Christmas Justice (Carder Texas Connections #7)(60)
“Grandpa!” Molly raced to her grandfather.
He swung her up in the air with a grimace. “Molly Magoo!”
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “Grandpa, I thought you were gone to heaven like Mommy and Daddy. And Matthew and Michaela.”
James hugged Molly and met Laurel’s and Garrett’s gazes. His eyes were wet. Molly touched one of his tears. “It’s okay, Grandpa. They’re watching over us all the time. Aunt Laurel and Sheriff Garrett said so.”
“I know.” The old man cleared his throat. “Hope there’s room for an old man on Christmas morning.”
“It’s Christmas!” Molly wiggled until James put her down. She looked around the room, past the princess palace. Her head dropped. “My letter didn’t reach him.”
Laurel knelt beside Molly. “Look at the beautiful princess palace. Santa knew exactly what you wanted.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “But I wanted to change my Christmas wish list.”
Molly’s tears broke Garrett’s heart. “What do you want, sugar?” he asked gently.
“I want a family,” she said, her voice small. “I know my mommy and daddy can’t come back, but I don’t want to be alone.”
Garrett picked Molly up into his arms. He kissed her temple. “I think I can do something about that wish.” He walked over to Laurel. “Wait right here.”
He walked out the door and within minutes returned with a wrapped gift the size of a bread box. “Sit on the sofa, Molly. You, too, Laurel.”
Garrett’s nerves were stretched thin. James stood in the corner, a satisfied grin on his face. The old spy knew too much.
With his hand bracing himself, Garrett eased himself down on one knee. “Open the box, Molly.”
She lifted the lid and peeked inside. A smile lit her face. A russet-and-white puppy poked its head out.
“For me?”
“You need a friend on this ranch, don’t you think?”
Molly hugged the puppy to her. The mixed breed licked her face. “What’s his name?”
“Whatever you want it to be, Molly.”
She stroked his soft fur. “I love him, Sheriff Garrett.”
“What do you think, Laurel?”
Her eyes were wet with tears. “I love him as much as I love you.”
“Then maybe you should check out what’s around his neck?”
Laurel grabbed the squirming bundle of fur and looked at his collar. A ring swung back and forth. She stilled. “Garrett?”
“I love you, Laurel. I love Molly. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Molly shouted, hugging Garrett around the neck. “We want to marry you. Right, Aunt Laurel?”
“Right.” Laurel’s voice was thick with emotion. “I do.”
“So we’re going to live here forever and forever. You, me and Aunt Laurel. And Pumpkin Pie?”
“Who?”
“My doggy. His name is Pumpkin Pie. He told me.”
“Yes, sugar, we’ll all live together. Sometimes here, but sometimes in town. In Trouble, Texas.”
Molly grinned up at them. “I think my daddy and mommy in heaven would like that. They told me almost every day that I was an angel always looking for trouble.” She flung herself into Garrett’s arms. “And we found it.”
Garrett met Laurel’s gaze over Molly’s head. “Okay with you? If we’re a family?”
She slipped the ring on her left hand and kissed his lips gently. “A family for Christmas is the best present ever.”
*
Keep reading for an excerpt from WITNESS PROTECTION by Barb Han.
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Chapter One
A clink against the back door of the bakery sounded again. Sadie Brooks lost her grip on the twenty-five pound sack of flour she’d held. It struck the floor and a mushroom-shaped cloud of white powder formed over the bag’s lip.
Creek Bend, Texas, was a far cry from Chicago, she reminded herself. No one from her past knew where she was. No one could hurt her. No one cared. And she was no longer Laura Kaye.
It was four-thirty in the morning in a town that rolled up the streets by eight. The noise was most likely a cat rummaging through trash. No big deal. Nothing scary.
“Only you and me are crazy enough to be up this early,” she said to her two-year-old rescue dog, Boomer, while forcing air in and out of her lungs. He didn’t so much as crack an eyelid. “And I think we both know I mean me.”
Working when everyone else slept suited Sadie just fine. She’d had very little use for daylight or people ever since she’d been kidnapped two years ago.