Courage (Heroes of Big Sky 1)

Bring you to your knees.

Like after a fun holiday with friends, curled up on the couch as it snows and storms outside.

And a sexy man watching me from just a few feet away with complete understanding in his blue eyes.

“I miss her, too,” he says softly and rubs the top of my foot in support. “Okay, let’s do this. What should we get the kids? I’m not buying anyone a car.”

This makes me chuckle like he knew it would. “Not until they’re sixteen.”

“Or twenty-six,” he mutters. “Do you know how many dead teenagers I’ve scraped off the pavement over the years?”

“Jesus, Sam.” I shake my head and reach out for his hand. “Why do you do this job? It’s so damn sad.”

“Because someone has to. Someone has to help.”

“And you’re the helper.” I squeeze his hand.

“Yeah, I guess so. Okay, let’s do this.”

I nod and inhale as I reach for the first ad. “I did some research on what five-year-olds are playing with these days. I mean, I also pay attention when the kids announce that they want something, but this is my first Christmas as a parent, and I want them to be excited, you know?”

“I’m grateful you did because I’m totally clueless,” he says with a grin and reaches for another ad. “Let’s get Kevin a PlayStation.”

I blink over at him. “He’s five.”

“So?” He raises a brow.

“So, he’s too young for a gaming console. I don’t like them spending too much time staring at a screen.”

“They watch TV all the damn time,” he counters, clearly frustrated.

“No, they don’t. They’re allowed one hour a day on school days, and no more than three hours over the weekend. Oh, Target has some cool-looking art sets on sale. Kelsey loves this kind of stuff, and it’s princess-themed so that’ll go over well.”

“Good one,” he says with a nod, but he still looks irritated. “They have some cool-looking building blocks at this store. Complete with little race cars. Kev would love that.”

“It’s going on the list. You know, we could just go ahead and order most of this tonight. The sales start at midnight, and that’s only thirty minutes away. I’ll start putting stuff in the carts.”

My fingers fly over the keyboard as I look for the items we’ve already discussed, and I put them in my shopping carts.

“What about this cool dollhouse for Kelsey?” Sam asks and shows me the page in the ad. “She loves the one at Ellie’s place.”

“Of course, the one up there is a replica of the castle in London,” I reply with a laugh. “Complete with hardwood floors and tapestries for the walls.”

“This one is pink,” he replies, keeping a straight face.

“That’ll work. Going in the cart.”

We spend the next twenty minutes or so choosing several things for each of the twins.

“When I’m out tomorrow, I’ll look for some new clothes,” I inform him. “They’re growing so fast. A few things will get wrapped, but most of it is just going right in their closet. The sales are too good to pass up.”

“Wait, you’re going out tomorrow?” he asks with a scowl.

“Of course. It’s black Friday.”

“It’s a freaking blizzard outside.”

I frown. “They’ll have the roads clear by morning. I’ve been driving on snow since the first day I got behind the wheel, you know.”

“Are you going alone?”

“No. Aspen, Ellie, and Nina would be recognized, and it’s not a good idea where security is concerned. But Fallon called me the other day and asked if I’d like to go with her. I’m meeting her at her place in the morning. The twins can hang out with Noah and the kids for the day.”

“If this storm gets worse, just promise me you’ll reconsider.”

“Sam, it’s fine.”

“I won’t have you out driving in this mess, Tash. It’s damn dangerous, and there are too many people on the roads who don’t know what they’re doing. I’ve seen too many horrible accidents, so please don’t go if the storm doesn’t let up.”

“Okay.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “If it isn’t better by morning, we’ll stay home.”

“Thanks.” He tosses the ads on the floor and rests his head against the couch. “I think that’s plenty of things for the kids.”

“I do think that shortly after Christmas, I’ll take Kelsey to get her ears pierced,” I add. “It’ll be one of her gifts.”

“She’s five,” he says, echoing my words back to me.

“Yeah, so?”

“She’s too young for pierced ears.”

“Some kids have their ears pierced when they’re tiny babies,” I say. “She’s old enough, and she’s been asking about it.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “My dad made Monica wait until she was ten to get hers done, and Kelsey will wait, too.”

“You’re so strict.”

He shrugs. “I never thought I would be, but I guess I am. Just a little.”

“Okay, no ear piercing, but you get to be the one to tell her that she has to wait five years to get it done.”