Something about Leigh’s words the night before stayed with him. She went past accepting the darker parts of his soul and straight into loving them. He might not deserve it, but he’d be a fool to turn it away.

The nagging sensation wouldn’t go away.

He reviewed their night. Not a hardship. Leigh was nearly as beautiful on the outside as she was the inside. The only thing that topped the physical pleasure they enjoyed was the strength of their emotional connection. Given his childhood and the rough relationship with his father, that was something he’d never expected or even hoped to have.

Family.

Sure, he had his father, but he was closer with the members of his team than he was his own flesh and blood.

“Hey, Rick. We’re going to go swimming. You wanna go with us?” He looked up from the computer monitor to find Addie with hope shining in her smile. Her bright eyes never failed to lighten his dark moods. Each day they seemed to grow brighter.

“I wish I could, but I’m busy. Maybe tomorrow.” Regret filled him, matching the disappointment that flashed in her eyes.

But instead of turning her back on him, she entered his office and sat in her seat in front of his desk. She looked down picking at an invisible speck of lint from her long t-shirt.

“You always say that.” Something tugged at his heart, freeing a memory from his childhood.

He’d been sitting on the edge of his mother’s bed when she’d first fallen ill. “He always says ‘maybe tomorrow, Richard.’ Tomorrow never comes.”

His mother had hugged him close, and tried her best to soothe the hurt away. He couldn’t remember which promise his father had broken that day. There’d been so many. It wasn’t hard imagining Leigh soothing away Addie’s hurts.

Filled with guilt, he looked to Addie. His motto had always been that friends and family came first. He’d claimed Addie as his. Sure, they had legal stuff to settle. But one way or another, he’d make sure it happened.

She had to come first.

He had to start thinking like the father he wanted to be, not that father he’d had. Otherwise he was no better.

Something sparked, reminding him of his conversation with Leigh just the night before.

Father.

“You know what? You’re right. Give me five minutes to pass this work on to someone else then I’ll come out and join you two.

“Really?” Joy lit her expression.

“Yep. I promise. Five minutes. If I don’t have trunks somewhere, I’ll find scissors and make some.”

She laughed. “Silly. You do. Leigh ordered you some when she ordered my swimsuit. She put them away in your closet.”

“Of course she did. She thinks of everything.”

It was her turn to say, “Yep. It was the same day you made sure the pool guy was safe to come and fix the pump. I can’t believe you have an indoor pool! Leigh says that maybe when this is all over with, we can have a pool party and have everyone over. It won’t even matter if it’s at Christmas! I can swim and watch it snow!”

From day one, Leigh had turned this cold, lifeless house into a home. He didn’t think she’d intentionally done it, but everything she touched spelled home and love.

Family.

Shit. That was it. How could I have been so fucking blind?

Fathers.

He’d been so focused on Marcus’s business dealings, properties, contacts, and finances, he hadn’t paid much attention to the bastard’s family.

“Go on and don’t tell Leigh. I want to surprise her.”

“Okay!” She was out the door like a shot.

He picked up the phone and called Pete.

He quickly finished that call, then made another. He stood, then had another thought. He sent a couple more messages to Pete. The last one read, Final order for the day. spend some time with your girls tonight, all of them. Give Crystal my thanks and love.

Then he went and found his swim trunks.

* * *

Rick started his SUV and backed out of his garage. Watching his surroundings closely, he drove them down the winding driveway. Placing his hand on Leigh’s knee, he reminded himself to be patient. He’d wanted nothing more than to run headlong into the search, guns blazing. It would have been a dumbass move.

This required patience. He’d always had a steady supply, but the past few days had worn his tissue paper thin. After his call to Pete, the kid had gotten busy, energized by a new lead. He’d dug fast and deep and, miracle of miracles, he’d managed to find pay dirt, even on a man who didn’t know the first thing about the internet or technology. Their link to Marcus had been right in front of his face the entire time, he’d just had to open this eyes.

Then the hard part came. Surveillance. They’d spent four long days watching, waiting in the woods until finally, they found him. Marcus Sutton might think he was smart, but even his deviousness had its limits. Snakes always returned to their nests.

Rolling green pastures and neat fencing rolled by as he drove. Leigh rode beside him and a notably agitated Addie sat in the middle seat behind them.

She’d been so happy and seemingly carefree around them at his place that he hadn’t once thought about what leaving their little private compound might do to her. Stupidly, he’d thought she’d be excited when he told her they had information and were going after Sutton to end this. He’d framed the plan in a way to make it sound like a vacation or escape from her prison, but when the color drained from her face, his stomach had fallen to his feet.

He hated upsetting her, but didn’t have any choice.

Leigh had promised to stay by her side the entire time, but that had only marginally alleviated her tension. Even using the carrot of touring Trent’s stables and checking in on Bonnie hadn’t lessoned the anxiety in her sweet features.

His gut twisted with guilt as he wished that he could do this another way, but even as Leigh had pointed out, Addie would have to leave the house eventually. School had already started in most districts. Even if they homeschooled her, she needed to get out and experience the world. Today was only the first step of many Addie would have to take.

Leigh turned to look at Addie, trying once again to soften the blow they’d dealt her.

“Sweetheart, I promise, you’ll adore Harlan. He’s an even bigger, gruffer teddy bear than Noah. He loves kids. You’ll have him eating out of your hand in no time.”

“I wish I could be there to see it. I’ve never seen a man melt so fast as when Kylie came running up to show him her new puppy. A snowman in the Arizona sun stood a better chance than Harlan.”

Addie finally spoke, her voice not much more than a tremulous whisper. “Is the puppy still there?”

“She is. Cookie belongs to my niece, Kylie. She’s an energetic little thing, but as sweet as they come.” Leigh reached back to pat Addie on one knee.

Addie tilted her head in question. “Which one?”

Leigh pulled at the upper half of her seatbelt to get more slack as she focused on Addie and her question. “Which one what, sweetheart?”

Rick looked in the rearview mirror. Addie nibbled on her lower lip. She stopped to ask, “Which one is sweet?”

Leigh answered. “Ah. Well, both of them, I guess. I was talking about Kylie, but the description applies to both, really.”

Addie turned her head to watch as he drove onto the main road. “My grandpa said sometimes animals resemble their owners.”

Leigh straightened, sitting back in her seat. “In this case, I can safely say the Cookie and Kylie are two peas in a pod.”

In the mirror, he watched Addie face forward. So serious, she spoke as if she were asking permission to perform brain surgery. “I’d like to play with the puppy, if Kylie won’t mind.”

Thinking of little Kylie, he replied, honestly. “Honey, she won’t. She’ll be thrilled to have someone new to talk to. She’s the very definition of social butterfly.”

“You said, what’s his name? Harlan? Harlan and his wife are nice?”

He slowed the SUV as they came to the turn leading them to Walker property. “Ridiculously nice. I swear.”

Her little shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath as she steeled herself. “Okay.”

“O—” He barely got the single syllable out before she continued.

“You’ll come back to get us, right?” Addie began with a plea, then ended on an order. “As soon as you’re done.” He looked in the rearview mirror to see her little fists clenched tight. Her shoulders were straight and her eyebrows tight.

Damn, but she kills me. Straight through the heart with an arrow.

“Absolutely. The moment this is finished, I’m coming straight to you two.” He turned the car onto Walker property.

“Okay. Be careful.” Another order.

He gave her the words she demanded. “I promise.” The moment he closed his mouth, he realized they weren’t empty words. He meant them. He wanted—no, needed—to come back and be a part of both their futures.

Leigh took over the conversation, giving him a break as he drove them through the enormous property. “What do you want to do first? Oh! A friendly warning, Kylie will likely pounce the moment she realizes she has company. Once she finds out you like animals, it’s all over. I probably won’t even have to give you a tour. She’ll steal you from me.”

They came to Trent’s house and Rick parked. He got out and opened Addie’s door only to find her still sitting in her seat. He held out his hand to her. “Come on, sweetheart. I promise these are the best people.”

“They’re good people?” Her pale eyes shone with wary hope. He didn’t quite understand it, but there was something in the way she said the words “good people” that held weight.

“Yes, good people.” He took her hand in his and helped her down. He gave her hand a little squeeze then let it go. They walked around to join Leigh, who’d pulled a large tote bag from the back seat and was throwing it over her shoulder. He’d encouraged her to pack a few overnight things for them both, but she hadn’t wanted to make a deal out of packing, fearing it might add to Addie’s anxiety.

The front door opened and Cara came out, shaking her head. She gave him a wry grin as she headed their way.

Leigh greeted her. “We don’t have all that much. You didn’t have to come out to help, but thank you.”

Cara called down from the porch. “It’s okay. James and Noah are at it again.”

“Damn.” He didn’t need two of his team members at each other’s throats right before they headed out. “How bad?”

“On a scale of one to ten, I’d give this one a three. They went back to the Thirsty Beaver last night.”

Leigh’s head went back in shock. “Why would they go to a dump like that?”

“James bet Noah that he couldn’t win back the money he lost at the pool table the last time we were all there. He was a hundred dollars in the hole and ready to make his move when all hell broke loose. He walked away before recouping his money.” She leaned against the rails, glowing with amusement, when she could have been traumatized by almost being assaulted by Boyd Campbell, a ghost from her past.

“He should have said something. I would have reimbursed him. It was a work-related expense. You guys are supposed to track all expenses.” He didn’t know why he bothered. He’d repeated that a hundred times over.

She shook her head, silently laughing at him, and pushed back from the rail. “Sure thing, boss.”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but had to get to the bottom of their current drama before they could get on with more important matters, like work. “What happened last night to set them off?”

“A woman.”

“Not this again?”

“Yep. Noah saw someone who caught his eye, but as usual he’s slower than molasses.”

“So, he’s pouting because James made the first move, while he stood back and did nothing. Again.”

“Pretty much. They’ll be over it in five minutes, if they’re not already.”

Leigh spoke up, surprised. “They found someone worth asking out at the Thirsty Beaver? I mean, I don’t mean to sound like a snob, but…”

Cara laughed. “I get you. They said there’s a new waitress, and she doesn’t look like she’s from around here. Who knows what her story is? Poor girl, caught in the middle of Ramsey and Holloway drama, and she doesn’t even know it.” She came down off the porch to greet them, and he couldn’t have been more thankful when she met Addie with a bright smile. “Hey, kiddo. You ready for another adventure?”

Addie nodded.

“You’ll love it here, so much so that you might not even want to go back to Rick’s boring museum.” Cara winked playfully, and he could have kissed her. “Come on. You want to see Trent’s house first? Kate ordered pizza for everybody. She can’t stand the thought of Trent or the crew going on a mission with empty stomachs. You’ve already met all the guys, so you’ll fit right in.”

Smart.

She pointed out that Addie was in the presence of people she already knew and who cared about her without saying it outright. She tucked Addie under her shoulder and escorted her inside for pizza, as if they’d been friends forever.

He turned to find Leigh shutting the car’s backdoor. She looked down at her feet before finally meeting his gaze, her lovely eyes so solemn. “I’ll give her a little bit to eat with the guys and then get her out of your hair so you can get to work. I know you’ll need to plan. We won’t stay long.”

“It’s okay. I planned for extra time.” He took her hands in his.

She released a choked laugh that sounded suspiciously as if it hid a sob. “Of course you did.” She turned her head to look over the horizon.

“Hey. What’s this?” He took her chin in hand and turned her to look at him. She pulled a hand free and casually swept a tear away. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Tucking her head beneath his chin, he breathed in her sweet scent and closed his eyes. “We’ll get him, and I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you in one piece. You have my word.”

She shook her head again and sniffled.

Guilt clogged his throat, reminding him that he’d broken his word to her before.