That stopped him. He looked over his shoulder at her. "That's right. He can't. But why don't I believe that you believe that?"

Because Branson and EVS, and what he almost did to your family, stand between us, she wanted to cry.

Unable to maintain the soul-searching eye contact, she laid her head against the strong width of his shoulder and sighed.

He continued across the top of the ravine and back into the shelter of the woods. After another minute, his arms, where they were hooked around her legs, squeezed gently. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She had to clear her throat of the thick tears that stuck there. "I'm fine." But she wasn't, and she didn't know if she ever would be again.

They stopped at the stream and he lowered her to a rock. He plopped down beside her to the bed of fallen leaves, his chest rising and falling harshly.

"Leave me here while you go the rest of the way. I'll be fine-"

"No… I'm not leaving you." He turned away and stared into the woods. "He's dead. Dead, Haley. Do you understand that?"

"Of course I do. So why won't you leave me behind?" She gulped, suddenly stricken with tears. She shuddered and shook, as shock again gripped her. "D-don't you t-t-trust me to stay and f-f-face the consequences?"

He took one look at her, then sighed as he pulled her close, rocking her. "You've got to stop doubting me, stop doubting yourself. Stop pushing me away."

She wished she could. But if she closed her eyes she could still see the blood of her colleagues, hear the wicked laugh of the man who'd tried to kill her, feel the pain of the man who loved her.

The sound of a helicopter had them both jerking back, startled. Cam shielded his eyes to see, then relaxed. "Finally. It's Search and Rescue. They're coming for us."

When the chopper lowered, hovering near them, a familiar blond head popped out and glanced down anxiously. Haley closed her eyes, sagging in relief, even as she continued to shake.

Zach had found them.

Chapter 14

"She's perfect. Looks just like me." Jason smiled proudly down at the small bundle wrapped in his arms and wiped a suspicious moistness from the corner of his eye. "We should call her Jason, Jr."

Nellie laughed weakly and winked at Zach and Cam. "She may look just like you, honey, but she's got my personality. Which means she's an absolute angel."

Zach shook his head. "An angel with a temper, that's for sure. For the last five hours I've been listening to you scream at poor Jas here from down the hall. And that was after I'd asked the nurse for cotton for my ears."

But he laughed softly over Jason's shoulder when the baby opened one eye and seemed to glare at him. "See that? Already, she's giving me dirty looks. Just like her mama."

Zach paled a few shades when Jason slipped the baby into his arms, but after a minute he relaxed, even smiled at the serious creature staring up at him. "What's her name?"

"Ally," Nellie said firmly, smiling when the brothers stared at her with their hearts in their eyes. Ally had been their mother's name.

Jason leaned over Nellie for a long, deep kiss. "She's gorgeous, baby. Just like you. Thanks for my little girl."

For once, even Zach seemed moved by the public display of affection.

Cam touched the soft tuft of blond hair on top of little Ally's head and thought he'd never seen a more beautiful miracle. He'd nearly had a heart attack when he'd learned Jason and Nellie had never made it farther than the end of the road before her water had broke. They'd driven straight to the hospital.

By the time Jason had managed to try to reach Zach, he was nowhere to be found. But that was because Zach had stayed at the ranch to make the calls to the police. Branson, who had come to the house when Haley hadn't been at the airport, had knocked Zach out, then left him for dead.

Which had Cam's poor heart leaping again. Thank God, he thought, staring at the white bandage across Zach's forehead. Thank God his brother had a head harder than stone.

It had been stress that had sent Nellie spiraling into early labor, and Cam knew that if something had happened to her or the baby, Haley would never have forgiven herself. He'd had a bad moment when he'd relived Lorraine's labor and how things had gone so badly, but apparently Nellie had done just fine. She glowed.

Jason, in contrast, looked positively awful. His hair stuck straight up and his eyes were ringed with dark exhaustion. Zach had told Cam that Jason had been a complete wreck during labor, and that every time Nellie so much as winced, Jason turned green. He looked like he'd been to hell and back.

But they had a precious bundle of life to show for it.

Cam knew the small twinge of envy was normal, but when Zach handed him the tiny baby, he, too, had to fight back the burning in his eyes.

She felt so light in his arms, smelled so absolutely sweet. The small mewling sound she made tugged at him, and when she opened her eyes to stare solemnly at him, he smiled at her. "Hello, precious," he whispered. The baby yawned, turned her head to his chest and smacked her lips against his shirt. Despite himself, he chuckled. "No milk there, sugar." Gently, he laid her on Nellie. "Better luck with those," he told the baby, grinning at his sister-in-law.

With an ease that spoke of her readiness to be a mom, Nellie soothed Ally while Cam watched, fascinated and yearning all at the same time. "You really okay, Nel?" he asked her.

Her smile was filled with love and understanding as she reached for his hand. "Yeah, I'm really okay." The amusement faded from her eyes. "Stop worrying. It wasn't your fault. Nor Haley's. It was just my time."

He shook his head and remembered the terrifying moments in the helicopter as Zach had told him what happened, how Nellie had suffered with the long labor. "When I first heard, I thought-" He sighed, knowing it didn't bear repeating. "Never mind what I thought."

Nel pulled him down beside her, placing his hand on the baby's warm body. "You thought the worst. I'm sorry I scared you, Cam. I know what you've been through. But I'm strong as a horse. So's the baby. See?"

Ally made some more smacking noises, wrinkled her little brow in a picture of distress as no one made the move to offer her what she really wanted-sustenance.

She was adorable, absolutely precious.

"She's fine," Nellie said softly. "And perfect."

Cam nodded, not trusting his voice.

"How's Haley?" Nellie asked.

He wished he knew. She'd been so exhausted that she'd fallen asleep right there on the table while getting stitches, sleeping through the casting of her broken ankle. She hadn't even awakened when they'd taken her to a room, or when he'd checked on her to tell her about Nellie and the baby. "Her injuries will heal," he said carefully.

"The doctor said her ankle was a clean break. It shouldn't give her too much trouble." Zach moved in close, laying a hand on Cam's shoulder. "And her cheek only needed six stitches."

It wasn't the physical injuries Cam worried about. Those would indeed fade, and rather quickly. But the psychological scars went deep, to the bone. He could see them in her haunted gaze. How long would those take to heal?

Jason sat on the other side of the bed next to Nellie and took his daughter's tiny fist in his fingers. "You guys looked pretty awful when you were brought in," he said to Cam. "Gave us all gray hairs. You ever going to tell us exactly what happened up there?"

"Branson's dead," Cam said flatly, closing his eyes and reliving the sight of the man raising his rifle and aiming it at Haley's head as she scrambled up the rock; seeing all over again the horrifying helicopter crash that had been far too close for comfort. "That's all that matters."

Jason nodded soberly. "Haley's free, as soon as she answers the authorities' questions about Branson."

Nellie looked at him. "Make her stay. I want her to stay with us."

Zach nodded. "Me, too. Tell her we all want her to stay."

They all looked expectantly at Cam, their hopes so obvious in their eyes. He had to let out a little laugh despite the heavy ache in his chest. "I can't ask her."

Three sets of eyes widened in surprise.

"But you have to," Nellie cried.

Jas hugged Nel and the baby close. "Why won't you?"

"Did you upset her?" Zach demanded.

"It's not up to me," he started weakly. "She has to want to stay."

"Well, make her want to, then," Nellie said simply. "Woo her."

"Yeah, woo her," Jas repeated firmly. Zach nodded in agreement.

Again, Cam had to laugh, but the sad truth was, he had no reassurances for them, because he had none for himself. Haley had made him no promises.

But he hadn't made any, either.

He stilled at that shocking realization. Whether it had been for fear of losing his heart, or the confusion and lies-he didn't know. But he'd never offered her any permanence. He wanted, more than anything, to do that, to make her an entire lifetime of promises. And he wanted her to make some in return.

He smiled, then kissed Nellie and the baby. "I've got to go."

"Good. About time."

"Maybe I'd better come with you," Zach said, rising. "Just to make sure you do it right."

Jason laughed when Cam bared his teeth and snarled. "I think he'd rather do it alone. We'll have to trust him."

Nellie just smiled warmly, her eyes filling. "Tell her we love her, too."

Which brought it all into perspective, Cam thought. They loved Haley, wanted to be her family. He could only squeeze Nellie's hand and hope Haley wanted that also.


* * *

Haley woke slowly, and unlike in the cave with Cam wrapped snugly around her, this time she had no lingering sense of warmth and security.

She sat up in the hospital bed, glaring down at the cast on her ankle. A federal agent sat by her bed. He smiled at her when she blinked warily.

"I understand you have quite a story for me," he said.

She nodded, nervous. But she told him everything-from the beginning-wanting to get it over with. When she'd finished, she waited for his disbelief.

Instead, he put away his small recorder and notepad. He stood and smiled gently. "Thank you. You've been great, very helpful." He handed her a card. "Can you keep me informed of your whereabouts in case I have any more questions?"

Or in case they need to arrest me, she thought glumly.

"Do you need a lift?"

"I'm… free to go?"

He looked at her strangely. "Of course."

A nurse slipped into the room. "Oh! You're awake." She smiled cheerfully at Haley. "The doctor released you, honey."

Haley forced herself to smile. "Great. Thanks." She waited until both the nurse and the agent had left the room to wilt back against her pillow.

She was free to go.

But where to? She'd lost her taste for geology, at least for the time being. Pushing up from the bed, she reached for her crutches. She'd been working so intensely for so long… For the first time ever, she felt as though she needed a break.

A vacation.

The thought made her smile sadly. She didn't want a vacation; she wanted to live in a huge, cluttered ranch house with noisy, caring, loving people all around to tease and torment daily. She wanted Colorado and its wide-open skies, glorious mountains… and Cam. She wanted Cam.

But that wasn't meant to be. Not after what she'd put him and his family through.

She hadn't seen him since they'd arrived. She'd fallen asleep and he'd been gone when she'd wakened.

Just as well. It would make it easier to leave.

She tried out the crutches, tentatively moving about the room. It was clumsy and awkward, but manageable. But then she caught sight of her image in the bathroom mirror and cringed. Her hair stuck up over one ear. What little makeup she had left was under her eyes. The nurse had cleaned and bandaged her face, getting most of the blood off, but she looked gray and wan. She turned away, disgusted.

She could remember every agonizing second of their helicopter trip. From what Haley understood, Search and Rescue had searched frantically for them until it had been too dark. Then Zach had spent an uneasy night, divided between pacing at the hospital while Nellie labored, and being terrified for them.

They'd resumed their search at first light.

The helicopter crash and resulting explosion had led them right to Cam and Haley.

She knew the USGS wanted to talk to her. She'd tell them everything she knew-except how to re-create her system.