossed the phone onto the counter and then headed into the bathroom.



She had about fifteen minutes to make it look like her world hadn’t just been tilted on its axis.



CHAPTER 4



LILY smiled broadly at herself in the mirror. She grimaced and then let her lips fall. The smile looked exactly the way it felt—fake and forced. When the doorbell rang, she sighed and turned away.



Makeup did wonders, though Lily didn’t normally wear much—and she didn’t have much on now. Just enough to disguise the signs of grief that had ravaged her face earlier.



She hurried to the door, putting on a genuine, warm smile before opening it.



Holly bustled in from the cold, immediately pulling Lily into a huge hug. Holly wasn’t a large woman by any stretch, but she hugged like a bear. Lily felt it to her soul and closed her eyes as her mother-in-law soothed and patted and made Lily feel like she was bathed in sunshine.



“Are none of those boys of mine home today?” Holly asked when she finally released Lily.



Lily shut the door, took Holly’s coat, and shook her head. “Dillon went in early because Callie was working the bar last night. He never likes it when she does and neither does Max. Max called, wanting him to at least make sure she didn’t sleep on the couch in the office, so I’m sure he went in and made her go home.”



“Ah,” Holly said. “Well, Max is home so he’ll take care of that, I suppose.”



“I’m so glad they’ll be here this Christmas.”



Holly’s entire face lit up. “Oh yes, me too. My whole family here for Christmas. I’m so excited, I can’t stand it.”



As they entered the living room, Lily paused and turned to see Holly staring intently at her.



“Are you all right, Lily? You look a little pale.”



Lily swallowed and forced a brighter smile. “I’m fine.”



Holly frowned but didn’t pursue the matter, and now Lily worried that she’d mention her concerns to her sons. Impulsively, she reached for Holly’s hand and squeezed, feeling better for the contact.



“Holly, I’m fine. Now tell me what favor you need. You know I’d do anything for you.”



Her mother-in-law turned, took both of Lily’s hands in hers, her eyes dancing with excitement. “I want you to teach me how to cook.”