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“Does that mean you’ll miss Thanksgiving?” Kenzie asked. “You can’t miss Thanksgiving. You promised when you got home from the military, you wouldn’t miss another holiday. You promised.”

He hated disappointing his sister. She was the family’s touchstone. When their parents were killed, Kenzie stepped right into the role of woman of the house at the age of eighteen. Even with Ruby’s help, their mom had left big shoes to fill.

“I know I did, sweetie. I’m sorry, but this is something I have to do.” He had to steel his heart against her trembling lip. Damn, she was killing him.

“When are you leaving?” Chance asked.

Before he could answer, Tanner broke in to ask, “What the hell is so important that you have to leave now?”

That was Tanner, the older of his twin brothers. You never had to wonder what he was thinking because if it popped into his head, it came out of his mouth. Leave it to Tanner to ask the one question Boone didn’t want to answer.

But he’d never lied to his family before. His dad had taught all his children the value of honesty. In his dad’s book, that’s what a man did. If Boone did something, he owned it because his dad had been right. Honesty took courage. It’s what proved he was a man.

“I wouldn’t have laid it out like that,” Trace, the younger of the twins, said, “but I was wondering the same thing. What’s the emergency? I thought you were going to help me with making sure we didn’t have any unvaccinated newborn calves in the far pastures next week.”

Yeah, this trip wasn’t convenient for anyone, including him and the two men he was taking with him from Wilder Security.Grif and Dutch had served with him in the PJs. They’d served in the same unit and were together on the Midnight fiasco. They wanted, no, theyneededto do this almost as much as he did. Boone had been the PJ leader on that retrieval. No one needed this more than Boone.

The chatter of questions and objections mushroomed. He couldn’t get a word in.

Standing, he announced, “I got the call.”

Instantly, the room went silent. Everyone knew what he meant. They’d all been there when he’d come home three years ago. He’d told them enough of what happened for them to understand some of what he was going through. They knew he’d been planning a trip like this for three years. And now it was here.

“Well, shit, Boone. How long will you be gone?” Chance asked. “What can we do to help?”

His muscles relaxed as warmth spread through his chest. That was his family. They knew who he was going after. They understood what it meant to him. “Probably around a month. I’ll do my damnedest to be back before Christmas.”

Sniffling, Kenzie asked, “You might not be back for Christmas either? You can’t be alone for Christmas. Is anyone going with you?” Her voice cracked, but she added, “You aren’t doing this by yourself, are you?”

Her tears were more than he could take. He was supposed to make her life better, not make her cry. He held out his arms to her. “Come here, Tiger,” he said, calling her the nickname he and his brothers all used.

She flew across the room and jumped into his arms. He kissed the top of her head before setting her on her feet. Gently gripping the back of her neck with his hand, he said, “I’m going to be fine.” And blasted hisno lyingrule dead out of the water. “Grif and Dutch are going with me.”

“Wait, I thought they were going on vacation in Japan,” Chance said. He grimaced. “I knew that sounded weird. I can’t believe I didn’t ask more questions.”

“I never said vacation. I said they were headed to Japan.” Maybe it had been a lie of omission, but he’d had every intention of having this very conversation with them before he left. He just hadn’t wanted to upset everyone until the last minute.

“What’s the Cosa Nostra doing in Japan?” Tanner’s question was a good one.

“The Kuril Islands, actually.” Boone didn’t hesitate. It was time they knew. “We’re flying out tomorrow. It should take a few days to get where we’re going and about a week to carry out the mission. Then another three weeks to get home.”

“Wait. Why days to get there and weeks to get home?” Trace asked.

No one would ever accuse Trace of being slow on the draw. “We can’t fly back out. It’s likely there will be people looking for us. So, we’re coming home on a private boat. I’ll call you when it’s done, and I’ll do everything I can to be back home in time to hang my stocking on the mantle.”

Kenzie thumped his chest. “You’d better be home, but I wouldn’t hang a stocking if I were you. Santa’s most likely to fill it full of switches if you do.”

He grinned down at her then pulled her in for a hug. Over her head, he lost the grin as he met Chance’s gaze head on. Chance didn’t buy his story. Boone hadn’t expected he would. But they both stayed silent for Kenzie’s sake.

After he’d had allthe hugs and farewells he could stand from his family, Boone turned in for the night. He had a fifteen hourflight ahead of him, so he planned to leave for the airport around ten o’clock the next morning with Grif and Dutch. That way, he would be able to keep the promise he’d made to his family for one more round of goodbyes.

Upstairs, he packed up and got ready for bed, though he didn’t expect to get much sleep. He hadn’t slept worth a damn in three years. Not since his team had lost their Cara Bear.

He still pictured the events of that day every night as soon as he closed his eyes. Lifting the framed picture of Cara, he once again punished himself with the memory.

Three years earlier…

Boone and all the guys, plus Cara Bradshaw, crowded around the giant television in his postage stamp of a living room to watch the Arizona Cardinals game. They’d all come over to relax after returning from their latest rescue mission.