"I got this sheriff who is investigating me regarding a missing person by the name of Carl Penton. The same Carl Penton you watched my boy shove into a trunk. You were the only one to witness what happened that night. So if the cops are looking at me, then you must have talked."

"II didn't say a word." He finally found his voice. Noah gripped the kettle tighter, his eyes flickering toward the door that led into the living room. If he could just get out of the kitchen, he could shout for help.

"Don't think anyone is going to save you," Devil warned. "I was very careful to make sure all the lights upstairs were out before I came in. How lucky am I that you were down here making some tea?"

Noah took a step back, hitting the counter when Devil took a step toward him. "Snitches are not appreciated around these parts."

"I didn't snitch!"

"Now, now." Devil tsked. "We don't want to raise voices, do we?"

Hell yeah. Noah was ready to shout at the top of his lungs until he caught a shadow out of the corner of his eye.

"My men are upstairs. If you wake anyone, then you've cost that person their life."

Noah reacted on instinct when Devil rushed him. He lifted the tea kettle and smacked it over the man's head before pouring the hot water on Devil's face.

Devil howled, holding his face as Noah took off, screaming for Jed. He was scared shitless that someone was going to be hurt, but he wanted his mate to protect their children. What if one of those henchmen slipped into his bedroom and killed his family? Noah felt like he was going to be sick.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he was tackled from behind. Noah kicked out, slamming his foot right in Devil's face. The man howled as he clutched Noah's ankles, reeling him backward.

"Jed!" Noah cried out.

His heart raced when he heard gunfire. Noah couldn't believe this was happening. Everyone he cared about lived in this home. If anyone was killed, he would never forgive himself.

With all his might, Noah slammed his foot into Devil's jaw, dislodging the man. He turned onto his hands and knees, pushed himself from the floor, and raced down the hall.

Thank fuck this hadn't happened when Noah was pregnant. He would have never gotten away.

When he reached his bedroom door, the air left his lungs. The door was open and Jed was nowhere in sight. Noah frantically searched their bedroom and the nursery, finding all three babies asleep, but Jed wasn't in there.

Where had he gone?

Noah turned and went back into the bedroom to look for Jed when Devil entered his bedroom. He had to protect his children. He backed up as Devil advanced. Noah's eyes bounced all over the room, looking for something he could use as a weapon.

But before he could find anything, a large, growling bear entered the room. Noah wanted to cry out in relief. That was until he saw the blood on Jed's hindquarter.

His mate had been shot.

There was more noise out in the hallway, like a big bar fight was taking place, but all Noah could concentrate on was Jed and Devil. He had to keep the intruder from entering the nursery.

"You picked the wrong house to invade," Noah said as he inched closer to where his babies slept. "The only thing worse than a mama bear protecting her cubs is one pissed-off father."

Devil's eyes shot to Jed. "Why in the fuck do you have a bear in your house?"

"Too late for conversation." Noah took off into the nursery and slammed the door closed as he heard a loud roar and a scream from the other room. He slammed his hands over his ears as he stayed close to the door. There was no way he was letting Devil in here. He would fight to the death to protect Sara, Sabrina, and Tyler.

Noah lowered his hands when the noise died down. He was terrified to look out into the other room. He grabbed the diaper pail and raised it over his head, hoping to do some sort of damage as the door swung open.

Noah dropped the pail when Jed walked in, bloody, bruised, and limping. "Oh, god. You've been shot!"

"Grazed," Jed said as he pulled Noah into his arms and hugged him tightly. The noise outside their bedroom had ceased as well.

"What happened?"

Jed shook his head. "It's better you don't know the details. But the threat has been neutralized and Sheriff Sparrow is on his way."

Noah held onto Jed as if his life depended on it and prayed that this mess was finally over.

Jed balanced Sara and Sabrina in his arms as Noah balanced Tyler and the oversized diaper bag. It was late spring and this was their first outing as a family. Harland, Dresden, Markey, and Austin were going to join them just as soon as they found where Markey had hidden the truck keys.

The babies were eight months old now and getting into everything they could get their tiny little hands on. To Jed's delight, Tyler had already shifted into his bear form. He knew each child grew at his or her own pace and couldn't wait for the day when his daughters shifted as well.

He couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten. A mate and three of the most precious children in the world. And to think, almost a year ago Jed had thought he'd lost it all. He had thought that Noah wasn't his mate and that he would live out a lonely existence, pining away for a man he would never have.

Fuck if he wasn't glad he'd been wrong.

Instead of taking the horses, Jed had driven his family to the spot he and Noah had shared their very first picnic. The ground was soft, the air warm, and it was the perfect day to spend outside with his mate and kids.

After setting the blanket up, Jed grabbed his daughters from the truck and set them down, careful to make sure they stayed on the blanket. These days, his children put everything into their mouths.

Noah set Tyler down and then hurried back to the truck for the food as Jed corralled Sara and Sabrina from crawling away.

"It's beautiful out today," Noah said as he set the food to one side. "Perfect day to show our babies nature."

Jed couldn't agree more. He stretched out on his side, pulling Sara and Sabrina close. When a deer wandered their way, he pointed it out to the girls.

Tyler shifted, gave a little growl, and tried to go after the animal. Jed chuckled. "I guess we don't have to worry about him protecting his sisters."

Noah grinned. "I'm pretty sure any boy who even blinks at them will earn the wrath of Tyler Gibbs."

"And me," Jed added. He didn't even want to think of his baby girls dating. That was far in their future, like forty years from now. He still had time to enjoy them before they grew up.

He leaned back, wincing at the graze he'd sustained. Come to find out, it had been deeper than just a nick. The bullet had severed a nerve and the doctor said Jed would more than likely always have a slight limp now.

But he was managing.

Although Sparrow had managed to keep the killings under wraps, Jed would never fully trust the man. Not when Sparrow wasn't one of them. The sheriff had turned a blind eye while Jed and his friends got rid of the bodies. The man told them that Devil and his cronies would remain on the missing and persons of suspect in Carl Penton's disappearance. Thankfully there was no one to miss some drug dealers who had disappeared. But Sparrow did all of this begrudgingly.

Jed knew the man was still freaked about Harland shifting into his bear form and Dresden giving birth. There was nothing he could do about that. Just as long as Sheriff Sparrow never told the truth about the men at the Triple-B, all was good.

Noah jumped up and took off after Tyler when the cub raced toward the creek. The little tyke was fast. Jed couldn't be prouder of his brood of children or his mate.

"I swear, next time you are in charge of Speedy Gonzalez and I'll take the girls," Noah complained as he walked back to them with the cub tucked under his arm. "He's getting heavy."

When Noah sat down next to him, Jed circled his arms around his mate. "Have I told you that I love you lately?"

Noah gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, too. But you aren't getting out of this one."

Jed chuckled. He didn't want to get out of anything where Noah was concerned. He was the love of Jed's life and his entire world. The man had taught Jed how to love again and had opened his heart to the wondrous possibilities of a life he would forever cherish.

THE END.

COWBOY LEGEND.

Bear County.

Lynn Hagen.

Chapter One.

"Could you repeat that?" Gabe Summerville wasn't sure he'd heard his father correctly. He couldn't have. His father stood behind his desk, his hand still resting on the phone. The man appeared somber, as if grappling with some internal conflict.

His father ran a hand over his stubbled jaw before glancing at Gabe. "The FBI has offered to put us into witness protection."

Gabe felt a bit dizzy as he placed a shaky hand over his abdomen. His throat had gone dry and he was finding it impossible to breathe. His father appeared rumpled, unsure, and unshaven. Maxwell Summerville was normally unflappable and he certainly never looked less than impeccable. His father was the epitome of palpable strength and surety.

Why would he need to be protected?

Gabe glanced around the room, trying to gain his bearings as his father's words sank in. He shook his head. "I don't understand any of this."

Maxwell's hand slid over the back of his leather chair before he pulled it out and took a seat. He slouched, which was something Gabe had never seen him do before, as he ran his index finger and thumb over his chin. He seemed to come to some sort of conclusion before he said, "The bank was used for laundering cartel money. As soon as I found out, I contacted the FBI. The man who set up the illegal operation got wind that I had turned state's evidence. He wants my head."

Gabe was going to be sick. He dropped into a seat by his father's desk as the bile rose to the back of his throat. His skin became heated and he tried to suppress the urge to vomit.

His father owned one of the largest banks on the West Coast. Summerville Savings and Loan had been around for as long as Gabe could remember. The business had been handed down through three generations. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that someone had used it for anything other than upstanding business.

"Hire more bodyguards." As his chest tightened, Gabe became frantic. He didn't want to start a new life. The Summerville estate was the only place he had ever called home. He didn't want to live on the lam and run from the cartel.

This was a damn nightmare and Gabe wasn't sure what to do. He had watched enough movies to believe that witness protection was hardly a guarantee of safety. But this was real life. For all he knew, it could be the best program out there.

Gabe just didn't want to find out. Why couldn't he go back to his life, oblivious to what was going on? Why did the cartel have to choose his father's bank? He glanced at his weary-looking father before asking, "Do we really have to go?"

Gabe wasn't trying to put more pressure on the man. He really wasn't. But this was a terrifying situation and he was trying to find an anchor somewhere, anywhere. Men with power, money, and weapons wanted his father dead. If that wasn't a mind fuck, he didn't know what was.

Maxwell leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk, rubbing his hands over his face. Gabe sat there, holding his breath. His father dropped his hands and gazed at Gabe. "To be honest, I'm not going to trust the government with your safety."

Gabe could only nod as he prayed that his father would soon start laughing and tell him that this had all been a joke. None of it seemed real. His father had served as a marine before taking over the family business. He was tough as nails. There weren't too many things in life that worried Maxwell.

Yet the man looked rattled and unnerved.

"So what are we going to do then?" Gabe asked. They could always pack their bags and take off to another country, but Gabe knew his father. Maxwell Summerville wasn't going to run. And that worried him more than anything.

"I have a friend who can help keep you safe," his father said as he reached for the phone.

Gabe's heart slammed in his chest at the singular you. His fingers curled around the arms of the chair as he leaned forward. "What about you?"

"I have a business to run and I'm not letting anyone scare me away." His eyes softened but filled with determination. "You, on the other hand, mean everything to me and I won't risk your life."

"And I'm supposed to let you risk yours?" Gabe asked incredulously. He was five seconds away from grabbing the front of the man's shirt and shaking some sense into him. What the hell was his father thinking? "What if they come after you?"

Gabe had been ten when his mother died. His father had gone overboard protecting and caring for him. Although Gabe appreciated everything his father had done for him, he was not about to let the man face those crooks on his own.

They had been a team since suffering the devastating loss. For fifteen years they had worked to rebuild their lives and to forge the strong relationship they now shared. Why in the fuck would his father think Gabe would just walk away?

"I know how to take care of myself." The steely determination remained in Maxwell's hazel eyes. Gabe wasn't going to win this. His father would force him to leave and there would be nothing Gabe could do to change his dad's mind, but he was going to try anyway.

He ground his teeth as the stubbornness that he'd inherited from his father took hold. "I'm not going if you're staying."

"Gabe," his father said in warning. "Now is not the time to take a stand against me. You are too important. Go upstairs and pack a bag."

Ugh. Why couldn't his father see that he was terrified for the man? Maxwell's concern was justifiable while Gabe's was unnecessary. At least that's how Maxwell saw things. Gabe wanted to rail against the man's inflexibility.

Gabe sat there, refusing to do as he was told. He could be just as stalwart as his father.

Maxwell picked up the phone and dialed. He sat back before a warm smile spread across his face, relieving some of the worry lines that had begun to surface. "Hey, rotten-ass bastard."

His father's masculine laughter reminded Gabe of just how much he had to lose.

"How are things going?" his father asked, seeming ten years younger as he spoke. A gleam had entered the man's eyes that made Gabe smile.

His father sat there and listened for a moment before he explained the situation to whoever he was talking to on the phone. He added a few more details that he hadn't disclosed to Gabe. Like the name of the man who was after him.

Ricardo Ortega.

The name burned into Gabe's memory as he sat there and listened. He learned that Ortega was in jail, but would soon post bail. There was very little time to put a plan in place. Even if Ortega didn't get out, from what his father had just said, Ricardo Ortega's foot soldiers would carry out the job.

The more Maxwell spoke, the more light-headed Gabe became. He really was going to be sick.

His father nodded and then said, "Good, then I'll see you tomorrow."

Tomorrow.

In twenty-four hours Gabe's life would be turned upside down and his fate would rest in the hands of a stranger.

Once his father hung up, he turned to Gabe. "A marine buddy of mine is going to arrive tomorrow for your protection detail."