His Last Request (Slow Uploads)

            Conrad groaned, “I’m going to beat that woman! I told her not to do this! I am so sorry. Why don’t you just go on ahead to the table over there in the middle of that side? I’ll handle this.”

            With that, he turned and went after his wife.

Chapter 4

            After the disaster that was the barbecue, Tiernan assured Leanna that she wouldn’t be forced to attend such events again. She hadn’t slept that night or most of the next day as memories of the crowd surging around them and men constantly trying to touch her in some way crowded her mind to the point of driving off sleep. In the end, Tiernan had locked her body into his, buried them in blankets and told her edited-to-avoid-the-gruesomeness stories of his time in the SEALS until she fell asleep.

            The following weeks flew by quickly for those in Montana. Days fell into a routine and Leanna relaxed into her new role of wife and expectant mother slowly. She was awakened by a chaste kiss from Tiernan then brushed her teeth and applied her medicine mask before she bathed each morning. After Tiernan brought her clothes for the day to her, they had breakfast together.

            They studied her new history, friends, and family with the others after breakfast, and they decided that she didn’t have to speak with any heavier drawl than she had already, since she was supposed to be a bit more refined than that anyway.

            In the afternoons, Nolan and Kenric worked with the men that Austin and the others had sent to help them get their practices back up and running. Dalton began working on home security systems design and planning, and Tiernan’s cover was that of the owner and engineer of a company that specialized in armored vehicles for the wealthy and politically important. It allowed him to work from home and put his skills and knowledge of vehicles, the military, and security to good use.

            While the others were out preparing their new buildings and locked away in their offices to get familiar with their new companies and start finding real-life customers instead of just the ones created for their cover, Leanna spent her time with Rory and Murdoch. Garrett had everything that Caleb had left or its equivalent value transferred into the accounts he’d set up for Leanna a little at a time, and she found that she was quite wealthy.

            He matched the money with money of his own, and he was certain that she’d never want for anything in that way. Tiernan’s accounts had been discretely emptied by his friends and placed into his new ones, and he was pleased with the amount there. He didn’t want to use Garrett’s money if he didn’t have to, because he didn’t want anyone to think that he had accepted his new position in order to take advantage of the situation. But he accepted the gift of the house for Leanna, since it was a gift to her and there was no way that he could afford the many millions it cost to both purchase and re-decorate it.

            Leanna found that it was easier to talk to Rory while the others were busy but that it was easier to sleep if Murdoch was the one in the room with her when she lay down to take her naps. She had expected some fatigue and morning sickness, but the nausea often lasted all day long and she was extremely tired – rarely able to go four hours without crashing – and she took at least two naps a day before turning in early at night.

            Evenings found the entire group together at the table and Kenric asked her if she’d like to talk about anything when he caught her alone each night before bed. Most nights she declined, but every once in a while, she would pour out her heart and tell him how much she missed Garrett, how betrayed she felt by him giving her away like a piece of property, how abandoned she felt by his absence, and her fear of falling in love with Tiernan, who was so incredibly strong and kind – the two things that pulled most at her heart strings.