Page 78 of Defiant Hearts

The snow that had been in the air on the mountain didn’t exist down here in the lower elevation, and the fields she and Wyatt had strolled were clear.

The second the vehicle stopped, people swarmed them.

She barely had time to register faces before Navy appeared at her elbow, tiny and fierce, holding up a lollipop like it was the most important gift in the world.

“For being brave,” Navy announced solemnly, pressing it into her hand.

Whitley laughed and the sound came out a little soggy. She bent down and hugged the little girl, breathing in the simple, uncomplicated smell of a child’s shampoo instead of mountain air and fear. Navy squeezed back with the fierce, unselfconscious grip only kids seemed capable of, giving Whitley the impression she meant to physically hold her together if that was what it took.

Willow was there next, and Rhae, and half a dozen other faces she’d come to know over these past weeks, all of them talking at once, all of them touching her arm or her shoulder like they needed physical proof she was really fine.

At one time, she would have shied away from the big, warm group embracing her this way. Now it felt like coming home to a family she’d never expected to have, built entirely out of strangers who’d decided she belonged to them.

Wyatt anchored her against his side, and she soaked in his strength. “Let’s get you someplace warm.”

“That would be nice.” Her teeth chattered as she spoke. “Twice I survived the mountains. I’m so done with mountains.”

Several people chuckled along with her, and eventually the group moved as a unit into the warmth of the main house.

Whitley found herself settled on the couch with a blanket around her shoulders and a mug of tea pressed into her hands. Wyatt dropped onto the cushion beside her immediately, pulling her against his side.

He hadn’t stopped touching her since he’d hauled her over that ledge. Even now he rested a hand on her knee, then threaded it through her hair as though he needed constant confirmation she was solid and real.

She didn’t mind. She needed the same thing.

“What happened to Lance?” she finally asked, voice still a little rough.

Wyatt’s jaw tightened, but his touch on the back of her neck was gentle. “Carson shot him.”

“Where?” The question wavered on her tongue.

Carson answered from across the room with a grim but satisfied twist to his mouth. “Shot him in the foot when he wouldn’t stop trying to escape. Broke a few of his fingers getting the cuffs on. I warned the bastard to stop fighting me.”

“How many is a few?”

“Four.”

A short, disbelieving laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “Four?”

“He earned every one.” Carson stated it with such matter-of-factness that the delivery startled another laugh out of her, sharper and verging on hysterical relief.

Wyatt flexed his arms around her, drawing her closer.

Carson went on, “I already had Corbin tied up in the back of their car, so I added a second person for the local PD to pick up. You might not have noticed the squad cars were already rolling in as we pulled out.”

She shook her head, stunned by how much she’d missed.

“Are you sure you couldn’t have broken a few more of their fingers? Maybe an ankle or two?” she asked.

Wyatt shook with quiet laughter beside her. Suddenly the whole room laughed too. Somewhere in the middle of the bizarre moment, Whitley realized her hands had finally stopped shaking, the warmth of the room and the absurdity of the conversation doing what the blanket and tea alone couldn’t quite manage.

“I can’t believe I’m laughing about this,” she said, wiping at her eyes, unsure if the wetness there was from laughing or crying or some combination of both.

“You’re allowed.” Wyatt pressed a kiss to her temple. “You survived it. You get to laugh about it now.”

Around them, the house buzzed with quiet activity—someone in the kitchen opening the refrigerator for snacks and all the ordinary sounds of a family going about their lives despite everything that just happened.

With a jolt, she realized this was what she’d been fighting to stay alive for.