Page 16 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)

Amber looked up to find tears streaming down her sister’s face. She reached out to hug her. “I’m okay now, Joles. Thanks to Gray, I’m okay.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Her sister’s voice wobbled.

Amber sighed and tried to find the words. “I didn’t want to worry anyone. It was all over and I was safe. And I’m embarrassed that I’m still scared. I wasn’t permanently hurt and I should have been able to cope.”

“Bullshit.” Burke’s voice cut through and had her looking up to find her oldest brother studying her intently from the screen. “What you went through was horrific. You handled yourself and the situation with courage. Finish it, Amber. Tell us about your injuries.”

She sighed, unable to deny her brother anything that would help him feel better.

Gray’s hand traced patterns over her back as Knox returned to his seat. “They hit me a few times. Kicked me. One of them put a bullet in my leg. It wasn’t serious.”

As she should have expected, there was another explosion of sound and voices.

Gray whistled to get their attention, and everyone quieted. “Easy. This was difficult enough for her without you all yelling.”

She leaned her head onto Gray’s shoulder and borrowed some of his strength.

“The doctor took the bullet out without having to put me under. It really was minor. I had a bit of a concussion and bruises, so I waited for them to fade before I used my camera in the video chats. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. I wasn’t brave enough.”

Another beat of silence and then Lawson spoke. “I think I speak for everyone when I echo Burke’s bullshit . Your actions were courageous, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. We’re proud of you, Amber. And we hope you’re going to let us help you until you feel completely healed.”

That broke the damn on her tears, and they flowed freely as she finally looked at each of the others in the room. “Thank you. All of you. I’m sorry I couldn’t do it earlier, but I’m glad I told you now.”

“Damn right.” Burke’s gruff voice had her smiling.

Then he leaned in. “Any chance you’ll name names so we can go kick a little ass?”

She managed a smile as she shook her head. “Not a chance. They’re in jail where they belong.”

Burke’s smile was brief. “And with help from you and Gray, we’re going to make sure they stay there as long as possible. Now let’s talk about increasing security.”

Lawson nodded. “We need to get the other farmhouse wired with alarms and cameras.”

Knox picked up his phone. “I’ll text Sam at Midnight Security to come out and figure out the best system. He and Troy got us set up here. We’ll do the same up there.”

Amber swiveled from one brother to the next. “We don’t need a security system. Or if we do, I’m paying for it.”

They all shook their heads and Burke replied. “Not a chance, Amber. There’s money in Jay’s farm fund for updates. This is an important one. We should have done it when we did the one where you’re all living.”

They shouldn’t be spending farm money because she was a nervous wreck. “But?—”

“No buts.” The phrase echoed from everyone at the table, making everyone smile. She managed a small one of her own.

Jolie squeezed her hand. “You’ve got Boomer, and Gray will be working a lot in the garden, but this will make all of us feel better. Please, don’t argue.”

Amber looked around the table. She wasn’t going to win this battle, especially when it was a smart decision. “Fine. We can check with your friends and see what they recommend.”

Gray leaned over and whispered. “Good job. Proud of you.” Then he kissed her hair.

This time, Burke’s voice was a growl and had Amber worrying about what else had happened. She looked up to find her brother staring into the screen. “Now, Santoro, looks like it’s time for the hurt my sister and suffer the consequences conversation.”

Everyone laughed. Her tension dissipated, and Gray squeezed her shoulders while he grinned. “Didn’t take long for the forever in your debt talk to be forgotten. Relax guys, we’re good.”

And they were. They really were.

G ray kept his composure as the Malssum family chat moved onto other areas. Beside him, Amber had slumped. Telling her tale to her family had taken a lot out of her and she had to be exhausted.

As the chat wrapped up, Lawson smiled softly at her. “Thanks for telling us, Amber. We all love you and we’re proud of you. Talk to you soon.”

Burke nodded. “Agreed. Amber, you’ve always been our gem. We love you. Take care of her, Santoro.”

When they clicked off the call, Jolie leaned over and pulled Amber into a real hug. Knox moved to hold both of his sisters in his arms.

Gray backed up his chair to give them space. Boomer followed him, but kept his senses trained on Amber.

When the family hug broke up, Ford and Thea hugged her as well.

Jolie and Knox turned to Gray and hugged him. Annie’s voice was gruff. “Thanks, man.”

As if sensing Amber needed time to regroup, the others moved off into other areas of the house.

The rain still howled outside, but he thought that might not be a bad thing. “You want to take a walk outside and think of something else? Or pull out the chessboard in the family room? What do you need?”

She rose and hugged him. “A walk sounds perfect.”

Outside, they took some deep breaths of the crisp air.

It was late afternoon, and the light was already fading.

Gray took her hand, and they headed into the orchard.

The trees blocked some of the wind and their rain gear kept out the worst of it.

Boomer led the way, checking trees and Amber with regularity.

They walked for a long time in silence. He figured she had to feel as battered as the leaves.

Fox and Hemsworth loped out of the trees and Boomer greeted both his friends before the dogs came to them for pats.

Then the three dogs raced through the nearby trees, chasing and barking with delight.

Amber smiled. “They don’t mind the rain either.”

He squeezed her hand. “Good thing. Vermont has all kinds of weather. You think Boomer will like snow?”

She nodded. “The owners of the training facility said he liked the snow and being outdoors.”

“Perfect. It’s hard to imagine this orchard covered with snow. It’ll be a good time to work on your B&B.”

She nodded. “So far, we haven’t found a lot of structural issues, although we should get Ford to check on that for us. Winter will be a good season to take care of any issues and start planning the details.”

“Made any decisions in that area yet?”

She shrugged and waved her hand at the trees. “Maybe. I’d like to bring some of this inside.”

He laughed. “You want to plant a tree in every room?”

She grinned, her eyes showing less tension. “Maybe not. But I’d like to include the history of the farm and the orchard. I’m thinking each of the bedrooms should have a theme. Not over the top or cheesy, but with subtle elements that highlight different parts of apple farming.”

“You lost me. I don’t have any decorating sense. Give me an idea of what you mean.”

She smiled. “Well, one room could be all about apple blossoms. Not huge blossoms on the wallpaper, but the colors would echo the blossoms. Photos of the farm during the spring on the walls. Plaques on the wall with facts about apple blossoms. That kind of thing.”

He nodded, able to picture it. “That would be fun. Instead of numbering the rooms like a boring hotel, you could name the rooms with the theme.”

Her eyes lit up. “Exactly. I just have to learn more about the apple farming business and see what I can come up with.”

“Sounds like we can cozy up on the couch during the winter and do some research. I’d like to see what I can find out about the property in the past. Research Vermont gardens and see what plants they include. We can squeeze all that in around working on updating the inn.”

They turned their backs when a sudden gust slapped more rain into their faces. “Maybe I’ll have a room devoted to the rain.”

He laughed. “It’s good for the orchard, but the guests might prefer a drier theme.”

She smiled. “It feels good to plan for the future. I think it’ll be easier now that I’ve got the worry of keeping secrets behind me.”

“Glad you told them?” Not that she shared the specifics of how they’d hurt her. He’d never get the image of the asshole backhanding her with his gun out of his head.

She nodded. “It was hard, but now the most difficult part is done. I know they’ll all have questions, but I think I’ll find it easier to tell them now. Thanks for helping me through it.”

He kissed her lightly. “You’re welcome. Any time. And thanks for getting me through the big brother triple threat.”

A full laugh broke out of her. “You didn’t need any help in that department. They all know you and respect you. Now they know you’re my hero, I think you’ve got smooth sailing ahead.”

He did, because he wasn’t going to screw this up.

His phone beeped in his pocket, and he pulled it out. You must be too far to hear the dinner bell. Time to eat. The taco bar is ready.

He showed Amber the text. “Ready?”

She nodded. “I’m good now. That conversation wore me out, but the walk helped. Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Hand in hand, they headed back. Fox barked and bounded into the trees while Boomer and Hemsworth walked with them to the farmhouse.

To home.