Hero (Alpha Mountain 1)

“Morning, Mr. Buchanan.” Fuck, if I didn’t feel like an errant seventeen-year-old. One who was about to knock on the Buchanan’s door to take their daughter out on a first date.

Only we’d already had a first date, second and third date. Sam Buchanan might as well grab his shotgun because I’d fully sullied his—

No, no. She was an adult. We were both adults now. And we weren’t living in the 1950s when fathers chased boys with shotguns.

“Morning Ford. Hi, Indi.”

Seemed like he said it extra loud, so his wife, Page, would hear. Sure enough, she poked her head out of the office. Everything was so familiar, so like the old times, that it hurt.

“Ford. Hello. Hi, sweetheart.” There was a question in her voice. Something like, what the hell are you doing with our daughter?

“Everything all right? Your place didn’t get broken into again, did it?” Sam asked, his gaze shifting from me to focus on Indi.

“Roger Mellman’s getting the help he needs, and everything’s back to normal,” she said.

“No, no,” I added, shaking my head. “We have that place tighter than a drum now. No one will bother Indi over there.”

Indi nestled herself up against my side and put a claiming hand on my chest. “Ford is taking good care of me.”

“Oh.” Page sounded startled. Her hair was fair like Indi’s but cut short. She had on jeans and a pale blue shirt, with the hardware store’s green apron over top.

“That right?” Sam asked. His hair had turned grayer since I’d seen him at the memorial service. “I didn’t even know you two were…reacquainted since Ford’s been back.”

“Well, I got caught in a storm hiking and had to take refuge at his place, and well… yeah. We’re more than reacquainted now.” She glanced up at me, a smile pulling at her lips.

I loved the look she gave me, but it wasn’t reassuring. Why was this so fucking awkward?

It was like all my shame and guilt over Buck’s death rendered me stupid. I could face down the enemy without even blinking. I’d been trained and trained on handling any kind of stressful situation. To think on the fly. To respond.

Except in this. Not one fucking second of my time with the SEALs had given me the skills to handle the grieving parents of my best friend.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been by more,” I burst out, determined to address the issue. “I should’ve been, you know? I just…wasn’t sure how welcome I was.”

“Oh Ford!” Page came out of the office, circling the counter to come and throw her arms around me. She was small like Indi, and her head pressed into my chest. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I was wrong. It wasn’t painful to see you. Everything was painful. I’ve hated that it kept you away.” Tears clogged her voice, while she patted my back like we were still family.

I banded my arms around her back and held her as I glanced at Indi—who’d stepped back—and Sam. “No, I get it. It’s been hell for all of us. Not a day goes by where something doesn’t make me think of Buck and I don’t still feel the ache of losing him.”

Sam cleared his throat. He’d come out from behind the counter, too, and had given Indi a kiss on the cheek. “We don’t want you to feel unwelcome, Ford.” He offered his hand for me to shake. “You’re as much a son to us as Buck was.” He choked up, too.

I clasped his hand in mine, my eyes smarting. I cleared the rust from my throat. “Thank you. I, uh, I have some extra wood split for winter, and I’d like to bring it by.”

Sam’s face split into a grin. “We’d appreciate that, Ford.”

“And we’d like to have you two over for dinner soon,” Page said. “We’ll text Indi with a date. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,” I said, feeling like an eighty pound pack had been lifted from my shoulders.

“Yes, that would be nice,” Indi agreed. “I have a guide trip this week, but maybe we could do it when I get home.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Page said, giving me another hug.

Sam shook my hand again, and Indi kissed both her parents.

When I escorted her out of the hardware store, she tipped her face up to me with a soft smile. “See? No one blames you for what happened. We love you, Ford. All of us.”

I caught Indi around the waist and pulled her against me. A woman with a dog on a leash passed us, but she could have had two heads for how much attention I was giving her. It was horrible SEAL behavior, not constantly aware of one’s surroundings, but Indi had said the words.

The words.

“Did you just say you love me?”