Page 10 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

“Well, what matters is that you’re here now.” Nora led her up the few short steps. “I want to hear everything. I take it school is out for the summer. I hope you can stay with us.”

What happened to her whispered warning?

Her sister bubbled on without giving Mackenzie a chance to respond. But inviting her to stay? That was a new one. Maybe the distance between them rested on Mackenzie’s shoulders. Rowan hadn’t repeated those words to her in years. Had she held on to them too long? Taken them to heart too deeply?

Nora’s reaction went a long way in making Mackenzie regret she had ever listened to her brother. She had taken his words to heart, deep down inside, and believed herself to be a castaway. Maybe time had healed them all and given them new perspectives.

At the double doors, Nora pulled out keys from her bag and reached for the knob.

“Wait...”

Pausing, her sister looked at her, the smile still in place. The excitement and pleasure evident in her features. But ... again something out of place flickered in her gaze. Nora’s fear reflected her own in this moment, but what was Nora afraid of?

“I haven’t seen Rowan in so long.”

“You haven’t seen me in as long either, and I’m glad to see you. I promise, he’ll be glad to see you too.” Nora’s smile widened.

Why? Why would the man who had never liked her to begin with and used every opportunity to drive her away, who’d taken advantage of her mistakes, be glad to see her?

Mackenzie was walking into an alternate universe. Somewhere between Michigan and Montana, she’d gone through a wormhole. That had to be it—maybe it happened when she was on that octopus. Everything shifted then.

Nora opened the door and stepped into the foyer. “Rowan. I’m sorry I’m late. And I brought a surprise.” Nora winked at her.

Setting her purse on the side table, Nora removed her jacket, making herself at home.

“Rowan!” Nora yelled again, then glanced at Mackenzie and gestured for her to follow. “I’ll let you surprise him.”

Mackenzie followed Nora, taking in the warm caramel colors of the logs along the way. A month before Mackenzie’s eighteenth birthday, the Hanson family (everyone except Mom, who died from leukemia years before) moved from Silicon Valley to Montana, where Dad built the new Hanstech headquarters. Dad’s dreams of building a successful tech company came true, with the added bonus of living in Montana where he could promote a solid work-life balance and retain his employees. Yep. But Dad lost his youngest daughter along the way during the workaholic years required to get him there, and then he was killed in a plane crash.

Nora led Mackenzie into a beautifully decorated great room containing shelves filled with books and carved bronze statues of cowboys and horses, as well as oil paintings of mountains—a few additions since she’d last been here.

“I thought he’d be here already. He left before me.”

“I didn’t see another car—”

“Oh, Rowan parks in the garage to the side. Let me text him that I’m waiting. He had something he wanted to talk about at home instead of at the office...” Nora’s last words sounded shaky. She was nervous. Her gaze briefly flicked to Mackenzie, and her expression flashed unease. But it was all gone before Mackenzie could blink.

What was going on?

In fact, Nora’s hands trembled as she held her cell.

Because of Mackenzie’s surprise visit? “I know me showing up here is just ... out of the blue. I don’t want to mess with your plans.” Of course she did. She’d come here to warn them about the threat to Hanstech—and their lives.

Now that she was more than a thousand miles from Michigan, the doubts crept in. Was she overreacting? She didn’t think so, especially since Julian’s actions meant that he’d taken the threat seriously too.

“I had planned to have dinner with my fiancé, Carson.” Nora half-frowned at her. “You haven’t met him. This is perfect timing.”

“You’re engaged? Wow, when did this happen?”

Nora flashed her engagement ring. “This week.”

And Nora hadn’t thought to call Mackenzie? But all things considered, that made sense. Still, a pang shot through her heart. “Where did you meet him? Here in the wilds of Montana?”

“Carson is Hanstech’s chief financial officer.”

Mackenzie’s throat thickened. She was really here. Really doing this. She eased into a plush chair in the corner. Maybe it could be a new start for them.

Nora held her cell to her side. “While we wait for him, why don’t we get you settled into your old room. I hope you didn’t check into a hotel. You’re family. Whatever happened before is in the past.” Her sister’s eyes brimmed with tears that disappeared with her smile. “What do you say?”